but to have a nearer communion with them Secondly in having a fellow feeling with them of their miseries every member of the body hath a sense of the injuries the other members suffer There be certain trees whose leaves 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Clem. Al. Strom. l. 2. if cut or toucht the other leaves contract themselves and for a space hang downe their heads such an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a consent of spirits as Clemens cals it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Clem. ibid. there should be betwixt all the children of God If the man that is in us be spirituall that humane affection which is in us naturally is turned into a brotherly affection as being partakers of the same spirit T is said of Hypocrates twins they laught together and wept together as there will bee a rejoycing with them that rejoyce so there will be a mourning with them that mourne a contracting our spirits with sorrow a hanging down of the head in sense of our brethrens miseries T was the sin of the people for which God threatens them that they lay upon beds of ivory and eat the lambs of the flock and chanted to the sound of the violl Am. 6.6 and drank wine in bowles and annointed themselves with chiefe ointments but were not grieved for the afflictions of Ioseph What nation deeper drencht in this sin then wee have been we have long seen our brethren in France in Germany and now in Ireland wallowing in their blood Each of those Kingdoms ready to crie out with the Church was ever sorrow like my sorrow Is it nothing to you Lam. 1.12 all ye that passe by behold and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce wrath O hath not the wrath of God gone over those Countries like waves rolling one after another billow upon billow the famine after the sword and the plague after the famine may not we tell our children Ioel 1.3 and our children tell their children and their children another generation that which the palmer worme hath left hath the locust eaten and that which the locust hath left hath the canker worme eaten and that which the canker worme hath left hath the caterpiller eaten have greater judgements been recorded to posterity then have been executed upon these nations insomuch as all their plenties are devoured what the sword hath left the famine has destroyed and what the famine hath left the plague has consumed Are not the judgements upon our brethren in Ireland such as may well make our eares tingle to heare them Iet 19.3 doe we not now see them as the afflicted Saints are described imprisoned stoned sawen asunder slain with the sword Heb. 11 3◠wandring about upon the cold mountains and desarts naked and starving at best in sheep-skins and goat-skins destitute afflicted tormented lying comfortlesse in dens and caves of the earth wives abused before their husbands faces virgins deflowred women with childe ript up poore infants snacht from their mothers breast and dasht against the stones here some lying naked perishing with cold there others starving with hunger the land that was as the garden of Eden now become a barren wildernesse Ioel. 2.3 that brings forth nothing but thorns to crown Christ with as St. Chrysostome speaks of the land of Iudea or nothing but monsters of men that delight to have their hands in the bowels and bathed in the blood of the Saints of God everywhere misery and all the direfull effects of the desolations of warre this I say have wee not long seen and yet ubi viscera where are our bowels yearning upon these afflictions of our brethren may I not say 2 Cor. 6.12 in the Apostles words are we not straitned in our own bowels are not our bowels shut up against our brethren how few of us that leave off any pleasure or take any the least time more to mourne in private for these afflictions of Ioseph are we not as wanton and full of jollity and good fellowship as formerly as if these miseries we see upon others did not at all concerne our selves they who are not sensible of the miseries of their poor brethren 't is a sign they are not subjects of the kingdom of Christ Christ himself hath compassion upon us Heb ◠2 who are his members in our miseries there is no affliction upon Gods people but God is afflicted with them in all their afflictions he was afflicted Es 63.9 Non perdit viscera pia mater ecclesia Aug. ho. 27. Heb. 13.3 1 Pet. 3.8 The Church our mother hath bowels of compassion towards her children and shall we have no sence of our brethrens miseries not be afflicted in their afflictions not remember them that are in bonds as bound with them and them which suffer adversity as being also in the body Bee all of one mind saies the Apostle having compassion one of another love as brethren be pittifull If we love as brethren we shall have these 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 these bowels of compassion and pitty one towards another when it is well with them we shall rejoyce as the people of Roma did for Germanicus when they heard he was recovered they went about singing The City is safe our Country safe because Germanicus is safe Then we shall rejoyce and sing Our City our Country our persons Salva Roma Salva patria salvus est Germanicus we are all in a happy condition when our brethren and our Religion and the Church of God is in peace but till that be done till God make our Ierusalem a quiet habitation till God lift up the heads of our brethren againe and give the Gospel a free progresse againe and make Religion flourish again and set up the Kingdome of Christ and his Ordinances againe in their beauty and power and purity in other Nations as well as our owne we must mourne with them that mourne and weep with them that weep and be afflicted in the afflictions of Gods people if wee be not it is a signe wee are not members of the same body nor Subjects of the same King 3. In relieving their causes and persons with the strength of their owne persons and substance brethren and fellow-subjects must contribute to the reliefe and deliverance of those who are of the same bloud and of the same profession with themselves Wee must doe here as Iesse said to David 1 Sam. 17.18 Goe look how thy Brethren fare Wee should be alwayes eying our Brethren the people of God Psal 41.1 to see how they fare consider the poore as the Psalmists expression is that we may relieve them in their distresses Gen. 14.14 Abraham ventured his owne person and all his Family for the redemption of his Brother Lot Saul and all the Israelites hazarded themselves for their fellowes the Inhabitants of Iabes Gilead In the time of persecution 1
