fabbath of days, but also a fabbath of weeks, yea, fometimes a fabbath of years (befides the everlasting jubilee or year of perfect redemption itself) are known and witneffed by fuch as have waited on the Lord in singleness of heart, under the yoke of his Spirit, for the bringing down of the rough and untoward nature, and for the railing up of the meek and lowly heart.

But here it is exceeding eafy running out, and ftarting afide; it is eafy running out from under the yoke, to avoid the bitterness of the hardship to the earthly part; it is much eafier running out on the day of reft, and fo lofing the truth in a joy and rejoicing, even fuch a one as might have a true ground. Oh! who can but think the bitterness of death is past, when all enemies are vanished, and there is nothing left but the Lord and the foul embracing each other! And who can but be unwilling to come back again to his labour, and to the refidue of his hard travail afterwards? And yet it is far better to return to the work in the vineyard, and to fuffer again with the feed, than to keep up the reft in a notion, and fo to lose the life and pure presence and virtue of the feed, when it returns unto, and calls back to the labour. Oh! how many have perished here! suffering a divorce from that which led them into the reft, not being willing to go back again with it to fill up the refidue of its fufferings, which were yet behind, and fo have kept up a falfe, dead, notional reft, after the true fabbath was ended.

Now there is no way for fuch, but to wait to feel the living breath, the quickening virtue, the day-fpring from on high, which by the brightness of its rifing can discover this falfe reft, this dead reft, this notional reft, this eafe in the earthly, in the fleshly, in the understanding part, which they uphold by things they have formerly gathered from the Scriptures, or from their own (perhaps once living) experiences; but now hold out of the feeling and poffeffion of the life in the dead part. But that it is thus with them they can never fee, until the light from which they have erred spring up and difcover it to them; and when the light doth arife and difcover it, they will find the way of return, and the path of redemption, much more difficult to them than it was at firft: yet it is better to part with the ease of the flesh, and to undergo the pangs of a new birth, than to mifs of the inheritance in the good land.

There are three fteps or degrees of the bleffed estate: First, there are defires, thirstings, and breathings, begotten after the life. Secondly, there is a labouring in the fervice (under the yoke) by the virtue which springs from the life. Thirdly, there is a reft, or fitting down at eafe in the life. By the ftirring of life in the foul, defires after life are kindled. He in whom the defires are kindled, and who feeleth the eternal virtue, cannot but be running the race; he whom the Spirit of the Lord findeth faithful in running the race, it pleaseth the Lord ever and anon to be giving him a taste of the reft. Thus the fpring ftirring, the foul cannot but move towards its center; and as it entereth into and fixeth in its center, it partaketh of the reft. Now to know the leadings of the Spirit forward and backward into thefe,

into

into defires, when he pleaseth; into the labour and fervice of the life, when he pleaseth; into the fweet reft and perfect repofe in the life, when he pleafeth; here is the fafety and fweet progrefs of the renewed fpirit. That man who is born of the Spirit, is to wait for the movings, breathings, and kindlings of the Spirit in him: and when the fun arifeth, he is to go forth to his labour in the light thereof, and in the night and withdrawing of thefun to retire; and when his seventh day of reft comes, he is to receive it from, and enjoy it in, the Spirit; and afterward to be willing to begin his week again, even till his whole race and the full courfe of his pilgrimage be finished. Yet if it were poffible for man, after he is come to Christ, to abide perfectly with him, tó ceafe from luft, to keep within the faith, to draw naturally in the yoke, to bow in the Spirit continually to the Father of fpirits, there would be a continual fabbath kept in the paffage, even before the great, full, and perfect fabbath in the end. The hardness and uneasiness of the labour, is because of a part contrary to the life, which, when it is worn out, there will be no more labour; but the yoke will become the reft, and all the motions and operations of life will flow forth naturally in the reft. And here is the patience and faith of the faints, to wait under the yoke, under the daily cross to that part which is to be brought and kept under, till all the bonds of captivity be broke through by the life, and the veil of flesh rent from the top to the bottom (the remaining of which is that which stops the free current of life), and then shall the foul enter into the holy of holies, obtaining the full poffeffion of the everlasting inheritance, and of the eternal redemption, and know forrow, tears, bonds, fickness, death, captivity (no not fo much as grappling with them, or travelling out of them) no more; but the enjoyment of the plenty and fulness of the life, reaping all the pleafant fruits of life in the rich land of life for ever

more..

Ccc 2

Some

That they may Hear and Confider, and their Hearts at length may be turned towards that which alone is able to Convert them to GOD; that they may once more become his People, and enter into an Everlasting Covenant with him that may not be broken; that fo they may abide in his Love and Covenant of LIFE, and remain his People for ever.

Confideration. I.

Wh

HAT great love, mercy, and kindness God fhewed to that people, above all nations and peoples under beaven! Of his own free love he fet his heart upon them, chufing them to be a people to himself. He brought them out of Egypt, by a mighty hand and outstretched arm; he mightily preferved them in, and led them through, the wilderness. He entered into a covenant with them to become their God, and betrothed them unto himself for his own lot and inheritance. He gave them righteous laws, judgments, ftatutes, and ordinances, both of worThip towards him, and of an upright demeanour and converfation among themselves and towards all men. He drove out the heathen from before them, and gave them a pleasant land to poffefs, even the glory of all lands, a land flowing with milk and honey. He built an habitation for himself among them; first a moving fanctuary or tabernacle, afterwards a more settled abiding place or temple (which Solomon built) wherein was the ark of his prefence, where he was to be fought unto and enquired of by them, and towards which their prayers were to be directed; and there was a mercyfeat, whereof they had large experience, and he ever and anon fent prophets among them, to reprove their errors and backflidings, and to fet them to rights again. He raised up judges likewife to defend them; and although they were weary of his government, defiring a king after the manner of the nations fo vehemently, that they even forced a king from him, yet he took him away from them, and after him chofe a man after his own heart,

