Divine Drops Distilled from the FOUNTAIN OF Holy Scriptures: Delivered in several Exercises before SERMONS, upon Twenty and three Texts of Scripture.  
By that worthy Gospel Preacher Gual●er Cradock, Late Preacher at All-Hallows Great in London.  Deut. 32. 2. My Doctrine shall drop as the Rain, my Speech shall distil as the Dew. Job 29. 22. After my words they spoke not again, and my speech dropped upon them. 
London, Printed by R. W. for Rapha Harford, at the Bible in Queen's Head Alley, near Paternoster Row. 1650.   

The several Texts handled in the ensuing Work.  

ISaiah 9 12, 13, etc.  
Isai. 26. 1, 2, 3.  
Isai. 27. 1, 2, 3, 4, etc.  
Isai. 28. 15, etc.  
Isai. 40. 1.  
Isai. 65. 5, etc.  
Isai. 66. 12, etc.  
Deut. 4.  
Psal. 83.  
Psal. 116.  
Micah 4. 1, 2, 3, etc.  
Habak. 2. 4.  
Matth. 19 ult.  
Luke 18. 1.  
Rom. 6. 14.  
Ephes. 3. 20.  
Ephes. 5. 1, 2.  
Phil. 2. 1, 2, 3, etc.  
Heb. 12. 18, 19, 20, etc.  
2 Pet. 1. 9, 10, 11, 12.  
Judas 19  
2 Cor. 11. 3.  
Jerem. 6.    

TO THE READER.  
Christian Reader.  
THou art here presented with a little Work, entitled, Divine Drops: Drops indeed they may be called, being but small in quantity; but Divine and Spiritual for their quality, as thou shalt easily perceive, if thou peruse them with a spiritual eye. They were several short Exercises of the worthy Author, delivered in public before his Sermons; wherein thou shalt find many Gospel Truths, which may not only tend to thy spiritual profit, but delight, the work being interwoven with variety of subjects. It is like a pleasant Garden, wherein thou mayest gather choice of spiritual flowers: In one Bed thou shalt find the just anger of God provoked by sin, in another, the confidence of the Saints in God their refuge; in another, the Hypocrite discovered; in another, the comfort of God's people proclaimed; in another, (if I may so speak without offence) the spiritual fondness between God and his Saints described; and in all, that which may by the help of God's Spirit, tend to thy comfort and edification.  
I had spared my pains in prefacing, but being informed, that some (though very unworthily) have incensed the Author against the publishing of these things: For the Vindication of it, and my self, I have adventured these few lines. The work was not gotten out of my hands, without the importunity of divers godly men; who having formerly enjoyed the ministry of this Reverend Preacher; and now being deprived of it by his absence, since they could not enjoy him as they would, desired to have him present, as they might, namely, in the perusal of some of his works; and I hope that shall not offend him, that may do so many good. Good is of a diffusive nature, and the better the good, the more it is communicated. Some petty good things may be impropriated in the hands of a few, but the best, even natural good things (without which Creatures cannot subsist) are common to all, as the Sun, and the Air, etc. Good actions of good men (especially that are intended for the public) are like the motion of the water, wherein a stone is cast; there appears first a little circle, which grows greater and greater, till it have overspred the whole. And though these precious Truths were at first delivered in public, yet the Walls of one Church could not contain many hundreds; whereas now by this means, the benefit may reach many thousands. And as job speaks of corporal food, the loins of the poor blessed him for it; so I doubt 
Job 31. 20.  not, but the souls of many poor Christians may have cause to bless the Author for these spiritual Viands, who never saw his face; and being written for the Generation to come, the people which 
Psal. 102 18.  shall be created shall praise the Lord.  
It is true, the Word of God in the hearing of it, is like milk immediately drawn from the breast, that hath more strength, and spirits in it, then after it hath stood in the vessel; yet hearing is transient, and the memory treacherous and frail, and apt to let good things slip: Therefore, though the Priests and Levites had the Book of the Law, yet God commands the King to write him out a copy of it, that he might 
Deut. 17. 18.  have recourse to it all the days of his life. Many excellent Proverbs of Solomon, it is likely, had been lost (as some other of his Works are) had not the men of Hezekiah, King of Judah, 
Prov. 25. 1.  copied them out. And I am sure, of late days, the Works of many worthy Men 
* Dr. Preston, Dr. Sibbs, Mr. Shute, Mr. Ramsden, etc. , had been drowned in oblivion, had they not floated in such an Ark as this; and for aught I know, the Truths here presented, had been useful to none, but those that heard them, had they not been preserved this way. And if for our unfruitfulness, our Haltion days should be turned into such as were the Marian times; who knows what sweetness may secretly be sucked from such breasts of consolation? 
Isal. 66. 11.   
I confess, had the Author published the things himself, it is likely they might have been more exactly adorned for circumstance; but it is his own expression, That Gospel spiritual Truths have that self excellency, that they have no more need of the Embroidery of humane learning, than a suit of Scarlet to be laid with Copper Lace. The things are substantial, solid, and serious, set forth in the Authors own Language and Phrase, without alteration, only repetitions omitted, and not them neither, where they are emphatical: And I am confident, whoever heard them delivered, shall find his very vestigia in the reading of them, as many have acknowledged, that in reading his former Book published, they called to mind what they had heard, though there were the distance of some years between.  
I have not (not ever did, in any man's works) taken the boldness to add one piece of a sentence, or to diminish aught. The Lessons are wholesome and cordial; thou shalt herein find no lethal Gourd, that any should cry out, There is 
2 King 4 40.  death in the Pot. If there be any material error, I desire to bear the blame; if there be any literal faults, let the Printer own them; if neither, let them blame themselves, who (without cause) have endeavoured to prejudice the Work.  
For my own particular, had I aimed at private gain, I could have employed my time and pains with advantage that way in other things; but he who knoweth the heart, knoweth I intended the public good in it; and if a Christian must forgive his brother to seventy 
Mat. 18. 22.  times seven times, when perhaps sometimes he may wilfully offend, I hope I shall easily obtain pardon, who if I have offended, it is in that, wherein I expected encouragement; and if I be evil spoken of for this, it is for that, for which 
2 Cor. 10. 3.  I give thanks. I shall detain thee no longer from the matter, but commend it to thy serious and judicious Consideration; and it, and thee, to the blessing of him, who only can give increase to all good endeavours, and rest  
Thine, in Christian Duty, THO. SHELTON.   
ISAIAH 9 12, 13, etc. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still, etc. 
MY intention is not to expound this Scripture, but only at this time to take occasion from the main drift of it, to instruct you a little in that we are about. The main drift of it, is this, That here the Lord by the Prophet threatens many, and grievous judgements that should come upon this people; you shall see who they are in the Chapter. I say they were many, and they were sore and grievous: And the Lord doth begin (as his usual manner is) with some first, and with the least; and when the people would not turn to him that smote them, than the Lord would send another plague on them: For that is the meaning of that phrase, His hand is stretched out still. They went on in wickedness, and then the Lord sends another plague, His hand is stretched out still. The stretching out of God's hand is the executing of judgement upon wicked people usually: So that he goes on with very fore judgements, as here in this Chapter it is said, A man shall eat the flesh of his own arm, and yet the hand of the Lord is stretched out still. A man would think that were the sorest that could be; a man would think that were enough, yet notwithstanding the hand of the Lord is stretched out still.  
It is the manner of God throughout the Scripture, 
The manner of Gods proceeding to, and in judgements.  to defer judgements a long while before they come, and when they come, he sends them by degrees; but when they come, usually they are many, and sore; and it is uncertain when they will end, as we see in Levit. 26. Amos 4. Isai. 5. And here, and in some of the Chapters following, His hand is stretched out still.  
Just so (beloved) it is with us at this time, as I shall 
Application to our times.  show you briefly, (for I told you I would not expound, but take a word to quicken your hearts, and mine, that we may speak unto the Lord more advisedly.) You know, a little while ago, we thought that the Lord was coming to end the wars. The Lord gave us victory upon victory, after many corrections, and judgements before; and we thought they were now over, but we were deceived, as we were many times before. You know God hath been many times about to end our miseries, but he hath sent back for his mercies, and so he hath done now; he hath very strangely called back his mercies, and loving kindness, and hath stretched out his hand many ways against us. God gins to raise up enemies again, and to strengthen them; he suffers the enemy to break in among us, besides all expectation: And how long, or how far God will stretch out his hand that way, who knoweth?  
Let me deal plainly with you: For this day we 
The cause of God's judgement to be sought in ourselves.  should deal plainly with God, and our own souls; and however through the week we look for Reasons and Causes of things in a natural way, who followed, and who were the Commanders, and what were the Forces, and the like: yet it should be the business of this day to judge of things spiritually, to see spiritual Reasons.  
And here we see in this Chapter, and many such, That God stretcheth out his hand, while there is some continuation of sins, or some new provocation against the Lord; therefore, (it may be God hath many more ends in it, as doubtless he hath, but) certainly there is some strange provocation of God among us, that the Lord deals so with us again. And all this, that we may now see, that the miseries that are beginning to rise, they are but the stretching out of God's hand: It is God's 
Those are wilful, provoking sins.  hand; and as of private persons, so of public Nations; it is not common frailties that grieve the Spirit, but some wilful wickedness. When a man hath sin at the slaves end, and yet lets it come in to his bosom, and when he sees sin through the Keyhole, and yet opens the door, and lets it come in: So in a Nation it is not frailties and weakness; there will be whoredom, and drunkenness (though these provoke God.) It is not so much this, as some wicked provocations of God that are among us. Therefore in a word give me leave a little to tell you what I conceive, what I fear rather, what is the reason why God afresh and anew stretcheth out his arm, when we thought his sword was half put up, yet now it comes out again, and God knows how far it will go, or how long it will continue.  
Beloved, we should be born with in searching ourselves, and beholding and confessing our sins, and the sins of those that are among us, especially in such days as these, unless we will deal hypocritically with God, and proclaim a fast day, and come to humble your souls, and no man look after his own sins, and men not be allowed to bewail the common sins. I was considering, that the Saints before, confessed their own sins, and the sins of others, of their Princes, and Magistrates, and great ones; and the true prophets were bold to tell them also of their sins. Therefore though I delight not (God he knoweth) of any thing to speak of men's sins; and if I do, the Lord he knoweth, I am more willing thorough his 
What they are among us.  grace to see my own then any man's sins, and to speak of them and bewail them. Therefore I say, I hope you will bear with me if I tell you my heart (if I now were on my deathbed) what I think (according to this blessed book) provokes the Lord that now so terribly he threatneth us again when we thought his anger was over. Therefore I pray hear me, I shall be brief.  
The first thing that I fear highly provokes God among 
1. A formal practice of penltential duties.  us (and as long as we stretch out this line of sin, he will stretch out the line of wrath) That is, our formal humiliation, and repentance, and fasting and such like things. I do not speak (neither can any man that hath charity think I speak) against humiliation, or repentance, or fasting, I desire to practise it: but our humiliation, and fasting, and praying, and repentance, and these things, they grow every day more formal than other, that truly there is almost nothing but formality in the eye of spiritual Christians, and they begin to loathe it, how much more the Lord who is a pure Spirit, whose eyes are brighter than the Sun? In Isay 1. you shall read that the Lord punished, and chastised the people, that there was no whole part in them from the crown of the head to the sole of the foot. Just as you do with an untoward child, one while you strike him on the head, another while you whip him, another while you cudgel him on the shoulders, till at last the child be all bruised and wounded: so the Lord sent for the Assyrians, he sent sickness and famine, that the Lord had not left an inch whole, and the people were very devout for all that; they fasted, and prayed, and the Lord sixteen times in that Chapter saith, I will none of them, away with them, they are an abomination to me, they are iniquity. They were so far from being reconciled to God by this kind of fasting and humiliation, and the like, that doubtless they provoke God as much, if not more than any other way. Therefore blessed is that man or woman that mourns for this, not only on this day, but secretly before the Lord, this formality. I fear the Lord may say to us as to those people in Isay 65. this people take upon them to be holy, I am holier than thou, yet they are like smoke in my nostrils all the day long. I fear our fast days are the most smoky days in God's nostrils of all the days of the year. Therefore the Lord open our eyes, and the Lord find a way to deliver us from formality in these things: If not, I fear the hand of God will be stretched out more and more. That is one thing that in my serious thoughts I think God is offended with.  
Secondly, as our formal humiliation, so our feigned reformation. It is the scriptures word as Calvin shows, 
2 A feigned reformation.  of reformation, It is that you have in jerem. 3. 10. saith the Lord, I corrected Israel, yet for all this her treacherous siste judah did not turn to me with her whole heart, but feignedly. Here is a great deal of stir about reformation, here is a great deal of cry, but a little reality. Look to our congregations, to our ordinances, to every thing among us, you may put all in a little piece of paper; There is a great deal of stir about the Sacrament, and the mixed multitude, and the Service▪ book, and I know not what. We must speak plainly before the Lord this day, there is a great deal of stir, and abundance of people slain in the world, and ruined, and plundered, and Towns burnt, and all for reformation, and people think there is a glorious reformation, but God knows where it is, only there is a great stir about it: therefore I say let every honest heart mourn before the Lord, we have shed real blood, we have paid real money we have taken real pains, and brought upon people a world of misery, they have need to have some real reformation, that they may have some reality. I speak but a word, I desire you even before the Lord that ye would think more of this than I speak.  
The third thing among us that I fear draws out 
3. Vices of ministers.  God's hand still, it is the flattery, and pride, and covetousness, and apostasy of divers ministers, Their flattery, that is, divers now are grown so wise and so discreet now in such a time as this, when the Lord would teach us to see our sins with a maul as we say, yet we will not speak, we will not deal plainly, we will not tell men of their sins: We have opportunity to tell Magistrates, and great ones, they would be told, and be thankful: but we are apt to soothe them, and to flatter them, and if they humour us as we would have them, they are brave men, zealous men, Oh, it is a sad thing! Then the pride and height of ministers every day growing more and more, especially after a little victory, there is a deal of preaching, and stateliness. I have no pleasure to speak of these things, but I desire that we should be wiser.  
And such covetousness, such shifting ways to multipliy livings, and to get estates in the world; these are too palpable.  
Then the apostasy of ministers, There are divers ministers that were comforts to God's people before in the Bishop's times, that would preach the will of God, and comfort poor people: now there is nothing left but railing against God's people, calling them Heretics, and schismatics, that it is a wonder to think. God sees this grow more and more, and if he should end our war and give us peace, we were undone. God will keep it up to help to pull down the pride, and covetousness, and ambition of Ministers, to bring them down low to love their brethren, and to love honest hearts as before. The Lord do it, or else this war will never end, or the end will be as bad as if it had never ended.  
Another thing I fear, that there is a general (put 
4. Hardness of heart.  me in if you will: for I may put in myself) hardness of heart, that grows on us against reproof; people even Christians are grown so peevish that no body must reprove, or admonish one another for matter of judgement or life; none must tell another his fault, if he do, they will quarrel presently, he that 
Pro. 29. 1.  hardeneth his neek, being oft reproved, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy. When men will not be told, magistrates, and ministers, and people when they harden themselves daily that it is enough to imprison a man with some kind of people in the most loving, and sincere way in the world to tell them of their faults. This is the time when a man is made an offender for a word, This is a misery: the Lord give us hearts like the bleeding heart of jeremiah, Jer. 9 that we may weep and mourn in secret for it.  
Then fifthly, that that provokes God highly (I fear) 
5. The vices of Officers.  is the covetousness, and selfseeking, and perfidiousness, among Commanders, and Officers, That provokes God; as in reason it drew on the war, as in Germany, the Mercenary soldiers; so also in a spiritual sense. And it is to be feared that men grow to make a trade of war, and he that can get a good place, the longer the war holds the better it is, and so they have devises to make good his estate while he is in; and people learn every day to make a miserable virtue of necessity, to make a sweet, and fine life of our miseries, and when they come to the work, than such a one betrayed such a Town, and such a one betrayed such a Castle, and such a one ran away from the Field, that cost ten thousand pounds before he came there. As it troubles us in sense, and reason, so it provokes God; and God's end to keep on the war may be to discover these wretches more and more, and to bring them to ruin. Therefore if there be any Officer, or Committee man, or Soldier here, whatsoever thou art, thou art a cursed man if thy heart delight in riches, and wealth that thou gettest when they poor brethren and sisters are ready to perish in this time of need. Take heed, it provokes God, and draws out the hand of God anew, and God knows how far it will be drawn out.  
Then also there is another thing that I fear (for I 
6. Breaches and divisions among the Saints.  speak of great things, not of ordinary frailties) that is the tuchiness, and divisions among the Saints, that daily multiply and increase, and are no way closed, and some talk, but there are few that take a serious course to close them in any measure. Now these divisions, and wranglings among the Saints, (whereas the Saints should be at peace, and by being so honour Christ by their union) by these open divisions, many turn seekers, and many down right atheists. The Lord will not bear this, he will whip them together, Woe to thee that art a professor, that delightest in having any thing to descent from thy brethren: some people are never well, but when they have crotchets wherein they descent from their brethren with delight: woe to thee, thou hast a foul cursed heart; and though it be a truth and thou must needs descent from them, yet it would be a sorrow to descent if thou hadst a godly heart.  
Seventhly, such a deal of blasphemy, such heresies, for 
7. Heresy & blasphemy.  I may call them so (if any thing) such errors, and gross ones increase daily, and hugely increase among those that seemed to be godly once and professors, as denying the scriptures, denying Christ jesus, denying the resurrection, calling God every thing, and every thing God, confounding God and the creature together, and abundance of such hideous blasphemous things, and they grow on woefully, especially in our City: these things highly provoke God, the Lord give us hearts, to mourn for them.  
Then there is another thing all along, I fear, that provo●s God, that is, the oppression of the poor Saints 
8 Oppression.  both in soul and body: that throughout this Kingdom as far as ever I could see or hear, in all these wars in any Town or City, if there be half a dozen poor Saints, they pay as much as the Malignants to our men, and the other side come, and ruin them; I never heard that they paid less, but more, beside loans, and contributions. These things go high, and though we take no notice of it, there is one that takes notice of the cry of the oppressed, and the widow.  
And then our self-love, and hardness of heart against the poor Saints in their distress, that every one thinks 
9 Self-love and hard▪ heartedness.  they have help too little for themselves, and their families. Indeed we did help one another a little in the beginning of these troubles; but now the miseries are so many, and so many are in distress, that we do not look after them, but let them do as they can. And this is too rife in this city, that we have not a constant care of those poor people among us that are either strangers or inhabitants that are ready to perish with want in these times. And it is the general disposition of people in this City, that if they can get the enemy three or fourscore miles off, if they can keep the enemy at Newark, or in Wales, or in the West in Cornwall, they care not, they lay it not to heart: but if he come to Hertford-shire, or Cambridge▪ shire, than they will do any thing, they will lend or give. There is a great deal of self-love, and of hardness to poor people. Why should we not pity the poor Saints in the North, as those in Hertfordshire? There are many, and many poor children. We have not bowels of compassion, and in my apprehension that little there is, is shutting up more and more.  
There is another thing, and so let me draw to an 
10. Prevarication in calling evil good and è contrario.  end, and that is a thing that grows among us woefully, it amazeth me, and in my conscience it would amaze me if I were a carnal man, if I were as once I was in the state of nature. What is that? you have learned a way to pervert, to call evil good, and good evil, both for things and persons, against light and conscience. This is grown ordinary, as it is said in Isaiah, saith he, therefore God's hand is stretched out, why so? They call evil good, and good evil. We are as he said Rome was, let a man stay in Rome that knows how to turn black to white and white to black: so, many time's people rail at things that in their conscience are the ways, and the will, and the things of God. And such a person; because he is not favoured in the world, when they come in company, and see every body rail at him, they will do so too. There are few people that in all places, and companies, speak as they think. The truth and right is, this grows woefully, therefore the hand of the Lord must be stretchedout still.  
There is one thing more that I will not nor 
11. Apostasy.  cannot say positively it is so, but if it should be so, I am sure it provokes God highly, that is, a kind of a general apostasy (I fear) in the City of London, examine yourselves. The City of London a few years ago was famous over the world for their zeal, and readiness. What a deal a do there was to get Arms, and to lend Plate, and if there were a Malignant, you had him to justice: then the zeal of the City of London quickened up the Parliament: but now the zeal of the Parliament may rather quicken the City of London, that is my thoughts and my fear. Therefore I wish that you would not make a mocking work of this, when you talk of humiliation, and fasting, and keep people from their trading; let us deal really with ourselves, and if it be thus, let us desire the Lord to help us to our first works, and our first love, and zeal for God and his people.   

Expositions and Observations on Isaiah 26. 1, 2, 3.  In that day shall this song be sung in the Land of Judah, We have a strong City, Salvation will God appoint for Walls and Bulwarks, etc. 
IN the Chapter before, you shall read, 
The coherence of the words.  That the Prophet did pronounce sore judgements against the enemies of God and his people; to wit, against Moab. And the judgement should be so sore; that the Lord saith, He will come forth against them, just as a man spreads his arms abroad to swim: So God would open his arms (as it were) to smite them; and he would tread them down like straw for the Dunghill.  
And in this Chapter, the Prophet comforts the Saints, the believers: he gives them some comfort to support their Spirits, when the Lord should come in judgement against the wicked.  
In that day shall this song be sung in the Land of Judah; we have a strong City, etc.  
God will do two things for his people in the day of his wrath, against his enemies.  
First, he will make them to sing: In that day shall this song be sung in the Land of Judah. The world oft sing, when the Saints mourn; and therefore the world shall mourn, when the Saints shall sing.  
And another thing is, In that day, when the Lord shall open his arms as a swimmer for judgement: The Saints shall have a strong City, or Garrison, or Refuge to go to, where they shall be safe. We have a strong City (that shall be their song) Salvation will God appoint for Walls, and for Bulwarks.  
Now, it shall not be an outward City, or an outward Garrison; but the Lord will give them a spiritual Garrison: The salvation of the Lord shall be to them as Walls, and Bulwarks. So that beloved, in few words, this is the lesson that I would learn thoroughly, and would have you to learn from this Verse, that  
In all the troubles, and calamities that are in this world, 
Observation. God a sweet refuge.  the people of God have a sweet Refuge, or a safe Garrison to go into.  
Let the judgements of God be out upon the earth, upon the wicked and unbelievers never so much; and let the Kingdoms be never so miserable, yet the Saints have a Garrison; they have a sweet place of shelter, of retreat, and refuge, and safety, in the worst of times that can be in this world. You shall see a blessed place to this purpose, Heb. 12. 25, 26, etc. See that you do not turn away from him that speaketh from Heaven (saith the Apostle) whose voice then shock the earth, but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more will I shake, not the earth only, but also heaven. And this word, yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken, may remain: Wherefore we receiving a Kingdom, that cannot be shaken, or moved; let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably. Beloved, not to open the whole place, this is that only I would observe from it, That there are times in the latter end of the world, wherein the very heaven and earth shall once more be shaken: That is, there shall be such troubles, and calamities now in the latter end of the world, that men shall think that God is shaking, not only Kingdoms and Nations, but Heaven and Earth, the whole Universe, and is ready to pull it down. There will be such times saith the Apostle, yet saith he, We receive a Kingdom which cannot be shaken. It is a blessed place, when all the Kingdoms in the world shall be shaken, all the Earth, and all the Heavens (as it were) shall be shaken too; yet we have received a Kingdom that cannot be shaken. The Saints are in a Garrison, or Kingdom, that though all the world about them were shaken, and totter, they are safe, and stand still.  
Truly, I have oft thought in my own apprehensions, that the Saints differ as much from other men, as if you could suppose a man to live in the middle Region, where there is no wind, nor storms, nor tempest: And you know here in all the sublunary world, there is nothing but clouds, and rain, and storms, and all weathers. If one were above in the middle Region, lot it rain, or thunder, or hail, or be what it will here, he is safe, and quiet. Just so it is with the Saints, they are in the middle Region, in a Kingdom; that though all the Kingdoms of the world shake, yet they receive a Kingdom that cannot be shaken.  
But, you will say, Where is this Garrison, that we may go into it? Where is this Kingdom?  
Salvation (saith the Prophet) the Lord shall appoint us for walls and bulwarks.  
That is, this Kingdom is not outwardly to be found, it is not an earthly garrison; but it is a figurative speech, that they do find in the Lord by the holy Spirit, such security, and such safety, as if they were in a garrison that cannot be assaulted or taken.  
But you will say, How can that be? This is a mere Idea, or Notion, which no body can understand.  
I shall show presently, how it can be, by the help of God. The troubles of a man, the real troubles of a man, are in his mind, and soul, and affections. Now if you could find a way to keep a man's mind, and soul, and heart, it were easy to keep the whole man: For our trouble is not a little imprisonment, or poverty: Paul, or Sylas, were in prison, and were to be hanged the next day, for aught they knew; yet they could sing. The man is as his mind is; if we can find a way to fortify, and garrison the soul and mind, and affections, it will be easy to garrison the whole man.  
But now, how shall we garrison the mind, or soul, 
How a man may be said to be secure and impregnable.  or heart and affections? to use no critical distinctions, how shall we garrison the heart of man?  
You shall see that in Phil. 4. 7. The peace of God which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds, through Christ Jesus. There is (saith the Apostle) a peace of God that shall keep you, or as the word in the Greek is, garrison you, shall set up a garrison in your hearts, and minds through Jesus Christ.  
What peace is that?  
You shall see, if you compare it with the Gospel of John: When our Lord Christ was going to Heaven, he told his Disciples, I will send the Comforter 
John 14. 7.  among you, and, My peace I leave with you; my peace I give unto you, not as the world gives, give I unto you. My peace I give unto you, not as the peace of the world. It is a legacy that we have in the New Testament from our Lord Jesus Christ that is now in heaven; by the Holy Ghost there is a kind of peace that comes into the hearts of the Saints, that passeth understanding, not only the understanding of wicked men, that they know it not, and apprehend it not, but it passeth the understanding of a godly man that hath it. As we see in Isaiah, there is a peace that comes, and quiets, and secures his soul; such a peace as he never understood, or did suppose could come into his soul, according to that, Neither eye hath seen, nor ear heard, nor hath entered 
Isai 64. 4.  into the heart of man to conceive what God hath prepared for them that wait for him. That is, God sends this peace, (and many other blessings.) Such a peace as a man never conceived in his heart; and this peace comes in, and keeps the heart like a Castle, or sets up a garrison in the heart, it keeps the heart and mind through Jesus Christ.  
Therefore from that briefly you may learn a lesson or two, that so I may proceed to that which remains.  
Use. First, Learn, I desire, and beseech you, that profess yourselves to be Saints; that you would make 
To repair to this refuge.  towards this refuge, or this garrison here in all your troubles.  
I am ashamed, and troubled, and have been truly, many years, to see Saints, and godly people, when troubles come on them, to spend their wits, and beat their brains, in finding refuge in outward things. O, if I were here, or there, in such a Town, in such an Island, in such a Country, in such a place, I should have it. Beloved, our song should be, Salvation God will appoint us for walls and bulwarks. Our way is, when all the Kingdoms of the world are shaken, to seek to get into that Kingdom that shakes not: That is, let England, and all the world shake, I care not, so I have the Spirit of Christ, the comforter, to bring peace to my soul, that may set up a garrison there, that nothing may assault and trouble me. Then let all the world, let heaven and earth shake, I am sure, I am safe; this is the way.  
It is a common saying of many particular persons, Let a man not seek himself any where without, in the opinion of men: So let not Saints seek refuge, and shelter, and salvation, in outward helps; but if they should see the Kingdom of England (which God forbidden) involved in more miseries and troubles, and desolations, etc. Lay this down always by thee; there is a Kingdom that cannot be shaken. England, and Scotland, and Ireland are shaken; but there is a Kingdom that cannot be shaken. Such a garrison is besieged, such a Town is in danger, such a place is stormed; but there is a garrison, that the Lord hath put into the hearts of his Saints, that cannot be stormed or assaulted. Therefore ply the Lord Jesus Christ by the Spirit of the New Testament, by his holy comforter, that he would garrison thy soul, and put peace there. And then what shall be the issue? I will tell thee, that thou with a holy joy, and complacency, and delight of Spirit, when thou seest the very pillars of heaven shaken (as it were) shalt solace thyself in thy own garrison, and walk in the streets of it, and be safe; thou shalt triumph over all storms and troubles, and all that is here.  
Not because that a Saint is able to encounter those things that are here: For a Saint is not able to answer, if you ask what he conceives will be the end of these things? he cannot answer these things; but only he retreats to the middle Region, as a bird, he flies above sublunary things; he can say, I cannot tell what shall become of England, or Scotland, or Ireland, but I am sure I know a back door that leads into a Kingdom that cannot be shaken, to go into the middle Region, where no storms of the Air shall trouble me; and there I can rest my spirit.  
I always, for my part (with submission to the wise) apprehend it as a thing too carnal, and too low for Saints to think to find a resting place in this world; any place is heaven; in such an Island, in such a Plantation, and such a place, let it be what it will. But a Saint that hath this garrison in his heart and mind, he is at peace. This garrison David had, when his enemies compassed him, and he had no walls, when there were 10000 about him, he lay and slept: For thou Lord sustainedst me, saith he; The salvation of God was walls and bulwarks about him.  
If this peace of God be above understanding, how can it be otherwise, then be above expression? We can therefore give but a hint of it; but such a thing there is. The Saints walk in a green meadow by the rivers of waters, Psal. 23. in the spring all the day, and all the night long, in beholding the love of God, and the Covenant of God made in jesus Christ; the full forgiveness of all their sins, the everlasting union between them and Christ, and through Christ between them and God; and beholding the Spirit in its working within them, and beholding the glory that shall be revealed at the last day, the Crown that Christ shall bring with him: they walk safely and sweetly, and securely, though all the Kingdoms of the world, and the pillars of heaven be shaken. As the heathen said, If the world break about his ears, he would undergo it without trouble. Not because he can answer these things, but withdrawing himself to his place from them; I cannot tell whether the Kingdom shall stand, but I can go to the middle Region, to jesus Christ, where there is no storm. Learn that, and lay aside your great projects, like the men of the world, of building Castles in the air, for Garrisons: but labour to get into this Garrison. Salvation will God appoint for walls and Bulwarks; Open ye the gates that the righteous Nation which keepeth the truth may enter in.  
This is a speech just alluding to a Garrison; they use there to open the gates, and to shut them; and when any body comes they bid them stand, and ask them who they are for? What are they? One saith he is a friend, and then they bid open the gates, and let him come in; if not, to shut the gates against him.  
Open ye the gates, saith the Lord:  
But none must come in but a friend; but who is this friend? It is,  
The righteous Nation which keep the truth, they shall enter in.  
The word in the Original, it is Truth, not Truth, not one, or two, or three, or four truths, but the righteous 
Who have a right to God's protection.  Nation that keepeth the truths, let them enter in. That is the word, if you will pass this Court of Guard, he that shall come into this Garrison, is he that keepeth truth with a good conscience, notwithstanding all the troubles that befall him in this world, he shall enter into this Garrison.  
Therefore I beseech you look to yourselves. Truly it is unconceivable, and unutterable, what the joy, the comfort, the worth of that Garrison is, where it is set up in the soul; yet there are no hypocrites, no partial obeyers of jesus Christ, and his laws, that shall enter into it. Therefore if I speak Hebrew, or Greek (as it were) to you, that you understand not what I mean by this Garrison, look to yourselves, it may be you have not the word, and therefore you cannot get in. It may be you walk not uprightly, you are not of the upright Nation, and people, you keep not the truths. It may be you pick one truth here, and another there that pleaseth you, that suits with your reason, or your lusts, and corruptions, or with the stream of the world; you honour and respect that, and for the rest of the truth, let you neighbours take it if they will, you will none of it, if it bring shame, and persecution, and reproach. That is the reason, when troubles come, you are at your wit's end, you know not where to go, because you have not the word, you keep not the truth of God. The righteous Nation that keep the truth, let them come in, shut the rest out of doors, 2 Pet. 2. there are a people that are cleansed from their sins by the knowledge of jesus Christ, and yet after turn from the holy commandment. Beloved, there are common, general commandments (as I may speak) and holy, precise commandments: Religion in every age hath something in it that is feasable to carnal men: and in every age it hath some niceties, and preciseness in it; there is somewhat superfluous in the eye of the world in every age from the beginning. Now it may be it is ordinary with thee to look to truths that the world acknowledgeth; to deal honestly in thy shop for the most part; to come to Church, and repeat a little of the word, or the like: these things the world commends; thou observest fast days, or thanksgiving days, or the like. But there are other truths that are more precise and spiritual, that worldly men do not apprehend, and these thou leavest as niceties. And that is the reason many times when thou apprehendest miseries coming upon thy family, or thy self, or the Kingdom, thou art at thy wit's end, and knowest not where to go; God shuts the gate against thee, thou hast not the word, thou art not a man or woman that hath kept all the truths of God.  
Therefore will you now labour to be a righteous Nation to be upright? It is a word that hath run much in my mind; saith God to Abraham, I am alsufficient God, walk before me, and be upright. I did not think there had been so much crookedness in the world as now I see. The world is like the word Isa. 7. young Saplings, as the wind goes this way, they go this way, and when the wind goeth the other way, they go the the other way. It grieveth my soul to see how unupright people are; even professors: what a deal of daubing, calling darkness light, and good evil, that think one thing, and speak another, and go against their conscience; it cuts my soul unexpressibly. Therefore it is just with God to leave those daubing people; they go with the stronger side, and say as the world saith, and do as the world doth, though it be contrary to their understanding, and conscience: be sure, they shall never be admitted to pass the Court of guard to come to this Garrison.  
And for their comfort, those that come not to this Court, or Garrison in this world, they shall never come to that in the world to come; if they come not into this little Court of guard, they shall never come to the great one. It is a miserable thing for a man to be left without the works: a carnal man is left without the works, and sin, and the devil, and men may come, and undo him. Therefore labour to be upright.  
It is a principle in Religion that Christians should observe (and a principle, that is a general grand rule) to call things as they are, to call a Spade a Spade: but men, they call evil good, and good evil, and frame their discourses according to the world, they speak according to the world though it be quite contrary to their understanding, and in spite of conscience.  
I am alsufficient God, walk before me, and be upright. What is that? Do not turn aside to the right hand, or to the left; If thou will be my servant, thou must neither be driven with fear, or drawn with favour a hairs breadth out of my Commandments. This is uprightness, lay all the preferments, and honours in the world on the one side, you shall neither draw them an ace from the truth of Christ; and lay all the terrors, on the other side, you shall not drive them an ace: Why so? Because God is alsufficient, there is the reason; as the holy man Doctor Preston hath at large well showed. Why should I be upright? Because God is an alsufficient God. What is that? Men naturally bargain for gain, it is a principle, and God expects not that it should be otherwise; if any man offer me any thing to turn aside the breadth of a hair out of God's ways, honour, or preferment or the like, more than God will give, I had reason to turn aside, and God would not be angry: but I am alsufficient, keep in my ways, I will give thee more honour, and wealth, and riches, and preferment, than all the world can. On the other side, could any creature do us more hurt than God, we had reason to fear that creature: but God is the best friend, and the worst foe, he can destroy body and soul as Christ saith; therefore walk before me, and be perfect.  
There is a sweet place in Eccles. 3. 14. I know that whatsoever God doth, it shall be for ever; nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it, and God doth it, that men might fear before him. I know that what God doth, shall be for ever, nothing can be added to it, or taken from it: that is, if God have a design to make you happy, all the world shall not take a dram of that happiness from you; and if God have a design to make you miserable, all the world shall not take one jot of that misery from you.  
That men might fear before him,  
That is, before him only: for if the creature could do me any measure of good or hurt, it were but reason that I should fear the creature, and God too, but whatsoever God doth is for ever, nothing can be put to it, or taken from it, that men might fear before him. All the world cannot do me a farthing worth of good or harm; God only can, and he is alsufficient, therefore, let us be upright before him. These are the two words I would have you remember, Pray the Lord to establish your hearts in his love, in his Garrison, that you may be able to triumph over the world, That you may be able to say, Though all the Kingdoms in the world be shaken, yet I am in a Kingdom that cannot be shaken. And when you walk in the streets, and see such factions of men, and there is not a man of a thousand but he temporizeth, and will say this week as the world saith, and the next week another way; Do not do so: walk wisely, and speak what you should, and as you should, but call not good evil, and evil good: but walk uprightly before the Lord, approve of that which is good in the eyes of the Lord: Walk in the truths of God, and then God in distress will bid open the gates; there is a man was upright in all the changes of the world, he called not good evil, nor evil good; Open the gates that the upright Nation may come in.   