and the yeare of his redeemed ones comes then if there be none to help his own arme will bring salvation Do you what you can in a right way for Gods causes Christs Kingdom and when you can do no more stand still and look on with griefe that you can do no more and if you can contribute nothing else yet date lachrymulam shed a teare God puts the teares of his people into his bottle and in his time teares shall be like the water that turnes and drives the wheele Gods work shall go on and your teares shall help to drive it on as well as your noblest works It was Gods word in a work that met with greater opposition then yours now can Exod. 14.13 stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. It may be your strengths of the arme of flesh may yet be too great for God to work by the Lord saveth not by sword 1 Sam. 17.47 nor by speare for the battell is the Lords Gideon had too many while he had above three hundred Iud. 7.4 greatnesse of outward strength ecclipses and darkens the glory of Christs power in saving when God seeth that his peoples power is gone Deut. 32.36 then he strikes into the work and more shewes himself Let us not limit the holy One of Israel neither to meanes nor to times whether there be many or few that stand up in Gods causes wee are sure of this Christ shal reign till he hath put al his enemies under his feet We look too much on the instruments 1 Cor. 15.25 are ready to cry out if the foundations of the earth be shaken what shall the righteous do you are they that are our foundations Ps 11.3 you the preservers of the fundamental laws of the state and the preservers of the fundamentall laws of the Church if you be shaken it will indeed be a sad time to Gods righteous people yet let not that affright us neither we have a stronger foundation fundamentum fundamenti the foundation of the foundations the head stone of the corner the rock upon which the Church is built which shall never be shaken Goe you on therefore and let every one faithfully do his duty to Christ and leave the issue to God To conclude all this day is a day of humiliation and therfore a day of covenanting with God O that I might now engage you all here present this day in this covenant to take Christ for your King into your own hearts and then to set faithfully to this work of undertaking his causes against all those great oppositions which every day shew themselves when Iehojada made the covenant with the Lord 2 King 11.17 that the people should be the Lords people 't was to this end that they should undertake the Lords causes against the Lords enemies for presently they brake downe the house of Baal and his altar and his images and slew Mattan the Priest of Baal before the altar Let us make such a covenant to be the Lords people and so to undertake the Lords causes as Scipio once held the poynt of his sword to the brests of many gallants that were flying out of Italy and made them sweare upon that sword that they would not desert the cause God has great causes now Christ was never more engaged in great affaires then at this time O that I might perswade all that professe themselves Gods people to engage themselves to Christ to make vowes betwixt God and their own soules upon these sacred truths this book never to desert Christs causes but as faithfull subjects of his Kingdom doe all they can notwithstanding all oppositions to make Christs Kingdom flourish through the world Iudg. 5.23 and remember Meroz curse upon those that come not to the help of Christ against the mighty Christ can carry on his work without us but if we doe not our part deliverance shall come some other way as Mordâ—cai told Queen Hester Est 4.14 but wee shall be destroyed the curse will be upon every of us that set not in every one in his way and as God calls him to it to set up Christ in the midst of his enemies FINIS
of Moab would have had him curse Israel Deut 23.5 the Lord thy God turned the curse into a blessing to thee because the Lord thy God loved thee if wee be such as God loves Christ will turne all cursings into blessings all things shall be blest to us nothing curst to us Fourthly In settling an externall ecclesiasticall policy as Christ is King of his Church he will have his Church governed in his own way not according to the fancies and inventions of man Wee must not deny that to Christ in government of his Kingdom which wee yeild to all earthly Monarchs in the government of theirs when Christ after his resurrection continued forty dayes upon earth among his disciples speaking of the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God 〈◊〉 1.3 wee cannot think he would omit the giving of rules for the framing of the regiment of his Church And when S. Paul tels the Elders of Ephesus he had not shunned to declare to them the whole councell of God Act. 20.27 wee must take it in pursuance of those directions himself and the rest of the disciples had received from Christ for the government of his Church What this frame of Church policy is which hath bin so long in dispute and is yet sub judice will be more proper for a