that be when every one shall be glorious himselfe and shall put downe the Sunne in glory in his body and soule and when there shall be such a world of them so glorious If every Starre be beautifull how beautifull are all in their lustre when so many Saints shall be gathered together they shall be farre more glorious then the Sunne in his Majestie and this glory is reserved till all be gathered together God said of the creatures severally they were good but when hee looked on them together they were exceeding good so the severall soules of Christians are glorious but at the day of Judgement when all shall be gathered together there shall be an exceeding glory It is reserved I say for the gathering together of the Saints when Christ who is the head shall have gathered all by his word and ministery out of this sinfull world which are scattered here and there then they shall come to perfect glory Then there shall be perfect union betweene the body and soule then there shall be a perfect union betweene us and all that are dead together then there shall be a perfect union betweene us and Christ then we shall have the perfect fruition of God of Angels of all the blessed company in heaven Oh! what a blessed time will this be and this shall be at the glorious appearing of Christ. Christ shall appeare in glory himselfe as verily as he appeared in his first comming and wee shall appeare with him in glory Why should wee doubt of it is not that which is greater done already hath not God himselfe become man hath not God dyed and God beene abased in his first comming Is not that more wonder then that man should become like God in his second comming whether is greater for God to become man or for men to be raised out of their graves and become glorious certainely this is the lesser why should we doubt of it Let us rayse our hearts with this that as verily as he came in abasement to worke our salvation so verily hee shall come and rayse us to glory and this is a lesser worke then the former But to come nearer to make some further use of this surely these are maine points and should bee oft thought on O! that the hearts of Christians were exercised with them Could wee be dead either for grace or comfort if wee did oft thinke of this with application Let us oft warme our selves with these things let us bring our selves to the light let us thinke of the blessed times to come could we be unfruitfull This made Saint Paul adjure Timothy and the Thessalonians I beseech you by the comming of our Lord Iesus Christ c. I shall need no greater argument to presse you then as verily as Christ shall come in glory and as you shall be gathered to him so heare what I say So Saint Paul chargeth Timothy 1 Tim. 6. 13. I charge thee before Christ who at his comming c. Keepe this Commandement This will moove a mans conscience and carry him to duty if nothing else will Let us thinke seriously Christ will come with thousands of his Angels in glory and majestie and all shall be glory then there shall be nothing but glory glorious in his company glorious in himselfe glorious in his enemies he shall trample them under his feet by a glorious confusion there shall be nothing but glory in heaven and earth then And wee shall come to the same glory the Spouse shall partake of the glory of her husband Let us thinke of this it will quicken and inspire all our courses with a spirituall kind of light to all actions it will enliven and quicken them And it will put a kind of manner upon all our actions that they shall be acceptable to God For how should wee performe all that comes from us All should be done in sincerity and constantly and abundantly chearefully readily and willingly for God requires these qualifications in what wee doe now what stirres us up to do all in this manner acceptably to God but this consideration What stirres us up to doe things sincerely to Christ He will appeare in glory therefore let us doe things that may stand with his judgment It is no matter what the reprobates of the world judge let us doe things so as wee may stand before Christ at that day A Christian studies to arraigne himselfe before Christ that he may doe that that may approve him to him that shall be his judge ere long And so let us hold out we shall receive a reward what will make us constant but this what makes a man sowe his seed that he scarcely can spare but the hope of a harvest what makes a man runne but the victory and the Crowne so what makes a man worke but the hope of reward be constant for in him yee shall receive the reward if yee faint not And so for abounding in good workes your labour is not in vaine in the Lord what made Saint Paul presse the abounding in good workes Finally my brethren be stedfast and unmooveable alâ—…y abounding in the work of the Lord why for your labour is not in vayne in the Lord your bodies shall rise againe ere long in glory when Christ shall appeare you shall appeare and be glorious with him Therefore abound in the worke of the Lord sow to the Spirit and you shall reape glory they that sow sparingly shall reape sparingly What mkes men abound in workes of mercy and love but this appearing of Christ If their love be perfect they have comfort in this appearing and if they abound in mercy Christ will appeare in mercy to them And so for chearefulnesse that God also requires in every action what inlargeth the heart of a man in Gods worke what puts fire into his affections but this that Christ will come and appeare in glory ere long that he will come and crowne every good worke that we shall not loose a good word that hath beene spoken in a good cause not the least good action not a cup of cold water but all shall stand on our reckoning at that day when Christ shall come to be 〈◊〉 in his Saints This makes us doe things sincerely constantly abundantly and chearefully I beseech you consider from what ground these things come for these are principles that should be grounds of faith they are pregnant and spred themselves through the whole course of a Christians life and therefore are worthy to be thought often on Againe why doth God reveale these things before hands that wee shall appeare in glory in our body and soule in our whole man As it shewes us our duty and the manner ofit so it is a ground of comfort in all estates A Christian may thinke Now my life is a hidden secret life I passe under censures it is thus in the world and thus with me well there will a time come the time of Resurrection that will make amends
Author of evill yet he is the Orderer of it and he determines and directs it both to the object and also to that end which he pleaseth In a word consider sinne in three distinct times before the commission in it and upon the performance Before God doth not command it nor infuse it but disallow and forbid it In the sinne he permits it to be done how by substracting of his grace in not working then by offering occasions that are good in themselves And thirdly by tradition by giving men up to Sathan as here the Beast is given up to Sathan and the Kings were given up to the Beast So that God gives men up by substraction of his grace and by tradition and then he doth uphold them in the committing of sinne upholds the powers And when it is done applies them to this particular and not to that particular In the doing of it hee limits it he sets the bounds of it both for the time of it as also for the measure of it as here in the Text Thus long shall the ten Kings give up their Crownes to the Beast and thus farre shall they goe untill the time come that the Word of God shal be fulfilled so hee limits sinne in the committing of it both for the measure and also for the time The Rod of the wicked shall not rest upon the backe of the righteous Thus you see the meaning of the words God will put into their hearts that is by withdrawing of his grace which they deserved by their sinfull courses and offering to them this Man of sinne this Beast which shall come with such efficacies of errour so that his grace being with-drawne and they given up to the Devill to Sathan and the Beast they shall without doubt be deluded and seduced but with this limitation untill the time come that the Word of God shall be fulfilled I might be large in this point but it is not so sutable to the occasion onely somewhat must be said for the unfolding of the Text So much therefore for that God put into their hearts to fullfill his will and to agree to give up their Kingdomes to the Beast They agree all unto it and therefore it was not a thing done by force Rome and the heathen Emperours did compell men did overcome men by force of Armes these agree it was a voluntary and a free act in them necessary it was in regard of Gods judgement but it was free and voluntary in regard of themselves for with one consent they gave up their Kingdomes to the Beast Thus having unfolded the meaning wee come to observe some truths and conclusions that doe arise out of the words I will not mention all or the most that might bee observed but only some speciall God put into their hearts to give up their Kingdomes to the Beast Here first of all from this ariseth Gods speciall providence in Ill in the greatest evill that can be there is his speciall providence apparent God put into their hearts to give up their Kingdomes to the Beast Observe here many acts of his Providence the with-drawing of his grace the giving them up to Sathan and to ill occasions the presenting them with good occasions which meeting with an ill disposition makes them worse for good occasions meeting with an ill disposition makes it worse makes it rage the more as the stopping of a torrent makes it rage and swell the more as also the limitation of all this untill his Word shall be fulfilled thus in this worke Heaven and Earth and Hel meet in one action Thus it was in that great action of the crucifying of our blessed Saviour there is the action of God in giving his Sonne to be a sweet Sacrifice and the action of Iudas and the Devill in him betraying of Christ and the action of the Souldiers in crucifying him Saint Augustine in the unfolding of this point of the Providence of God in Evill observes how many may concur in one action God without blame man without excuse God without blame he finds men ill and leaves men deserving to bee left hee takes away his