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Show . Saul Smitten to tbe Grouftd. Vot.. f.. 1JayofWrot b, and the Revelation of the Rigbttot'!Fierce ]lldtJne!Jts o{GoJ, ond your Portion be appointed )'OU in tbflt Day VJitb the Workers of 11Ji1_rm/ f or ever. And as I w:lrn you to forfake yotir vain, frothy, envious, and contentiJ ous Courfes, Jo Jo 1 tx1Jort you in God'i Fear r~ unfeigned Repenrance •. and i11viu you in Love to the Tr11e Peate t Clnfctence, even that. Conjc1er;u which is fprinkled f rom Unbelief, Hllrrt , .A1nl~ce, ~nd «ll TJ.ngodltnefs1 wbitb H only obtained by on h11mble and fincere walkmg m tbe Ltght of the Srm of God as t Jobn 1. raking Heed to, and not defpifingthis Holy;md Spiriru:tl App'earance of Chrifl wirbm; to dethrone Saran, and defiroy Sin, and to bring in his own Evcdafting Rigbreoufnefs, as the JtwJ djd Jefllt1 whom they only knew af!er the Fle!h, cryin~ out, Is not thU the Carpenu~·~ Son? this Fellow; and if thou art the Cbrijf, or Son of God, flJOW tn • S1gn, and tell wbt1 finites tbet, 11n4 comt off [~om. tbt Crofs, an~ favr thy J!lf I fay, cavil not rhus .at the Ltght of Chnft m your Confc1ences, defptfe not his Sufficiency with your CarHal Mind, neither turn his Grace, Mercy and Forbearance into a profane Prefumption, anti bold tempting of tht Living God ; for then very woful will your End be; behold, read, ponder, and meditate on the latter End of this ~r Man I Let his Cafe, be both a W.r, .. ing and Vljitation, to all that dppofr tbr Light .of Chti}l within, and tbr Chi!~ Jrrn of it, that you may c.onfider your laner End, find Mercy, and be faved. When 1 read the Narrative of his Dying Condition, 0, my He:ur was much broken before the Lord, and I could not but reverently magnifie his Glorious Power, Mercy and Truth, that h:~d wrought fo (l:rai1ge, fo great, and fo bleffed a Work for his Name's Defence, his People's Vindication, and I hope, for the poor Man's Soul too; 0 let him have the Glory for rurr; for who is like unto Him in Heavtn or in Earth, rr.hofr Goings are In tbt Deep, and wboft Ways are pa{l finding out, but in his own Time. And truly Pity rofe in my Soul, towards all you whofe Day is not over, and a fecret firong Groan to God, that you might all fee your Fo11y, and repent before you go hence and be no more fecn. This Man I have known many Years, being One whom he h:1th often OP": pofed in publiclt Meetin~s , his main Stroak was againft the DoUrine of G'hrifl, tbe True Light, Enlightning tvery .Man that comts into the World, with a Divine and Saving Light; the Sufficiency and Unh•erfality of this to Salvation, he conftantly 3nd refolutely withitood, not furioufly, madly, ilnd frothily, like outragious Mockers, as fome ftil1 too evidemly and fre· qnently (hew tbemfelves a~inft us, but with great External Sobriety and Gravity, as well as Zeal, Ktafoning after his Manner, and not bawling a· ~ainft us; Nor wtU l1is Converfation Scandalous, but Honeft and Exempluy Jn Worldly Things towards Men, for ought that I ever heard upon Enquiry. So that his prefent ConviOions, as they were not the Effetl: of any affright~ ing Difcourfe, lnfinuations, or Befetments of ours in his Sicknefs, nei1her could they he interpreted to be any Trouble for a Dijfoluu Lift, in which he migh' he thought to condemn himfelf generally and confufed!y; nor yet did his Rtmorfe only arife from the Way of his oppofmg us, ::~s if he ltill tetain'd his Judgment, but the very Ground of the whole Trouble, and Exercife of Spim, for which he was willing to fee any of us, and utter the foregoing Pathetical ~xpreffions, Wa.r his gainfaying 111, the Ptopk called Qpakers, in the Way of our F4.itb and Worfoip, and fo much his own Words teftifie. Let all take Heed of the Rroiling Thief'tStare upon the Crofs, left they enter not into the Paradife of God for ever. And now, My Dearly Btloved Friendt and Brtthrtn, who have hearkned to the Holy Reproofs of this inftru8ing Light of IE SUS in the Confcitnce, and by it been redeemed from the Wickednefs o( this World, a(ld raugbt! in deep and Heavenly Things, and made, through your cheerful O~edience, to partake in Meafure of the Gtel[ Salvation of God, though it hath been th~o~gh very many bitter Exercifes, and deep Tribulations of Body an4 Sputt. ,0! What <;aufe have you to keep Covenant with the Lord, to abide in your HeaYtnly