the honour of this city they that were aliue wheÌ„ Ierusalem flourished to haue q Psal 48 1â— numbred her towers to haue considered her walles to haue marked her bulwarks and to haue told their posterity of it might haue made a report scarsly to haue beene beleeued This we knowe by Psal 48.4 5. When the Kings of the earth were gathered together and saw it they marvelled they were astonied and suddainely driven backe Thus is Ierusalem taken literally It is also taken spiritually for the Church either militant here on earth or Triumphant in heaven For the Church Militant Psal 128.5 Thou shalt see the wealth of Ierusalem all thy life long And for the Church Triumphant Gal. 4.26 Ierusalem which is aboue is free The Catholique Church Militant and Triumphant is called Ierusalem because Ierusalem was a type thereof Ierusalem was a type of the Catholike Church in sundry respects 1 God did choose Ierusalem aboue al other places of the earth to r Psal 132.13 Psal 135.21 dwell in So the Catholike Church the companie of the predestinate God hath chosen to be a peculiar people vnto himselfe 2 Ierusalem is a city Å¿ Ps 122.3 compact in it selfe by reason of the bond of loue and order among the Citizens So the faithfull the members of the Catholike Church are linked together by the bond of one Spirit 3 Ierusalem was the place of Gods sanctuarie the place of his presence and worship where the promise of the seed of the woman was preserved till the comming of the Messias Now the Catholike Church is in the roome thereof In the Catholike Church we must seeke the presence of God the word of life 4 In Ierusalem was the t Psal 122.5 throne of David So in the Catholike Church is the throne and scepter of CHRIST figured by the Kingdome of David 5 The commendation of Ierusalem was the subiection obedience of her citizens The Catholike Church hath her citizens too Eph. 2.19 and they doe yeeld voluntarie obedience and subiection to Christ their King 6 In Ierusalem the names of the citizens were inrolled in a register So the names of all the members of the Catholike Church are inrolled in the booke of life Revel 20.15 You see now what Ierusalem is literally and what spiritually Literally it is that much honoured City in Iudea the u Ps 46.4 City of God even the sanctuary of the tabernacle of the most High Spiritually it is the holy Church of Christ either his Church Militant on earth or his Church Triumphant in Heaven Now the Ierusalem in my text from whence the LORD is said to vtter his voice is either Ierusalem in the literall or Ierusalem in the spirituall vnderstanding it is either Ierusalem the mother city of Iudea or Ierusalem the Church of Christ Militant vpon earth or Ierusalem aboue the most proper place of Gods residence So that Ierusalem here is the same with Sion an exposition of Sion The LORD shall roare from Sion that is in other words The LORD shall vtter his voice from Ierusalem Marke I beseech you beloved in the LORD The LORD shall roare not from Dan and Bethel where Ieroboams calues were worshipped but from Sion the mountaine of his holines and hee shall vtter his voice not from Samaria drunken with Idolatrie but from Ierusalem the x Zach. 8.3 city of truth wherein the puritie of Gods worship did gloriously shine Wee may take from hence this lesson Sion and Ierusalem are to be frequented that thence hearing God speake vnto vs we may learne what his holy will is To speake more plainely This is the lesson which I commend vnto you The place where God is served and the exercises of his religion are practised must be carefully frequented That I may the more easily perswade you to come vnto and to frequent this place this house of God his holy Church and Temple I bring you a guid This guid is a King and leads you the way the blessed King David I beseech you marke his affection Psal 84.1 O LORD of hoasts how amiable are thy tabernacles My soule longeth yea fainteth for thy courts Mark his loue Psa 26.8 O LORD I haue loued the habitation of thine house and the place where thine honour dwelleth Marke the earnestnes of his zeale Psal 42.1.2 As the Hart brayeth for the rivers of water so panteth my soule after thee O God My soule thirsteth for God even for the living God when shall I come and appeare before the presence of God Let this holy King King David be that patterne of your imitation Beloued you must haue an earnest loue and desire to serue God in the assembly of his Saints you must much esteeme of the publike exercise of religion It is Gods effectuall instrumeÌ„t and meane to nourish and begâ—t you to the hope of a better life In what case then are you when you absent your selues from this and the like holy assemblies when either you come hither carelesly or else do gracelesly contemne this place Here is Sion here is Ierusalem here God speaketh to you in the language of Canaan and here may you speake to him againe with your owne mouthes It is every mans duty the dutie of everyone that loues God to come vnto Gods house his house of prayer In this respect thus saith the LORD Esay 56.7 Mine house shall bee called the house of prayer for all people For all people there is no difference betweene the y Galat. 