21 22 23. And as for Apostates from him and his cause they are no lesse odious unto him witnesse Heb. 10.38 39. If any man draw backe my soule shall have no pleasure in him It is our deare Saviours employment in Heaven as to appeare in the presence of God for his friends Heb. 9.24 so to sit downe at the right-hand of God from hence-forth expecting till his enemies â—e made his footestoole Heb. 10.12 13. He hath now no sacrifice to offer he is there above suffering being entred into the fellowship and fruition of the glory of his Godhead to exercise his power and authority for the good of his Church and overthrow of his enemies He sees their day is comming Psal. 37.13 when he shall have contentment and comfort in his enemies ruine triumphantly trampling upon them who shall everlastingly inherit the shame of their owne sinnes and lie under the pressure of his just displeasure Be encouraged in these shedding and discriminating Vse 3 times to take part with the true Church and to adhere firmly to Jesus Christ and his Angels Looke about you as in Joshuah 5.13 may you not see Jesus Christ comming down from Heaven with his sword drawn in his hand Go to him with Joshua's question Art thou for us or for our adversaries Will not his answer be Nay but as a Captaine of the Hoast of the Lord am I now come Then you must be sure to be of the Lords hoast or else he is not for you but for your adversaries Take therefore Pauls seasonable counsell 1 Tim. 6.12 fight the good fight of faith Such have the best cause It is Gods Such fight the Lords battels 1 Sam. 25.28 The best Captaine Jesus Christ the Captaine of their salvation Heb. 2.10 The best fellow-souldiers Stephen Paul and the rest of that holy band with certainty of victory 2 Tim. 4.8 Henceforth there is laied up for me a crowne of righteousnesse which the Lord the righteous Judge shall give me at that day and not to me onely but to them also that love his appearing This is more then the greatest Champions of the world can promise themselves But may not Christs souldiers be foiled Yes so were the Israelites when they fought against Benjamin Judg. 20. yet was the cause holy and good But what with their over-confidence in the goodnesse of their cause and greatnesse of their numbers and want of humiliation before God they were twice discomfited Againe consider the Cause may prevaile when the persons miscarry and grow great out of the ruines of such as suffered for it Suppose that discouraging question Whether the witnesses be already slaine cannot so comfortably be answered by a peremptory affirmative Yet however better be one of the witnesses though dying then one of the killers of them though triumphing There will be a speedy resurrection of them and the cause Revel. 11.11 But remember to allow the Lord his Prerogative to carry on his Churches cause in his owne method and in his owne time See Deut. 32.35 36. His enemies feete shall slide in due time though his peoples power be gone By the bloud of the Lamb observation 2 The Militant Churches victories over the Devill and his Angels are obtained by the bloud of the Lambe Jesus Christ This is clearely held forth in that mother fundamentall promise which was most graciously intimated to fallen Adam even before the sentence passed upon him Gen. 3.15 The Womans seed shall breake the Serpents head Of this Daniel had comfortable experience when Michael helped him Dan. 10.13.21 which is further confirmed Rev. 17.14 These shall make warre with the Lamb and the Lamb shall overcome them for he is Lord of Lords and King of Kings First by the bloud of the Lamb divine justice is satisfied God appeased Rom. 3.25 and the Church reconciled to him 2 Cor. 5.19 Her sinnes being done away which betray her to her enemies she becomes victorious sharing reason 1 in the triumph of Christ over the Devill and his Angels Gol. 2.12 13. Secondly by the bloud of the Lamb we obtaine that reason 2 grace which enables us prevailingly to resist the Devil and his Angels For no peeces of the spirituall armour will be armour of proofe unlesse they be dipped in the bloud of Christ Rev. 7.14 And how was Paul enabled to doe all things but by the might of Christ that strengthned him Phil. 4.13 Whose bloud hath an eternall efficacie Rev. 13.8 The Churches victories are therefore ascribed to the reason 3 bloud of the Lamb because the Oeconomicall Kingdome which Christ hath over his Church is a Priestly Kingdome which he possesses as the fruit of his bloudy sufferings For though he were prepared and made capable of his Kingly glory by the hypostaticall union yet the holy Scriptures invest him with it as the reward of his sufferings and humiliation He humbled himselfe and became obedient unto death even the death of the crosse Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him and given him a Name which is above every name That {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} in the Name of Jesus not at the Name Jesus every knee should bow And his Church likewise being a royall Priesthood 1 Pet. 2.9 conquers through the bloud of her King use 1 If the Churches victories are obtained by the bloud of the Lamb Then why should not we debase our selves this day before God for all our vaine confiding in creatures or magnifying them upon any good successes Hereby we proudly encroach upon the honour of Christ to whose bloud we owe all our Victories It is fit wee should humble our selves when God hath humbled us Eccles. 