Synod then a Sermon to consider of I only hint this but leave it to that grave consultation you have already designed not doubting your honourable care in hastning that work which must undoubtedly conduce much to the advancing and setling Christs Government more exactly among us 2. Reasons of the point Let us consider the reasons why God would have such a solemne administration of a kingdom by Christ First In respect of Glory that might accrew both to Christ the Son and to God the father In respect of Christ that he might receive the honour due to his deity which the work of humiliation might take from him though he were the true God Phil. 2.6 equall with the Father yet taking upon him the forme of a servant that he might be fitted to humble himselfe to the death of the Crosse this humiliation made the world that knew him not strip him of his glory they accounted him a divell a glutton a malefactor crucified him between two theeves Objiciunt nos honorem deferre homini crucifixo mysterium hujus rei ignorantes Iust Mart. put a crowne of thornes upon his head in derision and ever after derided the Christians that they beleived in a crucified God Christ must now be repayred in his honour therfore God appoynts him to be King of his Church that he may be advanced in their eyes who had so much vilified him the Father judgeth no man but hath committed all judgment that is the dispensation of all government to the Son Iohn 5.22 that all men should honour the Son as they honour the Father as the world vilified him as a malefactor they might now acknowledg him God equall with the Father and honour him with the same honour wherewith they honour the Father greatly exalted because greatly humbled the stone which the builders refused 1 Pet. 2.7 is made the head of the corner In respect of the Father that he might have the more glory from such a solemn administration of a kingdom by Christ as God was more glorified by giving Christ to be a Redeemer by finding out such a way of saving sinners where God became man and two natures the divine and humane united together Christ taking flesh and suffering then if he had saved his people any other way without Christ so now it would bring more glory to God by exalting Christ as King and giving him the solemn administration of a Kingdom then if God should have governed his people in the generall way as he governs the world God has highly exalted him Phil. 2 9 11. and given him a name above every name that every tongue should confesse that Iesus Christ is Lord to the glory of the Father That 's a main end why Christ who was first humbled was after exalted the glory of the Father that solemn administration of the Kingdom by Christ brings more glory to the Father Secondly in respect of Gods people none so fit to be King to any people as such a one who is allyed to them and may be the more tender of them As God gave the precept touching a King for the Israelites they must choose one from among their brethren Deut. 17.15 so Christ therefore fittest because our brother he took our nature upon him and became Immanuel God with us God one of us of the same flesh and blood with us t is the same in this which the Apostle speaks touching the fitnesse of Christ's being made high Priest for us because having taken our nature Heb. 5.2 and being compast with infirmities he is likely to be the more compassionate to us 't is fittest Christ should be our King that having the same nature with us and compast about with our infirmities he might exercise the more tendernesse towards us as knowing best our frailties and the weaknesses of our natures a King of our brethren is fittest for us Thirdly In respect of Gods enemies and ours the more to awe them when they shall see him reigning over them whom they derided see him glorious in the administration of a kingdom and all power over them who once crucified and yet doe daily crucifie him see Christ King of such whom they persecute and fight for them and judge their cause whom they afflict 't is said of the wicked of the world when they see the son of man comming in the cloudes in the day of judgment they shall mourne feare him as a terrible judge Mat. 24.30 ready to take vengeance on them who have used him so despitefully it must needs be the same here Ipse erit judex qui sub judice stetit ut videant impii ejus gloriam in cujus mansuetudinem saevierunt Prosp Sent. 337. though in a lesse degree what can more awe and terrifie wicked people then to know Christ reignes he sits heere as King to observe them to judge them to plague them whose person they have so much vilified whose honour they have so much laid in the dust whose servants they have so persecuted whose cause they have so much opposed Fourthly in respect of a suitablenesse betwixt the works of redemption and government it were unequall Christ should redeem us and not govern us unjust that we should serve any other then him who hath laid down the ransome for us There is jus redemptionis in this he who ransoms a slave ought to have his service if Christ while we were slaves of the devill hath ransomed us and bought us with a price the price of his own blood 1 Pet. 1 18. it is equall we should serve him give him the service both of our bodies and spirits
