himself though at first his heart was in a strange violent motion yet he recovers himself and stands still before the Lord. you hold your peace now your houses are devoured by fire What were your houses to Aarons Sons All the houses in â—he world are not so near and dear to a man as his children are In this story concerning Aaron and his Sons there are many things remarkable As 1. That he had lost two of his Sons yea two of his eldest Sons together at a clap 2. These two were the most honourable of the Sons of Aaron as we may see Exod. 24. 1. in that they only with their Father and the seventy Elders are appointed to come up to the Lord. 3. They were cut off by a sudden and unexpected death when neither themselves nor their Father thought their ruine had been so near What misery to that of being suddenly surprized by a doleful death 4. They were cut off by a way which might seem to testifie Gods hot displeasure against them for they were devoured by fire from God They sinned by fire and they perished by fire Look as fire came from the Lord before in mercy so now fire is sâ—nt from the Lord in Judgement Certainly the manner of their death pointed out the sin for which they were smitten Now what Father had not rather lose all his children at once by an ordinary stroke of death than to see one of them destroyed by Gods immediate hand in such a terrible manner 5. They were thus smitten by the Lord on the very first day of their entring upon that high honour of their Priestly Function and when their hearts were doubtless full of joy now to be suddenly thunder-struck in such a Sun-shine day of mercy as this seemed to be must needs add weight to their calamity and misery 6. They were cut off with such great severity for a very small offence if reason may be permitted to sit as Judge in the case They were made monuments of divine vengeance only for taking fire to burn the Incense from one place when they should have taken it from another And this they did say some not purposely but through mistake and at such a time when they had much work lying upon their hands and were but newly entred upon their new employment Now notwithstanding all this Aaron held his peace It may be at first when he saw his Sons devoured by fire his heart began to wrangle and his passions began to work but when he considered the righteousness of God on the one hand and the glory that God would get to himself on the other hand he presently checks himself and layes his hand upon his mouth and stands still and silent before the Lord. Though it be not easie in great afflictions with Aaron to hold our peace yet it is very advantageous which the Heathens seemed to intimate in placing the Image of Angeronia with the mouth bound upon the Altar of Volupia to shew that they do prudently and patiently bear and conceal their troubles sorrows and anxieties they shall attain to comfort at last What the Apostle saith of the distressed Hebrews after the spoyling of their goods Ye have need Heb. 10. 34 36. of patience the same I may say to you who have lost your houseâ— your Shops your Trades your all you have need yea you have great need of patience Though thy mercies are few and thy miseries are many though thy mercies are small and thy miseries are great yet look that thy spirit be quiet and that thou dost sweetly acquiesce in the will of God Now God hath laid his fiery Rod upon your Psalm 39. 9. See my Mâ—lâ— Châ—istâ—aâ— under the smarting rod where the excelleâ—cy of patiâ—nce the evil of impatience is largely set forth backs it will be your greatest wisdom to lay your hands upon your mouths and to say with David I was dumb I opened not my mouth because thou didst it To be patient and silent under the sharpest Providences and the sorest Judgements is as much a Christians glory as it is his duty The patient Christian feels the want of nothing Patience will give contentment in the midst of want No loss no crosâ— no afflâ—ction will fit heavy upon a patient soul Dionysius saith that this benefit he had by the study of Philosophie viz. That he bore with patience all those alterations and changes that he met with in his outward condition Now shall Nature do more than Grace Shall the study of Phiâ—osophy do more than the study of Christ Scripture and a mans own heart But The fourth Duty that lyes upon those who have been burned up is to set up the Lord in a more eminent degree than ever as the great object of their fear Oh how should we fear and tremble before the great God who is able to turn the most serviâ—eable and useful creatures to us to be the means of destroying of us Hâ—b 12. 28. Let us have grace whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear Verse 29. For our God is a consuming fire Here are two Arguments to work the Saints to set up God as the great object of their fear The first is drawn from the terribleness of Gods Majesty He is a consuming fire The second is drawn from the relation which is between God and his people Our God What a strange Title is this of the great God that we meet with in this place and yet this it one of the Titles of God expressing his nature and in which he glories that he is called a consuming fire Thâ—se words God is a consuming fire are not to be taken properly but metaphorically Fire we know is a very terrible and dreadful creature and so may very well serve to set forth to us the terribleness and dreadfulness of God Now God is here said to be a consuming or devouring fire The word in the Original 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is doubly compounded and so the signification is augmented and encreased to note to us the exceeding terribleness of the fire that is here meant When God would set forth himself to be most terrible and dreadful to the sons of men he dos it by this resemblance of fire which of all things is most terrible and intolcrable Deut. 4. 24. For the Lord thy God is a consuming fire even a jealous God The Hebrew word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is here rendered consuming doth properly signifie devouring or eating it comes from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies to devour and eat and by a Metaphor it signifieth to consume or destroy God is a devouring fire a eating fire and sinners and all they have is but bread and meat for divine wrath to feed upon Deut. 9. 3. See Psal 50 3. Isa 33. 14. Deut. 28. 58. Vnderstand therefore this day that the Lord thy God is he which goeth before thee as a consuming fire he shall destroy them and