Expositions and Observations on ISAIAH 27. 1, 2, 3, 4, etc.  
In that day the Lord with his sore, and great, and strong Sword, shall punish Leviathan, the piercing Serpent, even Leviathan, that crooked Serpent, and he shall slay the Dragon that is in the Sea.  
In that day sing ye unto her, A vineyard of Red Wine.  
I the Lord do keep it, I will water it every moment, lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day.  
Fury is not in me: who would set the briars, and thorns against me in battle? I would go through them, I would burn them together.  
Or let him take hold of my strength, that he may make peace with me, and he shall make peace with me, etc.  
I Shall endeavour briefly to pick a lesson or two out of this Chapter. In the Chapter before, we have many blessed promises that God hath made to his people, and that in the times of trouble: And many threaten of the wicked, How God will come out against them, as he saith, Chap. 25. And spread his hands in the midst of them, as he that spreadeth his hands to swim. That is, God will extend his wrath and power to destroy the wicked; and in the latter end of Chapter 26. The Lord cometh out of his place, etc.  
Now the beginning of this Chapter is but an enlargement and illustration of that. The Lord will come with his sore, and great, and strong Sword, to punish Leviathan the crooked Serpent, and to stay the Dragon in the Sea.  
This Leviathan, whatsoever it is (which is scarce known) only we read in Job of Leviathan, one of the terriblest creatures that God hath made. It is conceived to be the Whale, but it is uncertain; whatsoever it is, it is a terrible creature.  
The wicked that persecute the Saints, are called Leviathan, the piercing, crooked Serpent: That is, those 
God's vengeance against the wicked  great enemies of God's people, those venomous, cruel enemies, those crooked, deceitful enemies of God's people; he will come with his great, and sore, and strong sword to destroy them. So we see, be the enemies of God never so great, never so cruel, or never so cunning, the Lord will destroy them. He hath a great, strong, sore sword. He hath a great sword, in opposition to their greatness; he hath a strong sword in opposition to their strength, and he hath a sore sword, in opposition to their cruelty.  
Therefore, O that God would teach you this lesson! 
A ground of our confidence.  Let your confidence get above the greatest enemies in this world. What though men be wise, and crooked? as Solomon saith; there were three things that he knew not; one was, The way of a Serpent upon a Rock: Though men be so cunning to betray the Church, that they cannot be traced, no more than a ship in the Sea; or a crooked Serpent on a Rock; yet let your faith get on the top of them. Say not, they are great, but there is a greater than they. God will bring them down, and bring them to confusion. That is one thing.  
In that day, sing to her, A vineyard of Red Wine, I the Lord will keep it; I will water it every moment, I will keep it night and day.  
This vineyard is the Church, and people of God. I will not stand upon it, why it is called a vineyard. He calls it so principally, because the people of God are a fruitful people. One sinner destroyeth much good, and one Saint doth much good. Were it not for a few Saints, you may let all your Armies, and Courts, and every thing go: There is no good in the world besides; there are a few Saints, and they are fruitful.  
And also, because God preserves them, and keeps them; because of the Lords care, I the Lord keep it, I water it every moment, lest any should hurt it, I keep it night and day.  
See how God expresseth his tenderness, and care of his (blessed art thou, and I, if we be of them!) The Lord keeps, and preserves them; and he will do it with all care. The Lord keeps not his Vineyard, as we keep his Commandments, and Ordinances, and the things that belong to him. The Lord expresseth his care of his Vineyard, by the greatest expressions of care that any creature hath; therefore he saith, he keeps them as the apple of his eye. That made David boldly ask, Lord, keep me as the apple of thine eye. And the Prophet Isai h saith, He keeps them as a little bird that sits over her young. A Bird is a fearful creature, and yet if you come to take away her young ones, she will fly in your face.  
Beloved, though we think the Lord minds us not, yet he hath a wonderful, tender, unspeakable care, in preserving us.  And I will water them every moment. 
Vineyards are hot, and must be watered, or else they will be scorched by the Sun: So, our souls unless they were watered continually, they would be scorched up.  
What is this water?  
The Holy Spirit. I will pour water upon the dry ground: That is, I will pour my Spirit upon your souls. We are so apt to waste our graces every day, unless God give us a new stock. And the earth in Spain, and Italy, and those hot Countries, is not apt to drink water, than our hearts are to devour, and make havoc of all the grace of God. And were it not for the blessed, constant supply that God gives of his Spirit, the best Saint in twenty four hours, would be as bad as a carnal man. It may be thou hast a little quickening of God in thy soul, but yet God must water them every moment.  
Fury is not in me: who would set the briars, and the thorns against me in battle? I would go through them, etc.  
God expresseth his goodness to his people. One would think it was a wonder God did not destroy them: No, saith God, Anger is not in me; For who would set briars and thorns against me in battle? I would go through them. This is the reason that God doth not destroy thee and me; not because we are not sinful, but because we are so wretched; if he should contend with us, he would destroy us presently. Saith God, All the imaginations of man's heart are evil; therefore I will destroy the earth no more. It is the nobleness of God's nature; that nobleness that is in us, is but a poor thing, it is but a resemblance of that at the best; it is the nobleness of God's nature, he will not destroy a creature that is too weak, and too small for him. Therefore of Niniveh, God saith, There were so many that knew not their right hand from their left, therefore he would not destroy them. So our littleness moves the Lord to spare us, when our wickedness would make him to destroy us. The Lord is a consuming fire. Put a little stubble, or thorns, and briars, before the fire, and it will consume them. O blessed God that takes any argument to save his creature: And O wretched Creatures we! that will take no argument to serve, and obey him. If there be any good in us, he makes that an argument; if that be not there, yet from our littleness, and weakness, any thing he will draw arguments of his goodness from: Yet many times we are of such a temper, that we will not draw one argument to move us to do that which is pleasing in his eyes. Well, he is a glorious God, and we are like ourselves.  
Let him lay hold on my strength.  
Let the poor bramble go, and lay hold upon the wall, I have strength enough to destroy, and devour them, but I wish that they would lay hold of my strength. There is a way, that all the strength that is in God, thou mayest make it for thee, on thy side. All the power and strength that is in God, is against wicked men that receive not Christ; but there is a way that thou mayest make that party on thy side, thou mayest make God on thy side, Take hold on him, that is, receive Christ, and then thou art in the Covenant, and all belongs to thee upon that, and all the power whereby he made heaven and earth, and rules the sea, and every thing, is thy power, it is for thee.  
And make peace with me, and they shall make peace.  
It is like the expression of some people that are wondrously given to love, and peace, and though other people desire to quarrel, yet they will not quarrel, but they will be friends: there is no neighbour so mischievous, but they will be friends with them in spite of their heart; so saith God, Let them make peace with me, and they shall make peace. It is like that expression of God, I will put my spirit in their hearts, and they shall keep my statutes. That thy soul could creep along upon this blessed wall and make peace with him, and lay hold of his promise and he saith, thou shalt make peace!  
He shall cause them that come of jacob to take root, etc.  
You see how sweet God is in afflicting his Saints, how he preserves them, and hears them in whipping them. Here he shows three great differences between 
Three differences in the afflictions of the godly and wicked.  the afflictions of the godly, and of the wicked.  
The first is this, saith he, have I smitten him, as I smote those that smote him? Or is he slain according to the slaughter of them that are slain by him? That is, the Lord doth not lay such a weight of affliction upon his children as he doth upon wicked people, that is one thing, therefore he stays his rough wind in the day of the east wind. No east wind blows on the Saints: for in Scripture language that is the wrath of God. All the other winds are growing, but the East wind, is cutting, and chilling.  
Secondly, it is said, God will debate with them, that is, besotted carnal men, as Pharaoh, and others, he lays afflictions upon afflictions upon them, and they never know why, it makes him a sot, and he brays him as a fool in a Mortar: but I will debate with him, saith God, I will reason the case, As a father when he whips his child, will you do so again? saith he, And, is this handsome? The Lord never whips his child, but he debates with him.  
Thirdly, the issue, and fruit of it, All the fruit is, he doth it to take away sin, he will make all the stones of the Altar as Chalk-stones; he will beat them to pieces, that is, they shall pull down their Groves, and their Altars, as you do Chalk-stones when you burn them, and beat them in pieces.  
This should make us sweeten our thoughts of God; he is sweet in his providence; in his Ordinances, in his corrections, we see what a good God he is, how he draws water out of the Flint, he draws arguments of grace, and mercy, and goodness, to save wretched creatures any way, in such a way that if we were Judges we would condemn ourselves. The Lord sweeten your hearts, and raise up your souls to apprehend his mercy.   

Expositions and Observations on ISAIAH 28, 15.  Because ye have said, we have made a Covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement, etc. 
We have made agreement with hell.  
NOt that they said so: but God brings in their thoughts, as in job, Depart from us, we desire not the knowledge of thy laws. That is the difference between God's book and men's books; men writ books according to the words of men, but the word of God is according to their thoughts,  
Here are four or five things noted of wicked men. 
Four things observed of wicked men. 1. Their v. in conceits.   
First, we have made (say they) a covenant with death, and with hell we are at an agreement.  
The meaning is not, that they did draw writings between them, and hell: for hell will make no agreement, but the meaning is, they were assured in their conceits that they should be delivered from hell, and death, and misery. As a man that hath made a Covenant for his land, etc. and hath got witnesses to it, he hath made sure, he hath it in black and white: so there was a foolish confidence in them; they assured themselves that they should escape, as if death and hell had given them an acquittance, and had sealed it, and there had been Covenants drawn between them and the Devil. That is one thing.  
But, saith God,  
Your Covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand.  
That is, you shall see that all those conceits are but vain. Just as if a man should go, and make a Covenant with his neighbour, and buy his land, and he should never tell his neighbour that he would sell it, this agreement would be broken, and the Covenant would not stand. So, you build Castles in the air, you make a Covenant, and agreement in your conceits, that you are safe, and you hope the best, and God is merciful, but the day will come when all this will be done away, As job saith, it is just as a Spider's web, that is, a fine thing that she hath been working all the week, and then the Maid comes to make clean the house, and all is taken away with one stroke of a brush.  
Another thing is, the Lord compares them here to 
Illustrated in two comparisons.  Comparison. 1 people that would hid themselves by the sea side, where the tide comes up. As you see sometimes when the tide is low, there are green meadows, and bushes before it be high spring; and there they hid themselves, and the water comes and overflows their hiding place. If they stay there a while, and it may be are asleep, the tide comes and drowns them all. Do ye not think a man were mad that should go and hid himself in a hole of a bridge, and sleep when the tide was low, and then the tide come in and overwhelm him: So it will be with thee, if thou receive not jesus Christ.  
We have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves.  
Mr. Calvin saith, they may be compared to little chickens, or partridges, that run their heads in a bush, that hid their heads from the Hawk; the Hawk sees all their bodies, only in a conceit they hid themselves thus, that is, they hid their own eyes that they may not see the Hawk: but they do not hid their bodies that the Hawk may not see them. So men shut their eyes, and have many conceits (O the Lord deliver us from it) this is the hope of wicked men, drunkards, and whoremongers, and sottish creatures, that come not up to take Christ.  
The Lord after compares them to little children Comparison. 2 in bed.  
The bed is shorter than that a man can stretch himself on it.  
As little children, when they hear thunder, they run under the sheets and blankets, and think they are very safe: so we conceive that we shall be delivered. But truly all the shifts thou hast, shall be no more to keep thee when the Lord comes on thee for a drunkard, or an unbeliever, or a persecutor, than the sheets, and blankets can keep them from a thunderbolt if God send it.  
I, but these were but comparisons, and the people were ready to mock the prophet for it: Saith he, Mock not, lest your bands be made strong, for I have heard from the Lord a consumption determined upon the whole earth.  
Give ear, and hear my voice, harken to my speech. Doth the ploughman blow all day to sow, etc.  
This is the manner of the prophet Isaiah, especially when he speaks of the miseries, and judgements, that shall come upon people, he mingles comfort for the poor Saints. This he refers to the Saints that were upright. And to comfort them, he takes a comparison from the Husbandman that ploughs the field. For the creatures are Gods Characters: God hath written his will in his word at large, and he hath written a copy of it (as it were) in the creatures, that by the one we might be enabled to understand the other. For we understand not one line of this blessed book any further than we are taught. Now God hath so cast things in this world, not only for the use and good of man, but he hath cast things by his creation and providence, in such a way, as that every thing might resemble heavenly things. Therefore it is said, God hath given discretion to the Husbandman to do this: the Lord hath ordered the earth so to be ploughed, and managed, and the corn so to be threshed, that thereby we might have a shadow of spiritual things, comparing it with the blessed word.  
Doth the plough man, blow all day? 
God deals diversely with weak and strong Saints.   
What is the meaning of that? It is thus, you poor Saints, God ploughs you, and harrows you, and if the Lord follow you with one affliction after another (that whosoever escapes, you suffer, if not without, yet within, and sometimes you have both) you think God deals wonderful strangely with you, Saith he, look on the ploughman; if ever you see one plough, you will say, yonder man doth but plough, and harrow the land, and make it fit to sow, Barley, or Oats, or Wheat, he hath some end in it: they are the common heaths that lie unplowed: but where there is good ground they blow it, and when he hath ploughed, it is his discretion to sow. So it is, that when the Lord continues his afflictions upon thee, thou shouldest consider that God, that is thy good father, hath some gracious design to sow Barley, or Wheat, or Rye, to sow some grace more: And what though he blow thee, or me, or another more than other men or women? Some lands are ploughed thrice, some four times besides the sowing, they are so tough, and dogged. So some natures must be ofter, and deeper, and longer ploughed.  
Therefore stare not so much upon the affliction, but consider the gracious design, and purpose of God to sow thee, and to do thee good. Thou, and I have barren hearts, and there is little corn that is pleasing to him there: therefore he means by the afflictions that he lays on thee, by such a sickness, by such a perverse husband, by such an ungracious child, or loss of estate, the Lord means to sow thy barren heart; and then blessed be his name. If the Lord do that, thou mayest well suffer him to blow, and harrow thee any way, with any instrument as he pleaseth.  
Then he takes another comparison from threshing.  
The Fitches are not threshed with a threshing instrument, neither is a cartwheel turned about upon the Cummin, etc.  
That is, the afflictions of the Saints, are also like the threshing of corn: as there is no land that bears corn without ploughing, no more can we enjoy it without threshing, some more, some less, some one way, some another. Now (saith he) in the manner of afflictions you may observe two things from the threshing of men; which was in another manner in those countries then with us: It was trod out with the Ox, and they did bring a wheel, and horsemen to ride upon their corn in those dry countries, And some was beaten with a staff, and small corn they did whip out with a rod. So saith he, there are two things to be observed in the manner of God's dealing, you that are weak people, weak Christians, the Lord sees that you are little Fitches: Fitches is a little grain, and Cummin especially, Christ calls them little things; yet little and weak Christians are like Cummin and Fitches, God will not bring a Cart wheel over them that shall bruise them to pieces, and make them worth nothing, but he will beat them with a staff, and the Cummin with a rod; that is, where there is a little, weak Saint, the Lord will take a little wand, a rod, a small, light affliction.  
But bread corn is bruised because he will not ever be threshing it, not break it with the wheel, etc.  
That is, sometimes also God means to lay all the afflictions (as it were) at once upon his child, where he sees a strong Saint many times he brings his horsemen, and his cartwheel, as he did with job; you know job had but a bout, and so he goes over, and some of his days before and his days after were comfortable, God brings strong afflictions upon his children.  
The reason is, because God will not always be threshing, he will not always afflict, for then the spirit of man would fail before him.  
If thy afflictions be light, say, I am a little Fitch, or Cummin, if they be heavy, say, they will be short; for the Husbandman, though he deal more coarsely with his Corn then with his Fitches, yet he takes it into his Barn, and lays it up safe: so though thy afflictions be sore, thou mayst from the practice of the Husbandman say, they will be short: therefore endeavour to learn a little from afflictions, and how to carry and behave thyself like a Saint, wait patiently upon God, to know God's design and meaning.  
This also cometh forth from the Lord of Hosts, which is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working.  
What is the meaning of that? That that made the Prophet cry out, that the Lord was wonderful in Counsel, and mighty in working it, was this, to see the harmony between God's Works in his Books, and in his Creatures: O who would think when a man is ploughing, that there were such a mystery there! that he should fetch a glorious mystery in afflicting his Saints, from a little Cummin. This also is from the Lord of Hosts, which is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working, that he reveals his blessed will in his book, and gives such a glorious copy of it in the creatures, that we may understand the one by the other. Thus have I shown you a little of the meaning of the word of God in this Chapter, as I understand.   

Expositions and Observations on ISAIAH 40. 1.  Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. 
YOu shall find that in the Scriptures, especially 
Consolation a duty.  in the New Testament, we are commanded to comfort one another, as much as to exhort, and more than to reprove: It is very ordinary, Comfort one another. Though the other duties to the Saints in the New Testament are full of consolation: The Apostle from every argument, would have us draw comfort from the coming of Christ, and every thing almost.  
There are these four things that I shall speak of, 
Four things, hinder Consolation.  that hinder the consolation that might be in your souls. If I take away those hindrances, it is as much as if I did positively comfort.  
In. First The first is, (I will not say you want faith, but) you have a faith of the Law, and not of the Gospel: You believe in God, but not in Christ. My meaning is this, your saith is begotten, and bred, according to the doctrine, and principles of the Old Testament. It is good, and true, but it is bred, and nourished, according to the principles, and strain of the Old Testament: which (old) Testament (saith the Apostle) is done away. You need not stumble, you know my meaning, your faith is not yet come clearly, according to the strain, and course, and frame of the New Testament.  
You will say, There is but little difference between the old, and the New Testament.  
Look how they be opposed, 2 Cor. 3. Gal. 2. and in the Hebrews; that is the main business to show the difference between the old, and New Testament.  
Now that your faith is so, it will appear three ways. 
Which appears three ways.  First, there is a Heathenish desire of sanctification, of holiness. Holiness is a blessed thing, and there are none desire more earnestly, sincerely to be holy, than the Saints in the New Testament: Holiness is upon the bridles of the horses of the Church; yet there is a desire of holiness in the soul, that is, legal faith; that by the earnest desire of holiness, a man may see the frame of his faith to be legal. There may be a thirst that ariseth from a Feverish distemper of body, that is not good. Therefore truly, a man may desire holiness, more than happiness (as you are wont to express it.) He may desire holiness, and to avoid sin, more than Hell itself, and any thing in the world. He may say, he would not for a world, but overcome his lusts; and O that I could overcome my frowardness, and my pride, and yet it may be a Heathenish kind of thirst. I have known people that have gone every day to hear, and have wept, and desired holiness, and yet out of a Heathenish desire of holiness.  
Why; what is the meaning of this? how comes this about?  
The soul resolving to be justified, and to find favour with God; partly by the righteousness of Christ, and partly by some grace; not that it hath, but that it hopes to have: Therefore the soul, as a Feverish man reacheth out, and lays down this conclusion, I must be holy; and there are some things, if I could reach them, than I should be well; and so the Fever grows higher and higher. And God crosseth him; for it is against the way of the Gospel. God will do no good to us, if we go contrary to his glory: Therefore if we weep our hearts out, we shall not have it, for it is a design of our own, saith God, You will not be content with the righteousness of Christ, but you will have something to make it up; you will believe, and be holy, but you shall go my way or not at all.  
Now a Saint that is according to God's mind, first upon believing in Jesus Christ, and his righteousness, his soul is fully satisfied, and he is at peace; He saith, Lord, whether I be holy, or not, I see a full righteousness in Jesus Christ to justify me, and to sanctify me, and pacify my conscience. And Lord here I am, Thou knowest that I have nothing but my old nature; thou art wise; all my sins are done away, do with me what thou wilt: If thou wilt put me to pain, or into poverty, or into Hell, or suffer me to go in rags, all my life long, do so: As a godly man said, If pride, and frowardness must have its work, though I had rather go to Hell for the time; yet here I am, I rejoice in my spirit, because I am accepted of thee. So, here is a desire of holiness, but it is not Heathenish; as if a man could have no assurance, and comfort in his soul, till he had gotten such a degree of grace. These are Feverish desires.  
Secondly, It appears to me, that your comfort is not right, that your faith is not according to the Gospel, because of the startlings in your conscience after sin. That when God suffers the soul to be overtaken, and to fall, the soul startles; that is, horror seizeth presently upon the conscience, and hardness upon the heart; there is a startling, that makes a man that he cannot go on in his calling, that makes all his neighbours take notice of him, as if he were not his own man. (Take it as a general rule, the most, and the greatest dangers, or the most dangerous errors, border nearest on the most glorious light.) It is blessed to startle at sin, and to desire holiness; but I say, there is a Heathenish desire of holiness, and startling at sin, that argues, That the conscience is not quieted in Christ.  
Object. You will say, when a Saint falls into sin, shall he take no notice of it?  
Answ. Yes, and have no peace till he have poured out his soul to God: But yet as a Son to a Father, and his assurance is whole still. Thou art my beloved father, and all that is befallen me; thou hast suffered it, and hast a hand in it. I confess Father, I am an unhappy child; there is never a member of thy Son Christ, that thou hast more trouble with, then with me, there is none of them so vile, and so the heart is all wholly poured out freely, and fully to the Lord. The other cannot; but he is hardened, and startles at every thing, as a man going among wild Beasts.  
Thirdly, It appears to me, that your faith is not come to be right, by the defilements you have from the creatures: Your faith is not according to the Gospel. When men are defiled with lawful things. Nay, so much, that some men cannot eat, or go to bed; one while they must eat of one dish, and not of two (though sobriety be a Gospel grace.) And one while they must eat one meal a day, another while one meal in two days. I have known one eat but one meal in a week; and let them eat little or much, they defile their consciences. One while they must go so in their apparel with lace, and after that, lace damneth them. Though sobriety be good, in , and diet, yet this shows that they are defiled; for to a good man every thing is pure, but to others every thing is impure, because his conscience is impure; that is, His conscience is defiled, and so he is taken prisoner; his conscience is not sprinkled, and washed through the blood of Christ; therefore in these things, he is tangled endlessly. Now if ever you will have comfort in your souls, that is true and solid: for there may be comforts according to the Law, but they will not last, they will be out upon the least breach; but if the Lord frame your faith according to the Gospel, your comfort will be solid and lasting.  
In. Second The second thing is, having faith according to the Gospel, labour to live by faith. Many of you have a little faith, and true Gospel faith; but you do not live by it, you live by sense. It is a proverb in Scripture, The just shall live by faith. I shall have occasion to open that when I have more time, and therefore I proceed.  
In. Third A third thing that makes your comfort short, is the slow coming of grace into your souls. You find grace come in but slowly; you believe, and labour to believe according to the Gospel, and yet grace comes but slowly and poorly; you have been so many years, and have scarce any grace.  
For your comfort, this is one thing; thou that hast but little grace coming in so many years: I tell thee, God saith that grace is like the springing of the sea; or the springing of the year. Now in the springing of the sea, when men would have a tide for their passage, a man is glad to see a little turning of the water first, it is so much the nearer: then he observes, and is glad to see the Sea rise, and cover a few stones or marks, though it be little: but stay till it be almost full Sea, when it is high tide, than every thing almost is covered on a sudden, the tide overruns all. Take it in the spring of the year (for we should learn something from the creatures) about February, you are glad to see the buds of Haw thorn; you look a week together, and it grows a little, and you see no other, it is a sign that Summer is coming. In the beginning of March it may be there are two or three things more, and they come slowly, and you are glad to see them, and look on them every day. In April or May, the Gardens are full of Flowers, and the fields full of grass; you know not what to observe. So it is in experience, in the beginning the Lord makes a Saint glad of a Primrose, of a little turning of the water, that the blood, that the stream is turned; if he begin to hear the word, that hated it, and to rejoice in the company of good neighbours, that hated it, two or three little Primroses. But grace comes as the tide; stay a while, and thou shalt see such a flowing of grace in thy soul, that thou knowest not where to look; such a tide of love, and joy, and knowledge, such innumerable lessons, that thou knowest not where to look; Therefore wait upon the Lord, & thou shalt see grace come in as the tide.  
impediment. Last Lastly, thou dost not (it may be) make use of the experiences thou hast had of God. Thou hast had abundance of experience of the Lord; and we are apt to forget: As Christ saith, do you not remember the loaves the other day, and do you now doubt whether you have bread? O yea of little faith! Truly the very creatures will rise in judgement against us, that having had so many experiments of God, we are so  of trusting God, and thinking well of God. Didst thou ever see a Dog (let me instance in that vile creature) (for God would have us learn from the creatures, and God hath cast them so that they should not be only for our use, but every thing in reference to his Gospel, that we may not only occasionally draw such things that hap hazard fall out, but to observe their nature, and qualities, and learn somewhat from them) you see in a Dog, when he hath abused you, it may be against his will, and it may be you have beat him; he runs away, or he comes with fear, and is very , and will hardly come to you: but take him in your arms, and stroke him, and all his fear it gone; when you smile, he thinks you mean him no hurt, he hath no thought of your former anger. So we come many times to the Lord, and are , and tremble, and fear, and think he means to hurt us, and what are his thoughts? How oft hath God taken us in his arms and stroaked us, and laid us down again, and yet we fear again, and are worse in many respects then the bruit creatures. When the Master hath the Dog, he may kill him if he will; but he strokes him, and the Dog thinks his master means well to him: so, many times God might kill us, and throw us into Hell, and catch us at advantage, yet in stead of that he loves us, and embraceth us, and lays us down again; and yet we are so , we fear, and distrust him. We have not that plainness of heart as that old Martyr said, I have lived eighty years, and he never did me any hurt: So God many times hath had advantage to have thrown us into hell, yet he hath kissed, and stroaked us. Why should we be so fearful, when afflictions, and troubles come upon us? These things procure sadness, because we do not trust in that God, that in our extremity hath been friendly, and fatherly to us. The Lord help you to lay up these few broken words in your hearts.   

Expositions and Observations on ISAIAH 65. 5.  
I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walketh in a way that was not good: after their own thoughts, etc.  
Which say, Stand by thyself, come not near to me, for I am holier than thou: these are a smoke in my nose, a fire that burneth all the day.  
THe Lord doth here reprove, or rather show his indignation against hypocrites. Here is their description, they say, stand by thyself, come not near to me, for I am holier than thou, yet they were a rebellious people, as we see before, the Lord spread out his hands to them all the day long, and they walked in their own ways, after their own thoughts. The thing I drive at, is, to acquaint you with this;  
How hateful, how abominable hypocrisy is to God.  
Their hypocrisy was, that they thought, and they said 
Hypocrisy a hateful thing to God.  to their brethren, stand off, I am holier than thou, come not near me, etc. yet it was but outward holiness, and the Lord saith, they are a smoke in my nostrils all the day long. The meaning is not, as if God had nostrils, though usually where you read of the anger, and wrath of God in the Hebrew, It is said, God's nose, God took this to his nose, when he was angry. But when he saith, they are a smoke in my nostrils, God takes the comparison from man, as it is oft in the proverbs, a slothful messenger is as vinegar to the teeth, and smoke to the eyes, that is, very sore. So God saith, hypocrites are as a smoke in his nostrils all the day long, that is as smoak in a Kiln, or in a smoky house where there is a bad chimney, it is a wondrous troublesome thing, especially if a man be driven to continue all the day, a man is not able to bear it, the smoke will fill his eyes, and his nose. God takes the expression from men, to show his indignation, and displeasure a 'gainst hypocrisy. My aim is to make you sensible, how displeasing to God hypocrisy is.  
Hypocrisy, take it in the grossest sense (though there be a hundred degrees of it) is when men seem and are not, when you say, and do not, as some express it; when you pretend to be that you are not, or pretend to be more than you are; for so it is here, I am more holy than thou. That is hypocrisy, when you seem what you are not, or in degree more than you are; yet that less degree is as a smoke in God's nostrils all the day long. It is abominable to God; and that is the reason that Christ eight times in the same Chapter, Mat. 23. pronounceth Woe to you hypocrites, Woe to you hypocrites. It may be the Lord may call an hypocrite: for an hypocrite is but a sinner though he be the worst of sinners: but hypocrisy is abominable to God.  
The reason is, because such a man Idolizeth every 
Proved from two reasons. 1. The hypocrite honours the creature above God.  creature, and makes every creature more than God, he honours every creature more than God. For he knows that God deals with his heart, he knows that God deals with his heart, he knows that God sees his heart, and men, and children, and every thing, sees his outward life: now he is more careful to please men and creatures, and to carry himself religiously, and devoutly, as a Saint before men, than he cares how to carry his heart before the Lord, which is as if he should say, I do more honour, and respect every creature that seethe my outside; then the Lord God that views, and sees my heart. What can more provoke God, when God is put below every creature, and every creature is advanced above him? That is one reason.  
Another reason is this, because that the name of God is more dishonoured, and his Gospel, and his Kingdom 
2. Hypocrisy contributes most to God's dishonour.  more scandalised by them, then by all the world besides. The Saints sometimes dishonour God by weakness: but carnal men usually know in their consciences that it is but weakness in such a Saint, looking on the course of his life, and the frame of his spirit: but hypocrites, the world seeing sometimes their base do, are ready to curse them; Here are the men that go to such Lectures, and such Sermons, and thus they cousin, and overreach, and all their Religion is of the same stamp; they are all hypocrites, as this sanctified brother, cheaters they are. This doth transfigere nomen Jehovah (as blasphemy signifies) it makes men pierce through the name of God, and of Christ, God hath so fastened it on my heart how abominable it is, that it cannot out of my thoughts: therefore God may have an end in it, to reach some of you at this time, though you have been as a smoke in his nostrils, though you have kept God no a kilne (as it were) by your villainy, by seeming what you are not; or to be far more than you are. For take it from God, for it is from him in a special manner, let us all look to ourselves, let us all consider our ways, and let all take heed that we seem, and pretend not to be any thing in Religion more than we are in our closerts; That we may be able to say, O Lord, if I were at thy tribunal, this is true, I desire thy glory, I seek thine honour, and the welfare and advancement of thy people, and so whether I be well, or ill, or live or die, I care not. Look to it, and woe, woe, woe, to those among us whosoever they are, let them be Magistrates, or Ministers (I leave them to the Lord to point them out) that drive on jesuitical designs under the pretence of Religion; They talk of Reformation, and I know not what, and a blind man almost may see their covetousness, and selfseeking, and oppression of the Saints. Whosoever thou art, thou hast the worst end of the staff, be sure. The hearts of the Saints are touched with the same loadstone as the heart of God, they judge as he judgeth, and as God saith, such people are a smoke in his nostrils, so they are in the eyes of the Saints, they curse such. They pity wicked men when blindly they go against the Saints: but when thou puttest the best side outward, and pretendest to be holy, and thou knowest, thou couldst eat all the Saints of God, and throw down the Worship of Christ, O there are many prayers against thee, and there is a harmony between the hearts of the Saints, and the heart of God. God saith, ye are a smoke in his nostrils, and so say the Saints. It grieves me more at the Jesuitical designs of some, than all the proceed of the Cavaliers. Woe be unto them: there is nothing done in secret, but it shall be open, there is nothing spoken in the ear, but it shall be published on the house top; all their villainy shall come out.  
And so in trading, a man must take heed of many professors (I hope the generation of the Saints shall not suffer by it) in buying, and selling; a man were better deal with carnal men, then with some professors in the City that I have known.  
I speak this to thy comfort that art such a one, though thou be the very heir of hell, Mat. 24. they shall have their portion with hypocrites, as if hell were their inheritance, Yet for thy comfort know that an hypocrite is but a sinner, though he be as far from heaven as any. For there is that that magnifies Christ's love, he came to die for sinners, and thy conscience tells thee, I am the man that the minister meant, my trading is so, I know what accounts I keep, and what wares I sell: though thou be, yet I trust God means thee so well as to bring thee to Christ, and when thou art as bad as thou canst be, think yet thou art but a sinner, the Lord doth but rank thee among sinners, learn this short word, to see how hateful hypocrisy is.   

