the Ministry of the Word, which is God's own Ordinance, and to depend upon I know not what Revelations, and Infpeakings without the word; feeing God teacheth all his Children by the word, and none without it. And therefore it is not the Prophets meaning, when he faith, all thy Children fhall be taught of the Lord, that they should neglect and defpife the Word, and the Miniftry of it; but that we ought fo to use the Word and the Means, as not to look for our teaching from them, but from God himself, in and through them; and when you come to hear, not to think, I will hear what Mr. fuch an one, or Mr. fuch one will fay, but with the Pfalmift, I will hear what the Lord God will fay. And truly, I would not care to hear what any man in the world would fay, in whom Christ himself did not speak.

Now much more might be faid of this teaching of God (but that I intend brevity in all) as namely, that this teaching,

I. Is a clear and evident teaching, that you fhall have certainty in what you are taught; and fhall be fo taught of God, that no Man or Angel fhall be able to unteach you again.

2. It is an inward teaching, though by the outward Word; reaching to the inward Soul and Spirit, to the hidden man of the heart.

3. It is a fuccessful teaching; he fo teaches as men learn; he that hath heard and learned of my Father; hearing and learning go together; he teaches Faith, and we believe; Humility, and we are humble; Patience, and we endure, &c.

But I cannot enlarge any farther in this point. The Spi-It follows,

ritual Church be.

And great fhall be the peace of thy children. ing taught That is, when men are taught of God, then of God, is there is nothing but peace among them; when peaceable God comes, and teacheth thee, and me, and anoin it felf.

ther,

ther, and many, then we all agree, because we are all taught of God, and fee all things, by the fame light, and apprehend all things, by the fame knowledge, and perceive all things, by the fame Spirit, becaufe all have the fame teaching. And fo, they that are taught of God, though one come out of the Eaft, and another out of the Weft, and another out of the South, and never had any former communion together, yet they all agree in the fame truth, and think and speak the fame things; and fo there is Love and Amity, and Peace and Unity among them, because they are all taught of God, and have learned the truth, not as it is in this or that Man, or Affembly of Men, but as it is in Jefus.

And truly, this is the true ground of all the differences and diffentions,and heats that are in the Kingdom at this time, to wit, because fome are taught of God, and fome are not taught of God, but men only; the Carnal Church is only taught of Men, and goes no higher; but the Spiritual Church, is truly taught of God. Now they that are taught of God, and they that are taught of Men, see the fame truths with a great deal of difference, and hereupon arifes the Controversie and Quarrel; for one will have the truth, as he fees it in the light of God, and another will have it, as he apprehends it in his own fancy; and the Carnal Man, will not yield to the Spiritual, and the Spiritual Man, cannot yield to the Carnal. Saith one, this is the mind of God. and I have learned it from his own teaching; faith another, this is not the mind of God, for fuch a learned Minifter, or Ministers, taught me otherwife, and fo I apprehend it; and thus as the flesh and Spirit are contrary, fo are their teachings, and hence our divifions and troubles. But when Men, are all taught of God, then they are all at

peace

peace one with another, and all do agree in the fubftance of the truth of the Gofpel; and if fome do not know, the fame things they do, they can wait with patience, till God alfo reveal that unto them; for they know with all their hearts, that they themselves could never have known thofe things, except God had taught them; and fo they cannot be angry at others, whom the Lord as yet hath not vouchfafed to teach; and fo they are meek, and gentle towards all, as befeems the Spirit, as well as at peace among themselves. All thy Children fhall be taught of the Lord, and great fhall be the peace of thy children: For they know, that no man is higher or lower than another, in the Kingdom of God, but all are equal in Jefus Chrift; they know that no man can challenge Chrift, more to himself, than another, but all have equal intereft in him, and Chrift is alike neer to all, in whom he dwells; yea, they all as willingly communicate their own things to the Brethren, as they themselves do partake of Chrifts things, and fo there is nothing but peace. When Men know, that no Man is any thing in himfelf, but every one is all that he is, in Chrift; and when Men love Chrift, meerly for himself; and where they fee most of Chrift, there love moft, and if Christ be more in another, than himfelf, can love fuch a one more than himself, not for his own fake, but for Christs fake; then there is nothing but peace. Great shall be the peace of thy

children.

Verf. 14. In righteousness shalt thou be established &c. The efta This Spiritual Church had need of establishblishment ment; for, when God hath done all this for it, of this when he hath built it, and taught it himself, it Spiritual Church. fhall not want trouble and oppofition, and contradiction, and perfecution in the World, and there

fore

fore it ftands in great need of establishment. But how fhall this be done? Why faith he,

In righteousness fhalt thou be established.

That is, not by any outward power or force, or armies, or fortifications, or factions, or confederacies; all thefe are but a staff of reed; but in righteoufnefs; and that is, both in the righteoufaefs of Chrift received by us, and working in us: The first is, the righteousness of justification; the fecond is, the righteoufnefs of fanétification, and our establishment lies in both,

1. In the righteousness of Juftification, which is called the righteoufnefs of Faith, or Chrift's own righteousness, received into us: And in this fenfe it is faid, Except ye believe, ye jhall never be eftablished For by Faith we partake of the righteoufnefs of God through Chrift; and this is an infinite, and everlasting righteousness, that hath neither spot nor blemish in it; this is able to eftablish us for ever and ever; fo that the Church hath no more establishment, than it hath of the righteoufnefs of Chrift by Faith; and as the Church goes from Faith to Faith, fo it goes from Eftablishment to Establishment.

2. Our Establishment lies in the righteousness of our Sanctification; which is nothing but Chrift working in us, as the former was Chrift dwelling in us; for the fame Chrift that is the righteoufnefs of our juftification, is the righteoufnefs of our fanctification. Now the establishment of the Church is, when we let the righteoufnefs of Chrift work all in us, and we work all in the righteoufnefs of Chrift; then are we established mightily and invincibly indeed; and how much the Chriftians fwerve from this Rule, fo much they become weak and unfetled: Sometimes Chriftians will be living out of Chrift in themfelves, and they will be moving, and acting, and working according

according to humane wifdom and prudence, and the counfels and devices of flesh and blood, but in all this they have no establishment at all. And therefore ye that are Faithful, fee to it, that ye turn not aside neither to the right hand, nor to the left, through any worldly hopes or fears, but do ye live and act in the righteousness of Chrift; and as the Lord lives, though you have Kingdoms and Nations for your Enemies, you fhall not be moved, but shall be established more firmly than the Earth.

And therefore I pray confider your Establishment, where it lies, and that is in Righteou nefs, and in Righteoufuefs only. Some truft to this ftrength, and fome to that; fome to this aid, and fome to that, but the Spiritual Church fcorns to truft to any Creature for establishment, but looks to be establisht only in righteousness; and because of this, neither Men nor Devils fhall prevail against it. And therefore you that are of this Temple and Building which is made by God, feeing you have fo many enemies on all hands, pray look to your establishment, which is in righteoufnefs: In righteousness shalt thou be established.

Thou shalt be far from oppreffion, for thou shalt not fear; and from terror, for it shall not come near thee.

The SpiThe fear and terror he speaks of here, is inward ritual fear and terror, from which the Church fhall be Church be-free, in the midst of all outward evils; for tho' ing elta- the Church be full of Danger and Perfecution blifhed, is without, yet it is free from fear and terror withTvithout in; Nay, the Church hath trouble without, but peace within; affliction without, joy within; weakness without, ftrength within; Imprifonment without, liberty within; perfecution without, content within: Againft all the Sorrows and Sufferings on the Flesh, they have refreshings,

fear and

terror.

comforts,