BX
5133
R265
ON
JACOB's LADDER;
OR, THE
PROTECTORSHIP of SION.
Being the Subftance of a
DISCOURSE on GEN. xxviii. 12, 13.
Delivered in the Year of Our LORD 1654,
By FRANCIS RAWORTH.
And now at the Requeft of many reprinted for the Benefit
of the riſing Generation, by F. G,
Heb. xi. 4. And by it he being dead, yet fpeaketh.
John v. 35. He was a burning and fining Light
With thee my Wants can never prove extreme,
With Jacob's Pillow, give me Jacob's Dream."
LONDON:
Sold by G. KEITH, at the Bible and Crown in Gracechurch-Street.
M.DCC.LXII.
(Price 4d.)
THE DIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN LIBRARIES.
BX
5133
B365
CERAS CIVANS CAD CAD CAD CEAASDEIXAID
To the READER.
F thou art carnal, and a Stranger to the Paths of
Sion, this enfuing Difcourfe will feem mere Fooliſh-
neſs to thee, for the Things therein contained are
Spiritually difcerned; but if thou art one of God's Jacobs,
I hope what is here prefented to thee may be of fome Ufe,
through the Supply of the Spirit of Jefus Chrift. Little
did I ever think that the following Sermon would appear
in publick View from me: I had indeed, at my leifure
Hours, collected this out of the Author's Writings, with
fome Alteration, for my private Amuſement : But having
read the Manufcripts to feveral Chriftian Friends, and
likewife lent them to fome others, they were received with
great Approbation: I was earnestly intreated to make
them publick by committing them to Print; and having,
I trust, through Grace, received ſome ſpiritual Advan-
tage from reading them myself, I was not willing to be
felfifh, and fo eat my Morfel alone. If any, who ſhall
perufe the following Pages, fhould receive any ſpiritual
Advantage, and are prevailed upon to mend their Pace
in climbing the heavenly Ladder, let them give all the
Praife to the God of Jacob: And pray for me, who
propofe thy peculiar Profit by the fubfequent Difcourfe.
Mile-End, March 1762.
F. G.
13-898298
TO THE
PROFESSOR S
OF THE
Glorious Goſpel of CHRIST.
My FRIENDS,
I
海鮮
​F ever there was an Hour of Tempta-
tion, it is furely at this Day, when fo
few follow Chrift; when fo many ftand
ftill, and moſt go backward; when thofe
that once would not have been hired to neglect a
Duty, now think it their Duty not to pray at all;
when thoſe that have tafted much Sweetnefs in
Goſpel-Truths, fhould now cry out (as thoſe un-
grateful Ifraelites of old) What! have we nothing
but this Manna? that have fuffered much Re-
proach for Chriſt, fhould at prefent, in their Lives,
be a Reproach to Chrift; that formerly avoided
the Appearance of Evil, and now condemn thofe
as ignorant of their Liberty, who are afraid of
Prophaneness.-Not long fince it was familiarly
faid, There goes a Saint, there walks an Heir of
Salvation, now are not known in the Streets; that
there is little Difference between a Profeffor and an
Apoftate, between a Profeffor and a prophane
Man, nay, between a Profeffor and a Perfecutor.
It is in this Age too remarkable, that fome Pro-
feffors of the Gofpel are the great, if not the
greateſt Hindrances of the Profeflion of the Gof-
pel. For theſe many Years our Lord Jefus hath
been burying the Defigns of his more publick
Adverfaries
A
ii
The Epiftle Dedicatory.
Adverfaries under Ground; now God is coming
to Jerufalem to purge his Gold, to prune his Vine.
Profeffors, look within you, and look about you:
Ah, Lord! what Bluſhing will there be 'ere long
in England? When wilt thou wash off the Paint of
our Profeffion, and that thy Followers fhall wear
their Hearts in their Faces? How much better
ſhall a Dram of Grace be, than a Talent of Gifts?
When as the greater our Lights and Links of
Knowledge are, the more unawares we difcover
our Darkneſs. If we cannot endure the Spirit
going up and down with a Candle and Lanthorn
to fearch our Hearts, how can we abide the Day
of Chrift's Coming, and ftand when the Sun of
Righteouſneſs ſhall appear, for he is like Refiner's
Fire, and like Fuller's Soap? Juftice, Humility,
Repentance, tho' now they be but poor and low
Things with Man, yet, when the Judge fhall take
the Bench more vifibly, how high will they be
with God? Sincerity, tho' it be a filent Grace at
this Time, and dwells in Obfcurity, 'ere long, I
hope, will carry the Day, and bear away the Bell.
And certainly the King of Sion ſhall be as pub-
lick in his Glory, as ever he was in his Shame,
his Deriders little confidering, that while they wil-
lingly add to his Shame, they really, tho' unwil-
lingly, add to his Glory; for as he was not cru-
cified in a Corner, but at Jerufalem, the Eye and
Center of the World, fo he fhall defcend from
Heaven in Majefty with Shouts, riding in the
Clouds, as in his Chariot, attended by Millions.
of Angels and Saints, his Royal Favourites, all
Eyes beholding of him, and every Knee bowing
to him, Jude 14, 15. Woe be to the great Ones
of this World then, when Pilate, that fat on the
Bench,
The Epistle Dedicatory.
iii
Bench; ſhall ſtand at the Bar; and our Lord Jefus,
that once ſtood at the Bar, fhall fit on the Bench
(when we ſhall fee not Perfons, but Cauſes heard);
the Judges being judged, and the Judged being
Judges; when Emperors and Kings fhall be brought
not in Chains of Gold about their Necks, but in
Fetters of Iron about their Heels; when the Peers,
and Powers, and Potentates of the World ſhall
hold down their Heads, and hold up their Hands,
and cry Guilty; when moſt of all the Mighty, and
all the almoſt Almighty of the Earth, that have
difrobed Chrift of his Title, and robbed him of
his Honour, fhall be led up and down this Court
(q. d. as Tamerlane led Bajazet in an iron Cage
through Afia) to be gazed on, and hooted by all
the Saints. If that Headſhip that flattering Pre-
lates in former Ages took from Jefus Chrift, be
yet taken from Chrift, and given to Men in the
Nations; if Chrift's Crown be pulled off his Head,
no matter whofe Head is warm in the World, Mal.
iii. 15. iv. 1. And as for this Nation in ſpecial,
my Prayers to the Lord are, that Holiness may
not only have a Toleration, but Authority amongſt
us, againſt Licentioufnefs both of Judgment and
Converfation, that the Rulers of England may not
fay, The Time is not come that the Lord's Houſe
fhould be built; but rather hear God fay, Is it
Time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled Houſes,
and this Houſe lie wafte? Hag. i.-For Shame,
therefore, let Virgins arife, and either get Oil, or
caft away their Lamps; Security makes you un-
capable both of feeing your Reward, or doing
your Work.
Firſt, Think not, becauſe you need but once to
repent. Converted David (q. d.) muft repent of
A 2
his
iv
The Epifle Dedicatory.
his Adultery before he be faved; Repentance is
not only as Life to the Dead, but as Salve to the
wounded Sinner; Repentance is as Vowels in the
Alphabet, which we have not only need of to fpall
with while we are Babes, but to read withal when
we are Men in Chrift.
2dly, Plead for Opinions as Opinions, and for
Graces as for Graces. I fear thofe that plead for
diſputable Opinions, as infallible Truths, will, ere
long, hold vital and indifputable Truths as Con-
formity to the Goſpel; true Faith in Chrift, and
Repentance towards God, but as failable and fal-
lible Opinions. This is intolerable Folly, to fee
Men Slaves to Opinions, and Mafters over Graces;
if the Lord extinguish not this fond Zeal, the car-
nal World henceforward will take Advantage to
think that Religion lies only in thinking and con-
ceiving, and in the next Age conclude they are not
to ſeek Religion in their Bibles, but in the Brains
of Men. O Lord! how many are true to falſe
Principles, and falfe to true Principles; and will
rather dier Martyrs for Error, than bow as Ser-
vants to Truth!
