God and the firmaments and the out goings of the morning praise him Therefore do we lift up our eyes to heaven when we pray we say that every good and perfect gift comes from above from the Father of lights Yet is not God so far off but that as heaven is his throne earth is his foot-stoole The Lord looketh from heaven Psal 33.13 he beholdeth the sonnes of men He is not so far off but if we pray to him Prope est invocantibus ipsum he is neer to them that call upon him And in this respect all the earth is a common oratory so is the sea for our prayers But as the perpetuall duty of a Religious service of God which doth require holinesse and righteousnesse all the days of our lives doth not take away the particular duty of the Sabbath neither doth the great hahitation of God in heaven abate any thing of his special presence both in the temples dedicated to his service and in every particular person which doth belong to the election of grace For so God saith I dwell with him that is humble and contrite in heart and he saith so presently after he had said I will dwell in the high and holy place in so much as St. Augustine upon those words of David exaudivit de templo sancto suo vocem meam saith Exaudivit de cordo meo in quo habitat Dominus vocem meam For know you not that you are the temples of the holy Ghost and that God dwelleth in you c. God is in heaven Per specialem gloriam He is in our Churches per specialem cultum He is in our hearts per specialem indulgentiam He is in his Word per specialem illuminationam In a word wheresoever is cultus dei there is vultus dei The use of this point is taught in the Text it is the second part of my Text. 2. The duty Let all the earth keep silence before him This as you heard is a postulation of reverence he doth not put us to silence that we shall say nothing for he hath commanded us to call upon him and invocation is a note of his children He saith hee shall call upon me and I will hear him The wise man doth help us to expound this Text Be not rash with thy mouth and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any word before God for God is in heaven and thou upon earth Eccles 5. Reg. lib. ver 2. Gen. 5.1 therefore let they words bee few So that temerity and rashnesse is here forbidden and reverence and holinesse required 1. Let us consider God in our Churches the temples of his holinesse there we are taught 1. Take heed that thou have not an unreverent opinion of the house of God St. Paul saith despise ye the Church that is Vse 1 the place set apart for the worship of God and that he meaneth so the place and not the company So Theophil loco ipsi infertis injuriam you do wrong to the place Lyranus est contemptus ecclesiae quae consecrata est divinis usibus the very words of that Text do shew it For our own houses and Gods house our houses for our common meals and Gods house for the Supper of the Lord are compared together 2. There must be in us a love of those houses of God God said of his holy City where his Temple was built here will I dwell Vse 2 for I have a delight therein It is Davids protestation for Ierusalem For the house of Gods sake I will seck to do thee good The heart never more desired the water-brooks then he did to go to the Tabernacle where God was my soul longeth and fainteth for them I was glad when they said to me come we will go up to the house of the Lord. 3. Let us prepare our selves before we come to Gods house for he is present there come not hand over head as thou wouldest go into thine own house consider if thou wert to go before thy Soveraign King how thou wouldest compose thy self that nothing in thy apparel in thy gesture in thy countenance in thy words might give him offence Wilt thou do lesse when thou art to appear before the Lord of Hosts who is the King of glory Micah saith Wherewithal shall I come before the Lord Mich. 6.6 and bow my self before the most high God shall I come before him with burnt offerings The old law was None shall appear before me empty When Iesse heard that David his sonne was sent for to King Saul 1 Sam. 16.20 I-sse took an asse laden with bread and a bottle on wine and a kid and sent them by David to Saul So Jacob sent a present to Pharaoh when his sons went the second time for corne Solomon saith and it is no news in our times A reward in the bosome pacifieth strong wrath we know what cause we have given our God to be angry with us let us think of it when we are to come and stand in his sight at Church Manus in sinu tuo manus in sinu dei He is not ashamed to ask it fili praebe cor 4. Take heed to thy foot when thou entrest into the house of God for the place where thou art entring is holy ground put off thy shooes that is all earthly and carnal affections and say with Iacob Gen. 28. quam terribilis est hiclocus this is no other but the house of God porta coeli 5. When thou art entred into Gods house remember thou art come before the face of God and his holy Angels into the place where God's honour specially dwelleth 1. It is enough thy heart be reverent let thy outward man expresse it also do not think that because the Papists do superstitiously adore the Crucifix and the Altar and idols therein therefore it is superstition to do worship to God every man that comes into anothers house doth in good manners salute the Master of the house where he enters the same may not a visible worship be due to the invisible God! O come let us worship and fall down and kneel before the Lord our Maker It is a godly custome if done in zeal of Gods glory with devotion and not in a customary formality to sanctifie our entrance into Gods house with Prayers to fall low upon our knees before God to invocate him for his blessing upon our selves upon our Minister upon the whole Congregation 2. Learn of the Apostle let all things be done decently and in good order compose thy outward man to all due reverence and conformity with the holy Congregation and thine inward man to all zealous devotion remember the meetings of the Saints in the primitive times of the Church 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Do not give God thy knee and thy tongue thine eye thine eare and thy hand thy whole outward addresse and keep thy heart from him and let thy thoughts go and wander from the service thou
