THE Bruised Reed, and Smoaking Flax. (11)

then Popery being an opposite frame, set up by the wit of man[gap] maintaine stately [gap]enesse, must fall. And it is falne already in the hearts of those upon whom CHRIST. hath shined. It is a lye, and founded upon a lye, upon the infallible judgement of a man subject to sin and error: When that whi[gap]h is taken for a principle of truth, becomes a principle of error, the more relying upon it, the more danger.

It is not only said, judgment shall bee victorious, but that CHRIST will bring it openly forth to victorie. Whence we observe

that Grace shall bee glory, and runne into the eyes of all. Now CHRIST doth conquer and hath his owne ends, but it is in some sort invisibly: his enemies within and without us seeme to have the better. But he will bring forth judgement into victory, to the view of all. The wicked that now shut their eyes shall see it to their torment. It shall not be in the power of subtile men to see or not see what they would, CHRIST will have power over their hearts, and as his wrath shall immediately seize upon their soules against

their wills; so will he have power over the eyes of their soules to see and know what will increase their misery; Griefe shall be fastned to all their senses, and their senses to griefe.

Then all the false glosses which they put upon things shall bee wiped away. Men are desirous to have the reputation of good, and yet the sweetnesse of ill; nothing so cordially opposed by them, as that truth which layeth them open to themselves, and to the eyes of others; their chiefe care being how to daube with the

world and their owne consciences. But the time will come when they shall be driven out of this fooles paradise, and the more subtile their conveyance of things hath beene, the more shall be their shame. CHRIST whom GOD hath chosen to set forth the chiefe glory of his excellencies, is now veyled in regard of his body the Church, but will come ere long to bee glorious in his Saints; and not lose the cleere manifestation of any ofhis attributes, and will declare to all the world what he is. When there shall be no glory but

that of CHRIST and his Spouse, Those that are as smoaking flaxe now, shall then shine as the Sun in the firmament, and their righteousnesse breake forth as the noone day.

Th[gap] Image of GOD in Adam had a commanding majestie in it, so that all creatures r[gap]vereneed him, much mo[gap]e shall the Image of GOD in the perfection of it; command respectin all. Even now there is a [gap] awe put into the hoasts of the greatest, towards those in whō they▪ see any grace to shine▪ from whence it was that Herod [gap]eared [gap]ohn Baptist,

but what will this bee in their day of bringing forth, which is called the day of the revelation of the son[gap]es of God.

There will bee more glorious times, when the

Kingdomes of the earth shall be the Lord Iesus Christs; and hee shall raigne for ever: then shall judgment and truth have its victory: Then CHRIST will plead his owne cause, truth shall no longer bee called heresie, and schisme, nor heresie catholike doctrine, wickednesse shall no longer goe masqued and disguised, goodnesse shall appeare in its owne lustre,

and shine in its owne beames, things shall bee what they are, nothing is hidden but shall be laid open. Iniquity shall not be caried in a mystery any longer. Deepe dissemblers that thinke to hide their counsells from the Lord shall walke no longer invisible as in the clouds.

If this were beleeved, men would make more account of sincerity, which will onely give us boldnesse, and not seeke for covershames; the confidence whereof as it maketh men now more presumptuous, so it wil expose them hereafter to the greater shame.

If judgement shall bee brought forth to victory, then those that have been ruled by their own deceitfull hearts, and a spirit of errour, shall bee brought forth to disgrace: That GOD that hath joyned grace and truth with honour, hath joyned sin and shame together at the last; all the wit and power of man can never bee able to sever what God hath coupled. Truth and piety may bee trampled upon for a time, but as the two witnesses after they were slaine rose againe and stood upon their feet; so whatsoever is of GOD shall at length

stand upon its owne bottome. There shall bee a resurrection not onely of bodies but of credits. Can wee thinke that hee that throw the Angells out of heaven, will suffer dust and wormes meat to runne a contrary course, and to cary it alwayes so; No, as verily as CHRIST is King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, so will hee dash all those peeces of earth which rise up against him, as a p[gap]tters

vessell. Was there ever any fierce against God and, prospered? No doubtlesse, the rage of man shall turne to CHRISTS praise: What was said of Pharaoh

shall bee said of all headdy enemies, who had rather lose their soules, then their wills, that they are but raised up for CHRIST to get himselfe glory in their confusion.

Let us then take heed that wee follow not the wayes of those men, whose ends we shall tremble at: There is not a more fearefull judgement can befall the nature of man, then to bee given up to a reprobate judgement of persons and things, because it commeth under a w[gap]e, to call ill good, and good ill.

