Spiritual Knowledge

Labour for internal spiritual knowledge of God. Oh, there is a great deal of notional light in the world! But if men did know God internally, if they did know God more in the mystery and light of the Spirit, if they did know God more from union and communion with God, it were impossible but they should do more gloriously. That is a brave text: Daniel 11:32, 'And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall be corrupted by flatteries.' Mark the latter words, 'but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.' Oh I take one that knows God internally, mystically, and spiritually, from union, and from being taken into heavenly communion with God, and he will act bravely and strongly for God. Alas I take a Christian that hath merely sucked in notions, and is only able for discourse, but hath no internal experimental knowledge of God, you shall never find him guilty of doing exploits, of doing glorious things for God and his saints. No! 'the people that know God,'—he speaks of the internal, spiritual knowledge of God, of knowledge in the mystery;—and thus to know him will enable a man to do exploits, to do glorious things. Oh, if God would raise up parliament-men, and men in the army, and in the city, and round the kingdom, to more internal knowledge, to more spiritual acquaintance with himself, we should find that they would do abundantly more gloriously. But it is for lack of an internal, spiritual know-ledge of God that men are treacherous, and base, and unfaithful, and prove apostates, and neuters, and anything. As you would do glorious and honourable things, look to this, that you have an internal knowledge and spiritual acquaintance with God, and this will enable you to do exploits.

And, then, If you would be enabled to do gloriously, in the second place, you should look upon those examples and worthies that have gone before you, and have done gloriously. So the apostle, Heb. 12:1, when he would press them to do gloriously, he presseth them into this consideration of those glorious worthies that had gone before 'Having therefore such a cloud of witnesses, let us run with patience the race that is set before us,' chap. 12:1. Look to the cloud of witnesses, in chap. 11; that is another means to help us to do gloriously.

Another is this, If you would do gloriously, then keep your evidences for glory always bright and shining; do not soil your evidences for glory. What made them take joyfully the 'spoiling of their goods,' Heb. 10:34, but this, that they knew in themselves that they had in heaven a better and more enduring substance? When a man's evidence is bright, that he can run and read his title to heaven, his interest in God, and the glory above, then will he be strong to do exploits; this will enable a man to do gloriously.

Then, again, If you would do gloriously, look to faith; give faith scope, give it elbow-room to work. Faith is a noble grace, and will ennoble the soul to do gloriously for God. Faith is that that will carry a man over all difficulties; faith will untie all knots; it will carry a man through the valley of darkness, though it be never so long; and over mountains of difficulties, though they be never so high. Faith will not plead 'there is a lion in the way,' and that such and such men will frown if I do this or that for God and the general good. Faith will carry a man bravely over all. You know that story in Hebrews 11; you have several instances of the saints doing gloriously. But what enabled them? It is all along attributed to faith. By the power of faith they did gloriously: they stopped the mouths of lions; they turned to flight the armies of the aliens; they waxed valiant in fight; they refused to be delivered,—and all by the power of faith. Oh! faith will enable men to do gloriously. If parliament-men, and men in the army, and in the city, and round the kingdom, did believe more gloriously, they would do more gloriously for God, in their relations and places, than now they do. It springs from want of faith that things work thus basely. Did men believe more gloriously, things would work more gloriously. Therefore, when things work crossly, blame not so much this or that instrument, but blame thy own unbelieving heart; for glorious faith will see a smiling Father beyond a dark cloud. Though men are at a loss, yet God is not at a loss, says faith; and though the arm of man be weak, His arm is strong, says faith; and though the work be too hard for the arm of flesh, too hard for an army or parliament, it is not too hard for God, says faith. Faith carries a man gloriously through all. If you would do gloriously, abound in faith, let faith have elbow-room. I shall say no more of this. Though there be other directions, I will rather leave them.

Is it so, that the saints shall be glorious? Then this serves, in the next place, by way of use, for singular comfort and consolation. Shall the saints at last appear glorious? It speaks singular comfort to all believers, against all the reproaches, and contempt, and scorn that they may meet with in this world. What though you be scorned, and one saith this, and another saith that? Here is your comfort: you shall appear glorious. What though this worthy's body be mangled here and there by bloody butchers? Yet this body shall appear glorious at the last. What a singular comfort is it! The apostle makes the same use from the same consideration: 1 Thes. 4:15, 'We that are alive and remain shall not prevent them that sleep: for the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.' Let the wife comfort herself with these, the brother, the kinsman, the friends of this worthy that now lies in the dust mangled. Oh, comfort yourselves with this consideration, that he shall appear glorious at last, with the rest of the glorious renowned saints! And so this may comfort us against all reproaches, and scorns, and contempts that men throw upon us: and what though the glory of the saints is now hid by prevailing distempers, and afflictions, and poverty? Yet here is your comfort, the day is coming when your glory will break out, when your rags shall be taken off, and your glorious robes put on, when God will wipe away all the dirt and filth that hath been thrown on you by vain spirits. Therefore bear up, brave hearts! There is a day coming when you shall appear glorious, and it will be but as a day before that day overtake you.

