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A89583 A sermon preached to the Honorable House of Commons assembled in Parliament: at their late solemne fast, Januar. 26. 1647. at Margarets Westminster. / By Steven Marshall, B.D. Marshall, Stephen, 1594?-1655. 1648 (1648) Wing M780; Thomason E423_27; ESTC R204300 29,725 48

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it as all those Worthies have done whom God hath thought fit to register in his Book as men accepted with him Beloved if you please to open your eyes and look abroad into the Kingdome into every corner of it you 'l see lamentable objects every where afflicted creatures of all kindes crying to you that you would reach out a helping and healing hand to them but in nothing so much is the Kingdome desolate this day as in the things that doe properly belong to the Kingdome of Heaven the Faith of Gods people I mean the doctrinall part is woefully overthrowne in many places by blasphemous and hereticall doctrines which are got in and sown through the cunning craftinesse of them that have lien in wait to beguil unstable s●●les the Worship of God is woefully neglected and troden under foot Fast Dayes and Sabbath Dayes in most places not one whit regarded the Ministery not more contemned nor so much under reproach in the hottest persecutions that they have lien under heretofore the Glory of the Lord marvellously abused in point of Religion England is this day an amazement to the Nations round about it to the insulting and rejoycing of all the enemies of it and the mourning and sadding of heart unto all that love it Could you but as in a glasse behold the unsetled case of the Kingdome of Heaven in this Land you would quickly grant there is a great deal of work to be done by those that have any vigorous spirits any bowels in them to rowle towards the helping forward of this great work Now that you may administer a healing hand I shall endeavor to say somewhat that may quicken you up and I beseech you give me leave to lay before you these following considerations eight things I would have you all seriously to think upon to provoke you to be vigorous and violent in advancing the Kingdome of Christ First Certainly there is not onely such a thing as zeal for God but it is a grace of absolute necessity in all the services of God and so lovely that it is the lustre and the varnish the glosle and beauty of all performances unto God that which sets them off with glory in the eyes of God man Gods work requires it every cause which concernes the Kingdome of Heaven must either be done with zeal or meddle not at al with it a lukewarme spirit in the service of God is worse to God then a spirit that will doe nothing hee will spue it out of his Mouth as abominable meate Now then because Religion is a work for God the proper cause of God the cause wherein his glory is most interessed associated with God you must needs doe it with zeale with all vigor and best intention of your spirit Secondly Consider further you all have lifted up your hands to the most high God and that in the day of your distresle you have bound your selves by an Oath of God and you have brought the Kingdome into an Oath of God with you you have sworne that you will willingly cheerfully constantly to the utmost of your power within your callings beat down what is contrary to Religion that you will study the advancement of Reformation according to the Word of God and the pattern of the best reformed Churches this in the day of your distresse you have sworn you have since told the Kingdome you forget it not you have order'd the Ministers oftentimes to read it upon the Fast dayes that it might be in the eyes of all Now I beseech you know that the keeping Covenant with God is a matter of a high concernment and the breaking of your Covenant with man uses not to goe unrevenged but the breaking Covenant with God is a thing will never escape the wrath of God Thirdly Consider that this work of advancing the Kingdome of Heaven is a work that belongs to you I told you before you have sworn to doe it within the compasse of your calling now it is a work within the compasse of your calling it belongs to you the Lord hath not trusted you onely with Civill liberties and to beat down oppression and injustice and outward wickednesse against the second Table in which the Lord make you more zealous but besides this the things of Gods Kingdome are committed to you You shall read if you look into Gods Book all the Worrhies whom God hath taken notice of their Crown glory hath been that they did beat downe Idolatry opposed and suppressed what ever was contrary to Religion built up Gods house set up his Ordinances encouraged his Ministers and for the doing of these things they were approved commended rewarded and such as neglected them were by God blamed branded punished so many examples are extant in the Scripture of the Old Testament that I need not name them and the same is prophesied to be done by Magistrates under the New Testament