are Ministers service committed unto the Ministery is set forth in the Tribe of Levi and in his separation from others unto God whereof Moses in brief gives us this information Deut. 10. 8. The Lord separated the Tribe of Levi to bear the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord to stand before him to minister unto him and to blesse in his name And with this charge none other was to meddle but Levi alone as being set apart to that effect and endued with a peculiar maintenance for that service With the same charge and in the same kinde is the Ministery of the Gospel now set apart by Christ nor ought they to be encumbred with any other cares but such as are immediately subordinate Who ought â—ot to meddle with worldly affairs unto the Gospel this is the Apostles rule to Timothy 2 Tim. 2. 4. No man that warrethintangleth himself with the affairs of this life that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a souldier If then he doth intangle himself with other affairs and employments then such as pertain unto the life to come he cannot please Christ for when a Disciple offered himself to Christ to attend his service desiring only leave to goe home first and bid his friends in the world farewell he was told by Christ that no man is fit for the kingdome of God who having put his hand to the plough of Gods service doth look back to any thing else Luk. 9. 62. And as they are thus to be set apart for the charge and ought not to meddle with any thing but their own plough and their own husbandry which is the tillage of mens souls towards God so may no man take the charge committed unto them upon himself Except he be called thereunto as Aaron was Heb. 5. 4. And the punishments of Korah Dathan and Abiram whereof the history is known Numb 16. and of Vzziah the King who presuming to take upon him the Priests office was strucken with leprosie and separated from the administration of the Kingdome 2 Chron. 26. 16. are for a perpetuall memoriall to shew that none may thrust himself upon this charge of the Ministery but must be admitted thereunto by an orderly calling To the Ministery therefore one way is the charge of And Magistrates whose commission is different from that of the Ministers Gods vessels eminently committed and to the Magistracy another way The Ministery is properly charged with a spirituall care of their souls in things pertaining to God Heb. 5. 1. but the Magistracy is charged with a temporall care of their outward and visible society in things properly pertaining to men for the administration of justice and good order and for the provision of things necessary and comfortable for their life In the one respect Aaron was to bear the judgement of the children of Israel upon his heart before the Lord Exod. 28. 30. In the other Moses when the people was unruly and murmured for meat â—aith that he was not able to bear them all alone Numb 11. 14. that is to care for all their matters and to deal so with them as to give them contentment for which cause seventy Elders are joyned to him to help him to bear the burden of his charge which was the outward regulating of their wayes in Justice and good order according to Gods will Thus then the manner of bearing and the charges are different although they are about and over the same vessells The Minister bears them as they are within the house of God and as in that house he is a steward and they of the household committed unto him that he should give them meat in due season But the Magistrate Matth. 24. 45. doth bear them as they are in the world and so the Church it self as it is a visible societie of men wherein righteous and good order is to be observed is an object of that power and authority which God hath intrusted him withall for his glory So then every one doth bear these vessells differently in a manner sutable to his calling The use of this Doctrine is two-fold The first for exhortation The uses of exhortation the second for instruction and warning The exhortation shall be in two words to two things 1. That every one should lay this to heart and consider See what ves self thou art and what â—ust is given thee himself what sort of vessell he is and what the trust is which is committed to him of himself or of others Thou mayest know what sort of vessell thou art by the qualifications bestowed upon thee and place where thou art set whereby and wherein thou mayest become usefull for the Kingdome of Christ in thy self and in thy neighbour Let every one saith the Apostle consider his own work that is himself in respect of the work intrusted to him and then he shall have rejoycing in himself alone and Gal. 6. 4. not in another the custom and inclination of men is to reflect upon themselves not in simplicity but comparatively not with a single eye unto the rule but with an indirect respect unto other mens wayes in comparison of their own Thus the Pharisee said I am not like other men Luk 18. 11. or like this Publican c. Such a consideration of our selves doth give no just matter of rejoycing but the Apostles consideration of himself is true matter of joy for our rejoycing is this saith he The testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God we have had our conversation in the world 2 Cor. 1. 