Then, again, If the saints at the last shall appear glorious, then it bespeaks all, in the last place, to long for that day. You shall at the last appear in glory. Oh then long for that day; cry out with the church, 'Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly:' cry out again with the church in Solomon's Song, 8:14, 'Make haste, my beloved;' or as the original has it, berach dovdi, 'Flee away speedily, my beloved, and be thou like a roe or a young hart upon the mountains of spices.' Will you remember these two things, to engage you to be much in longing for this day, wherein the saints shall appear in glory. Divers things might be said, but I shall reduce all to two things.

Till this day your happiness will not be complete, therefore long for it. Till the saints shall appear glorious, all will be incomplete; your comforts, your graces, your enjoyment of God, and of that glory that he hath provided. Till this glorious day your glory will be incomplete; therefore long for the day wherein all shall be complete.

Secondly, Till then the innocency of the saints shall not be fully cleared: that is another thing. Oh! Long for that day wherein the saints shall appear in glory, for till then the innocency of the saints shall not be fully cleared. Now I say, the devil and wicked men throw much dirt on them, and reproach and revile them, and what not, and something of that will stick; but let this bespeak all such to long for that day wherein all dirt, scorn, and filth shall be wiped off, wherein God will clear the righteousness, integrity, and innocency of his saints. Therefore seeing the saints shall appear glorious, be not discouraged, however you appear in the world to the eye of men. Now you are strangers, far from your Father's house; but it will be but as a day before the trumpet sound and the angels shall gather you, before the robes of glory shall be put on, and your mourning clothes shall be taken off, and the glorious crowns put on your heads, and your happiness shall be complete. Long for this day; for this will be a day indeed of refreshing from the Lord. I shall say no more to this point, but earnestly desire that God would please to make it take impression on your spirits. The saints shall appear glorious. Oh let it be our glory, while we are here, so to walk as they that expect to appear glorious another day!

As for this thrice-honoured champion now in the dust: for his enjoyment of God, from my own experience, being with him both at sea and land, I have abundance of sweetness and satisfaction in my own spirit, which to me exceedingly sweetens so great a loss. I shall not speak of the wife's loss, nor the brother's loss, nor the army's loss; for the loss of this worthy is a loss to the kingdom, and if they are not in a sad, sinful sleep, they will say so. And, indeed, it is with me, I ingenuously confess, as it was with him who, when he was demanded what God was; he desired three days' consideration to give an answer, and when those days were expired, three more; and then he gives this answer, 'That the more he thought of him, the further he was from discovering of him.' The more I think of the gallantry and worth of this champion, the further off I am from discovering his worth. I think he was one of whom this sinful nation was not worthy; he was one of whom this declining parliament was not worthy; he was one of whom those divided, formal, carnal, gospellers was not worthy. He served his generation faithfully, though he died by the hand of treachery. I am fully satisfied, with many more, that he is now triumphing in glory; and it will be but as a day before he shall see his enemies stand at the bar. For my own part, I can truly say that, to the best of my memory and understanding, I have not observed that the hearts of the people of God have been so generally and eminently affected with the loss of any worthy, as with the loss of this worthy; no, not for any worthy that hath fallen since the sword was drawn, though many precious worthies have fallen upon the ground; which strongly speaks out the love of the people of God to him, and their honourable esteem of him. They honoured him in his life, and they shewed no small respect to him in death. He was a joy to the best, and a terror to the worst of men. But for my part I should rather choose, I ingenuously confess, if it were possible, to weep over him with tears of blood, than to trouble you further with relating his gallant service for the good of this sinful kingdom.

We will cease from saying anything more of him, and sit down satisfied and joying in this, that the day is coming when the saints shall appear glorious; and with that we will refresh and cheer our spirits as with a cordial, that there is a day coming when we with this deceased worthy shall appear glorious. And it will be but as a day before our robes shall be put on our backs, and crowns set on our heads. I have now done; and so shall commend you 'to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give y ou an inheritance among all them which are sanctified,' [Acts 20:32.]