and that they serve God for a Livery for loaves and not for love and that they are Mercenary Joh. 6. 26. in all they do having more in their eye the hedge that he has made about them and the gold and silver that he has bestowed upon them then the honour and glory of the great God Just as the Devil objected against Job Now God Job 1. 9. to convince these men these men these monsters of the integrity and sincerity of his people he breaks down the hedge that he had made about them and turns the wheel upon them and breaks them with breach upon breach he stripes them of all and turns them out of house and home as he did Job and Job 20. 21. yet this people with Job will still worship the Lord and bless a taking God as well as a giving God They will still keep close to the Lord and his ways whatever God doth with them or against them Psal 44. 17 18 19. All this is come upon us 't is a terrible All as you may see from the 9. to the 17. verse yet have we not forgotten thee neither have we dealt falsely in thy Covenant our heart is not turned back neither have our steps declined from thy way though thou hast sore broken us in the place of dragons and covered us with the shadow of death In spite of all the wrath and rage of Antiochus Epiphanes that cruel and bloody Persecutor of the Saints these Servants of the Lord shew their sincerity by their constancy in keeping close to the Lord and his ways in the face of the greatest opposition and hottest persecution that they met withal When the Emperor sent to Basil to subscribe Hist Tripart lib. 7. cap. 36. to the Arrian Heresie the Messenger at first gave him good language and promised him great preferment if he would turn Arrian to which Basil replied Alas these speeches are fit to catch little children withal that look after such things but we that are nourished and taught by the holy Scriptures are readier to suffer a thousand deaths then to suffer one syllable or tittle of the Scripture to be altered The same Basil affirms that many of the Heathens seeing the Heroick zeal courage and constancy of the primitive Christians in the face of all oppositions and persecutions turned Christians Justin Martyr confesseth that the constancy of the Christians in their sufferings was the chief motive thaâ— converted him to Christianity for I my self saith he waâ— once a Platonist and did gladly hear the Christians reviled but when I saw they feared not death nor any of those miseries which most frighten all other men I began to consider with my self that it was impossible for such men to be lovers of pleasures more then lovers of piety and that made me fiâ—st think of turning Christian Now by these means and methods God convinceth the blind world of the integrity and sincerity of his people When they see that those whom they have severely judged for Hypocrites shall owne the Lord and his ways and cleave to the Lord and his ways and continue to follow the Lord and his ways and hold on in a high honouring of the Lord and his ways when their hedge is broken down and God has stript them as naked as in the day wherein they were born O now they begin to Dan. 3. 26. Acts 16. 17. change their note and to conclude surely these are the Servants of the most high God these are no Hypocrites nor Dissemblers but true Nathanaels in whom there is no guile Joh. 1. 47. How have the people of God in London been judged Hypocrites Dissemblers Deceivers Factious and what not Now God by burning up their substance and by turning them out of house and home and destroying all their pleasant things doth certainly design to give those that have so deeply censured them a proof of their integrity and sincerity by letting them see that all the changes that have past upon them can never work them to change their Master Christ nor to change his ways for the ways of sin nor to change his Worship for the Worship of the world nor to change their Religion for the Religion of Rome Certainly those that love the Lord that delight in the Lord and that highly prize the Lord for those infinite Perfections Beauties Glories and Excellencies that are in him they will owne him and cleave to him and follow after him when they have little as Josh 24. 15. Math. 19. 27. Rev. 14. 4 5. 1 Pet. 3. 16 Chap. 2. 12. 15. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 properly signifies to muzzle or halter or tye up or to button up their mouths as we say when they had much yea when they have nothing of the world as when they had all the world and by so doing they put a Pad-lock upon the lying lips of such they button up the mouths of such who asperse and calumniate them as a Generation that only serve God upon the account of a worldly interest There is nothing that doth more amuse amaze and astonish wicked men then to see the people of God keep close to him and his ways when they are in a suffering estate yea when they have lost all but their God and their integrity The fire trys the gold as well as the touch stone and diseases try the skill of the Physitian and tempests try the skill of the Pilot and so do fiery tryals try both the truth and the strength of a Christians graces Paulinus Nolanus when his City was taken by the Barbarians prayed thus to God Lord let me not be troubled at the loss of my Gold Siâ—ver Honour City c. for thou art all and much more then all these to me Here was an Heroick Spirit here was grace in strength yea in triumph The spirits of the men of the world usually sink under their losses Menippus of Phenicia having lost his goods strangled himself Dinarcus Phiton at a certain loss cut his own throat to save the charge of a Halter Another being turned out of his Estate ran out of his wits And another for the death of his Son threw himself head-long into the Sea Augustus Caesar in whose time Christ was born was so troubled and astonished at the relation of a Foyl and Overthrow from Varus that for certain months together he let the hair of his beard and head grow still and wore it long yea and otherwhiles Suetonius he would run his head against the doors crying out Quintilius Varus deliver up my Legions again Quintilius Varus deliver up my Legions again Henry the II. who was none of the best of Princes hearing that his City Mentz was taken used this blasphemous speech I shall never saith he love God any more that suffered a City so dear to me to be taken from me Now by all these instances you may clearly and plainly see the different temper and carriage of wicked
The Calvin Chrysostom Isa 25. 8 9. Prov 9. 1 2 3 4 5 6. Isa 55. 1 2 3. Jews have the honour to be first called to the Marriage-feast they are invited by the Prophets and afterwards by the Apostles to partake of Christ and of all his royal Benefits and Favours which are displayed in the Gospel God the Father was very willing and desirous to make up a match between Christ and the Jews and between Christ and the Gentiles and he is here called a King to declare his divine Majesty and to set forth the stateliness and magnificence of the Feast Marriage-feasts that are usually made by Kings are full of joy and full of state full of splendor and glory who can sum up the variety of dishes and dainties that then the Guests are feasted with The variety of the glorious excellencies favours and mercies of Christ that are discovered and tendered by God in Gospel-offers in Gospel-ordinances is the Wedding-feast to which all sorts of sinners are invited but here you see they slight and scorn and contemn both Master of the feast and the matter of the feast and all those servants that were sent to invite them to the feast and hereupon the King was wroth and sent forth his armies the Romans as most Interpreters do agree and destroyed those murderers and burnt up their City About forty years after the death of Christ the Lord to revenge the blood of his Son the blood of his servants and the contempt of his Gospel upon the Jews brought his Armies the Romans against Jerusalem who by fire demolished their Temple and City and by sword and famine destroyed eleven millions of men women and children and those that escaped fire Josephus de bell Judaic lib. 7. sword and famine were sold for slaves and scattered among all the Nations Christ and the way of Salvation by him is the subject matter of the Gospel The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is rendered Gospel signifies glad Tydings good News and certainly Salvation by Christ is the best news 't is the greatest and the gladest tydings that ever was brought to sinners ears What the Psalmist had long before said of the City of God Glorious things are spoken of thee that I may Psal 87. 