Heaven Opened, Treatise · Chapter 20
CHAP. XX, and Laſt. An exhortation to the Saints.
COme ye People beloved, you that are highly favoured; The Lord is with you. Bleſſed are you amongſt men and women. The Likes are fallen to you in a pleaſant place, yea you have a goodly heritage. Come and enter upon your Lot; let your hearts be glad, let your glory rejoyce, but that your joy may be full, hearken to theſe following counſels:
Make ſure your intereſt in the Covenant.
Rejoyce not in that thats none of thine. Make ſure, all lies upon this: Your life, & all the comforts and concernments of it, both your eternal ſafety hereafter, and your ſucceſs in all the parts of your Chriſtian courſe here, depend on your intereſt in the Covenant. VVhat have you if Chriſt be not yours? and what have you in Chriſt, if you be not in Covenant? whence are your hopes, either of mercy at laſt, or of proſpering in any thing at preſent, but from the Covenant of Promiſe? And what have you thence, if your name be not in it! Oh give not reſt to your ſelves, till this be put out of doubt; what ever duties you perform, what ever eaſe, or hope you finde hereupon, what ever tranſportation of affection you feel in your hearts, in the midſt of all enquiry.
But am I in Covenant? How ſhall I know that you'll ſay; why make a ſtrict and narrow enquiry, whether thoſe ſpecial graces already mentioned be wrought upon you. Common mercies, though even theſe be Covenant mercies to the Saints, yet will they not prove themſelves ſo to be; but ſpecially graces will be their own evidence. Things outward, fall alike to all: No man knowes love or hatred by ought that befalls him, Eccleſ. 9.1. Thou mayeſt be a ſon or a baſtard, notwithſtanding all that thou enjoyeſt or ſuffereſt here; but not one of the fore-mentioned graces, but is a childes portion: Gods mark upon the heart, to diſtinguiſh children from ſtrangers. Prove that thou truly knoweſt the Lord, haſt one heart, a tender heart, &c. and thou therein proveſt thy ſelf to be a child of Promiſe. Read over the deſcriptions that have been given of theſe graces; obſerve diligently where the main differen…e lyes betwixt common and ſpecial grace; compare thine heart with it, and thereby thou mayeſt give a judgement of thy ſtate. If it be yet queſtionable, whether it be ſound or no; ſit not down till thou haſt obtained: but having obtained,
2. Keep your evidences clear. Have you peace? maintain it carefully. The hidden Manna will never breed worms by long keeping. Content not your ſelves that you once had peace; 'twill be but a poor livelihood, you will get out of what's waſted and loſt. Get you good evidences that God is yours, and keep them by you, till you need them no more. Grace is your beſt evidence, cheriſh and preſerve it. Get a ſeeing eye, and keep your eye open; get a ſingle heart, and let it not be again divided; get a tender heart, and keep it tender; let the love and fear of God be acted in holy Obedience. An obedient, gracious, watchful, active life, will keep grace in heart; and flouriſhing grace will ſpeak for it ſelf and you. Look not that the Lord ſhould ſo far countenance your declinings to a more fleſhly careleſs ſtate, as to ſmile upon you in ſuch a ſtate; God will not be an Abettor to ſin. Count upon it, that your grace and peace, your duty and comfort will riſe and fall together; ſuſpect thoſe comforts that accompany you into the tents of wickedneſs, and forſake you not, when you forſake your God. Keep up your ſpirits, and then lift up your heads, keep heedfully on your way, and your joy ſhal no man take from you. Particularly,
1. Keep cloſe by God.
2. Keep hold on Chriſt.
3. Keep touch with the Spirit.
4. Keep in with Conſcience.
1. Keep cloſe to God. Keep thy ſelf under his eye and influences. Both thy grace and thy comforts as they had their birth, ſo muſt they have their nouriſhment from Heaven. Loſe the ſight of the Sun, and darkneſs follows. Let thine eyes be towards the hills. Let divine love be the pleaſure of thy life. Let it be thy Lords cord upon thine heart, let it binde thee to him; be loves Captive, let thine ear be bor'd to the threſhold, be familiar in Heaven, keep thine acquaintance there, and be at peace; chide back thy gadding heart, Soul; whither art thou going? who hath the words of eternal life? let the interviews of love betwixt thy Lord and thee, be conſtant; let them not be onelyonly on ſome few holy days of thy life.