3.28 Iew and the Grecian betweene the bond the free betweene the male and the female for our LORD who is LORD over all z Rom. 10.12 is rich vnto all that call vpon him Mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people To imprint this sentence in your heartes it is repeated vnto you Mat. 21.13 Where Iesus Christ to the mony changers doue-sellers whom he found in the Temple vseth this speech It is written mine house shall be called an house of prayer but yee haue made it a den of theeues Iunius his note vpon the place is good Qui domo Dei non vtitur ad orationis domum is eò devenit vt speluncam latronâ—m efficiat cam Whosoever vseth not the house of God for a house of prayer hee commeth thither to make it a denne of theeues Let vs take heed beloved in the Lord wheÌ„soever we come vnto the Church the house of God that we be not partakers of thiâ— sharpe censure Ecclesiastes chap. 4.17 giuâ—â—â— a profitable caveat Take heed to thy feet when thou enterest into the house of God intimating thus much that of duty we are to enter into the house of God Though the Temple in Ierusalem and all the worship in ceremonies that was annexed to it are taken away yet iâ— Solomons caveat good for vs still Take heed to thy feet when thou enterest into the house of God For we also haue Gods house where hee is chiefly to be
I would it were within the compasse of my Rhetoricke Yet let me propound one question vnto you Hag. 1.4 Is it time for your selues to dwell in your seiled houses and this house to lye wast Consider your own waies in your own hearts and giue your answer vnto God A second note for your further instruction and meditation followeth It is true Are sinne and iniquitie means to lay wast make desolate all manner of buildings How then is it that our dwelling houses doe yet stand and flourish Our sinnes and iniquities are exceeding impudent and sawcie they are ascended into the presence of God and doe stand like Sathan among his children before his face Yet for all this impudencie and sawcinesse of our sinnes and iniquities God is pleased to suffer our dwelling houses to be in safetie The consideration of this point may stirre vs vp to a gratefull agnition and acknowledgment of Gods singular bountie and longanimitie It is out of the bountie of the LORD that the earth since the time it first was cursed for the fall of man doth to this day yeeld fruit in abundance for the vse of man That our possessions habitations dwelling houses and Churches are not laid wast and made desolate it is to be ascribed to Gods long sufferance and longanimitie Of which I shall God willing anon speake more fully whē I shal haue considered the words of the second sequel or consequent of Gods speech which are The top of Carmel shall wither The top of Carmel There were two hills of this name as St Hierome teacheth both in Iudea the one in the southerne climate of that country whereon Nabal the husband of Abigail did dwel 1. Sam. 25.2 the other neere vnto Ptolemais towards the sea coast vpon which Elias prayed for raine 1. Kings 18.42 St Hierome seemeth to doubt which of these two Carmels our Prophet here intendeth But Ribera resolveth for that Carmel which was neere vnto Ptolemais because it did appertaine to the lot of the ten tribes against whom Amos in this booke prophecieth This Carmel was a hill of much fatnesse and fertilitie whervpon it may as proverbially be taken for any such place St Hierome writing vpon Esay 16. saith it is the Scriptures idiome and proper forme of speech evermore to compare the rich hil Carmel to fertilitie and abundance One of the Hebrewe d R. David apud Drusiū Doctors saith that Carmel is a generall name for all fruitfull arable fields and vineyards A great e Pagnin Hebrician saith that because the hill Carmel had by it a valley of exceeding feracitie and fruitfulnesse therefore Carmel is appellatiuely taken for any place set with corne trees or vines and specially with standing corne with newe and fat wheat while it is in eare though another f Marinus in Arca Noe Hebrician of like note affirmeth that because Carmel collectiuely signifieth standing corne or new wheate yet in the eare therefore a certaine region in the province of Canaan of extraordinary fertilitie as also a hill and city there was called after this name Carmel Whatsoever Carmel bee in this place whether a proper name or an appellatiue out of doubt it betokeneth a place of much fruitfulnesse Following the streame of expositors I am of opinion that Carmel in my text is that same fruitfull mountaine of Iudea by Ptolemais The top of Carmel A place fit by reason of the woodes there to lurke and lie hid in as is plaine by Amos 9.3 Though they hide themselues in the top of Carmel I will search and take them out thence The top of Carmel In the Hebrew it is the head of Carmel The head or top of Carmel is the Scripture phrase to expresse whatsoever is best in Carmel By the like phrase we say Caput vnguēti the head or the top of the ointment to signifie the best of the ointment The top of Carmel Pagnine thus translateth it vertex loci fertilis the top of the fruitfull place And Iunius thus praestantissimum aruorum the best of the fields Both Pagnine and Iunius doe take Carmel here for an appellatiue and not for a proper name The top of Carmel shall wither shall wax