3. truly say of the blessed Gospel Glorious things are spoken of thee O thou Gospel of God The Gospel is called the glorious Gospel of the blessed God The Gospel is a glorious 1 Tim. 1. 11. Gospel in respect of the Author of it and in respect of the Pen-men of it and in respect of the glorious discoveries that it makes of God of Christ of the Sâ—irit of Heaven and in respect of its glorious effectâ— in turning of poor sinners from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto Acts 26. 18. God that they may receive forgiveness of sins and inheritance among them which are sanctified Certainly Solomons natural History in which he treated of aâ—l Trees from the Cedar to the Hysop of all Beasts Fowls and creeping 1 Kings 4. 33. Some are of opinion that it was burnt by the Chaldees together with the Temple others think that it was abolished by Ezekiah because the people idolized it as they did the Brazen Serpent things was a very rare and incomparable piece in its kind yet one leaf yea one line of the Gospel is infinitely more worth and of greater importance to us then all that large Volume would have been For what is the knowledge of Trees and Birds and Beasts and Worms and Fishes to the knowledge of God in Christ to the knowledge of the great things of Eternity to the knowledge of a mans sinful estate by Nature or to the knowledge of his happy estate by Grace doubtless to a Soul that hath tasted that the Lord is gracious there is no Book to this of the Bible Acts 19. 19. When the Lord had made it the day of his glorious Power to their Conviction Conversion and Salvation they burnt their costly Books of curious Arts. And no wonder for they had found the power and the sweet of a better Book even of Gods Book upon their hearts Luther speaking of the Gospel saith That the shortest line and the least letter thereof is more worth then all Heaven and Earth he tasted so much of the sweetness of the Gospel and saw so much of the glory and excellency of the Gospel that he would often say to his friends that he would not take all the world for one leaf of the Bible Rab. Chiia in the Jerusalem Talmud saith that in his account all the world is not of equal value with one word out of the Law Israel had three Crowns as the Talmud observes 1. of the King 2. of the Priest 3. of the Law but the Crown of the Law was counted by them the chiefest of the three then what is the Crown of the Gospel to all those upon whom the Gospel is come in power 1 Thes 1. 5 6 7. How divinely did that Poet speak who said He could read God in every leaf on the Tree and that he found hiâ— Name written on every green herb and shall not we read God and Christ and Grace and Mercy in every leaf yea in every line of the Gospel The Bible saith Luther is the only Luther com in Gen. cap. 19. Book all the books in the world are but waste paper to it so highly did he prize it and so dearly did he love it Conâ—empt of the Gospel is a great indignity cast upon the great God and a great indignity cast upon Jesus Christ for though the Law was delivered by Moses yet the Gospel was delivered by Jesus Christ And if they escaped not who despised Heb. 2. 3. Chap. 10. 28 29. him that spake from earth of how much sorer punishment are they worthy that contemn him that speaks from Heaven If the Book of the Law happen to fall upon the ground the Jews custom is presently to proclaim a Fast O Sirs what cause then have we to fast and mâ—uâ—n when we see the glorious Gospel of God fallen to the ground scorned despised contemned and trampled upon by all sorts of sinners Contempt of the Gospel is a sin of the greatest ingratitude In the Gospel God offers himself his Son his Spirit Hierom reports of Vzzah that his shoulder was shrunk up and witherâ—d he carted the Ark when he should have carried it on his shoulder therefore that part was branded for it his Grace his Kingdom and all the Glory of another World Now for men to despise and contemn these offers is the highest ingratitude and unthankfulness imaginable and therefore no wonder if God burn such men up and turn them out of house and home Such justly deserve the worst of Judgments who despise the best of mercies The strongest and the sweetest wine always makes the sharpest vinegar the freest the richest and the choicest offers of mercy
lye Rev. 14. 5. And in their mouth was found no guile for they are without fault before the Throne of God Now upon this account also I dare not charge the trade of lying upon thosâ— gracious Souls that feared the Lord within or without the Walls of London before it was turned into a ruinous heap But Eighthly and lastly Lyars are reckoned amongst the basest and the worst of sinners that you read of in all the Book of God Levit. 19. 11. Ye shall not steal neither deal falsely neither lye one to another Prov. 6. 16 17 18 19. These six things doth the Lord hate yea seven are an abomination to him A proud look a lying tongue and hands that shed innocent blood An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations feeâ— that be swift in running to mischief A false witness that speaketh lyes and him that soweth discord among brethren So the Apostle Paul setting down a Catalogue of the basest and worst of sinners he ranks lyars in the rere of them 1 Tim. 1. 9 10. Knowing this that the law is not made for a righteous man but for the lawless and disobedient for the ungodly and for sinners for unholy and prophane for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers for man-slayers For whoremongers for them that defile themselves with mankind for men-stealers for lyars for perjured persons So John numbers them amongst the damned crew Rev. 21. 8. That shall be sent to hell and that must perish for ever Rev. 21. 8. But the fearful and unbelieving and the abominable and murtherers and whoremongers and sorcerers and idolaters and all lyars shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone which is the second death In this Catalogue of the damned crew the fearful are placed in the Front and the lyars in the Rere See once more how the Holy Ghost couples lyars Rev. 22. 15. For without are dogs and sorcerers and murtherers and whoremongers and idolaters and whosoever loveth and maketh a lye Thus you see in all these Scriptures that lyars are numbred up among the rabble of the most desperate and deplorable Wretches that are in all the world and therefore upon this account also I cannot charge the trade of lying upon them that feared the Lord whose habitations were once within or without the Walls of London The eighth sin that brings the Judgment of Fire is mens giving themselves over to fornication and going after strange flesh Jude 7. Even as Sodom and Gomorrah and the Cities about them in like manner giving themselves over to fornication and going after strange flesh are set forth for an example suffering the vengeance of eternal fire In these words there are these three things observable First The places punished and they are Sodom and Gomorrah and the Cities about them which were Admah and Zeboim Egesippus and Stephanus say that ten Cities were destroyed Deut. 29. 