Count not thou haſt lived that day, in which thou haſt not liv'd with God.
Keep cloſe to God, by keeping cloſe to duty. Keep cloſe to duty, and keep cloſe to God in duty. Call not that a duty, which thou canſt not call communion with God. Make not duty to do the work of ſin, to take God out of ſight. Let not Prayer, or Hearing, or Sacraments, be inſtead of a God to thee. Such praying and hearing there is amonſt many, but know not thou any thing for Religion, wherein thou meeteſt not with God.
Behold the face of God, but behold his face in righteouſneſs, Pſal. 17.15. 'Tis ill looking on God with a blood-ſhot eye. Guilt upon the heart, will be a cloud that will make the Sun as darkneſs to thee. Walk in the light of the Lord. Walk in the light, as he is in the light. In thy light (the holineſs of thy life) thou ſhalt ſee his light. The light of his holineſs in thee, will be attended with the light of his countenance upon thee. By the light of his countenance, thou wilt both ſee thy ſelf in thy way to thine hopes, and learn thy way more perfectly, Pſal. 119.135. Make thy face to ſhine upon thy Servant, and teach me thy ſtatutes. God hath many ways of teaching; he teaches by Book, he teaches by his Finger, he teaches by his Rod; but his moſt comfortable and effectual teaching, is by the light of his Eye. Send forth thy light and thy truth, let them lead me, let them bring me to thy holy Hill.
2. Keep hold on Chriſt. He is thy peace. Appear not before God, but in the blood of the Lamb; let him carry up thy duties, and own not that for a comfort, which is not brought thee by his hand. Let him be thy way to the Father, and thy Fathers way to thee. Keep freſh upon thine heart, the memory of his death and ſatiſfaction, and let that be thy life, and thine hope. Haſt thou caſt Anchor on this Rock, loſe not thy hold; hang upon the horns of the Altar: Thou canſt not live, but there; if thou muſt dye, ſay; but I will dye here. Put forth freſh Acts of faith everyday and hour. Believe, believe, believe, and thou ſhalt be eſtabliſhed. Fall not into Unbelief, then thou art gone; thou departeſt from the living God, Heb. 3.12.
3. Keep touch with the Spirit. Obſerve and obey his motions; when he excites, get thee on; when he checks, get thee back; know the holy from the evil ſpirit, by its according or differing with the Scriptures; reject that ſpirit in the heart, that is not the ſame with the Spirit in the word. Try the Wind, what and whence it is, by thy Card and Gompaſs; To the Law, and to the Teſtimony. And when thou perceiveſt its from above, hoiſe up thy ſails, and get thee on. Quench not the Spirit: Grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby thou art ſealed to the day of Redemption.
4. Keep in with Conſcience. Make not thy witneſs thine enemy. Deal friendly with it; thou wilt need its good word, which thou canſt not have, if it receive blowes from thee; it will not learn this Leſſon to ſpeak good for evil: or if thou ſhouldeſt beat it into it, thou art undone; if an abuſe conſcience ſpeak peace, it becomes thy Traytor.
Give due reſpect to Conſcience. Let it abide with thee, in Peace, and in Power. Keep up its Authority, as Gods Vicegerent. Next under God, commit the keeping of thy ſoul to conſcience, as the Lord hath, ſo do thou make it ſuperintendent in thy ſoul; the Judge and Over-ſeer of all thy motions and actions. Let conſcience counſell thee, and tell thee thy way; let conſcience quicken thee, and put thee on in thy way; let conſcience watch thee, that thou turn not out of thy way; let conſcience check thee, and reduce thee into thy way. Whither ever thou goeſt, carry conſcence along with thee; carry conſcience into thy Cloſet, let it watch thee how thou behaveſt thy ſelf there; carry conſcience into thy ſhop, let it eye thee what thou doſt there; carry conſcience into the fields, into the market, amongſt thy friends, amongſt thine enemies, let it obſerve how thou behaveſt thy ſelf amongſt them; carry conſcience with thee to thy recreation, to thy bed, to thy table; whither ever thou goeſt, there's like to be but ſad work, if conſcience be not with thee. Commit the keeping of thy Covenant to conſcience; let it be the Ark in which the Tables of the Teſtimony are kept and preſerved; let it be the Executor of thy Teſtament. Conſcience is bound by thy Covenant, the Covenant layes hold on it, let it lay hold on thee. Is thy conſcience bound? ſeek not to be looſed; is thy conſcience bound, give it leave to bind thine whole man: let it bind thy thoughts, and bind thy will, and bind thy affections, and hind thy tongue, and thy whole practice; thou never liveſt as a man in Covenant, longer then thou liveſt as a man of Conſcience. VVhat becomes of the Covenant, when a breach is made upon Conſcience? Oh what is there in the world when conſcience is not! what faith, or truth, or peace is there left alive? what are Vowes, and Covenants, and Promiſes? what are our duties to the Lord, our dealings with men, when there is no conſcience towards God? Keep thy conſcience, and thou keepeſt thy ſoul; keep thy Conſcience? and thou keepeſt thy Covenant; keep thy Covenant, and thou keepeſt thy Peace; let that go, and all's loſt.
Let conſcience govern what God hath put under its power, and let it reſiſt all adverſe Power. Let it reſiſt temptations. When ever Satan and thy fleſh fall upon thee, and tempt thee; Pity thy ſelf, ſpare thy ſelf; take thy liberty, take thine eaſe, take thy pleaſure, provide for thy ſafety; what need is there of ſo much adoe? Why canſt not take the ſame liberty, and allow thy ſelf the ſame latitude as others do? they have ſouls as well as thou, and they have dangers as well as thou, and they have hopes as well as thou, and they have reaſons and underſtandings to know what they do as well as thou; and why canſt thou not he content to do as they? Why let this be thy anſwer, But what conſcience is there for it? With what conſcience can I be idle, when I have ſaid I will be doing? With what conſcience can I take mine eaſe, when I have ſaid I will take pains? With what conſcience can I ſerve my fleſh, when I have ſaid I will crucifie it? With what conſcience can I love this world, when I have ſaid I will renounce it? With what conſcience can I walk at liberty, when I have ſaid I will walk circumſpectly? If all this were more then needs, (far be it from me to have ſuch a thought, till the ſerving my God, and the ſaving my ſoul be more then needs.) But if it were more then needs, yet is it any more then I am bound to? Are there any ſuch liberties put into my Indentures? Was there any exception made, of this duty, or that duty? was there any limitation made, to this meaſure, or that meaſure? hitherto I will go and no further, this little I will do and no more? Was there any ſuch proviſo put in, I will ſerve the Lord, Provided I may with eaſe or with ſafety? Have I not ſolemnly engaged to the Lord, to obey him in all things, to follow him fully, to love him and ſerve him with all my heart, with all my ſoul, with all my ſtrength, and this to the death? And Oh ſhal I lye unto God? Is it more then needs to be righteous, and to keep my faith? Come O my ſoul, come on; thou haſt opened thy mouth to the Lord, and thou muſt not go back. Be true, be honeſt; be honeſt, though thou muſt ſwear for it, be honeſt, though thou ſuffer for it. Remember what thy mouth hath ſpoken, and ſee that thou fulfil it with thine hand.
