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A90290
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A sermon preached to the Parliament, Octob. 13. 1652. A day of solemne humiliation. Concerning the kingdome of Christ, and the power of the civile magistrate about the things of the worship of God. / By John Owen.
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Owen, John, 1616-1683.
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1652
(1652)
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Wing O806; Thomason E678_28; ESTC R203106
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28,726
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56
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A SERMON PREACHED TO The Parliament Octob. 13. 1652. A DAY Of Solemne Humiliation Concerning the Kingdome of Christ AND The Power of the Civile Magistrate about the things of the Worship of God By JOHN OWEN OXFORD Printed by Leonard Lichfield Printer to the Vniversity for Thomas Robinson Anno Dom. 1652. DAN. 7. 15. 16. I Daniel was grieved in my Spirit in the middest of my body and the Visions of my head troubled me I came neere to one of them that stood by and asked him the Truth of all this so he told me and made me know the interpretation of the things WHAT there is of concernment for the right understanding of these words in that part of the Chapter which goes before may be considered in the opening of the words themselves and therefore I shall immediately attend thereunto There are in them 4 things considerable 1. The State condition which Daniel the pen-man of this Prophecy expresseth himselfe to be in wherein he hath companions in the dayes wherein we live He was griev'd in his spirit in the middest of his body 2. The cause and means whereby he was brought into this perplexed frame of spirit The Visions of his head troubled him 3. The Remedy he used for his delivery from that intangled condition of spirit wherein he was He went nigh to one of them that stood by and asked him the truth of all this 4. The Issue of that application he made to that one that stood by for redresse He told him and made him know the interpretation of the things All these I shall breifly open unto you that I may lay a foundation for the truth which the Lord hath furnished me with to hold out unto you this day In the first the person spoken of is Daniel himselfe I Daniel he beares this Testimony concerning himselfe and his condition was that he was greived in his spirit The person himselfe was a man highly favoured of God above all in his Generation so richly furnished with Gifts and Graces that he is once and againe brought forth as an Example and instanced in by God himselfe upon the account of eminence in Wisdome and Piety Yet all this preserves him not from falling into this perplexed condition Dan. 1. 17. 20. Ez. 9. 24. Ch. 28. 3. Now as the principall worke of all the holy Prophets which have been since the world began Luk. 1. 70. 1. Pet. 1. 10 11 12. was to Preach set forth and declare the Lord Jesus Christ the Messias who was for to come so some especiall concernments of his Person Righteousnesse and Kingdome were in especiall manner committed unto them respectively His Passion and Righteousnesse to Isaiah the Covenant of Grace in him to Jeremiah to this Daniel most eminently the great works of the Providence of God in the shaking and overturning of Kingdomes and Nations in a subserviency to his Kingdome with the Revelation hereof for the consolation of the Church in all ages did the Lord honour him of whom we speak For the present he describes himselfe in somewhat a perplexed condition His spirit minde and soule was greived sick troubled or disquieted in the middest of his body that is deeply neerely closely it sets out the greatnesse of his Trouble the anxiety of his Thoughts within him like David when he expostulated with his soule about it Ps. 43. 5. why art thou so sad my soule and why art thou so disquieted within me he knew not what to say what to doe nor wherewith to releive himselfe He was filled with sad thoughts sad Apprehensions of what was to come to passe and what might be the Issue of the things that had been discovered unto him This I say is the frame and temper he describes himselfe to be in a man under sad Apprehensions of the Issues and events of things and the dispensations of God as many are at this day and upon that account closly and neerly perplexed 2. The cause of this perturbation of minde and spirit was from the visions of his head The visions of his head troubled him He cals them visions of the head because that is the seat of the internall senses and phantasie whereby visions are received So he cals them a dream v. 1. and visions of his head upon his Bed yet such visions such a dreame it was as being immediately from God and containing a no lesse certaine discovery of his Will and minde then if the things mentioned in them had been spoken face to face he writes them by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost v. 2. for the use of the Church I shall not take the advantage of going forth unto any discourse of dreames visions Oracles and those other diverse wayes and manners Heb. 1. 1. of revealing his minde and will which God was pleased to use with his Prophets of old Numb. 12. 6 7 8. My aime lies another way it sufficeth only to take notice that God gave him in his sleep a representation of the things here expressed which he was to give over for the use of the Church in following Ages The matter of these visions which did so much trouble him falls more directly under our consideration Now the subject of these perplexing visions is a representation of the foure great Empires of the World which had and were to have Dominion in and over the places of the Churches greatest concernments and were all to receive their period and destruction by the Lord Christ and his revenging hand And these three things he mentions of them therein 1. Rise 2. Nature 3. Destruction 1. V. 2. he describes their Rise and Originall it was from the strivings of the foure Winds of the Heavens upon the great Sea he compares them to the most violent uncontroleable and tumultuating things in the whole Creation Winds and Seas what waves what horrible stormes what mixing of heaven and earth what confusion and destruction must needs ensue the fierce contest of all contrary Winds upon the great sea Such are the Springs of Empires and Governments for the most part amongst men such their Entrances and Advancements In particular such were the beginnings of the foure Empires here spoken of Warrs Tumults Confusions Bloud Destruction Desolation were the seeds of their greatnesse vastitiem ubi-fecerunt pacem vocant Galgac apud Tacit. Seas and great Waters doe in the Scripture represent people and nations Rev. 17. 15. The waters which thou sawest where the Whoore sitteth are people and multitudes and nations and tongues as Waters they are unstable fierce restlesse tumultuating and when God mingleth his judgments amongst them they are as a sea of glasse mingled with fire britle uncertaine devouring and implacable It is a demonstration of the soveraignty of God that he is above them Psal. 93. 3 4. The floods have lifted up ô Lord the floods have lifted up their voyce the floods lift up their waves The Lord on high is mightier then the noyse of many waters yea then