How will they be laden with curses another day

that abuse the judgement of others by sophistry and flattery, deceivers, and being deceived? Then the complaint of our first mother Eve will be taken up, but fruitlesly; The serpent hath deceived me, Sathan in such and such hath deceived me. Sinne hath deceived me, a foolish heart hath deceived mee. It is one of the highest points of wisedome, to consider upon what grounds wee venture our soules. Happy men will they bee who have by CHRISTS light, a right judgement of things, and suffer that judgement to prevaile over

their hearts.

The soule of most men is drowned in their senses, and caried away with weake opinions, raysed from vulgar mistakes and shadowes of things. And Satan is ready to inlarge the imagination of outward good, and outward ill, and make it greater then it is, and spirituall things lesse, presenting them through false glasses. And so men trusting in vanity, vanish themselves in their owne apprehensions. A wofull condition, when both wee and that which wee highly esteeme shall vanish together, which

will be as truly as Christs judgement shall come to victory; and in what measure the vaine heart of man hath beene inlarged to conceive a greater good in things of this world then there is, by so much the soule shall be inlarged or be more sensible of misery when it sees its error. This is the difference betwixt a godly wise man, and a deluded worldling; that which the one doth more judge to be vain, the other shal hereafter feel to be so, when it is too late. But this is the vanity of our natures, that though we shun above all

things to be deceived and mistakē in present things; yet in the greatest matters of all we are willingly ignorant and mis-led.

The fourth conclusion is, That this government is set up and advanced by Christ alone. He bringeth judgement to victory. We both fight & prevail in the power of his might, we overcome by the Spirit obtained by the blood of the Lambe.

It is he alone that teacheth our hands to warre, and

fingers to fight. Nature (as corrupted) favors its owne being, and will maintaine it selfe against CHRISTS government. Nature (simply

considered) cannot raise it selfe above it selfe to actions spirituall of a higher order and nature, therfore the divine power of CHRIST is necessary to cary us above all our own strength, especially in duties wherin we meet with greater opposition; for there, not onely nature will faile us, but ordinarie grace, unlesse there bee a stronger and a new supply. In taking up a burthen that is waightier then ordinary, if there bee not a greater proportion of strength then weight, the undertaker will lye under it. So to every strong encounter

there must bee a new supply of strength: as in Peter when he was assaulted with a stronger temptation, being not upheld and shored up with a mightier hand, notwithstanding former strength foully fell. And being falne, in our raisings up againe it is CHRIST that must doe the worke, 1, by removing, or 2, weakning, or 3, suspending opposite hindrances, 4, & by advancing the power of his grace in us to a further degree then wee had before wee fell; therefore when we are fallen, and by falls have gotten a bruise, let us

goe to Christ presently to binde us up againe.

Let us know therefore that it is dangerous to look for that from our selves, which we must have [gap]om CHRIST. Since the fall, all our strength lyes in him as Sampsons in his haire, we are but subordinate agents moving as we are moved, and working as we are first wrought upon, free so far forth as wee are freed, no wiser nor stronger then he makes us to be for the present in any thing wee undertake. It is his Spirit that actuates and inliveneth and applyeth that knowledge and strength

we have, or else it saileth and lyeth as uselesse in us; we worke when we worke upon a present strength. therefore dependant spirits, are the wisest and the ablest. Nothing is stronger then humility, that goeth out of it selfe; or weaker then pride that resteth upon its owne bottome: and this should the rather bee observed, because naturally we affect a kinde of Divinity, in setting upon actions in the strength of our owne parts; whereas CHRIST saith, without me you can doe nothing, he doth not say you can doe a little, but nothing; therefore

in all (especially difficult encounters) let us lift up our hearts to CHRIST, who hath spirit enough for us all, in all our exigences; and say with good Iehosaphat, Lord wee know

not what to doe, but our eyes are towards thee; The battell we fight is thine, and the strength whereby wee fight must be thine. If thou goest not out with us, wee are sure to be foiled. Sathan knowes nothing can prevaile against CHRIST, or those that relye upon his power; therefore his study is, how to keepe us in our selves, and in the creature: but we must cary

alwayes in our minds, that that which is begun in selfconfidence will end in shame.

