We have many against us. The devils are against us, the world is against us, to take away the favour of God, to hinder access to him in prayer, to stop the church's communion with God, and hinder the sweet * Qu. ' nearer ' ? — Ed.
12G MIEACLE OF MIRACLES.
issue of all things that befall us as far as they can. ' ' But their malice is greater than their power. If God should let them loose, and give the chain into their own hand, though they seem to hurt, yet hurt they cannot in the issue. And shall not we make use of these things in times of dis- tress ? Wherefore serve they but to comfort us in all conflicts with Satan, and in all doubtings that arise from our sinful hearts ? Answer with this, ' If God be with us, who can be against us ? ' If any be against us, name them ; if not, be satisfied. And therefore come life, come death, Christ is our surety. He layeth up our dust, keepeth our acts* in the grave ; and will Christ lose any member ? ' Fear not, Jacob, to go down into Egypt, for I will bring thee back again.' So fear not to go down into the grave. The Spirit of God will watch over our dust, and bring us to heaven. Therefore fear nothing. God will be with us in life and death, yea, for ever ; and we shall be for ever with the Lord, as the apostle saith in the Thessalonians, l.Thes. iv. 17. And that issue of all that Emmanuel hath done, Christ was one in our nature, that he might bring God and us into favour, that we may be for ever with him in heaven, that we may be for ever with the Lord, which is the accomplishment of all the promises.
* Qu. ' bodies ' ?— Ed.
THE TOUCHSTOKE OF EEGENERATION.
THE TOUCHSTONE OF REGENERATION.
NOTE.
' The Touchstone of Regeration' forms No. 24 of ' The Saint's Cordials ' of 1629, one of those displaced by others in the after-editions. Its separate title-page is given below.* G.
* THE
TOVCHSTONE
OF
KEGENEEATION.
In One Sermon.
WHEREIN THE VNDOVBTED
and true Signes of Regeneration are discovered, and the
Soule pointed to such a frame and temper of disposition,
which having attained, it may be comforted.
Prtelucendo Pereo.
Vprightnes Hath Boldnes.
Galat. 5. 22,
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentlenesse, good- nesse, faith.
Meeknesse, temperance, against such there is no lata.
LONDON,
Printed in the veare 1629.
THE TOUCHSTONE OF REGENERATION.
The wolf also shall dwell tvith the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid: and the calf, and the young lion, and the failing together ; and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together : and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play upon the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand upon the cockatrice's den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy viountain, dc. — Isaiah XI. 6—9.
I HAVE formerly, in divers sermons upon this scripture,* declared that it, by way of prophecy, foretelleth what shall be the fruits of Christ's king- dom under the gospel, shewing that miraculous change Christ should make upon men, shadowed out in this scripture under the similitude of beasts, as lions, wolves, bears, leopards, &c. The sum whereof is, that Gud will take from us that fierceness, malignity, and bitterness of nature in us, and bring us, in place thereof, to a loving, sweet, mild, and meek society together.
Many things already have been particularly handled out of this text ; as,
1. First, from the condition and natural estate of men, wherein they may be called beasts, lions, serpents, &c.
2. And secondly, of that change Christ thereafter makes in us, which indeed is a miraculous change. This was the first thing handled.
First, That in every soul which shall come to heaven there must be a change.
Secondly, You have heard whereof the change must be ; not of the substantial parts of a man's body, but of the corrupt qualities of the mind ; or, if you will have it so, of the soul, and all the powers thereof.
Thirdly, I shewed upon whom this change was made — look verse 9 ; it is made upon the church of God in this world, which in my text is called God's holy mountain. So also, Heb. xii. 22, the church is called the mountain of God.
The fourth thing considered was, by whom this change was made ; even by the spring-head of all. From the God of grace it cometh, and floweth to us by Jesus Christ our Lord, who was ' God manifested in the flesh.'
Fifthly, We inquired then by what means this change is wrought. This we shewed to be by the knowledge of the law, &c. And this is the reason
* These sermons have not been preserved ; but of. Vol. II. pp. 437-517.— G.
VOL. VU. I
130 THE TOUCHSTONE OF REGENERATION.
which is added why there shall be no hurt nor destroying in all this holy mountain, because the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea ; meaning there shall then be an abundant know- ledge, a deep knowledge, and a well-seasoned permanent knowledge, which shall keep every one within their limits, every one knowing his duty, so maintaining a mutual peace in all this holy mountain.