grace and as a Iudge gives men up to Sathan Man without excuse because man workes willingly They with one consent gave up their Kingdomes to the Beast That is the first The second is this that the will of man may be swayed by divine governance and yet notwithstanding work most willingly and freely Here God puts into their hearts to do this and yet they willingly and with one consent gave their Crownes to the Beast God first hath his Providence in ill and then that providēce is such that it doth not rob man of his liberty because God finding man in an ill course he forceth him not to this or that particular ill but directs him only The hearts of Kings are in the hand of the Lord as the Rivers of waters A Man when hee findeth a River of water hee doth not make the streame but only makes way that it may runne this or that way as it pleaseth him so God finding the hearts of Kings or the hearts of any as the Rivers of water Hee opens vent that they should run this and not that way that they should be given to this and not to that here is the action of God and yet the free liberty of man But how could this bee free when they ◅ould not avoid it I answer they were not privie to Gods directing they worked not in conscience of Gods moving but they followed their owne ◅usts and will Betweene Gods worke and Mans will there is alwayes sinne God never workes immediatly in Mans will for Mans will is free but Mans sinfull Free-will is the ◅ext cause in sinne Although God put it in◅o their hearts yet hee found them sinfully disposed And then the judgement is not bound or ◅yed The hearts of these Kings told them that they might give their Crownes or not give them to the Beast their judgement saw they had reason to doe it though their judgement were corrupt so a sinner sees reason to doe this or that and although it bee corrupt reason yet it moves him at that time his judgement is not bound up but God lets his judgement be free though hee take away his heavenly light and so hee judges perversely That 's the second The third is That it is a terrible judgement of God to be given up to a mans owne will to leave a man to his owne consents It is here spoken by way of judgement That God put it into their hearts to give up their Kingdomes to the Beast And indeed so it is a terrible judgement There are some objections to be taken away for the clearing of this weighty point How is it a judgement or a punishment when it is voluntary They willingly gave up their Kingdomes I answer the more voluntary and free a man is in sinne the more and greater the judgement is and as when sinne is
more restrained either inwardly by the Spirit and by the conscience or outwardly by the Lawes and terrour the more mercifully God deales with men so the more free the current of the disposition runs in ill wayes the more wretched a man is Yea but will the heart of some Atheisticall person presently say what punishment is it as long as I have liberty in evill and meet with no hinderance in my courses and feele no harme but rather the contrary as many that get their riches by ill meanes and those great Papists those great Vsurpers wee see what estates they get to themselves I answer Spiritual Iudgements are so much the greater by how much they are lesse sensible because if they bee not sensible to us here they will bee the more sensible to us hereafter And those that have their will most here shall suffer most against their will hereafter It is the greatest judgement in this world for a man to have his wil in sinfull courses Hee that shall make an Idoll of his will especially a man that is in great place of Honour that shall make all wayes serve for the accomplishment of his will when he hath â—…t he is the most miserablest man in the world â—…or hee that hath his will most in courses unjustifiable shall suffer most against his will when he commeth to a reckoning such men therefore are the more miserable because such taking themselves to be absolute persons and their waies the best wais though they have many determents from their base courses yet they will heare no counsell and therefore the â—…rder to be reclaimed It doth not therefore take away from their punishment but rather aggravate it I beseech you let me presse this a little that these Iudgements are great Iudgements although wee doe not feele them when with a free consent we give our selves unto ill It is a heavie Iudgement when God leaves us to our owne lusts and takes away the guidance of his Spirit we had better that God should give us up to the Devill for a while to bee tormented we had better be in Hell if a man might come out at a certaine time then to bee given up all our life time to doe with our owne consent and will that which is liking to our owne will and lust because by yeelding to our own will wee yield to the Devill that rules in a Mans affections and will For a Mans affections when they are carried to evill they are the Chariots of Sathan when the Devil sees excessive sinfull affections as excessive sinfull joy and delight in sinfull pleasures he being about us is alwayes carried in these affections and carries us also strongly in the wayes that lead