Expositions and Observations on ISAIAH 66. 12, etc.  For thus saith the Lord, behold I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream: then shall ye suck, ye shall he born upon her sides, and dandled upon her knees, etc. 
THe prophet in this Chapter speaks of the calling of the Gentiles by the jews; what glorious times the last times should be when the jews that were the eldest sister, as the Gentiles are called the little sister in Scripture; we have a little sister and she hath no breasts; when this eldest sister should go and carry the youngest, when they should go and call in the Gentiles, and feed them and cherish them, as the eldest children use to do the youngest. They shall bear them upon their sides, and dandle them upon their knees; as we see children nourish one another, especially the elder do the younger. So they should be tendered, they should bring all their brethren as an offering to the Lord; they should bring them upon Mules, and upon swift beasts, and when they could not go on foot, they should put them on horseback, and if they could not ride, they should put them in charets; and if that were too harsh they should put them in litters, that is, they should do any thing to nourish them, and to bring them up. We may well reason, if the children be so fond one of another, as that they should carry them, and let them hang on their sides, and dandle them on their knees, much more fond will the Lord be to those children: Therefore in the next verse he saith, As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you. God shows the dearness 
God and the Saints fond of each other  of his love, by those little sparks of love in the children of God one towards another. But his love is very high, a kind of fondness, he will dandle them on the knee. Why? Cannot he do them good but he must dandle them in the lap? There is a holy spiritual fondness between God and his people. He is fond of them, and they are fond of him.  
It is not every Saint that is so; thou mayest be a Saint, and yet be a stranger to all that I am to speak of from this text, But there is such a thing. Because a Saint, if he be a right Saint, you cannot put before him any pitch of grace and holiness, but he seeks to attain it. As when Christ's Disciples came into the company of the Disciples of John, and John's disciples knew how to pray, and they did not, say they, Lord teach us to pray. So you need but put a higher degree of grace before a right-hearted Saint, and he will be sick, and never be well till he hath it. Therefore I will present you with such a temper that is in some Saints, that they are fond of God, with a holy, not with a sinful fondness: as your children, they are fond of you sometimes with a great deal of sin; but this is a holy fondness.  
First I will show you that it is so.  
Secondly, I will show you which way God makes his children fond of himself.  
The first thing is this, that a fond child will never 
Proved in five particulars.  suffer his father to go out of his sight. Beloved, one may be a Saint, and yet may see his father, but as a child at nurse, once a quarter, or so. It is ordinary with the Saints, they see their father it may be at such a Sermon, or at such an ordinance, or in such a private chamber, where they have examined their souls; and it may be they do not see him in a fortnight after: and they make shift with grace received, with the impression of God's love (when they saw it) and with a little help of the creature, and the comforts of the world, to hold up till they see him again: this is the life of most Saints. But there is such a temper of a Saint, he is so fond of God that he will never let God go a moment out of his sight, but he will cry after him. My meaning in a word is this, that there is such a temper, if thou and I had attained it, that God can never go out of ken, but I always behold him, and see him always beholding me in the face of Jesus Christ; I am always with him. See it in the Saints, David was a fond Child; Thou seest my thoughts, saith he, and my speech, when I sit down and when I rise up, thou knowest all, and whether shall I go from thy presence? It was not in a hypocritical way that he might flee from God: but when I awake I am always with thee, When I walk abroad, I have set God on my right hand that I might not sin, when a man is always in view; when God's eye is always on him, and his eye always on God, what a blessed thing is it! Such a Saint, let God but hid his face, and he is troubled, let God go but one hour from such a soul, and he is ready to cry out his heart, as we see in a fond child. That is the reason there is so much carnalness in the Saints, that they have so many unsaint-like tricks, like the men of the world; Why? They go behind God's back, they think God is a sleep a while, and they may dispatch their business; whereas Joseph said, how shall I do this thing and sin against God? God was in the view of him, when he was with that wretched woman: so a man would say, how shall I pretend my office is for the good of the public, and for the glory of God, when it is to in rich my family? God may be out of sight, and ken, and yet you may be Saints: but there is a more glorious life, when a man always walks in God's sight, God seeing him, and he seeing God. These things are not for the head, but the heart. Now talk with thy heart a little, and see what is thy temper, and thy way, and if thou find it not thus, tell God; the minister said that there be Saints that live gloriously, that are fond of God, that are always with him, sleeping, and waking, at bed, and board, they are never out of his sight. Lord make me such.  
Another thing is, that a Saint that is grown fond of God, he will never be still or satisfied with any creature. A child that is not fond, you may give him twenty baubles whiles his mother goes to market, or doth other things, but if he be grown fond, a thousand of those will not satisfy him. So a true Saint hath much of God, and little of the creature; a man may be a true Saint, and be much upon the creature, but when the soul grows fond of God, no creatures, or rattles will serve, if God put the creature into his hand, he is glad, but if God be away nothing will serve him: As a child that is fond of his mother, give him a Rattle or a Cake while he is in her hand, he is glad, but nothing will still him without her.  
A third thing is this, there is an exceeding boldness in a fond child to ask any thing of his father, truly such a boldness as were rude in a stranger; a child will sit in the lap of his mother, and snatch a thing out of her hand: So people may talk of forms how people should pray, and stand half an hour confessing of sins, and so come on by degrees, but one that is fond of God with an holy fondness, he knows he may leap into his father's lap at any time, and fall into his arms, and ask any thing without courting, and compliment.  
There are some Saints that cannot at any time get to God, and ask any thing, but they have much ado to set their hearts, and to get off the guilt that is between them and God as a cloud; they have much ado to get a little adoption to call God Father, and to lay hold on the promises: but there is such a temper of holy fondness, that there needs not all, or any of this: God and the soul are so well acquainted, and always together, that as soon as ever he comes he can ask any thing, and in a holy boldness snatch it: for the Kingdom of heaven is taken by violence, therefore saith God concerning my sons and daughters, Command ye me. A child can command his father, and say, I must have a new coat, I must have a new book, or I must have a ball to play with: so a Saint can say, Father, there is a covenant, thou art my Father, and I am thy child, it cannot stand with thy Truth, thou wert not just if thou shouldest deny me any thing that is good: O this is a holy boldness! As a child can creep into his mother's breast, and pull it out with his hand, yet because there is an inward love, she bears with it, and smiles in his face. It argues a great deal of nearness to God when one is always in a readiness to ask any thing. I have observed that souls that are far from God, they must always go upon their knees, but a soul that is near can pray standing, or walking, or talking, as that good man that you read of in the Book of Ezra, he can pray with his hat on, he can pray in his bed, or where you will, when he is is communion with God. It is a most glorious thing, and a grace that I have seen in some Saints, and it hath made my soul sick to have it, to have a soul always in such a temper, they can speak a spiritual word at any time, as it is said of Bradford, to have a heart so familiar with God, that it can speak in a moment: A weak Professor prays, and he is put to it to the utmost for his duty in the morning, and he goes behind God's back all the day till night, and unless he set aside all his work, and go upon his knees, he cannot pray as he buys, and sells, and trades.  
Fourthly, there is in a fond child a holy carelessness, of casting himself, body, and soul, and family, and business, and affairs and all upon God, Be careful for nothing. It is not to make careless Christians: but it is true in one sense, when in a holy carelessness, a man casts himself upon God. It is your weakness, much of your dispute, concerning grace, and salvation, and justification; a fond Child of God smiles at it; he can come near his father, and catch him, and hold him, and say, I know whom I have trusted, on whom I have laid my soul; As a man that puts his estate in another hands, can say, I know whom I have trusted, A weak saint thinks little of, and cares little for the service of God; but he cares much for his own safety, and security, and salvation: a strong, fond saint takes less care for his own salvation, but he cares much for the service of jesus Christ. For (thinks he) let the Lord jesus look to that; he hath taken on him to die for my soul, and he hath promised to receive it; and he hath said he will not cast away them that come to him, I have cast my soul on him, sink or swim, I will not trouble my head with that, but all my thought, and care shall be how I may please jesus Christ, and love and glorify him. It is a blessed pitch of grace when a saint can come to that carelessness, that a man is not thoughtful for his soul, when he hath brought it to Christ, leave it there, and think not of it, but think of the work and will of Christ, and how to honour him. As suppose you meet in the way as you travel, an enemy, a man that (it may be) stands there to destroy you, though you meet him you know not his purpose, if you did, you would go another way; now when you meet the man, there is one of these two things to be done, either concerning your safety, or your carriage to Christ. Now a saint is apt to take Christ's work, and lay aside his own; another man doth not care in that case, how he is pleasing to Christ, and carries himself to him; but his care is how he may get off from his enemy, that he may not kill him, and take away his life: that is our error; we should leave that to Christ, he hath put an enemy before me, and he cannot kill me without Christ give him power: but my care should be, how to be pleasing to God, and so to speak, and think, and do. As for outward things, and for the body; so for the soul, my care should not be so much whether I shall be damned, or saved: I know into whose hands I have put it; but my care should be, how to walk more holily and pleasing to Christ, and for the edification of his Church and kingdom; this a child that is fond of God will do.  
Fiftly, a Saint that is fond of God in jesus Christ, he seethe something of God in every thing. As they say of love, one that is in love, sees nothing with her eyes, nor hears nothing with her ears but love: so a Saint that is fond of God, bring him meat, he sees the love of God in Christ in it; bring him , or any thing, his eye is fastened more upon the love of God in Christ, then upon the thing. As the spouse in the Canticles (for the Canticles is a book of fondness between Christ and his people) she hears one talk, I warrant you (saith she) this is the voice of my beloved; she is so fond of him, that she could not hear one talk, but she saith, It is my beloved, when she looks on the gallery, and the lattice, I warrant you (saith she) my beloved looks thorough that grate, and when she sleeps, her heart waketh. It is a blessed thing when we do not eye things in themselves, but so as we are able to see God in them.  
And you shall know it by the various tempers of your souls: for sometimes you are more spiritual, and sometimes more carnal: when you are carnal, you use more of the creature, and never see God at all; but when you are spiritual, you see God, and his love in Christ in every thing.  
I shall now show you how God brings his children 
This fondness wrought four ways.  to this holy fondness, and I would leave you longing for it; and I trust in God to leave some souls sick, till God work, and bring up their souls to that; I will name but only four.  
The first thing is, that God utterly convinceth a Saint 
1. By disabling all the Creation to this end.  of the vanity of every creature, and of every condition, he will never be fond till then: God lets him suck one creature after another, and then he sees the vanity of them. God puts him into one condition after another: O, saith a Saint, when he is sick, if I were well, I should rejoice, and glorify God: God gives him health, and then he is in a worse temper. When he is poor, saith he, If I had to pay my debts, and to set up handsomely, than I should serve God; God sets him up, and lets his heart go after covetousness, and saith to him, Dost thou not see that thou art worse than thou wert before? So God chaseth him from one creature to another, and from one condition to another. If he would be in the Country, God convinceth him that he will be worse than in the Town; At last he saith, Lord, I have tried, and hunted all, and I see they are a company of vanities. And sometime when he is sick in body, and shaken in soul, God appears gloriously, and makes the worst condition better than the best: so God follows, and traseth, and chaseth him from one to another, till he bring him to see every creature vanity, and every condition; and, saith a Saint, I do not much care what condition, whether he put me in prison, or at liberty, whether I be rich or poor; well or sick, so he reveal himself to my soul. You will never be fond till you come to that, till God convince you of all conditions, and of the use of all creatures, and tyre thee that thy soul may say, God is all in all; I am indifferent what creatures I have, or want, or what condition I am in: for I have seen God to be all in all, I have seen nothing in riches, and in liberty, but as God comes into a condition, or is absent, so it is sweet or bitter, good, or bad. People that are professors in these sad times, they would not be so reaching, and gripping and undermining, for offices, and places, and preferments, and I know not what, if they did see this.  
Another way it this, that the Lord sheds his love into their hearts, Rom, 5. he pours it out, as you would 
2 By Gods pouring forth his love in their heart  pour out a Pail, or a Bucket of water; God so over-powers the heart with his love, that there is no guilt, no hardness, no fear, no spirit of bondage at all left in the soul. Beloved; why are not we more fond of God? why is not he more dear to us? The reason is, because we have many hard thoughts of him, that he may be an enemy as well as a friend, and I know not what he means: I look upon him at a catch, as with a staff in his hand to strike me. There are abundance of those thoughts in the soul, especially in affliction; some professors are ready to say, God hath found me out as an hypocrite, and plagueth me. In afflictions, ordinary professors lose more, though they talk of getting. But the Lord comes to some of his children, and so over-powers their hearts with his love, that there is not one thought nor imagination in their hearts, but only of love to him, and then they will be fond: for when they see pure love in God, and nothing but a principle of pure love in them to God; what should hinder but they should be fond one of another? There is a homely comparison, a woman that hath butter in a dish, she melts some of the butter; but if she take it too soon from the fire, there will be a core, a knob in the dish left, and being taken from the fire it grows bigger, till all be hard. So a weak Saint, by studying the promises of God, and the love of God, it dissolves much of the knobbinesse, yet there are some hard thoughts, and jealousies, and suspicions: but God comes at last, and melts all the butter together, all the knobbiness that is in the heart, every thought, and imagination, of terror, and guilt, and fear, that there is a clear, and pure principle of love to God, and then the soul is fond of him.  
The Lord takes a great deal of delight to train and bring up his child to be more in love with him: God will so train and bring him up, that if he throw him into the worst condition that can be for body, or soul, and shall say, what thinkest thou of me now? hast thou any hard thoughts of me? saith God: No, saith the soul, all is Love. As for instance, I will tell you a thing, the worst on this side hell, I speak not of imprisonment▪ or shame, but God may take him, and leave him to sin, and then the soul awakes, and thinks, good Lord where am I? O what a hell have I in me! for there is a hell in the heart, if God take off the vail of grace, if he draw the Curtain, there is nothing but hell in the soul: There are many sins that thou hast committed, that there is not a soul in the world that hath committed worse. This is true, saith a Saint, and dost thou not think, saith God, that thou art an hypocrite? and that I shall damn thee for this? No, saith the soul, I know I have nothing in me but of thy Grace, and if thou draw the Curtain, all is hell; but there is nothing but love, even then after sin, there is not one hard thought, it makes the soul more fond: he saith, it is true, I am so, and there is no devil that hath worse thoughts, but the more need I have to go to my Father, for I am thy son, I am sure of that; and seeing that I am weaker than I was, I have the more need to betake me to thy lap, and into thy arms, and so he grows more fond of God by sin itself.  
Nay, I will tell you a greater than that. What can that be? There is one greater, and yet all this cannot quench the love and fondness that is between the soul and God, that is, when God corrects his child with one sin for another: It may be for his fault he lets him run to covet Places and Offices, etc. and the next day after, the Lord suffers another lust to carry him as in a Chariot to hell, that this may make him take heed how he looks after such things. This is the worst between this and hell saith God: Should I not now come, and break thee in pieces as a villain? No, saith the soul, this is a wise design of thy love, and there is nothing but love in thee to me, and there shall be nothing but pure love in me to thee.  
Learn these things, beloved, There are many that come to hear, and all that I can see from them, is, that if there be controversal, they dispute of that when they come home, but lay these things to heart, as it is said of Mary, and beg of the Lord to screw up your souls to that heavenly, blessed Life, that you may attain in this world. 
3. Assurance of conquest over all kind of enemies.   
The third thing, before which a Saint will never be fond, is, God will convince him of an absolute, perfect conquest over all his enemies. A child of God will never be fond till he be secure, and he will never be so till God show him by his Spirit, that he is more than conqueror over most of his enemies, and that he is a certain conqueror over all. And this is by faith: for by sense sin prevails over us, and if we say we have sin, we do not say true. But by faith, when Satan is most severe, he is conquered, and sin when it is most violent, he looks on it as a vassal at his foot, entreating pardon. It is said in Daniel, that Christ came to bring in everlasting righteousness, and make an end of sin. A Saint by faith sees sin ended, as hell, and damnation, and wrath, and the curse is so, sin shall be out of doors. There is no damnation to them that are in Christ. He hath redeemed us out of the hands of our enemies, that we might serve him without fear, as Zechary saith, from all our enemies: and he shall (as Malachy saith) tread his enemies as ashes under his feet.  
This is that that keeps a Saint under, he cannot come to the height of love to God; because there is some enemy that over-tops him. This day, when he hears that our souls are over sin, he is cheery: but when he comes home, there comes a sin or a temptation, and breaks all, and he is at a loss. Now when faith is screwed so high, as to tread on all enemies, on sin, which is the strongest: say it be a strong temptation of covetousness, thou studiest to purchase and to enlarge thine inheritance: suppose there be such a thing in thy soul, and it is violent, and thou hast offered to resist it, and thou canst not: thou mayst say, Sin, though thou be strong, and I cannot put thee cut, thou hast bolted the door, but thou art my slave, and in the blood of Christ, I am thy conqueror; thou thinkest to conquer me, but thou art my vassal and my slave. And much more may he say so of Satan; Thou molestest me, but thou art condemned, I am made Lord over thee in the blood of Christ. Grace, and sin will mount as the bird and the Hawk, and the one seek to out-mount the other: the bird for safety, the Hawk for prey: so grace and sin get one above another. O, saith grace, I would be holy: saith sin, thou shalt be covetous. I will pray, saith grace; but I will make thee my possession, saith sin. When the soul out-mounts sin, to the place where dwelleth righteousness, that Kingdom that cannot be shaken; that I see all my enemies beneath: and when they are most strong, and imperious over me, I look on them with a peaceable & quiet spirit  
Last of all, and so I have done with this; notwithstanding all this the soul could not be fond of God, but 
4. By a spiritual ad hesion to the new Covenant.  as God gives him a spiritual understanding of the new Covenant; the enemies will over-mount the soul else. As for instance, to give you but one illustration, there are such pangs, and such a temper in the soul of a Saint, as that sometimes, nothing in the world can give him satisfaction; there is sin, and temptation, and it may be pain in body: and where is God, and the spirit, and any thing to help? God can help, but who knows whether he will or no? now I am in the hands of mine enemies: In comes the Covenant, O (saith the soul) it is true, I am in the hands of mine enemies, and God may choose whether he will rescue me. He might have done, but now he is bound in an everlasting Covenant, that (with reverence) God must help: time was when God might have cast me to hell, and he was not bound to save me, but the case is altered, God is bound to save me. Therefore saith David, Though my house be not so with God, yet there is a Covenant, this is my desire, and joy. Many times, the soul is so that nothing can relieve it but the Covenant that God is bound, that God cannot though he would desert him.  
If you examine, what this Covenant is; and whereto it is? The Lord knows we are apt to measure him by ourselves, and so we do in every thing: we think our thoughts, as God's thoughts, and his thoughts as ours: therefore God is willing to condescend unto us in our own way: for that God that contrived a way of salvation before the world was, we may not fear but that that love will carry us thorough: but God would come in our way, and take that way that one man doth with another: because we are apt to measure God by ourselves, therefore he comes and saith, and if that serve not, he swears, and if that will not serve, he brings a seal, and a Covenant, and then with men a man is safe enough: So, God's word had been enough; but because we should have strong consolation, that must be conveyed according to our apprehensions, and thoughts: there God saith, and swears, and makes a Covenant, and binds himself, that we may see him bound. Therefore saith the Apostle in the Galatians, If it be but a man's Covenant, none can dissanul it. As if he should say, I made this for your sakes, or else I have one, and none can alter it: but foryour sakes I came down, and made a Covenant like men; and There are three that bear witness, and that is enough among men: therefore think my love will be constant to the end. So when a Christian is at a dead lift, this relieves him, not that God can save him if he will, but that God must, he is bound to save him.  
It is a pitiful thing, when a man is in the hands of a thousand enemies; and then can only say, peradventure God will save me and rescue me, but when the soul sees that God must rescue it, and there is a Covenant made, and sealed with the blood of Christ, and it is not possible to be broken, God's Covenant is to save me, and preserve me to his everlasting Kingdom. Thus I have briefly shown you that fondness that is between a Saint, and God; and the book of Canticles is (as I told you) nothing but a book of fondness (as I may say) between Christ and the Saints. Therefore you should aim at the good of your souls, and seeing there is such a condition, that there are Saints that are so, desire the Lord to make you such.   

Expositions and Observations on DEUTER. 4.  
Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and judgements, which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in, and possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers giveth you.  
Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall you diminish aught from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.  
Your eyes have seen what the Lord did because of Baal-peor: for all the men that followed Baal-peor, the Lord thy God hath destroyed them from among you.  
But ye that did cleave unto the Lord your God, are alive every one of you this day, etc.  
I Shall not go about to expound this whole Chapter unto you, you see it is very long, and therefore I will not abridge myself or you of time for that which is to follow: but only briefly take notice of a few things in this Chapter which I shall touch upon: for they are sweet, and very serious words that Moses speaks to the people of Israel. One thing is in the fourth verse, saith Moses, Your eyes have seen what the Lord did because of Baal-peor: for all the men that followed Baal-peor, the Lord thy God hath destroyed them from among you.  
But ye that did cleave unto the Lord your God, are alive every one of you to this day.  
You shall read in Num. 25. 4. and in Num. 30. 15. that by the counsel of Balaam the people of Israel were brought to commit Idolatry at Baal-peor, Israel joined himself to Baal-peor; and the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel. They were brought first to whoredom, and then to Idolatry, as we may see in that Chapter, for which God cut off men and women about some twenty four thousand. And yet in this great temptation, some of them did cleave to the Lord, and those the Lord kept alive and destroyed them not: ye that did cleave to the Lord your God, are alive every one of you this day.  
So that,  
It is a blessed and happy thing when people shall 
Observation  cleave to the Lord.  
The word is taken sometimes to stick, my belly cleaves or sticks to the dust. And so truly the word should stick a little upon our thoughts. Cleaving, it implies or signifies two things.  
It signifies, first to glue, to unite two things together into one, and so you shall have it, Gen. 2. 24. They 
Cleaving to, implies two things. 1. A near conjunction.  two shall be joined, and made one flesh, they shall be glued (as it were) together. So you have it in Ephes. 5. And there is in that word, as that reverend Doctor Preston, I remember, observes, it signifies a greater union th●● any other in the world. Indeed, there is a great union between two boards glued together: for I have heard Joiner's say, it is sometimes stronger than the board itself, as a broken bone is stronger when it is knit, then before ever it was broken. It is an union more than marriage, more than between man and wife, yet that is the greatest in the whole creation. Beloved, such a union should be between our souls and jesus Christ; we should not hang lose upon jesus Christ, we should be united to him as a man to his wife, yea something more than that: And therefore saith David when he found a looseness in his heart, O knit my heart to thee, that I may fear thy name. Knit my heart; as jonathans' heart was knit to David. Will you learn this now? For our work is as Moses said in another kind, I have laid before you this day life and death, and (saith he) at another time, I have laid before you judgements and statutes: so our work is to lay before you the will of the Lord; now this is one part of it, that there should be such a union between our souls, and jesus Christ. And therefore learn this, when thou goest home, if thou find a looseness between thee and Christ, remember this word, thou shouldest learn to cleave to the Lord, and pray the Lord to knit thy heart to him. When there is a looseness, that is, when many times, other things run between thy heart and God, sometimes thy husband, sometimes thy wife, sometimes thy money, thy wealth, thy cash hath thy heart: O pray the Lord to knit thy heart more and more to him.  
But cleaving also is taken more usually, for sitting 
2. A relative permanency with  or abiding in the Lord, when others do leave him. It is a relative kind of word, it is not simply ●●iting to God, or knitting to him: but when other things are in competition with God, when (it may be) others follow other things, and when both are laid before mine eyes, that I may follow the one or the other, then when I abide with God, this is called cleaving to the Lord. As I could give you divers instances. Gen. 2. 24. A woman is to forsake her father and mother, and to cleave to her husband: that is, a woman when she is married, she hath two sweet objects before her eyes, her father's house, her father and mother, and sisters and brothers, on the one side, and her husband on the other side, and his friends and relations: now when a woman leaves the one, and sticks to the other, this is properly called cleaving. You shall read also in 2 Sam. 20. 2. the people of Israel, every man of Israel, went up from after David. The people of Israel there, in a peevish humour, left David their King, and followed Sheba the son of Bichri, but the men of judah did cleave to their King from jordan to jerusalem. There the people were divided, Israel followed Sheba, but judah clavae to David. In stead of many I will give you but one more, that is in the book of Ruth, you shall have there a good woman that had two daughters in law, her sons were both dead, and so she was going to return to her country, she was in a strange country with them, and she takes her leave of her two daughters, Chap. 2. 8. Naomi said to her two daughters in law, Go, return each to her mother's house, the Lord deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with the dead, and with me; that is, they had been kind to her sons and to her, for they lived in a strange country, now Farewell, The Lord grant that you may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband: Then she kissed them, etc. And they said, surely we will return with thee to thy people, we will go along, we will not leave thee, No, daughters (saith she) do not so, for I cannot bear other children for you to marry, as the law was then. If I should lie to night with an husband, and have children, you would not stay so long, therefore I pray abide, and go not. And it is said, Orpah kissed her mother in law, and lift up her voice, and wept, and left her, but Ruth clavae unto her. Orpah was persuaded, and wept, and took her leave, but Ruth clavae to her, and said, Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whether thou goest I will go, and where thou lodgest I will lodge, thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God, Where thou diest will I die, and there will I be buried: the Lord do so to me and more also, if ought but death part thee and me. So I say you see here, that when there was a competition, a kind of parting, than Ruth abiding with Naomi, that is called cleaving.  
It is a glorious thing, that when the seeming servants 
The honour of cleaving to Christ.  of jesus Christ shall departed from him, when there is a division among professors, then to be able to cleave to jesus Christ. That you may understand it, conceive that in the ways of jesus Christ, many times there are such times that abundance of hypocrites as well as Saints abide with him, they are sometimes still, like the waters of Shilo, there is no persecution or trouble in them, it may be there is a great deal of honour, and wealth, and riches with them, and many times a great party of the world sticks to him; but there is a little trip, and step in the ways of godliness, when there is a parting, when hypocrites like Orpah, shall weep, and repent, and so shall go with Christ no longer: if they do, one shall lose his friends, another his trade, another his wife, and shall lift up their voices and weep, and take their leaves; then is the beauty of Christianity and the blessedness of a Christian, to be able to cleave to the Lord in such a time as this is. This was the exhortation of the good man Barnabas, that he gave to the people, as you shall read Acts 11. 22, 23. When he was come, and had seen the grace of God, he was glad, and exhorted them all that with purpose of heart, they should cleave to the Lord. I have oft marvailed with myself, why Barnabas, that is said to be a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost, coming as a stranger to a congregation of good people, where he saw the grace of God among them; why he should choose this and no more, but only pitch upon this exhortation, that seeing they were godly, and had received the grace of God, he should say; I have no more to say but this one word, understand it well, that is, that with full purpose of heart you cleave to the Lord.  
Indeed the reason was (as I conceive) if you compare it with Chap. 14. 22. Barnabas was a man to whom God had discovered much of the doctrine of Tribulation, and persecution that belonged to the Gospel. For take notice of it by the buy, I look on the people of God, li●e the servants of God that did go to build the Temple, some were appointed to hue stone, some to dig them up, and some to carry them home, some to build them up, some to cast accounts and to keep reckoning. So the Lord jesus in his Kingdom (no man knows the reason why) he cuts out distinct parcels of work to his people, and thereupon supplies them with his spirit, and reveals truths to his people, some to manage such a thing, no man knows the reason. God fastens the doctrine of justification upon some, that they cannot rest night nor day, and one that may be unwilling to die for another point, but not for that: Another about Church-government, Another upon sanctification, none knows why; but God fits them for their work by his Spirit, according to his blessed will.  
Therefore we should not censure or sleight godly men because our master doth not employ them about such a work, as he doth us. It may be my thoughts are upon sanctification, another's upon justification. So God cuts out the work as it pleaseth him. Now this Barnabas it seems did not speak much as we read of, but he had a mighty apprehension of persecutions and tribulations that the Saints should suffer in this world. Therefore in Acts 14. 22. he and Paul confirm the souls of the Disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the Kingdom of God. In every Sermon (as we may say) Barnabas had something to strengthen the souls of the people to go thorough tribulation, and affliction, It may be another Apostle had his Spirit upon another work. It may be in reference to this he gave them this exhortation, desiring them with full purpose of heart to cleave to the Lord, As if he had said, Now you are in prosperity (for so they were) and are all ready to hear the Gospel, and receive it. O (saith he) but there is a time a coming, to try you, and you must not think to run to heaven between two featherbeds: but as all the Saints before had their share, so every one that will live in Christ jesus must suffer persecution. As there is a Statute in heaven for all men once to die; so if you be Saints, you must live in tribulation, and persecution, and that is the way; as Christ was made perfect by sufferings, so you must come to salvation. Therefore when those things come, I have not much to say to you, but O then remember to cleave to the Lord: for than you shall see hypocrites in droves going away from jesus Christ, and leaving him, one stumbling at this, another at that; one is offended at the Cross, that it takes away his credit, another for his profit, another his liberty, another his trading: but brethren, I beseech you with full purpose of heart to cleave to the Lord. See how a company in john 6. with one word speaking went all away from Christ, If they had been called to fire from Christ, it had been something; but he saith no more, but you must eat my flesh and drink my blood, and they all went away. Yet the Disciples (there was twelve then) saith Christ, Will ye go away also? Lord, whether shall we go? saith Peter, thou hast the words of eternal life: so they abode with him, and clavae to him.  
Saith Barnabas, with full purpose of heart, that is, you must not cleave as judas: for judas did then cleave to Christ, when all but the Apostles left him, that we read of, but with full purpose of heart, the Greek word signifies with full decree of heart, such as the Medes and Persians had, when they decreed to cast Daniel into prison, though the King were otherwise minded, and had seen his error, yet they told him a decree of the Medes and Persians cannot be broken, it must be kept; the Apostle alludes to that, there must be such a decree in the soul, of sticking to Christ, and cleaving to God, notwithstanding all tribulations, and persecutions, and shame, and reproach, and trouble whatsoever that befalls, that you may as soon break the laws of the Medes and Persians, as bring the soul from that decree, As one said of old, they might as soon stop the Sun in the firmament, as hinder that godly man in his course of holiness, So let me entreat, and exhort you in the exhortation of Barnabas that you would cleave to the Lord with full purpose of heart.  
There are two great times in general when people 
2. Special times of cleaving to God. 1. In a general deluge of sin.  leave God, and then you must be sure to cleave to him, that is,  
First, when a general time of sin comes up among you, as this of Baal peor, there were twenty four thousand slain, for their sin at Baal-peor; sin when it comes up once, is like a stream; truly the course of the world is but the stream of sin in the world, and worldly men. Therefore you shall see that sins in Nations, though they begin from little, see how men are carried away with them when once they are grown strong! when once people begin to be proud and high, and set themselves up, every one shall be so. I shall be laughed at if I do not spend my money in vain things to maintain my servants, my coat, my garb, and Coach, and the like. This pride is grown to a stream in the world: and so for swearing, and so for drunkenness, and every other sin. Now I say, when sin doth in this manner break out, and thou seest others carried with it more and more, then take heed, then be sure thou cleave to God. Nay, there are more spiritual sins then these, as it is said, Barnabas was carried away with the dissimulation. When thou seest general dissimulation in a Kingdom, to call darkness light, and light darkness, and good evil, and evil good, to call good men treacherous, and treacherous men good, to call blind, base, superstitious men Orthodox, and Orthodox men superstitious, take heed then that thou cleave to the Lord.  
Then secondly, when persecutions, and sufferings 
2. In times of persecution.  come, few men make account of it, we cannot make people sensible of it, what they must suffer, they have false hopes; they think that though people suffered in Queen mary's time, and others may after, yet they shall go in peace. We must suffer: talk of Reformation, and what you will; all honest hearts inevitably shall have tribulation. Therefore let this word abide with you, that it be your study, and earnest prayer to the Lord, when you see others run into sin and are carried away for fear of this trouble, and that cross, and the other shame, that then you abide with the Lord as judah, Though Israel play the harlot, yet let judah be faithful with his God. Though such a man dissemble, yet why should I do so? though such a one go against his own light, and conscience, yet why should not I cleave to Christ? That is one exhortation, that you would cleave to the Lord.   