+
3dly, While you cry out against the old Super-
tition, beware of being tainted with the new
Diſeaſe of this Age; not the Plague of the Guts,
but of the Heart; not the Rickets in the Head,
but the Pride of Life, alias Hypocrify, alias ap-
parent Prophanenefs; fly as far from Licentioufnefs,
as you do from the Formality of Rome. Woe be
to the Profeffion of Religion, if your Profeffion
fhould ftand or fall to the Verdict of the World.
Olet not thoſe whom you muft one Day judge,
justly judge you now-Take heed of putting out
the Eyes of Confcience, and then to make Apology:
for
1
The Epiftle Dedicatory.
for your Blindnefs; Confcience is God's Vicege
rent, but it is not our Lawgiver; Confcience is our
Guide, but the Divine Word is our Way; and
there is no Excufe in following our Guide out of
our Way.
4thly, Call not that Poifon which is your Milk,
and ſtrike not thoſe Breaſts which once you ftroked;
fay not the Preaching down of Sin is the Preaching
up of the Law. Trample not thoſe Ambaffadors
under your Feet, who have rejoiced to carry your
Souls in their Arms to Chrift; have not low
Thoughts of them that have low Thoughts of
themfelves, and high Thoughts of Chrift; that
care not tho' they be accounted nothing, (who are
yet fomething in your Eyes) that Chrift, who is
little afteemed in the World, may be All in All.
But, if the Bridemen be defpiſed, O! that the
Bridegroom, might be more honoured: O! that
Love, which is denied to the Servants, might
abundantly 'be given to their Mafter. I confefs,
it were better for many to have an hundred a Year
to be filent, they fo, inftead of preaching Chriſt
crucified, crucify Chrift; in Preaching, they fo
wound and kill Religion in the Pulpit, where they
fhould give it Life. While you endeavour their
Downfall, forget not to pray for their Converſion;
Paul was once a Saul. Let not therefore your
Virtue be only in fpeaking against the Vices of
others; it is an eafy Matter to trample on thoſe
that are on the Ground already.
5thly, Take heed of the Corinthian Difeafe; I
am for Paul, no, I am for Apollos, no, I am for
Chrift, as if we might not love Chrift, and Paul
and Apollos too: In the Primitive Times they (as
in the Acts) kept together in Singlenefs of Heart-
But
vi
The Epiftle Dedicatory.
But O! that thofe now that have but one Head,
had but one Heart.-O! that we did confider,
that tho' Paul and Peter be in Heaven, yet that
there are neither Paulians nor Peterians in Heaven;
that Chriſt is not a Calvinist in the Calvinists, or a
Lutheran in the Lutherans; but in thoſe that are
Believers amongſt both Chriſt is All in All. God
muſt ſcourge this Folly from us; his Children are
wrangling, and we may expect that either he ſhould
ſeparate, or correct us. O Lord! if Man's Apo-
ſtate were thy Apoftate, and Man's Heretick thy
Heretick, and Man's Reprobate always thy Re-
probate, Election to eternal Life would prove but
a Fable, and all the World would be damned.-
But when our Redeemer fhall appear, he will not
prefer one Opinion, and reject another, fo much
as prefer all true Believers, and reject all the Hy-
pocrites, he being not the Lord of Opinions, but
of Souls; not one Sheep that hath the Ear-Mark
of Election fhall be left out of his Fold, nor one
Child that bears his Image fhall either be kept or
thruſt out of his Family.
6thly, Remember that the Ordinances of Chriſt
are not his Grave wherein he lies, but the Throne
whereon he fits as King of his Church; that you
ſhould never be above Ordinances, until you are
above Temptations; and that they lofe not their
Authority, becauſe ſometimes we miss their In-
fluence; and that they are appointed not only to
bring Men to, but alſo to build Men up in Chriſt:
It is true they are the Conduit-Pipes, and we have
no Comfort from them, unleſs Chrift convey his
Blood through them; the Ordinances are dead
Creatures only to thofe that are dead in their Con-
ſciences, and are not alive in Chrift; the Ordi-
nances
The Epifle Dedicatory.
vii
nances cannot work without the Spirit, and the
Spirit (ordinarily) will not work without the Or-
dinances, tho' the Lord is Sovereign: Wherefore,
Chriſtians, prefer not the Letter before the Spirit;
neither oppoſe the Spirit to the Letter (as the
manner of fome is) left in the End you prove
neither for the Letter, nor the Spirit, but the
Fleſh. As ever you would be comforted by, take
heed of fcoffing at the Divine Spirit. Quench
not the Spirit in yourſelves, grieve it not in others.
And,
Laftly, Arife, and be on your Guard, and wait
for the Coming of our Lord; for as it is certain,
fo it will be fudden. If it were the laſt Hour in
Paul's Time, fure now it is the laft Minute of
that laſt Hour. O Lord! never was the Judge
nigher to come, and never lefs Regard for his
Coming. Believers, have we not Cloſets to mourn
in? or rather, do not we want Hearts to mourn
withal? Hath Chrift caft his Cloak of Love over
you, and ſaid, Live? And will you not pity thoſe
that yet lie, as it were, dead in their Blood? If
you have any Knowledge, adviſe; any Faith,
pray; any Zeal, be courageous; any Wiſdom,
foberly wait; for the Coming of the Lord draws
nigh. How can Chriſt wipe Tears from our Eyes,
if we never wept for his Abfence? or come to
anſwer our Prayers, if we never pray for his
Coming. Awake, awake, the Night is far fpent;
arife, the Day-Star is rifen in the World; we have
flept too long already: I pray, that when the
Father comes, he may not find you, like Prodi-
gals, out of his Houfe; that when the Captain
of your Salvation comes, he may not find you in
the Trenches of the Devil, or of the World, a
Lying,
viii
The Epifle Dedicatory.
Lying, a Swearing, a Beating your Fellow-Bre-
thren; for even to thefe monftrous Sins our Na-
tures are inclinable. Pray, pray, that when the
Judge comes, who is even at the Door, that you
may not have your Accounts to caft up, when
they are to be given up; judge yourſelves, that
you may not be judged. The Noife and News of
the Bridegroom's Approach is at hand: Awake,
arife, go ye out to meet him.
If thefe following Difcourfes may any way ad-
vantage you in your fpiritual Watch againſt the
Devil, they are yours, read them in Love, and
may you be enabled to apply them; let them not
fwim in your Heads, but fink into your Hearts;
and in your Prayers to the Throne of Grace, let
him have a Room, who fubfcribes himſelf in our
Lord Jefus a Friend to Sion.
1
1654.
FRANCIS RAWORTH.
Let Angels now defcend from thee,
O Lord! and with this Ladder flee
Abroad, and in their glorious Arms
Guard and fafeguard it from all Harms,
That-Jacob's Sleep and Dream may thofe awake,
Who without Jacob's Dream his Sleep yet take.
5
}
Mafter
*******
8E8C9C8CC
Maſter RAW ORT H
ON
JACOB's LADDER;
OR, THE
PROTECTORSHIP of SION.
*****
GENESIS xxviii. 12, 13.
And Jacob dreamed, and behold a Ladder fet upon the
Earth, and the Top of it reached to Heaven, and
behold the Angels of God afcending and defcending on
it, and behold the Lord ftood above it.