up together with the profession of the Gospel which could not be if we had zeal proportionable to our knowledge such as was in David All false wayes Iutterly abhorre We see also great corruptions in manners which holy zeal might soon eat out and without which Religion may bring us to Church and to the Font and to the Lords Table and may rank us with outward professors but till we grow to such an hatred of sin as the very patience and forbearance of God toward those that do abominably and will not be reformed doth disquiet and greive us and make us complain we fail and come short of duty to God 2. Another complaint of the Church is of inordinate zeal Which is 1. Either in Persons without a lawful calling seeking to reform things amisse 2. Or in respect of the things when men carryed with the strong current of opinion find fault where no fault is or make the fault greater then it is 3. Or in respect of times when men prevent the time and exasperate the judgments of God and provoke his justice against their brethren before they have done all that can be done by the spirit of meeknesse 4. Or in respect of time when they expresse their zeale First against those things that may with least hurt to the Church be forborn till more concerning affairs of the Church be advisedly thought upon 5. Or in respect of the measure of zeal if it be more or lesse then the cause of God requireth 6. In respect of the mixture of it if it be commeded with any of our own corrupt and furious perturbations 2. Seeing therefore we may make so boldwith God as the Prophet here doth we are to be taught that God is so slow in the execution of his judgments even upon them that do ill that till he find that his patience is a burthen to his Church and till he be even chidden to it by his faithful ones he cannot strike Wherefore we must both stirre up our selves and our brethren to a serious consideration of this goodnesse of God and that which the Apostle doth call The riches of his patience that we despise it not that we spend not such riches unthriftily but bestow it upon our repentance and making our peace with God 3. Seeing we may thus call God to account as the Prophet here doth and chide his remissenesse let us not take it ill at the hands of God if he chide us for our sins which do well deserve it and he contest with us for our neglect of our duties either to him or our brethren 4. Seeing we have so good warrant for it when we see any unremedied evils which do threaten ruine to our Church or Common-wealth which perchance the Minister may be forbidden to reprove or to disswades uch as these in my text Violence and oppression corruption of Religion and corruption of Courts of Justice which the Minister in general terms may reprove but he must not with Nathan say tu es homo thou art the man to any delinquent in any of these kinds This then is the remedy we may go to God himselfe and chide with him for it without any feare of scandalum magnatum and in holy indignation and zeal of Gods glory laying aside our own corrupt passions we may call him to account for shewing us and making us to see such things And I do not doubt but we shall have as good successe as this Prophet had as the next section of this chapter doth declare Vers 5. Be hold yee among the heathen and regard and wonder marvellously for I will work a work in your days which you will not believe though it be told you 6. For lo I raise up the Chaldeans that bitter and hasty Nation which shall march through the bredth of the land to possesse the dwelling places that are not theirs 7. They are terrible and dreadful their judgement and their dignity shall proceed of themselves 8. Their horses also are swifter then the Leopards and more fierce then the evening Wolves and their horsemen shall spread themselves and their horsemen shall come from farre they shall fly as the Eagle that hasteth to eat 9. They shall come all for violence their faces shall sup up as the East-wind and they gather the captivity as the sand 10. And they shall scoffe at the Kings and the Princes shall be a scorne unto them they shall deride every strong hold for they shall heap dust and take it 11 Then shall his mind change and he shall passe over and offend imputing this his power unto his God THese words are the second section of this chapter and do contain Gods own answer to the former complaint of the Prophet wherein God declareth how he will be avenged on his own People for the oppression and violence which they have used for the corruption in manners in religion and in the administration of Iustice Let us begin at the words Verse 5. and search the will of God revealed therein Behold ye among the heathen and regard and wonder marvellously Here is God himselfe speaking to his sinful people the Iews and awaking them to behold the anger to come Here is first the roaring of the Lion Cap. 1.2 as in Amos. The Lord will roare from Sion and utter his voice from Jerusalem This is the thunder the thunderbolt doth after follow 1. He biddeth them behold that is to take this threatning of Gods judgement and to spread it before their eyes and to peruse the sad contents thereof 2. Behold yee among the heathen He turneth their eyes to the heathen whom God will now make their sharp schoolmasters to instruct them for seeing they will learn nothing by the ministry of his Prophets whom he hath sent to them to chide them and guide them and seeing they are not moved with the lamentable complaints of their brethren groaning under their oppressions and grievances and injustice now he biddeth them to look among the heathen as to the quarter from whence the following tempest is like to arise for by them God intendeth to punish the Iews 3. He addeth Regard for beholding without regarding and taking the matter into due and serious consideration is but gazing As the Apostle presseth an exhortation Consider what I say God had sent his Prophets to instruct them and they heard them but regarded them not Now he will not be so neglected 4. He addeth and wonder maxveilously attoniti este obstupescite Here he prepareth their expectation for some extraordinary judgement this is that which the Apostle doth call Terror domini and ira ventura the terrour of the Lord and the wrath to come 5. He addeth in general terms the matter of their feare and consternation For 1. There is a work to be done 2. God himself professeth to be the worker 3. The time is at hand in your days 4. The wonder is that though God himself foretell them thereof Non credetis