Expositions and Observations on PSALM 83.  
1 Keep not thou silence O God, hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God.  
2 For lo, thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate thee have list up the head etc.  
THis Psalm contains in it a grievous complaint of the prophet to God, against the enemies of his Son, and of his people. Some do conceive that it was not the prophet David, but Isaiah, or some of the prophets in the time of Hezekiah, when Zenecharib, and other Nations that were confederate with him were coming up against Israel. But however, a confederacy there was of the wicked against the godly; and the prophet whosoever he was here, complains to God; and doth as it were  
First, awaken God to hearken to his complaint, 
The parts of the Psalm.  Keep not silence O God, hold not thy peace, and be not still.  
Secondly, he lays down the matter of the complaint which was the crafty counsel, and the conspiracy of divers wicked people, yea of Nations, some ten Nations, against the people of God, the Israelites, and he lays down in particular who they were.  
Then thirdly, he doth pray, or prophesy: for most of the prayers of the prophets were prophecies also: he not only prayed that it might be so, but prophesied that it should be so: that they should be as a wheel, that they should be as fire in the wood, or as a flame of fire upon the mountains.  
Lastly, he lays down the end, why he so prayed or prephesied, to wit, that his enemies might be filled with shame, that they might seek the name of the Lord, that they might be brought home to God. Or if they will go on and perish, that others may know the name of the Lord, that they may know that thou whose name is jehovah, art most high over all the earth. And though their faces being filled with shame, they will not fear the Lord, yet doubtless others will; and when God shall bring confusion on his enemies, others will acknewledge the name of the Lord jehovah, and that there is no other in the whole earth. This is the sum and substance of the Psalm. I shall endeavour to open the meaning of it a little in particular.  
First, concerning the prophet's complaint, the prophets waking of God as it were in those his complaints.  
Keep not silence O God, hold not thy peace, be not still.  
Or as the Septuagint renders it, O Lord (say they) who is like to thee? keep not silence, O God, hold not thy peace, be not still.  
And you must take notice, and it is worth observing, that when the prophet saith here, O God, he means jesus Christ. That whereas ordinarily in the old Testament, especially in the book of Psalms when you hear the prophet mention God, or jehovah, or the Lord, you think of God naturally, out of Christ, whereas he usually means jesus Christ; as I could fully clear it if I had time. Let me give you one instance; In the last verse of the former Psalm: Arise, O God, judge the earth, for thou shalt inherit all nations. That is clearly meant of Christ: for we know that God inherits all Nations; he made the world, and he had the command and possession of it: but to God in jesus Christ, there is a time when God hath promised that he shall inherit the nations, from the uttermost ends of the earth. And therefore here by God is meant jesus Christ.  
For indeed, ordinarily, and naturally you shall not find a people conspiring against God properly: you shall see no wicked man but in some sort or other he will speak honourably of God: but God in Christ, God in the mediator, God in the Gospel, God in his Saints, God in Gospel ordinances, and the like: hence are all the tumults in the world, and all the conspiracies against God, and his Saints. Therefore if you compare this place, Thine enemies make a tumult against thee, with Psal. 2. Why do the heathen rage? Or why do they make a tumult? (as some read it) and why do the people imagine a vain thing? the Kings of the earth take counsel against the Lord, and against his anointed. That is merely meant of jesus Christ. So take notice of that, that carnal men ordinarily do not speak or think evil of God absolutely considered, but the worst of men speak well of him, when he gives them wealth they thank him, when he gives them fair weather, they bless him; when he gives them peace and preserves them in their journeys and ways, every one speaks well of God: but God in jesus Christ, God manifest in the flesh; God in the mediator; God in his Saints, God in his ordinances, God in his commands, and the like: then the men of the world use to make tumults, than they take crafty counsel together, and conspire against the Lord, and against his appointed.  
Keep not thou silence, O God, hold not thy peace, be not still.  
You see the prophet looks upon God as one that in the midst of these conspiracies, did keep silence, and hold his peace, and sit still; Not that God doth use to speak, or to stir properly as we men do: but the meaning is this, that many times when his son jesus Christ, and his laws; and his ordinances are most conspired against, God (as it were) doth keep silence, I mean jesus Christ, God in Christ, when his people, and ordinances are conspired against, he keeps silence, and sits still, as though he would let his enemies do what they would, and what they list; as though God did not see or heed which end did go forward. The Lord oft doth this.  
Keep not silent O God.  
I remember that place in Isaiah 40. 27. Why sayest thou O jacob, and speakest O Israel, My way is hid from the Lord, and my judgement is passed over from my God? The meaning of it is this, that when the enemies of God, as we see, Chap. 39 did oppress this people, they did pray to him, and looked for assistance from him, but he was silent (as it were) or asleep: therefore they begin to say in their heart, My way is hid from the Lord, and my judgement is passed over from my God: that is, Surely it is impossible that God should eye, and see my ways, and how men deal with me while I am believing, and waiting, and praying, and humbling my soul; no, my way is hid from the Lord, and my judgement is passed over from my God; that is, my God hath forgotten to give ear to me. Beloved, there is a time when the Lord (as it were) gives cause to his people so to think; that he is (as it were) asleep, and lets their enemies go on, and none contradict them. I was thinking out of scripture that there are three Reasons 
3. Reasons of God's silence in the danger of the Saints. 1. To try their faith.  why the Lord keeps silence when his people are in danger, and sits still when there is most need to give help and assistance.  
One is, the Lord doth it to try their faith, as we see clearly, Matthew, 8. 23. where it is said that our Lord Christ was asleep, There arose a great tempest, insomuch as the ship was covered with waves, but he was asleep; and his disciples came and awaked him, saying, Lord save us, we perish. We read more fully in Mark. 4. & Luk. 8. he left them, when the ship was covered with waves, and they were rowing for their lives, their Lord was asleep the while, and he said to them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the wind, and the sea, and there was a great calm. Truly, the Lord will not suffer his people to be overwhelmed, that is certain, but he will suffer them to come very near, that the waves cover them, and fear and horror shall cover their souls, and all to try their faith. For faith is the evidence of things not seen, take it in all senses, take faith for the soul or faith for the body; and we live not here by sense but by faith; and as the Apostle saith of hope, so we may say of faith, If we see, why do we yet hope? If we did see God present striking of wicked men when they consult against his children, this were sense; men would see that it were better to stick to God then otherwise, and there would be a world of hypocrites as Doct. Preston saith: for every man would be a professor. But God seems to sleep sometimes and keeps silence, and leaves his people as he did this poor fishing boat here, to see if when they see nothing they will keep faith to him.  
I do find another reason in Isaiah 59, and that is, the 
2. To try their uprightness.  Lord doth keep silence in the midst of the troubles of his people, as to try men's faith, so to try men's uprightness, who will stick to God: as to see who will stick to God by faith, so, who will stick to his cause, or his people out of uprightness of heart. For if God should always appear for his cause, God and his cause should have many favourites and friends: but sometimes God leaves his cause, and leaves his people; and leaves his Gospel, and his ordinances to the wide world, to see who will plead for it, and stick to it. As you see in that place of Isaiah. Transgressions are multiplied saith the prophet) in transgressing, and lying against the Lord, departing from our God, and uttering words of falsehood, judgement is turned back, and justice standeth afar off, truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter, Yea, truth faileth, and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey. And the Lord saw it, God was as it were asleep, but he looked through the lattice, the Lord beheld it, and he saw that there was no man, and he wondered that there was no intercessor. That is, God suffered all this truth to fail, and Justice to fall back, and every thing to go to wrack and ruin: God would see if any man would intercede, any man among our Magistrates or Ministers, or Citizens, if any man would plead for God, and for his people, and for his truth, but he saw none and wondered. Truly God wonders, and men may wonder to see what abundance of people follow God, and good lives in the time of prosperity, and when adversity comes, and wicked men, and all the powers of hell conspire against godliness, to see how few show themselves for God, God wonders at it. Therefore his arm brought salvation unto him, and his righteousness, it sustained him: he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head, and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with Zeal as a cloak. The Lord comes and Arms himself, just as valiant soldiers in the wars: when a party is gone forth, they stand to see what they do, how they come off: but if there be none that will stick to it, but run away, they buckle on their armour: So the Lord stands to see where is the man that will stick to it in these cases, and if there be any, God rejoiceth in it, if there be none, God himself comes in.  
Therefore be sure of this, when the Lord suffers his Son, or any thing that belongs to him to come to these low conditions, when truth fails in the street, and equity is perverted; it is not that God means to suffer the wicked to have their wills, for God hath sworn that Christ shall reign, but to try us a little space, whether we will courageously stick to God and his cause, or basely for fear of men comply with the world. 
3. For the compendious destruction of the it enemies.   
There is a third reason; God (as it were) keeps silence; and holds his peace in the midst of the greatest troubles to this end, that God may (as it were) gather the wicked into one faggot, into one bundle that they may be destroyed together. There is a great deal of ado to gather the Saints in this world; and truly there is some ado together the wicked. So God withdraws himself from his people, yet he hath a hook in their hearts, he holds them up secretly by his Spirit, that they shall not leave him; yet the world shall not see but that God hath quite left them, and all their Ordinances and his Gospel, and every thing: and then the wicked come together and insult, whereby God may come upon them at once, and destroy them, as we find ten Nations in this Psalm. And so in Genesis, God stirs up the Nations against Abraham, and his posterity, and there are ten Nations that God promiseth to cut off before Abraham at once, the Perrezites, and the jebusites, and the Canaanites, etc. So God heaps them together, and burns them like stubble. Those that burn stubble have rakes, and they gather it to heaps, and then they fire it. This is the way of Gods keeping silence among his people, and sitting still in the midst of their miseries, thus God gathers their enemies on heaps as stubble, that he may burn them together.  
Therefore from this that I have said, I have three words to say to you, and to my own soul.  
Use 1 The first of all is, that if the Lord should take any such course in our days, that you would learn hence to awake God, to call upon his Name, to be earnest with him. Truly, there are a generation of people now, I leave them to the Lord to judge them (as I shall always) for we have all one master; but there is a people that throw away the ordinance of prayer, and they profess to live immediately upon God without ordinances, without prayer, and without all the rest. I do not know what their perfections may be, therefore I cannot judge; but this I know as far as ever I had experience, that the chiefest way of communion with God is spiritual prayer; Build up one another on your holy faith, and Pray in the Holy Ghost, saith jude. And therefore, though you be ancient Christians, and grow spiritual, and see a great deal of formality in your prayers, as some pray so many times a day, and that out of form; not that they should not pray so oft in a day, that is well; take heed that out of any pretence you be not remiss: for truly, it is the readiest way to heaven, and to attain happiness, and the clearest conduit to bring grace to the soul, and the love of God, and the shining of his face, that I have yet known: I yet know no better; therefore take heed of the temptations of Satan, that you do not upon any pretence either throw away prayer or be remiss in it.  
Use 2 Secondly, if the Lord should leave his Church, and people, as we know not what he will do; it may be God is going to take a nap; let me warn you from the Lord, and his word (for that is the excellency of the word; by it thy servant is forewarned) take heed of distrust,, and unbelief, and impatience towards God: God doth take a nap sometimes; it is for his glory, and for your good; but yet cleave to him; say as it is here in the Psalm. O Lord, who is like unto thee? Do not think that the Lord will leave his people: for God hath (you know) made a Covenant with his Son that he shall inherit all nations, he shall subdue all his enemies. under his feet. All the enemies hitherto that have risen against his Church, God hath subdued them, and either our Gospel is vain, and our preaching vain, and our faith vain, and all vain, or else God will exalt his Son, and his people, and Saints, and ordinances, maugre all enemies: though ten Nations, as it is in this Psalm, fight against them, nay though ten thousand, if there were so many in the world, God will awake, and subdue them, and if there be no man in the world that will plead their cause, God will do it. Therefore live by faith, and not by sense, take heed of living by sense, there is nothing that more poisons, and imbitters our hearts, and spirits, and lives, than the beholding of things by sense, that as one good man speaks, I wish (saith he) sometimes that I were quite bereft of reason that I might exercise faith. We are used to sense, and such a man doth this and this, and here is conspiring in this and that place, and all to overthrow Christ, and the power of the Gospel. What of all this? Look by faith what God hath said, and Covenanted, and promised, and keep up your spirits by faith.  
Use 3 Then lastly, I would admonish all in the bowels of jesus Christ, to take heed of betraying God's cause or people, or your own salvation by your fleshliness; I mean, take heed you that have thought well of God, and his people, and have spoken well of him, that when you see God sleep a little while, and seems not to own them, take heed that you help not the children of Lot; go not with the Moabites and the Tabernacles of Edom, and with wicked men to conspire against the godly: if you do, know that if there be a God in heaven, and if there be truth in this book, you are under God's wrath, to be gathered on heaps for the fire; There appears no fire yet, but be sure you shall feel it hereafter; therefore take heed. The Lord will come (saith the prophet) as a bear bereft of her whelps. If a man take away the whelps of a Bear when she is asleep, and go away; when the Bear awakens you know what case that man will be in, when the Bear sees him, and her whelps in his arms. So God takes upon him to sleep, and if he see his little ones oppressed, and abused, when he awakes he will be as a Bear rob of her whelps. So much concerning that.  
Now the prophet having spoken to God, and desire him to awake, he gins to tell him how the case stood.  
For lo thine enemies make a tumult, and they that hate thee lift up their heads, they have taken crafty counsel, etc.  
The complaint was this in general, that they began to make a tumult. Why a tumlt? The whole world is but like an Army, a Brigade of men (as it were) under a General; and God is the Lord of Hosts, that is the Lord of his Armies: now when there is a tumult in an Army, they complain to the officers, to the General especially; and he must come and suppress them. Therefore (saith he) thou Lord of Hosts, that art General of the world; lo there is a tumult in the world, a mutiny; what is it?  
They that hate thee, have lifted up their heads.  
That is, they are waxen proud, and high.  
And take crafty counsel together against thy people, and consult against thy hidden ones.  
You see here the property of wicked people, when God doth not restrain them to consult, and conspire against the godly: for by the hidden ones are meant the godly. So the Septuagint reads it, thy Saints, or holy ones.  
They are called hidden ones, or secret ones (as some read it) because they are precious: as in Exodus God 
The Saints Gods hidden ones.  calls them his treasure, my peculiar people, my treasure. And you know our treasure and riches, we hid it, and keep it secret.  
And they are called hidden ones likewise, because the Lord useth to hid his people in the time of trouble, hid me in the hollow of thy hand (saith David) and hid me under the shadow of thy wings, in another place.  
They are called hidden ones (I think) principally, because the world knows them not; because the Devil always hath some vail upon the eyes of the wicked, that they are not able to know the Saints as Saints. 1 joh. 3. Now we are the sons of God, and the world knows us not. It is the clearest note of a man truly carnal, that hath nothing of God in him, he will tell you that he knows not who are Gods children and Saints, and who are not, the Devil hath so many ways, and nicknames; as to call them Lollards, and Schismatics, and Puritans, and now there are more nicknames than ever. So God hath his Saints, and people, they are his treasure, and peculiar ones, but he hides them from the world: for it is not in the apprehension of wicked men to persecute the Saints as Saints, but they persecute them as Schismatics, or heretics one way or other; yet it may be they may be Gods hidden ones. Therefore what you do against God's hidden ones, you do against him. I beseech you take heed how you consult, and conspire against people that make any profession of Religion, though you think they be heretical, or Schismatics, and it may be they are so, and it may be they are Gods hidden ones: it may be because of my fleshliness I think him to be an heretic or a Schismatic, and it may be he is a Saint, and child of God, and one of his hidden ones.  
In the next verse he lays down the conspiracy, what it was that they craftily consulted of.  
Ver. 4. Come and let us cut them off from being a Nation, that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.  
The desires of the wicked are not to suppress one, or two, or a few of the Saints (though indeed they light upon a few, and God never suffers them to touch all) 
The main design of persecutors.  but the main design is wholly to root out godliness, and the people of God, that they may not be a Nation.  
For if you consider the ground of persecution, it is not any one particular thing in a person: but the design of Satan (whose part they act, who is the old serpent) is to overthrow the whole Kingdom of God to destroy the seed of the woman: therefore whosoever sets himself against one, his aim is (if he observe his own heart) if he could to destroy all. And in the times before, when men durst speak the language of their hearts, Bonner would say, I wish that all the heretics were in a sack in the midst of the Sea. And many Bishops among us have gloried, that they had not one Puritan left in their Diocese. And some of late have bragged that they hoped their would not be room for one puritan in England; before those scurvy names that are rife among us now came up. It may be if we observe we shall hear some of the same phrases still, though the words be altered the design is the same. Come, let us cut them off from being a Nation.  
You see that Satan is not willing to have one Saint on earth, not one ordinance, or one Gospell-sermon. It is too low a design for Satan to aim at a particular person. Just as it was with Haman in the book of Hester; he might have punished Mordecai if he would, but it was too low a thing, he would cut of the whole seed of the jews, that there should not be one left. That is the reason that Pareus, a learned man gives, why the Saints are said to be a people that are not, 1 Cor. 1. because the people of the world wish that they were not; the world desires that they were not nor any thing that belongs to them.  
Therefore I beseech you take this caveat from the Lord, that you would take heed how you carry yourselves against the Saints, though they be but some few particular persons; though it may be there may be some weakness in them that may provoke your corruptions: for if you once begin to fall on persecuting, to oppose Christ jesus or his people, though you begin with a few, first one, and then another, you will unawares fall into the tide, into the stream; to set on the whole design of the Devil, that is, to cut off the people of God from being a Nation, that the name of Israel may be no more remembered. It is an easy thing to fall into the stream of persecution. There is no man that sets himself against the whole Generation of Saints at once; but first he quarrels with this professor, and then with that; and it may be there is a reason to dislike this, and pretended reason to dislike the ways of that, till at last he come to be an absolute persecuter of all godliness.  
The prophet tells the Lord what the design is, and then doth press God forward; in verse 5. he tells him of their consultation again: he had spoken it three times before, and here again. They have consulted together with one consent, they are confederate against thee.  
The prophet would have God hearken to him, and take notice of his complaint from two arguments.  
The one is from the depth of their conspiracies, and their diligent and earnest consultation.  
And the other was, because whatsoever they did against his hidden ones, he tells God it was against him. 
God persecuted in the Saints.  So that (beloved) it is a great argument with God to awaken and stir him up against the wicked, and to help his people; when the wicked consult, and plot together. It is a sore thing when men occasionally and accidentally, and Ignorantly fall into the stream of the wicked, to do things against the Saints: but it is more grievous when they consult, and are confederate, and associate themselves together, and beat their heads, and brains together, and lay snare upon snare, and design upon design, against the hidden ones of God.  
Know beloved, and be sure that there is no consultation so secret but God knows it; there is nothing so hidden, but it is open to the backbone before him, as it is Heb. 4. It is a thing of jealousy that God will not suffer, when people consult together against God and his people. It is enough, and too much that oft times ignorantly, and rashly we speak and do against the Saints (as a man out of frailty may do) but if we go to consult once, there are thousands of Saints that will awaken God, and wish God to come to the consultation. Therefore whatsoever we do of ignorance, God may pardon, and pity: but take heed of all conspiring, and consulting against the Saints. And remember that I warn you this day, that if you hear that there is any meeting against the Saints, that there is a design going on to root them out in this, or that notion: for I love not those names, nor plead for this or that way, but when it is against the Saints, as a blind man may see in such ways as the world useth. I beseech you that come here to hear God, Take warning; have nothing to do with their conspiracies and plottings: for God will not brook that.  
They are confederate against thee.  
It is an old common truth, commonly known to the Saints, and to the world too; whatsoever you do against the Saints, you do against God, he that toucheth you (saith God) toucheth the apple of mine eye. In all their afflictions he is afflicted, and (saith the Lord Christ) the reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me; in another case. And that known place Acts 9 when Paul was going on a design to Damascus to persecute the Saints, the Lord Christ met him by the way; and said, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? He doth not say, why dost thou go to Damascus, and arm wicked people to destroy my children? He speaks not such a word: but he saith; Thou persecutest me. For the poor Saints they are under covert, they are married to Christ, and we cannot defend our selves, but we are married to one that will defend our suit, and what is done, he takes it as done to himself, and will accordingly judge them that do it.  
Whatsoever good you do to the Saints, the Lord takes it as done to him; and whatsoever evil you do to the Saints, the Lord takes it as done to him; Mat. 25. When I was hungry you fed me, when I was naked ye clothed me, when I was in prison you visited me, And they shall say, Lord, when did we see thee hungry, or naked, or in prison? In as much as you did it to one of these little ones, you did it to me. Whereupon Calvin saith, that God, and his Saints, God, and the people of God are one. We are too subject to forget Christ in his members; we think not that we offend Christ, when out of imperiousness, or out of heat or the like, we offend a poor Saint: and we think not that we help Christ jesus directly when we help a poor Saint, if we did, we would be more wary in the one, and more ready and forward in the other.  
The prophet having entered his suit, and complaint in general, he comes to particulars, and tells God who they are that had done this. God might say, Who are these that conspire against me, and against my people, and hidden ones? Lord (saith the prophet) I will tell thee who they are.  
The Tabernacles of Edom, and the Ishmalities: of Moab 
The particulars of the complaint opened.  and the Hagarens; gebal, and Amon, and Amalok, the Philistines and them that dwell at Tyre.  
He names some ten Nations, that joined together against one poor Israel. It is a thing you should observe that when the people of God are conspired against, God rests not in general complaints, but he will know who they are. As I told you, he is the Lord of Hosts, the great General. When there is a mutiny the General asks, what Officer, or what Corporall, or what Sergeant, or who did begin the mutiny? and it is a fearful thing when a poor persecuted Saint shall bring thy name as a persecutor before the God of heaven. When a poor Saint shall go home and say, There is a confederacy in London, a conspiracy against the Saints of God; and when a poor Saint shall say, such a Magistrate, such a Minister, such a man in such a street, such a woman set her husband against the Saints, and against thine ordinances: it is a fearful thing. Therefore I remember a blessed woman, if it be true that is reported of her in the book of Martyrs, that when the wicked abused her, and reproached her, and oppressed her, she would say no more but this, I will go home, and tell my father: give over, or else I will Note bring your names before God, and tell him: there was all, and that was enough: for he would presently take it up. A man may better bear a pound of dirt on his feet, than a grain of dirt in his eye; the Saints are the Apple of God's eye. And a poor Saint he need say no more, but there is such a man delights in nothing but confederacy against the people of God; he delights in nothing but to have them oppressed; he need say no more.  
But let us a little view these Nations that were joined together; they were very numerous, very many. The best place in the world will afford company enough if a man will conspire, and plot against the Saints. It is no argument for a man to say, Such a Gentleman, and such a Magistrate is in, and such a one hath put his hand to it, and they plead for it; that is not enough, here are ten Nations, people enough, A man must not go with a multitude to do evil. It is rather an argument that the thing is evil when there is a multitude, especially when it is a multitude of people that are set upon no good, that the most are whoremongers, or drunkards, or covetous men; when there are a multitude of such, than the multitude is an argument rather that the design is naught, though they be not thoroughly acquainted what it is.  
But let us look upon them in particular.  
First, The Tabernacles of Edom were there, they are first set down. Now who this people of Edom were, you shall see Deut. 2. They were the seed of Esau, God had forbid the children of Israel when they were going up to Canaan, they that should not distress Moab, and Edom, but should buy every thing for their money; they should not plunder (as we use to say) nor do any thing unrighteously; because God had given Mount Seir to Edom, a people that had received abundance of kindnesses from Israel, and when they passed thorough their country, though they were a wicked people, yet they paid money for their very water, as it is in the beginning of Deuteronomie. And the Holy Ghost put them in the forefront, that Edom of all others should do it.  
The Tabernacles of Edom.  
That is, the Soldiers that lived in tabernacles, or tents: for they used tents in their Armies, as we see clearly, judg. 7. There was a cake comes, and throws down their tents. The Tabernacles of Edom; that is, the Soldiery, part of Edom, they were they that did this.  
Beloved, they of all others the Lord takes notice of in conspiring against the Saints, who have received kindness from the Saints.  
How many men have we seen in England, that have received many courtesies in their wants of the people of God, and when they have been in distress otherwise; yet after all their purposes, they have come to cut their throats, God takes notice of them more than others, Therefore 2 Chron. 20. 11. you shall read of Moab, and Amon, and those of Mount Seir, they were coming to fight against jehosaphat: jehosaphat enters the suit to God; he sets himself to seek the Lord, and among the rest of his arguments, this is one, behold (saith he) how they reward us, to come to cast us out of the possession that thou hast given us to inherit, you shall read in ver. 10. And now behold the children of Ammon, and Moab, and Mount Seir, whom thou wouldst not let Israel invade, when they came out of the Land of Egypt, but they turned from them and destroyed them not. (saith jehosaphat) When we came out of Egypt, thou commandedst us that we should not destroy them, and that we should pay for every thing we took; and behold how they requite us. There are few wicked people, but they receive courtesies from the Saints: but when they turn persecutors (it is a pitiful thing, consider of it) in the black roll of the accusations of the Saints, the Lord will have them put in the first place. The Tabernacles of Edom.  And the Ishmalites. 
That is, the seed of Ishmael, that presecuted his brother Isaac, and jeered him, and laughed at him.  And of Moab. 
Moab was one of the children of Lot.  The Hagarens. 
That is, those that came from Hagar: for though they were the same people, sometimes they are called Ishmalites from their father, or Hagarens from their Grand mother Hagar.  gebal. 
gebal, they say, was a Nation near Zidon where Solomon sent to fetch gold.  Ammon. 
Ammon, was one of the sons of Lot by incest.  Amalek 
Was one of those that first fought against Israel, Exod. 17. that God swore should be cut off, and God sent Saul to do it, and he did it not, and he after was cut off by an Amalekite.  The Philistines. 
We read of the Philistines often.  And them that dwell at Tyre. 
Tyre was a rich City spoken of by the prophets on the Seaside.  Ashur also is joined with them. 
Ashur, that is, the Assyrians that came from Aser one of the children of Seth.  They have helped the children of Lot. 
That is, they have helped Moab, and Ammon, they have strengthened their Arms against Israel.  Selah. 
That is, take notice. Of what? that they were numerous, that did it, and that they were in the first place that had received kindnesses of God people. And take notice that those that acted most in it were the seed of godly men, they have helped the children of Lot. 
Many times the children of God's people the chiefest persecutors.   
Beloved you see by experience many times the children of Godly people are the feircest persecutors. All the rest, gebal, and those inhabitants of Tyre, they were profane people, they did but help the children of Lot, it was they that set it on foot, and carried the design, a kind of rotten professors, that are persecuters of godly people.  
I have oft thought, if thou be the child of a godly man or woman; though thou have many privileges that others have not, thou hast more cause to fear then others have: for usually it comes to pass, that that Religion that was in power in the parents, is only in form in the children: they learn their father's Religion by head, that they had by heart; they pray as their fathers did, but there is not that Spirit; and they can hear Sermons, but there is not the heart of their fathers, and mothers: so, for a time they keep a form of godliness that will not last, and then on a sudden they fall into the stream of persccution; and then all that head▪ knowledge that they have, serves them for no other stead, but to make them more desperate, and skilful in persecuting, and opposing, the people, and the ways of God. Thus you have the Nations set down that do this.  
Now the prophet come to pray unto the Lord further, or to prophesy: for the prayers of the prophets were prophecies usually.  
Do unto them, as unto the Midianites, as to Sisera, as to Jabin at the brook Kison, which perished at Endor, they became as dung for the earth, etc.  
The prophet prays, or prophecies against them two ways.  
First, he desires God that he would punish them according to those patterns and examples of justice that he had showed in former times.  Do unto them, as unto the Midianites. 
You shall read of them in judg. 7. The Midiantes were as Grasshoppers for number, and Gidion with an hundred men, that had Trumpets in their hands, comes upon them, and makes them all flee, and as they were fleeing, God put every man's sword against his fellow, and so they slew one another. Do unto them, as unto the Midianites, that is, dash their heads together, make their policies to cross one another. As we have seen in our days, all the conspiracies of the wicked turn to the ruin of themselves. Thus the Bishops came to ruin, God put them one against another, that their own plots and policies did overthrow them.  Do unto them, as to Sisera. 
You shall read of him in judge 4. he had nine hundred Chariots of Iron going into the field, and all his men were defeated, and he fleeing for his life; jael, a poor woman, as he was asleep in the tent, cometh, and nails him in the Temples, and kills him. Do unto them, as unto Sisera, that is, be they never so strong, and have Chariots of Iron, thou canst make small means, a nail in the hand of a silly woman to be their overthrow.  Do to them, as to jabin, at the brook Kison, which perished at Endor, they became as dung for the earth 
That is, they were so contemptible, that they were left as a heap of dung upon the earth, and no man to bury them; and this I say is not a mere prayer, but a prophecy what the end of such people will be.  Make their nobles like Oreb, and like Zeeb. 
Those were princes of the Midianites; you shall read in judge 7. how they were destroyed.  Yea all their Princes like Zebah, and Zalmunna. 
Those were two great Princes that were slain by Gedeon, judg. 8.  
Who said, Let us take to ourselves the houses of God in possession.  
Those wicked men that would destroy the people of God; and rule in the house of God; that would take the houses of God in possession, and ruin them, do to them as to Zebah, and Zalmunna.  
Then he comes and speaks more plainly, and desires God to punish them, or to let his judgements fall upon them, and those judgements he sets out by three comparisons.  
The first is, O my God (saith the prophet) make them like a wheel.  
And make them as the stubble before the wind.  
And make them as the fire that burneth the wood, and as the flame that setteth the mountains on fire, etc.  O my God, make them as a wheel. 
Some conceive, the meaning is, make them as a wheel going down a hill, that give it but half a turn, and every motion will add strength to its course, the longer it runs down, the stronger; so the meaning is, let their own devises; and designs, tumble them further and further into misery; let every thing they do, help to throw them down to hell. That is true: but I rather follow the Hebrew word that signifies any round, uncertain, or light thing: for all do not read it as a wheel. So the meaning is, O my God, let them never solidly be able to conclude any thing, but let them be so unstable that they may do, and undo, and say, and unsay; let them not prosper in any thing, but do thou dash all that they do, let it be as a feather or a light thing; tossed up and down in the air. That is a thing that we see God many times doth, he makes the counsels of the wicked though they have wise heads, learned heads, and number enough, yet all produce but a feather, and all vapours into air.  Let them be as stubble before the wind. 
That makes me think that the word wheel is so to be understood because of this expression: he doth not say, Make them as stubble before the fire (though that be true, and it is so expressed in another place) but as stubble before the wind. And all do not read it stubble, but conceive it many be meant chaff or any light thing. I adhere to these rather; and so it comes to the same thing, Make them, and all their designs, and plots as chaff before the wind; let them not go on in a steady resolution, and course; but dash and confound all their projects and policies, and bring them to nothing.  
As the fire that burneth the wood, and as the flame that setteth the mountains on fire.  
That is terrible: the meaning of it is, as we see in the verse following; Lord, let thy tempest and storm make them afraid: Let thy judgement come on them and devour them, as the fire doth Goss, or Heath, or Fearne, or furs, that one would think a whole mountain were burning when a child doth but set fire on Fures; so let those terrible judgements and storms of thine take them. And whereto? 
Two ends of God's judgements on the wicked. 1. To work shame in them.   
There are two ends for it.  
First, that it may fill their faces with shame, that they may seek thy name. There are no people so wickedly, and mischievously bend against the Saints, that they should desire God to ruin, and destroy them; only, they may desire God to send his tempest, and storm on them, that they may learn to be afraid, and seek the name of the Lord. As Steven, when Saul, and the rest stoned him, saith he, Lord lay it not to their charge. There is nothing more improper and unbecoming a Saint, than revenge; and a Saint that hath been a slave, and is redeemed, and kept from the pit by the Lord jesus Christ, he should not desire the destruction of any creature; he hath had mercy by the Gospel, therefore he should have mercy on every creature. And truly a man that knows his own desert, and his nature, and his ways, and knows how much grace and mercy God shows to his soul, he should not desire the worst man to go to hell, and perish. Therefore take heed lest there be any spirit of revenge in any of God's people, though the wicked conspire never so much: but desire that the Lord would make all stubble that they do, as a wheel, as a vain thing; or if he will send a little fire of affliction upon them, to make them seek his face; this is the utmost we should desire.  
And if God will not do this, that they may be bettered, yet  
That men may know that thou, whose name alone is jehovah, art the most high, over all the earth. 
2 To work amendment in others.   
Some understand it, as though it were meant of the same people; for the word Men is not in the original; that they may know that thou, whose name is jehovah. But that is not allowed, and approved by the generality: but they take it in general, and the original will bear it better; that the name of jehovah may be known, though they will not know it: it may be God may blast their counsels, and they will be at it again; and God may cast fire among them, and they will not be ashamed: yet others will, they will take notice how wicked people conspired against the people of God at such a time and in such a place, and God made it as a bubble, and plagued, and punished them, and sent the Pestilence into their Cities, and families; they will not learn; but there are other people that will worship jehovah, that will fear the Lord by seeing his judgements on others. As David saith, When the wicked are taken away as dross, my flesh trembleth for fear of thee, I am afraid of thy judgements. When he saw the wicked took away as dross, with the fire of God's judgements, he feared. Therefore learn not to desire their death, only to pray for them, and to believe that all their plottings against the Saints will be as stubble, and as chaff, they will come to nothing. And if the wicked will not learn by seeing God to cross them; as he hath crossed all their designs in our age (blessed be his name) yet do thou take notice how God went against such people, and such a Nation that risen against God; God crossed, and blasted them: and be sure that God will do so to the end, to all that rise against him and his people. Only take notice of God's ways in the world, to fear him, and trust in him, and to wait for him to come and do what thy soul desireth.   

Expositions and Observations on PSALM 116.  
I love the Lord because he hath heard my prayer, and my supplications:  
Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live.  
The sorrows of death compassed me, etc.  
I Promised if the Lord would give me strength, to speak a word unto you this afternoon, concerning the mercies of God unto us in the victories of Scotland, but especially of Bristol, because we have more knowledge of it, and more relation to it, the most of us. And therefore I would briefly from this Psalm, take occasion or ground of what I have to speak to you. Two things briefly I see here laid down in this Psalm.  
The first is, the Psalmist doth express the great mercy of God to him, in some special deliverance. And that he doth illustrate by the misery he was in: for he was in a very low condition, full of tears, and prayers, and sorrows, and his feet were ready to fall, so the Lord heard his prayer, and delivered him out of his troubles, whatsoever they were. That is one thing, he takes notice of the great mercy of God to him.  
The second is, he doth consider, what he should do to God: now God having delivered him, what is his duty? For it is a known lesson among us, that the mercies of God require somewhat from us (though all be by his grace) And those are here laid down in the Psalm, they are various, I will love the Lord, I will call upon him while I live, I will walk before him in the land of the living, and divers such duties he lays upon himself in consideration of God's great mercy to him. Now I have not time and strength to go over all, which are many in the Psalm, and therefore I will only tell you a few thoughts that I have concerning God's mercy in bestowing Bristol upon us again, and that according to David's method here, which is the most natural, and the most usual by the Saints.  
First, to take notice of God's goodness in that mercy.  
And secondly to consider what is our duty.  
Concerning the first, there are abundance of mercies and kindnesses, couched, and wrapped up together in that. It was not only the taking of a Garrison, but there are abundance of mercies in it, and mingled with it, you 
God's mercy in the taking in of Bristol considered in five respects. 1. In regard of the potent opposition.  especially that are concerned in it, and are godly, you know: but in my eye these are the chief that I see, and am affected with.  
The first is. I look upon the greatness of the mercy, I see that all were great things in, and about it, there was no mean, inconsiderable thing in it. I know it is a great City, the second in the Kingdom; and I know also, there were great works to keep it, I know there were great, and strong, and numerous soldiers in it. There were great resolutions in those soldiers, And I am sure too, there was great misery in the City among the poor people, and round about the City, & hath been these two years, the plague, scarcity of provision, and other things. And no man doubts but it is of great consequence, if the Lord make it a blessing to us, if the Lord sanctify it, it will be of great consequence, not only to those parts (being the chief City in that part of the Kingdom) but to this City and to the whole State, and Kingdom, I see nothing in it but great things.  
And therefore me thinks that he that should do this for us, surely he must needs be a great God, that pulled down the great pride of that City, and the garrison in it, that must throw down those Bulwarks (as it were) And therefore, let us exalt God, let us conceive of God according to his greatness: for surely, he that did that work there, no man will doubt, or deny that it was God, and that God that did it, any man that will seriously consider of the work, will say he is a great God: therefore let us glorify him in his greatness.  
Another thing very observable that we should take 
2. In regard of the hazard in storming.  notice of, is, that the Lord hath there preserved our friends, preserved our Army in such a wonderful manner in storming that City. I have no skill in war, but I think there are no people that go about storming, but they resolve to lose many a man, therefore they will do any thing rather than storm, if it may be gotten otherwise, and to storm such a City, such Forts, such strength, such a Castle, double lined in some parts, and to do it by no very great Army neither, and that the Lord should please to preserve them, that so few should be slain or wounded, it is a wonderful mercy. For truly (beloved) when there were but a few in the City, when the other side sought it, they had it not so cheap, it cost them the lives of many hundreds of them: but this was the Lord's goodness to his poor people, and truly we may say as David doth here, he hath inclined his ear to us, and heard our prayer.  
Then a third blessing, that I take notice of in it, is, 
3. In preserving it from the Pestilence.  that God should preserve our friends from the pestilence. We always conceived that if they had that City, they knew not what to do with it, because of the pestilence, that might ruin, and destroy the Army after they had took it: and as we hear, though they be in the same houses, and quarter where the sickness was, and have lain in the beds where men have been sick, yet we hear little or nothing of the infection coming among them. Surely, this can be no other but the finger of God, considering how hot, and violent it was.  
Then I look upon it further, as to consider what 
4. In that this succeeded a series of mercies.  mercies there had gone in a straight line before, and how this comes after, mercy upon mercy, God adding always greater to the less. This hath not been God's way with us hitherto, but if God heard us in one mercy, he gave us a correction presently, if we did get one garrison, we lost another, if we have one victory, we lose another. Now that God, that is a Zealous God, should go on, and not see iniquity in his people, and pass by their infirmities, and should go from on Fort to another, and from one garrison to another, and bring in this great City to the rest. I speak of it, because the chief thing in this City is to desire to see the glory of God as Moses did, to desire above all things to see God, perfect God. We know God is perfect, and useth not to work by halves: but God hath hidden that attribute in a great measure among us. He gave us many overtures of mercy, but he called for them back again, and so presently turned our joy, into sorrow. It hath been familiar in all his dispensations to us, for these two, or three years; Now that the Lord should go on from one thing to another, without interruption, and cast nothing in by the way to embitter our mercies, and to go from less to greater in this manner, me thinks the Lord hath showed himself a perfect God, as he did to our fathers before, and that is a glorious attribute.  
Besides, it is not a little mercy that the Lord hath 
5. In respect of a confiding Governor.  inclined the Parliament to bestow a governor upon that City that they may confide in: that is a greater mercy, than we can now speak of.  
And truly if you will give me leave to tell you what I think (for we may haply judge of God's mercy in this, because of our concernment further than some of you) it is a great mercy in our apprehension, that the Lord hath cleared his people that came thence. For when they came up, I remember well, of all people that came from any part of the Kingdom, as I apprehend (pardon me if I misapprehend) the Bristol people, and those parts (though they received much kindness from this City, which they are bound with thankfulness ever to acknowledge, yet) they lay under a blurr, because they were looked on as faulty, and defective, and negligent, that they lost the City, and endangered the Kingdom. That truly besides their losses, and sufferings that you cannot imagine unless you had suffered with them) this was not a small affliction, to see so many frown on them, and to add affliction to affliction, as though if they had been more valiant, and courageous, they might have kept the City, and have saved it, etc. I meddle not with the commanders, and governor's; but I speak of you that are here, and the good people of Bristol that use to be here: I say the Lord hath restored the poor people, to their home at least (though that be naked enough for them) and hath taken away their reproach, for though we said before, that we did what we could to save the City, and stood out, yet it was generally thought, that we might have done more: but now it appears to the world, that now there were many more than we had, at least three for one, and there were two year's works, forts, and lines built more than there was then, and we kept them out three days in storming, and I hear not that they did one. As soon as we lost the City we capitulated, so did they as soon as they lost it. I say not but that we had weaknesses, and (it may be) from the greatest to the least wanted skill in managing it: but I know (and I should know as much as one● that the people of Bristol were valiant from the least to the greatest. The Lord hath taken away the reproach: for whereas all others in the Kingdom were pitied, many frowned upon Bristol men after all their sufferings. There are many other things that are not now expedient to insist upon. I leave it to your serious consideration.  
And what the goodness of God is to us in the victory in Scotland, no man (though we know it but in general) can be ignorant, how that Kingdom being subdued, the enemy would have been over us, and all the three Kingdoms would have been gone in the eye of reason: but God hath sent them seasonable relief beyond all expectation: A great mercy!  
Now from all this, I will tell you my thoughts, what you, and I should learn.  
First, for ever hereafter we should learn patiently to wait upon the Lord, when we have made our prayers to him, and he hath made his promises to us. We had many promises in our eye, and we made our prayers, but when the Lord gave the City into their hands, we thought the promises, and our prayers were lost; neither did we see, or could understand, how any thing should become of them but only shame, and reproach. For we boasted of God in the Pulpits, and in the streets, and at our work, that the Lord was our God, and would help us, and yet the Lord turned it against us, and there were few of us that had so much grace as to wait patiently on him, and to know that though nothing appeared the vision would speak and would not lie. But now we are convinced of our folly, and we see that God hath fully answered those prayers of Bristol. For those prayers I believe did speak loudest, of all the prayers in England, in getting that City, And I value one of those prayers more than an hundred now, for they are old prayers in store, stolen prayers are good. And they were prayers from broken, afflicted spirits, and believing hearts. And now you see how the Lord hath graciously provided food, and raiment for his people, and done the souls of many of them much good, and in due season restored their dwellings, and habitations to them. Therefore there is a word in Rom. 10. that I did think to open. The Apostle there comparing the righteousness together, he saith, ver. 5. that the righteousness of the law is thus described by Moses, The man that doth these things, shall live in them. That is the language of the law, he that doth these things, he that keeps the law shall be saved. But the righteousness of faith (the way of faith, as the Apostle calls it, Gal. 3. or the way of the Gospel) speaketh on this wise, it hath another kind of language, say not in thine heart, who shall ascend into heaven? or who shall descend into the deep? But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, the word of faith which we Preach. That is, this is the language of faith, that Jesus Christ hath fulfilled all righteousness for us. And how do we come to know this? Here is the word, and then the Spirit of faith; this is the language; this is the way of the Gospel, the way of faith.  
But you will say, What is that word of Faith that this is grounded on?  
The Apostle chooseth one Scripture, verse 11. in stead of all other as there are abundance of Scriptures setting forth the Gospel's way: but he takes this as one of the chief among the rest) whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. He takes it out of Isaiah 28. whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. He takes (I say) that as one of the chief Scriptures of Gospel, that is to be the foundation of the way of faith: and though you may apply it for the soul, and principally so; yet you may for every thing else, that this is a general and sure rule, he that believeth on God shall not be ashamed. So the Lord hath removed our reproach. We heard with our ears jeering of God, and Preachers, and Preaching, but now blessed le God we need not blush, we may own our prayers, and stand to our preaching, and glory in the promises of God: he that believeth shall not be ashamed.  
Therefore, hereafter, though God doth delay a long while, (as this was about two years, and a monety) yet notwithstanding learn to believe in God still, wait upon God patiently, and either the whole Gospel will not hold, or else this will: for this is the pillar of it; he that believeth shall not be ashamed. The patiented abiding of the meek shall not be ashamed. If God see a man meekly, and patiently wait for him, his waiting shall not be in vain, and though it be long in our eyes, yet a thousand years with God are as one day, and one day as a thousand years. And the delay of a thousand years is as it were but a day, yet he brings about all his promises of mercies sweetly for his glory, and the good of his people.  
Therefore, whatsoever we would have for his glory, and the good of his people, let us follow God, and rest on his word. Remember that Gospel's pillar (I say not promise, but pillar) he that believeth shall not be ashamed. That is one thing.  
Another is this, that we should (but God knows when we will learn it: for people are further, and further from learning it every day) me thinks learn hence a little in due order and manner to honour the Saints, and people of God. A man would think so: but blind men cannot see. We know that there is an Army, the generality (I hope I may say so of them) being godly people: an Army (I think truly, I may say without disparagement to any other fearing God, and seeking his honour, as much as any Army under the cope of heaven these five hundred years. Blessed be God that put it in your hearts to reform them, if there be any evil among them, it is one of the most glorious works that ever you did. Now it is no disparagement to God, that under God, and in God we honour his people. Therefore woe to them that call light darkness, of which to this day the streets are full all the week long, notwithstanding the humility, the love, and unity, the self-denial, and all the graces that are to be seen as clear as the sun in the firmament in this Army, yet you shall have people, and many that would be called professors to reproach them, and rail, and say, 
A scandalous aspersion upon the Army, that when they had got the power they intended to rule both King and Parliament. The admirable graces observed in the Army by the Author long since.  they fight for their own ends, they seek themselves, they are no friends to the Parliament; they mean to get a little power, and then to rule King, and Parliament too. O blasphemous speeches! Beloved, for my part, I have not been there oft, but I saw more grace, in that small Army (poor wretches) then in all the Kingdom besides.  
First, I see more love there, their love is true love, and it is love to one another as they are Saints, as they are honest men; and not as such a one holds a faction this way, or that way. If one man be wounded, they will all venture their lives to fetch him off; and if one be sick, every one contributes to his wants; there is abundance of sweet love: There is unity: here is biting, such a one is a Presbyterian; another is an Independent, another is an Anabaptist: there is no such biting there: They look not in men's mouths, as men do in horses mouths, and say is he a Presbyterian, or an Independent? but is he an honest man, a godly man? if he be, he is a companion for any godly man.  
We are the most miserable men in the world, this poor City: if a man had as much grace as Paul had, if some Independent see him, and say he is inclining to Presbytery, or if a Presbyterian see him, and say, he is inclining to Independency, then let him go, and cut his throat. The Lord pity you, that so Christ jesus in the souls of people may be the object of your love. Is there grace and Christ there? be there what there will if there be not that, I have nothing to do. Now if one that is carnal join with me, or another, or a third man in faction, we take him. The Lord pity us; it is not so in the Army, It would do you good to go among them twenty four hours to see the unity that is among them. I say, learn to honour the Saints.  
Then there is a spirituality there, there is a thing that may be called spirituality in the Army. There is not only a profession, and duties, etc. as we have here, but a kind of flower of godliness, some sparklings of their graces; there is not only grace, but grace flying. As when I was in the Army, I saw some glory shine in their graces, that would dazzle a man's eyes almost as the Sun, an excellency of grace, the spirituality of grace. We strive about low, carnal things, about this and that, but they, about the mysteries of the Kingdom of God, you may see it gloriously.  
And then what self-denial is there! Who lives there by plundering, and stealing, as many have done; and do? And then, when honour is got, how doth every one study to cast honour on his brother, and not on himself! and studies silence not to have his name mentioned, but that God may have glory, O it is a glorious thing.  
And then what fidelity! If there were nothing in them of all those things in that flaming manner, yet me thinks their fidelity as subjects should make them honourable,  
How?  
I will tell you how; because that having no encouragement almost, but railing, and scoffing, and contemning of them, and raising reproaches on them, etc. and the liberty of their conscience threatened day by day, and impaired very much every day by those that stay at home here, and eat the fat the while; yet notwithstanding they do not (as divers have done) lay down their Arms, and say, I see my conscience will be in slavery when all is done, and I have ventured my life: therefore I will go beyond Sea, as many godly men have done: but they resolve, I will die for the Parliament, let them take away my liberty, and make me a slave, yet we will do it, all the reproaches cannot discourage them; it is the joy of their souls, when they hear of a skirmish, or a fight, they leap. What a glorious spirit is on English men!  
Therefore (I beseech you) take heed of calling light darkness, there is nothing that provokes God more: take heed of raising, and nourishing a cursed reproach against the Saints. I say not against Independents, or Presbyterians, or Anabaptists, but I say against godly men: I will stand to it, there is the hatred against Christ, and godliness in them, and then they put it upon Antinomians, and Presbyterians, and Anabaptists, and Independents: but they are blind wretches that hate godly men, and seek to ruin the Kingdom, and to cut the throats of them. Therefore take heed, honour those that God honours, If God have honoured them, and they honour God, and love God, let us in and for God give them honour also.  
Shall I teach you another word (and so I have done) Learn hence by experience (though it be not the best mistress) to set forward godly men (as much as you can) to the work. It is not a dallying time; the Kingdom is almost sunk, and we have made experiments of men, and things to try conclusions, till we have almost ruined the Kingdom, though we see it not here. It is not a time to dally when the Kingdom gasps, you know there is a party of wicked men at Oxford: here was a great company of treacherous men chosen for the Parliament that went to the King: Then we have had experience of all Committees, what things are done by men that are not right, that are not godly, I mean, not that are not of this or that faction, but that are not godly.  
O Learn, and O that God would teach England and London, and all to be wise at last, that now in all places, and Offices, and occasions of war, and at home, and in Committees and any thing. Look not how I may please my Landlord, or how I may please such a Gentleman, but if he be a faithful godly man, O set him forward. That is the way to save this poor Kingdom, you will never save it as long as you say, I have such a kinsman, and he shall be a Colonel, and I have such a Cosen-German, and he shall be a Committee man, you will never do good so. Therefore if God would, and O that he would put it into the hearts of the Parliament to employ godly men in this Army, that lay idle before, and did nothing: you see how the Lord hath wonderfully blessed them, you see things done that have not been done in our age before, such successions of victory, and worthy actions. Therefore employ godly men, faithful men, Presbyterians, or Independents, look not at that, but see if they be godly men. Let us pray to the Lord that God may do it, that God may put it into the hearts of all so to do.  
I shall say two or three words more, and so I have done.  
One is, from this of Bristol, learn to believe that the strongest afflictions will work for our good. We know this was a strong affliction, a sore affliction that had confounded. There was not a man of us when we came out of Bristol, that could render a reason, what God did mean in shaming our prayers, and our preaching, and in scattering the poor Saints: it amazed us, we knew not what it meant, yet now we see plainly that God did mean to do our souls good; God hath done the souls of many of his people good, and God will do their bodies good, and every thing shall be for the best; and we hope also, that they now knowing what the cruelty and oppression of the Enemy is, it will make them more careful to save the City, whereas before, all the world could not make the generality confident to the Parliament: but now we see God was wiser than we, therefore if God bring strong afflictions on ourselves, or our wives, or children, that we know not what to make of them, let us learn to be quiet and patiented, and to see that God means us well, and that it shall turn to our good.  
Another thing is this, that you may learn a little for your souls from it, to reason from the greater to the least, and from the least to the greater, it is the ordinary way of Scripture, If God hath given us his Son, shall he not with him give us all things? So, I say, thus me thinks you and I may reason, that the Lord that hath battered those Forts, those Castles, or done as good as broken them, that all their preparations these two years could not keep them, but God hath thrown them down; why should I not hope that God will batter down the bulwark in my heart? I prayed, and you prayed that God would deliver that Castle and Forts and those things to our Forces, and they were strong and mighty, and God did it, and shall not the Forts and Bulwarks that Sin and Satan hath in my heart be thrown down? Truly, that should help our faith a little to follow God to throw down the one as he hath the other. Those strong hodls, those strong lusts that are there, unbelief and worldliness, and pride, and wantonness, and such like things that are in the souls of people variously. Methinks this might increase our confidence, and stir up our more earnest prayers to God, that he would be pleased to throw down these, as he did the Works of Bristol, and to make way for the King of glory to come into them.  
And I could wish lastly, that you would help poor Bristol people a little, as much as you can to settle them comfortably in their habitations according as the Parliament gave order, for they will find naked walls there; and if there be any thing, the Plague having been there, it may be they dare not go in. Therefore encourage them, pray for them, and if it be in your power any way, help them a little, for they are but a few that are here, and weak. Pray for them that they may have good Officers, and good Common-Counsel-men, and good Ministers, and the like, you have more friends that live here, and it may be more understanding than they have, and now is the time if you can do any thing, help them a little in that: otherwise for them to go home, among a company of carnal Aldermen, and carnal Common Counselmen, and carnal Ministers, what help shall they have? Therefore pray for them, and help them, as God shall give you opportunity.   

