roared 2. Of his gracious acquainting them with his minde his Law and ordinances at Horeb I have put saith he my words in thy mouth 3. Of that favourable and singular protection afforded them in the wildernesse when they were encompassed with enemies round about I covered thee in the shadow of mine hand Now to what end was all this why saith he that I might plant the Heavens and lay the foundation of the Earth What! of these materiall visible Heavens and Earth 2460 yeers before at least were they planted and established it is all but making of Zion a people which before was scattered in distinct families And how is this done why the Heavens are planted or a glorious frame of Government and Politie is erected amongst them and the multitudes of their people are disposed into an orderly commonwealth to be a firm foundation and bottome for the Government amongst them This is the Heavens and Earth of the Nations which is to be shaken in my Text Isa. 34. 4. All the host of heavens shall be dissolved and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scrole and all their host shall fall down as the leaf falleth from the vine Now these dissolved rolled Heavens are no other but the power and heights of the opposing Nations their government and tyranny especially that of Idumea as both the fore-going and following verses do declare The indignation of the Lord saith he is upon the Nations and his fury upon their Armies he hath delivered them to the slaughter their slain c. Jerem. 4. 23 24 25. I beheld the earth and lo it was without form and void and the heavens and they had no light I beheld the mountains and lo they trembled and all the hils moved lightly Here 's Heaven and Earth shaken and all in the rasing of the Politicall State and Common-wealth of the Jews by the Babylonians as is at large described in the verses following Ezek. 32. 7. I will cover the heaven and make the stars thereof dark I will cover the Sun with a cloud and the Moon shall not give her light And all the bright lights of Heaven will I make dark over thee and set darknesse upon thy land saith the Lord God behold Heaven and Earth Sun Moon and stars all shaken and confounded in the destruction of Egypt the thing the Prophet treats of their Kingdome and Nation being to be ruined Not to hold you too long upon what is so plain and evident you may take it for a rule that in the denuntiations of the judgements of God through all the Prophets Heavens Sun Moon stars and the like appearing beauties and glories of the aspectable Heavens are taken for Governments Governors Dominions in politicall States as Isa. 14. 12 13 14 15. Jer. 15. 9. Chap. 51. 25. Furthermore to confirm this Exposition St. John in the Revelation holds constantly to the same manner of expression Heaven and Earth in the book are commonly those which we have described In particular this is eminently apparent Chap. 6. 12 13 14 15 ver And I beheld and when he had opened the sixth seal there was a great earthquake and the Sun became black as sackcloth of hair and the Moon became as blood And the stars of Heaven fell unto the Earth And the Heaven departed as a scrowl when it is rolled together and every mountain and Island were moved out of their places c. The destruction and wasting of the Pagan Romish State the plagues and commotions of her people the dethroning her Idoll-worship and destruction of persecuting Emperors and Captains with the transition of Power and Soveraignty from one sort to another is here held out under this grandour of words being part of the shaking of Heaven and Earth in my Text Adde lastly hereunto that the Promises of the Restauration of God's people into a glorious condition after all their sufferings is perpetually in the Scripture held out under the same terms and you have a plentifull demonstration of this point Isa. 65. 17. Behold I create new Heavens and a new Earth and the former shall not be remembred nor come into my minde v. 18. Be you glad and rejoyce for ever in that which I create c. 2 Pet. 3. 13. Neverthelesse we according to his promise look for new Heavens and a new Earth wherein dwelleth righteousnesse Revel. 21. 1. I saw a new Heaven and a new Earth for the first Heaven and the first Earth were passed away and there was no more Sea The Heaven and Earth is restored but the Sea that shall be no more Those gatherings together of many waters Rivers from all places or pretended Clergie men from all Nations into Generall Counsels which were the Sea or many waters on which the whore sate shall have no place at all in the Churches restored condition I hope it is now fully cleared what is meant by the things that are shaken even the Politicall Heights the splendor and strength of the Nations of the Earth the foundation of the whole is laid and our heap or building if your favour so accept it will go on apace for to the Analogie hereof shal the residue of the words be interpreted The second thing considerable is what is the shaking of these things to this the Answer is now made brief and facile Such as are the things shaken such must their shaking be Spirituall if spirituall naturall if naturall civill if civill Now they being declared and proved to be civill things such also is their shaking Now what is a civill shaking of civill constitutions How are such things done in the world what are these Earthquakes truly the accomplishment hereof is in all Nations so under our eyes as that I need not speak one word thereunto Neither