7.14 In the day of adversity consider We must blesse God for good Instruments but may not admire them to the disparagement of the principall cause Though ignorant wretches did sacrifice unto their owne net and burne Incense to their dragge this is most unworthy of Christians who should live by faith in Christ Gal. 2.20 not onely pray in faith but worke fight by faith expecting all from Christ and resolving all into Christ Improve the hand of God which occasioned this extraordinary Assembly for the Prophet Haggai his purpose To consider your wayes or as in the Heb. Set your heart upon your wayes Hag. 1.5.7 Too many like Hannibal who though victorious knew not how uti victoriâ and so lose themselves in their victories not acknowledging the bloud of the Lamb therein The Lord make us more wise for time to come We may use meanes but must not rest upon them we ought to blesse God for second causes but must not idolize them It was a modest strain in Joab which might make us blush he sent to David that he would gather the people together encamp against the City and take it lest I take the City said he and it be called by my name Let such as are instrumentall for the publike have
{non-Roman} thorny times full of difficulty because then such a confluence of wickednesse Eighteen severall factions he names and the head of all those factions is selfe-love Men shall be lovers of their owne selves covetous boasters proud c. Whilst Adam was in innocency the Image of God inclined him to act according unto God seeking him and his glory in the first place Since the fall the Image of God being lost Selfe is perkt up we seeke our selves in the first and God only in the second place Few seek God for himselfe out of love to him most seeke God onely in reference to themselves this is carnall selfe-love and so indeed by seeking lose themselves Matth. 16.25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall finde it Much time hath beene spent in the Great Senate how to finde out and punish Delinquents Allow me the liberty in the Name not onely of Church and State but also in the Name of Christ to impeach One Incendiary who hath beene too long winked at It is a Bosome Incendiary a domestick adversary which dwels within us I meane Carnall Selfe-love the loving our owne ends and interests better then the publike good and better then Christ himselfe It is easie to prove these three Articles at least against carnall selfe-love Carnall selfe-love is the greatest underminer of Parliament proceedings Whence so many neuters whence so many back-friends to the Publike but because so many sicke of Baruchs disease Jer. 45.5 seeking great things for themselves Carnall selfe-love is the most treacherous betrayer of our Military undertakings making too many Judas-like to sell Christ and his cause for some few peeces of silver Mat. 26.15 Carnall self-love is the strongest obstruction of Scripture Reformation in the Church so many seeke their own not the things which are Jesus Christs Phil. 2.21 and therefore will rather hazzard the ruine of all then suffer their own Dianaes to goe downe By this craft we have our wealth Acts 19.25 then Diana must be cried up what ere become of the Gospel of Christ Amongst all other Jonahs that endanger the Ship of Church and State throw out carnall selfe-love let it no longer sleepe within you lest the storme continue and grow more tempestuous Amongst all other Achans that bring a curse upon our undertakings let justice justice be executed upon your owne carnall selfe-love Passe on sequestration to regulate that in your selves which is so great an enâ—my to Christ and his cause use 2 As you desiâ—e to approve your selves victorious souldiers in the Chuâ—ches conflicts which would put a most glorious lustre upon your Noblenesse and adde many Pearles to your Crownes get hearts more enflamed with love to Christ and his cause How lovely is your Saviour in himselfe in the beauty of his Person in the glory of his graces Cant. 5.10 the chiefest among tenne thousand He hath beene admirably loving unto you in discovering plots against you and in wonder-working providences for you Should not the love of Christ constraine you as it did Paul 2 Cor. 5.14 to be active and passive for him O presse the Lord with his gratious promise Deut. 30.6 that he would circumcise your heart that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soule This he expects from you Luke 10.27 that you should love him with all your strength give him the utmost emprovement of the whole and best-selves We looke at you as Starres in this our Heaven God forbid our Starres should