Expositions and Observations on MICAH 4. 1, 2, 3, etc.  
But in the last days it shall come to pass that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills, and the people shall flow unto it.  
And many Nations shall come and say, Come and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of jacob, and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the Law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from jerusalem.  
And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong Nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks: Nation shall not lift up a sword against Nation, neither shall they learn war any more.  
But they shall sit every man under his vine, and under his figtree, and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the Lord of hosts hath spoken it.  
For all people will walk every one in the name of his God, and we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever, and ever.  
HEre are four or five things that the Lord 
The blessings of the later times.  promiseth in the latter times.  
One is, that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted. That is, the Church and people of God and the things of God shall be exalted in this world above all other things. You know now that the power of Christ is beneath all other powers, and the Kingdom of Christ is beneath all other Kingdoms, and the people of Christ are beneath all other people, and the Ordinances of Christ are beneath all other ordinances: but in the latter times, the Mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains. The time shall come when God shall raise his Church, and people, and his laws and ordinances, and every thing of his, above the world, that the Saints shall be more glorious, and more respected than all the people in the world besides.  
And therefore you that are Saints: be not troubled to see Christ so low in the world, it grieves them to see how every base thing gets over Christ, to see how Christ and his things are trampled on in the world. Christ is as a Worm, thou worm Jacob, every child may put his foot upon the head of a Worm: so are all the things of God, and have been hitherto, but in times to come the Lord shall raise his Mountain above all other mountains.  
Another thing promised is, that in the last times, Many Nations shall come and say, Come let us go up to the House of the Lord, and to the Mountain of the God of Jacob, etc. that is, when Christ and his Laws, and Ordinances shall be exalted, there will be a greater Harvest among the people then ever there was before.  
First, In respect of the extent of it, Many Nations shall come and say. Whereas now, most of the Nations of the world are ignorant of, or enemies to the things of Jesus Christ: there are few Nations that hear of the Name of Christ: but then many Nations shall come, many Nations that lie in Paganism, and Heathenism, and darkness, God will find a way to spread the savour of the Gospel to them.  
Secondly, than there shall be a great deal of willingness to come to Christ in his holy Ordinances, they shall say, Come let us go up to the mountain of the House of the Lord, and they shall flow to it. Now you know what a deal of preaching there is to bring home one soul to God; a man may preach, and preach, and searce ever a one brought home to God; the Lord pours but a little of his Spirit with preaching, we are to bless his Name for any, but the time shall come, that as soon as the people hear they shall obey.  
The people shall flow unto,  
The word is taken from the Tide: there are two things meant by it,  
First, That then abundance of people shall come in to the Lord, for the Tide comes in with waves, and abundance of water, it comes not with a little water, but with multitudes.  
Then it comes with strength and power, that goes through all opposition. We see now it is not so, the Lord gives but little of his Spirit, and therefore there are but few that come in to God, and of those few, many of them, every little thing turns them off, one is afraid of persecution, another of the loss of his estate, another of the loss of friends, another of the loss of his grace, but then they shall flow.  
Another thing in this Promise of this glorious Harvest is this: as they shall flow, so also they shall be enabled, their hearts shall be enlarged to learn abundance of the Will of God, and moulded to a willingness to obey it. This is not accomplished yet, They shall then say, Come, let us go to the house of the God of Jacob.  He will teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths. 
Now you know there is but little teaching. Indeed God teacheth some few wondrously, more abundantly than we can teach, but yet there be many, though we speak much, and though they live under the Ordinances, yet they learn little; and then that little that they do learn, there is very little power that goes along to frame their hearts to do it, but then they shall say,  We will walk in his ways. 
There will be a power, that when the Saints hear the word from God, they shall not be always wishing, and woulding, and say I would I could do so: but there shall be a power with the word, whereby they shall be enabled to do it.  
Another thing promised in the last times is, that,  They shall be at their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks, etc. 
The Lord will end these wars that are among the Nations, that make the lives of people and of the Saints uncomfortable. And especially (as I take it with submission to the people of God that are wise) that the wars here principally meant are wars for Religion, as appears by the verses following, they shall be at their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. They shall then give over wars, and live peaceably together; whereas you know now most of the wars in the world are about Religion. The Turk would come, and subdue Christendom to set up the worship of his Mahomet, the Pope would destroy him to set up his Religion; and so all over the world there is a disposition, that with fire, and faggot, and sword, and spear; we would bring men to worship God, every man according to his own fancy, But (saith he) then there shall be no such wars, every man shall sit under his own vine, and under his own figtree, and none shall make them afraid, The mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. Then they shall be quiet, there shall not be such persecuting in the world.  
For all people will walk, every 〈◊〉 in the name of his God, and we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for evermore.  
That is the reason why I think it is meant of wars about Religion: because it is said, all people will walk every one in the name of his God, and we will walk in the name of our God also. That is, people shall not be forced to worship this or that God, or this way, or that way, with sword, and spear, but they shall all sit under their own vines: that shall be the fruit of that abundance of teaching that there will be, every Nation will walk in the name of his God, and we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever.  
Not (beloved) but that the Lord jesus hath left, and doth still continue to the end of the world a way of spiritual censure, and punishments for people that sin against him. It is not meant that people in the last times shall go where they will, and do what they list; no, we have ordinances in the Church given by Christ for the correction of those that walk inordinately; we are to deliver ourselves from them, and to deliver them up to Satan. But in respect of the main course that the world hath been in, and is to this day, they shall not then be under censures for those nifles, and trifles, as hitherto the way hath been by fire, and faggot, and sword: but (saith the Holy Ghost) it shall not be so then, every one shall walk in the name of his God, and we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for evermore.  
Then here is another mercy.  
In that day saith the Lord will I assemble her that halteth, and I will gather her that is driven out, and her that I have afflicted, and I will make her that halted a remnant, and her that was cast afar off a strong Nation, and the Lord shall reign over them in Mount Zion, from henceforth even for ever.  
That is, we may know the worth of mercies, by the presence of miseries; we see now some halting, some running into errors, and blasphemies, and we know not what to do: but then the Lord will make them that halt a remnant; the Lord will gather the people that halt and go aside, and he will settle, and confirm them in the truth. These are the thoughts of the Lord, and the counsels of God concerning the last days. Therefore we are the while to wait patiently for the Lord, and to pray earnestly that God would make good his promise to us: and not to lose ourselves (as we are apt) to see the disorders and confusions of Churches and Commonwealths in these days. But as people that are in a storm, we should look when the cloud will be over, that the Lord will give fairer weather, and remove all these things, when the last, and blessed, and best days shall come. And this is the chief thing that the prophet here aims at.   

Expositions and Observations on HABAKKUK 2. 4.  But the just shall live by his faith. 
I Will not stand now to show you what a just man is. Only in a word take notice that the just man here meant, is not a man that is just in his own sight or in his own personal righteousness, or just in the esteem of the world: though men be so called, and not improperly: he is a just man that deals justly: but the just man in the Gospel's language, is a man that though he be not greatly esteemed in the world; and though he hath many things that make him seem less just than many moral men that seem just, yet according to the law of God he is just, we are to declare him so, the Gospel declares him just, because God hath received a righteousness whereby he calls him just; he calls him just, because jesus Christ is 
The just man lives by faith four ways. 1. In respect of justification.  made righteousness to him. Now the just man lives by his faith four ways.  
He lives by faith, first in respect of justification; there is a light that the Saints have, that whereas, as sinners they were dead before in trespasses, and sins, they now see themselves acquitted of all their debts, they see God's justice satisfied and his law fulfilled, and they see themselves just men: whereas they were dead in law before, now, in law (or in Gospel as it were) they are alive again. For so it is, that every man, and woman among us, though he be never so honest, or civil, or faithful in holy duties, etc. yet if he be not justified by the righteousness of jesus Christ, he is a dead man in the language of God, and according to the law of God. Just as a man at the bar that is condemned to die, he is a dead man in law, though the sentence, as Solomon saith, be sometimes delayed, and put off, and not executed: he may be reprived a little, from one year to another, but he is a dead man, that is, he is an unjustified man: so if God hath not given thee the righteousness of Christ, and a heart to lay hold of that, be what thou wilt in thyself, and do what thou canst of thyself, yet thou art a dead man, and those that lay hold of that righteousness are living men. This life is much spoken of Rom. 5. how we are dead by the first Adam, and alive by the second Adam, that life is our justification, vers. 17. By one man's offence, death reigned by one, much more they which receive abundance of grace, and of the gift of righteousness, shall reign in life by one, jesus Christ.  
There is secondly, a life of sanctification, Ephes. 4. they were strangers from the life of God; that is, the life 
2. In respect of sanctification.  of holiness, and their hearts were heardned, and carried away with lasciviousness, etc. Thus a man comes to live by faith: for all that thou dost, though thou account it holiness, and the world may account thee a holy man, yet if every grain of thy grace, and holiness do not come from Christ by the power of faith, thou art but a dead man, and all thy works are but dead works.  
Then thirdly, the Saints live by faith, that is, the life 
3. Faith is their assurance.  of assurance (as I may so call it) the Saints they hold their assurance of the former by the power of faith (not by sense) for a while at least: they know they are Saints, how do they know it? by faith: they know they are justified, how do they know it? By Faith.  
True it is, when God gives them the knowledge of sense, they must not shut their eyes one day that they have it, but our eyes are so dim that we are ready to mistake; so that the main course of a man's life is by faith from God's love in Christ in the free Covenant, which Covenant consists in such promises, which promises speak to me by such ordinances as this, and the Lords Supper, etc. This is a third way.  
Fourthly, and lastly, the Saints live by faith, that is, in all afflictions they do bear up their spirits, and are supported 
4. It is their support in afflictions.  by the power of faith upon the word, though there be nothing seen, and appear. A natural man cannot hold up, but sink, further than there is some sensible, visible thing to hold him up: but the just, those that are Saints, they have an art, a mystical art, whereby when they see nothing, but have a word, wherein God hath promised to do this, or that for them, they can bear up themselves, and so go on as cheerfully as if they did enjoy, or as if they did see their deliverance. Thus Habakkuk, we read, this proverb. verse 1, 2, 3. The vision is for an appointed time, in the end it will speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it, because it will surely come, it will not tarry, Behold, his soul which is lifted up, is not upright in him; but the just shall live by his faith.  
There was a vision that did promise good to this people, but this vision must tarry a little, it must not be performed presently: but they might say, how shall we do in the mean while? The just shall live by his faith. Though there be nothing seen, yet notwithstanding they shall bear themselves, and carry themselves cheerfully, and comfortably, and contentedly by beholding the truth of the business, and the sweet expectation they have of it, as if it were come already. You have the proverb repeated by the Apostle in the Epistle to the Hebrews, in this sense, yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. You have need of patience, saith the Apostle. They were in great afflictions, there was a promise that God would help them, but what shall we do in the mean while, while the grass grows? In the mean while the just shall live by his faith; he shall drive on and carry on the work, and bear up himself, and his spirit, and his comfort, and all on the word of the Lord, and he shall do all this by his faith. So that this being the lesson shortly (though I be not able yet to clear this fully to you: for truly this is a lesson wherein we still shall want light, we are not able to see it perfectly, it is from faith to faith, saith the Apostle. That is, we come from one degree of faith to another to live by faith: there are many kinds, many degrees of living by faith) Now this is it that I would commend to you, and exhort you to, that you would seek the Lord, and study the Scriptures, that you might come to this, that you may live by faith.  
First of all, in the grosser part of it, concerning sanctification (that is an easy thing to be understood) that you would not regard, or weigh any thing in all your profession, but what doth come from jesus Christ by faith. Truly, much of our Religion, is a natural kind of Religion, and much of that which is like good in us, doth not spring from jesus Christ, and whatsoever is not from him, will never be accepted by him. We have many moral virtues from old Adam, that we gilled over, and account them graces, but God loathes them. We have many duties that we have taken up in the imitation of others, by good education or the power of the letter Preached to us, and yet this is not the life of faith, it is not holiness by faith.  
And therefore, let us not (like many professors) study the muchness of Religion, or the plausibleness of it without; as that I am able to preach, as other preachers do, and you are able to pray in a day of humiliation as other professors do, this is nothing: but let us labour that that little holiness that is in us, may clearly proceed from the Lord jesus Christ. One had better have a Garden of a few true, and pleasant Flowers, though there be but a few, then to have a Garden with some Flowers, and a world of trash like Flowers, there is no pleasure in it. Now, I fear that much of thy best duties spring from old Adam, much of thy best prayers, and much (it may be) of that Religion whereby thou art accounted a professor: much of it, I fear, is nothing but old Adam, and his ruins screwed up, and varnished, or gilded, and not from the Lord jesus Christ.  
And therefore remember this, that as drunkenness, and whoredom, and those gross, and scandalous works of darkness, are called dead works, so every grain, every stamp of good in thee, if it be not from the new Adam, it is but a dead work. I could show you how you shall know the one from the other, but that the time is short, and I must not hinder other occasions; Therefore I leave that upon your thoughts that you may pray to the Lord: Lord; I do not care how men conceive of me, I care not though I be among the least of all Saints, as Paul saith, if I be reckoned the least of all Saints, so that that little Saint-ship, and holiness that is in me flow from Christ, that it be a grace from his grace, and light from his light.  
But the other truth is wondrous hard to express, that we should in respect of justification, and assurance learn the Art of living by faith, that when the Lord shall take away all comfortable objects of sight, and sense, that we can see nothing, we cannot pray at all; we see corruption upon corruption, and waves of temptations one upon another, and no working within to relieve us, that I am able then to live by faith; that is, to see a righteousness in jesus Christ, and to build upon his word, and Covenant, to hold myself, and my assurance still, I am a son still, everlasting life belongs to me still, though I feel, and see nothing, but hell, and something worse if it may be, yet notwithstanding I am a Saint, and I am righteous, and just, and the Lord is my father, and hath reserved everlasting life for me.  
Beloved, the life that Christians ordinarily do live, it is a life mingled with faith, and sense: for if God give me free grace, why should not I rejoice in it? If I clearly see the first fruits of the Kingdom of heaven, why should I exclude my reason not to conclude that there is more grace behind?  
But there are other Saints that have a mixture of faith and sense, that take away sense, and their faith is gone, their faith is grounded upon sense. And I have oft times looked in to my soul, and thought why the Lord suffered me to be carried away with corruptions, and to be overwhelmed with temptations, whereas he hates these things, and I hate them, and I weary him, and they weary me, and he can help it, and I cannot; why he should do thus, to suffer me to pray, and I cannot overcome? There are many reasons the Lord hath given in to my soul from time to time: but of all reasons this is the chief, that the Lord thereby would inure us to live by faith. The Lord comes many times when we are compassed about with grace, and holiness, and can go as you do into your Gardens, and take now one Flower, and then another, and make a posy of grace, I behold my love to the Saints, and my delight in God, and my uprightness in my calling, and I make a posy of them, God comes and dashes it all, every jot, and what shall I say now? Now for a man to be able to take up a promise that the just shall live by his faith, that is, I am still as just as ever I was, and I am assured of it (in a sort) as much as ever, without the least grain of any thing felt or seen, and I bear up my profession, and all my works, as if I had those views of graces that once I had, now all is gone. Whereas, ordinarily when God dasheth all this way, what is the fruit of it? Then a man concludes, I am an hypocrite, I am a damned creature, I cannot believe, than I must sit in a holy moping, why? because sense is gone, faith is gone almost, faith stays no longer than sense, and that is a sign that you always lived by sense: God takes occasion many times to dash all that ever is in us, and that ever hath been done by us; God will write hypocrisy upon it, he will make us read so at least, dost thou see what thou art? There is no creature more carnal; and in that thou hast done, there is this crookedness, and that hypocrisy, there is this guile, and that, all is naught. Then the Lord by this teaches one to go a high-lone, without crutches; one of these faintings teacheth one to go without a staff, alone. And therein also is the glory of God, that is glorious in all his works of creation, and providence, glorious in war, knapping the spear asunder: but his glory in the Gospel is more, that usually when God hath showed a Saint his confusion and wickedness, to magnify his grace the more, then ordinarily, God takes these times to do more for a poor soul, than ever he did at any time: the Lord will then give a new seal of the pardon of sins, and new discoveries of the mysteries of the Gospel, and of jesus Christ in the midst of these confusions. But it is the hardest thing in the world, to live clearly by faith when sense is gone; there is that I drive at all this while. I see poor creatures moping every where, and when sense is out, than their candle is out, as job saith, How oft is the candle of the wicked put out? So, that Saint that lives by sense, his comfort is no longer than he sees, and feels grace, he hath assurance of Gods love no longer than he feels grace. So there are but few of you that have a root of faith, that in all the ebbings, and flow of grace, your comfort, and strength, and assurance by Faith goes on in its course as before. Now desire the Lord to bring you to this clearly, that according to this blessed proverb you may live by faith.   

Expositions and Observations on MATTHEW 19 ult.  But many that are first shall be last, and the last shall be first. 
THe occasion of this speech of our Saviour was, there was a young man, a very rich young man that came to Christ, and would learn the way to heaven of him. And our Lord he cuts him out a task too hard for his carnal heart, among the rest, to give all that he had to the poor. The young man was very sad, and went away, because he was very rich, It may be a poor man might have done it: but the more riches men have, the more loath they are to part with it. Whereupon, saith our Lord, you may see how hard it is for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of heaven, A Camel may go thorough the eye of a needle as soon. Whereupon his Disciples replied in a vaunting way, crowing over the man, Master, what shall we have? we have done gallantly, we have forsaken all that we have, and have followed thee; what shall we have therefore? Saith our Lord Christ, You shall have a large reward I confess, I say unto you. Ye which have followed me in the regeneration, when the Son of man shall sit in the Throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve Thrones. And every one that hath forsaken houses, or land, or children, or father, or mother, or wife for my name's sake; shall receive an hundred fold here, and shall inherit everlasting life. For, saith he (he puts this correction upon it) here is a large reward, as if he should say, if the young man had followed my advice he had been no loser, nor you shall not, but many that are first shall be last, and the last shall be first. As if he should say, I would not have you to be proud, and to crow over that poor man that is run from me, because you are old Disciples; it may be that man may come back again to me, and be my best servant when you may run away: for many that are first shall be last, and the last shall be first. And thereupon our Lord in the next Chapter, on purpose to this end to bring down their spirits, he expresseth himself in a whole parable of a man that hired servants, and he that came at the last hour received as much as he that came at the beginning of the day; he takes down their spirits from being too high over poor sinners. So that is the lesson that I desire you seriously to consider of, the text itself shall be the Doctrine, that  Many that are first shall be last. 
I say, many sinners, and slow professors, shall be first, and foremost in the ways of godliness; and many old professors that have been once zealous, shall be last, and lowest in the forms of Religion and godliness.  
I need not tell you that there are several forms of godliness. There are (as john saith) fathers, and young men, and children; there is the weak, and the strong, the spiritual, and the carnal. Now God (I say) hath cast it so that ordinarily the weak shall outrun the strong, the child shall go before his father, the young, green, slow professors; shall be in heaven, and the way to heaven before the old professor, and they that were first shall be last, and they that were last shall now be first. For the opening of it, it is to be understood two ways.  
First of all you are to understand this, that the first shall be last, and the last first, not as an universal, general rule, that every young professor shall outstrip an old: but the way to Heaven is so narrow, that in the profession of Religion, abundance of them do fall away. And few men fall away at the first: but when the trial comes, when the Sun ariseth, as our Lord saith. So a learned expositor upon it saith, that it may be thirty, or forty, or fifty, or sixty years among professors, there may be many hypocrites, and there are more that have but a common work of the spirit of God: thereupon our Lord speaking only to professors such as they were, Matt. 13. where he saith three of the four were rotten, and come to nothing, and the fourth only hold out. Some men's sins are open before (saith Paul) and some follow after. We see it by some men setting out in Religion, they never come to any thing: but some men's sins follow after. Some men go far, and walk gloriously, and afterward are discovered. And truly, it is a rule among the best of our ministers, that seldom or never, hypocrites go out of this world undiscovered: And hence it comes to pass by the falls of hypocrites, and those that have not a saving work of grace, that great ones fall away, and little, low ones outstrip them.  
Secondly, it comes to pass that the first are last, and the last first, because the Lord for reasons best known to himself for the most part so casts it, that even among true professors, true Saints, the most part of them when they grow ancient (in Religion especially) they take a nap before they go hence. They go as travellers in the way, that go out betime in the morning, but take a bait of two or three hours in the way, and so slow travellers get before them. There is not one in ten ordinarily, but hath a shrewd nap when he is ancient in Religion, before he go hence. Thereupon we see the ten Virgins, Matt. 25. The wise Virgins slept as well as the foolish, they all slept: but the wise Virgins awaked in time, and got up again, and the foolish slept it out. And while they are napping and sleeping, the first becomes last, and the last first. For we may not think that all such ancient professors, that they have no grace. We see now, are there not some Magistrates, and many Ministers, old non-conformists, that are now generally napping, and sleeping, that you would think there were nothing of God in them? we may not think that they belong not to the Lord, and that they have no grace. This is the time when many simple souls get into Christ, and the knowledge of Christ, and have further enjoyments of spirit, and communion of spirit with him, than those grave Ministers, and Commonwealth's men, that before held out Religion more than others: yet we are not to think that they have no grace.  
Therefore of this briefly, there are these four or five practical lessons that we should learn.  
The first is, that all you that are ancient Christians, 
1. Use to avoid security.  ancient professors, if ye stand, to take heed lest ye fall. How should this me thinks make an ancient Saint watch? how should he avoid security, when it is ordinary for old Christians to take a nap, and so not to be higher in Heaven; they lose much of their glory in Heaven; nay they lose their honour here, ye some men think them to be hypocrites. Therefore stand on your guard: say not, we have been professors, twenty, or thirty, or forty years, as ordinary professors brag of their standing in Religion. No, but remember this lesson, there are many first that shall be last: therefore walk watchfully, and circumspectly. Think with yourselves, and O that the Lord would open the eyes of ancient Christians in this City, to see poor souls of a year, or half a years standing, start up, that have more of Christ in them, and more clear knowledge of the Gospel, and love him more, and his Saints, and do more for him then they do. O look about thee, and consider with thyself that though thou be ancient, and before that man or woman in Christ, yet thou mayst come a great while after him to heaven for all that. Therefore, saith Paul, I press hard to that which is before. It is a comparrison from men that run in a race. As the heathen Poet saith, when a man runs in a race, he never looks on the horses that are behind him, but if there be one before him he looks to that. Beloved, look that if thou be before others, take heed that thou come not to the goal after them.  
Secondly, let ancient professors, ancient Christians 
2. Not to contemn others.  learn not to despise, and contemn weak Saints, young beginners, nay not sinners themselves: I have observed it to the grief of my soul, with the bleeding of my heart, a great deal of contempt, and disdain in the brows of some ancient Christians against some weak Saints: take heed of it: for though thou be first, and great now, thou art honoured now as an excellent Prayer in London, as one excellent in a day of humiliation; who knows whether thou that art first mayst not be last? Therefore contemn not weak Saints. No, nor sinners, there is many a man that may be in the Alehouse, a drinking, and swearing, and whoring, and his quean with him, that may be in heaven before thee, therefore be tender to sinners, especially if it be a Saint that hath any thing of God in him, consider he that is first may be last, and the last may be first.  
Thirdly, let weak Saints, and young beginners, learn 
3. Weak ones not to bear themselves unreverently  hence also, as on the one side (that I may put in that caveat) not to behave themselves unreverently toward the ancient. I would not have old Saints to crow over the young, muchless the young over the ancient: Saith Paul, rebuke not an elder, but rather exhort him. If we in preaching must not speak so sharply to ancient Christians, whether elders in Office, or rather in Religion (as I believe it is) we must not rebuke him, but speak with reverence, so much more young Christians must speak reverently, of ancient Christians, and not say, there goes such an old professor, and such a one saith, the first shall be last; and so despise him. No, but as God hath put the law of nature that the young shall observe the elder, and the junior shall respect the signior: so in grace and Religion, people must observe their duty. Therefore young women must learn of the old, and old women should be teachers of good things to young women, not given to wine, etc. beware of petulant, wanton carriage towards old professors.  
So, on the other side, be not discouraged by seeing the 
Neither to be discouraged.  graces in ancient, strong Christians. It is an ordinary thing for weak Saints to be more discouraged at the graces of strong Saints then at any thing else. As a weak eye that looks on the Sun can see just nothing; so many a weak soul hath the testimony of God's spirit, that he walks uprightly in his family before the Lord: but if he fall into the company of spiritual Christians that are full of the Spirit, full of the Holy Ghost, he comes home, proclaiming himself an hypocrite all the way as he goes. Do not that; for God hath cast it so, that the first shall be last, and the last shall be first: therefore though I be weak, who knows but that God may make me equal to that glorious Saint? Therefore as he is not to be secure and proud, so I am not to be discouraged.  
Fourthly: learn also this lesson (for it is of especial use in these times: for this is the age when old professors 
4. Not to judge others.  set themselves to sleep) learn hence, not to judge of Christians, old Christians, old professors to be hypocrites, because that they have taken a nap. I may not think that that man whom I have known to be the first man for Religion, of all the justices of the Peace, of all the Gentlemen in the country, of all the ministers in the County: because he is now the least and last of all the gentry, or ministry, or the like, I may not (a● the ordinary fashion of men is) conclude that there is no grace in him. It is an ordinary thing among us, you have instances every where in this case: but rather conclude this, that many that are first shall be last, and the last shall be first, God hath put the one against the other, that we should find nothing after him.  
God delights in variety of works, and he hath cast it so, that ordinarily professors should be like the Angels or jacobs' ladder, some up, and some down, the young going before the old, and the old coming behind the young, and as soldiers in training, wheel about, and go behind one another. God in wisdom hath done so; therefore I will not say, such a Magistrate, or such a minister, or such a Gentleman doth not belong to God, because he is not so good as he hath been, he was once the best, and now he is the least, he may be the Lords notwithstanding all this. We must remember this, or else we shall make hypocrites of all the world: for there is no Christian but hath his failings, and if we conclude so, then God will have no Saints. It is a blessed means of meekning the heart towards napping Christians.  
Then lastly; let there be a kind of equality, and spiritual 
5. To preserve a correspondency and equality.  correspondency between all Saints (O that God would have it so) that as the younger should not carry themselves unreverently to the elder, so the elder should not despise the younger: but as there was an equality in their gathering of Mannah, they that had much, had nothing to spare, and they that had little had no want: so the Lord delights in equality among the Saints, God hates to see Christians, that have much knowledge, to browbeat weak Saints, God hates it. Let us love a kind of equality, and spiritual correspondency: For we are all one body, and have all one head: the greatest member cannot say to the toe, I have no need of thee: the greatest Christian; if he be as an eye in the head, he cannot say that he hath not need of the weakest Saint: there is something that may do him good, if he could see it.  
To end this, I will give you the expression of Calvin on Rom. 16. 16. Salute one another with an holy kiss, the Churches of Christ salute you. The observation of Master Calvin upon this place is this, that the Apostle had before saluted a great many strong Saints by name, and commended them for some excellencies, one for one thing, another for another, Priscilla, and Aquila as helpers in Christ, and such a one for such a thing he gives commendation; now because he names not all, lest the weak should be offended, therefore, saith the Apostle, salute one another with a holy kiss. It was their manner before their supper, they had feasts of love, and before their feasts of love, they did always salute one another with an holy kiss; they kissed one another, and it was a Ceremony that God appointed to this end, to show that there was a kind of equality between all the Saints, that the poorest could not be kept at a distance from the rich, and the youngest Saint that the other day was a drunkard, or whoremonger, was not to be despised, but was kissed of the old. So that kiss linked them together, that though there was difference, yet this kiss leveled them.  
Beloved, how far, this ceremony should be practised by us, or we are bound to it, is more than I can tell, or any that I know: but that is signified by it holds, that there should be a blessed correspondency between all the Saints, and some kind of way, whereby a man that is in Christ, be he never so weak, may know that Christ accepts him, that the greatest Saint, and most glorious on earth, accepts him also. And not as the factious custom of disputing professors is; that never take notice of, but scorn hundreds of poor Saints, that have not those gifts, that cannot talk swelling, proud words, as jude saith. All that are Christ's should be dear to us as they are dear to Christ, he loves them alike, he paid as much for them as he did for us; and God is their father. And Christ provided foreseeing the disposition of men in latter times, that of all Saints we should take care of the weakest: therefore saith Christ to Peter, Peter, lovest thou me? lovest thou me? lovest thou me? Lord, thou knowest all things, Well, I see thou lovest me, as thou lovest me feed my lambs. We are to feed the sheep too: for Peter was a Sheperd, but we are to feed the lambs of Christ especially. In Mat. 18. you know what care Christ takes of his little ones, he compares young professors to little Children, and if any offend one of them, it were better that a Millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the Sea. If you should see a man in the midst of the Sea with a Millstone about his neck, it were a miserable condition: so it is a sad condition of high, and lofty professors, that browbeat weak Saints, that will not correspond, or condescend to them of the lower sort, O, saith Paul, who is weak and I am not offended? who is offended and I burn not? I will say no more of that, remember many that are first shall be last.   

Expositions and Observations on LUKE 18. 1.  And he spoke a parable to them, to this end that men ought always to pray and not to faint. 
I Do find beloved that now a days the devil hath wondrous designs in the world, and truly one of the greatest that I know among us is this, that he endeavours to cheat us of the ordinances of God, and to bring us from them one by one by degrees. He hath brought us from repetition of the word, and from singing of Psalms, and many from baptising of the infants of the godly, and divers from the supper of the Lord, and from hearing the word of God preached; and now he comes and gins to bring people from praying, or calling upon the name of the Lord: therefore let us do as Rehoboam did, when he had lost Ten Tribes, he went and strengthened the two that remained. Beloved there are but a few ordinances that remain, and they are almost gone too, therefore let us do our best to keep those. One is praying, or calling upon God; which our Lord Christ divers ways, by precept; and example, and parables, etc. doth exhort his Disciples to, to pray always, and not to faint. So that this is it that you should do well to consider, that  
Prayer, or calling upon the name of God in Christ, is an ordinance, and a perpetual ordinance of God.  
And though (it may be) many of you do not doubt of it, and therefore you think why should I speak of it? Truly, no more did not I doubt of it, yet I have had many thoughts of it: and though we doubt not of it, yet the considering of it out of the word may stir us up to do it more than we do: for I am afraid, though many of you doubt not of it, yet many of you are slack; and though you believe not what the others say, yet you harken so much to them as to slacken of what the old Saints did, and of what yourselves did before, you do not set yourselves so earnestly, and so frequently, and follow God so hard in prayer as you have done: this I greatly fear.  
For I find many times that the devil plays a double game, that when he comes to take away an ordinance from people, to cheat them of it, he knows that some are so giddy, that he can gull, and cheat them clearly, and he knows this that those that he cannot cheat yet he can cast them into a kind of remissness. As for instance, he hath taken away from many, singing of Psalms, prasing God according to that manner that the Saints have had for divers ages, whereas there is no particular manner in the scriptures for the outward thing: now as he hath brought many that they will not sing at all, so there are many that are indifferent; and so for baptising the infants of the godly, and so for hearing the Word; and so for praying. The devil hath a dilemma, if you will do so, so it is, or else do this; so I say while some giddy heads, or hearts are throwing away the Ordinance of prayer. I am afraid there is a general remissness, or carelessness growing upon your hearts, therefore I shall show these two things concerning prayer.  
First, I shall show you that it is an Ordinance of God, 
Prayer an Ordinance of God. Prayer a perpetual duty.  that it is a duty, that it is the duty of a Saint.  
Secondly, I shall show you that it is a lasting duty, a duty to be performed in all ages until the coming of Christ, and that briefly and plainly.  
For the first, That it is a duty, consider any duty in the world, and whatsoever you would have to prove it a duty, I dare say it is clear in the Word concerning this duty of Prayer, that, and much more, you cannot name any duty in the Book of God, any external duty that is underpropped, that hath such foundations, such clear groundworks for it as the duty of Prayer.  
There are four main grounds of duty, and one of 
Four main grounds of duty.  them many times is a sufficient ground for any one, as  
First, that it is a thing that the law of Nature hath 
1. The 〈◊〉 of Nature.  written in the heart of man, to call upon God, it was written in the Creation. There are many duties among us that are not so, under the Gospel, especially. Now that you see in all ages, all kind of people call upon the name of their God. As in the ship where Jonah was; the Heathens by the dictates of Nature, they awake jonah to call on his God, and they were calling on their god: it is a thing in the law of Nature. And (by the By) that is the reason why we may pray with carnal men, though we may not receive the Lords Supper, because the Supper of the Lord is an Ordinance by institution, the other is a natural Ordinance or duty. Now when a man doth a Natural duty, it is supposed that it is in the heart of a wicked man, and he doth but what he ought when he doth it. A carnal man when he prays he sins, not in that he prays, much less do I sin in doing the duty with him, in doing what he ought: But wherein doth he sin? In the manner, that he prays without faith, it is his fault and not mine; and so an hypocrite that prayeth without faith: when I do the duty, I look that the thing be good, but for the manner of his heart, and spirit, that is for him to look to. So a man may pray with carnal people, though he may not receive the Supper of the Lord, because that is an Ordinance by institution, and is only for the Saints. That by the by.  
Secondly, There is this ground for it, for prayer 
2. Command of the Word.  we have more precepts then for any other duty, Christ Jesus saith here, Pray always, And the Apostle, 1 Thes. 5. he bids us pray evermore, pray always, I need not stand to prove this.  
Then you have also precedents for it, almost in every 
3. Precedent and Example.  Saint in the Book of God; you seldom hear of a Saint, but he was a praying Saint. And let me tell you this, that Saints, and Churches, or Assemblies, (for so the Greek word is indifferently) and people that call on God▪ with a pure heart, they are Synonomies. Sometimes Paul saith, Grace, mercy, and peace to the Saints, sometimes to the Churches, and sometimes to those that pray, and call on the name of the Lord jesus, 1 Cor. 1. 1. It is a thing so proper to a Saint, that it is usually taken for the description of a Saint. Therefore in Zech. 12. where there is a Prophecy concerning the conversion of the jews; saith God, I will pour on them the Spirit of Grace and Supplication. What is that? That is, they shall be converted. To have a spirit of Supplication, a praying heart is the same as conversion: to convert the jews is to give them a spirit of Grace and Supplication: As soon as Paul was converted, Act. 9 when Ananias inquired of him, he was praying, therefore you have examples enough. 
4. Promises entailed on it. Psalm 50.   
And then you have Precepts for it, and Promises to it, all along in the Book of God; Call upon me in the time of trouble, and I will deliver thee; So in the new Testament, john 14. And in the Epistles of john; If we call upon God, he will hear our prayers, and grant our petitions, and if you ask any thing in the name of Christ, you shall have it. You know these things; only I mind you, as Peter, and the rest of the Apostles often minded them of what they knew already, lest they should be carried away with the error of the wicked. That is one thing; it is an Ordinance, you see four great pillars under it, it hath the Law of Nature, there are Precepts, and Examples, and Promises to perform what we pray for: And there are threaten to those that do it not, Curse the Families that call not on thy Name.  
Secondly, I said it was an everlasting Ordinance or duty, and you may see that three ways.  
First, If you look upon the old Testament, you shall see there all the people of God, they practised it, I need not instance in any one place.  
And secondly, you will easily grant, that if you look upon the times of the new Testament, the dawning of it in Christ's time, (for that was the dawning of the new Testament) there you see Christ prayed whole nights, and before day he was on the mountain seeking God; and there are many Parables, one in Luke 11. and another here, wherein he exhorts his disciples to be earnest with God, and though God as it were seem as if he had no mind otherwise to do it, yet by the very importunity of prayer (for that is the drift of that Parable in Luke 11. and of this) the Lord will be entreated. Then come after to the times that the new Testament was fully set up; you see when Christ was gone to the Holy of Holies, there they prayed, and called on God continually, all those Churches did call upon God, there is nothing more clear.  
Nay, thirdly, (for there is the main hint of it) in the last times, in these times, and in later times than these (though these be called the last times) the glorious times that shall be just at the end of the world, the people of God will be a praying people in those days. I will give you but one place, Zach. 12. that is clear concerning the conversion of the jews in the last times, that they shall look on him whom they have pierced, and shall mourn every family apart. Now the jews are not yet come in, neither are those glorious times yet come to the jews and Gentiles that shall follow upon their coming, yet it is said when they shall come in, praying shall be in such request in those days that even the conversation of the jews is called a pouring on them the spirit of grace and supplication.  
Therefore say not now, the last times are come, and these are glorious times, and we can live immediately upon God without Ordinances, etc. No, those times are not come, and yet when that time is come, they shall have a spirit of grace and supplication to call upon God. And therefore I beseech you, let not the devil steal away any of your Ordinances, for I tell you again, and again, he drives on a wonderful design among you in that respect. And of all Ordinances, labour to keep Prayer: for cast off Prayer, and cast off Saintship; for to be a Saint, and to call on the name of the Lord with a true heart, are the same. I will call thee no longer a Saint than thou callest on God. Therefore notwithstanding all pretences look to that. Some object, God knows our wants, and what need we pray? Saith our Saviour, Mat. 5. Your heavenly Father knows what you have need of, and yet Christ taught them to pray. We must manifest our obedience notwithstanding that God will do one thing when we pray for another: that is a foolish objection, because we know not what is good for us, neither how to pray according to the mind of God: but if it be according to his mind, and for our good, God will not deny it to us.  
But the main Engine that the devil hath to cheat us of this Ordinance, is, that there were times when there was need of Ordinances, and these beggarly rudiments, (this is the language of some) these carnal Ordinances, it is true they were good in the times of the Apostles, and those former times, but now glorious times are come for Saints to live immediately on God, and therefore there is no need of them.  
I told you that when the jews shall be called there will be need of these Ordinances; and though as we grow more perfect in glory, so we have less need of them; therefore as we are more glorious, and have more of the Spirit of Glory in the new Testament than they had in the old, so we have fewer Ordinances than they; and when we shall come to heaven, when she shall be full of glory, we shall have no Ordinances for aught I know: but yet we have infirmities, and the Lord knows what is best for us, and we have a great deal of flesh, and carnalness, and we shall have in a great measure till we be in heaven: therefore God in mercy affords us these Ordinances, and helps to deal with him, and to keep our Communion with him, and to live in, and from him: Therefore I pray you without partiality and prejudice weigh the Word of God, whether this be not the Will of God, and then take heed how the Devil cheat you of this blessed Ordinance; for truly I may say, as Christ said, Now is the Axe laid to the root, to the root of Prayer, and if the Devil take away that, thou art no more a Saint, my life for thine, if thou once throw away calling on God. Therefore learn that word, and endeavour to keep up the Ordinances of God: and you that do not, but are grown into remissness by the Opinions that are abroad concerning this duty, I beseech you renew your care and diligence every one of you in public and private to seek the Lord.  
And consider with yourselves whether there be not a greater remissness on your spirits then before, did you not set yourselves oftener and more earnestly apart to seek God before, than you do now? If it be so, in the name of God, say as David, O how sweet is thy Word! by it thy servant is warned. Now this is the goodness of God, the sweetness of his Word that hath warned thee when thou wert going to undo thyself, and to throw thyself away: Therefore set thyself to it, and let not the sin of others in throwing away of Ordinances, make you remiss in using them, either throw them away quite, or use them as the Ordinances of God, for the careless use of Ordinances is abominable to God.   