23. Hos 11. 8. and some say thirteen Cities were destroyed when Sodom was destroyed but these things I shall not impose upon you as Articles of Faith The overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah and the Cities about them was total both in respect of the Inhabitants and the places themselves their sin was universal and their punishment was as universal That pride idleness and fulness of bread that is charged upon them by the Prophet Ezekiel did usher in those abominable Ezek. 16. 49 50. wickednesses that laid all waste and desolate Secondly The sins that brought these punishments viz. The giving themselves over to fornication and going after strange flesh The first is Giving themselves over to fornication Now the word Fornication is not to be taken properly and strictly for that act of uncleanness that is often committed between persons unmarried but it is here to be taken for all sorts of carnal uncleanness The Heathen thought fornication no vice and therefore they made it a common custom and were wont to pray thus The Gods increase the number of the Harlots The second sin that is charged upon them is Their going after strange flesh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 another flesh as the words in the Original run The Apostle in this modest and covert expression Going after strange flesh or other flesh or another flesh doth hint to us their monstrous and unlawful lusts that were against the Course Light and Law of Nature they gave themselves up to such filthiness as is scarce to be named among men they went after other flesh then what Nature or the God of Nature had appointed The Gen. 2. 21. ult great God never appointed that male and male but only that male and female should be one flesh 't is impossible that man and man in that execrable act should make one flesh as man and woman do The flesh of a male to a male must needs be another flesh The Apostle Paul expresseth their filthiness thus For even their women did change the natural Rom. 1. 26 27. use into that which is against nature and likewise also the men leaving the natural use of the women burned in their lust one toward another men with men working that which is unseemly Chrysostom well observes on these words that whereas by Gods Ordinance in lawful copulation by Marriage two became one flesh both Sexes were joyned together in one by Sodomitical uncleanness the same flesh is divided into two men with men working uncleanness as with women of one Sex making as it were two The Genâ—iâ—es had left the God of Nature and therefore the Lord in his just Judgment left them to leave the order of Nature and so to cast scorn and comtempt upon the whole humane Nature Again There is another sort of pollution by strange flesh Levit. 18. 23. and that is a carnal joyning of a man with a beast which is prohibited Neither shalt thâ—u lye with any beast Oh what a sink of sin is in the nature of man the heart of man And as this pollution is prohibited so 't is punished with death And Chap. 20. 15. if a man lye with a beast he shall surely be put to death and ye shall slay the beast The Lord to shew the horridness and the hainousness of this beastly sin commands that even the poor harmless innocent beast that is neither capable of sin nor of provoking or enticing man to sin must be put to death Oh how great is that pollution that pollutes the very beasts and that makes the unclean more unclean and that doth debase the beast below a beast Now to this sort of pollution the beastly Sodomites had without doubt given up themselves The third thing observable in the words is the severity of their punishment Suffering the vengeance of eternal fire We commonly say that fire and water have no mercy and we have frequently experienced the truth of that saying When God would give the world a proof of his greatest severity against notorious sinners and notorious sins he doth it
Joh. 20. 19-26 Acts 20 7. And upon the first day of the week when the disciples came together to break bread Paul preached unto them ready to depart on the morrow and continued his speech until midnight 1 Cor. 16. 1 2. 1 Cor. 11. 23. But Eighthly Consider such things as are named the Lords in Scripture are ever of the Lords institution As the Word of the Lord 1 Tim. 6. 3. The Cup of the Lord 1 Cor. 11. 27. The Supper of the Lord 1 Cor. 11. 20. And so the Lords Day Rev. 1. 10. I was in the Spirit on the Lords day Now why does John call it the Lords day but because it was a day known to be generally kept holy to the honour of the Lord Jesus who rose from death to life upon that day throughout all the Churches which the Apostles had planted which St. John calls the Lords day that he might the better stir up Christians to a thankful remembrance of their Redemption by Christs Resurrection from the dead But Ninthly Consider that a right sanctifying of the Sabbath is one of the best signs in the Bible that God is our God and that his sanctifying work is past in power upon us Ezek. 20. When the primitive Christians had this question put to them Servasti Dominicum Hast thou kept the Lords day answered Christianus sum omittere non possum I am a Christian I cannot but keep it 20. And hallow my sabbaths and they shall be a sign between me and you that ye may know that I am the Lord your God So Exod. 31. 13. Speak thou also unto the Children of Israel saying Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctifie you Look as Circumcision and the Passeover were signs that the Jews were in Covenanâ— with God so likewise was the Sabbath Ezek. 31. 13. and because it was a sign of the Covenant between God and them Vers 16. Wherefore the Children of Israel shall keep the sabbath to observe the sabbath throughout their generations for a perpetual Covenant God tells them that they must observe it for a perpetual Covenant and hence it was that when they violated the Sabbath God accounted it the violation of the Covenant between him and them The sanctifying of the Sabbath in the primitive times was the main Character by which sincere Christians were differenced from others they judged of mens sanctity by their sanctifying of the Sabbath And indeed as there cannot be a greater argument or evidence of a prophane heart then the prophaning the Sabbath so there cannot be a greater argument or evidence of a gracious heart then a right sanctifying of the Sabbath But Tenthly Consider a right sanctifying of the Sabbath will 10. be a most sure and certain pledge pawn and earnest of our keeping of an everlasting Sabbath with God in Heaven Heb. 4. 9. There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God Gr. a sabbatism an eternal rest a sabbath that hath no evening Now mark if this Sabbath be a sign and pledge of Heaven then we must keep it till we come there For if we lose the pledge of a benefit we lose the evidence of that benefit whereof it is a pledge A man that is in the Spirit on the Lords day Rev. 1. 