unto eternall perdition Wee judge when a man suffers some outward punishment as casting into prison or the losse of his sight oh hee is infearfull case but what is the case of a man blinded by Sathan and his owne lusâ—…s A man that is a slave to his owne base affections and by consequent to the Devill which rules in his affections and so consequently to damnation A man that lies under the wrath of God that hath no heart to repent If a man had spirituall eyes to consider the case of that man he would never pitty so much the case of those men that suffer outward losses as hee would pitty those which he sees to live and oftentimes to die in evill courses of life This should therefore be an use of direction to us that seeing we heare that God rules the hearts of men that hee takes away his Spirit and leaves men to occasions wee should pray to God to rule our hearts himselfe Lord take thou the rule of our hearts to governe them thy selfe It was a good prayer of the Ancient Church Oh God from whom all holy desires and all good counsels doe proceed c. Indeed it is hee from whom all good counsels doe proceed These ten Hornes they were ten Kings no doubt but as they were men of great place so of great parts but without Gods Spirit without his light the greatest and the wisest man is but mad he is as a man out of his wits puzzeled in darknesse and knowes not which way to goe When God gives men over to their own lusts to their blind affections they lead men to judgement they must needs fall into the pit Let us desire God to put into our hearts holy desires holy purposes for from him all holy desires come let us desire him not only to governe our estate and to preserve our bodies from danger but Lord keepe thou our hearts we cannot keepe our hearts of our selves doe thou bend our understandings bow our affections and our wils that they may run in the right way And to stirre us up to this the more wee must know that that Evill which wee do not we are beholding to God for as much as for the good wee doe Why doe not men having an ill disposition and corruptature doe ill Because God offers not occasions of ill if God should offer occasions they would commit the Evill as well as others It is God that puts into mens hearts to hate that Evill If God should take away his Spirit men would not hate evill when occasions are offered as these men did not when the occasion was offered They gave up their kingdomes and thrones to the Beast So that we are beholding to God for all the ill that we do not either it is his not offring occasions or else his giving us strength in the occasions This we forget Wee are apt to say this wicked man hath done this this good man is fallen into this this man hath done that but where is our devotion at this time we should rather say Lord it was thee for causes thou best knowest for if thou hadst left me especially when occasions were presented and offered and there was a correspondent corruption in my heart to close with the occasion I had fallen into the like sinne it was thy keeping and not my goodnesse One thing more the Beast is exprest before in Chapter 13. to bee lead by the Devill So that howsoever the Devill who by Saint Paul is called the God of this world and the Pope the subordinate Vicar to the Devill and so by consequence he is the Devill for the Devill the Dragon rules him Howsoever I say there be the Devill the God of this world and the Pope in this world the Vicar of that Dragon yet there is but one Monarch one that rules all both Devill and Pope and all the wicked limbs of both to his owne ends It was God that put it into the hearts of these Kings to give up their Kingdomes to the Beast It is he alone that is absolute that gives the liberty of the Chaine both to men and devils Thus farre they shall goe and no further It is a good saying of the Schooles There is no Ill so ill as there is
doing such a thing but it is no matter for the worlds commendation if a man set upon a cursed cause so much for the phrase Cursed be the Man before the Lord that is hee is truely and solemnly cursed and cursed before the Lord though men blesse him That riseth and builds this Citie Iericho That is the cause why he should be cursed because he would build that Citie that God would have to bee a perpetuall monument of his Iustice. Why would not God have Iericho built againe God would not have it built up partly because hee would have it a perpetuall remembrance of his goodnesse and mercifull dealing with his people passing over Iordan and comming freshly into Canaan for wee are all subject to forget therefore it is good to have dayes set apart for remembrance and somewhat to put us in mind as they had many things in old time to helpe memory If this Citie had beene built againe the memory of it would have beene forgotten but lying al waste and desolate the Passengers by would askethe cause as God speakes of his owne people what is the reason that this Citie lies thus and then it would give them occasion of speaking of the mercy of God to his people And likewise it would give occasion to speake of the justice of God against the idolatrous Inhabitants whose sins were grown