Kings shall be Nursing Fathers to it and Queenes shall be Nursing Mothers to the Church they shall give it bread milk and provide for it and nourish it and for punishing the oppressors of it there is a Gospell Prophesie in the 13. of Zechariah When any shall prophesie falsly his Father and Mother that begat him shall thrust him through and say Thou shalt not live for thou speakest lies in the name of God Now then since this belongs to your place and work I beseech you for the Lords sake be zealous in it and Fourthly consider As it is for Christ and for his Kingdome so Iesus Christ hath very well deserved at your hands to have you vigorous in his cause hee hath earned it hee is before hand with every soule of you look upon the zeal hee shewed when hee came to doe your work for you how did he bow the heavens and come downe upon the earth and from the throne of glory came and lay first in the wombe of a Virgin and then in swadling bands in a Manger and afterwards lived a poore life and then pray'd and preached and wrought Miracles with indefatigable paines with burning zeal yea gave his life a ransome he gave his soule to the death that hee might be a ransome for you and thereby purchase you to be a people to himself zealous of good warkes hath he not deserved it I and he hath deserved it at your hands in this great work hee hath set you about in this great concussion and earth quake of the Kingdome wherein you have been so farre imployed What mischiefs hath he discover'd which have been contrived against you What seasonable Mercies hath he sent you What unexpected victories hath he given you How hath the Lord made Mountains plain before you and brought you into the condition wherein you are and made you enjoy that which many times I dare say you were past all hope of seeing the Lord then deserves his cause should be thought upon by you Fifthly consider That the setting up of
any as means to advance the Kingdome of Heaven hee never conferres a greater glory upon any of his creatures Daniel faith in the 12. of Daniel whether they bee Magistrates or Ministers or private men They that turne many to righteousnesse shall shine like the Stars you know the Stars are the brightest part of the whole Creation they that are meanes to win people to righteousnesse shall shine like Stars Observe also what an honorable name the Lord gives to such in the 58. of the Prophesie of Isaiah Thou shalt be called the repairer of the breach the restorer of paths to walk in the raiser up of the foundations for many Generations intimating that a greater name of glory cannot bee given them There is an excellent story in the sixth Chapter of the Prophesie of Zechariah the Lord appointed that Ioshua the high Priest who was a type of Christ and was then building the Temple and setting up the worship of God should have crownes of Gold and Silver set upon his head typifying thereby the glory that shall bee set upon the head of the Lord Jesus that is the great builder of his Church but in the same Chapter the Lord commanded the Prophet to take of them that are of the captivitic and names Helem and Tobijah and Hen and some others who as some Interpreters think were Ambassadors sent by the rest of the scattered Jewes to bring their oblations active men that came to helpe forward the work of God others thinke they came as private men enflamed with zeale to set a good example unto others and brought their Silver and Gold that they might further the work that was in hand implying thus much that these excellent men to whom God had given a spirit to helpe forward that work and had brought their Silver and Gold and other gifts the Lord would have their gifts turn'd into Crowns and have their names written upon their Crownes and these should be hung up in the Temple of God as an everlasting memoriall of the glory that God put upon these forward men Truly thus doth the Lord deale with all his servants if he give the talents of authority of Magistracy of Ministery of wisedome of wealth or whatever may be usefull to any and they obtaine a heart to employ these to advance the Kingdome of Christ the Lord turnes their talents into crownes and engraves their names upon their crownes and hangs them up as a memoriall before the Lord and this I could shew you out of 100. examples in the Scripture especially of those two sorts of great instruments Magistrates and Ministers that it hath been the greatest glory that ever God put upon any of them that they have bent themselves to advance the Kingdome of Heaven What is the great glory of Moses but that he brought Israel out of bondage and brought them into a covenant with God and gave them statutes and oracles and ordinances What is the glory of Ioshua but that hee did plant Israel in their owne possession and brought them into a covenant and there set them into a way that they served God all his dayes What was the glory of David but that being raised from being a Shepheards boy to bee a King hee did doe good unto Gods people and provided