shall I insist upon the 3d Inquiry viz when this shaking shall be The Text is plain that is must be previous to the bringing in of those things that cannot be moved that is the prosperous estate of the kingdom of Christ Only we may observe that besides other shakings in particular Nations of lesse generall concernment and importance this prophesie hath and shall receive a twofold eminent Accomplishment with reference unto a twofold eminent Opposition which the kingdom of Christ hath met withall in the world First from the Pagan Romane State which at the Gospel's first entrance held in subjection most of the chief Provinces of the then known world What were the bloody endeavours of the Heaven and Earth of that State for the suppression thereof is known to our children The issue of the whole in the accomplishment of this promise shaking those Heavens and Earth to pieces I before pointed at from Revel. 6. 12 13 14 15. beginning in the plagues of the persecuting Emperors and ending in the ruine of the Empire it self But 2. The unmoveable
Heavens are the Angels their blessed Inhabitants both shaken or stricken with amazement upon the nativity of Christ and preaching of the Gospel The heavens were shaken when so great things were accomplished as that the Angels themselves desired to look intt hem 1 Pet. 1. 12. And the Earth was filled with amazement when the holy Ghost being powred out upon the Apostles for the preaching of the Gospel men of every Nation under Heaven were amazed and marvelled at it Act. 2. 5 6 7. Thus Roâ—locus Piscator and sundry other famous Divines But 1. The shaking here intimated by the Apostle was then when he wrote under the Promise not actually accomplished as were the things by them recounted for the holds it forth as an issue of that great Power of Christ which he would one day exercise for the further establishment of his kingdom 2. This that now is to be done must excell that which formerly was done at the giving of the Law as is clearly intimated in the inference Then he shoâ—k the Earth but now the Heavens also it is a gradation to an higher demonstration of the power of Christ which that the things of this interpretation are is not apparent 3. It is marvellous these learned men observed not that the Heavens and Earth shaken v. 26. are the things to be removed ver. 27. Now how are Angels and men removed by Christ Are they not rather gathered up into one spirituall body and communion Hence ver 27. they interpret the shaken things to be Judaicâ—ll Ceremonies which v. 26. they had said to be men and Angels 2. Others by heaven and earth understand the materiall parts of the worlds fabrick commonly so called and by their shaking those portentous signes and prodigies with Earthquakes which appeared in them at the birth and death of the Lord Jesus A new Star preternaturall darknesse shaking of the Earth opening of graves renting of Rocks and the like are to them this shaking of Heaven and Earth So Junius and after him most of ours But this Interpretation is obnoxious to the same Exceptions with the former and also others for 1. These things being past before how can they be held out under a Promise 2. How are these shaken things removed which with their shaking they must certainly be as in my Text 3. This shaking of Heaven and Earth is ascribed to the power of Christ as Mediator whereunto these signes and prodigies cannot rationally be assigned but rather to the soveraignty of the Father beaâ—ing witnesse to the Nativity and death of his Son so that neither can this conception be fastned on the words 3. The fabrick of Heaven and Earth is by others also intended not in respect of the signes and prodigies formerly wrought in them but of that dissolution or as they suppose Alteration which they shall receive at the last day So Paraeus Grotius many more Now though these avoid the Rock of holding out as accomplished what is onely promised yet this Glosse also is a dresse disfiguring the minde of God in the Text For 1. The things here said to be shaken do stand in a plain opposition to the things that cannot be shaken nor removed and therefore they are to be removed that these may be brought in Now the things to be brought in are the things of the kingdom of the Lord Jesus what opposition I pray do the materiall fabrick of Heaven and Earth stand in to the kingdom of the Lord Jesus doubtlesse none at all being the proper seat of that kingdom 2. There will on this ground be no bringing in of the kingdom of the Lord Jesus untill indeed that kingdom in the sense here insisted on is to cease that is after the day of judgement when the kingdom of Grace shall have place no more Those are the most materiall and likely mistakes about the words I could easily give out and pluck in again 3. or 4. other warping senses but I hope few in these dayes of accomplishing will once stumble at them The true minde of the Spirit by the help of that Spirit of truth comes next to be unfolded And first what are the things that are shaken 1. As the Apostle here applyes a part of the Prophesie of Haggai so that Prophesie even in the next words gives light into the meaning of the Apostle Look what Heaven and Earth the Prophet speaks of of those and no other speaks the Apostle The Spirit of God in the Scripture is his own best interpreter See then the order of the words as they lye in the Prophet Hagg. 2. 