fall that any of them should prove Comets let your light motion and influence animate others Doe not say your taske is so difficult your sufferings are so sharpe that you are discouraged Get more love to Christ that will allay the difficulty and facilitate the worke you may with comfort commit the keeping of your soules to God in welâ—doing who knowes how to sweeten the bitterest troubles by his owne refreshing presence If God call you forth as Champions possibly yea probably you may have the same support which that Heroicall woman found of whom story relates That being condemned for Christ not long before she was to suffer fell into travaile and having sore labour cryed out grievously whereupon being asked how she would endure Martyrdome that was so ready to sinke under these paines she answered to this purpose I suffer now as a daughter of Eve I shall suffer then as a child of God my Father will helpe me Never say because the event is uncertaine therefore it is not best to appeare for Christ and his cause Doe thy duty what becomes a good Souldier trust the Lord of Hoasts with the successe It is true we live in trying discovering times Who knowes but the providence of God may be now making the same discovery in England and with the same successe that the wisdome of Constantius Chlorus the Romane Emperour made in his Court He having a mind to trie the sincerity of his Courtiers made this proposall to them All they who would sacrifice to Daemons the superstition of those times should continue at Court and all that refused should be cashiered Hereupon some soone professed their readinesse to sacrifice others publikely denyed it Such as complyed the wise Emperour chides sharply ut proditores Dei and banishes them as unworthy to remaine at the Emperors Court who would betray God himselfe He commends them who were conscientious and would not sacrifice pronouncing tales solos dignos esse quos Imperator inter amicos muneraret Such onely were worthy to be accounted the Emperours friends who were true to God and his cause What though for the present you should be disparaged as factious rebels and traytors c. The Lord knowes who are most loyall to their Soveraigne and most faithfull to their Saviour Be not dismaied the time may come when Christs true hearted souldiers in England may be vindicated justified and honoured as much as now they are disgraced Our Brethren of Scotland were cursed in too many Churches as Rebels yet afterwards by concurrence of King and Parliament upon the day of Thanksgiving acknowledged as good subjects Remember Shadrach Meshach and Abednego Dan. 3. being condemned were cast into the Furnace v. â—1 their malignant adversaries consumed v. 22. yet they preserved in the middest of the fire v. 24. their God justified v. 29. and afterwards they promoted by the King v. 30. And consider I beseech you that you may encourage your selves and one another in the cause of the Lamb the Court Parasites having obtained the Kings decree against Daniel whereby he was cast into the Lions Den The Lord most admirably turned the streame v. 24. the King commanded and they brought these men which had accused Daniel and they cast them into the Den of Lions them their children and their wives and the Lions had mastery of them and brake all their bones in peeces or
of his owne arme Manasseh Ephraim and Ephraim Manasseh and both against Judah For all this his anger is not turned away but his hand is stretched out still Fighting or treating can not yet end the controversie we have importuned the sword to be quiet as Jer. 47.6 O thou sword of the Lord how long will it be ere thou be quiet put up thy selfe into thy scabbard rest and be still and as yet England hath received the same answer with Ashkelon v. 7. How can it be quiet seeing the Lord hath given it a charge against Ashkelon and against the Sea shore There hath he appointed it The Lord hath given it Commission to ride circuite in severall Counties of England and who knowes how long what now remaines we reade Mark 5.25 of a certaine Woman which had an issue of blood twelve yeares and v. 26. had suffered many things of many Physitians and had spent all that she had and was nothing bettered but rather grew worse could never be healed till she touched Christ We are this day in a solemne manner drawing nigh unto Christ O that our bloody issue might drive us to improve the blood of the Lambe Could we fiducially put our selves our Church and State our Religion and Liberty into the hands of our Saviour who knows but we might have as comfortable an answer as this woman had v. 34. Thy faith hath made thee whole goe in peace and be whole of thy plague The good Lord vouchsafe an Amen They overcame by the word of their Testimony Christs Souldiers carry on the Churches victories against the observation 3 Devill and his Angels by the word of their Testimony by the Gospel of Christ If you desire to know what is This word of their Testimony it will appeare v. 17. Christs Souldiers are described to be such as kept the