he saith to me he must have the warrant of his own mission from a special illumination of his own understanding or else his Trumpet will never give a certain sound 4. This bindeth the hearer to affection For if the spirit speaketh to the Churches then qui habet aures audiendi audiat he that hath ears let him hear Est Deus in nobis God is in us they do not flatter us as they did Herod and we shall never die of the wormes for receiving that testimony of our Ministry if we deal faithfully that say of our preaching The voice of God and not of man for Saint Paul testifieth of the Thessalonians For this cause also thank we God 1 Thes 2.13 because when ye received the Word of God which yee heard of us yee received it not as the Word of men but as it is in truth the Word of God which effectually worketh also on you that believe Beloved it is true that we that are now the witnesses of God have not that open accesse to him that the Prophet had to receive immediate instructions from his own mouth But Christ saith Sicut misit me Pater it a ego mitto vos as the Eather sent me so send I you And he telleth his Father how he hath provided for his Church till his second coming I have given them the word which thou gavest me Iohn 17.8 and they have received them and having so done he said unto them Ite docete Go and teach When thou comest then to Church and hearest Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms which was the Manna wherwith God fed the fathers before the incarnation of Christ when the Veile of the Temple was up remember what Abraham said to the rich man Habent Mosen Prophetas audiant eos They have Moses and the Prophets let them hear them that is the way to keep out of hell When thou hearest the voice of the Sonne of God in the Gospel the Veile of the Temple being torn from the top to the bottome Christ now reveiled to thee with open face Take heed thou despise not him that speaketh to thee in the Ministry of a mortal man this is a treasure which is brought unto you in earthen vessels value the vessels at their own worth in themselves but yet regard them above their worth for their use for they bring you the treasures of wisedome and knowledge Enough to make you wise unto salvation sufficient to beget faith in you by which you may overcome the world enough to make you perfect throughly perfect to all good works This is done by our Ministry if you will hear God in us and what would you desire more then to be taught how to become wise and honest for such are not afraid of the Parliament and say with Saint Paul With me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you 1 Cor. 4.3 or of mans judgement 2. The vigilancy of the Prophet I will stand upon the watch Amongst the great titles of honour and service that are given to the Ministers of the Word in Scripture this is one they are called Watchmen It is Gods word to Ezechiel Ezek 3.17 Sonne of man I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel therefore hear the word at my mouth and give them warning from me which is repeated in the same words chapt 33.7 as the Margent of the Kings Bible directeth you This correspondence must be between God and his Minister for if God do make us watchmen over the house of Israel then with Habakkuk we must stand upon the watch Let not us plead the trust of God committed to us except we can plead our faithfulnesse in the discharge of that trust This is indeed an honour done to the Prophets and Ministers of the Church to commit the Church of God to our care but the burthen of this care to keep watch is exceeding great A necessity is laid upon me and wo be to me if I preach not the Gospel Here be two things in this office 1. To watch 2. To give warning 1. Some can watch but they can give no warning Ministers of good and preaching lives but not apt to teach which Saint Paul requires in his Ministers Of whom Saint Hierome saith Innocens sine Sermone Conversatio quantum prodest exemplo tantum nocet silentio 2. Some will sometimes give warning but they cannot always watch Preach learnedly when they preach but they have not learnt out all their lesson of the Apostle Cave tibi doctrina in his Persta 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Continue in these things it requires incumbency as the Law calleth it 3. But if we will do our duties we must do both some would fain do both and cannot get a watchmans place there is none void For be the People never so empty yet Ecclesia est plena the Church is full All is not well that way the Church complains and they that have laboured abundantly to enable themselves for this watch are too much searched and examined too narrowly for their gifts Others have a watch but they do not with the Prophet stand upon it either they sit at ease or they sleep it out soundly this Prophet promiseth to stand in readinesse for action and execution of his charge Beloved many will not beleeve it but we feel it if we make conscience of our duties in our calling that our vocation is laborious this watching in all weathers and this robbing of our temples of their timely rest to attend the watch over your souls as those that must give an account to God for our selvs and for you is an honourable burthen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Who is sufficient 1. Vigilat hostis The enemy watcheth he compasseth the earth to and again he goeth about like a roaring Lyon he is ever either reaching out an Apple of temptation as to Eve or stretching our an arme of provocation as to the blessed Virgin gladius pertransibit animam tuam We must keep you waking that he bring not upon you the spirit of slumber we must awake you if you sleep in sin that he surpize you not Custos Israelis non dormit the keeper of Israel slumbreth not Alexander lies down to sleep without fear because he leaves Parmenio his faithful counsellor waking David will lay him down in peace and take his rest seeing God doth make him dwell in safety Dominus dat dilectis suis somnum Yet let us observe two things concerning our sleep for the Apostle saith Therefore let us not sleep as do others 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Thes 5.6 as unbeleevers Lyranus qui sunt increduli 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 such as are left out of the Church and out of Gods fold to the world let us not sleep so how then 1. Before our sleep let us take Davids example for our Donec until I will not give sleep to mine eyes nor slumber to