6 7. I will shake heaven and earth I will shake all Nations God then shakes Heaven and Earth when he shakes all Nations that is he shakes the Heaven and Earth of the Nations I will shake Heaven and Earth and I will shake all Nations is a Pleonasme for I will shake the Heaven and Earth of all Nations These are the things shaken in my Text The Heavens of the Nations what are they even their Politicall heights and glory those Forms of Government which they have framed for themselves and their own interest with the grandeur and lustre of their Dominions The Nations Earth is the multitudes of their people their strength and power whereby their Heavens or politicall heights are supported It is then neither the materiall Heavens and Earth nor yet Mosaicall Ordinances but the Politicall Heights and splendour the popular multitudes and strength of the Nations of the Earth that are thus to be shaken as shall be proved That the Earth in propheticall descriptions or predictions of things is frequently yea almost alwayes taken for the people and multitudes of the Earth needs not much proving One or two instances shall suffice Revel. 12. 16. The Earth helped the woman against the stood of the Dragon which that it was the multitudes of earthly people none doubts That an Earthquake or shaking of the Earth are popular commotions is no lesse evident from Revel. 11. 13. where by an Earthquake great Babylon receives a fatall blowe And for the Heavens whether they be the Politicall heights of the Nations or the grandeur of Potentates let the Scripture be judge I mean when used in this sense of shaking or establishment Isa. 51. 15 16. I am the Lord thy God who divided the Sea whose waves roared the Lord of hosts is his name And I have put my words in thy mouth and have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand that I may plant the Heavens and lay the foundations of the Earth and say unto Sion Thou art my people By a repetition of what he hath done he establisheth his people in expectation of what 1. he will do And first he minds them of that wonderfull deliverance from an Army behind them and an Ocean before them by his miraculous preparing dry paths for them in the deep I am the Lord who divided the Sea whose waves
Die Veneris 20 April 1649. ORdered by the Commons assembled in Parliament That Sir William Masham do give hearty thanks from this House to Mr. Owen for his great pains in his Sermon Preached before the House yesterday at Margarets Westminster And that he be desired to Print his Sermon at large as he intended to have delivered it if time had not prevented him wherein he is to have the like liberty of Printing thereof as others in like kinde usually have had HEN SCOBELL Cler. Parliament ΟΥΡΑÎΩΠΟΥΡΑÎΙΑ The Shaking and Translating of HEAVEN and EARTH A SERMON Preached to the Honourable House of COMMONS in Parliament Assembled On April 19. A Day set apart for extraordinary Humiliation By JOHN OWEN Isaiah 66. 14. 16. And when ye see this your heart shall rejoyce and your bones shall flourish like an herb and the hand of the Lord shall be known towards his servants and his indignation towards his enemies For by fire and by his sword will the Lord plead with all flesh and the slain of the Lord shall be many LONDON Printed by M. Simmons and are to be sold by John Cleaver at his Shop in Paul's Church-yard near the School 1649. Where also are to be sold the Authors former Sermon Preached the 31th of January 1648. And likewise his 2 Sermons for A memoriall of the Deliverance of Essex County and Committee TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE the COMMONS of England Assembled in PARLIAMENT SIRS ALL that I shall preface to the Ensuing Discourse is that seeing the Nations welfare and Your Own actings are therein concerned the welfare of the Nation and Your own prosperity in your present Actings being so neerly related as they are to the things of the ensuing Discourse I should be bold to presse You to a serious consideration of them as now presented unto You were I not assured by your ready attention unto and favourable acceptation of their delivery that being now published by Your Command such a request would be altogether needlesse The subject matter of this Sermon being of so great weight and importance as it is it had been very desireable that it had fallen on an abler hand as also that more space and leasure had been allotted to the preparing of it first for so great judicious and Honorable Audience and secondly for publick view then possibly I could begge from my daily troubles pressures and templations in thee midst of a poore numerous provoking people As the Lord hath brought it forth that it may be usefull to Your Honorable Assembly and the residue of men that wait for the appearance of the Lord Jesus shall be the sincere indeavour at the throne of Grace of Coggeshall May 1. 1649. Your most unworthy Servant in the work of the Lord John Owen A SERMON Preached to the Honorable House of COMMONS Upon Thursday the 19th of April 1640. being by Order of that House especially appointed for a Day of Humiliation HEBR. 12. 27. And this word Yet once more signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken as of things that are made that those things which cannot be shaken may remain THe main designe of the Apostle in this Scripture to the Hebrews is to prevail with his Countrey-men who had undertaken the Profession of the Gospel to abide constant and faithfull therein without any Apostasie unto or mixture with Judaisme which God and themselves had forsaken fully manifesting that in such back-sliders the soul of the Lord hath no pleasure Chap. 10. 