10. he is in Heaven on the Lords day there cannot be a more lively resemblance of Heaven on this side Heaven then the sanctifying of the Sabbath in a heavenly manner What is Heaven but an eternal Sabbath And what is a temporal Sabbath but a short Heaven a little Heaven on this side Heaven Our delighting to sanctifiâ— Gods Sabbath on Earth gives full assurance to our faith grounded upon Gods infallible promise that we shall enter into Gods eternal Rest in Heaven for so runs the promise Isa 58. ult Then shalt thou delight thy self in the Lord and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it The former part of the verse relates to earthly blessings but these words I will feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father that is with a heavenly inheritance for what is the heritage of Jacob but Canaan in the Type and Heaven it self in the Antitype But should I thus sanctifie the Sabbath should I be sure of going to Heaven yes for so it roundly follows in the next words The mouth of the Lord hath spoken it But Eleventhly Consider that of all days God hath put the highest honour upon his Sabbaths by appointing his precious Ordinances in a special manner to be used on those days The Sabbath is a gold Ring and the Ordinances are as so many costly sparkling Diamonds in that Ring All the works of the new Creation are commonly wrought on this day this is the joyful day wherein ordinarily God gives spiritual sight to the blind and spiritual ears to the deaf and spiritual tongues to the dumb and spiritual feet to the lame That Exod. 12. 42. is here applicable It is a night to be much observed to the Lord for bringing them out from the Land of Egypt this is that night of the Lord to be observed of all the Children of Israel in their generation Those that are new-born are commonly new-born on this day and therefore 't is a day to be much observed to the Lord. Those that are converted are ordinarily converted on this day and therefore 't is that day of the Lord that ought to be observed by all the converted Israel of God Those that are edified are commonly most edified on this day O the sweet communion O the choice converse O the singular discoveries O the blessed manifestations O the excellent enjoyments that Christ vouchsafes to his people on this day O the discoveries of Grace O the exercise of Grace O the increase of Grace the progress in Grace O the comforts of Grace that God vouchsafes to his Chosen on this day Experience shews that the right sanctifying of the Sabbath is a powerful means under Christ to sanctifie us and to increase our faith and raise our hope and inflame our love and to kindle our zeal and to enlarge our desires and to melt our hearts and to weaken our sins But Twelfthly and lastly Consider this that a right sanctifying of the Sabbath will cross Satans grand design it will spoil his plot his master-piece Satan is a deadly enemy to the right sanctifying of the Sabbath witness the many temptations that many Christians are more troubled with on this day then they are on any other day in the whole week and witness the many vain wandring and distracting thoughts that many precious Christians are more afflicted with on this day then they are on all the days of the week beside and witness that high and hot opposition
which he presently began to do but God soon cut him off Thomas Blavar one of the Privy Counsellors of the King of Scots was a sore Persecutor of the people of God in that Theatrum Historicum Land when he lay on his dying-bed he fell into despair and cryed out that he was damned he was damned and when the Monks came about him to comfort him he cryed out upon them saying That their Masses and other trash would do him no good for he never believed them but all that he did was for love of money and not of Religion not respecting or believing that there was either a God or a Devil a Hell or a Heaven and therefore he was damned there was no remedy but he must go to Hell and in this case without a sign of repentance he dyed A Popish Magistrate having condemned a poor Protestant to death before his execution he caused his tongue to be cut out because he should not confess the truth but the Lord did retaliate it upon him for the next child he had was born without a tongue Cardinal Crescentius was a most desperate Persecutor of the people of God he was the Popes Embassador to the Anno 1552. Council of Trent and being one night busie in writing to his Master the Pope a huge black Dog with great flaming eyes and long ears dangling down to the ground appeared to him in his Chamber and went under the Table where he sate Upon which the Cardinal was amazed but as as soon as he had recovered himself he called his Servants to put out the black Dog that was come into his Chamber but they lookt round about his Chambers and the next Chambers but could find no black Dog upon which the Cardinal fell presently sick with a strong conceit which never left him till his death still crying out Drive away the black Dog drive away the black Dog which seemed to him to be climbing up his Bed and in that humour he dyed After the Martyrdom of Gregory the Bishop of Spoleta Flacchus Phil. Lonicer the Governour who was the Author thereof was struck with an Angel and vomited up his entrails at his mouth and dyed Mammea Agrippitus when he was fifteen years old because Cent. 3. cap. 12. he would not sacrifice to their Idols was apprehended at Preneste and whipt with Scourges and hanged up by the heels and at last slain with the Sword in the midst of whose torments the Governour of the City fell down dead from the Tribunal-seat Gensericus King of the Vandals an Arrian was a most Sigeb in Chron. cruel Persecutor of the Orthodox Christians he was possessed of the Devil and dyed a most miserable death in the year 477. Herod the Great who caused the Babes of Bethlehem to be Euseb Hist. slain hoping thereby to have destroyed Christ shortly after was plagued by God with an incurable disease having a slow and slack fire continually tormenting of his inward parts he had a vehement and greedy â—â— fire to eat and yet nothing would satisfie him his inward bowels rotted his breath was short and stinking some of his members rotted and in all his members he had so violent a cramp that nature was not able to bear it and so growing mad with pain he dyed miserably Herod Antipas who beheaded John Baptist not long after Euseb Hist falling into disgrace with the Roman Emperor with his incestuous Herodias the Suggester of that murther they were banished and fell into such misery and penury that they ended their wretched lives with much shame and misery Herod Agrippa was a great Persecutor of the Saints he was Acts 12. Joseph Antiq. lib. 19. cap. 7. eaten up of worms in the third year of his Raign as Josâ—phus observes He went to Caesarea to keep certain Plays in the Honour of Caesar the Gown he was in as the same Author relates was a Gown of Silver wonderfully wrought and the beams of the Sun reflecting upon it made so it glister that it dazled the eyes of the Beholders and when he had made an end of his starched Oration in this his Bravery his Flatterers Acts 12. 