as the Moon the fuller the Sun shines upon her the brighter she is the more the Sun is turned from her the darker she is yet at other times she has many obscurings But though she may have lesse glory she shall never be wholly destroied Mat. 7.25 The Church is the house founded upon the rock when the winds blow and the floods descend it shall stand it shall not fall as founded upon a rock so upon the rock of rocks Christ himself Mat. 16 18. upon this rock will I build my Church and the gates of hell shall never prevaile against her Shake her they may and give her a wound in some of her members as now the Church bleeds at one veine in Germany at another in Ireland at severall veines in severall parts of the world As Pheti us notes touching the calumnis cast upon Basil by Philost orgius 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Re. 11.11 yet she shall lift up her head again and shall be healed in her wounds and like the two witnesses slain in the streets after a time she shall live again the spirit of life from God shal enter into her and great fear shall fal upon them that see her Fourthly see it in Gods cause whatever is undertaken in Gods cause though sometime it may seem to faile in particular persons the cause of the poor in perverting of judgement the cause of religion by the insolence of persecutors and tyrants yet in other respects it does certainly prevaile 1. By a retribution of vengeance upon the heads of those that set to overthrow the cause of God Abel perished in Gods cause and yet even in the death of Abel Gods cause prevailed by bringing down vengeance upon Cain the murtherer the blood of thy brother crieth to me from the ground Gen 4.10 and therefore now thou art cursed from the earth The Martyrs perished in the cause of God and yet even in their deaths that cause prevailed by bringing vengeance upon the persecutors I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held and they cried with a loud voice how long O Lord holy and true dost thou not avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth Rev. 6.10 Wee need not doubt this prevailing of the cause of God in our neighbouring Kingdom how ever it may seeme for the time to goe downe in the barbarous and bloudy destruction of that poore people whose bloud cryes so loud from the ground as God cannot but curse the murtherers and whose soules under the Altar cry so loud as God cannot but judge and avenge their bloud on them who have so inhumanely and so unmercifully shed it 2. By way of improvement that cause prevails that improves it selfe by the opposition and violence it suffers under Gods cause like Sampson is victorious even then when we think it has received its deaths wound and like the Camomill Es 53.10 Ex. 1.12 Cum duplicantur lateres venit Moses Est 8.16 Da. 6.26 Ezr. 6.6 it spreads more by being trampled upon or like the fire the more it is smothered and kept in by violence for the time the more forcible it breaks out and heats afterwards In shedding the bloud of Christ the cause of God seemed to suffer but you know what an improvement it received by it that bloud was it that was the fruitfull field of such a seed unto God 't was making his soul an offering for sin that made him see his seed In Egypt the cause of God seem'd to suffer when the children were commanded to be destroyed and their burthens were doubled yet we know that decree increased the people and doubling of their taskes hasted their deliverance By the oppositions of Haman the cause of God got better footing And by casting Daniel into the Lions den God came everywhere to be more feared and worshipt by a publike decree By the oppositions of Tatnai and Shetherboznai the building of Gods house prospered In burning and tearing the martyrs in the primitive times and in Q. Maries dayes the cause of God seemd to suffer yet we know how Martyrdom improves it the bloud of the Martyrs is the seed of the Church that is as the Bishop of Valence * To the King of France in a conference at Fountain Bleau So Tert. ad Scà p Quisque enim tan tam tole rantiam spectans ut aliquo scrupulo percussus onquirere accenditur quid sis in causa Et ubi cognoverit veritatem ipse statim sequitur once explained it people by seeing the sufferings of the Martyrs came more to look into and understand that profession then formerly they had done which made them with so much patience indure such torments and so at length to imbrace the same like the generating of the Phoenix out of the ashes not the egges of the Damme Out of the ashes of a few Saints multitudes of professours arise I shall present you these few grounds of this truth reasons of the point to be inlarged in your owne private meditations 1. The genius of Religion it is of a flourishing and improving nature As one said of Anthony that was at oddes with Augustus compound with him for his genius goes beyond yours The genius of Religion goes beyond that of all its opposites It was first in families after in Cities and so by degrees spread it self over the world The image in Nebuchadnezzars vision was smitten by a stone cut out without hands Dan. 2.34 35. and the stone that smote the image became a great Mountaine and fill'd the earth You have the interpretation of this in the following verses the Image in its severall parts represented the 4. Monarchies of the world which should all bee destroyed by a fift Kingdome which Christ should set up which should so improve it selfe from a small beginning as quickly to fill the whole earth notwithstanding all oppositions made against it 2. The power of Christ he is able to set up his colours and his Scepter there where no earthly King dares set his foot Pritannotum in accessa Romanis Joca Christo verò sub aita 'T was Tertullians observation Britaine was a place which the Romanes could not at such a time possesse and yet it was subdued to Christ Look by what motives people are brought in to Christ you must needs acknowledge a strong working power above all the strengths of men done by such contrary wayes to flesh and bloud If wee will follow Christ and be heyres of heaven Wee must deny our selves and take up our Crosse and suffer persecution and be hated for his name sake and hate father and mother c. and yet by these and the like motives more are brought in to Christ and submit to his Lawes then by all the rewards could be proposed to them 3. The course of Gods providence which shall still uphold it so as to