dry or be dried vp That is where most fruitfull fields and pastures are there shall be a defect and want of necessaries for mans life Thus haue you the exposition of this last clause Nowe bee patient I pray you while from hence I commend on lesson vnto you It is this For the sinnes of a people God will make the top of their Carmel to wither I speake it more plainely For the sinnes of a people God will make their best groundes to yeeld them little or no profit For proofe of this point you will be pleased to heare the evidence of the holy Spirit given in the word of life Deut. 28.20 Thus saith the LORD because of the wickednes of thy works whereby thou hast forsaken mee the LORD shall smite thee with blasting and with mildew the Heaven which is over thy head shal be brasse and the earth that is vnder thee shall be yron insteed of raine the LORD shall giue thee dust and ashes even from heaven shall it come downe vpon thee vntill thou be destroyed In the 2. Chapter of Hosea and the 5 verse because Israel had plaid the harlot and done shamefully departing from the LORD thus saith the LORD I will take away from Israel my corne in the time thereof and my wine in the season thereof wil recover my wooll my flax which I lent her to cover her shame Marke I beseech you the manner of the LORDS speech my corne my wine my woll my flax they are none of ours they are all the Lords The LORD hath lent thē vs to serue our turnes and necessities if we abuse them to idolatrie or prophanes he will take them from vs recover them againe vnto himselfe In the 4. Chapter of Hosea and the 3. verse because there is no truth nor mercy nor knowledge of God in the land but every one breaketh out by swearing by lying by killing by stealing by whoring and blood toucheth blood thus saith the LORD the land shall mourne and every one that dwelleth therein shall be cut of with the beasts of the field and with the foules of heaven and also the fishes of the sea shal be taken away If so what good then comes to you from Carmel from your best most fruitfull grounds In the 8. chapter of Hosea and the 7. verse because Israel transgressing the covenant of the LORD and trespassing against his law had sowen the winde thus saith the LORD they shall reape the whirlewinde it hath no stalke the bud shall bring forth no meal if so be it bring forth the strangers shall devoure it If so what profit then can we matching Israel in their most grievous transgressions trespasses expect from Carmel our most fruitfull and pleasant fields The wisest King that ever sacred
country from the hand of God when he is disposed to punish A third vse of this doctrine is for the terrour of such as lie wallowing in the filthinesse of their sinnes Many there are wicked wretches who if God shall for a time deferre the punishments due vnto their sinnes are ready to thinke that God takes no notice of their sinnes These say in their heart there is no God Against these is made that challenge Psal 50.21 I held my tongue and thou thoughtest me like thy selfe I the LORD who see the secrets of all hearts I held my tongue I did not by my iudgements punish thee for the wickednesse of thy steps I held my tongue thou thoughtest me like thy selfe thou thoughtest I took pleasure in wickednes as thou doest but thou shalt find and feele the contrary Strange are the effects wrought in the wicked by the mercies and long suffering of God thereby they grow worse and worse obdurate and hardned in their sinnes Yet let them bee advised for the day will come and it comes apace wherein they shal feele the heavinesse of that hand which here was turned against Ekron I will turne my hand to Ekron It followeth And the 〈◊〉 of the Philistines shall perish The Philistines had their beginning froÌ„ Castuchim a grandchild of Châ—â—â— the accursed issue of Noah as appeareth Genes 10.14 They were seated in a part of the land of Canaan the west part that which bordereth vpon the great Sea the Sea coÌ„monly called the Mediterranean Their country was called by Ptolemee and others Palaestina and by the Greekes Phoenicia It was a part of that couÌ„try which once was called Terra promissionis the land of promise but now Terra sancta the Holy land The inhabitants in our Prophets time were professed enemies to Almightie God and his beloued Israel They thought themselues safe from ruine through the strength of their fiue dukedomes Azzah Ashdod Ashkelon Gath and Ekron But vaine and foolish are the thoughts which possesse the wicked When the God of all truth shall giue his word for a matter shal man presume to doubt of the event Here God sets his word vpon it that there shall be an vtter overthrowe not only of Azzah Ashdod Ashkelon and Ekron but of Gath also and all the villages belonging therevnto for the remnant of the Philistines shall perish saith the LORD God Ait Dominus Iehovah saith the LORD God This is the conclusion of this prophecie and it redoubleth its authoritie and credite Authoritie and credite sufficient it hath from its very front verse the 6. Thus saith the LORD it 's here redoubled saith the LORD God Saith the LORD God hath the LORD God said it and r Num. 23.19 shall he not doe it hath he spoken it and shall he not accomplish it The LORD IEHOVAH the strength of Israel is not as man that he should lie nor as the sonne of man that hee should repent All his words yea all the titles of his words are Yea and Amen Å¿ Matth. 