21 22 23. extolled him as a God crying out 'T is the voice of a God and not of a man Whereupon he was presently smitten by the Angel of the Lord and so dyed with worms that eat up his Joseph Antiq. lib. 18. cap. 13. entrails the blow the Angel gave him was an inward blow and not so visible to others and his torments more and more increasing upon him the people put on sack-cloth and made supplication for him but all in vain for his pains and torments growing stronger and stronger every day upon him they separated his wretched soul from his loathsom body within the compass of five days Euseb Hist Caiâ—phas the high Priest who gathered the Councel and suborned false Witness against the Lord Christ was shortly after put out of his Office and one Jonathan substituted in Euseb Hist lib. 2. cap. 7. his room whereupon he killed himself Not long after Pontius Pilate had condemned our Lord Christ he lost his Deputiship and Caesars favour and being fallen into disgrace with the Roman Emperour and banished by him he fell into such misery that he hanged himself Oh the dreadful Judgments that were inflicted upon the chief Actors in the Ten Persecutions Shall I give you a brief account of what befel them Nero that Monster of men who raised the first bloody Persecution to pick a quarrel with the Christians he set the City of Rome on fire and then charged it upon them under which pretence he exposes them to the fury of the people who cruelly tormented them as if they had been common burners and destroyers of Cities and the deadly enemies of mankind yea Nero himself caused them to be apprehended and clad in wild beasts skins and torn in pieces with Dogs others were crucified some he made Bonfires of to light him in his night-sports To be short such horrid cruelty he used towards them as caused many of their enemies to pity them But God found out this wretched Persecutor at last for being adjudged by the Senate an enemy to mankind he was condemned to be whipt to death for the prevention whereof he cut his own throat Domitian the Author of the second Persecution against the Christians having drawn a Catalogue of such as he was to kill in which was the name of his own Wife and other friends upon which he was by the consent of his Wife slain by his own Houshold-servants with Daggers in his Privy-Chamber his body was buried without Honour his Memory cursed to posterity and his Arms and Ensigns were thrown down and defaced Trajan raised the third Persecution against the Church he was continually vexed with Seditions and the vengeance of God followed him close For first he fell into a Palsie then lost the use of his senses afterwards
was in flames Beloved 't is saâ— dying under a cloud 't is sad dying when he who should comfort a mans soul stands afar off Some think that the Lam. 1. 16. Psal 39. 13. face of God was clouded when David thus prayed O spare me that I may recover strength before I go hence and be no more And some think Hezekiahs's Sun was set in a cloud Isa 38. 1 2 3. See more of thâ—s in my Mute Christian under the smarting Rod pag. 279. 304. Judg. 16. 18 19 20 21. and God had drawn a Curtain between Hezekiah and himself when being under the sentence of death He turned his face toward the wall and prayed unto the Lord and said Remember now O Lord I beseech thee how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart and have done that which was good in thy sight and Hezekiah wept sore or with great weeping as the Hebrew runs It is with clouded and deserted Christians as it was with Sampson when his locks were cut off his strength was gone and therefore though he thought to go out and do wonders as he had formerly done yet by sad experience he found himself to be but as another man So when God dos but withdraw the best of Saints have their locks cut their strength which lyeth not in their hair but in their head Christ Jesus is gone and they Phil. 1. 22 23. are but like other men They think they speak they act they walk like other men Christians under real disertions commonly fall under sore temptations great indispositions barrenness flatness dulness and deadness of Spirit And is this a fit season for such to die in Christians under a cloud usually have their joyes eclipsed their comforts damped their evidences for Heaven blotted their communion with God impaired and their title to Heaven is by themselves in such a day much questioned And is this a case for them to die in O clouded and deserted Christians who have had your lives for a prey in the midst of Londons flames and ever since those flames what a great what a glorious obligation has the blessed God put upon you to labour to recover your selves from under all clouds and desertions and to spend your dayes in a serious and deep admiration of that free that rich that infinite and that Soveraign Grace that spared you and that was active for you in that day when you were compassed about with flames of fire on every hand But Fifthly What a mercy was this to poor solicited tempted Christians that they have had their lives for a prey when London was in flames For by this means they have gained See my Mute Christian pag. 260. to p. 279. Our whole life is nothing but a temptation saith Aâ—stin time to strengthen themselves against all Satans temptations The â—aily Bâ—lâ—s that were given in to pray for poor tempted Christâ—ans did sâ—fficiently evidence how active Satan was to distrâ—ss and perplex poor Christians with all sorts of hideous and blasphemous temptations Were there not many tempted to distrust the power of God the goodness of God the faithfulness of God Were there not many tempted to deny God to blaspheme God and to turn their backs upon God Were there not many tempted to slight the Scriptures to deny the Scriptures and to prefer their own fancies notions and delufions above the Scriptures Were there not many tempted to have low thoughts of Ordinances and then to leave Ordinances and then to vilifie Ordinances and all under a prâ—tence of living above Ordinances Were there not many tempted to presume upon the mercies of God and others tempted to despair of the Grace of God Were there not many tempted to destroy themselves and others tempted to destroy their relations Were there not many tempted to draw others to sin and to uphold others in sin and to encourage others in sin and to be partners with others in sin Were there not many tempted to have hard thoughts of Christ and others to have low thoughts of Christ and others to have no thoughts of Christ Now for these poor tempted souls to have their lives for a prey and to have precious seasons and opportunities to recover themselves out of the snares of the Devil and to arm themselves against all his fiery daris is a comprehensive mercy a big-bellied mercy a mercy that has many thousand mercies in the womb of it But Sixthly and lastly What a mercy was this to all slumbering slothful sluggish lazy Christians who had blotted and Matth. 25. blurred their evidences for Heaven and who instead of runing their Christian race were either at a stand or else did but Heb. 12. 1. halt in the way to Heaven that they have had their lives for a prey when London was in flames and that they have had time to clear up their evidences for Heaven and to quicken Psal 119. 