#WS &
*
T
**
# X 2 D & G X
HERE is a threefold Senſe of this Viſion,
Literal, Allegorical, and Providential.
First, Literal: The Hiftory of Jacob
confifts of three general Parts. Ift, Jacob's
going to Padan-Aran. 2dly, His Stay
there. 3dly, His Return from thence. In
his going to Padan-Aran, the Motives.
which induced him to go thither are recorded; which were,
to take a Wife of his own Kindred, and that he might
withdraw himſelf from the Fury of his enraged Brother.
B
The
[ 2 ]
The Accidents that fell out by the Providence of God in
his Journey, and theſe were, the Vifion of the Ladder, his
Confecration of Bethel, and his Vow, all contained in this
Chapter. My Purpoſe is only to paraphrafe and apply the
Vifion of Jacob's Ladder. I pray the Lord to open this
Vifion to our Eyes to fee it, and open our Hearts to under-
ftand it. Four Things might perplex Jacob in his Journey,
that he fhould leave his Country, that he fhould forfake
his Friends, that he might fall into Poverty; laftly, Soli-
tarineſs and Want of Company; wherefore the Lord
ſeaſonably appears to Jacob in this Vifion: "Though thou
leaveft thy Country, yet be content, I will not leave thee;
and as for thy Friends, be not troubled, I am thy Friend;
can you mend yourſelf, Jacob? And for Shame fear not
Poverty, if the Word of thy God may be taken, Eaft and
Weſt ſhall be at thy Command." Let Jacob fay, "Cer-
tainly I fhall never fee God want, and wherefore fhould
I be difmayed, ſeeing the Lord faith, I will never fee Jacob
want; and let not Jacob fear to be alone, for Angels fhall
travel with him, and that which is Security enough, Jacob
fhall have in Company not only the Angels of God, but.
the God of Angels." The Ladder is the Journey of Jacob,
the Angels afcending and defcending, his Royal Atten-
dants going to and returning with him from Padan-Aran ;
the Lord ftands on the Top of the Ladder as guiding and
governing all. Jacob, I am perfuaded, never had a ſweeter
Night's Lodging than at this Time, when the Stones were
his Pillow, and the Heavens his Canopy, when Providence
made his Bed, and Angels rocked the Cradle. How plea-
fant is it to confider! Angels guard Jacob, God guards.
the Angels, and God guards Jacob with Angels; what
Ground then hath Jacob to fear either Men or Devils to
difturb him, when he hath a Guard of God and of his
Angels?
Secondly, An Allegorical Senſe; and fo Chrift is this
Ladder, (John i. ult.) by his Divine Nature he reached
to Heaven, by his Human to the Earth, his Incarnation
being a Commerce between Divinity and Humanity; the
Steps of this Ladder are either the Genealogy of Chrift,
or the fucceffive Works of his Redemption. John xi Her
that.
[ 3 ]
that climbs up, or thinks to climb up, any other Way to
Heaven than by this Ladder, is a Thief. John xiv. He
is the only Way for Satisfaction, for Juftification, for
Sanctification, the only Way from God to Man, and from
Man to God. Every poor fenfible Sinner hath Liberty to
aſcend theſe Stairs; and the righteous Pharifee fhall never
enter the Star-Chamber of Heaven at a Back-Door: Every
Man, by Nature, fees the Neceffity of fome Ladder or
other to climb up to Salvation by; the Mahometan makes
the Alcoran his Ladder; the few makes the Temple of
the Lord his Ladder; the carnal Proteftant makes his
Charity his Ladder, and the Papift hath kis Ladder alſo:
There is a red Ladder by the Blood of Chrift, but they
will have a white Ladder by Mary's Obedience; this they
account the eafier Way: Methinks thefe Men miſtake
Jacob's Ladder, yet fomething like it is, for they are in a
Dream as Jacob was; thefe are all rotten Ladders, and
the Climbers have rotten Hearts, fo continuing,
Thirdly, A Providential Senfe; and thus I fhall handle
this Viſion; the Ladder fignifieth the Divine Providence,
and in this Ladder we have many Things obfervable.
Ift, The Variety of Providences in the many Steps
thereof. The Providence of God hath indeed but one End,
yet it hath divers Ways to that one End; every living
Creature hath four Faces and four Wings, to fignify the
ſeveral Appearances and ſwift Execution of Providence,
Ezek. i. 6. It is a difficult Thing to take the Picture of
Providence at this Time in the World, it maketh and
hath ſo many Faces, let our Eyes be never fo exact in
obferving, and our Hands ready in defcribing its Ways.
The Locks of the Spouſe in the Canticles are black and
curled, black for their Obfcurity, and curled for their
various Intricacy. There are not fo many feveral Coun-
tenances of Men, as there are Difpenfations of God; and
it is as rare a Thing to find Difpenfations, as Men, of the
fame Complexion. In Heaven God will appear to the
Saints in one glorious Form; but now, as it was faid of
an Emperor, that every Day he put on a Suit, fo it is the
Lord's Honour to apparel himſelf in changeable Robes:
The Imbroidery of Providence is made up of divers
B 2
Colours;
[ 4 ]
Colours; Sion is not always in one Condition, nor the
Soul always in one Frame; fometimes Chrift frowns, and
fometimes he fmiles; fometimes he cafteth down, fome-
times he lifteth up; fometimes the Church of God is in
the Wilderneſs, fometimes in Canaan; fometimes on the
raging Sea, fometimes in her Harbour. The Lord keeps
his People from Infection, by leading them into divers
Airs; black and bloody Providences fet off the Wiſdom
and Faithfulneſs of our God the better. Standing Waters
corrupt and breed noiſome Creatures, but running Waters
are pure and preſervative. Every new Day brings with it
a new Temptation, and we ſhall never be experienced
Soldiers till we are tried at all Sorts of Weapons. We
muft not look on the ſcattered Lines of Providence, but
tarry till God hath made a Conclufion; never ſay Provi-
dence fcribbles, till you have ſeen the whole Copy. Princes
Letters, we fay, ought to be read thrice; let us confider
the Ways of God, and we ſhall never cenſure them.
2dly, In this Ladder we have the feeming Uncertainty
of Providence: The Ladder is partly above the Clouds,
and partly viſible in the Air; as the Spirit, John iii, blows
where it lifteth, fo God in his Works worketh how he
lifteth. It is obfervable, that ufually of old, when God
appeared in the Tabernacles, a Cloud ufhered in his Pre-
fence. All the World is in the Light to God, but God
is in the Dark to all the World. Sometimes the Lord
walks fo plainly in his Works, that he that runs may
read; that the dim-fighted'ft Chriſtian may ſay, this is the
Lord's Walk, and this is the Lord's Work: At other
Times, he wraps himſelf in a Cloud, and overcafteth Sion
with Darkness, that the poor Children of God cannot tell
where to find their Father, that they can but gueſs at his
Footſteps, knowing not which Way to march, for their
Leader hath hid himſelf. Pompey the Great faid, when
the Scales weighed down on Cafar's Side, that there was
a Mift on the Eyes of Providence; but indeed the Sun
fhone clearly, and the Miſt was on his Eye, that he could
not fee it. I confefs, in this Age, it is eaſier to know
what particular Things in Providence God will pull down,
than what he will fet up. We often imagine there is a
Diſorder
[ 5 ]
Diſorder in God's Works, when, if we mind it, the
Diſorder is in our own Imagination; we know not how
to believe, and we fancy the Lord to be at a Stand, as not
knowing what to do: But we must take heed of charging
the Lord to be out of his Way, when only he is out of
our Sight.