12. if we look thus to our own consciences within our selves to our talent which we have received and how we have bestowed it that we may know how to be accountable to God for it then we shall have true matter of joy in our selves and not in another The second duty is consequent unto this That every 2 2 Make tâ—y self a vessell of honour one in the consideration of himself should intend and endeavour to fit himself unto God as a vessell of honour This is that which the Apostle doth inferre 2 Tim. 2. 21. upon this Doctrine that God hath many vessells in his house therefore saith he if a man purge himself he shall be a vessell unto honour He supposeth that every one will aspire unto an honourable employment and that is the thing which I now stirre you up unto namely that every one should endeavour to fit himself for some honourable employment the means is to purge your selves from earthly qualities if a man doth this the Apostle doth promise him that he shall be a vessell of honour and if so then as one sanctified and set apart for the masters use and prepared for every good work no doubt the Lord will not let him be without imployment The use of Instruction and warning is also twofold The uses of instruction First
ye depart ye goe ye out from thence touch no unclean thing goe ye out of the midst of her be ye clean that beare the vessels of the Lord. These words and the following verse conclude the whole prophecy of the Churches deliverance from her The coherence oâ— the text to the rest of the chapter Babylonian captivity this two and fiftieth chapter is the close of the whole matter insisted upon from the beginning of the fourtieth and these words are the close of this Chapter The fore-going part of the Chapter hath three promises of singular comfort wherein summarily all the Promises made in the former Chapters are in a manner contracted The first is that the Church should be raised from her low and captivated condition to a state of freedom v. 1 2 3 4 5 6. The second is that Messengers should be sent unto her who should publish the glad tidings of salvation and manifest clearly eye to eye the way and counsell of God v. 7 8. The third is that by this means great matter of joy and gladnesse should be offered unto the Church both of Jewes and Gentiles ver 9 10. Upon these promises the words of the Text are inferred as a speciall use of application to exhort those to whom the Promises are made to intend the duties which would fit them to partake the effect thereof Two things then are offered unto our consideration in the words First The persons are mentioned to whom the Exhortation The parts of the Text. is directed Ye that bear the vessels of the Lord. Secondly The duties recommended unto them are mentioned which in the main are two First That they should rise up to march away from Babylon in these words Depart ye depart ye goe ye out from thence goe ye out of the midst of her namely of Babylon Secondly How they should march away and behave themselves in departing in these words Touch no unclean thing Be ye clean Where a two-fold care is recommended to them the one to avoid evil the other to doe good The evil to be avoided is the filthinesse of Babylon lest it cleave unto them Touch no unclean thing The good to be intended is to proceed in the way of holinesse lest they come short of the grace of God offered unto them Be ye clean Of these heads I purpose to speak so far as time will permit and as it shall please the Lord to assist me with his grace for your edification First of the persons The Prophet having declared what deliverance should be granted unto the Church by what means it should be wrought and what the joyfulnesse of the effects thereof should be addresseth his speech by way of application to those to whom this favour is intended and he calls upon them by the name of the office and charge which The persons described in the Text are Levites was committed unto them Ye that bear the vessels of the Lord. This is the description of a Levite in whom two things are especially considerable which serve to our purpose The first is the property of his office as here it is Who are considerable in their Office expressed The second is the property of his personall relation unto God The property of his office was in a speciall manner to serve the Tabernacle and the Vessels thereof as it is declared Numb 1. 50. in these words Thou shalt appoint the Levites over the Tabernacle of testimonie and over all the vessels thereof and over all things that belong to it they shall bear the Tabernacle and all the vessels thereof and they shall minister unto it and encamp round about the Tabernacle The property of his personall relation unto God did Aâ—d in their Primogeâ—â—â—ure stand in this that he was appropriated peculiarly unto God in stead of all the first-born of Israel This appeareth by Numb 3. 12 13. in these words And I saith God behold I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel in stead of all the first-born that openeth the Matrice among the children of Israel therefore the Levites shall be mine because all the first-born are mine for on the day I smote all the first-born in Egypt I hallowed to me all the first-born in Israel Now a Levite in both these properties as well in his In both which they seâ— forth to us personall condition as in his office of bearing the vessels of the Lord doth either represent or hath some resemblance to three sorts of persons namely to Christians to Ministers and to Magistrates The Levites represented Christians in two things chiefly 1. First That as they were set apart to God from amongst Christians in common all the children of Israel So are Christians called and set apart unto God from all the rest of the world as you have it 1 Pet. 2. 