32. up their hearts to run the wayes of Gods commands Surely had all the world been a lump of Gold and in their hands to have been disposed of they would have given it for a little time to have brightned their evidences to have got out of their sinful slumber and to have set all reckonings even between God and their poor souls And let thus much suffice for this second support The third Support to bear up the hearts and to cheer up the Spirits of all that have suffered by the late fiery dispensation is this viz. that this has been the common lot the common case both of Saints and sinners God has dealt no more severely with you than he has with many others Have The commonness of our sufferings doth somewhat mitigate the sharpness of our sufferings c. you lost much so have many others Have you lost half so have many others Have you lost all so have many others Have you lost your Trade so have many others Have you lost yoour goods so have many others Have you lost your credits so have many others Have you lost many friends who before the fire were very helpful to you and yours so have many others Have you lost more than your all so have many others This very Cordial the Apostle hands out to the suffering Saints in his time 1 Cor. 10. 13. There hath no temptation taken you but such as is commâ—n to man by temptation he means affliction as the word is used Jam. 1. 2. 1 Pet. 1. 6. that is there hath no affliction befallen you but that which is incident either to men as men or to Saints as Saints or thus there hath no affliction befallen you but such as is common to man that is there is no affliction that hath befallen you but such as men may very well bear without murmuring or buckling under it So 1 Pet. 5. 9. Knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished or finished in your brethren that are in the world or in your brother-hood that is in the
hath a Soveraign Right and an absolute Supremacy over the creature he is the only Potentate King of Kings and Lord of Lords he is the Judge of 1 Tim. 1. 15. Gen. 18. 25. the whole world And shall not the Judge of all the earth do right But Sâ—condly I answer There is a Principle in man to sin eternally and therefore it is but just with God if he punish him eternally The duration of torment respects the disposition of the delinquent Poenae singulorum inaequales intentione Aqain poenae omnium aequales duratione If the sinner should live ever â—e would dishonor God ever and crucifie the Lord of Glory ever and grieve the Spirit of Grace ever and transgress a righteous Law ever and therefore 't is just with God to punish such sinners for ever If the sinner might live eternally â—t si pâ—ccatoâ—â— aeternum viâ—â—â—â—t in aeterâ—â—m pâ—ccaret he would sin eternally if he might live still he would sin still Though the sinner loses his life yet he dos not lose his will to sin Sinners sin as much as they can and as long as they can and did not the grave put a stop to their lusts 〈◊〉 si vâ—li◠〈…〉 their hearts would never put a stop to their lusts The sinner sins in his eternity and God punishes in his eternity The sinner never loses his will to sin his will to sin is everlasting and therefore 't is but just with God that his punishment should be everlasting A will to sin is sin in Gods account God looks more at the will than at the deed and therefore that being lasting the punishment must be so The mind and intention of the sinner is to sin everlastingly eternally if the sinner should live alwayes he would sin alwayes and therefore as one saith Quia mens in hac vita Gregory nunquam voluit carere peccato justum est nunquam caret supplicio Because the mind of man in this life would never be without sin it is just that it should never be without punishment in the life to come Many of the men of the old world lived eight or nine hundred years and yet faith and repentance was hid from their eyes that patience forbearance long-suffering gentleness and goodness which should 1 Pet. 3. 20. have lead them to aspeedy repentance to a serious repentance to a thorough repentance to that repentance that was never to be repented of was only made use of to patronize their lewdness and wickedness This is certain wicked men left to themselves will never be weary of their Peccant iâ— aeterâ—o sâ—o ergo pâ—â—iâ—â—tâ—r in aeterâ—o Dei Augustâ—ne The sinner alwayes sinned in his eternity therefore he shall alwayes be punished in Gods eternity sins nor never repent of their sins and therefore God will never be weary of plaguing them nor never repent of punishing thâ—m The sinner never leaves his sin till sin first leaves him did not death put a stop to his sin he would never cease from sin This may be illustrated by a similitude thus A company of Gamesters resolve to play all night and accordingly they sit down to Chess Tables or some other Game their Candle accidentally or unexpectedly goes out or is put out or burnt out their Candle being out they are forced to give over their Game and go to bed in the dark but had the Candle lasted all night they would have played all night This is every sinners case in regard of sin did not death put out the candle of life the sinner would sin still Should the sinner live for ever he would sin for ever and therefore it is a righteous thing with God to punish him for ever in hellish torments Every impenitent sinner would sin to the dayes of eternity if he might but live to the dayes of eternity Psal 74. 10. O God how long shall the adversary reproach Shall the enemy blaspheme thy name for ever For ever and evermore or for ever and yet for so the Hebrew loves to exaggerate as if the sinner the blasphemer would set a term of duration longer than eternity to sin in The Psalmist implicitely saith Lord if thou dost but let them alone for ever they will certainly blaspheme thy name for ever and ever I have read of the Crocodile that he knows no Maximum quod sic he is alwayes growing bigger and bigger and never comes to a certain pitch of Monstrosity so long as he lives Quam diu vivit crescit Every habituated sinner would if he were let alone be such a Monster perpetually growing worser and worser But Thirdly I answer That God against whom they have sinned is an infinite and eternal good Now a finite creature can't bear an infinite punishment intensively and therefore he must bear it extensively They have sinned impenitently against an infinite Majâ—sty and accordingly their Sin is 〈◊〉 Deâ—m 〈◊〉 against an infiâ—ite Majesty punishment must be infinite Now because it cannot be infinite in râ—gard of the degree men being but finite creatures and so no capâ—ble of infinite torments at one time therefore their punishment must be infinite in the length and continuance of it What is wanting in torment mâ—st be made up in time Every sin is of an infinite nature because of the infinite dignity of the person against whom it is committed and therefore it deserveth an infinite punâ—shment which bâ—cause it can't be infinite secundum intentionem in the intention and greatness of it It râ—maineth that it should be infinite secundum durationem in râ—spect of the dâ—ration and Vâ—de August l. 21. c. 11. de Câ—vâ—tate De. â—ontinuance of the same Mark all punishments oâ—gâ—t to be levied according to the dignity of him against whom the offence is committed Words against common persons bear but common actions words against Noble men are scandala magnatum great scaâ—dals but words against Princes are Treason So the dignity oâ— the peâ—son against whom sin is committed dos exceedingly aggravate the sin To strike an inferiour man is matter of Arrest but to strike a King is matter of death Now what an infinite distance and disproportion is there between the Lord of Hosts and such poor crawling Worms as we are he being holiness and we sinfulness he fulness and we emptiness he omnipotency and we impotency he Majesty and we vanity he instar omnium all in all and we nothing at all Now to sin against such an infinite glorious Majesty deserves infinite punishment But Fourthly I answer Though the act of sin be transient yet it leaveth such a stain upon the soul as is permanent and continueth in it evermore and evermore it disposeth the sinner unto sin if it be not pardoned and purged out by mercy and Grace and therefore it is but just that this perpetual purpose of sinning should be punished with perpetuity Aâ— long as the guilt of sin remains punishments and torments will remain of pain The