5.18 Heaven and earth shall perish before one iot or one title of his word shall escape vnfulfilled Dominus IEHOVIH the LORD hath said it that the remnant of the Philistines shall perish Out of doubt then must it come to passe And so is it The first blow which the Philistines receaued towards their overthrow after this prophecie was giuen them aboue three-score yeares after by Ezechias that good King of Iudah of whoÌ„ the Prophet Esai chap. 14.29 foretelleth the Philistines that he should be vnto them as a cockatrice and a fiery flying serpent This Ezechias smote the Philistines vnto Azzah and the coasts thereof from the watch tower vnto the defensed city This is plaine 2. King 18.8 A second blow was given by Tartan one of the captaines of Sennacherib or Sargon King of Assyria who came vp against Ashdod and tooke it This is plaine Esai 20.1 A third blow was giuen them by Pharaoh Neco he smote Azzah Ashkelon and other places This is it which the Prophet Ieremie saith chap. 47.5 Baldnesse is come vpon Azzah Ashkelon is cut vp with the rest of their valleys In a word God hath from time to time raised vp his men of warre in due time to extirpate and rase out the Philistines from the face of the earth that according to the tenour of this prophecie there might be no remnant of them The remnant of the Philistines shall perish Here may wee obserue a difference in Gods punishments he punisheth the reprobate and he punisheth his elect but differently the reprobate to their vtter excision extirpatioÌ„ not so the elect For of them there is vpon the earth evermore a remnant that shall be saved as it 's intimated by the Prophet Esai cha 1.9 Except the LORD of hoasts had reserved vnto vs even a small remnant wee shoulde haue beene as Sodom and like vnto Gomorah You see a remnant reserved though a small one Yea sometimes there is a reservation of so small a remnant as is scarsly visible As in the daies of Eliah who knew of none but himselfe I only am left saith he 1. King 19.14 Yet God tels him in the 18. verse of seaven thousand in Israel which never bowed their knees to Baal Hitherto belongeth that Ioel. 2.32 In mount Sion in Ierusalem shall be deliverance as the LORD hath said and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call t Ierem. 25.34 Howle yee wicked and cry and wallow your selues in the ashes for your daies of dispersion and slaughter are accomplished and yee shall fall like the Philistines every mothers childe of you the u Ierem. 46.10 sword shal devoure you it shal be satiate made drunke with your bloud there shall not be a reÌ„nant of you left But you the elect and chosen children of God your Father take vnto you x Esai 61.3 beauty for ashes the oile of ioy for mourning the garment of gladnes for the spirit of heavines reioice yee bee glad together Let the prince of darknes and all the powers of hell assisted with the innumerable company of his wicked vassals vpon the earth ioine together to worke your overthrow they shall not effect it For God even your God will reserue vnto himselfe a remnant This remnaÌ„t is the chaste Spouse of Christ the holy Catholicke Church enriched from aboue with all manner of benedictions Extra cum nulla est salus whosoever hath not her for his Mother shall never haue God for his Father Of this remnant and Catholicke Church notwithstanding the challenge of Romish Idolaters we beloved are sound and liuely members Happie are the eies which see that we see and enioy the presence of him whom we adore happy are the eares that heare what wee heare and the hearts which are partakers of our instructions No nation vnder heaven hath a God so potent so loving so neere to them which worship him as we of this Iland haue The many
hands which were created to helpe one the other should hinder and hurt one the other or as the feete which were framed to beare one anothers burthen should supplant one the other or as the eares which are coauditors of mutuall good should wax deafe to heare good one for the other or as the eyes which like Caleb and Ioshua are fellow spies in this Microcosme this little world and land of men for the good each of other should looke a squinte at the good each of other You will grant it to bee very vnnaturall either for the hands or for the feet or for the eares or for the eyes one to striue against the other Much more monstrous will the strife betweene brethren be because the aid which one of them may and should giue vnto the other doth farre exceed the cooperation of the hands the supportance of the feet the coaudience of the eares the providence of the eies Thus farre haue I led you in Natures schoole May it now please you to heare the same things out of the schoole of Grace There Solomon hath this lesson Two are better then one for if one of them fall the other will lift him vp But woe vnto him that is alone for he falleth and there is not a second to lift him vp The words are Eccles 4.9 10. The Hebrewes referre those words to married couples but Solomon speakes it generally and thus you may expound it Two are better then one two brethren are better then