9. Ye are a chosen generation a royall Priesthood an holy Nation a peculiar people 2. Secondly That as the Levites were the first-born of the Israelites unto God so are true Christians the first-born whose names are written in Heaven Heb. 12. 23. and a kinde of first-fruits of his creatures Jam 1. 18. They represented the Ministers of the Church and these Ministers more especially have a resemblance unto them in four things 1. As it was the Levites charge To teach Iacob Gods judgements and Israel his law to put incense before him and whole burnt-sacrifice upon his Altar Deut. 33. 10. So it is the office of the Ministers to labour in the Word to teach rebuke and exhort and to be instant in offering up prayers and supplications for the flock The Apostle Peter doth comprehend his work under these two heads Act. 6. 4. To give himself continually unto prayer and to the Ministery of the Word 2. As the Levites duty was to serve the Altar and wait upon the holy things of the Tabernacle and house of God So the Ministers of the Gospel have an Altar which they wait on which is Jesus Christ Heb. 13. 10. We have an Altar speaking of Christ and a Tabernacle of God and spirituall habitation which is his Church Ephes 2. 22. You are builded for an habitation of God through the Spirit And upon the holy things of this house the Ministers must give attendance The Apostle telleth Timothy That he must know how to behave himself in the house of God which is his Church 1 Tim. 3. 15. 3. As it was a peculiar part of their charge To bear the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord Deut. 10. 8. So it is the chief duty of the Ministery of the Gospel To declare the testimonie of God concerning the new Covenant in Iesus Christ and him crucified which was all that the Apostle Paul did determine to know amongst the Corinthians 1 Cor. 1. 1 2. 4. As the Levites office was when the Camp of Israel did march thorow the wildernesse to bear the vessels of the Lords Tabernacle and service as we
have heard already out of Numb 1. 50. and Aaron was charged to bear the children of Israel and their judgement upon his shoulders and breast as it is Exod. 28. 12. And thou shalt put the two stones upon the shoulders of the Ephod for stones of memoriall and Aaron shall bear their names upon his shoulders for a memorial Item vers 29 30. And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breast-plate of judgement upon his heart c. And Aaron shall bear the judgement of the children of Israel upon his heart before the Lord continually So is it the office of faithfull Ministers and Shepherds in the Gospel to bear the names of the sheep in their mindes as Christ saith A good Shepherd calleth his sheep by name Joh. 10. 3. which sheep are the vessels of Gods mercy Rom. 6. 23. And therefore the pastourall charge doth burden them with a care to bear them as it were upon their shoulders and in their heart we have the example both of Christ and of his Apostle Paul for this of Christ it is said He shall feed his flock like a shepherd he shall gather his lambs in his arm and carry them in his bosome Isa 40. 11. And the Apostle doth declare to the Corinthians that he did carry them in his heart Ye are in our heart known of all men 2 Cor. 3. 2. Lastly Although the civil Magistrate is not properly Magistrates by a resemblance represented or typed out by the Tribe of Levi yet herein is a similitude and resemblance between the Levites and Magistrates 1. That in the world the Magistrate hath the priviledge and right of the first-born which was and is to In the primogeniâ—ure rule over his brethren Isaac speaking to Iacob in the right of the first-born doth bid him Be lord over his brethren and doth injoyn his mothers sonnes to bow down unto him Gen. 27. 29. Herein then the Magistrate is the first-born in the world as Levi was in the Church and so there is a similitude of prerogative above others in both yet according to different respects 2. The second resemblance is in the office namely in this That the office of the civil Magistrate is also in In the office of bearing the vessels of the Lord. some sort appointed to bear the vessels of the Lord I say in the way of support and civil countenance for they are appointed by God to be nursing Fathers of his Church when they are called unto Christ and bound to call him their Lord. The civil Magistrate then hath an outward care and inspection of the Church committed to him and in this respect he is also a vessel-bearer of the Lord as it is said of Eliakim the sonne of Hilkiah that seeing he was to be a Governour and a Father unto the inhabitants of Ierusalem upon him should be hung the glory of his Fathers house And all the vessels from the vessels of cups to the vessels of flagons Isa 22. 