commanded six dayes to labour were also commanded to offer Morning and Evening Sacrifice daily They had their Morning Sacrifice when they entred upon their work and they had their Evening Sacrifice when they ended their work Their particular callings did not steal away their hearts from their general callings The Jews divided the day into three parts the first ad Tephilla orationem Wâ—emse Mor. Law p. 223. to prayer the second ad Torah legem for the reading of the Law the third ad Malacha opus for the works of their lawful callings Although they were dayes appointed for work yet they gave God his part they gave God a share of them every day God who is the Lord of all time hath reserved to himself a part of our time every day And therefore mens particular callings ought to give way to their general calling But alas before London was in flames many mens Oh that I could not say most mens particular callings swallowed up their general calling The noise is such in a Mill as hinders all intercourse betwen man and man So many of the burnt Citizens had such a multitude of worldly businesses lying upon their hands and that made such a noise as that all intercourse between God and them was hindered Seneca one of the most refined Heathens could say I do not give but only lend my self to my business I am afraid this Heathen will one day rise in Judgement against those burnt Citizens who have not lended themselves to their business but wholly given up themselves to their business as if they had no God to honour no souls to save no Hell to escape nor no Heaven to make sure But Fourthly Job lost all and recovered all again he lost a fair estate and God doubles his estate to him So David Compare the first and last Chapters of Job together lâ—st all and recovered all again 1 Sam. 30. 18. And David recovered all that the Amalakites had carried away and David rescued his two wives Ver. 19. And there was nothing lacking to them neither small nor great neither Sons nor Daughters neither spoil nor any thing that they had taken to them David recovered all Here the end was better than the beginning but the contrary befell the Amalekites who a little before had framed Comoedies out of poor Ziklags Tragoedies In the beginning of the Chapter you may see that David had lost all that ever he had in the world All the spoil that he Verse 1 2 3 4 5. had taken from others were gone his Corn gone his Cattel gone his Wives gone and his City burnt with fire and turned into a ruinous heap so that he had not a house a habitation in all the world to put his head in he had nothing left him but a poor grieved madded and enraged Army The people spâ—ke of stoning of him but what Verse 6. was the event now why David recovers all again O Sirs when a Christian is in greatest distress when he hath Remember that of Zeno who said he never sailed better than when he suffered shipwrack lost all when he is not worth one penny in all the world yet then he hath a God to go to at last David encouraged himself in the Lord his God A Christians case is never so desperate but he hat still a God to go to When a Christian has lost all the best way to recover all again is to encourage himself in the Lord his God God sometimes stripâ— his people of outward mercies and then restores to them again those very mercies that he had stript them off I have read a story of a poor man that God served fâ—ithfully and yet was oppressed cruelly having all his goods taken from him by an exacting Knight whereupon in a melancholy humour he perswaded himself that God was dead who had formerly been so faithful to him and now as he thought had left him It so fell out that an old man met him and desired him to deliver a Letter into the hands of his oppressor upon the receipt and perusal of which the Knight was so convinced that immediately he confessed his fault and restored the poor man his goods which made the poor man say Now I see that God may seem to sleep but can never dye If God has taken away all yet remember that God has a thousand thousand wayes to make up all thy losses to thee which thou knowest not of therefore do'nt murmur don't fret do'nt faint nor do'nt limit the Holy One of Israel If thou madest no improvement of thy house thy estate thy Trade then 't is thy wisdom and thy work rather to be displeased with thy self for thy non improvement of mercies than to be discontented at that hand of Heaven that hath deprived thee of thy mercies Remember Oh ye burnt Citizens of London that you are not the first that have lost your all Besides the instances already cited you must remember what they suffered in the tenth and eleventh Chapters of the Hebrews and you must remember that in the Ten Persecutions many thousands of the people of God were stript of their all and so were very many also in the Marian dayes who shrugs or complains of a common Lot It was grace upon the Throne that thou enjoyedst thy house thy estate thy Trade so long and therefore it concerns thee to be rather thankful that thy mercies were continued so long unto thee than to murmur because thou art now stript of all But Fifthly When all is gone yet mercy may be near and thou not see it When Hagars Bottle was empty the Well Gen. 21. 19. of Water was near though she saw it not Mercies many times are never nearer to us than when with Hagar we sit down and weep because our bottle is empty because our streams of mercy are dried up The Well was there before but she saw it not till her eyes were â—pened Though mercy be near though it be even at the door yet till the great God shall irradiate both the Organ and the object we can neither see our mercies nor suck the breasts of mercy Christ the spring of mercy the fountain of mercy was near the Disciples yea he talked with the Disciples and yet they Luke 24. 15. knew him not Look as dangers are nearest to wicked men when they see them not when they fear them not As Haman Esther 6. was nearest the Gallows when he thought himself the only man that the King would honour And so when Sisâ—ra dreamed of a Kingdom Jael was near with her Hammer Judges 4. and her Nail ready to fasten him to the ground And so when Agag said Surely the bitterness of death is past Samuel 1 Sam. 15 32 33. stood ready with his drawn Sword to cut him in pieces in Gilgal before the Lord. So when Pharaoh said They are entangled Exod. 14. 3 Cha. 15. 9. 10. in the Land the Wilderness hath shut