one for if one of them fall the other will helpe him vp If he fall into sicknesse into want into any kind of distresse eriget allevabit eum frater his brother will be a succour to him But woe to him that is alone 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is an old saying one man is no man woe to such a man woe to him that is alone for he falleth and there is not a brother to lift him vp Indeed one brother helping another is like a defenced city as k Septuagint Vulgat Hieron Gloss Lyran. Hugo Card. some read it and their counsails are like the barre of a palace which is vnpregnable Prov. 18.19 and if one overcome him two shall stand against him Eccles 4.12 So naturall is their vnitie and strong their coadiuvance which nature hath framed double for mutuall assistance The place cited out of the Prover 18.19 l Mercer Lavater Bibl. Angl. some read otherwise A brother offended is harder to winne then a strong citie their contentions are like the barres of a palace And then the meaning is The angers of brethren one of them towards another are so sharpe and vehement that they can no more easily be subdued the strong defenced townes conquered nor more easily be broken then most strong barres Which exposition teacheth vs that there is no strife matcheable to the strife amoÌ„g brethren According to the proverbe Fratrum contentiones acerbissimae most bitter are the contentions of brethren Examples poeticall historicall Divine do speake as much The implacable hatred of Atreus against Thyestes Eteocles against Polynices Romulus against Remus Bassianus against Geta Cain against Abel and Esau against Iacob are they not as trumpets to sound out this truth To this purpose might I alleage the King of Argiers the kingdome of Tunes Ottomans familie many a brothers hand embrued and washed in his brothers blood but seeing it is growne into a proverbe Irae fratrum acerbissima most bitter are the contentions of brethren it needeth no further proofe Against such monstrous and prodigious contentions the Holy Ghost would haue all Christians well armed and for this end giveth vs in holy writ many wholsome lessons Let a few serue this time In the first Ep. of S. Ioh. chap. 2.11 we are taught that whosoever hateth his brother he is in darknes he walketh in darknes he knoweth not whether he goeth darknesse hath blinded his eies and chap. 3.15 that whosoeuer hateth his brother is a maÌ„ slayer and chap. 4.20 that whosoever hateth his brother is a lyer if he saith he loveth God The reason is annexed For how can he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seene loue God whom he hath not seene And this commaundement we haue of CHRIST that he that loveth God should loue his brother also In the booke of Proverbs chap. â—6 19 we read of six things which the LORD hateth and of a seaventh which his soule abhorreth that seaventh is verse the 19. The man that raiseth vp contentions among brethren Now if God doe abhorre with his soule the man that raiseth vp contentions among brethren how doth he like of the contentions themselues My propounded doctrine stands good It is a thing very distastefull and vnpleasing vnto God for brethren to be at variance among themselues Now let vs see what vses doe offer themselues to our considerations out of this doctrine First it may serue for a iust reproofe of these our last worst daies wherein by experience we finde true that same m Dr. King B. of London vpon Ion. lect 15. paradoxe in common reason hardly to be proved namely that not friends only or kinsmen but brethren also when they fall to enmity their hatred is greater then that betwixt mortall foes It is come to passe according to Christ his prophecie Matth. 10.36 A mans enimies shall be they of his owne house A mans enimies indeed and his enimies to purpose to worke him most harme shall be they of his owne house May not many now a daies complaine yea cry out with David Psal 55.12 If mine enimy had done me this dishonour I could haue borne it if mine adversarie had exalted himselfe against me I would haue hid my selfe froÌ„ him but it was thou O man my companion my guide my familiar we tooke sweet counsaile togither we walked in the house of God as friends Yet hast thou done me this dishonor yea thou hast exalted thy selfe against me Of all the vials of the wrath of God powred down vpon sinners it is one of the sorest when a man is fed with his owne flesh and made drunke with his owne bloud as with sweet wine So the Prophet Esay speaketh chap. 49.26 The meaning is as a chiefe n B King Ibid. pillar of our Church expoundeth it when a man taketh pleasure in nothing more then in the overthrow and extirpation of his owne seed when he thirsteth not for any bloud but that which is drawne from the sides of his brethren and kinsmen Never was there more eager and bitter contention betweene Turke and Christian then now a daies there is betweene Christian Christian a brother and a brother All we who haue given our names to Iesus Christ and vowed him service in our baptisme we are all brethren we are fratres vterini brethren from the womb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we haue one father and one mother one father in heaven and one mother the holy Catholicke Church militant vpoÌ„