3dly, In this Ladder we have the feeming Contradictions
of Providence: The Angels afcend and defcend the Ladder;
one Providence feems to go one Way, and another Pro-
vidence ſeems to go another Way. Sometimes the Cloud
in the Wilderneſs ſeemed to carry Ifrael immediately to
Canaan: Now for Canaan, might Mofes and Aaron fay;
and on a ſudden the Lord wheels about, and Ifrael turns
Faces toward the Red Sea, as if he intended they ſhould
never ſee Canaan more. How plainly hath the Lord led
England for fome Years toward a Reformation! The
Saints have encouragingly faid one to another, Certainly
we are within two or three Years Journey of the New
Ferufalem; have at the Scarlet Whore of Babylon; now
for the Building of ruinate Sion. But the Lord hath
feemed to cry, Face about, and follow me yet longer in
the Wilderneſs. And fome of the Saints conclude, we
are never like to go forward, we fhall return to our Leeks
and Onions; the Converfion of Souls vifibly goes back-
ward, and not forward. Some Years ago Hundreds came
out of the Devil's Kingdom, into the Kingdom of the
Gofpel; but now many fly from the Colours of Chrift
vifibly, and run into the Devil's Quarters again. The
Lord feems to feal up the Hardness of Men's Hearts, and
to ſay to the Womb of Grace, Give forth no more, let
no more Sinners be changed from Darkneſs to Light in
England. Well might Solomon, Prov. xxx. 19. compare
the Church to a Ship in the midſt of the Sea; which, as
the Prophet ſpeaks, now even mounts up to the Heavens,
and anon deſcends, as it were, to Hell. God fees our
Works in our Wills, but we cannot many Times fpell
out the Lord's Will by his Works: Who can trace the
Lord in his Travel, or find out the Work or Walk of the
Almighty in the World? The Texts of Providence are
as difficult as the Texts of the Scriptures; there are as
high
[ 6 ]
high Conteſts about Providence, as about Predeftination;
and it is as hard to reconcile the Works of God, as to
reconcile his Word, though there is a real Concordance
and Harmony in both. Be not over-righteous, fays the
Preacher, Ecclef. vii. 16. Can a Man' be too righteous ?
Rather, we think, he ſhould have faid, Be not too pro-
phane; but as one Diamond cuts another, fo one Scrip-
ture opens another. Ver. 15. I have feen a juft Man,
as juft as Abel, perish in his Righteoufnefs, and to loſe his
Life, becauſe he would keep his Conſcience; and on the
contrary, I have ſeen a wicked Man, as wicked as Cain,
to prolong his Life, and to have the World at Command:
But yet carp not at Providence, let the Lord be down
before you think to lift him up; enter not into the Chair
to offer Knowledge to God about his Works. There is
no Reaſon that the Lord fhould give Man a Reaſon of all
his Ways; he often wills a Change, but never changeth
his Will. God may retreat in his Providences as to us,
and undo all he hath been doing in England theſe many
Years, and make Sion put on her mourning Apparel, and
yet not be either unconftant or unfaithful; though I hope
better Things. For it is obfervable, that. Providence in
the main is never excentrical, and in the main is never
retrograde. The Lord oft looks backward, but never
goes backward. He led Ifrael forty Years about in the
Wilderneſs, and yet never carried them back to Egypt.
Abraham is promiſed a Son, and a numerous Offspring;
but, as if Providence had forgot itfelf (to us) Abraham is
commanded to offer up Ifaac; and whereas he might
- have objected, Lord, thou art wont to call for Oxen to
be facrificed, and daft thou require me to facrifice my
Son? Thy Word faith, I muſt not kill, and thy Mouth
faith, I muſt kill: And Lord, thou haft promifed to mul-
tiply my Seed, and now thou calleft for my Ifaac; how
can the Branches grow, if the Stock be cut down? And
yet Abraham obeyed, winking, and putting his Hand into
the Lord's Hand, following him, though Providence, as
it were, crofled the Promife. We now have, as the Pro-
phet ſpeaks, a Wheel in a Wheel; fo I truft, 'ere God
hath
[ 7 ]
hath done with England, we fhall have, as the Rabbi
fpeaks, a Miracle in a Miracle.
4thly, In this Ladder we have the Independency of
Providence: The Ladder, we fee, is only reared and fup-
ported by God; it is not a crooked Ladder, but ftands
upright towards Heaven. It leans not on the Mountains
of Men, nor Palaces of Kings. Many quarrel and find
Fault with the Ladder of Providence; but this Ladder
fhall never fall down before Man, or to Man. The Pro-
phet undertakes the Challenge, Ifai. xl. 15. Who hath
been the Counſellor of God, or hath taught the Almighty?
The Wife King of Arragon (or rather the Unwife) was
fo foolish, as to think he could have made the Creation
better, if he had been of God's Council; and fome Men
think there are Errata's in the Volume of Providence by
their Murmurings, and would fain be a correcting the
Lord's Copy, and amending the Lines of his Government
in the World. Methinks falfe-hearted Man is like flatter-
ing Abfalom, who would infinuate to the People Neglects
in his Father's Government: There is no Man deputed
of the King to do Juſtice, and that he was able to guide
Ifrael in a better Order. But John xv. the Church is
compared to a Vine, and God will have it lean on him-
felf, and not to be fupported by the Poles and Policy of
Men. It is obferved, that the weakest Women have often
the ſtrongeſt Children, and that the Loid hangs the
heavieft Weights on the fmalleft Wires. The Stone in
Daniel is cut out of the Mountains without Hands: The
Goſpel and Sion are neither framed nor forged by Man,
both are the Handy-work of God; as there was no Con-
currence of Man's Power to the Generation of Chrift
perfonal, ſo there is no Concurrence of the Wifdom of
Man to the Generation of Chrift myftical. Cicero fell in
with Cafar, when Pompey was defeated; and it is no
Difhonour for Man, routed in his Way, to fall down to
God. Man muſt lean on God, but God will never lean
on Man But let Sion remember, that her Caufe is
not fo good, but the Strength of her Protector is as
great to maintain it: There is nothing that God doth
by the Creature, but he can do without the Creature ;
rather
[ 8 ]
rather than Sion fhall fall, the God of Sion will not ftand
on Miracles.
5thly, In this Ladder we have the Extent of Providence.
The Ladder is fet upon the Earth, and the Top of it
reached to Heaven. Providence extends to all fenfeleſs
and irrational Creatures, both in their Prefervation and
Government.-There is as much Need of a Divine Wif-
dom to preſerve, as there was of a Divine Power to make
the World. There is a Neceffity not only of a privative
Influx from God, that is, not only that he does not deftroy
his Creatures, but of a pofitive, Influence to maintain the
Creatures in being. Job vi. 9. If the Lord take away his
Hand, fob would fall, not only to the Ground, but alſo
to his firſt Principle of nothing. Mithridates, a General,
knew all the Names of all the Soldiers in his Army; the
Heavens are the Lord's Hofts, and they in all their Ranks
and Orbs are known and kept by the Lord of Hofts.