24. He is compared there ver 23. unto a nail fastened in a sure place upon which vessels are hung to be preserved for use lest they might lie upon the ground and be troden under feet So in this way the Magistrate is by power and authority fastened in the wall of the State to bear up all the offices and the office-bearers both of Church and State that they may not fall to the ground and being troden upon become uselesse and contemptible but rather maintained in their true lustre and dignity as vessels of honour Here then the manner of bearing in the one and the other Which is different from the Leviticall bearing of the vessels in the manner thereof is different Levi doth bear them in his hands to make use of them and to doe God service with them in his house but Eliakim doth only support them by his strength that they may hang stedfast upon the wall both have a care of the same vessels of the Lord both bear them but each in his own way in respect of the effect of preservation their cares are parallel but in respect of the manner of their bearing their cares are different the one is inward the other is outward to the Church And although the relations are not the same yet both in the discharge of their duties are truely called vessel-bearers of the Lord because both are appointed by the Lord unto their severall charges for the preservation of his vessels Where by the way let us make this generall observation Where it is observed that the vessels are to be esteemed above the vessel-bearers That the vessels are not for the vessel bearers but the vessel-bearers appointed for the vessels The vessels are not made to be hung upon the nail but for a better use to contain some liquour or other things usefull for the service of the Master of the house but the nail is made and fastened in the wall only or chiefly for this use that the vessels may be hung thereon The vessels are the glory Isâ— 22 24. of the nail but the nail is no part of the vessels glory only the use thereof is to preserve the glory So also it is in Levi the tabernacle was not made nor the vessels thereof for Levi but they were made for the Lord and the glory of his service as for Levi he was made and set apart for the Tabernacle and for the vessells thereof to serve the same The Church as the Tabernacle is for God to dwell therein by his ordinances among his people and the Ministers are Gods servants and his peoples servants to this effect This then is to teach both Civill and Ecclesiasticall office-bearers whom God hath appointed either in and over his house or about it and his household vessells to think of themselves that at the most they are but stewards in their severall charges and that the vessells are not made for them that they should serve their own turnes out of them but that they are made for the vessells and that all their glory doth stand in this that each of them are in their places servants to uphold the glory thereof lest they be in the sight of men as vessells of no pleasure the Apostle saith 2 Cor. 4. 5. we preach our selves your servants for Jesus sake From the words thus opened let us make some Doctrinall and Practicall Observations in brief The first Doctrine to be observed is That God being a The first Doctrâ—â—e is â—hat God hath vessells in his house great house keeper hath vessels belonging to him which he hath appointed for the service of his house You know what is meant by a vessell namely an instrument fitted to contain something whereof a man doth stand in need and to be made use of to that effect Now the house of God is his Church 1 Tim. 3. 15. and the faithfull and elect are his vessells in this house The proof of this is to
all the promises of the Gospel For the Apostle 2 Pet. 1. 4. doth tell us that all the precious promises are given to us to this end that by them we should escape the corruption which is in the world through lust and become partaker of the divine nature which in effect is nothing else but to march away from Babylon and come to the spirituall Jerusalem The use and application is for exhortation and earnest The application of the duâ—y entreaty That the resolution here recommended to the vessel-bearers of the Lord may be seriously laid to heart and carefully minded by every one of you that are here If you think that the matter doth any way concern To all in generall you then you ought not to slight the admonition and if you think it any honour to be a vessel-bearer of the Lord and if you conceive that God doth look after those whom he doth employ in honourable charges then conceive also that it will be very necessary to settle your resolutions in a way answerable unto his call If you can apprehend it any way dangerous to be in Babylon then linger not to make an escape And if the state of Jerusalem be the way to happines then make haste to live in it lift up the hands that hang down and the feeble knees make straight paths unto your feet and depart O depart ye go ye out of the midst of her that bear the vessels of the Lord. This every one is bound to doe for himself but such as are leaders of the flocks must intend to march before others To the leaders of the people in particular and direct them in the way The Prophet Jeremy in his fifth Chapter from ver 4. to 9. doth represent unto us our condition and the duty of our rulers Our condition is like to that of the Children of Israel and Judah who are said to be going and weeping and seeking the Lord their God This weare now doing in these dayes of our Humiliation chiefly if there be at all any sincerity in us It is said of them that they should ask the way to Zion with their faces thitherward This I hope we are now doing It is said that they shall exhort one another saying come let us joyne our selves unto the Lord in a perpetuall Covenant that shall not be forgotten This I hope we have done already Then the distracted condition of the sheep being represented that their own shepherds had caused them to go astray and turned them away on the mountains and that they had gone from mountain to mountain and had forgotten their resting place which was in former time and is still in some sort