Commandements of God and have the Testimony of Jesus and Rev. 1.9 John was banished for the Word of God and for the Testimony of Jesus Christ which doubtlesse was the Gospell And this not as written in your Bibles onely and comprized in your Bookes But having this Gospell of Christ rooted in your hearts by Faith holding fast the profession thereof without wavering Heb. 10.23 Resist the Devill being stedfast in the Faith 1 Pet. 5.9 whereas Heb. 4.2 The Word Preached did not profit them not being mixed with Faith in them that heard it The Gospell will not joyne with corrupt opinions but with Faith it will be received not as a conjecture or possible truth but for a Divine or infallible truth then it profiteth and strengthneth Bearing witnesse to the Gospell of Christ who is the Amen the faithfull and true witnesse Rev. 3.14 Openly with your mouthes Rom. 10.10 by Preaching if Ministers So Paul Rom. 1.16 He was not ashamed of the Gospell of Christ and by confession which concernes all Christians when called to it for the glory of God and edification of the Brethren 1 Pet. 3.15 Be ready to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you Be ready {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} be ready to make an Apology for thy Religion Justifying the Gospell in life and conversation All wisedomes children should be so ingenuous and mannerly as to justifie Wisdome Mat. 11.19 This will be a prevailing Testimony when you walke worthy of the Gospell of Christ Expresse the Gospell-graces in an active Gospell-conversation Commending the Gospel by your patient and cheerefull suffering for it It is a great confirmation of the truth and puls honour upon it when Christians will rather suffer for the Gospell than the Gospell should suffer by them Our losses in this case will be the Gospels advantage Phil. 1.12 13 14. All things which happened unto Paul were for the furtherance of the Gospell by his bonds others waxed confident Such a good Souldier was Timothy who 1 Tim. 6.12 witnessed a good confession before many Witnesses having learned this prevailing method from his Captaine Jesus Christ who v. 13. before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession It clearely appeares how the Churches victories are carryed on by the Testimony of the Gospell reason 1 The strength of the Gospels adversaries lies not in the goodnesse of their cause but in the ignorance of peoples minds and meere mistakes thence arising What is Paganisme Mahumetanisme Popery but a Rapsody and heape of grosse mistakes raised in the darke The Devill uses the same method ordinarily to carry on his designes that he tooke in the Councell of Ariminum The Arrians having procured the exile of the most worthy and learned Bishops and perceiving the company that was left though they were very unlearned yet would not be perswaded directly to disanull any thing which had beene concluded before in the Councell of Nice did abuse their ignorance in proposing the matter for they demanded of them whether they would worship {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} or Christ these not understanding the Greeke word rejected it with execration being as they thought opposed unto Christ Thus have the Prelaticall party surprised many ignorant Congregations with their innovations and easily misled them while they kept them in the darke But when the Sunne of righteousnesse arises when God sends abroad John Baptists as burning and shining lights John 5.35 they by the beames of truth will discover the most subtile errors and by the spirituall weapons of their warfare cast downe the strong holds of the Devill and his Angels Where the Testimony of the Gospel of Christ is held reason 2 forth there is so much of God as convinces and conquers 1 Cor. 14.15 His owne power is there displayed Rom. 1.16 the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation There is the mighty presence of Christ whose Arrowes are sharpe in the hearts of his enemies wherby the people fall under him Psal. 45.5 There the Spirit of God breaths so powerfully that by the Word alone which is the sword of the Spirit Ephes. 6.17 the Apostles though but a few meane men were much more victorious then the greatest Alexander or potent Caesars conquering by the word of their Testimony so many opposite Kingdomes subduing so many thousand spirits and consciences and that in so short a time without shedding one drop of bloud Indeed when we are to deale with Papists and sonnes of violence which illegally invade our persons Religion Liberty and endeavour to take away our birthright from us the very Law of nature teacheth us to defend our selves against such injustice But for the overcomming of Popery we need not other weapons to consume it but the spirit of Christs mouth 2 Thes. 2.8 It is the word of their Testimony by which Christs souldiers prevaile against the Devill and his Angels use 1 If Christs souldiers carry on the Churches victories by the Testimony of the Gospel Then whose champions are they who in stead of bearing