Cincinnatus's Honour was at the fame Time to hold the
Plough, and the Helm of State. The Lord made as well
the leaſt Worm on Earth, as the moſt glorious Angel in
Heaven; and it cofteth the Lord as many Words to make
a Worm, as to make an Angel, for all was done with
a Word. It is no Difgrace for the Lord to walk up and
down by his Providence, and overlook all his Creatures;
the Baſeneſs of any Creature no more defiles God, than
a Dunghill Vapour infects the Sun-Beams.-God is great
in the greateſt Creatures, and he is great in the ſmalleſt
Creatures. It is to be feared, that thoſe that at preſent
queftion Providence, upon the fame Account may 'ere
long deny the Creation.-But the Lord can no more be
abfent from his Creatures, than ceaſe to be their Creator,
nay, than ceaſe to be, Pfal. cxlvii. 9. According to the
old Obſervation, God is prefent in Heaven by his Glory,
in his Church by his Spirit, in Hell by his Juftice, in the
Earth by his Providence, though it be not full, for God
is every where in his Effence.-God is in fmall Things
great, not ſmall in any; his even Praiſe can neither rife
nor fall; he is in all Things one, in each Thing many;
for he is infinite in one and all. The leaſt Creature hath
fomething of God in it, and the beſt Creature fomething
of
[ 9 ]
of nothing. Again, In their Government: In God, as
the Apoſtle faith, we have our Being, we are his Crea-
tures; in him we live, by him all Things are preſerved;
in him we move, all Things are at his Beck and Com-
mand: Every Creature, as it hath a Being from God as
its Maker, fo it hath an Order from God as its Gover-
nor, and that Order is warlike, whereby all Creatures are
muſtered, and trained, and ſerve under the Colours of the
Almighty. Look into Egypt, and you find a Band of
Frogs march into Pharaoh's Bedchamber. Look on Herod,
and God fets his Vermin on him, and all the King's
Guard cannot mafter the Lice. God hath Hornets for
the Hivites, Mice for the Philistines, Rats for the Prelate,
and a Fly for the Pope. When God hath Service to do,
he can never want an Army to do it; all the Creatures
ftand ready preffed to receive the Word of Command: If
he bids them go, they go; if he bids them come, they
come.
Again, Providence extends towards all rational and
intellectual Creatures, Men and Angels, good and bad,
generally and ſpecially; of which laft I fhall diſcourſe, as it is
exerciſed for the Good of Sion. This Ladder of Providence
is exerciſed on Man for Good. The Anfwer of the Tongue,
(Prov. xvi. 1.) is from the Lord; we cannot fpeak a good
Word without the Influence of the Spirit of God, much
lefs can we do a good Work. I dare not ſay, that the
Graces, as Faith, Hope, flow formally from God, yet
certainly they flow efficiently from God; that is, though
it be not God that believes, but Man, yet Man would
not believe without God. It is the Tree that brings forth
Fruit, yet the Tree would not bring forth Fruit, were it
not for the Light of the Sun, and the Dew of Heaven.
It is certain, that Man may repent when he has a Will,
but it is the Lord that must give him that Will to repent
-For Man cannot repent without his Will, but not in
the Power of Man. It is a Truth, Man cannot repent,
becauſe he will not repent; and alfo, that Man will not
repent, becauſe he cannot. The Converfion of the Soul
is fuppofed to be as confiderable a Work, if not a greater,
than the Creation; for in the Creation God had no Ad-
C
verſary :
[ 10 ]
verfary: The Light did not fay, I will not be created;
the Earth did not fay, I will not be formed: But in the
new Creation, Sinners labour to prevent (as much as in
them lies) the Conception of Grace, take down Anti-
dotes againſt Salvation, and ftudy how to defeat the Spirit
of God, and make its Works abortive. God, when he
comes, finds the Houſe not only empty of Grace, but
filled with Lufts, and the ftrong Man up in Arms; not
a milk-white Paper, but he finds the Devil to have been
ſcribbling, and the World to have been fcribbling. Angels
may knock at the Door of a Sinner's Heart, but God
only can open it. The Body is not fo much at the Com-
mand of the Soul, as the Soul is at the Command of
God. Without me ye can do nothing, John xiv. The Lord
opened the Heart of Lydia. Man's Heart is God's Lock,
and not Man's Wiſdom; but the Spirit of the Lord is the
Key that muſt unlock it. It is God's Prerogative to
make, and it is the Royal Flower of his Crown to give
a new Heart. Ezek. xxxvi. 26. A new Heart alſo will
I give you, and a new Spirit will I put within you; and
I will take away the ftony Heart out of your Flesh, and I
will give you an Heart of Flesh. Under the Praifes of
Nature lurk the Enemies of Grace.
2dly, This Ladder of Providence reacheth as far as
wicked Men and Devils; and that four Ways:
1. In this Ladder there is a preventing Providence.
Pharaoh, Exod. xiv. refolves on Ifrael's Ruin; he will
deftroy them, ay that he will; but how was it that
he did not deftroy them? Ezekiel xxix. 4. The Lord
put an Hook in his Noftrils, and a Bridle in his Jaws.
The dark Lanthorn of Faux is famous; the Match was
ready to give Fire to have blown up all, but God wet the
Powder. The dark Side of the Lanthorn was to Man,
the light Side toward God.-It was a good Man's Con-
templation on this Ladder, Lord, thou haft pardoned
thofe Sins I have committed, and thofe Sins which by
thy Grace I have not committed. How many Souls had
never gone into Heaven (to our Apprehenfion) if God
had not carried them by the Gates of Hell? How many
Sinners had been undone indeed, if they had not been
undone
[ i ]
·
undone in their own Senfe? Let God's Jacobs lie at the
Foot of the Ladder, and admire what Hardneſs of Heart
hath God prevented; what an hard Heart hath. God
foftened! How miferable in Sin had I been, if God had
not had Mercy on me? and how miferable, notwithſtand-
ing all my Senfe of his Love and Power over my Cor-
ruptions, fhould I be, if yet God fhould leave me to
myfelf? But this is the Support of poor Sinners: Whom
the Lord loves, he loves unto the End, &c. God is not
only to be admired for bringing Good out of Evil, but
for preventing Evil, and doing Good.-And fo in a publick
Senſe, when the Overthrow of Religion is determined at
Man's Council - Table, it is not determined at God's
Council-Table: Men's Defigns are not fo deep, but the
Lord's Deſigns are deeper; and though Satan's Enter-
prifes are in the Dark to us, yet they are in the Light to
God. God often blows up and undermines the Malice
of Men, for his Children, who fometimes neither feel nor
hear the Blow. O Lord, how often are we delivered
from viſible Dangers? but how oftener from invifible.
Dangers? Remember for ever, that the Devil and Men
may often level their Ordnance againſt Sion, but they ſhall
never do Execution, till God fay, Give Fire.
2. In this Ladder there is a permitting Providence.
The Devils are kept in Chains, as Jude ſpeaks, in Chains
not only of Juſtice, but alſo of Providence, that they can
neither torment the Body, or tempt the Soul, without
Commiffion or Permiffion from God. God did not allow,
yet he ſuffered the Treachery of Judas, and the Cruelty
of Pilate toward Chrift, Acts ii. 23. The Apoftle chargeth
Chriſt's Death on them, and yet brings in the Foreknow-
ledge and Counſel of God; the Father delivered the Son,
the Son delivered himself out of Love; Judas delivered
Chrift for Money, the Jews crucified Chrift out of Malice;
fo that in the fame Tradition God is to be magnified, and
Man condemned, becauſe, in the fame Thing which they
did, the Cauſe was not the fame for which they did it.