beart, to feed Jacob his people, and Ifrael his inheritance; who fed them according to the integrity of his heart, and guided them by the fkilfulness of his hands. What should I fay more? What was wanting of love, of care, of goodnefs, of kindness, of mercy, of gentleness, of any thing that a people could defire of their God? I fay, what was wanting of all this on God's part? What could he have done more for his vineyard than he did do? Nay he emptied upon them all the goodness, all the mercy, love, favour, &c. that that covenant would hold to the full; yea, and more too; for he bare with them more than that covenant required him to bear, and redeemed them oftener than that covenant engaged him; yea many times turned be his anger away, and did not ftir up all his wrath, as he might often have done according to the tenour of that covenant. Yea, in all their afflictions he was afflicted, and the angel of his prefence faved them: and he was still ready to say in his heart, Surely they are my people, children that will not lie at length they will fee their error, repent, and be true to me; infomuch as he was never weary of faving them, of trying them again and again; of ftirring up his bowels of love and pity to redeem them; of fending his fervants and prophets among them to warn and reclaim them, even till at last it was manifeft that there was no remedy but he must caft them off, and provoke them to jealoufy by a foolish nation, Deut. xxxii. 20, 21. drawing them nigh to him, who had been worshipping stocks and ftones; making them become a people, who had long been no people; and cafting these out of his fight, making them become no people, who had fo long been his chofen peculiar people, in covenant with him, and nigh unto him above all the families of the earth.

Confideration II. What conftant rebellion and stiffness of spirit that people all along expreffed towards the Lord! What wild four grapes they ftill brought forth to him; four love, four obedience, four worship and facrifices, fuch as the pure palate of the Lord could find no relish nor favour in: but as Mofes had told them, that it was not for their righteousness God chofe them to give them the good land to poffefs, for they were a rebellious and ftiff-necked people, Deut. ix. 6, 7. fo it was not for their goodness that God continued his love to them, for they were all along provoking him, Jer. xliv. 4. When God came to fhew that great mercy to them of redeeming them out of Egypt, and bid them caft away their idols, they would not caft away their idols, Ezek. xx. 7, 8. neither did they regard that mercy of redemption from the houfe of bondage, and from the iron furnace, but said to Mofes, it was better for them to stay in Egypt, and to ferve the Egyptians, Exod. xiv. 12. Again in the wildernefs, how did they provoke him all thofe forty years of mercy; how did they err in their hearts from his pure fear, and from love to him, and from faith and confidence in him! How did they murmur against him, and against Mofes and Aaron their leaders! How did they forget his works and his wonders continually! When they came near the land, and fhould have gone in to possess

;

it,

it, then they would not, but repined and rebelled becaufe of the tallnefs and strength of the enemy, and of their cities; and when they were forbid to go, then they would go and fight with them. What fhould I mention the time of the judges and of the kings; how often the Lord made them smart by their enemies in their own land; how often he gave them up to captivity out of their land, even till at length that great captivity of Babylon befel them, and fince that a greater captivity and defolation than that of Babylon ?

Confideration III. Whether God, having tried this people even to the utmoft, by that covenant which he made with them by Mofes in Mount Sinai, may ever pleafe to try them so any more: or if there yet remain any mercy or love from God towards them, whether it is not to be expected another way, and upon another account? This is very neceffary and profitable for them to confider, that they may not be looking that way for mercy and favour from God, in which it is never to come, and fo have their eyes and hearts diverted from that way according to which it is to come; for this muft needs put them back exceedingly, if their eyes be looking out one way, and the love of God hath chosen another channel to run towards them in. This may make them refuse the very mercy, love, and redemption, when it comes, fufpecting it not to be it, because it comes not in the way, and after the manner that they look for it. Now God hath exprefly faid, that when he fhall be pacified in them, and fhall look again upon them with an eye of favour, to do them good, it fhall not be by their covenant (which could never last, but was ftill broken on their parts) but by his own everlasting covenant, which he would establish to them, Ezek. xvi. 60, &c. It fhould therefore diligently be enquired by them, What covenant it is which is called their covenant, ver. 61. And what covenant it is which is called God's covenant, ver. 62. That they may withdraw their eyes and hopes from the one, from whence their redemption, recovery, and mercy cannot come, towards the other, from whence it is to come? To which Query, for their fakes, it is in my heart to return this answer.

Anfw. Their covenant is that which they entered into with God, the covenant that their hearts chose to unite with God by: and that was to this effect, That if God would shew them his will, they would obey it. Go thou near (faid they to Moses) and hear all that the Lord our God fhall fay, and Speak thou unto us all that the Lord our God shall speak unto thee, and we will hear it and do it, Deut. v. 27. Thus they thought, but the Lord knew otherwife: For Oh! faith the Lord, that there were fuch a heart in them, &c. ver. 29. and Mofes knew otherwife, he knew that they would corrupt themselves, and that evil would befal them in the latter days, Deut. But God's covenant was the free covenant he made with Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob, the covenant of his grace, the covenant of his free love, whereby he was able to reach them in Egypt, upon the cry of the feed in them (in the midst of their idolatries, and to bring them out and

xxxi. 29.

do.