our condition All this being thus premised the exhortation followeth which I desire to make my words unto you at this time Remove out of the midst of Babylon go forth out of the midst of the Chaldeans and be as the he-Goats before the flocks to you that are in place this is spoken be ye as the he-goats the flocks are marching go then before them And if you are fully minded to discharge this duty even as it is by God himself recommended unto you Let me again be your remembrancer on his behalf and mention some publike cares which ought to be laid to heart First look to the house of God to settle it in good order and then look to the further settlement of the civill state Some men when they are put in minde of this use to say We must have a being before we can intend a well-being they mean by a well being the settlement of Religion and by a being such a frame of the common wealth as they propose unto themselves but I say that this is a false and preposterous method of proceeding for it supposeth that there is no being in God but that all our being is in this world it makes Religion the accessory and this present world the principall but Christs Doctrine and exhortation is quite contrary Mat. 6. 33. Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and the righteousnes thereof and all other things shall be added unto you but if you seek Gods Kingdom in the second place you have no assurance that you shall get it nay I will assure you that you shall lose it and with it all your other purchases The Prophet Haggai after the captivity of Babylon had to doe with Hag. 1. 2. men that spoke thus The time that the Lords house should be built is not yet come But what doth God answer them is it time saith he for you to dwell in your houses and to provide for your selves and is it not time to provide for my house O let us not have cause to say so unto you that God who doth so miraculously provide for you should be so ill requiâ—ed by you Let me then speak freely concerning the setling of the house of God amongst you if you will have God to dwell in it give him the priviledge which every one of you doth challenge in his own house namely to be master in it and to order it as you think good Let me intreat that he may have this right in his house and you may be sure that all will be well Holines becommeth the house of the Lord and without holines no man shall see his face Here I have just cause to praise the Lord for your last vote and resolution whereby this point of holines is much advanced by the decree of removing all scandalous persons from the Communion of Saints settle but the judicatories of particular Congregations and let all the thrones of the whole house of David be erected and you shall finde that the fruit of righteousnes will be peace and the work thereof quietnesse and assurance for ever Isa 32. 17. But where there is no restraint of scandalls and offences as hitherto there hath been none there a wo must follow wo unto the world because of offences With the settlement Matth. 18. 7. of the Church as a body compact together for so Jerusalem is to be built Psal 122. 3. The Schooles of the Prophets the Universities must be setled purged and reformed with wholsom constitutions for the education of the sonnes of the Prophets and the government of their lives and with the soundnes and purity of spirituall learning that they may speak the true language of Canaan and that the gibberidge of Scholastical Divinity which is nothing else but the language of corrupt humane reason and Philosophy concerning spirituall objects without respect to the Word of God I say that the gibberidge of that falsely so called Divinity may be banished out of their society Next unto the Schooles of the Prophets whereof besides the Universities it were to be wisht that some lesser ones might be setled in every Province Next I say unto these all the inferiour common Schooles of all sorts of children and youths should be taken into serious consideration and men of parts encouraged to have the inspection and oversight of them The corruption of all states and qualities of people doth arise from the neglect of these Schooles wherein no seeds of vertue or grace but rather all habits of dissolutenes are begotten in the souls of children which makes them useles if not hurtfull to the common-wealth by the matters of knowledge which are taught them This building up of the spirituall Jerusalem in the souls of all men both young and old will overthrow the foundations of Babel by Gods blessing in the very corruption of our nature For except you dig deep to lay the foundations of Zion one way and to root up the foundations of Babel another way your building will be to little purpose These thoughts and resolutions will naturally lead you to the counsells of peace and in those counsels the settlement of all the Courts of Justice thorowout the Land will be necessary that this unnaturall warre being at an end whereby the state of Babylon is powerfully maintained amongst us we may have our hearts enlarged and our mouths opened to sound forth the praises of our God who passeth by the sinnes of the remnant of his people and doth not keep his wrath for ever and who for his own Name sake that it may not be prophaned among the Heathen doth worke deliverances in Jacob. To him be glory honour and praise for evermore Amen FINIS Errata PAge 33. marg for grounded upon the History read grounded upon the letter of the History p. 46 l. 9 for fifth read filtieth