Keep conſcience pure. Its the book in which all thy Records are written; let no blot be upon thy Book. Beware of ſinning againſt conſcience. Every ſin againſt conſcience, is a blot upon conſcience; and blots upon conſcience, are blots upon thy Covenant-evidence; thou wilt not be able to read, whether there be any thing written there for thee or not. Ah fooliſh ſoul, what art thou doing? Daſhing out all thy hopes with thine own hand. Beware thou content not thy ſelf with blotted evidences.
Chriſtians, forget not this counſel; keep your Evidences clear. He who hath his whole eſtate in bonds or writings, how charily will he keep them! If theſe be torn, or loſt, or ſo blured, that they cannot be read, hee's undone. What ever elſe be loſt, if his money be gone, if his goods be loſt, if his houſe be burnt, yet if his writings be ſafe, hee's well enough. Oh take heed and keep your writings ſafe and fair; keep your Title to your God clear, and you can never be poor or miſerable. Whatever earth or hell can do againſt you, till they can tear the Covennnt of your God, or make you blot out your own names, they have left you abundantly enough, even when they have left you nothing.
O how highly are we concern'd to be tender of conſcience, and yet how little care is there taken of it! What's become of the authority of conſcience? when thy thoughts, and thy paſſions, when thines eyes and thine ears,, and thine appetite, and thy tongue are left unbridled and unconquered; when every Servant is ſet up to be Maſter, and bears rule in thee, where is thy Conſcience? what's become of its authority? When thy ſ ul hath been no better kept (what poverty and leanneſs is there grown upon it, what a ſtarveling is it become, both in grace and peace, eaten out with luſt, evaporated into vanity, ſunk into ſenſuality, thy ſpirit even tranſubſtantiated into fleſh, ready to periſh, and die away for want of good looking to.) When thy Soul hath been no better kept, where is thy Conſcience? when thy covenant hath been no better kept, when thy duties thou haſt vowed to perform, are ſo haſtily and heedleſly ſhuffled over, if not totally thruſt aſide; when thy hours of prayer are ſuch ſhort hours, thy Sabbaths ſuch Winter dayes, ſo ſhort and ſo cold too; when thy God is ſo ſhamefully neglected, can never hear of thee, but when thou haſt nothing elſe to do, no nor it may be then neither, when thy ſpare hours are hardly ſpared for God; when this earth, thy corn, and thy cattel, and thy pleaſures and thy friends, which thou haſt vowed to renounce, are let in again upon thine heart, and have ſtollen it away from Heaven, where is thy Conſcience? When thou ſleepeſt ſo, and haſt let the enemy come in and ſowe his tares in thy field; when thou art ſuch a buſie-body in other mens matters, and thine own vineyard thou haſt not kept, but haſt let it lie fallow, like the field of the Sluggard, all overgrown with thorns and nettles; when both thine heart and thine houſe are ſo much out of order; when thy Wife, and thy Children, and thy Servants are left at randome, to do all, what's right in their own eyes; when more care is taken for the Aſſes, then for thy Sons and Daughters; when thy houſe is a very hoſpital, of blind, and lame, and ſick Souls, ready to die for want of inſtruction and good diſcipline; where is thy Conſcience? and if Conſcience be not, where is thy Covenant? and if thy Covenant be not, oh where is thy God and thy peace?
Ah Conſcience! where art thou become? what is become of that good thing committed to thee, yea what is become of thee?
Ah Soul! where is thy peace? how is the keeper of thy peace laid low, and the covenant of thy peace broken? what peace whilſt no Conſcience, and what haſt thou left, whilſt no peace? Ah Lord! thy treacherous dealers, how treacherouſly have they dealt with thee? thy Children have forgotten thee, thy Servants are run-awayes from thee; thou art our Father, but where is thine honour? thou art our Maſter, but where is thy fear? we are thy Servants, but where is our faith? Ah Lord! we have dealt falſly in thy Covenant.
