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to be tryed by any thing without me: then I think the Spirit and Word within me faith, Wait upon God no longer in these lower Difpenfations, do not attend upon Ordinances any longer, and that is to be tryed by nothing without me,not by the Scripture,and thus Ordinances are gone too. Again, If I be of this judgment, That Ordinances are given us only for the enjoyment of God, then think I, I can enjoy God in private, and Ordinances are only for the enjoyment of God, what need I therefore attend upon Ordinances any longer? Thus I fay, follow these principles to the head, and you will certainly forfake Ordinances. Wherefore you that are godly, look to your Principles; do not take a Principle and not understand it, but look well into it, thus fhall you be kept.

But fuppofe I be kept to Ordinances, Inftitutions, and Appointments of Chrift this great Prophet, and I do hear him, that is, I do receive, acknowledg, and fubmit unto his Appointments; poffibly a man may do this and miscarry to all Eternity; what fhall I do that I may fo receive, acknowledge, and fubmit unto Chrifts Appointments, that I may hear him effectually, hear him favingly?

Firft, You know that Chrift our great Prophet, doth efpecially look at the inward-man; for he is God, and a Spirit, and minds the Spirit: though he will have every letter of his Commandement to be observed, yet he laies. the great stress and the Emphasis upon the Spiritual part of the Commandement. As now, It hath been faid (faith he Thou shalt not commit Adultery: but mark where he laies che emphafis, But I fay unto you,Thou sbalt not look upon a woman to luft after her, here this great Prophet, laies the emphafis and ftrefs upon the Spiritual part. So faith he, It hath been faid to you of old,Then shalt not kill; but mark where he laies the emphafis, But I say unto you, ye shall not be angry. Would you therefore fo hearken to this great Prophet, as ye may hear him effectually, and favingly; obferve where he laies the emphasis in the giving of the Commandement, and there do you lay the emphafis in your obedience. Doth

the

the Lord fay, It hath been faid of old, Thou shalt not comit Adultery, but I fay,is the Lord Chrifts Ifay written upon the Spiritual part of the Commandement, then through the Grace of God,fhal mine Isay for Obedience be pitched upon the fpiritual part alfo.

Secondly, The Law you know was given by Mofes, but Grace and Truth came by Chrift. The Law and the ten Commandements, was given by Mofes,but no Grace to keep them. But Chrift our great Prophet doth not only give forth his Appointments, but he gives grace to keep them; do I therefore, or do any of you ftand poring upon the letter of the Commandement, and not look upon the grace, the affifting grace for to keep the Commandement ? herein I hearken to Mofes, but do I fo look upon the Commandement, and Appointments of Chrift, as that withal I have an eye to grace, affifting grace, and fay, I fhall have grace too to keep this Commandement? then do I hearken unto Chrift Jefus this great Prophet. Look therfore I fay, as wel to grace, as to the Letter of the Commandement.

Thirdly, The more you have the exercife of Faith in the obfervance of Chrifts Inftitutions, Appointments, and Ordinances, the more effectually and favingly you hear him. Faith is a faving hearing of this great Prophet; there is a great difference between an Inftituted, and a Natural means; Phyfitians, and phyfick are Natural means of Health, but the beholding of the brazen Serpent was an Inftituted means for recovery, not a natural means; now if we go to the use of natural means, we are to use our faith; much more when we go to the ufe of inftituted means; and the Appointments of the Lord Jefus Chrift are Inftituted means;therfore when we come to them, we must come with our hearts ful of Faith, exercifing much faith when we come to them. You find the Apoftle writing unto the Theffaloni ans, makes this fign of Election; the first of the Tefal the 1 Chapter, Knowing, brethren (at the 4.verfe) your Election of God; how fo? for our Gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power; why our Gofpel? why doth he call it their Gospel,

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Gospel, and not the Gospel? for our Gofpel, because he fpeaks of the Gofpel, as it was preached by them in the Miniftry in the difpenfation thereof; For our Gospel came not to you in word only but also in power; it came in power, and not in word: therefore faith he, Hereby it appears that ye are elected: Would you know whether you are elected or no? hereby it appears, For our Gofpel came not unto you in word only, but also in power. But how may it appear that it came in power? At the 6 verfe, And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord; having received the Word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost; here's Faith, Faith exercised here; foI fay, it shall be an Argument to you, that ye are cholen and precious, when as you mingle the Appointments of Chrift with your Faith; Come unto Christs Appointments, but Oh1 come beleeving, come beleeving. It may be fome poor Soul will fay, Oh! but, Icannot beleeve, I can keep close to Ordinances; but I cannot beleeve, I cannot receive them fo..