ripe God foretold in Genesis that the sins of the Amorites was not yet ripe but now their sins were ripe they were Idolaters And likewise it was dedicate to God as the first fruits being one of the chiefe mother Cities of the land it was dedicate and consecrated to God as a thing severed it was to bee for ever severed from common use There are two wayes of severing things from common use one by way of destruction as here the Citie of Iericho Another by way of dedication as the Gold of Iericho God would have this Citie severed from common use as a perpetuall Monument and remembrance of his mercy and justice And likewise hee would have it never built up againe for terrour to the rest of the Inhabitants For usually great Conquerours set up some terrible example of justice to terrifie others Now this being one of the first Cities after their passing over Iordan God would have the destruction of it to strike terrour together with this sentence of a curse upon all that should build it againe for ever And then that this terrible sentence might be a meanes to draw others to come in to Gods people to joyne with them and submit and prevent their destruction seeing how terribly God had dealt with Iericho Many such reasons may bee probably alleaged but the maine reason of reasons that must settle our consciences God would have it so Iosuâ—… he was but Gods Trumpet and Gods instrument to denounce this curse Cursed be the man before the Lord that shall build up this Citie Iericho wee must rest in that I will goe over the words and then make application afterwards to the occasion I come to the specification of the Curse wherein it stands Hee shall lay the foundation thereof in his First-borne If any man will bee so venturous to build it up againe as one Hiel did in 1 King 16. 34. If any man will be so audacious he shall doe it with the perill of the life of his first begotten and if he will not desist then he shall finish the Gates of it hee shall make an end of it with the death of his younger Sonne It is Gods custome to denounce a threatning of a curse before he execute it It is a part of Gods mercy and of his blessing that he will curse onely in the threatning for therefore he curseth that hee might not execute it and therefore he threatneth that hee might not smite and when he smites he smites that hee might not destroy and when he kils the body it is that hee might not destroy the soule as 1 Cor. 11. 32. Therefore some of you are weak and sick and some sleepe that you might not bee condemned with the world Thus God is mercifull even till it comes to the last upshot that men by their rebellions provoke him Gods mercie strives with the sins of men Marke here the degrees of it first God threatens the Curse Cursed be the man And then in the particulars he begins with the eldest Sonne First there is a threatning and when the execution comes he takes not all his Sons away at once but begins with the Eldest and if that will not doe he goes to the youngest This carriage of God even in his threatnings it should put us in mind of Gods mercy and likewise it should move us to meet God presently before any peremptory decree be come forth as wee shall see afterward for if wee leave not sinning God will never leave punishing Hee might have desisted in the death of his first Son but if that will not be God will strike him in his youngest Son and sweepe away all betweene for so wee must understand it that both elder and younger and all should die Now for the judgement it selfe He shall lay the foundation thereof in his First-borne There is some proportion between the judgement and the sin The sin was to raise up a building a cursed Citie contrary to Gods will The punishment is in pulling dow ea mans owne building for Children according to the Hebrew word are the building the Pillars of the house and since he would raisâ—… up a foundation and building contrary to Gods mind God would pull up his foundation Cities are said to have life and to grow and to have their pitch and then to die like men And indeed they doe observing onely a proportion of time they are of longer continuance but otherwise Cities live and grow and die and have their period as men have Now he that would give life to a Citie that God would have buried in its owne ruines God would have his sonnes die hee would have his sons as it were buried under the ruins of that Citie that he would build in spight of God that would give life to that Citie that was cursed Oft times we may reade our very sins in our punishments there is some proportion But to goe on to the particulars He shall lay the foundation in his First-born A heavie judgement because the First-borne as you know he saith of Reuben he was his strength and he was King and Priest in the Family the First-borne had a double portion hee was redeemed with a greater price as wee see in Moses Law then other sonnes It was a heavie judgement to have his First-borne smitten in this fashion to be taken away If any aske why God was so severe that hee did not punish Hiel in himselfe but take away his children it may seeme against reason But we must not dispute with God for wee must know that