Return, O Lord, return; repair thy watches, recover thine honours, reduce thy wanderers, reſtore conſcience, revive our peace, cauſe us to return and renew our covenant; and remember break not thou thy covenant with us.
Chriſtians, let us bewail loſt conſcience, and let it be recovered; let us weep over our dead, and let their ſouls return into them. Let thoſe of us, that have obtained grace to be faithful, and watchful, and tender, rejoyce and take heed: let him that ſtandeth take heed leſt he fall. Go on in the Name of the Lord: Remember his counſels; keep cloſe by God, keep hold on Chriſt, keep touch with the Spirit, keep in with Conſcience; keep thine heart, keep thy garments, keep up thy watch, keep on thy way, finiſh thy courſe, keep the faith; and then let the devil do his worſt, thy peace ſhall be extended to thee as a River, and eſtabliſhed as a Rock; and thou ſhalt be able to ſay in the words, and in the faith of the Apoſtle, Henceforth is laid up for me a crown of righteouſneſs, which God the righteous Judge ſhall give unto me at that day, and not to me onelyonly but to all that love his appearing.
3. Adde to your covenant, your ſacrifice, Pſa. 50.5. Gather my Saints together unto me, thoſe that have made a covenant with me by ſacrifice. God hath made with you, and he expects that you make covenant with him [by ſacrifice.] Sacrifices were ſeals of the Covenant. As Gods part of the Covenant, ſo our part alſo muſt be ſealed, and ſealed with blood; his with the blood of his Son, ours with the blood of our ſins.
Rom. 12.1. I beſeech you therefore Brethren by the mercies of God, that you preſent your bodies as a living ſacrifice, holy, acceptable to God. The ſacrificing of our ſelves to the Lord conprehends in it three things:
Alienation,
Dedication,
Oblation.
1. Alienation, or the paſſing away of our ſelves, from our ſelves. Ye are not your own, you are bought with a price. Thus he hath ſaid, and he expects that we ſhould ſay alſo, True Lord, I am not mine own.
2. Dedication. or the paſſing over our ſelves to the Lord, 2 Chron. 29.35. Ye have conſecrated your ſelves to the Lord. His we are by purchaſe, but he expects that we be his alſo by donation: his we are by conqueſt, but he expects we ſhould be his by conſent alſo. Though he may challenge us as his right, yet the moſt acceptable claim is, when he hath us by gift. When our hearts ſay, I am thine Lord; then his heart will anſwer, Soul, thou art mine.
3. Oblation, or the actual ſurrender, or offering up our ſelves to him. In the offering this ſacrifice is included the Immolation, or ſlaying of it: We muſt ſlay our ſelves (in a ſpiritual ſenſe) be mortified, be crucified with Chriſt, and ſo offered up a ſacrifice to him. You will ſay, How is it then required, that we offer up our ſelves [a living ſacrifice?] Anſw. We are never truly alive till we are dead, Col. 3.3. Ye are dead, and your life is hid with Chriſt in God. When our fleſh is dead our ſpirit is life, Rom. 8. As the Apoſtle, 1 Cor. 15. that which thou ſoweſt, ſo that which thou ſacrificeſt is not quickened except it die. Mortificatio eſt mors viva. Alapid. 'Tis onelyonly the mortified Chriſtian that is a living ſacrifice.
Chriſtians, come and ſacrifice your ſelves to the Lord. Come and ſlay your ſacrifices, and ſo offer them up. Your ſacrifice is then ſlain (as before 'tis intimaed) when your carnal ſelf, your old man is crucified with Chriſt, and the body of ſin deſtroyed, Rom. 6. when the wiſdome of the fleſh is crucified, and made to vaniſh before the wiſdome of God; when the will of the fleſh is ſubdued, and ſwallowed up of the Will of God; when the luſts of the fleſh are vanquiſhed, and made captives by the Law of God.