God permits Weeds in his Garden, and Tares in his
Field: Why, may fome fay, doth not God prevent the
fprouting and growing of fuch Blafphemies and Errors as
C 2
range
[ 12 ]
range up and down, and rage in England? How, fays
Unbelief, can the Lord be tender of his Flowers, his
Saints and Truths, and yet be content to fee fuch Thorns
and Weeds to grow about them? Remember, that God
is not bound to do all he can; (and how could God be
Almighty, if he did all he could ?) and that when the
Wheat is ripe, as Luther ſpeaks, the Hufbandman will
burn the Tares. If a Man fhould find Fault with the
Shadowing of a Picture, it would be anſwered, Let not
the Cobler go beyond his Laft, for the Dimning ſets off
the Bright, and the Art of the Painter could not be per-
ceived without Diverſity of Colours. A Father holds a
Lion in Chains, the Child trembles for Fear, left the Lion
ſhould devour him; but the Father fuffers the Child to
tremble, but will not fuffer the Lion to devour: The
Saints in England are afraid, for the Lion of Hell roars
(indeed our Sins have both lengthened his Chain, and
opened his Mouth); but let them confider, the Lion is
not ſo powerful, but their Father is as pitiful, and that
God that ſuffers the Lion to roar, will not fuffer the Lion to
tear. Satan, tho' politick, cannot flip his Collar; tho' pow-
erful, cannot break his Priſon: The Devil hath Men to be
his Priſoners, but the Devil himſelf is God's Priſoner. Pro-
vidence binds Satan over to the Peace, to his quiet Behaviour:
Chrift hath the Keys of Hell at his Girdle, Hell is under his
Conqueft, and therefore under his Command, Rev. xx. 2.
An Allufion to Conquerors, who having taken a Fort,
the Keys are preſently furrendered to them. This Ladder
of Providence reaches as far as Hell, and extends to the
utmoſt Line of the Devil's Kingdom: Satan cannot en-
kindle one Fire in Sion, if Providence did not fuffer him
to go up and down to gather Sticks. The whole Creation,
Men and Devils, though they are not all under the Pro-
tection, yet they are within the Precincts of Providence
and let us not murmur at God's permiffive Providence, but
confider God judgeth it more for his Glory to bring Good
out of Evil, than not to fuffer Evil to be at all; and God
would never fuffer Evil to be, if he could not bring Good
out of it. The Almighty doth not approve of all he
permits; and therefore let none undertake to reprove him
2
for
[ 13 ]
for what he permits, there being nothing that is permitted,
which ſhall not in the End prove for Sion's Comfort, and
his Glory.
3. In this Ladder there is a reftraining Providence :
Thus far fhall the Defigns of Men and Devils go, and
no farther; that is the authoritative Dialect of the Al-
mighty God. God will ſhake the World, Nah. iii. as a
Fig-Tree; Men fhall neither have Leaves to cover their
Nakedness, nor Fruit to fatisfy their Hunger: The Lord
can make that Saints in believing not to care (as we fay)
a Fig for the Towers or Powers of the World againſt
Chriſt. The Egyptians, like ravenous Wolves, would
fain have been worrying the Lambs of God when they
came out of their Bondage; but the Lord held them
in, that they did neither rend their Fleeces, nor fuck
their Blood: The Lord (according to the Proverb) here
truly held the Wolf by the Ears. The Saints are the
Apple of God's Eye, Zech. ii. 8. Now we know the
Eye is the tendereft Part of the Body, and the Apple is
the tendereſt Part of the Eye. It is remarkable, how the
Eye is fecured by a Trinity of Providences; by Tunicles,
that Sweat annoy it not; by the Eyelids, that the Duft
hurt it not; by the Eyebrows, that it may be kept from
Blows or Strokes. There was Care on Care, Providence
on Providence, Tunicle on Tunicle, for Sion's Good,
O! that the Glory of the Lord were as tender to us as
our Salvation is both tender to, and tendered by the Lord.
It is prettily obferved, Gen. xi. 4. in the Building of Babel,
Go to, fay the Babylonians; Go to, faith Ged; let us
build a Tower, fay they; let us go down and fee it, faith
God; that we may get a Name, fay they; that we may
ſcatter them, ſays God. Thus God words it with them,
and confutes their Folly from Point to Point. I believe
there are fuch Babels building in the World, and I am
perfuaded the Lord will fhortly come down and ſee them ;
the Pride of Man fhall flow to fuch a Tide, and then it
ſhall ebb; Errors and Blafphemies fhall even lay the Neck
of the Goſpel on the Block, but fhall not cut it off. Let
the Devils raife Storms, and blufter with their Winds
round about the Houfe of God; let the Men of the
World
در
[ 14 ]
World bow down their Backs, and fet to their Shoulders,
they ſhall never overthrow it; they fhall neither prove
themſelves Sampſons, nor the Saints Philistines. Sion, like
a Bottle, may be dipped, but it ſhall never be drowned:
God will never fuffer fuch an Enemy to invade Sion, that
either he could not keep out, or will not conquer. Satan
may be the Executioner, but God is the Judge; and the
Executioner cannot lay on a Stroke more than the Judge
appoints. Fierce Lions roaring for their Prey, and then
Daniel thrown in, and Daniel yet remains alive! There
was a Lion in the Den was Daniel's Friend, or Daniel
had been flain. Among a thouſand Lions I would not
fear, had I but only Daniel's Lion there.
4. In this Ladder there is an ordering Providence:
The Ladder of Providence extends from Heaven to Hell;
let Men climb never fo high, and dig never ſo deep,
Policy goes not fo far, but Providence goes farther. If
the Lord fuffers a Poiſon, he knows how to bring a Cor-
dial out of it; the Devil can turn Cordials into Poiſons,
God can turn Poiſons into Cordials, nay, make Poiſons
Cordials. He fuffers his Children to burn their Fingers
in the Candle, to keep them from burning their whole
Body in the Fire. He, like a Nurfe, fuffers his Children
to reel and fall, that they may cry for his Arm to hold
them up, and learn to walk by his Almighty Strength,
and under his Elbow. There is nothing fo firm, but
Providence ſuſtains it; nothing fo fmall, but he regards
it; nothing fo evil, but he can overcome it; nothing fo
vile, which ferves not for his Glory; nothing fo wrongful,
which executes not his Juſtice; nothing fo Enemy-like,
which fights not for him; nothing fo much againſt him,
but hits the Mark at which he aims. It was a good Speech,
if well underſtood, of a good Man once, that he was as
much beholden to God for his Infirmities, as for his
Graces. If Peter had not fallen, he had fallen. The
Saints fometimes fall, that when they rife they may ftand
the fafter. David cut off Goliah's Head with Goliah's
Sword. Our Lord Jefus hath often beat the Devil in his
own Kingdom, and with his own Weapons. Many have
fhot with the Devil in his own Bow, as Eve (Gen. iii.)
by
[ 15 ]
by difputing with him; but never any, except Chrift,
ever outfhot the Devil in his own Bow, as appears in two
famous Inftances. The first of the firſt Adam, Gen. iii.
the Devil was a fallen Angel, and he envied that Man
hould ftand; Adam was the Repreſentative of all Man-
kind; if Adam had ftood, we had ftood: Now alfo, fays
the Devil, all the World falls before me, if I can but
make Adam fall; he makes the Onfet, gives the Bait,
Adam fwallows it, and is poifoned; the Devil laughs, as
we ſay, in his Sleeve, exults, as if all the World was
his: Adam is arraigned by God, the Devil is a ready
Witneſs againſt him, but before the Sentence was pro-
nounced, the Sin is pardoned; the Meffiah puts in Bail.
The Seed of the Woman fhall break the Serpent's Head,
though the Serpent bit the Woman's Heel; but the Ser-
pent had but one Head, and the Woman had two Heels:
I cannot tell which moft to admire, the Diſeaſe, or the
Remedy. Chrift is the Glory of the Church, the King
of Saints. Sure I am, we had never heard of free and
diſtinguiſhing Grace, if Man had not fallen. The ſecond
Inftance is of the fecond Adam; the Devil fets on the
Captain of our Salvation: O! thinks the Devil, if I
can but deſtroy the Shepherd, the Sheep are mine. Judas
betrays his Mafter, the Jews crucify their King, Chrift
is laid in the Grave, Satan danceth and triumphs, as if
he had got the Victory: But, Satan, ftay the Bells, thou
haft won the Field, but Chrift hath won the Day: Chrift
afcends from the Grave, marcheth through the Devil's
Kingdom, and receives a Crown from the Father, as
Victor over Men and Devils, who could neither prevent
his Refurrection, nor Reign. O the Wiſdom of Provi-
dence! If Chrift had not been bound, we had not been
freed ; if he had not died, we had died for ever: This
was Satan's Mafter-Piece, and yet it was his Overthrow.