Habitation, in a Living FtJi1b1 Sudf4fl }iope, mtd C.nflnnt VoL. I. Saul Smitten to tbe Ground; Conjfant Patitl!ct to the End cafi: your Caufe and Concerns to' htmmg hour Care upon him, and committing ready to fuccour you, and maima;n ~h~ 3t~~t f nly. able, ~ut wtlllng and nourable Name, deeply concern'd ,-Y 0 hts own Famous and Ho~ that hts Holy..Spint may more anJ" you. 0 i let.us dwell wuh htm for ever us, and his Grear Wifdom conduEl: mor~ en 'h'en us, hIs Power ihengther: true, That many are the Trouble if zs rR roug the Work of our Day 'Tts ever, He w1ll m certnmly debvt s 0 1 ~~ /gbttotH, but bleff'ed be cur G~d for And though we want not th; Ollt C; t 'Jtm aU. Right Arm gathered us and tha~~~e~ce ~t ~s Hfly Spirit, thar his own redeemed by h1s Powdr and mad pre k15 eof e bqu~ht bv his Blood • ought to be no fma]J E\'tdence of thee Lart~. ea 0 his Dn•Ine Life; yer I; Matter of Comfort and Conti . or 5 oodnefs, and therefore both Teihmony ro Hu own Blt.ffrd L r~auon to us, that he harh confiratned a (that have believed in H and abg 1 rtl}}h1;' fnd us h1s (oor defp1fed People ed and fuffered for ir) ~Ut of th:eM t ~ rmtltes 0 the Earth, contend: of both, and that upon hit Din B our o an old and confianr Oppofer no Gains nor Temptations fr~m "t ed .rofii when no Fears nor Flaueries v:ul'd upon htm: But the owerfi en,J.u .Y can be thought to ha\e pre: had fo long refilled, this r.J'ote hi ul.l ~rkings only of that very Light he une3fy, and proved it's own S ffi !11 m ecret ;. this made. his Dymg-Bed ence, opening his Underftand~ crency upon htm, awakemng his ConfcJ~ plain, tender, and fincere Con£;/ft b;eakt~f? ~ Heart, and drawJng a t·ery of our God for ever who u a G ;yn rom IS ourh . 0 blt../fed be the Name Worlur.g Womlers /o; them Jbat o , Glo'jo"s C ~olmc.fr, Fearflllm Praifu And whatever were his Pro comm_lt r 'Jttr a} e to hmt. ' ~od, my Hean was much mor;oc:mons ~o us, can fay it, in the Fe:Jr of h1m, and. this very Repentance is 6~~~~ ~ahJ;[{ ~h~n Dtfpl~afure towards and a plam Accomphlhmcnt of my Prop~ e e ~ah fi nfwcr of my Pravers, thren ' for as I often earneftl ecy, Wit . orne more of my Bre~ of I he Lord, this Poor .illan'! Co~nd more thaJd J:dm:mly of bte, defired an unufual Tendernefs of Spirit cvmct"IJJ~nt ah epfttanct, and that with ing, fo have I frequently told h'lm ven wheN e war rong in his Gain·fay~ many People, ar our Meedn s (\ hIll t e arne o God, and Prefence of that God would plead With gi:O b cn.he came on eurpofc to wirhfiand us) T}me would come, he Chould be'fo{c·~'~ Rtgh~efiusJudgments} and that rhe Light he then oppofed ; and to ack ol c~n e ~to ~he Suffictency of that Truth; all which b'effed be the Now ere t Jt ad was wuh UB, of a foregoin& Narrattv; ; 'where he conr~lfe~h h .thG {fords ~ ~lfifilled. by rhe nefs~ [eftifie$ to us that we are th L d' p Im e a a , e Ires Fo rg1 ve~ creafe. Thus hath' our God vindicaer do~. sGtoJ?le, aNnd prays for our In· Nor do I infift on this fo much ~ IS onous .arne. like lnltances that might encourag:' tf ~e had beenV htrherro barren of the rain what we could fay of the L us; or a. ~rear olume would not con~ and harjh Oppoftrs to tbu Ble.ffed ~';,m;/(;ddDymg Ttj/tmomet given by l,rtac much as this Man was fi l 1 oy{o a we are turned ttnto: Bur fora f. rally known of thofe th~t fi.~J~e~~d o P~rickly a Gainfayer, :J:nd fo genefor that it was his own Defire as our eetmgs to ~ave been fuch; and that the Lord's Honour and' rna well as,that the Cafe IS extraordmary, and this publifhed. And I ' God ny !'Jen s Souls are concerned, therefore ii miy b \V ·. pray • wtth my whole Soul and Sptrit that it not th:~felv~n;~~otoE~!~~fb~f{;• af wh(~t Sort foever, That the; ga1nfav cverprofper the l ord hath fad. u) bon hor nhone of theu Weapons fhall of Jefa · h · H 1 a, ur t at t ey may turn unco the Lushc TVboJr ;J." t eu Utn earrs, and follow tht:: Reproofs and lnfiruChons of Ir Creatu nys ired ays o{s~UIIIy, and aU hH PrtthJ ore Peace ; for he \ Jfits lh~ Defire f:e, to ~a our o m, whJch IS rhe only Caufe of Trouble: And my fiand o ar~er Is,d tha~ we who have believed theretn, may keep Covenant, flothfulM. roun ' an .nor aga~n turn Into Folly. 0! have a Care of a in the lV knd, fthar whJch can ftt 3[ Home and cenfure, bur is uor d1llgenr or o the Lord; Let ~· go on and ~fs forwatd, tow:~rds the l Y Y y 2 Glorious |