Why but if thou doft leave off thy parly with Satan in the time of temptation meerly upon Chrifts Command, thou dost hear him, and hear him effectually; for fuppofe now that a mans Son be Treating (in a way of Marriage) with another mans Daughter, and the Father doth not like the Match, the Father comes unto the Son, & faith, I would not have thee fon to marry there;but I have a match for you in fuch a place, fuch a woman that is fit for you every ways Son, I would not have you go on where you do: then faith the Son, Father, I am willing with all my heart to hearken to you, but my affections are not in mine own hand, I can not love where I lift; as for the perfon you point at, and the motion you make, my affections do not yet come unto it, but this I wil do Sir, I wil presently knock off where I am, and I wil ftrive to love where you would have me: doth not this Child hear his Father now, in that he knocks off, and will go no more to the person that he was in parley with, although for the prefent he cannot love the perfon his Father would have him love? So here, the Lord

would

would have us beleeve, and caft our fouls upon Jefus Chrift and love him, but faith the foul, I cannot beleeve in Chrift, I cannot love him, yet this I will do,Lord,I am in parly with Satan upon fuch and fuch terms, I will knock off with him, this being done, is a hearing of the Lord Jefus Chrift this great Prophet,and it is an effectual hearing too. Thus we are to hear this great Prophet, and thus you have heard that ye are to hear him, and how ye are to hearken to him. What now remains, but that you up and be doing? Whosoever you are that hear the Word of the Lord this day, either you are godly, or you are ungodly: If you be ungodly, Hear and your fouls shall live. Hear this great Prophet, and your fouls fhall live. If you be godly, hear this Prophet, for faith.he, My sheep hear my voyce, and they follow me. It was the fpeech of that holy eminent perfon, Mr. Brightman, If Chrift be not your Prophet, he shall never be your Prieft; If Chrift may not be your Prophet to teach you,guide you,ard direct you, he fhall never be your Prieft to fatis fie Gods wrath for you. Now therefore, as you defire that the Lord Jefus fhould be your Prieft, to fatisfie the wrath of God for you; Oh! let him be your Prophet, hearken to this Prophet,to his Inftitutions, Appointments, and keep close to them.

And to end all, Take but one Scriptural encouragement, It is at the 48. chap. of Ifa. verf. 17. Thus faith the Lord thy redeemor, the holy One of Ifrael (this is Chrift I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldeft go. Clift is our teacher. I but we have many teachers; Oh! that I could meet with that teacher once, that could teach me to profit by all that I have heard: So Chrift teacheth. Thus faith the Lord thy redeemer, the holy One of Ifrael, I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldeft go. Well but what is my duty then Your duty is to hear Him; at the 18. verf. Oh that thou hadst hearkened unto my Commandements, but what good fhall I get thereby? then had thy peace been as a river, not as a drop of water in a glafs, that is foon dried up; in a River there is much water, and in a River you know

there is fresh water; now faith the Lord, Do but hearken unto this teacher, this great Prophet, and the peace of thy Confcience fhall be like a River, full of peace fhall thy Confcience be; and as the water of the River is alwayes fresh, fo fhall thy peace of Confcience be; where as now thou art troubled in Confcience, and haft no peace within, do but hearken unto this great Prophet as diftinct from Mofes, and thou fhalt have peace within as a River, full and fresh. But what matter for peace unleffe I have grace withal? If I do hearken unto him, fhall I have grace too? fee what follows, Oh that thou hadst hearkned to my commandements, then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the Sea; thy righteoufneffe and thy holineffe fhall be as a Sea; thy peace as a River, But thy grace fhall be more, as the Sea that knows no bottom, fo fhall thy Righteousneffe be. Who doth not defire these two, Peace and Grace? If there be ever a poor foul in all the Congregation that is troubled in Confcience and labors under Confcience-burdens, hearken then and hear the Lord Jefus, go (Ifay)to him, and stand waiting on him as the great Prophet, as diftinct from Moses; I do not fay hearken to Mofes that speaks conditionally, but hearken to Chrift that fpeaks grace abfolutely, I will write my Law in thy heart, that's upon no condition. Soul; go and hearken to this great Prophet and thou fhalt certainly have peace; yea, the peace fhal be as a River, and thou fhalt have fuineffe of peace, and freshneffe of peace; that whereas now thy Soul is muddied and thy Confcience troubled, and thou goeft under many temptations, thoufhalt then have thy Confcience cleer, and thy Soul clenfed: and whereas now thou laboreft under much corruption, then fhal the Righteoufoeffe be as the waves of the Sea, thou fhalt have grace and abundance of grace; wherefore what I lay to one, Hay to all, Hear, hear, hear and your Souls fhall live.

FINIS,

GRACE