Providence brings the Wheel over all Defigns againſt Sion,
Prov. xx. 26. Satan was the firft Fool, though not the
only Fool in the World. Providence is ufually exerciſed
in Contraries; it is the Divine Method to humble, that
he may exalt; to kill, that he may make alive; to bring
Light out of Darkness, and Hell out of Heaven. We
wonder
[ 16 ]
wonder oft why God fuffers thofe to reign, who make
Chrift to fuffer, and will not fuffer Chrift to reign; little
confidering, that the Lord oft makes the Earth to help
the Woman, and loves to ftrike ftraight Strokes with
crooked Sticks. He makes wicked Men, though they be
as Chaff, yet to cover his Wheat; and though they be
as Straw, to bear up his Ears. If Paul had not been
fuch a Perfecutor, Paul had not been fuch a Profeffor.
Joſeph's Brethren aimed at his Ruin, but God aimed at
his Advancement: All Things work together for Sion's
Good, Rom. viii. 28. Before Sion is built, here lies a Piece
of Timber, there lie the Bricks, and there lies the Mor-
tar, all Things feem to be in a Confufion; but tarry till
the Lord hath done, and you will fee no Diſorder, but
Order; no Confufion, but Beauty. All Things, you fee,
not only work together (the Word in the Greek is com-
pounded) look not only on God's Way, but on his End;
what God hath joined together, let no Man ſeparate-
Let Man uſe what Means he will againſt the Church,
God hath ftill the Security of the End. If his Wiſdom
prevent not Diforders, his Power can order Disorders.
Men may bend their Bows, and fhoot their Arrows againſt
God, but all in vain; for it is impoffible that ever this
glorious Archer fhould once ſhoot over or ſhort, the
Archer and the Mark being one and the fame: Man too
often puts Darkneſs for Light, but the Lord only can and
will bring Light out of Darkneſs.
3dly, This Ladder is converfant about all Evils and
Actions, all evil Actions perfonally and publickly. This
Ladder of Providence reaches as far as Sin. Providence,
by which generally I underſtand the Execution of God's
Decrees in Time; fometimes poffibly the Decrees of God,
and God decreeing, is converfant about Sin four Ways.
1. Providence forefees Sin. The Lord forefaw the
Treachery of Judas, and yet fimply did not fore-ordain
it; and yet the Previfion of God is infallible. Did not
Judas, may fome fay then, fin neceffarily? I anſwer,
God forefaw he would fin, as he forefaw; but God fore-
ſaw that he would fin freely, therefore in that Senſe he
finned freely. Becauſe we fin, therefore our Sin is fore-
known;
{
[ 17 ]
known; not therefore we fin, becauſe it is foreknown,
God foretold the Infidelity of the Jews to Chrift. He
forefaw their Sins, not his own; the Jews committed a
Sin, which God compelled them not to, who is difpleafed
with Sin; but only foretold that they would do it, becauſe
nothing is hid from his Foreknowledge. Foreknowledge
in God is as Memory in us; Memory prefenteth us with
Things that are paft, fo Prefcience prefents to God Things
that are to come: Now as Memory is not the Cauſe why
Things paft were done, fo God's Prefcience is not the
Cauſe why future Things fhall be done; God foreſees and
foreordains thofe Things that are good, but only forefees,
but foreordains not, thoſe that are evil.
2. Providence extends farther in withdrawing the In-
fluence of Grace, Pfal. cv. 25. Deut. ii. 30. xxix. 4.
God gave them not an Heart to underſtand: Now when
Providence withdraws its Aid, the Creature falls neceffarily,
and yet freely. The Sun is not the Caufe of Darkneſs,
for it does not pofitively infect the Air with Darknefs,
but only removes its Beams; fo when the Spirit of God,
who blows where he lifteth, and is arbitrary in its Influence,
withdraws its Influence of Light and Life, the Soul is
preſently poffeffed with Darkneſs and Sin; or as the Staff
falls to the Ground, not becauſe it is thrown down by
the Hand, but becauſe it is forfaken by the Hand. God
is the Author of Man's Condemnation, for as a Judge he
punifheth Tranfgreffions againſt his Law; but he is not
the Author of Man's Corruption. If the Nurfe lends not
her Hand, the Child prefently falls; now the Cauſe of
falling is not the Hand of the Nurfe, but Impotency and
Weakneſs in the Child. God throweth down none, but
raiſeth up many fallen; God healeth many, woundeth
none. The Principle of our falling (James i. 13.) is in
ourfelves, but the Principle of our ftanding is in God.
3. Providence extends farther, in moving the natural
Faculties of Man. He preferves in Man, what he hath
given to Man; both Nature, which is the Principle of
natural Actions, and the Will, which is the Principle of
voluntary Actions; by his Power determining their Mo-
tions, and freely inclining them to any indeterminate
D
Actions:
[ 18 ]
Actions: Wherefore one and the fame Action may be
both good and bad, according to the Difference of Prin-
ciple; good in the Kind, as from God and common
Nature, but evil in particular, as from the inbred Cor-
ruption of Man; for the immediate Cauſe of every Sin is
the Will of the Sinner. In every finful Action there are
two Things, the Act, and the Defect; God is the Author
of the Act, but not of the Defect: As in the ſtriking an
untuned Harp, the fingering is from us, but the jarring iş
from the Inftrument. In God we move; without the Aid
of Providence, Cain could not have ftretched out his
Arm; but to turn fo good a Gift of God to fo ill a Pur-
pofe, as to kill his Brother, was the proper Sin of Cain.
God may remove Impediments of finning, he may propoſe
Objects in themſelves indifferent, as Threatenings, Rom.
vii. 8. And how eaſily doth Man fall when God goes from
him, and Temptation comes to him?
4. Providence farther extends about Sin. God wills
that Sin be; God wills not the Nature, yet he wills the
Being of Evil. Amos iii. 6. Shall there be Evil in a City,
and the Lord hath not done it? To affirm that God is the
Author of Sin, impairs the Juftice and Goodnefs of God;
for he can no more be the Author of Sin, than one Con-
trary is the Author of another, than Light is of Darkness,
or Good of Evil; it is not the God of the World, but
the God of this World, is the Author of Sin; and to
affirm that God only permits Sin, feems to impair the
Government and Providence of God; for God doth not
fuffer Sin to be without his Will. Judas hath a Will to
betray his Maſter: I will not, fays God, ftop his Defign,
but I will draw a Prefervative for Man's Salvation out of
that Poiſon. The World fhall know, that out of the
unnaturaleft Treafon that ever the Sun beheld, I can work
the most glorious Effect. God found the Will of Judas
earneſtly running to Sin; he run of himſelf, God ftaid
not behind, but ran with him, but to another End; Judas
and God run, as it were, in the fame Race; Judas to
fatisfy his Lufts, God to declare his Glory. If God did
not willingly fuffer Sin to be, of Neceffity Sin could not
be: The Lord fulfills his own good Purpoſes by the
'wicked
[ 19 ]
•
wicked Purpoſes of others: Man practiſeth Sin, and God
puniſheth Sin with Sin, fo as God is neither to be blamed,
or Man excuſed: God hardened Pharaoh's Heart, but,
fays the Text, Pharaoh first hardened' his own Heart;
when Man hardens his own Heart morally, it is juſt with
God to harden it judicially. Let Pharaoh alone, fays
God, let him take his Pleaſure and Paftime, and when he
hath hardened his Heart by Malice, I will harden it in
Juſtice, I will fet a Seal to his Ruin. They ſhall be
given over to believe Lyes, 2 Theff. ii. 11. A dreadful
Woe againſt Sinners in thefe Days of Gofpel Light! As
if the Lord fhould have faid, Sinners, I have fet before
you in the Divine Word my Love, and my Son's Blood;
I have fet before you the Truths, and only Way of Sal-
vation through Faith in Chrift; I have faid, this is my
Way, and the only Way, and it is your Wiſdom to walk
in it: Now becauſe you have refufed to bear my Yoke,
and to entertain the Gofpel, there fhall come falſe Pro-
phets, and fay, Heaven is but a Fable, and Hell-Fire was
but a politick Invention to keep Men in Awe, and you
fhall believe them: There fhall come fome like Angels
of Light, though they are Devils incarnate; and they
fhall with a feeming Mortification cry down real Mor-
tification, and with a plaufible Converſation preach down
Preaching, and tell you, that a ſtrict Life and evangelical
Repentance are out of Date, and required only to fcare
Men from their Freedom, and you ſhall believe all this.