Expositions and Observations on ROM. 6. 14.  For ye are not under the law, but under Grace. 
FOr ye are not under the Law.  
There are three things in which a Christian is subject to be under the law, and so to be scourged by it, and if he can get himself in those three things 
Saints under the Law in three respects  out from it, than he is wholly clear. The Saints are under it partly, either  

In respect of their 

Persons.  
Actions.  
Afflictions.     
For their persons, that is, we do conceive that we do 
1. As to their persons  deal with God in some measure according to his law, we think that God doth deal with us according to his law, and that we deal with God in some measure according to his law. Whereas we should conceive that God doth not look on me, or speak to me, or deal with me at all according to the law (Christ having fulfilled it, and I being dead to it) but only in reference to grace, so I deal with God as he is my Father, as he is revealed to me in grace in the Doctrine of the Gospel: so that if we could conceive that our persons are fully justified, that all my weaknesses thoughout the day, or week, or year do not make me according to his Law one jot more unjust nor all my good doth not make me more just, for Christ Jesus his Death and Resurrection doth that wholly, therefore my person for ever is freed from the power of the Law, and if I sin, grace may call me to account for it, and whip and scourge me with his Ferula: but for the Law, what have I to do with that? what have I to do with a husband that is dead and buried? what have I to do with the Covenant of works that Jesus Christ hath fulfilled and canceled?  
Therefore get your persons clear of the Law; for that is it that evidenceth many times that you are not, because when you sin against God, then there ariseth storms within you that were once without you, on Mount Sinai, that blackness and darkness, than you fear you are hypocrites, than you find wrath in your consciences: as oft as you find wrath, (that is the work of the Law, for the Law worketh wrath) it shows clearly that your persons are not quite freed from the Law, for though there should be sorrow, and more kindly, and abundant sorrow then ever you felt before, and care, and other things, yet even that wrath, and horror, and hardness of heart, and rise of spirit against God, will testify that in some measure your persons are under the Law.  
Ye are not under the Law.  
Secondly, Your actions I (say) should not be under 
2 In respect of their actions.  the Law, for as one saith, as our persons are justified fully by Christ, so are our actions; that is, whatsoever action I do, or commit, however that action may not be pleasing to God according to Grace or the Gospel, it may not be an acceptable sacrifice, as all our actions should be, yet notwithstanding we should not conceive that our actions are to be squared and measured according to the rule and life of the Law, which is the Covenant of works. As for Instance, when a man is under the Law, whose actions are under the Law, he labours all the day long to please God, to serve, and obey him, but if he fail but once or twice that day in his duty, there is some confusion whispered in his soul that all is lost, there is more trouble for that one failing, than he hath comfort for all that he hath done that day; that is just the Law, for the Law saith, if he fail in one he is guilty of all. Now if a man be under grace, he rejoiceth in his sincere endeavour to honour God, and he rejoiceth in the passages of that day, that he hath had communion with God, and where there is weakness, there would be a sweet, clear mourning for it in reference to God as a Father, and not to have the heart estranged from God, and straitened. Our actions in a great measure are under the Law. Our actions are freed from the Law in this life, but we know not our freedom. They are freed thus, all arise either from flesh or spirit; for those are the two beginnings, the two first beings of all. Now those of the flesh (for a Christian may do an action that is purely flesh, that hath no good in it, then) that is a sin, Christ Jesus hath done it away. Now if it be an action that ariseth from his holy Spirit, that flows from the principle of jesus Christ that is in him, the Lord accepts of it, that is done already, if he were able to do it, yet it comes too late; but only he doth it as the honest upright endeavour of a loving child to a dear father. So, could we measure our actions according to that rule, our lives would be more holy, and more sweet and comfortable.  
Thirdly, our afflictions, or sufferings, (it were well 
3 Relating to their afflictions.  if we could get out from under the lash of the Law in all these) there we are deeply under it; as soon as ever we are whipped, than we say, God hath found me out, and it is true, God may whip me for it, because I will not take notice of it: though God will not hid his countenance, and his smiles from his child, one jot further than he must needs do it for fear of cockering him: therefore I know if God frown, and hid his face, that God loves me, and he would show it: but I have a base heart, that at such times as that would like some sin, and be wanton, otherwise, God hath no delight to hid his face a moment. Now all my afflictions, and sufferings, I am not to look on them under the Law, that is, as though God in reference to these had a purpose to satisfy himself, and his vengeance, and to let his wrath fall upon me, (that is clearly to frustrate the death of Christ) but I am to look on that as fully satisfied, and done by Christ, and God is more faithful then to be paid twice: but I am to look upon all my afflictions, as proceeding from the love of a dear father, and I can take notice of many sins that displease him, and he hath many Gospel-ends to do me good: therefore in afflictions I admit not one hard thought of God, but love him more for his favour in the Gospel. If we see afflictions under grace aright, than afflictions do exceedingly kindle love to God, and increase our communion with him; and whereas they make us run from God, they would make us run to him, and delight in him, but we are under the Law, and that makes our persons and actions, and afflictions to be a burden. O that the Lord would help us to get clear of it, that every one would labour to get his spirit, his person, his actions, and his corrections, and all clear of that, and dead to that.  But ye are under grace. 
Grace in this place (as I conceive) hath a very large extent, and is not taken only for that favour of God, as it is usually in Scripture, but there is something meant by it, that shall be equivalent (in all respects to a Christian) to the Law, for ye are not under the Law, but under Grace: they are opposites.  
Now what that is that is meant by it, I conceive, and can give divers Scriptures also if I had time, that by Grace here is meant the whole Doctrine of the Gospel. Indeed the substance of the Law is contained in it; for the substance of the Law is one and the same for ever. I say the whole Doctrine of the Gospel, that is called Grace; because it is a gracious Doctrine, it is a Doctrine full of Grace. The stream, and the main thing of our Preaching, is, or should be the Grace of God, the love of God, and the goodness of God. If it be taken for the whole Doctrine, as that in Tit. 2. The grace of God hath appeared to all men, teaching us to deny ungodliness, and worldly lusts, and to live holily and soberly, etc. Grace, that is, the Doctrine of Grace or the Doctrine of the Gospel, 2 Cor. 6. I beseech you receive not the grace of God in vain, that is, the Doctrine of the Gospel, which hath in it grace and mercy, and life and salvation, and the like. Grace and the Law are opposites, as we see john 1. The Law came by Moses, but grace and truth came by jesus Christ. So grace in this place is to be understood in a large sense.  You are under grace, 
That is, not only you are freed from the Law, and you are now in a condition wherein God will have mercy on you, and save you, but far more than that. For beloved, as the Law hath Precepts, and Commands, and Teaching: so Grace hath its Precepts also, and commands as well as Promises: therefore he saith, The grace of God teacheth us. He saith not the grace of God tells us, and promiseth us, or the like, but it teacheth us. Grace hath a School, as the Law had: the Law had a School, and those that lived under it, according to its method it did train and teach them: so a Christian now in the School of Grace, under grace, he hath all that was good, or necessary in the Law, and much more, that it is sufficient in all respects. For a Christian if he be under grace, there he shall have Precepts and Promises, and Directions, and Comforts, any thing that is necessary for him. So that it were well if you would endeavour to conceive, that the only master you have is Grace, the only rule by which you walk is Grace, it is the Gospel, which implies in it all the substantial Precepts of the Law: so in that respect we are bound to the Law, and the Law is of use, and will be to the end of the world.  
Now than I would conclude with this, to show you a little concerning this Argument, Sin shall not have dominion over you, because ye are not under the Law, but under Grace. There are three main Reasons 
Sin hath less power over those under grace upon three reasons.  why a man that is under Grace, that is, clearly freed from the Law, why sin should have less power over him, then when he was under the Law: for those that live under Grace, though they be not perfect, yet they are eminently holy in comparison of what they were, and of what others are that are under the Law.  
One reason is, because that Grace hath clearer and more spiritual instructions, and directions to holiness then the Law hath. It hath what the Law hath, but it teacheth a great deal of exactness that cannot be expressed: for what the Law teacheth, we may express it by natural understanding, and you by natural understanding may comprehend it; and if you miss it, we may by natural understanding convince you of the breach of the Law: but the precepts of the Gospel are spiritual, and cannot be conceived by natural understanding. I say, the course of a Christian, the main walk of a Christian under grace is such, that a natural man cannot see, or understand which way he goeth, because a natural man conceives not the things of God. By the Law a man may convince, and show it clearly; but the precepts of Grace are so sublime, and spiritual, that they must be understood spiritually. And thereupon, being that the Precepts, and Instructions, and Directions of Grace, being clearer and brighter, and higher, that is the reason why a man under Grace is brought into fuller obedience to a freer service than a man under the Law.  
Besides, Secondly, when a man is under grace, there is a kind of ingenuity, a Spiritual ingenuity of the heart, yet though it may be there are not so many Covenants, and Resolutions, and Vows, and the like, yet there is a kind of ingenuity, that understanding the grace of God, he cannot sin as another doth that is under the Law, and that is the meaning of those Phrases of the Apostle, how abhorrent such a thing would be: As for instance, Shall we continue in sin that Grace may abound? God forbidden. As if he should say, our hearts are against it, we cannot endure to render an answer of all God's grace and goodness in such a manner as that; and so in 2 Cor. 5. whether we be mad or sober, The love of God constraineth us: for we thus judge, that if one died, than all were dead, that we should not henceforth live to ourselves but to him that died for us, That is, this is, our reason, we have a kind of ingenuity in us that makes us thus reason, that if one man did come, and die, and purchase everlasting life, we cannot but live to him that died for us.  
That is the reason why a man under the Law, that it may be is a Swearer, a Drunkard, a Spendthrift, and this consumes his soul, and body, and family, and all; and he knows this, yet notwithstanding he goes on, he cannot help it, why? because he is under the Law, because when he hath had his pleasure all day, the Law whips him at night, and thereupon he hardens his heart, and it grows more and more against God, and his Commandments: Now if God would let it into his soul to see what Christ hath done for him, and how righteously the Law is fulfilled through Christ, and thereupon he is freed from Satan, and sin, and death. If God would show him the hope of his calling, and the glorious condition that he stands in, there would be such an ingenuity that he could not do it, he need not make Vows and Promises that he would be drunk no more, but he would abhor to do so basely and unworthily to so gracious a God that had done so wondrously and incomprehensibly for his soul.  
Lastly, There is a power in grace. The Law, was a voice of words; it did teach just as the Commandments upon a wall; a poor man may come in and read them, but his heart is not the warmer, there is no disposition to observe the Law: but Grace comes, and in some measure gives a blessed power and strength to do that it teacheth, therefore saith the Apostle, Sin shall not have dominion over you, because ye are not under the Law but under Grace.   

Expositions and Observations on EPHESIANS 3. 20.  Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly, above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us. 
THe Apostle ends his Prayer for the Ephesians in a general manner, with a kind of Thanksgiving. Now to him that is able to do exceeding abundantly according to the power that worketh in us.  
According to the power that worketh in us.  
There is a mighty power that worketh in the Saints; and you shall see that power Ephes. 1. 19 saith he, I desire that you may know what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward that believe, according to the working of his mighty power. It is not weakness, but power, and not a small power, but a mighty power, a great power, an exceeding great mighty power. That worketh in you. The Saints are strong creatures. If you ask, what this power is? you shall see in the verse following; The power which wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in heavenly places, far above all principalities and powers, etc. That is, the power of his holy Spirit that dwells in us; greater is he that dwelleth in us, than he that dwelleth in the world. We have a greater power in us, then can be from the world, or hell against us. And that power is illustrated here by the raising of jesus from the dead, and setting him up in heavenly places. There was no active power that ever God expressed, that can be compared to that of raising Christ from the dead; It was a power, and a great power, and God's power too to make this world, and it is a power to preserve it: but that power is not comparable to this, when Jesus Christ was dead, under the curse of the Law, and under the wrath of God, and under all our sins, under the malice of men, and under a great stone that was rolled on him, and for a dead man to be raised up through all those oppositions of heaven, and earth, and hell, and to be set in peace at the right hand of glory, and majesty on high. It must be an exceeding great power.  
The Saints do not consider what strength they have, If thou didst consider what strength thou hast in thee, thou wouldst not be afraid to hear a Cross, thou wouldst not be discouraged to attempt any work for God, thou wouldst not be dismayed at the threaten of men, no, nor at the temptations of the devil: there is such an exceeding great and mighty power that works in them that believe.  
This power, is the power of the Spirit of God; for that is the power of the most High; the holy Ghost shall overshadow thee, and the power of the most High shall come upon thee. The holy Ghost is the power of God which dwelleth in the Saints. And therefore my aim is to fasten that word on you, and to show you how you come short of that life, and strength, and grace, that otherwise you might have, for want of magnifying, and exalting the Spirit of God, which is the Conduit, the Intelligencer, that which brings light, and life, and strength to our souls from God. The Spirit of God is lightly esteemed, therefore we have little grace: a low esteem of the Spirit will keep a Saint low all his days.  
I thought to have instanced in a few things wherein you undervalue the Spirit. One is, that you do not hearken enough, nor regard, and observe enough the teaching of the Spirit of God; and that is one cause why we are left to our selves, and do so often miss the will of God. For I know not (according to the Covenant of Grace) why a Saint should at any time miss the will of God, but that he doth not observe his Leader; For I will give you the Spirit (saith Christ) that shall lead you into all truth: Now if you observe not this Leader, this Teacher, it is very just that you should be left to wander, and go out of the way.  
If a Christian would observe his way, and observe his leader, a Christian might easily find when he is in, and when he is out; for truly, if a man would ask himself, Why did I miss the will of God so often, since I have such a Teacher promised me, and given me by Christ? he must needs say, that oftentimes I did not observe him, I did not hearken to him, I harkened only to men, and not to the Spirit of God. And so he would easily find, when he began to give over harkening where he left the teaching of the Spirit; for in my apprehension a Saint follows the holy Ghost with a kind of sagacity (if I may compare it with reverence) just as we see the Dog follow the Hare: there is something in Nature that the Dog knows which way the Hare went, when a wiser creature knows not: so, there is something in a poor Saint, that when all the wise men in the world know not which way God went, a Saint can tell: Only the Dog may hunt upon a cold sent, and think the Hare went that way, and it grows colder and colder, and he misseth: So a Saint shall find when he misseth the will of God, that the Spirit of God hath not left him, unless it be very rare, as the Spirit left Christ to be tempted in the wilderness, so he may leave thee to pull down thy pride, and to humble thee, Isay, that is rare: but ordinarily, the Spirit leaves not thee, but thou lettest go thy leader, and thou goest all the while on a cold sent. A Saint, though he headlong follows this, or that conceit, yet notwithstanding he may know when he comes to look upon himself; surely I went upon a cold sent in those things: though I followed them headlong, and giddily, it was not of the Spirit, it was not the same teaching that I had ordinarily. Therefore observe your leader, harken to the Spirit of God: If God give you him as a master, he expects that his children should learn, and see when you go in the way of the Spirit of God, and you may easily find that, if you will avoid headlongness, and giddiness, and rashness.  
I speak not this as if the Spirit were contrary to the Word, as some men to advance the Spirit, set the Word and Spirit by the ears; but the Spirit leads by the Word.  
That which I chief intended to show you, was 
The power of the Spirit set out in four things.  to give you a few instances, that you may have a little light, to see the exceeding greatness of the power of the Spirit working in you. I shall not show in all respects, nor in many, as I might, but only in a few. I will instance in these three or four things. As first, 
1. In dictating a world of prayers to us.  that you may see the greatness of his power, what a world of prayers doth the Spirit of God put into thy heart, that thou art never able to utter with thy mouth? All the wisdom in the world cannot make one spiritual petition; we may make forms of Prayer; but now the Spirit of God, that knoweth the mind of God (as the Apostle saith) that maketh prayers according to the will of God, and he prays with sighs and groans unutterable. I speak to them that know the working of the Spirit: how many thousand prayers doth God put into thy heart that it is impossible for thee to utter with thy mouth? Thou canst not speak to God one petition of forty that the Spirit puts into thy heart. That some conceive to be the meaning of that in Rom. 8. The Spirit prays with sighs unutterable, not because of our weakness, but because of their strength, and they are so numerous, they are so many, that when a poor Saint goes to pray, one petition stops another, and throngs it out that he cannot utter it.  
If the Lord should hear only those prayers that thou makest with thy mouth, thou wouldst be but a poor man, but the Lord respects the prayers of the heart: Therefore I say, to have power to make one prayer, and to have such innumerable sighs and groans in the soul too, it must be an exceeding great power.  
Secondly, consider this, how much the Spirit of 
2. In supplying us when we pray not.  God doth for thee, and in thee, that thou never prayedst for, nor never couldst pray for, no, not so much as in heart. If the Lord did answer all the prayers of heart and tongue, that we make throughout all the year, a man would think that were a great matter; but surely they are so few, considering our wants, and they are so confused and blind, that I am confident, if God should deal with thy soul and mine, according to our prayers all the year, we should be miserable creatures all our lives. God exerciseth us to pray, and many of them he answers in their kind, and he is pleased with our obedience in every thing: but surely, God hath a higher rule of doing us good, and the Spirit of God works in a more methodical, and wise, and merciful, and blessed way, than we can pray. I have sometimes wondered that God hath made promises to answer many prayers that we make; but I wonder more that God should grant things that we pray not for. This is the exceeding greatness of his power.  
Thirdly, consider the exceeding greatness of his 
3. By teaching us inwardly▪  power in this respect, in his teaching, how the Spirit of God teacheth his people and servants, he teacheth them above what they are taught outwardly by men. As thus, Cast with thyself, suppose thou hadst every Sermon that thou hast heard in thy life, and every Lecture that thou hast heard on the week days, and on the Lord's day, that thou hadst them in order and method, suppose they were written in thy heart, and fresh in thy memory, that thou didst understanding and remember every Sermon that thou hast heard (which no man doth) a man would think such a one to be a very knowing man. Truly if thou hadst it so, thou mightest be a miserable, confused, blind man for all that, for all that ever thou hast heard preached, thou mightest be a blind creature: for alas! our teaching comes with so much weakness and dross with it, and one saith, and another unsaith; and if we consider it in a natural way we shall never be made knowing men by all outward teaching in the world. But now the Spirit of God comes in, and he is pleased indeed to make use of it, that we shall teach outwardly; but alas! the Spirit of God reads such a Lecture in the heart of a Saint, and clears things, and orders things, and assures things, and settles things that are right, and discovers things that are not, and enlargeth, and sweetens, and quickens them, that it may be a man in hearing one Sermon of an hour long, may be taught more, than another man in hearing Sermons seven years together. This is the exceeding greatness of the power of the Spirit of God; that truly (beloved) I have often thought with myself (I speak not to disparage our teaching, and your hearing, but) our coming to teach, and you to hear, it is as your sending your little children to School, to keep their  clean, and to keep them from play, they learn nothing (in a manner) for your money, only they are obedient to their Parents, and are quiet, and are in the School where teaching is. So you come to hear, and we to teach; but all our teaching in a manner is by the Spirit of God. Therefore it is a wonderful thing to see how quickly the Spirit of God will make a Scholar ripe; how in a quarter of a year, nay, in a month almost the Spirit of God will fill him with all spiritual learning, whereas the best preacher in the world, let him Preach concisely and exactly in a natural way, he shall not teach him the tenth part: Nay, we reach you, we preach it may be four or five Sermons, and we open it as well we can, poor earthen creatures, and when we come to look on it a quarter of a year after, we find that those notions that it may be were so confused and poor while we were teaching you, that there is a glorious piece made in your souls, by the Spirit of God, though our Notes when they were done, were scarce worth the burning, we are so poor and frail in teaching, and you in your outward hearing, therefore there is an exceeding great power that works in you that believe.  
Fourthly, and lastly, (for I speak this to enhance, and 
4 By working our works in and for us.  advance the Spirit of God, as Paul saith, we are not debtors to the flesh, but to the Spirit, you owe more to the Spirit than you are ware of, consider in all the good that you do, in all the good works that you do, how wonderful passive you are in the doing of them. We have a saying, It holds true, I gainsay it not in a sort, that a man in conversion is passive, and afterwards he is active, that is, God in a man's conversion works on a man as a dead creature, only he is rational, but he suffers and works not with God, but when he is converted, than a man hath a principle of life. God works, and man works, man works with God, and it is a true comparison, we were then passive, now we are active. But in respect of the principle, by which we move, and walk: truly a Christian may say, I am altogether passive in a manner in all that I do. God carries a man's tongue to speak, and his hands to work, and his feet to walk, God carries a man in good many times, and glorifies himself many times, and a man knows not how in the world he comes to do it, or why he did it, or how he came about it; so God doth many glorioous things by us, and we are not ware, This is the Lord, this is the greatness of his power.  
God in some actions, he either carries a man, and doth his work by a man, without a man (as it were) or else he doth it above him. There is no good almost that thou dost, but thou shalt clearly see that it is above thee, that it is God, thou wert never able to speak, or to do or to go through any such thing, but the Lord went through with it. It may be some of you understand not what it is to do a thing without you, it is too spiritual; but there are Christians that may, and can say, God did it without me, I was as a block, I know not how, I was scarce active with God, God did all. O great and glorious is that power, look which way you will, what that power is in changing thy nature, in destroying old Adam, what that power is in resisting temptations, what that power is in wrestling, and prevailing with God, what that power is to uphold thee in the wicked world, and to preserve thee to the last day. Consider it every way: it is great, wondrous, glorious, and mighty, and exceeding mighty is that power that works in them that believe, even the power of the Spirit of God.  
The Spirit is called power, Power itself (as it were) not that I deny the person of the Spirit thereby, as if the Spirit were nothing but the energy or working of God, that is not the meaning; but he is called power, because (as it were) he is nothing but power, whatsoever he doth, he doth powerfully, and gloriously, and effectually; Angels work in little, common, outward things; mark the difference between the assistance of the Spirit, and of Angels. The Angels are ministering spirits sent out to wait upon the Saints. How do Angels work for us? Angels make not prayers in us, Angels never subdue one sin in me, they can never bring peace to my conscience, and soul; Angels converse not in spiritual things, but in outward things; Angels keep thee that thou dash not thy foot against a stone, they keep thee from breaking thy neck, they keep fire from thine house; but spiritual things are done by the Spirit of God: the exceeding greatness of power is by the Spirit. Therefore consider of this word, be not such poor, low-hearted creatures, to be afraid of every ill, and to be discouraged from going about any good thing. I say, consider the power that dwells in you, and endeavour to give glory to God, to magnify the blessed Spirit, that works in you, to admire it, for the more you admire the Spirit, the more vile you will be in yourselves, and the viler you are in yourselves that you attribute all to the Spirit, the more glory God shall have, and then things will be as they should be, in the best order for God and man.   

Expositions and Observations on EPHESIANS 5. 1, 2.  Be ye therefore followers of God as dear children, and walk in love, etc. 
THe Apostle in this Chapter, and especially in that going before, exhorts the Saints to walk worthy of their calling, that is, to walk humbly and meekly, etc. towards God and men; and there he shows sometimes the good they should follow, and the evil they should leave, promiscuously, which is meant by walking worthy of their calling. And here in this first verse, saith he, I beseech you be followers of God as dear children. He puts in this motive to all the holiness he speaks of before, and after; that as dear children of a blessed father, they would hearken to him, that they would hate all the evil, and cleave to all the good he had proposed to them, so that the Lesson is this, That  
The Doctrine. Our spiritual privileges should as much engage us to holiness, as they should help on our comfort.  
My meaning is this; you know in this wicked world wherein we are, this is one Gospel way, that we use and practise, and have been taught, that whensoever we came near the Lord (especially then) we should endeavour to raise up our souls, by the consideration of our Gospel-priviledges, and the relations between us and God. When you and I come to pray, we study as much as we can to look on him as a father (and we do well) and to look on ourselves as sons and daughters, as those that are in Christ, as those that have their sins pardoned and covered in him: to look on ourselves as the Spouse and Wife of Christ. And all the relations we can make out, and all the privileges that are laid down in Scripture, we seek to own them whereby to get up our souls to some joy and comfort before the Lord, and this is a good and blessed thing when we do so; for the Lord would have his children, as to live holily, so he delights to see them live comfortably: The Lord takes delight in the prosperity of his people. But here now, you and I miss, we do this out of a kind of Self-love, because we would have comfort we make use of our privileges, and plead our relations, but we should also make use of them to move us to holiness, and to resist sin and evil, as well as to raise us to comfort and consolation: And thence it is that we are so oft foiled with sin, because we walk as men, as the children of men, as the Scripture saith; we forget in what a station God hath put us, in what grace and glory we stand through Jesus Christ. Therefore when we are walking, and conversing in the world, we look on ourselves as men, we think of our neighbours what they would have done in such a case, and it may be we think of natural reason, it may be of corrupt reason; but we do not state ourselves all the day as sons and daughters of God.  
Man naturally doth not love to reflect upon himself, which (saith Dr. Preston) is the difference between a man and a beast: take two or three children, it may be one is a Lords son, and another the son of a Beggar, they reflect upon themselves, you shall see by their carriage; the poor child carries himself respectively to the other, the other carries himself disdainfully to him. So all people, every one hath a kind of conclusion upon himself from natural considerations. Such a one carries himself high, he reflects so upon himself. Why? he thinks he is a man of such parts, of such fortunes, and breeding and feature, and the like, and he carries himself accordingly: It is so with all mankind. Now if we would have the Spirit of God shine upon our souls, and draw such conclusions always that lie in our breasts, that I am a son, a daughter of God, one in Christ, married to Christ, bone of his bone, and flesh of his flesh, that I may walk all the day thus clothed with these reflections: then when we come to sin, when temptation is offered, it may be the devil will say, such a one did it that is wiser than thou, and such a one that is a fellow, of the same calling, then, this positive actual reflection upon the soul that thou art in Christ; this would make thee say, O, but how shall I do it? Jesus Christ died for me, Jesus Christ hath washed me in his blood, I am one with him. What if the children of darkness do so, is it fit for a child of light? what if sinner's do so, is it fit for a man that God hath called out of sin, and out of the world, is it fit for him to do so?  
We seldom carry those reflections about us when 
The Saints should reflect upon their high condition.  we go abroad among the snares of the world, therefore we fall into sin: for the older we are in grace, the more full of snares the world is. I could show that you can name no place in the new Testament, where our privileges, and relations are mentioned: but as the holy Ghost mentions them to raise up the soul for comfort, so expressly to stir us up to holiness, 1 John 3. 1. Behold what manner of love God hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God I am persuaded that the Primitive Saints in the new Testament, did generally look upon themselves, distinct as a Common wealth, and a people redeemed out of the world, and in the light of that they did so walk, they did always speak so of themselves, We are the first fruits of the spirit, we are the sons of God, we are redeemed and bought with a price. We are the sons of God, but it doth not appear what we shall be, but when he shall come, we shall be like him; O this gives comfort; but what then? what follows? He that hath this hope purifieth himself as he is pure. This hope is somewhat like that reflection I am speaking of, when there is an actual hope in the soul of being with the Lord, and an actual positive persuasion that I am the Lords, than a man will purify himself as God is pure. I might mention a hundred places in the new Testament, 2 Cor. 6. Come out from among them, separate yourselves, and touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you, and I will be your father, and you shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. This is very comfortable, that we shall be his sons and daughters, and that he will be our Father. What then? In the beginning of the next Chapter, Having therefore these promises, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. If we be the sons and daughters of God, and he be our Father, therefore we should be holy in soul, and body, and spirit. I remember a little Story of a great Monarch (though I do not much trouble you with them, but it doth a little illustrate what we speak of) walking with his son, a Prince; the great Emperor seeing little poor children to play and tumble in the dirt, he said to his son, Why dost not thou go and play with them? Saith he, I would, if I did see any Kings and Princes children play with them, he reflected upon himself that he was a Prince, a King's son, and it was not fit for them to tumble in the dirt. So you may say, when you see Drunkards, and Whoremongers, and Extortioners, if the devil tempt you in your hearts, and say, Why dost not thou do so? why dost not thou get money as yonder man doth? or labour to be great in the world? O, say, do the sons of God use to do so? to cousin, and cheat, and be drunk, and lie? If the Saints did so, than it were another thing, but shall I that am a Prince, that am a son of God, shall I be a Scullion, and wallow in the dirt? Therefore I say it is enough to an honest heart to propose a pitch that is above him, that he never attained, and what will he do? he will seek, and not give over till God have wrought it: God wrought it in most of the Saints of old: therefore let us labour with the Lord, that we may have such considerations always about us.  
O how gloriously should we walk, if we had still actual considerations, I am a son, I am a daughter of God How humbly should we walk towards our brethren? how weaned from this world? what Pilgrims would we be here upon earth? doubtless we run, and launch into the world by forgetting of our relations and stations; so that as in Gen. 6. The sons of God married the daughters of men. We walk as the sons of men, and miscarry as the sons and daughters of man. If we did always walk, and look upon ourselves as the sons and daughters of God, we should in some poor measure express something of the sons and daughters of God in every word, and carriage, and action towards God and men, etc.   

Expositions and Observations on PHILIPPIANS 2. 1, 2, 3.  
If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies;  
Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be like minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.  
Let nothing be done through strife or vain glory, but in lowliness of mind, let each esteem other better than themselves.  
THe Lesson that the Lord gave you and me lately to consider of, and to do, was rightly to love the Saints, to love 
Saints ought to love though they be not beloved.  our brethren, and the way, you remember was, that we should not make that the ground of our love to our brethren, because they love us, but because we are beloved of God; we should love, though we be not beloved of men.  
He that will not love his brethren, till he be loved of them, nor no further, nor no longer than he is beloved, he shall never love them much, nor love them rightly at all, because all goes upon a wrong ground, and by a false rule: And therefore we should set upon the practice of that duty in these times of division, that whatsoever man I look on as a Saint, or see the Image of God in him, I should endeavour to bring my heart to love him: If he love not me, let him look to that, I shall not answer for that, that shall be laid on his score: but if I love not my brother, that shall be laid on my score, and as my account, so my comfort, I mean true spiritual comfort, both here and hereafter, it is not in this, that I am much beloved, but that I love much. I spoke to you of that more at large then, and I hope you will endeavour to bring your souls to be doers of this blessed truth, as well as hearers.  
There is one thing more which is here laid down in this Scripture that we must endeavour to do, though when I speak of doing, when we teach you any spiritual, Gospel duty, you must understand it in a Gospel way; not as though (I say) we can do this or that, but we through the grace of Christ may do any thing that is commanded in the Gospel. Therefore go not home, and say, we are dead, and can do nothing, etc. To what end are all these precepts laid on us, but that we by the power of the holy Ghost may do them? Therefore I say, there is one thing more for us to do before we can come rightly to love the brethren: truly, there are many things, but that that I am now upon, is the foundation; (what is for the building of us up I meddle not with now) for till we come to do this, we cannot love at all, we cannot go one step in this blessed work; and that is it I shall endeavour to tell you now, saith the Apostle, Fulfil my joy, and be like minded, If there be any consolation in Christ, or any comfort of love, if there be any fellowship of the Spirit, if there be any bowels and mercies. The meaning is, the Apostle exhorts them to these duties upon these motives, to the following duties upon the foregoing motives, As if he should say, for the consolation sake that you feel in Christ Jesus, that is sweet and dear: for the comforts sake that you feel, when you love, how full your souls are of comfort! for the sake of that sweetness and pleasure that you have in the fellowship of the Spirit: If there be any bowels of mercy in you, any sweetness of the mercy of God in your souls, or any workings of mercy, or pity, or affections in you, grant me one desire, at which I shall exceedingly rejoice, that is, be like minded, and have the same love, etc.  
The Apostle doth here, as it is usually his manner, when he exhorts to any thing, he tells them not, Do this, or you shall be damned, do this or else you are hypocrites, or else the curse of God will fall on you: for he carries that clearly in all his Epistles that there is no damnation to them that are in Christ, and you are are not appointed unto wrath, saith he, but he presseth them unto it out of the sweetness, and dearness of spiritual things that they apprehended. Indeed to press them from arguments of hell or the curse, that would have fastened a spirit of bondage on them. To press them from worldly things, those vanities would never have moved them, therefore he takes the choicest things always, as job saith, I spoke to my servants, and to my wife, and she answered not, though I besought her for the children of my body, that is the dearest thing between man and wife: so the Apostle desires them by such things as these, by the coming of the Lord Jesus, that is the sweetest thing to a Saint; saith he, by these sweet and dear things. I talk not of hell, and it is in vain to talk of worldly motives: but for the sweetness that is in spiritual things, and for that price sake, and the dearness that is of them, and in them, I beseech you grant me this request, that is, that ye  Be like minded, and have the same love. 
That is, mutual love each to other, and be of one accord, and of one mind. This is the Motive that I 
Mutual love enjoined.  shall open.  
But how shall we come to love one another, or to love mutually? O (saith he) Let nothing be done through 
The means to attain it.  strife or vain glory, but in lowliness of mind, let each esteem other better than themselves. I told you, a man is to lay this as the foundation of his love, to love because God loves him, not because he is beloved of men. Now that he may do so, he must lay this also as a general rule in his soul by the grace of Christ, that he account himself, and looked on himself as less than any other of the Saints, every man must account another better than himself. A man must look upon himself, nay, I say more, he must be content that others look upon him as the least Saint, or else he will never love his brethren aright. Beloved, this above all things, I find (it may be you find more) to be the greatest enemy to love, high-mindedness, that you look upon yourselves, either as the greatest of Saints, you think you are some body: or else you look upon yourselves as of the second form, near to the greatest. Therefore you shall observe by experience, that when you come to love any Saint, if you find that though he love you, yet if he love another better, and account more of the Image of God in ●●other then in you; you always account that love no better than hatred: you say, such a man hates you, why so? because he loves three or four better than you. This is pride of heart in a man, he had as lief a man should hate him, as love one Saint in the world better or before him, it is a sign of a devilish heart: If there be a Saint or two in the Family, or a woman, or a servant in the Congregation that is more respected than he, he thinks such a one doth not love him, he concludes, I am not beloved. There is such a desperate pride, (as pride is a desperate thing always in spiritual, and in earthly things) in the heart of man, that makes him so desperate, that if he be not loved to the height above all others, that he accounts all love hatred.  
You will not be right till you come to this, that Paul saith, 1 Cor. 15. I am the least of all Saints, saith he; and 1 Tim. 1. 7. I am the greatest of all sinners; you will never be in a right frame, in a Gospel frame to love your brethren, till when you look on sinners, you account yourselves the greatest, and when you look on Saints, you reckon yourselves the least. Therefore this is a plain, short Lesson. I mean not to speak much of it, but truly it needs a large comment on your hearts, it needs a great deal of setting home upon your spirits.  
Therefore let us every one look to ourselves in this, let us consider our condition, my condition that I stand in, and yours where you are. Is not this the frame of my soul, and the disposition of your souls, that you never love another, nor never esteem another's love (for both go together in a proud heart) unless he look principally upon you ●●●ve all others. Beloved, it is much for thee and me, if we understand ourselves, what we are, and rightly judge of ourselves, and our course, and how things are really in us, and before the eyes of him that searcheth the hearts; it is much for me if the poorest Saint give me but a smile, or a good look, yet this is our disposition, if the Saints do not observe us, if one go by and do not observe us in the street, and put not off his hat, and speak, and give us idle visitations when he knows not what to do, he loves us not. It is a great deal if a Saint do but come over the threshold, or look upon me in the street.  
This is that that breeds endless quarrels (for they are here put together, Strife and Vain glory, and the like) for thou wilt be always like the Salamander feeding upon some quarrel, for every man naturally hath some one thing that he feeds on principally; children feed on one cate more than another, and so do men, some upon Husbandry, some upon Navigation, some upon Policy, every one upon one thing or other. All men have some one thing that carries the stream of their hearts; some Professors, the very stream of their spirits goes in quarrelling with others, they no sooner end a quarrel with one Saint; but they begin another, they can no more live without jangling and quarrelling, and strife, than the Salamander can live without fire. This is the reason, a proud heart therefore can never close with the Saints, it cannot be content with a little measure of love from the Saints. A Saint if he be as he should be, can love though he be not loved, and can rejoice wonderfully if he have the least measure of love from others. The Lord make this short word spiritual, and powerful to thee, and me: If this lesson were rightly learned, a world of division among the Saints would cease.   

