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A66578 Nehushtan, or, A sober and peaceable discourse, concerning the abolishing of things abused to superstition and idolatry which may serve as one intire, and sufficient argument, to evince that the liturgy, ceremonies, and other things used at this day in the Church of England, ought neither to be imposed, nor retained, but utterly extirpated and laid aside : and to vindicate the non-conformists in their refusal to close with them. Wilson, Joseph, d. 1678. 1668 (1668) Wing W2927; ESTC R38669 118,485 216

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will and therefore in complyance with our weakness he does not only lay precepts before us but likewise promises wherein he ingages that if we will do our duty and be faithful he will do great things for us Numb 33.52 53. See Trem. Jun. in loc And as he deals thus with us in other cases so particularly in this we have now before us Having commanded the Israclites that they should drive out all the Inhabitants of the land from before them destroy their Pictures overthrow their molten Images and pluck down their high places he adds by way of promise Yee shall dispossess the Inhabitants of the land and dwell therein And the Prophet Isaiah speaking to the Church in after times saith Isa 30.22 c. Yee shall defile the covering of thy graven Images of silver and the ornament of thy molten Images of gold thou shalt cast them away as a menstruous cloth thou shalt say unto it get thee hence Then he shall give the rain of thy seed that thou shalt sow the ground withall and bread of the increase of the earth and it shall be fat and plenteous in that day shall thy Cattel feed in large pastures c. Here we have an accumulation of promises the substance whereof is this that if we will hearken to what he hath required in his law and in observance thereof will cordially and vigorously appear against the monuments of Idolatry and throw them away from us with scorn and contempt as a true hearted zealous people ought to do then he will open the fountains of his goodness and let out streams thereof upon us Then he will bless us with plenty of provision both for man and beast give us victory over our enemies and fill our hearts with joy As far as the light of the Sun exceeds that of the Moon or as far as the light of the Sun would exceed it self were it seven times brighter so far will he cause our future joy to exceed our former And he does not only promise temporal benefits to it but pardon of sin justification with the benefits flowing therefrom Isa 27.9 By this saith he shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged and this is all the fruit to take away his sin when he maketh all the stones of the Altar as chalk stones that are beaten in sunder c. q. d. When my people shall heartily and unfeignedly repent and evidence as much by their vigorous ingaging and appearing against Idolatry with the monuments and incitements thereof then will I purge away their iniquity and take away their sin Thus does he out of the earnest desire he hath we should set upon the work allure and intice us to it 3. From the terrible threatnings he hath pronounced against us to terrifie and affright us to it Sometimes when a promise will not move a threatning will and therefore he uses both He told the Israelites and us in them that if they would not drive out the Cananites Numb 33.55 56. destroy their Pictures break their Images and pull down their high places they should be pricks in their eyes and thorns in their sides and should vex them in the land wherein they should dwell nay that he would do unto them what he thought to have done to their Enemies that is root them out destroy them and make an end of them He deals plainly with them he sets before them life and death telling them that if they would obey and do as he required they should live and be a flourishing and happy people but if otherwise that they should dye and perish and come to ruin 4. From the solemn and lasting commendations he hath bestow'd upon such as have done it Such is the contentment he takes in it Exo. 32.20 2 Kings 23.4 Serpens aeneus laudatissimo exemplo ab Ezechia sublatus suit Ti●en Syntag p. 256. Rev. 2.14 that when any of his Servants do perform it he records the fact and praises them for it Moses Hezekiah Josiah with other of the Hebrew VVorthies did eminently here●n and he hath set it down in the sacred story where it is dayly read to their renown and ●raise so that whiles the names of Jerob●am Ahab Ahaz and such like idolatrous Printes stink in the nostrils of all good men their 's ●re as a fragrant ointment poured forth 5. From the sharp reprehensions he hath uttered to such as either through sloathfulness timerousness or the like have omitted to do it Amongst other things that Christ blames the Pastor of the Church of Pergamus for this is one that he tolerated such as were for the ●ating of things sacrificed to Idols Though he ●iv'd in a bad place even where Satan had his ●eat and in a bad time Gillesp Aarons rod. p. 280. Milton of Civil Power in Eccl. Causes p. 53. even whe● Antipas ●he Martyr was slain yet that excused not the neglect of his duty He should have exercis'd himself in the conscionable discharge of that and have left the issue to him who hath taken upon him the protection as well as the direction of his Church VVhether he failed in the neglect of discipline or admonition only I leave to others whose business it is to determine This is certain he did not appear against abused things and those who were for them as a faithful Minister ought to have done and for this he is blamed Let our dangers and discouragements be what they will we must do our duty knowing that he who sets us on work both can and will bear us out 6. From the great rewards he hath bestowed upon such as have done it Not looking upon his approbation or commendation as sufficient 2 Kings 10.30.13.1 9.14.16 29.15.12 13. he hath bestowed high and eminent rewards upon such as have been active herein witness Jehu though he were but a bad man yet because he obeyed him in this business he promised him the Throne of Israel to the 4th generation And what he promised he afterwards performed for upon his death reign'd Jehoahaz his Son then Joash his Grand-son after Jeroboam his great Grandson and after him Zechariah the fourth from him upon whose decease the Scepter departed from his family and passed into the hands of Shallum the son of Jabesh and so the promise made unto him being fulfilled the Holy Ghost cries out This was the word of the Lord which he spake unto ●ehu saying Thy Sons shall sit on the Throne of Israel to the fourth generation and so it came to pass whereby we see God is so far pleased with the destroying of Idolaters and Idolatry that he rewards it even in wicked men though not with eternal yet with temporal blessings and those of the highest sort 7. From the severe punishments he hath inflicted upon such as have neglected to do it Let men be never so d●ar to him yet if they either refuse or neglect to do it when they have power and opportunity he is