The manner of Christs bringing forth judgement to victory, is by letting us see a necessity of dependance upon him: hence proceed those spirituall desertions, wherein he often leaveth us to our selves, both in regard of grace and comfort, that we may know the Springhead of these to be out of our selves. Hence it is that in the Mount, that is, in extremities, God is most seen. Hence it is that we are saved by the grace of faith,

that carieth us out of our selves to relye upon another; and that faith worketh best alone, when it hath least outward support. Hence it is that wee often faile in lesser conflicts, and stand out in greater, because in lesse we rest more in our selves; in greater wee fly to the rock of our salvation which is

higher then we. Hence likewise it is, that wee are stronger after foyles, because hidden corruption undiscerned before, is now discovered, and thence wee are brought to make use of mercy pardoning, and power supporting:

One maine ground of this dispensation, is, that wee should know it is Christ that giveth both the will, and the deed: and that as a voluntary worker, according to his owne good pleasure. And therefore we should workout our salvation in a jealous feare and trembling, lost by unreverent and presumptuous walking, wee give him cause to suspend his gracious influence, and to leave us to the darknesse of our owne heart.

Those that are under CHRISTS governmēt, have the spirit of Revelation whereby they see and

feel a divine power sweetly & strongly inabling thē for to preserve faith when they feele the contrary, & hope in a state hopelesse, and love to GOD under signes of his displeasure, and heavenly mindedness in the midst of worldly affaires & alluremets drawing a contrary way; they feel a power preserving patience, nay joy in the midst of causes of mourning, inward peace in the midst of assaults. To make so little grace so victorious over so great a masse of corruption, this requireth a spirit more then humane; this is as to preserve fire▪ in the

sea, and a part of heaven even as it were in hell. Here wee know where to have this power, and to whom to returne the praise of it. And it is our happinesse, that it is so safely hid in CHRIST for us, in one so neere unto GOD and us. Since the fall, GOD will not trust us with our owne salvation, but it is both purchased and kept by CHRIST for us, & we for it through faith, wrought by the power of GOD, and laying hold of the same: which power is gloriously set forth by Saint Paul, I, to be a great power, 2, an

exceeding power, 3, a working and a mighty power, 4, such a power as was wrought in raising Christ from the dead. That grace which is but a perswasive offer, and in our pleasure to receive or refuse, is not that grace which brings us to heaven; but Gods people feel a powerfull work of the Spirit not onely revealing unto us our misery, and deliverance through Christ, but emptying us of our selves as being redeemed from our selves, and infusing new life into us, and after strengthning us and quickning of us when we droop

and hang the wing, and never leaving us till perfect conquest.

The fift conclusion is, that this prevailing Government shall not bee without fighting; there can be no victory where there is no combate; in Esay it is said, hee shall bring

judgment in truth: here it is said, he shall send forth judgment into victory. The word send forth hath a stronger sense in the originall, to send forth with force, to shew, that where his government is in truth, it will be opposed, untill he getteth the upper hand. Nothing is so opposed, as

CHRIST and his government both with in us, and without us. And within us most in our first conversion, though corruptiō prevailes not so farre as to make voyd the powerfull worke of grace, yet there is not onely a possibility of opposing, but a proannesse to oppose, and not onely a proanness, but an actuall withstanding the working of CHRISTS Spirit, and that in every action, but yet no prevailing resistance, so far as to make void the worke of grace, but corruption in the issue yeelds to grace.

There is much: adoc to

bring CHRIST into the heart, and to settle a Tribunall for him to judge there, there is an army of lusts mutiny against him. The utmost strength of most mens indeavours and parts, is to keepe CHRIST from ruling in the soule, the flesh still laboureth to maintaine its owne regency, and therefore it cryes downe the credit of whatsoever crosseth it, as Gods blessed ordinances, &c. and highly prizeth any thing, though never so dead and empty, if it give way to the liberty of the flesh.

And no marvaile if the

spirituall government of CHRIST be so opposed, 1, because it is governmēt, & that limits the course of the will, and casteth a bridle upon its wanderings, every thing naturally resists what opposeth it; so corrupt will labours to beare downe all Lawes, and counteth it a generous thing not to be awed, and an argument of a low spirit to feare any, even GOD himselfe, untill unavoydable danger seizeth on men, and then those that feared least out of danger, feare most in danger, as we see in Balthazar.

2, It is spiritual government,

and therefore the lesse will flesh indure it: Christs government bringeth the very thoughts & desires which are the most immediate and free issue of the soule into obedience, though a man were of so composed a cariage that his whole life were free from outward offensive breaches, yet with Christ, to bee carnally or

worldly mindeded is death, he looketh on a worldly mind with greater detestation then any one particular offence.

But Christs Spirit is in those who are in some degree earthly minded?