Chriſtians, It may be you are willing to make your claim to the Covenant of God, but have you made covenant with him? you have entred into covenant with God, but will you confirm your covenant by ſacrifice? you will give your ſelves a ſacrifice to the Lord, but is your ſacrifice ſlain? Is the wiſdome of the fleſh made fooliſhneſs? How is it with your carnal wills? Is the will of the fleſh broken and brought into ſubjection, yielding it ſelf up to the Lord? O for an exinanition of wills, an emptying them into the Will of God! What wilt thou do? What wilt thou have? nothing but what God will. What the Lord will have me do, or avoid, or ſuffer, I can no longer ſay him nay. Is this the Will of God, my ſanctification? ſo 'tis mine. Is this the Will of God, my humiliation? ſo 'tis mine? Is this the Will of God, my tribulation? ſo 'tis mine. Is God for holineſs? through Grace ſo am I. Is God for his own Will? ſo am I: this is all the Will I have, that the Lord may have his Will of me; may be all to me, have all from me, rule all in me, and diſpoſe of all that concerns me.
How is it with your carnal affections, and fleſhly luſts? are theſe ſlain? Is your covetouſneſs, your ſenſuality, your pride, and envy; are your carnal joyes, and fears, and worldly ſorrows, are theſe deſtroyed? thoſe wild-fires, of paſſion, and fury, and rage, are theſe quenched? Come put the Knife to the throat of all theſe, and then there's a ſacrifice for God. Go and offer it up; and let it be
A Free-will-offering, A Thank-offering.
1. A Freewil-offering. Offer your ſelves willingly to the Lord, Pſal. 110. Thy people ſhal be willing in the day of thy Power. O may that glorious day dawn upon us! God loves a chearful giver; offer up your hearts, with all your heart; grudge not that the Lord requires, but bleſs God, that he will accept of an offering; this hath a comfortable ſignification: If the Lord had meant to deſtroy us, he would not have accepted an offering at our hands, Judg. 13.23.
2. A Thank-offering. Offer unto God thankſgiving, and pay thy vows unto the moſt High; Offer up your ſelves in token of yuor thankfulneſs to the Lord.: Be ye both the Prieſts, and the Lambs for the ſacrifice. Preſent your ſelves to the Lord, as the accompliſhments of his Covenant, as the fruits of the death of your Redeemer, as the Trophies of his Victory, as the ſpoils which he hath recovered from Death and Hell, making a ſhew of them openly, that it may be ſeen that the promiſe of God is not of none effect, and that Chriſt did not die in vain. Let your Lord Jeſus when he comes down into his Garden where he left his blood, reap his pleaſant fruits, and carry up your purified Souls as the ſignals of his glorious atchievement. Offer up your ſins to the Lord; theſe unclean beaſts will be an acceptable ſacrifice. There's more real honour growing up to the Lord, from one mortified Saint, then from ten thouſand Anthems from the moſt ſeraphick tongues. Offer up your duties to the Lord; your obedience for a ſacrifice. To obey is better then ſacrifice; then thouſands of Rams, and ten thouſands of Rivers of Oyle. Let your whole life be this ſacrifice: let every day be a Sabbath, every duty an Euchariſt, every member a Cymbal ſounding out the praiſes of God, Offer up the calves of your lips unto the Lord. O let your ſouls be filled with wonder, and your mouths with praiſe. Whence in this to me, that the Mother of my Lord ſhould come to me? Oh whence is this to us, that the Lord our Father ſhould come, and come ſo near to us! Oh whence is it, That the Mighty God ſhould indent, and come into bond with ſinful man! that he who was free from all men, ſhould make himſelf debtor to any! That the high and lofty One, that inhabits Eternity, ſhould dwell in Houſes of Clay, and pitch his Tabernacle in the Duſt! That he who humbleth himſelf to behold the Heavens, ſhould come down into the earth; and after what is he come down, but after a dead Dog or a Flea? that he ſhould make a league with the ſtones of the g…ound, with the beaſts of the field, and creeping things? ſhould eſpouſe duſt and aſhes, and gather up vile worms into his boſome? ſhould ſet his heart upon ſhadows, and adopt the refuſe of the earth for Sons and Daughters to himſelf? ſhould raiſe the poor out of the duſt, and the beggar from the Dunghil? ſhould do ſuch great things, and ſhould chooſe the fooliſh, and the weak, and the baſe, and the contemptible, and boſtow on [them] among all the world theſe high honors? ſhould make them the Head and the honourable, whom the world hath made the Tail, the filth and the off-ſcouring of all things? ſhould give himſelf to be the portion, his Son to be the ranſome, his kingdome to be the heritage of bankrupts, priſoners, and captives? Lord what is man that thou art thus mindful of him! Soul, what is God that thou ſhouldſt be yet unmindful of him? How is it that the tongue of the dumb is not yet looſened, that the feet of the lame do not leap as an Hart?