beyond all measure whatsoever might build a Temple for God and set the orders to the Priests and enabled the servants of God to serve him with liberty and cheerfulnesse And what was Solomons but the building Gods house c And so I might go on with Asa and Iehosaphat and Iosiah and Ezrah and Nehemiah all these great Worthies their glory hath been that the Kingdome of God was advanced by them the like of Ministers Iehojada the Priest buried among the Kings because hee had done good to Israel and honored God and his house hee had helped Religion wonderfully forward and Iohn the Bap ist here in my Text it was prophesied of him by the Angel He shall be great in the sight of God Iohn shall be a very great man Alas what was Iohns greatnesse hee was a Priests sonne lived in a kind of Hermits life and went in a leather girdle and eate countrey fare and went in course apparell wherein was his greatnesse It was this many of the hearts of the childen of Israel shall hee turne unto the Lord his God and so Samaria it is Philips crowne and all the countries and cities that Paul wonne to Jesus Christ are so many crownes to him and you shall reade of the Church the woman in the twelfth of the Revelations when she was cloathed with the Sunne that is Christ Jesus her Lord his rightcousnesse was her glorious rayment yet shee had a crowne of 12. Stars upon her head that is the 12. Apostles of Christ that had laboured to bring her to that light and grace these were set upon the Churches head and shee wore them as a crowne Many more instances might bee given but to cleare it a little further consider but these two grounds for it First Who ever are instrumentall in advancing and building up and furthering the Kingdome of Heaven the Lord gives them to partake with himself in that which is his own greatest glory and the greatest glory of his Son the Lord Jesus Christ when Satan had ruin'd mankind and himself become the God upon earth and drawn all men off from God to worship Devils the great designe of God was to set up another Kingdome that should bee called the Kingdome of God the Kingdome of his Christ the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus the Kingdome of Heaven and for the erecting of this Christ did all his work came from Heaven became a man died rose again sent out his Spirit it is the great designe of Heaven that this Kingdome should bee erected and advanced Now when any are found to help forward this they are associated with the Lord Jesus in this great Work and therefore you shall read in the Prophesie of Obadiah the last verse of it where the Lord speakes of winning both the Jews and other Nations home to Christ Saviours shall come upon Mount Zion Saviours shall be there Who are they the Jewish Interpreters say that the Saviours there meant are Rex Messias ejus socii these Saviours are King Messiah and his Companions that should work with him and most interpreters do agree that the Saviours are the Apostles and the Apostolicall men and others that should bring the people homeagain to God and help to convert the Nations the Lord calls them by the name of Saviours and many are said to be fellow-workers with Christ and the Apostle saith of Timothy See that Timoty bee without any molestation with you in the ● of the Cor. 16 for he works the Worke of God as I doe and of Epaphroditus it is said of him that for the Work of Iesus Christ hee was sick unto death the work then that they are imployed in
is lifted up is to morrow trodden down who is now accounted cloquent is presently esteem'd a babe rude or barbarous and all from their ficklenesse the Word and Ministers are the same but the people are changed like sick peoples palate who long for that meat one day which they nauseate the next day or as children who delight in those toyes one day which the next they throw out of the doores The second part of Christs discourse concerning Iohn is A high commendation of Iohn and of his Ministery from three notable arguments First That Iohn was the Prophet that was foretold long before by two emminent Prophets Isaiah Malachi both of them shewing that the Lord would send his messenger before his face and saith Christ if you 'l beleeve it this is he The second is taken from the eminencie of Iohns worke hee did immediatly goe before Jesus Christ as a Noble man that should lead the Prince by the hand and shew him to every one This is he he did not as the other Prophets hold him out in types and shadows and spake of a Messiah that was to come a long time after but as another Christopher did carry Christ upon his shoulders and held him out in his armes that every one that came neer Iohn might see him pointed out to the Lambe of God that took away the sinnes of the world and the clearer any Ministery is in the discovery of Christ the more excellent it is but yet that Christ might set the true bounds to the honour of Iohns Ministery he adds that though of all the Prophets that ever were before him there was none like him yet the least Minister