Expositions and Observations on HEBREWS 12. 18, 19, 20, etc.  
For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness and darkness and tempest.  
And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words, which voice they that heard entreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more.  
(For they could not endure that which was commanded, and if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart.  
And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake.)  
But ye are come unto Mount Zion, and unto the City of the living God, the heavenly jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of Angels.  
To the general assembly, and Church of the first born, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and the spirits of just men made perfect.  
And to Jesus the Mediator of the new Covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaketh better things then that of Abel.  
See that ye refuse not him that speaketh; for if they escaped not, who refused him that spoke on earth, much more shall not we escape if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven.  
THe Apostle in these words doth compare 
The old and new Testament compared.  the old Testament, the old Covenant with the new: or (if you will) the estate of the Saints under the old Covenant of Sinai, with the glorious estate of the Saints under the new Covenant. Therefore he tells them, Ye are not come to that mountain that burned with fire, that mountain that might be touched, you are not set under the old Covenant that was terrible, in which there was nothing but that that was terrible, that brought horror upon all that feared God in it: but ye are Come to mount Zion, to the glorious state in the new Testament; and there is nothing but what is amiable, and what is beautiful: for that is it that I mean to pitch on: you shall observe in the description of the Saints in the old Testament, under the old Covenant (I mean not the Books of the old Testament, I suppose you know what I mean in that Proposition) I say there was nothing in all God's administration with them, but it was full of terror, it was terrible, it begat horror in them; and there is nothing in the state of a Saint that is rightly settled in the Gospel, but what is throughly amiable and beautiful: and therefore you shall see how the Apostle reckons them: First, for the old, he saith, they were come but to a Mount that might be touched, that is, an earthly mountain, a mountain or hill, as one of our hills. And that burned with fire, that was terrible. And there was blackness and darkness, and storm, and tempest, covering the heavens and the hill, this was terrible. And there was the sound of a Trumpet, you know that signifies war. And there was a terrible voice of words also, and so terrible, that they that heard it, entreated that they might hear it no more. And the Lord was so strict, that if but a beast touch but the hill that was black and dark, he was to be stoned, or thrust through with a dart, he was to be killed; nay, Moses himself that was to be the Mediator of the people in that Testament, he did exceedingly fear and quake. So that there is nothing in that old Covenant of works, that God saith, is done away, Heb. 8. there was nothing in the old Testament, but what was terrible and full of horror. To come a little more particular; there is nothing in the state of a Professor who is yet on Mount Sinai, as many Professors are who are not yet dead, but alive to the Law: they are not freemen, they are not sons and daughters, they have not the principles of the Gospel clearly wrought in them; I say those people, take them in the bulk, and frame of their profession, there is nothing in their whole life, in all the course of their profession but what is full of horror, and terror. If they look upon God, they see him more or less as an angry judge, ready to stand at the catch to consume them. If they look on grace in them, that is so little, that they continually conclude that they are hypocrites. If they look on sin, they look every moment when God will be avenged on them because of it. If they look on affliction, they say, Now God hath found me out, I knew it would be so that the wrath of God would be on me. If they look on Christ, saith he, He doth not belong to me, and the Promises are not mine. A man that is a Professor on Mount Sinai, as far as he walks in the Covenant of works, or as it were by the Covenant of works, so far of necessity his soul within is as Mount Sinai was without, that is, full of blackness, and darkness, and storms, and tempest; inevitably, and unavoidably, it will be so.  
Therefore clearly, this is the reason of all the troubles, and horrors, and terrors, and uncomfortableness of your spirits, because you have one foot on Mount Sinai, you are not come up to Paul's pitch, I through the Law am dead to the Law; you are not dead to the Law, you are not delivered from it, I mean the Law as it is a Covenant of works, and no otherwise, for I know this, no trouble, nothing can befall a Saint that is rightly principled according to the Gospel, but it is exceeding amiable: If there be sorrow for sin, or any thing that you account bitter in itself, if it fall on such a soul that is endued with such a principle, that is as sweet as any thing else. I may say, (though it be Nonsense to carnal ears) his sorrow is as sweet as his joy, his sorrow for sin is as sweet as his joy for mercies, if he be one that is rightly transplanted from Mount Sinai to Mount Zion: Therefore see how the Apostle lays it down, look on it, and you shall see nothing but what is truly amiable.  But ye are come to Mount Zion. 
Now Mount Zion was a beautiful place, saith the holy Ghost, the beautifullest place in all jerusalem, where the King's house was; David's house covered with gold; Therefore, beautiful things in Scripture are laid down by the name of Zion; and usually it is called the Virgin Zion, for fairness and beauty. Ye are come to Mount Zion.  And to the City of the living God. 
What is that?  The heavenly jerusalem. 
Not to the old jerusalem that was subject to be taken, and to be burned, and subject to pestilence, and famine, and sword, but to the heavenly jerusalem, the jerusalem that comes down from heaven.  And to an innumerable company of Angels. 
You are come now to the place where there are Myriad of Angels. In the state of the Saints in the new Testament, there are innumerable companies of Angels that God hath ordered to wait on them, to protect, and preserve, and to save them. In the old Testament we read of one Angel here, and another there; one Angel was sent to Sennacheribs Camp to destroy it, but here is an innumerable company of Angels; this is the state of the Church in the new Testament.  To the general assembly, and Church of the first born. 
I cannot go over all the particulars, but if you read 
All things amiable to a man rightly built upon Christ.  them over, you shall see that there is no object but what is throughly amiable, and that is the only thing I would commend to you. Let him be a man that is rightly laid upon Jesus Christ, and hath the right knowledge of him according to the Gospel, by his holy Spirit: I do not say that there is a little, but there is nothing that he can conceive or imagine, but it is sweet and amiable, and pleasant to him, as  
For instance, look which way you will, if he behold God, there he seethe infinite sweetness, how he is his Father, reconciled to him, and full of eternal bowels of affection towards him before the world was, one that loves him infinitely, and takes care of him perpetually. If he look on Jesus Christ, he sees that he is his husband, he is one with him, as Christ is one with the Father. If he look upon the Ordinances, he sees them as blessed pipes, that have many sweet promises to convey more of the love of God, and of his Spirit to his soul; If he look upon the creatures, he sees the glory of God upon them in creating them, and the goodness of God in providing them for him, and he tastes the love of God in them. If he look on afflictions, he sees them as sweet, wise, and seasonable corrections from his heavenly Father to bring him nearer to him. If he look on sin, as sin is the transgression of the Moral Law, he sees all forgiven by the righteousness that is in Christ, and all nailed to his Cross, and he knows that sin in him shall work for the best, that it may make him prise the grace of God more, and come nearer to God. If he look on persecution, and the plotting of wicked people against the Church; a Saint that is rightly set in the new Testament, he sees nothing but what is beautiful, and amiable.  
Not but that there are objects that in themselves are not amiable; as sin is not amiable in itself properly considered, neither is affliction, but he hath such a glass, the Lord casts such a light in him through which he sees every thing, the light of the Gospel, through the holy Spirit, that there is nothing but joy and comfort. That is the reason that the Apostle commands, which is a strange command, Rejoice, saith he, in the midst of afflictions, rejoice when ye fall into divers temptations. And rejoice, and again rejoice, Phil. 4. And presently after, Let your patience and moderation be known unto all men. As if he had said, Ye are in great afflictions, yet rejoice evermore. If these Philippians had been as we are, and had had those principles of Mount Sinai in them, they would never have rejoiced in those great afflictions: but having clearly the love of God in them, and justification rightly placed on Christ, and the principles of the Gospel rightly planted in them, there was no affliction or temptation whatsoever, but they could rejoice in it: Rejoice evermore. I do not know whether you yet fully understand it: the Lord teach you, that you may know what is the hope of you calling, what a glorious condition God hath called you to.  
I will conclude with three or four words of Exhortation to you from this Lesson, that every object that a Saint that is in the new jerusalem can behold, is altogether amiable. The uses are here mentioned in the Chapter before.  
Then in the first place learn not to faint under afflictions: 
1. Use Not to faint in afflictions.  for that is the reason the Apostle brings this in, do not so much strive, or struggle how to get out of afflictions, as to get more Gospel light to see afflictions, for that is all one, nay, better than the other. Therefore if the Lord do but give you a little Eyesalve, that is, his Spirit to look on them, you shall see no gall, nor taste, nor see any misery or evil in them at all. That is the Use that is here spoken of. Therefore what ever thy afflictions be, labour to understand rightly their nature, and thy station in the new Testament, and no doubt but thou shalt bear them through.  
Another Use that the Apostle teacheth us is this, 
2. Not to undervalue the glorious condition of Saintship.  and me thinks in my apprehension it is a very considerable word, Beware lest there be any fornicator, or profane person among you, as Esau, that for one morsel of meat sold his Birthright: for, saith he, we are not come to the Mount that might be touched. I apprehend the meaning to be this, that this being so, the estate of a Saint being so glorious, then beware you that are Professors, lest any of you be so profane as to sell your birthright, that is, all your glorious privileges, and unconceivable happiness in your condition for a mess of pottage▪ that is, that you do not relinquish basely these mercies, to forsake your own mercies, as jonah saith, to embrace some lust or other, either to embrace the world, or to fall to wantonness, or drunkenness, or any thing else; and so to bargain as Esau, that sold all his blessed title in the new Testament, and in Jesus Christ for a mess of pottage: Beware of that profaneness, for profaneness is not only when men commit gross evils (as we say) but this is a profane man, though he be a Professor, and walk civilly, that (though but in his heart) is willing to exchange the blessed estate that God hath called him to for the best happiness in the world. There are many profane, men that are not whoremongers and drunkards, but are ready every day if the devil come to cheapen to give up their birthright for a mess of pottage. Take heed you sell it not, if you did understand it rightly, you would not sell it for ten thousand worlds, that condition and happiness that God hath called you to. All the things in the world that can be presented to you, are nothing to the peace of the Kingdom of heaven, be they what they will in themselves, and yet you han●er after ambition, or lusts, or somewhat, and go sell your birthright for a root of bitterness, for a mess of pottage: for base things, I say, (and I am sure there is no Saint here that knows what the happiness of a Christian in the new Testament is, but will say so) that all the glory, and riches, and happiness in the world is no more in comparison of the riches and happiness of a man estated in Christ in the new Testament, than a mess of pottage is compared with an inheritance. Therefore beware of it; desire the Lord to deliver you from a profane heart.  
Thirdly, here is another Use that the Apostle 
3. To encourage weaklings.  makes of it, therefore this should encourage poor, weak Professors, that are every day ready to faint, Wherefore (saith he) lift up the hands that hang down, and the feeble knees, and make straight steps to your paths, lest that which is lame go out of the way. The meaning is poor souls that are beaten out (as it were) as a ship in the sea, all the week with temptations, and afflictions, and injuries, and reproaches, and threaten, and persecutions, that their hands almost fall, that they are ready to say as David, I have washed my hands in innocence in vain. This is the way to keep up thy spirit: Labour, as Paul prays, Phil. 1. to know the riches of thy calling, to understand the glorious condition that God hath called thee to here. I speak not of that in heaven hereafter, but the glorious estate here, if thou hadst eyes to see it, and a heart to judge of it, than you would not be so tormented all the week long with a few temptations and afflictions, and so be ready to give up, as David said, I shall one day perish by the hands of Saul, so, I shall one of these short days prove an hypocrite, a profane man, I am so haunted with temptations, and so followed with sins and lusts. No, beloved, study that blessed estate, what Mount Zion, what the heavenly jerusalem is, that City of the living God; that God hath called you to, and that will support thee.  
Then, that I may conclude, Lastly, this is the use 
4. To study peaceableness.  the Apostle would have us make of it, to follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see see God. That is, if you do understand aright your spiritual condition, the happiness of it, which is unspeakable, then surely you will be peaceable people, you will be at peace with all men; for this is a general truth to me, that our frowardness doth generally arise from some distemper of our own souls within, I mean, when a man sees that God is angry with him, he is angry with others: that is certain always, if God look strangely upon him, he will look strangely upon others, if God quarrel with him, he will quarrel with others: but if God smile upon the soul, and shed his love into the heart, and set his love upon him, he will not be angry with any that are without (I mean with a carnal anger) that is the reason that when a man's ways please God, the stones of the street shall be at peace with him. Did you ever see the stones of the street angry with you? but the meaning is, when a man's ways are cross with God, and he hath a guilty conscience, a guilty soul hath no true peace, he is ready almost to fall out with the stones in the street, he quarrels with his servant, with his horse, with every thing, because he hath an unquiet spirit within, when a man pleaseth God, the stones shall be at peace with him, that is, he shall be at peace with every thing. Why so? because there is an infinite, unspeakable quiet in his own soul.  
That is the reason we have so many Professors among us that are so bitter and cruel, to others, some they call Presbyters, and some Independents, and divers other Professors, you may pick them out in every Congregation that are so sharp and terrible to others, if they cross them, or descent from them never so little What is the reason? because there are abundance of Professors that have one foot on Mount Sinai, they walk by the Covenant of Works, they have patched a feigned rotten peace in them with God in Christ, and so many times there is blackness and darkness within, therefore they are ready to wrangle and quarrel with others without.  
But God hath called us to Mount Zion, where is that? where the swords are turned into Pruning hooks, and the spears into Ploughshares, sighing and sorrow is gone away, and there is no ravenous beast there, meaning the glorious estate of the Saints in the purity of the light of the Gospel; all our ravenous spirits shall be taken away, for it is impossible, that soul that hath the love of God shed into it, and the peace of God rightly planted in it, it is impossible but that soul should be mild, and calm, and meek, and merciful, and loving, and courteous to all, and be at peace with all, and peaceable to all.  
And for holiness, Fellow holiness, saith the Apostle, this would make you holy, if you did understand your condition rightly: O, if you were persuaded that God did love you from eteruity, and that his Son did die for you, and that you and he are as really one as he is one with his Father, and that all the treasures that are in Christ are yours, etc. this would inevitably work in us a holy frame of heart, and disposition. Therefore the Apostle usually calls on us to be holy from such motives, I beseech you by the mercies of God, and by the consolations of the Spirit do this and that, and leave that and the other evil. That is the reason we are lame in holiness, because our principles are so confounded, and the Gospel of Christ is not spiritually, and rightly, and orderly, and distinctly planted in us, or else we would be more holy, and look on sin in another manner then ever, and hate the appearance of it, and cleave to that which is good.  
These were the Lessons that I thought of from this Scripture. Desire God to enlarge them when you come home, for Truth's use to breed in the soul. Therefore the Spirit of God is compared to a Bird, the Spirit sat on the waters, as the Bird doth on the nest to hatch her young. The Spirit of God (with reverence) will hatch such truths as this in the hearts of his children, that though it be confused, and rude in the beginning, yet the Lord by his holy Spirit may break it out to a glorious, and powerful light to our souls.   

Expositions and Observations on 1 PETER 1. 9, 10, 11, 12.  
Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.  
Of which salvation the prophets have enquired, and searched diligently, etc.  
Which things the Angels desire to look into.  
THe Apostle speaks of the salvation that Godhath given unto us, and Christ hath purchased for us in the New Testament; and he saith it is such a glorious salvation that all the prophets in old time, they have been groping after it; they have spoken much of it, but understood little of what they said, but spoke for our sakes, that is, principally for us: and the very Angels desire to look into that salvation. The Apostle sets out the glory of that salvation thus: the prophets inquired after it, and the angels desire to look into it. So the word then briefly is this, that  
The very angels of God, they do earnestly desire to know, and understand the mysteries of the Gospel, the salvation that God hath given to sinners by the Gospel.  
The Angels are wondrously taken with the knowledge 
The desire of the Angels after the mysteries of the Gospel.  of the glorious mysteries of the Gospel. True it is, for themselves, they are not more saved after the manner as men are; but yet the glory of it is so great, and the glory of God by it, that the very angels desire to look into it, the Angels study it.  
Now, how do they study it?  
Compare this with that Ephes. 3. 8, 9, 10. Unto me (saith the Apostle) God hath given this grace that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, etc. To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places, might be made known by the Church the manifold wisdom of God. The Angels no doubt know that that we cannot comprehend, and they have a great deal of that intuitive knowledge, as we say; but this I would teach you, that the Angels are willing by the Church, that is, by Gospel preaching, by the ordinances of God set up in the Church, they are willing to learn, and by the help of them to pry into the glorious mysteries of the Gospel.  
Not only the good Angels, they are present here 
Both good and bad Angels.  (that is certain) waiting upon the Saints; but also the evil angels, that is, the devils, they desire to look into the Gospel, they do learn the mysteries of the Gospel by Gospel ordinances, by preaching. For good and bad Angels are of the same nature by creation, though some fell, and others did not. This mystery of the Gospel was hid from Angels, from good and evil Angels. And though they know divers things of God, and their own happiness, yet the glorious things of God in the Gospel, and New Testament, they are content to come down among us, and hear and learn of the Church, and of the ordinances. We are not able to comprehend what senses Angels have, or that we shall have when we are gone hence to the Lord. Therefore there are two or three things that we should learn from it.  
Use 1 Me thinks it should be a general motive to every one of us to be a little more diligent, and careful to 
To be diligent hearers of the mysteries of the Gospel.  hear the mysteries of the Gospel when they are opened to us. If angels come down (as it were and learn this wisdom by the Gospel, who is so great but he should stoop to pry into these glorious mysteries? And if the devil (though he learn it that he may the more dishonour God by it) harken to every tittle, and use of it, and improve it, how careful should we be? If the good Angels learn, though their salvation be not by it; but only the glory and the mystery, and beauty of it; how much more should I hearken, whose salvation, or damnation it is for ever? If the Devil hearken to every doctrine and use, that he may dishonour God, and hinder my soul, how much more should I hearken, that I may honour God, and resist the devil and save my soul?  
Use. 2 Secondly, learn hence another thing, that is, wisdom and watchfulness against Satan. Truly the devil 
To learn Caution against Satan.  was a gross fool, in the times of Popery I mean, there was but little preaching, therefore he had but little knowledge of the things of the Gospel: but as the light of the Gospel grew clear, so the devil grew wiser. And he hath laid aside all the temptations that he had a hundred years ago: for he can never catch men that way, for the generality, and now he hath gotten spiritual temptations: for as the Gospel breaks out for the enlightening of the Saints, to bring glory to God, and save their souls; so the Devil gets more light, and knowledge whereby he may more dishonour God, and damnify the souls of men. The devil is the same now as he was then to dishonour God, and damn souls; and the way generally is the same to bring men to sin: but for the special manner of it, the devil drives a new trade, nothing like as before: before it was to invocate angels, and dead Saints; that was gross. Now you think you are safe, because these things are gone; but the devil hath got the Spiritual knowledge of every lesson you hear, and he knows how to beat you with your own weapons, the devil hath temptations on the right hand, and on the left, now he brings men to be puffed up with spiritual knowledge, he hears precious things in the Gospel, and an intelligble man is much taken with notions, and the devil takes him that way. He sees the doctrine of justification breaking out, and it is glorious, and men are taken with it, therefore in way of thankfulness men shall swagger as the world doth; and whereas before they were something like professors, even to the world, now they shall walk in all looseness, and wantonness. I say not that all do so: but there are some, and woe to them, that turn the grace of God into wantonness. I am not able to tell my thoughts how fine the temptations of Satan are grown by this salvation; by every Sermon he increaseth his knowledge, and will to the end more and more, and those temptations that take us now, our children will laugh at them, because knowledge shall increase. Therefore take heed of pride, and arrogancy, walk humbly, and hearken to advice, for thou hast an enemy that learns more at one Sermon, than thou dost at three.  
Use. 3 Another thing is this, see what a glorious Jewel the Gospel is, what a glorious pearl, when the angels come 
To make us admire the glorious Pearl and riches of the Gospel.  down to study it. The Angels in heaven see God, and for aught I know they have as much happiness as ever they shall have; they are sent down to the Saints to wait on them, and that they that it concerns not should be so taken with it, it must needs be a glorious jewel. Therefore some conceive that the Cherubins in the law: there were two Cherubins over the Ark on the mercy seat, one looking towards another, God ordered it so, so as they were prying as it were into the mercy seat: and some conceive they were a type of the Angels prying into the glorious mysteries of the New Testament, looking one at another, and wondering (as it were) It is a glorious Jewel.  
Therefore let us praise God for it, and endeavour to use all means to keep it up. Many devises the devil hath to pull it down (though he get nothing, but make himself more miscrable) so there will not be such wanting still. To instance in one, take heed of Idolising discipline, and government, that is, so to give ourselves up to seek a government, that we care not what hindrance we do to the Gospel the while. As there are some here among us in hindering the poor Welsh Ministers from preaching to the people, only because they suspected them to be Independents: this is but the beginning of sorrows, if men may have their will for discipline and government, we shall lose this Gospel which the Angels pry into: discipline and government is good, but we must not lose the Gospel for it, keep up that.  
And beloved, if ever the Lord set peace among you, think of those poor countries that have not this jewel and Pearl. If God raise men, you may find out some way or other, whereby to maintain them. And it is more than allowing them maintenance: for you are to stickle with that generation of wicked men that for every trifle and nicety hinder poor people from enjoying the Gospel, and pretend either it may be he is not a University man, he is no master of Arts, it may be he hath Greek, and Latin, and not Hebrew, though he be full of the Holy Ghost, and yet the people must be starved. Let us do what we can to prize, and advance the Gospel, hold it up before every soul. If the Angels come down from heaven to pry into our Gospel; how much should we prise it, and not suffer people that we shall curse seven years hence that we bless now, that would cozen us of the Gospel: be not cheated of the Gospel: it is a precious Pearl; it is all that this poor ruind, tottered Kingdom hath left: for peace, and wealth are gone, and there is a foundation of a new war laid, only God hath kept up the Gospel in England as much as in any kingdom in the world, Beware of men, of wolves in sheep's clothing, beware of all the instruments of the devil that would beguile you, and your poor children of this jewel.  
Use. 4 Lastly, be forward, and ready to every good work; though it do not much concern you. Truly there is a loveliness in 
To be ready to every good work.  good works, though they concern not me, and my good, yet I should have a hand in them, I mean, though they concern not my calling. There is a disposition in men, that they will meddle with nothing, but their end is their profit, or credit. The Angels pry into our Gospel; what have they to do with it? They love to see the wonderful wisdom of God in it, and to see Christ wooing sinners, and take them in his Arms, it is nothing to them, yet they rejoice that poor sinners should be saved, and they rejoice to see the justice of God, and the wisdom, and mercy of God, how sweetly they be reconciled, and glorified in his Gospel. So let us, when any good work is to be done, though I, and my family be not concerned in it, yet let us go among them, and do what we can. This is the Plague of this age, that many are about doing of good, that is certain, but there are some wheels of their own ends in it. I cannot say it of every Officer; but in any Office or place in the City, you shall have some that have wheels of their own ends that move all, and if that be away, all stands still. Let us love good works for good works sake: for the beauty of the work.   

Expositions and Observations on JUDAS 19  Sensual, not having the Spirit. 
I Am not now in an Expounding way further than I must of necessity to show who these are that are said not to have the Spirit; but only I shall pick out a Lesson for you, you may easily see if you read the Chapter, they were a generation of Professors, of whom Peter speaks much, They despised Magistracy, they were spots in their feasts of love, clouds carried about with every wind, Wells without water, Trees, whose fruit was withered, twice dead, and plucked up by the roots, for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness. You see what their qualities were, and you may see what their misery should be; compare Judas with 2 Pet. 2. Among the rest of their properties this is one, they have not the Spirit. This is the last of all that the Apostle names, They are sensual not having the Spirit. And he usually reserves the greatest things last in his eloquence and way of speaking. Now than the Lesson is this, That  
The greatest difference (that I know) in all the Book of God, between Saints and Sinners is, that the one hath the Spirit, and the other hath not.  
There are a thousand differences even in Scripture, but they are none of them so substantial as this, that a Saint, is a man that hath the Spirit, and a Sinner is one that hath not the Spirit, one that is without the Spirit. Therefore the Apostles when they were Preaching, and met with any Disciples, and Professors, they asked presently, Have ye received the Spirit? It is not meant only, nor chief of the common gifts of the Spirit, but certainly it is meant principally of the spirit of holiness, Have you received the holy Ghost or no? So our Lord Christ speaking of the world, and the Church (to see what a blessed thing it is to see heavenly things in the language of Scripture, a thing that if we could grow up to, we should overthrow a thousand distinctions in Divinity; we mistake things, taking them in the old Notion) John 14. what is the difference between the world, and the people of Christ? I will send thc Spirit which the world cannot receive. The world are men that have not, nor cannot receive the Spirit of God, and the Saints are those that do, and have received the Spirit of God. You read in 2 Joh. 2. 18. of men that had made a great profession that were fallen off, that were fallen away, saith he, They went out from us, because they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. There are many fallen away, saith he, but they were not of us. Why? What are you? might some say: We (saith he) have received an unction, an anointing, and it abides with us. And ye need not that any should teach you, that will teach you all things. They that fall off, they were not of us. Why? they have not the Spirit of God, therefore they were not of us. So when the Apostles preached, sometimes it is said that some of them believed, and some did not; and at other times it is said when they preached that the Spirit of God did fall upon the people, that is, they were converted, they were born again, they were made Saints. So in Rom. 8. where the Apostle speaks of being in Christ, and out of Christ, which is the great point of all, and salvation and damnation hangs upon it. This is his language, they that are in Christ, walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit. So in the language of the spirit of God, the main thing that belongs to a Saint, it is not as we ordinarily account it: there are a hundred things that we call Religion that God doth not. A drunkard may be stricken with terror in hearing the word, and we say such a one is converted, and it may be not; and there are hundreds of other people that may pray twice a day, and hear Sermons, and repeat them, and out of a natural principle of devotion may have affections: this is not Christianity, or Gospel Religion. There are abundance of professors among us, that the Holy Ghost will not own, because they have not the spirit.  
Therefore the main way whereby we may judge of a Saint or a sinner, is whether he have the spirit of God in him or no. O such a one doth great things, he prays, and hears, and reads, and disputes much: I but hath he the spirit, or no?  
But you will say, How shall I look for that? How shall I know that?  
I will tell you how; A man may know the spirit 
The Spirit in us to be known by its own evidence.  in himself clearly by the evidence of the same spirit, And a man that hath the spirit may know the spirit in another by the spirit. There is a kind of Sagacity among the Saints, whereby they having the spirit are able (though not expressly, and clearly) to behold the spirit in another.  
We are the sons of God, but the world knows us not: worldly men know not the Saints from Schismatics, and Heretics: and usually spiritual people receive those names from the world, Schismatics, and Heretics, and the like. But a man that hath the spirit of God, he can see as clearly as a natural man can with his eyes. How can a poor lamb know the dam among a thousand? There is a Sagacity in nature, and so there is here in grace, they have the same spirit. As when Elizabeth, and Mary were talking, the Babe in Elizabeth's Womb leapt, hearing the words of Mary, that then had the Lord Jesus conceived in her. I give you but a little resemblance from natural things. The Saints know it, and their fellowship is in the spirit. Our communion is in God, and not in such a Covenant; or merely in outward duties: but our communion is with the Father, and with his son Jesus Christ, and in the spirit with all his Saints.  
Therefore labour for the spirit of God. Truly, God is now coming, I am confident it is his design in these latter times to exalt his spirit, and to pull, and throw down every thing that exalts itself against the spirit, that stands in his light, and Eclipseth the glory of it. And though the world which cannot receive the spirit of truth, do either blaspheme, or else do set little by it, yet surely it is the will of God that all his children should honour it. These thousand year's learning, and natural parts, and moral good works, and superstitious good works have been exalted. Now in these later times, Our Sun shall be turned into darkness, and our Moon into blood. That is as the learned 
* Calvin.  interpret it, all the glorious things that we had before the pouring out of the spirit, that we made Suns, and Moons of, God will blast them.  
I speak not against learning simply, it is useful, especially in a Commonwealth: but as far as learning intrencheth upon the spirit of God, God will blast it: learned men shall be laid by as Ciphers, God will blast their labours, that we might honour the spirit. There is one place that comes to my heart with much sweetness, Psal. 119. 96. I have seen an end of all perfection, but thy law is very broad. We have seen an end of all perfection of learning, of common gifts, of natural parts; we have seen God blast these one after another: but God's law is very broad. The moral law, the law of the letter is broad, much more the law of the spirit of life in Christ, that is extolled more and more: therefore all must down to extol the spirit of God.  
Truly Religion is a hundred ways mistaken by people, I could give a hundred instances, especially in your Catechisms, where it is asked; What is Religion? It is such, and such. Christian Religion, or Gospel Religion under the New Testament consists of two things, Christ crucified, and the pouring out of the spirit of God. These are the two pillars of our Religion in the New Testament. And this is all we have to preach to you, and as far as any thing hath not relation to these two things, it is not the Ministry of the Gospel, it is not Gospel Religion.  
We speak much of reformation, and it is to be desired; but among other errors in Religion this is one: many think that the main point in Religion is the setting up of government; whereas our main reformation is in pulling down, and not in setting up: for we have a world of institutions set up that will never hold. And among those latter institutions that good people have set up. I believe that there are not many will hold: but these will, the Doctrine of Christ crucified, and the pouring out of God's spirit. And as many as tend to this; and flow from this, without scruple I think we may die for them. But when our Bibles have gone through the hands of Papists so many hundred years, when a man shall come to die for it, he is afraid that such a thing may be crept into the text, & a thousand such thoughts of Athiesme will come upon a man: but when a man can say, this is Christ crucified, and Christ pouring out of his spirit, let the particles, and the words run as they will, this is the main that will hold.  
As the Gospel was intended, and designed for simple men more than others, so (with reverence) the Gospel is a more simple, plain thing than most men in the world conceive. The Gospel needs not the thousand part of the distinctions, and definitions, that the schoolmen have, and that men multiply. It is a simple story concerning Christ crucified, and how the Holy Ghost was poured upon men, and this was preached by fishermen as God gave them utterance, and it was prophesied of before. If Religion be a simple thing, taught by fishermen▪ with the pouring out of the Spirit, than there need not all those disputes concerning the Arts, etc. For my part I think learning to be a very good thing to perfect a man's naturals: but I think on the other side that a man that savingly, and clearly knows Christ crucified, and the pouring out of the spirit, he is the fittest man in the world to be a preacher.  
We should know things a thousand fold better, and clearer than we do, if we would judge of things as God judgeth of them; if we would use the language of the Scripture, and the notions of the holy spirit in the Scripture. If we would know a Saint from a sinner (as I said) a man that is the Lords, and another that is not, this is the main way, the chief essential difference, the one hath the spirit, the other hath not. It is not so much whether yonder man pray, or fast, or preach, or repeat, or whether he doth many good outward moral things, but whether he hath the spirit of God; though it be now almost a ridiculous thing to name the spirit of God. We should I say distinguish man from man by the spirit.  
And labour in a special manner to assure our selves that we have the spirit of God. We should not rest in this, that I have left such sins, or I do such duties; but go on still, till I come up to this, that with all humility, and thankfulness I may say, God hath given to me of his holy spirit, the spirit of Jesus Christ dwells in my heart▪ Paul was humble, and modest enough in his expressions, yet he could boldly say he had the spirit, We have the earnest of the spirit. And john could say so of other Saints, Ye have an unction, or an anointing, 1 john 2. and that was the blessed spirit.  
Truly (beloved) it is a comfortable thing (in respect of himself) for a poor creature to see many stumble at the word of God; whereas if we would resolve to be wise in the wisdom of God, and to speak of things as the Scripture speaks, to look on things as the Scripture looks on them, to use those phrases, and expressions, and those notions, we should understand many mysteries in godliness, which now are little less than stumbling blocks to us: because there is a kind of thwarting wisdom in us that is cross to that.  
God is now (I told you) about to exalt the spirit, yet not in a way contrary to the Scripture, but the spirit in the Scripture I mean. Therefore learn this lesson, to strive for this as the chief thing, to find the spirit of God in you, dwelling and working in you, because as in the Old Testament there was one great promise (to wit) of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus, that was the great promise, and all other promises belonged to that. So in the New Testament there is but one great promise, the promise of the father as Christ calls it, and that is the pouring out of the Spirit.  
Therefore as the Lord hath been teaching us of late years to know his Son Christ crucified, the doctrine of justification, where our righteousness lies, etc. So let us not think these speculations enough, but take the other main thing that is as great as this, the doctrine of the spirit. That I may as well find the spirit working in me, as to know without that Jesus Christ died for me.  
If Religion were stated aright, I mean Christianity, Christian Religion under the New Testament; not in books, but the life of Christianty, it would be to know Christ crucified, and to enjoy the spirit of Christ: that when we read the New Testament, and cast up the bill of account when we have done, there is the sum of all; the two hinges that all goes on. Therefore take heed of being deceived by notional knowledge of things only without you, though it be never so glorious. For if thou be a Saint, thou hast the Spirit of God really dwelling in thee in its measure, as truly as in the Lord jesus Christ, as it is in Ephes. 1. the latter end, the spirit that works in them that believe.  
O the spirit of God is a glorious thing. It is that that not only makes the grand difference between a Saint and a sinner, but even in a godly man, the spirit is all in all in Religion. Let the spirit but stir in him, though he be never so dark yet all is light before him. Let the spirit come and comfort him, though he be in chains of Iron, though he be in the greatest misery in this world, yet he can sing Psalms. Let the spirit be given him, and then not only faith, and the promises, but graces, and common providences, every thing speaks the love of God to his soul. But let the spirit withdraw from him, if the Lord take away his spirit but for a moment, even from the best Saint, his body and his soul are no better (If I may speak it) than a mere carrion. I allude to that of james, The body without the soul is dead. So take the body and soul without the spirit of God, it is dead. Dead? What is that? Thus, take a living body (that I may follow the comparison a little) there is no living body but he can do something: though some can do more than others, yet every living body can do something, he can sit, or walk, or talk, etc. And as he can do some good, so he can resist some evil. If a man be dying almost, if you go to pour water in his throat, he can turn his head aside. But let the soul be away, he can neither do any good (I speak now of natural, civil good) or resist evil. So it is with the soul, let the Lord take away his spirit, and we are quite flat: Let the Lord propose any good work to do, let any part of the will of God be presented, there is no stirring at all in the soul towards it, the heart lies gaping, and is dead; Let any lust or sin come, any temptation though it be never so poor and feeble, there is no resistance, there is an inroad into the soul without any opposition, let pride, or frowardness, or filthiness, or covetousness and worldliness come, there is nothing to resist it, because the life of the soul is away, which is the spirit of God.  
And is not this an excellent thing then, for a man to have the spirit of God dwelling in him? that when good is proposed to him, the spirit may (as it were) switch him, It is a homely expression, but I have found it by experience. As a jade with a good switch is set on to the journey, or to his business; so when the soul of a man hath somewhat within to switch him to cause him to close with good things, to lay hold on them, to attempt them at least: Whereas when the spirit is away, there is no stirring; the soul is as flat, and as dead; as water in a stinking ditch. This is the excellency of the spirit. Therefore you that have it, prise it. There are some that if they had it again as once they had, they would prise it, and praise God for it, and would now give a world for it. Therefore you that have these stir of the spirit in you to make you close with good, and to resist evil in some measure; bless God, and praise his name for it.  
That is the thing I drive at, that you may see the use and worth, and excellency of the Spirit of God in your souls. When the Spirit of God is away from the soul, all the seals of God's Love, and the signs of his Favour, they are cut off at one dash as it were; I mean thus, when the Spirit of God dwells in the soul, you could read the love of God in every Ordinance, you could see it in every Grace, and in every Promise in the Word of God, in every thing: and you could see one while your election with joy, and another while God's everlasting love with joy, and another while the death of Christ, and another while your union with him, another while your Redemption, and Reconciliation, and Gods Love sealed in all these; Nay, in every creature you could taste the Love of God, in your , and your meat, and every thing: But let the Spirit of God be gone, and all these are gone: Take all Promises and Mercies, and Sacraments; they seal not one spark of the Love of God, but they are all dead, speechless things, that signify and speak no comfort at the best, and it may be horror, that a man may read (I had almost said) his Reprobation, in that which a few hours before he could have read his election in; and those Scriptures all along that he could sweetly have seen the Will of God in, and could say, that which neither eye hath seen, nor ear hath heard, nor hath entered into the hart of man, that I have seen, he can shut his Bible, and say, and almost swear that he understands not one tittle in it. That soul that when he had the Spirit could spring with joy unspeakable and full of glory when he came before the Lord to call upon him, either in public or in private, and could pour his soul into his father's bosom, that could have prayed a whole year, if he had had time and strength to continue, he is not able now to speak one word to the Lord.  
And more than so, he is not now deprived only of all light, of all Knowledge, of all assurance, of all comfort, of all strength, either to do good, or to resist evil: but there is positive horror in the heart, positive fear, and terror, and darkness: a bondage to unbelief seizing upon him; That as our Lord saith, The Spirit is like wind, that no man knows whence it comes, or whither it goes: So he feels a misery in his soul, that he knows not whence it comes, or where it will end: As it was said of the Powder plot, the Powder Treason, that there should be a blow given that none should know whence it was: so he sees a blow given to his soul, and the life of it, and all that is good and excellent in it, and he knows not whence it is; he can say, that his soul is no other than a plain hell, for there is no positive evil in hell but it is there, and there is no privative evil, no evil of deprivation of any thing that is good, but he feels it there; so that in all our Religion, our Graces, and Duties, and Assurances, and Evidences, the Spirit of jesus Christ is the life of all.  
Therefore no wonder that David (who was a Type of a Gospel Christian) should say, Create in me, O Lord, a new heart, andrenew and restore thy holy Spirit: as if he had said, since thy holy Spirit went away there is an annihilation, all that is in me is annihilated. He doth not say, mend, and repair, but create: I see not so much as a stump of Grace, a root, or a habit, or any thing, but all is pulled up, and thou must create in me a right spirit: Therefore learn that the life of all your Comfort and Assurance, and Profession, and Graces, and Duties, and all, is the Spirit of God: It is but the turning of God's hand to say, Come back my holy Spirit from such a soul; leave him but one three hours, and then he will be according as I have told you: therefore saith the Apostle, we are not debtors to the flesh, but to the Spirit. If ever you find comfort in an Ordinance, you own thanks to the Spirit, if ever you have a little assurance of God's love, whom will ye thank for it? Ye are no debtors to the flesh; he doth not mean you are not debtors to sin, there is no man but he knows that he owes nothing to sin; but, saith he, not to the flesh, that is, principally to any thing that is not the Spirit, to fleshly wisdom, to natural parts, to our best abilities, and endeavours. If ever you have gotten any thing by Sabbaths, or Sermons, or the company of the Saints, it was not from your own wisdom, or pains, but you are debtors to the Spirit of God, it is the Spirit that wrought it; therefore prise the Spirit of God you that have it: O if you could but borrow the eyes of poor souls that had it once, and have it not! O how happy creatures would you think you are notwithstanding all outward miseries, because Jesus Christ by his holy Spirit dwells in your hearts! but we know not the worth of it till we want it, and then we can prise it, and would give a world for it.  
And then labour to please the blessed Spirit, take heed of provoking and grieving of him, the Spirit is a more dainty Spirit than you are ware of, you may easily vex, and grieve and fret it, do not dally with sin: Christians make a dallying with sin, which is altogether unworthy of the Gospel of jesus Christ: one dallies and flickers like the Fly about the Candle, with one last one while, and another with another, and still the Spirit is grieved, and then you know where you are.  
You little think when you are dallying and trifling with lusts, and do not set forth the strength of Christ in you against them, little do you think what bitter fruit you have along with it: It may leave you so low, that you know not whether ever it will come again, and there is the misery of all miseries; how do I know but that God hath cast me off, and left me, and will never see my soul more? because when I was tempted to pride, and frowardness, or worldliness, I gave way, and did basely, and spoke unworthily. Have a care of this, this is the will of God, and it is for your warning, that since God hath made you happy, you would take heed that you make not yourselves miserable, but that you would be careful not to grieve the blessed Spirit whereby you are sealed and comforted.  
Sin is like that Italian Fig, that Physicians say (how true I know not) they can poison a man in a Fig, and take the poison, and it shall not work in a month, or, in two months after; So a poor Christian sins, and breaks into frowardness, to rail against his brother, and backbite, and yet he finds the comfort of the Spirit fresh, but it may be a week or a fortnight after when he goes to shake himself as Sampsom when he went against the Philistines, when he hath sinned, and thinks to go with the same boldness to God in prayer, he finds his strength weakened, and the Spirit gone, and then all is gone, his Life, and Prayers, and Seals, and Comforts, and Evidences, and Assurance, and there is nothing but a careass left made up of flesh: And whatsoever is born of flesh is flesh. A man would think it were a ridiculous phrase, we observe it not, flesh is abominable to God. Flesh, what is that? I have lately seen a dead horse, one of the ugliests sights that ever I saw, it was full of huge, monstrous Vermin, abominable, that I cannot fitly speak of it, and I wondered why it should be so, and I concluded because it was flesh, when the flesh was gone there would be none of that stink, and filth left; so in your souls and mind, there is a piece of flesh for every Vermin, and the devil may come with seven spirits worse, and may say, there is such a soul, there was the Spirit, but now there is nothing but flesh, come fellow devils: Therefore beware of grieving the Spirit, it is easily grieved: It is not the greatness of our sins that grieves the Spirit, but the baseness of our hearts in sinning in little things, it may be in wearing Apparel, or Lace, or Open breasts, in trifling things with a sinful disposition; that which we account a trifling lust may grieve the Spirit.  
Therefore, I say, you that have it prize the Spirit, and you that have it not, labour to have it, and endeavour to please and to entertain the Spirit: for the Spirit and Christ are the same as it were, they are taken one for another; Christ dwells in us, and the Spirit dwells in us, and saith the Spouse in the Canticles, I will take my beloved, and bring him to my mother's Chamber, and let none call my beloved, or wake him till he please; Study to give all contentment to the Spirit of God, cross him not, thwart him not, vex him not, but entertain him, for he is your life, and you are nothing but flesh when he is gone.  
It may be God hath other designs in it, otherwise when God takes away his Spirit, and leaves my soul in desertion, if I did not think God had a design in it for his own glory and my good, I should utterly sink; Therefore God sometimes takes away his Spirit, to the end that we may know the worth of the Spirit, how to prise it, and to pity people that have it not, and to please it with more carefulness if God ever give it us again.   