Oh what is that love, whence this ſtrange thing hath broken forth? This this is the womb that bare thee; hence hath thy righteouſneſs ſprung forth; hence have thy dignities, thy aſtoniſhing hope, and joys ariſen to thee; this is it that yearned upon thee in thy mercy, that reprived thee from death, redeemed thee from darkneſs, reſcued thee as a brand out of the burning; that pitied thee in thy blood, waſhed thee from thy blood; ſpared thee, pardoned thee, reconciled thee, and brought thee, an enemy, a rebel, a traitor, into a Covenant of peace with the God of glory. Ah contemptible duſt! that ever there ſhould be ſuch compaſſionate contrivements, and ſuch aſtoniſhing condeſcentions of the eternal Deity, towards ſo vile a thing! O love the Lord all ye his Saints! O bleſs the Lord ye beloved, ye people near unto the Lord. Alas that our hearts ſhould be ſo narrow, that the waters ſhould be ſo ſhallow with us; where are our eyes, if we be not yet filled with wonders; what hearts have we, if we have not yet filled our lips with praiſe: Open all thy ſprings, O my ſoul, let them flow forth in ſtreams of love and joy; let every faculty be tuned and ſtrained to the height; let heart and hands, and tongue, and eyes lift up their voice; be aſtoniſhed O heavens, be moved ye ſtrong foundations of the earth, fall down ye Elders, ſtrike up ye heavenly Quires, lend poor mortals your Notes, to ſing forth the high praiſes of God, who rideth on the heavens, and hath cauſed us to ride on the high places of the earth, and made us ſit together in hevenly places, ſhewing forth the exceeding riches of his grace, in his kindneſs to us in Chriſt Jeſus.
Awake up my Glory, awake Pſaltery and Harps, I my ſelf wil awake right early. My ſoul doth magnifie the Lord, and my ſpirit hath rejoyced in God my Saviour; for he that is mighty hath done for me great things, and holy is his Name. Bleſſed be the Lord God of Iſrael, who hath viſited and redeemed his People; who hath raiſed up an horn of ſalvation for us, in the houſe of his ſervant David; who hath laid help on one who is mighty, and exalted one choſen among the People, and hath given him for a Covenant to them. Bleſs the Lord, O my ſoul, and all that is within me bleſs his holy Name; who hath redeemed thy life from death, and crowned thee with loving kindneſs and tender mercies. Salvation to our God, that ſitteth on the Throne, and to the Lamb. Let the Redeemed of the Lord ſay ſo, Worthy is the Lamb that was ſlain, to receive power, and riches, and wiſdom, and ſtrength, and glory, and honour, and bleſſing; for thou livedſt, and waſt dead, and art alive for evermore. Thou haſt redeemed us to God by thy blood, out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; and haſt made us Kings and Prieſts unto our God for ever. Hallelujah, Hallelujah.
FINIS.
End of the text · Richard Alleine, Heaven Opened (1665)