after Christ should have done his worke the meanest Minister of the Gospel had a more excellent Ministery then Iohn the Baptist because the excellencie of a Ministery is in the light that it carries Now Iohns light did farre goe beyond all that went before him but the least Minister of the Kingdome of Heaven after Christs work was done on earth should be able so cleerly to shew forth the life death passion resurrection ascension intercession of Christ sending of the holy Ghost and all those glorious mysteries that children might bee able to understand them and this goes far beyond the Ministery of Iohn the Baptist This is the second Argument whereby Christ magnifies the Ministery of Iohn the third is that that I have chosen for my Text That from the dayes of Iohn the Baptist the Kingdome of Heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force the summe whereof is that from Iohns time there was raised up in all who truely embrac'd the Gospel a servent spirit to pursue and advance the Kingdome of Heaven with all eagernesse no Souldiers are more violent in assaulting and taking astrong hold then Iohns Disciples were in prosecuting the Kingdome of Heaven with all their might when once it was discover'd to them Now all these arguments whereby Christ doth extoll the Ministery of Iohn are intended not onely as so many testimonies of honour to Iohn but are also so many Arguments to prove Jesus Christ to be the true Messiah for whatever proves Iohn to be the Elias that should make his way ready for him the same proves Jesus Christ to be the Saviour that should come unto Gods people and this of my Text as strong and cleare as any other because it was foretold of him that the people should be willing in the day of his power should come in as plentifully as the dew out of the wombe of the morning should flie after him as the Doves to their windowes This is the commendation of Iohn if you would know the fruit of all this what this high encomium of Iohn did work upon the hearers you may read in the 7. of Luke where Vers 29. 30. this same story is recorded and the effect of it is there added which our Evangelist doth omit viz. that when Christ had said these things of Iohn the Publicans and the rest of the people who had before been baptized by Iohn Baptist glorified God were awaken'd and brought to sorrow for their neglect of Iohn and so encouraged to imbrace Jesus Christ whom Iohn pointed out but the Scribes and Pharisees the learned Doctors and others that had despised the Ministery of Iohn did no whit regard the honour that Christ did give to Iohns Ministery and so neither accepted Iohn the forerunner nor Christ the Saviour but rejected the counsell of God against themselves This is the sum of the whole context Our generall observation from this commendation which our Saviour gives to Iohn is that the Lord Iesus is most ready to honour them who abase themselves for his sake Iohn had exceedingly abased himself declaring himself to be but the voyce of a cryer unworthy to unloose the latchet of Christs shooe making himself a footstoole to exalt Christ willing to decrease that Christ might increase and now Christ heaps honour upon Iohn abundantly so that wee may see that such as honour Christ shall be honoured of him and that although honour flie from them who vainely seek it yet it followes them who flie from it But I come to my Text which as you have heard is one branch of that honorable testimony which our Saviour gave to Iohn the Baptist which I shall desire you with me to look upon under a twofold consideration First As they are intended to bee a Crown and an honour to Iohn the Baptist From the dayes of Iohn the Baptist untill now the Kingdome of Heaven suffers violence Secondly and principally Wee will consider these words as they doe containe a description of men who are rightly affected with the kingdome of heaven The Kingdome of Heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force Of the first of these very briefly the meaning I take to bee this This eagernesse and fervency of Spirit in the people is to bee looked upon partly as a fruit of that cleere light which Iohn Baptists Ministery did hold out never any discovered the kingdome of heaven so cleerly as Iohn did and therefore never was there such zeal to presse into the Kingdome of heaven as was in Iohns time Secondly and partly as a conformity to Iohns Spirit Iohn came in the power and Spirit of Elias a man of mettle and zeal that did the work of the Lord with all his might and therefore the people whom his Ministery wrought upon were moulded into Iohns Spirit they were made like unto their Teacher and both these are by our Lord intended as a Crowne to Iohn From the dayes of Iohn the Kingdome of Heaven suffers violence A word or two of each of these Take the zeal and eagernesse of the people after heaven as a fruit of that clear discovery of the Kingdome of heaven by Iohns Ministery and it affords us this excellent lesson That the clearer light any people doe receive