Expositions and Observations on 2 COR. 11. 3.  But I fear lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. 
I Shall not expound it, but only out of the presumption I have of your goodness, and the love of God in you, that you will hear a spiritual word in any shape; therefore though brokenly, and confusedly; I would take occasion from these words to exhort you to stick to the simplicity of the Gospel, my meaning is this, that  
The Gospel is a far more simple and plain thing then most people conceive it to be.  
Truly (beloved) I think that our growing now we 
The simplicity of the Gospel.  are come out of Antichrist is not to grow in higher notions, and speculations of things, but to grow more simple in the worship of God. We shall be less curious a great deal when Christ shall set up his worship, then when Antichrist set it up. Our growing in knowledge is not as honest Doctor Preston saith, to know new things, so much as to know old things in a new manner. The Gospel is a plain, simple thing. There are these three reasons I shall give you. 
Argued from three reasons. 1. The matter of it.   
First I find that the matter of the Gospel is a plain, simple thing, not of ens, and non ens, and notions that none can apprehend them, as people every where discourse above the Moon. I understand not their words, no not grammatically, not in the letter, and this is their high, and glorious light. But I see the Apostles preached Christ, they tell a story of a man born of the Virgin Mary, apprehended of the jews, and he was a public person, and bore the sins of his people, and he was put to death, and risen again for our justification. In the preaching of the Apostles in the Acts we find none of those Chimeras, and Ideas, and distinctions that we generally find professors now aiming at. But to know plain Christ crucified in a spiritual manner. As compare, 1 Cor. 2. with Philip. 3. we shall see clearly, Paul saith he knew what the world did not know, that eye did not see, nor ear had heard, and what was that? Christ crucified, and the power of his resurrection, as he opens it, Phil. 3.  
And besides, as we find it is a plain, simple thing: 
2. The instruments divulging it.  so we see the Lord chose simple people to go, and preach it, he chose generally fisher men, and such poor men, and women sometimes. Rude men, in a manner without learning; these were to go and tell a simple story of jesus Christ, and him crucified, etc.  
I find also the parties to whom the Gospel is directed, 
3. Those to whom it was directed.  2 Cor. 1. not to the learned, nor to the wise, but to the base and foolish; to base things of the world, and despised things, and things that are not. And so we find by experience, that the Lord sends the Gospel to poor silly people: the simplest people most commonly understand the Gospel of Jesus Christ best.  
Every body seeks to dress the Gospel, and to make it more curious, but few labour to reduce the Gospel to its native simplicity. One Generation dresseth the Gospel most bravely with humane learning. Though I will not simply speak against humane learning, it is good, as fire when it is put on the hearth; so humane learning when it is put in its own place, it is a good thing; but the use that men make of it, to dress the simplicity of the Gospel with it, makes it abominable.  
Others dress the Gospel, and multitudes now adays, (I speak not to censure them, or out of spite against them; but rather out of a zeal I have, that you and I may be found at the last day in the simplicity of the Gospel,) they make a jingle of the Gospel, they sublimate it, as though it were as the Philosopher's conceits were, Notions above the Moon, or things that they cannot conceive what they be, existent, and consistent, and visibility, and contrariety, and forms, and I know not what. Thus the Gospel is perverted. I have been troubled more, then modestly I may speak to a Congregation, to see how the plain Gospel of Jesus Christ; preached by Fishermen, to simple people of Christ crucified: That people should sublimate it almost into air, to nothing; that all things is God, and that God is all things; and that God is essentially in us, and we in him: And we must do all things to God passively, and not actively. Such a metaphysical kind of Gospel, and such terms as confound your souls, and bring them in the end to nothing.  
Therefore I exhort you to stick to the simplicity of the Gospel: And do not think it is a small thing; it is a great business that I exhort you to. Why so? Because I find that there are many souls that make shipwreck of their own salvation, by flying too high above the Gospel of Jesus Christ: They lose themselves, they run through all Religions (as some say) and at last come to be nothing at all. And I am sure of it, they destroy the faith of others, I am sure of that, almost by experience, as Paul saith of Hymeneus and Alexander, They destroy the faith of many. That when a poor tenderhearted Christian hears them talk so high, and is not able to understand literally a word that is said, saith he, I have nothing in the world, I never knew God aright, because I see that I cannot understand a word of this, and a world of evils more.  
And I have observed, and do observe it, That usually those kind of people that are so led, when they, have such Chimaeras and Notions in their heads, they nullify all Religion besides, and all but that is nothing; and one Chimaera carries the bell one quarter of a year, and then that is laid aside, and then they have another notion, and that is all the Religion; and then away goes that, and then there comes a third. These destroy the faith of poor souls in Christ crucified, and justification by him, and holiness to him; and all holy duties in the Gospel by the Spirit: this is destroyed.  
Therefore my Exhortation to you, is, and it is a blessed word that I have thought much of, in Rom. 12, Be of the same mind one towards another. Mind not high things. Mark that word. We have a kind of expression in our times of higher and lower light; and (which is more, immodest) people attribute the higher light to themselves: We are of the higher light, say they. Saith the Apostle, Mind not high things. How? It is not meant in carnal things, that is, Mind not to get high Offices, or places, or preferment, or the like. But he speaks of spiritual things, as it is clear, if you compare the third verse. For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you; not to think of himself more highly, than he ought to think, but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. As if he had said, I find many among you, that sublimate the Gospel almost into air, in high conceits, and Ideas, and notions, and leave poor Christ crucified, and the simple Gospel preached by fishermen. I would not have you wise, above that which is meet; not to mind high things, but condescend to them of the lower sort. The excellency of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, is the plainness of it; and that is the reason, that you mar it with any kind of dressing, because it is excellent in itself If a man have a suit of Scarlet that is extraordinary good, all-to-be-laid with copper lace, it mars it, because the cloth is good of itself. So all dressing of the Gospel, mars it, because it is excellent of itself.  
When you meet with people that tell you, that all your Religion is nothing, and tell you Chimaeras, and high things that may shine bravely for a while: Think of this, I must not mind high things, but condescend to them that are low. Therefore the Apostle in those times, when the Gospel was preached, and perverted by Philosophy, and oppositions of Science, falsely so called, many fine tricks they had to adorn the Gospel; he calls them always to Christ crucified, and tells them, that was the height, and depth, and breadth, and length of all knowledge; as the height, and breadth, and length, and depth of a board, or of a thing; it is the whole dimensions of a board, it is the whole board. So the knowledge of Christ crucified, is the height, and depth, and breadth, and length of all knowledge; that is, It is all knowledge to know Christ crucified in the simplicity of the Gospel. He opposeth not Philosophy to Philosophy, or Science to Science; but he saith, Ye are complete in Christ, and calls them to his death, and resurrection. So keep close to that.  
I speak it the rather, because where there are such notions started up among us daily now of late, they clearly draw us from Christ crucified. A Platonical kind of Religion, a kind of Heathenism, a kind of consideration of God in his own nature and essence without Christ. Beware of this ambition. It is enough for you, and me to know jesus Christ, and him crucified, and the power of his death and resurrection, according to the simplicity of the plain Gospel once preached by fishermen, to foolish and base people, and things of no worth.  
Therefore I beseech you stick to Christ crucified, and to the simplicity and plainness of the Gospel. I would not have you to stick in the Letter, and to go no further, but labour for the Spirit of God through the Letter, to be in your souls. I know God many times by these broken words, may do your souls good; but this is a thing, that I confess my soul is so full of, that I am not able to express it, to vent, and open myself. The mischief, and misery that befalls people, by soaring above the Scriptures, above the plainness and simplicity of the Gospel, ye hear that they do themselves, and others; and the safeties, and security, that will be to your souls in keeping to the plain, simple way of the Gospel of jesus Christ.  
I had another short lesson, but I am loath to thrust out one duty with another. It is a rule, by which, I would always walk: I cannot now handle it, but only mention it to you; and if God lead us by his blessed Spirit, we may learn a little of it. I thought to show you  
The Oneness that is betwixt us, and jesus Christ.  
Methinks it is a more glorious Truth, than we have judged it to be, that poor Saints are one with Christ. The Lord jesus Christ is anointed, and so are they; we have the same unction with Christ; we have the same name with Christ; we have the same Offices with Christ; we have the same love of God with Christ; we have the same Spirit with Christ; and the same Kingdom with Christ in Heaven. The Church is the fullness of jesus Christ. Christ is not properly a Christ without his Members. This is a glorious thing to consider, how the poor Saints and jesus Christ make up one complete Body. He is no Christ (as it were) were it not for his members: The Church is the fullness of him that filleth all in all. It is said of the oil that was poured on Aaron, It ran upon the skirts of his garments. So Christ being anointed, that oil runs on us. As he is a Prophet, so are we; as he is a King, so are we; as he is a Priest, so are we; only with this difference, That in all things he might have the preeminence. He is the highest King, the best Prophet, the most excellent Priest. But otherwise, whatsoever Christ is, that are we; whatsoever he hath, that we have; nay, we have his name. So also is Christ, 1 Cor. 12. We, head and members, are called Christ: And the least Saint of God, is a Prophet, as well as the greatest; and a Priest, as well as the greatest; and a King, as well as the greatest. Nay, he is as real a Prophet, Priest, and King, as the Lord jesus was, only in all things he must have the preeminence. We have a share in all his actions; we are one with him in his graces, in his life, and death, and resurrection, and ascension: There is nothing in Christ; there is nothing that Christ is, or hath, but we are one with him in it.  
Therefore this use we should make of the Scriptures; not to be as babies always, to read a Chapter morning and evening; but you that are experienced Christians, when you have a truth hinted to you, be always at the Scriptures to beat it out. As for instance, go home now, and study that Oneness, that Union that is between Christ, and us, and beat it out to the utmost, and what the excellency of the Spirit of God in the New Testament is, and not to tie yourselves to read so many Chapters a day, but be always studying the Scripture. As David saith, Blessed is the man that exerciseth himself day and night, in the Law of God. Thus the spiritual man doth, not so much read Chapters, as compare Scripture with Scripture, and is bolting out spiritual truths, till they be fully fixed and fastened upon his soul. I shall, it may be (if God will) explain that union to you further, in the mean while search for it; and so I shall leave it here, and hear what the Lord hath further to say to us.   

Expositions and Observations on JERE. 6. 1, 2, etc.  
O ye children of Benjamin, gather yourselves to fly out of the midst of Jerusalem, and blow the Trumpet in Tekoa; and set up a sign of fire in Beth-haccerem; for evil appeareth out of the North, and great destruction.  
I have likened the daughter of Zion, to a comely and delicate woman, etc.  
I Shall desire leave at this time, a little more familiarly, then usually, to tell you what I conceive is the will of the Lord, because I do not expect to speak to you any more.  
I remember a little before the Lord had brought us together, before the desolation of that 
* Bristol.  City, (which indeed was greater than any man can imagine, unless he had been there present) the Lord by his providence guided me to expound, Matth. 24. concerning the desolation of jerusalem, little thinking, or imagining, that the desolation of that place had been so near. And now that word that was then spoken by providence, was (as I perceived afterwards) a very great stay, and refreshing to the souls of the people in their trouble. By providence also, (not by any way of prophecy, I never was addicted that way, but by providence) reading this Chapter in my family, and seriously considering of it, me-thoughts the Lord represented to me in a way, a little more than usual, the state of this City, wherein you now live, and are to live; and that by the state of jerusalem, which is here laid down throughout the Chapter. For though we cannot tell you now of Cities, and Kingdoms, as the Prophets did, by revelations and visions, and the like; yet what is written, is written for our instruction. And the Lord hath given us examples of his judgements, that we may learn from them, what to think, and how to judge of other places, and Cities, and Kingdoms, that are parallel, that are like to those that the Lord hath visited, or destroyed heretofore. Therefore I shall briefly lay down the condition of jerusalem, as it is here in this Chapter. Here are things spoken promiscuously, because here in the Prophets, there are but the heads (as it were) of their preaching; therefore for method, and your memory's sake, I will digest the condition of jerusalem, and what is here said of it, and about it, into these heads briefly.  
But first of all, before I speak of jerusalem it-self, ye are to observe the condition of the Prophet that the Lord had set among them, which is laid down at Vers. 27. I have set thee for a tower, and a fortress among my people, that thou mayest know, and try their way. The Lord compares the Prophet to a tower in the City; that is, a watchtower: A tower for strength, as it is jere. 1. 18. I have made thee an iron pillar, and brazen walls: That though he preached contrary to their corruptions, yet they could not touch him. And a tower for watchfulness, because the Prophets did watch as out of a tower, all the City, and all in it, and the enemies that were against it So the Prophets were called Seers in those days; eyeing the sins of the people, and eyeing the judgements of the Lord, and eyeing what comfort on the otherside God gave to any among them. The Prophets, I say, were towers, and should be still. They are called trumpets here, I will send a trumpet, and cause it to blow, but the people will not hearken. They are watchmen, to give warning to the people; so they should be: I leave it to you to judge, (for you know the state of this place better than I) whether we be so, or no.  
The next thing in this Chapter, is, The state of jerusalem, what kind of place it was, I mean, in respect of the building of it, and the situation of it, (for I mean to gather up the whole Chapter in a little method) take it as it is described, Verse 2. I have likened the daughter of Zion, to a comely and delicate woman. His meaning is, not for any spiritual beauty in her, as appears in the whole Chapter; but in an outward sense, in respect of situation and gallant building, it was a magnificent place, and no man was able to count the towers about it. It was a stately gallant place, and therefore was like a delicate woman. A stately place, full of case, and pleasure, and trading, and good creatures, and altogether exact, as a delicate Gentlewoman, nothing was wanting: so jerusalem was; and yet for all that, you afterwards see how the Lord did deal with her. So, by the way, let me tell you this (for I speak in the sight of God) That the greatness of your City, the fairness of it, the riches of which you were wont to boast, how you did rule all Kingdoms besides, you could make Kings, and Parliaments, and do any thing; you have such Ships, and Towers, and Armies, and Armed men; you see what God saith of jerusalem, when he was going to destroy her, I have likened her to a fair delicate woman, and yet all could not excuse her. If the Lord come against you, all your riches, and power, and trading, and gallantry, cannot excuse you.  
Thirdly, Here is all the good in jerusalem, the Religion, and godliness; the Lord acknowledgeth that too, and the Lord will not forget any good thing among them; that you shall see in Verse 20. To what purpose cometh there to me incense from Sheba? and the sweet Cane from a far country? your burnt-offerings are not acceptable, nor your sacrifices sweet unto me. jerusalem did not forget the service of God, they had their worship, and sacrifice, and they had sweet Cane from Sheba. The Lord complains in Isaiah 42. that the people did bring him no sweet Cane; it was their manner in their sacrifice. I acknowledge, saith God, you have a great deal of Religion, and you talk of Reformation among you, and Government, and Discipline, and I know not what; yet notwithstanding, this shall not hinder, but for all your villainies and wickedness, this is the City to be visited for all this. It is not a little grain of Wheat that can cover a Mountain of Chaff. It is not a little formal, feigned, hypocritical service of God, and a quarter, and talking, and a clutter about Reformation, that can hinder the proceed of God against a people that are really sinful, and that have really and grievously revolted.  
The fourth thing here laid down, though promiscuously (that I shall endeavour to gather up for you orderly) it is the sins of jerusalem. I shall speak of no more than is laid down here, and they are in this place four. Here are four great sins that God mentioneth.  
The first is, the oppression; observe that word in Verse 6. For thus hath the Lord of Hosts said, This is the City to be visited, she is wholly oppression in the midst of her. He saith not, There is oppression in the midst of her, or in her, but she is wholly oppression. As if he had said, She is built with oppression, her very fabric is oppression: She is oppression itself, oppressing the poor, and the Saints, and the upright in heart; there is nothing but railing against, and slandering of them, as we see after.  
Now the Lord opens that, She was oppression; that you may know the meaning of it, he tells you after. As a fountain casteth out her waters, so she casteth out her wickedness: violence, and spoil is heard in her, before me continually is grief, and wounds, saith the Lord. She is oppression; as a fountain casteth forth water. What is a fountain? It is a hole in the Earth that casts out water; so saith the Lord, I see nothing in jerusalem, from one day to another, from one year to another, and from one end of the City to another, but oppression. I see one oppress another: I see it full of wounds and griefs, and bruises, especially to my poor Saints, there is nothing but oppression. And I leave you to judge this day, whether this City, at this time, be not so: She is wholly oppression, from the least to the greatest, there is almost nothing else to be seen.  
Then, the second sin the Lord lays down, is in Verse 13. That every one is given to covetousness. Mark that word, and let every one of your own consciences apply it. For, from the least, even to the greatest of them, every one is given to covetousness. O, this covetousness! there can be no Reformation, either in Church or Commonwealth, as things are, because of covetous people. If there be any good course taken by Magistrates to reform any business in Courts or Offices, because of the covetousness of people, the business is marred, you all know it. And so far outward Reformation of Churches, and the like, because of covetousness, you all know that the business of Reformation is marred; Ministers have lost themselves: There are many godly men that had room in the hearts of God's people, some in this City, and in the Assembly, that had room in the hearts of God's people before these times, and before they had all things in their own hands, and became reformers of the Church; now because of covetousness all is marred, that no business can be looked upon. Now the Lord look upon us; and indeed, though we see not him, he sees us, and looks on us.  
Then, the third sin is laid down in Verse 13, 14. that is, The false dealing of the Prophets, the Ministers. From the Prophet, even to the Priest, every one dealeth falsely. How is that? They have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly; saying, Peace, peace, when there is no peace. The Prophets deal falsely, they are become hypocrites; they tell the people, they are in a gallant way of Reformation; when the Lord knoweth, both according to Scripture, and sound Reason, they are in the way to destruction; they tell them now, the Church, and Reformation is going up, when the poor Kingdom was never in such a sad condition. They deal falsely, that is, hypocritically. What a stir is there here about Schismatics and Heretics, and about Reformation; and what consulting, and working, in the City, and elsewhere; and yet when there is any work to be done really for God, no body minds it. I will give you an instance, as clear as the Sun: There hath been of late, a great deal of consulting, and making Petitions, and Remonstrances, and Representations, and Modelizing the Common Council, etc. And yet we have had the Superstition of Christmas, worse than it hath been this four years to my knowledge; every one shutting up their shops, and giving themselves up to Superstitious ways, that we thought had been dead.  
Come to the Ministers, and Assembly: Is there any complotting to draw people from false, gross Popery? No, they deal falsely: There is no assembling or meeting about that; but the Ministers let the people go. I speak it with the grief of my soul: If it were on the Mountains of Wales, it were no wonder, but to see people here to go in droves to Popery! I behold it as I go along in the street, and think I, with a heavy heart; how neatly doth Popery become this City? They go in their best clothes, and make gallant cheer, and they are ready to throw stones, if any open their shops. It is not the people so much; but where are our Prophets? they lie as if they were dead all the while. This is dealing falsely, it is not plain, square dealing with God. If people did hate Schism, (as there are Schisms, and Blasphemies, I favour them not) they would hate profaneness, and all other evils as well: But this is false dealing, and juggling; this shows their design: If they did hate one, they would hate all; if they did seek Reformation in one, they would seek it in all: But this is false dealing, the Prophets deal falsely.  
Then fourthly, here is the sin of the people laid down, grievous revolting, horrible backsliding from God, the people grow worse and worse; it was time for God to take them in hand, in Verse 28. This people are all grievous revolters: They were for God, but now they are revolted. In this City, four years ago, there was abundance of Reformation; how did people hug poor Saints, when they were persecuted in other Countries? they did  them, and feed them: And these Superstitions of Christmas, were almost quite out of the way; but we are gone back, we are as bad as we were twenty years ago. A poor Saint dares hardly appear at Guildhall, though he be not a member of a Church, yet they cry An Independent, an Independent; as if he were an Owl among Birds. And strangers, godly men, that have seen us within this half year, they think we are grown mad, and have wished, I would to God, I could get over the line to go home. London is grown the worst place in the Kingdom; it was not so, three or four years ago. Men did love the Saints, and were ready to save the Kingdom; but now there is a bitter root to destroy the Saints, and to lay stumbling blocks; we are grievous revolters. For matter of sin, we are as like Jerusalem, as may be.  
I, but will sin destroy a people? I pray observe in the next place, The carriage of Jerusalem under their sins. What was that? There are three things laid down in their carriage: For it is not only sin that ruins men, but their carriage under it. It is not falling into the water that drowns a man, but his unwilness, or unskilfulness to get out.  
In the first place, they were not ashamed in the least measure for all these things. Were they ashamed? He puts it to the question, and answers himself, Were they ashamed, when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not ashamed, neither could they blush, saith the Lord, for all this wickedness. Were they ashamed? As if he had said, If they had been ashamed, I had been somewhat satisfied: If the people had mourned for their grievous revolting, and backsliding, and oppression, and covetousness, in the midst of them, it were some comfort; but they were not ashamed, they cannot blush.  
Then the second thing is this, That as they could not be ashamed, so they would not hear, nor receive any instructions to amend their ways; therefore the Lord would turn them as a dish is turned, upside down, Verse 10. To whom shall I speak, and give warning, that they may hear? Where is any Creature that will hear, notwithstanding all this? Behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken: behold, the Word of the Lord is unto them a reproach, they have no delight in it. This was their condition: The people were full of sin, and they had no delight to hear the Minister of God sincerely to lay open their sins; nay, it was a reproach: they reproached the Minister that should do so; they would question him, and throw him into the dungeon, as they did Jeremy, for showing them their sins. So in Verse 17. I set watchmen over you, saying, Harken to the sound of the trumpet; but they said, We will not hearken: That is, They said so in their hearts at least. And so in Verse 19 Hear O Earth, because they have not harkened unto my words, nor to my Law, but rejected it. And judge whether this be not our condition.  
Then thirdly, and lastly, This is the aggravation of their sins; as they were not ashamed, and would not hear one word. So lastly, God was weary, as it were, he was tired with correcting and afflicting them, and yet they did not amend. For that is the drift of that place, Verse 29. The bellows are burnt, the lead is consumed of the fire, the founder melteth in vain; for the wicked, or wickedness, or mischief, is not plucked away. That is, saith the Lord, I was as a founder blowing with the bellows, till they were worn out: The very fire and all is consumed, and the dross is not taken away. Some particular men especially have had many afflictions, and so after afflictions upon others in the Kingdom: There have been touches of God's rod; and truly we are worse. Now thus you have the sins of Jerusalem, and the carriage of this people, under their sins.  
In the next place, there is the dealing of God, with this people, because of their sins. And the first thing i●, God prepares war: That is, set down from the beginning of the Chapter, to Verse 7. Hue down trees, cast a mount against Jerusalem: This is the City to be visited, saith God. God comes to visit jerusalem, he looks upon her, as if a Carpenter went to a Wood to choose Timber. This is the Oak that will serve to make such a beam. So God looks on all Countries, the Amonites, and Amorites, etc. But this is the City fit for judgement; therefore, saith he, Hue down trees, prepare war. I will not be peremptory in this; but the Lord may do it: He hath done it with others, like ourselves. Hue down trees, prepare war against this City. If the Lord should say, London is the City to be visited, Bristol hath been visited, and most places in the Kingdom, but now London must; there my wrath shall be poured out. The Lord grant that it may not be so, but I greatly fear it.  
Secondly, The Lord brings them to imprisonment, the Lord took them prisoners, Verse 11. The husband with the wife shall be taken; the aged with him that is full of days.  
And then comes their plunder. Their houses shall be turned to others, with their fields, and wives together: For I will stretch out my hand upon the inhabitants of this Land, saith the Lord. O, if the Lord should say, This is the City to be visited, and make war against it, and then take you prisoners, take the aged men, the Aldermen, Common Councillors, and all prisoners; and then plunder all, and say; their fields, and their wives shall be turned to others: That were sore, that you should not only lose your goods, but your fields; that your houses, and trades, and shops, should be taken away, and your very wives. Thus the Lord did with others, I will not say, that he will do so with you.  
Now, there were stumbling blocks in jerusalem before it was destroyed; so there are in this City; it is filled with stumbling blocks; every little difference in opinion is a stumbling block, that some men become Atheists, because every Saint doth not agree one with another. And then there is the fear, and horror that did forerun this misery, Verse 24.  
But in a word, the course that the Lord would have them take; and that therefore I shall speak of, that you may beseech the Lord, that this poor City may prevent those evils.  
One thing is, the Lord would have them seriously, and sincerely humble themselves before him, to acknowledge their sins, and bewail them. Verse 26. Saith the Lord, O daughter of my people, gird thee with sackcloth, and wallow thyself in ashes; make thee mourning, as for an only son. Not a formal day of fasting, and humiliation; for that is almost become all form: but really humble thy soul, and call upon the Lord, that the Lord would be pleased to turn away his wrath.  
Then the second thing laid down, is, That we should hearken to instruction, Be thou instructed, O Jerusalem, lest my soul departed from thee; be ready to hear the Word of the Lord, be ready to hearken what Gods will is, how he may be glorified, and we preserved.  
Then thirdly, here is a word that I exceedingly desired to open, but I must but name it, Verse 16. Stand ye in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls, saith the Lord. This is the way to save you, Stand in the ways, ask for the old way. What is the meaning of the old way? That is, jesus Christ. That was the old way of Abraham, Isaac, and jacob, jesus Christ, and the way of righteousness, and holiness, and truth. He alludes, as I take it, to the Patriarches; for that is called the old world, and the old way. Saith he, Ye are not like your fathers heretofore. Abraham, he was not covetous, and full of oppression; they were willing to hear that which was for their good; and they were not the worse for their afflictions. Look to the old way, and labour to get such a Spirit as the Saints had heretofore, that were in jesus Christ.  
What of all this? notwithstanding this counsel that the Lord had given them, what if they will not turn to him? what if they will not amend? Then there is a terrible word that we read of in Verse 8. Lest my soul departed from thee. It is not sin only that makes God's soul departed from a people, nor their hardness, nor wickedness; but when they refuse all means, and helps, than his soul departs from them. Therefore, Be instructed, saith he, lest my soul departed, or lest my soul be disjointed, as it is in the Margin. What is the meaning of that? It is a terrible word; we have that word expounded in jerem. 15. 1, 2. See what it is for to have God's soul to go from a people. (I believe that God's soul is not gone from us, if we will hearken to him, and do not give ourselves up to wrath and rage against God's people.) Then said the Lord to me, Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my mind, or my soul, could not be towards this people. There is before the ferventest, blessed prayer for this people, that I know in the Book of God, jeremy prays: And now their destruction was coming, saith the Lord, Though Moses and Samuel should come before me, my heart could not be on them. I have put them out of my heart, my mind and soul is gone from them, I will never be troubled more with them. What follows? Cast them out of my sight; let them go forth. And if they say, Whether shall we forth? Then thou shalt tell them, such as are for death, to death, such as are for the sword, to the sword, such as are for the famine, to famine, and such as are for captivity, to captivity. Let them go whether they will; some of them will be hanged, some killed, some to the sword, some starved; they can come to no good, because they are gone out of my sight: My heart, and soul is from them; that is the last gasp; that is hell above ground.  
Therefore the sum of all is, That we harken to God; for these things were not written for jerusalem only; but for our instruction, God hath laid down their sin, and wickedness, and their oppression, and the blessed remedy, that they should have taken; and if we take it not, but go on in our wickedness, we see what we may expect, That when that shall come on us (which God if it be his will forbid) you may remember that you were told before.  
I have one thing in my sad and serious thoughts, to comfort me, that this shall not befall this City, and that is this: That the Lord dealt with them according to the administration of the Old Testament, and so went by Cities, and Nations; but now every man, and every person that calls upon God, is respected in every Nation, and City whatsoever. But this comes in, and cools it wonderfully, and puts me to a nonplus. If we in this City did go according to the administration of the New Testament, I am persuaded, that the Lord would not send desolation upon the City; but because we would go according to that old administration, we have chosen it, and said so, and do so: Now as they chose that administration to deal with God, he chose that to deal with them; for the Lord will deal frowardly with the froward, the Lord will deal with men according to their own law: Those that sin against the Law of Nature, shall be punished so; those that sin against the Law of Moses, shall be punished so; those that go according to the administration of grace, shall be dealt with accordingly. Now we are going according to the old administration, more and more; for we are settling like the Jews in an outward, formal Reformation, without heart. Now it would be terrible, if the Lord should choose our own administration, and give us according to our own heart, I hope he will not: But this lay heavy upon my spirit, to tell you of; therefore, the Lord direct you to make the best use you can, that if it be his blessed will, this place, that is the honour and glory of the Kingdom, and the refuge of the Saints, that the Lord would not come against it.  
FINIS.   

THE TABLE.  
 Page A  Abiding.  ABiding with God in evil times 72 Actions.  Saints not under the Law in their actions 157 Afflictions.  Afflictions of godly, and wicked, how different 31 Afflictions turn to the good of Saints 119 The life of Faith in afflictions 130 Saints not under the Law, in regard of afflictions 150 Afflictions not to be fainted in 194 Amend.  All should amend, when the wicked are punished 104 Angels.  Angels pry into Gospel mystery, 201 Angels, good and bad do it ibid. Apostasy.  Apostasy a provoking sin. 11 Assurance.  Life of Faith in Assurance 130 Awake.  Christians duty to awake God. 86 B.  Betray.  Not to betray God's cause 88 Blasphemy.  Blasphemy a provoking sin 9 Blessing, see latter  Bristol.  Gods mercy in recovering Bristol. 107 C  Christ. See cleaving.  Christ makes all things amiable 192 Cleaving.  Blessedness of cleaving to the Lord 70 Honour of cleaving to Christ in ill times 73 Special times of cleaving to God 77 Comfort.  What should help christian's comfort 175 Conceits.  Vain conceits of wicked men 33 Confidence.  Ground of a Christians confidence 27 Consolation.  Consolation a duty 40 Four things that hinder consolation ibid. Covenant.  Spiritual understanding of the New Covenant, effects of it 66 Covetousness.  Covetousness a provoking sin 237 Creature.  The vanity of the Creature, why discovered 61 Conjunction.  Conjunction of those that cleave to God 70 D.  Difference.  Difference of Gods dealing with Saints 36 Difference between Saints, and sinners 208 Discouraged.  Weak Saints not to be discouraged 143 Distrust.  Distrust in times of danger to be avoided 87 Division.  Division among Saints, a provoking sin 9 Duty. See Consolation  Four grounds of Duty 149 E.  Enemies.  Assurance of victory over enemies, the effects of it 64 How God destroys his enemies 85 Equality.  Equality that should be between Saints 144 Evil, see good.  Example.  Example of Saints a ground of prayer 150 F.  Faith.  Faith, the want of it, what it doth 40 Faith, the life of it 44 Faith, how God tries it 83 Faith, how the just live by it 128 See Affliction, Assurance, Sanctification.  False.  False dealing 237 Fondness.  Holy fondness, between God and the Saints 54 Holy fondness in five things 55 Fondness wrought four ways 61 Formality.  Formality in duties, a provoking sin 4 See Reformation  G.  Garrison, see Mind  God, see Hypocrisy, Persecutors  Good.  To call evil good, a provoking sin 11 See Afflictions, Work  Gospel.  Gospel precepts highest 162 Gospel Mysteries to be attended 202 Gospel riches to be admired 204 Gospel's simplicity 225 Government.  Government, how to be affected 204 Greater.  How to argue from less mercies to greater 120 Grace.  Grace weak, how to comfort it 45 Grace, what meant by it 160 Of those that are under Grace 162 Power in Grace, more than the Law 164 H.  Heart.  Heart hardened 8 Hidden.  Saints Gods hidden ones 90 Holiness.  Holiness desired on wrong grounds 41 Right labouring for holiness 198 See Comfort.  Hypocrisy.  Hypocrisy hateful to God 48 Hypocrites honour creatures above God 50 Hypocrisy dishonours God ibid. I.  Judg.  Saints not to judge one another 143 Judgements.  Manner of Gods proceeding to judgement 2 Cause of judgements, what 3 Judgements, why sent 103 Ingenuity.  Ingenuity of right Saints 163 Justification.  How to live by Faith in Justification 128, 133 K.  Kiss.  Holy Kiss, what 145 L.  Latter, Last.  Blessing of the latter times 122 First, shall be last, how 138 Law.  Saints under the Law, how 156 See Persons, Actions, Afflictions, Gospel.  Learning.  Learning humane, wherein useful 211 Life, see Faith, Sanctification.  Lord, see cleaving.  Love.  Love of God, what it works 62 To love, though we be not loved 181 Mutual love, how attained 184 M.  Mind.  Garrison of the mind, what 16 Mingled.  The life of a Christian mingled 133 Ministers.  Ministers sins provoke God 149 N.  Nature.  Duties grounded in nature 6 O.  Officers.  Officers sins provoke God 8 Oppression.  Sin of oppression 236 Ordinance.  Prayer, an Ordinance of God 149 Ordinances not to be neglected 152 Ordinances needful 153 P.  Patience, see waiting.  Peace.  Peace to be studied by Saints 196 Perpetual, see Prayer, Persecutors, Persecution.  To cleave to God in persecution 78 Persecutors design 91 God persecuted in the Saints 93 Children of the godly, may prove fierce persecutors 99 Persons.  Persons of Saints, how under the Law 156 Power.  Power that Saints have 166 The Spirit called power, how 173 See Grace  Prayer.  Prayer, a perpetual duty 151 Prayer, whence it proceeds 169 Wants of prayer, how supplied 170 See Ordinance, Nature, Precept, Example, Promise.  Precept.  Precepts ground of prayer 150 See Gospel  Promises.  Promises ground of prayer 151 Protection.  Protection of God, who have right to it 21 Pride.  Pride, how discovered 185 R.  Reflect.  Reflect acts hard to man 177 Saints to reflect on their estate 178 Reformation.  Formal Reformation, a provoking sin 5 Refuge.  God a refuge 14 To repair to God, as a refuge 17 Religion.  Religion, wherein it consists 211 Riches, see Gospel  Revolting.  Revolting, a provoking sin 239 S.  Saints, see Weak, Sanctification  Life of Faith in Sanctification 129, 131 Saintship to be prized 194 Satan.  Grounds of Caution against Satan 202 Security.  Security, why to avoid it 140 Self-love.  Self-love, a provoking sin 10 Shame.  judgements sent to shame men 103 Simplicity.  Simplicity of Religion 212 Simplicity of the Gospel 223 Sin.  What sins provoke judgements 3 Carriage of Saints, fallen into sin 43 Saints carriage in a deluge of sin 77 Aggravations of sin 240 Silent.  God silent in danger, why 83 Soul.  The soul of God departs from incorrigible sinners 244 Spirit.  Spirit powerful in Saints 166 Spirit undervalved, how 167 Spirit, wherein powerful 169 Spirit differs Saints and Sinners 208 Spirit, how known 210 Spirit to be laboured for 213 Spirits excellency 215 Spirits grieving dangerous 220 Spirit to be prized 221 See Word, Teaching, Work, Power  T.  Teaching.  Teaching of the Spirit 170 Testament.  Testaments compared 188 Trouble.  Trouble in Saints, whence 190 V.  Vengeance.  Vengeance of God against the wicked 27 Union.  Union between Christ and Christians 229 Upright.  Uprightness, ground of it 22 Uprightness, how tried 84 W.  Waiting.  Ground of waiting on God 112 Weak.  Weak Saints not to be contemned 141 Weak Saints, their carriage to stronger 142 Weak Saints to be encouraged 196 Word.  Spirit to be advanced as speaking in the Word 168 Work.  Who works in, and for us 172 To be ready to every good work 206  
FINIS.