Nations whatever which in their present state and Government have given their power to the Dragon and the Beast to oppose the Lord Christ withall shall be shaken broken translated and turned off their old foundations and constitutions into which the Antichristian interest hath been woven for a long season God will shake the Heavens and the Earth of the Nations round about untill all the Babylonish rubbish all their originall ingagements to the man of sinne be taken away This I have fully demonstrated elsewhere All those great Warres which you have foretold wherein the Saints of God shall be eminently ingaged are upon this account 3. That the civill powers of the World after fearfull shakings and desolations shall be disposed of into an usefull subserviency to the Interest Power and Kingdome of Iesus Christ hence they are said to be his Kingdoms Rev. 11. 15. That is to be disposed of for the behoofe of his interest rule and Dominion of this you have plentifull promises Isai 60. and elsewhere when the nations are broken in opposition to Syon their gain must be consecrated to the Lord and their substance to the Lord of the whole earth Mich. 4. 15. Even Iudges and Rulers as such must Kisse the Sonne and own his Scepter and advance his waies some think if you were well setled you ought not in any thing as Rulers of the Nations to put forth your power for the interest of Christ the good Lord keep your hearts from that apprehension Have you ever in your Affaires received any encouragement from the promises of God have you in times of greatest distresse been refreshed with the testimony of a good conscience that in Godly simplicity you have sought the advancement of the Lord Christ doe you believe that he ever owned the cause as the head of his Church Doe not now professe you have nothing to doe with him had he so professed of you and your affaires what had been your portion long since 4. Look what Kingdome soever the Lord Christ will advance in the World and exercise amongst his holy Ones the beginning of it must be with the Iewes they are to be caput Imperii the head and seat of this Empire must be amongst them these are the Saints of the most High mentioned by Daniell and therefore in that part of his Prophesy which he wrote in the Chaldean Tongue then commonly known and spoken in the East being the language of the Babylonish Empire he speaketh of them obscurely and under borrowed expressions but coming to those visions which he wrote in Hebrew for the sole use of the Church he is much more expresse concerning the people of whom he spake The Rod of Christs strength goes out of Syon and thence he proceeds to rule those that were his enemies Psal. 110. 2. All the promises of the glorious Kingdome of Christ are to be accomplished in the gathering of the Gentiles with the glory of the Jewes The Redeemer comes to Syon and to them that turne from transgression that great transgression of unbeliefe in Iacob Isai. 59. 20. Then shall the Lord rise upon them and his glory shall be seen upon them the Gentiles shall come to their light and Kings to the brightnesse of their rising Isai 60. 2 3. I dare say there is not any promise anywhere of raising up a Kingdome unto the Lord Christ in this World but it is either expressed or clearely intimated that the beginning of it must be with the Iews and that in contradistinction to the Nations so eminently in that glorious description of it Mich. 4. 7 8. I will make her that halted a remnant and her that was cast a farre off a strong Nation and the Lord shall reigne over them in Mount Syon from hence forth even for ever and thou O Tower of the flock the strong hold of the Daughter of Syon unto thee shall it come even the first Dominion the Kingdome shall come to the Daughter of Ierusalem When the great hunter Nimrod set up a Kingdome the beginning of it was Babell Gen. 10. 10. when the great Shepheard sets up his Kingdome the beginning of it shall be Syon so farther it is at large expressed Mich. 5. 7 8. Nothing is more cleare to any who being not carryed away with weake carnall apprehensions of things present have once seriously weighed the promises of God to this purpose what the Lord Christ will doe with them and by them is not so cleare this is certain that their returne shall be marvelous glorious as life from the dead When then Euphrates shall be dryed up Turkish power and Popish Idolatry be taken out of the world and these Kings of the East are come when the seed of Abraham being multiplied like the starres of Heaven and the sands of the Sea shore shall possesse the gates of their enemies and shall have peace in their borders we may lift up our heads towards the fulnesse of our redemption but whilest these things are or may be for any thing we know a farre off to dream of setting up an outward glorious visible kingdome of Christ which he must beare rule in and over the world be it in Germany or in England is but an ungrounded presumption The Jewes not called Antichrist not destroyed the Nations of the World generally wrapt up in Idolatry and false-worship little dreaming of their deliverance wil the Lord Christ leave the world in this state set up his Kingdome here on a mole-hil 5. This is a perpetuall Antithesis and opposition that is put between the Kingdoms of the World and the Kingdome of Christ that they rise out of the strivings of the winds upon the Sea he comes with the clouds of Heaven They are brought in by commotions tumults warres desolations and so shall all the shakings of the Nations be to punish them for their old opposition and to translate them into a subserviency to his interest The comming in of the kingdome of Christ shall not be by the Arme of flesh nor shall it be the product of the strifes and contests of men which are in the world it is not to be done by might or power but by the spirit of the Lord of Hosts 2. Zech. 4. 6. great Warres desolations alterations shall precede it but it is not the sonnes of men that by outward force shall build the new Jerusalem that comes down from heaven adorned as a Bride from Christ fitted and prepared by himselfe certainly the strivings of men about this businesse shall have no influence into it It shall be by the glorious manifestation of his own power and that by his spirit subduing the soules of men unto it not by the sword of man setting up a few to rule over others Hence it is every where called a creating of a new heaven and a new earth Isa 65. 17. a work doublesse to difficult for the wormes of the earth to undertake There is nothing more opposite to the spirit of the