Fer. iv. 10. Rom. xi. 8. God now fends us, as the Jews
of old, a Spirit of Slumber; and becauſe they will not
be given up to Truth, God gives them over to Error. It
is one Thing to have Error, and it is another Thing to
be given over to Error, which is not only to have and
hold, but to be had and held of Error: He that will be
unjuft, let him be unjuft ftill.-So God, as a juft Judge,
puniſheth our Barrennefs and Impenitency under the Means
of Grace, with giving of Hundreds over to the noifome
Opinions and monftrous Blafphemies of this Age. It is
well for God's Jacobs, that the God of Jacob ftands at
the Top of the Ladder, or elſe the Gofpel would no
longer ſtand, but fall. God knows how to bring Glory
out
[ 20 ]
out of all this Difgrace: What more heinous Act than the
Treachery of Judas? And yet, take away the Treachery
of Judas, and you take away the Crofs of Chrift; and
take away the Crofs of Chrift, and you take away the
Sinner's Salvation. Again: Some Men, I confefs, are
acceffary to their Ruin, and, as we fay, die before their
Time, that is, their Time indeed, which according to
the viſible Face of Nature they might have lived, but not
before God's Time. God hath the four Keys, of the
Clouds, the Womb, the Heart, and of Death, hanging
only at his own Girdle. Man's Spirit is the Candle of
the Lord, Prov. xxi. 27. He puts out fome Candles as
foon as they are lighted, others when they are half wafted,
and he ſuffers others to confume, by old Age, to a Snuff.
Providence hath turned up a Glafs for every Man, and
Man can neither ſtay the Sands of his Glafs a Minute
from running, nor turn it up when it is once out.
When
God's Servants have done their Work, Providence lets
them go to Bed. O! how fweet it is to behold Chrift
in every Croſs, and God on every Ladder! Job faw God
on this Ladder, Job i. Who fays not, The Lord hath
given, and the Chaldeans have taken away; the Lord
hath enriched me, and the Devil hath robbed me; but,
as if he never heard mention made either of the Devils
or the Chaldeans, The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken
away. David faw God on this Ladder, Pfal. xliv. 12.
Like a good Child, he fathers the Rod on God his Father:
"Thou haft caft off, thou haft caft down." When God's
Rod was on his Back, he puts his Hand on his Mouth,
and his Mouth in the Duft. Luther faw God on this
Ladder, when he obferved, though the Christ-Croſs be no
Letter, yet he learned more by it than all the Letters of
the Alphabet; and that God never fent him on any ſpecial
Errand or Bufinefs, but he first fent his Mind by fome
fpecial Affliction.-Lord, (fays one Chriftian, lying like
Jacob at the Foot of the Ladder) I am thy Vine, and let
me rather bleed than wither; I am thy Apple-Tree, let
me rather be lopt to grow, than cut up to burn.-Lord,
(fays another) frown on me, rather than not to look on
me; let the Lord take me into his Hands and correct me,
rather
[ 21 ]
*
rather than that I fhould have nothing to do with God;
or he ſhould have nothing to do with me.
How many
Souls have Reaſon to ſay, If the Lord had not ploughed
me with Afflictions, and dunged me with Reproaches,
what barren Ground had I been? How had I wandered,
if the Lord had not ſent his Dogs to fetch me to the Fold?
I had been caft away, if I had not been caft down.-The
Lord often writes angry Epiftles to his Children; yet
obſerve, ftill at the Bottom of the Letter he fubfcribes,
Your loving Father.-Again: I create Light, and I form
Darkness, Ifa. xlv. 7. Sin is Man's Creature, and Affic-
tions are God's Creatures; every Affliction bears the
Image of its Maker, and God is not aſhamed of his own
Handy-Work. Sinful Man is the meritorious, but Pro-
vidence is the efficient Caufe of Evils: Man is the Caufe
of moral Evils, God of penal Evils in the City, Amos iii. 6.
Again: Wars and Judgments are God's Troops, he is
their Generaliffimo, they move according to his Orders;
he founds his Trumpet, and beats his Drum, and all the
Plagues and Puniſhments of Providence are in Arms;
when God faith charge, they charge; when retreat, they
retreat. O! Sword of the Lord, how long before you
are quiet? Here was a Cry to the Sword, but the Sword
of the Lord anſwered, You muſt ſpeak to the General
himſelf, I am at his Command, Jer. xlvii. 6. Not many
Years fince we cried out, O! the Sufferings, and Alarms,
and Field-Fights, when will you ceaſe in England? But
they never ceafed, till God bid them ceafe. It is the
Honour of a King to diſcharge the firft Piece of Ordnance
againſt the Enemy; the Lord, I am fure, had the firſt
Honour of beating the Alarm, and founding the firſt
Retreat in England. Man may fpeak of Peace in, but
God only can ſpeak Peace to a Nation. In Rev. vi. 10.
they cry, How long, Lord? They knew God had the
Time in his Hand, and he only could tell how long.
They cried not to the Tyrants, How long will ye perfe-
cute? How long will ye opprefs the Saints? But to the
Lord, How long before thou come to revenge? O! fay
hany, if it had not been for fuch and fuch Men, we had
never had Wars; and if it had not Leen for their Ends
and
[22]
'
and Defigns,' we had had an End of our. Troubles 'ere
now, as if Providence were but a By-Stander) or a Looker
on, while Men played their Games, or acted their Parts
Again: In the Primitive Times, the perfecuting Em
peror's would have hewn down the Lord's Ladder; in the
Marian Days they would have burned down the Lord's
Ladder; in 88 they would have blown up. the Lord's
Ladder; and Politicians in the World would, in their
Policies, with their Shoulders thrów. down,the Lord's
Ladder But though the Wind and Storms blow to and
fto, and round about, yet the Ladder ftands where it did,
and Chrift is in the Road-Way to his Kingdom. That
Man fears God but as Man, that fears Man as God
When the Prayers of Saints are croffed, and the Enter-
prizes of their Enemies fucceed, remember Jacob's Ladder,
and the Vifion of Angels."
$
+
"God's Trials are like Bellows, Satan's the Blower;
"Blows out falfe Faith, makes true ones blaze th
more;
"Fear not then, little Flock, the greateft Ill
"Your Foe can do's, to fcratch, he cannot kill."
4
1
}
3
N. B. According as this meets with Acceptance, poffibly
Jacob's Wrestling with the Angel may follow
+
+
FINI S.
}
4