38. A Task which whoso undertaketh in any Age shall finde exceeding weighty and difficult even to perswade Professors to hold out and continue in the glory of their profession unto the end that with patience doing the will of God they might receive the promise especially if there be Lyons in the way if opposition or persecution do attend them in their professed subjection to the Lord Jesus Of all that deformitie and dissimilitude to the Divine Nature which is come upon us by the fall there is no one part more eminent or rather no one defect more evident then Inconstancie and unstablenesse of minde in embracing that which is spiritually Good Man being turned from his unchangeable Rest seeks to quiet and satiate his soul with restlesse movings towards changeable things Now he who worketh all our works for us and in us Isa. 26. 12. worketh them also by us and therefore that which he will give he perswades us to have that at once his bounty and our duty may receive a manifestation in the same thing Of this nature is Perseverance in the faith of Christ which as by him it is promised and therefore is a Grace so to us it is prescribed and thereby is a Duty Petamus ut det quod ut habeamus jubet August Let us ask him to bestow what he requires us to enjoy Yea Da Domine quod jubes jube quod vis Give what thou commandest and command what thou pleasest As a Duty it is by the Apostle here considered and therefore pressed on them who by Nature were capeable and by Grace enabled for the performance thereof Patheticall exhortations then unto perseverance in the profession of the Gospel bottomed on prevalent Scripturall Arguments and holy Reasonings are the summe of this Epistle The Arguments the Apostle handleth unto the End proposed are of two sorts 1. Principall 2. Deductive or Emergencies from the first 1. His principall Arguments are drawn from two chief Fountains 1. The Author And 2. The Nature and End of the Gospel The Author of the Gospel is either 1. Principall and immediate which is God the Father Who having at sundrie times and in divers manners formerly spoken by the Prophets herein speaketh by his Son Chap. 1. 1. 2. Concurrent and immediate Jesus Christ this great salvation being begun to be spoken to us by the Lord Chap. 2. 3. This latter he chiefly considereth as in and by whom the Gospel is differenced from all other dispensations of the minde of God Concerning him to the End intended he proposeth 1. His Person 2. his Employment For his Person that thence he may argue to the thing aymed at he holdeth out 1. The infinite glory of his Deity being the Brightnesse of his Fathers glory and the expresse Image of his Person Chap. 1. 3. 2. The infinite Condescension of his Love in assuming humanity for because the children were pertakers of flesh and blood he also himself took part of the same Chap. 2. 14. And from the consideration of both these he presseth the main Exhortation which he hath in hand as you may see Chap. 2. 1 2. Chap 3. 12 13 c. The Employment of Christ he describeth in his offices which he handleth 1. Positively and very briefly Chap. 1 2 3. 2. Comparatively insisting chiefly on his Priesthood exalting in sundrie weighty particulars above that of Aaron which yet was the glory of the Jewish worship and
this at large Chap. 6 7 8 9 10. And this being variously advanced and asserted he layeth as the main foundation upon which he placeth the weight and stresse of the main end pursued as in the whole Epistle is every where obvious II. The second head of principall Arguments he taketh from the Gospel it self which considering as a Covenant he holdeth out two wayes 1. Absolutely in its efficacy in respect of 1. Justification in it God is mercifull to unrighteousnesse and sins and iniquities he remembers no more Chap. 8. 12. Bringing in perfect remission that there shall need no more offering for sin Chap. 10. 17. 2. Sanctification He puts his Laws in our hearts and writes them in our minds Chap. 10. 16. in it purging our consciences by the blood of Christ Chap. 9. 14. 3. Perseverance I will be to them a God and they shall be to me a people Chap. 8. 10. all three being also held out in sundrie other places 2. Respectively to the Covenant of works and in this regard assignes unto it principall qualifications with many peculiar eminencies them attending too many now to be named now these are 1. That it is new he saith a New Covenant and hath made the first old Chap. 8. 13. 2. Better it is a better Covenant and built upon better promises Chap. 8. 6 7. 22 3. Surer the Priest thereof being ordained not after the Law of a carnall commandment but after the power of an endly life Chap. 7. 16. 4. Vnalterable so in all the places before named and sundry others All which are made eminent in its peculiar Mediator Jesus Christ which is the summe of Chap. 7. And still in the holding out of these things that they might not forget the end for which they were now drawn forth and so exactly handled he interweaves many patheticall intreaties and pressing Arguments by way of Application for the confirming and establishing his countrey-men in the faith of this glorious Gospel as you may see almost in every Chapter 2. His Arguments lesse principall deduced from the former being very many may be referred to these 3. heads 1. The benefits by them enjoyed under the Gospel 2. The example of others who by faith and patience obtained the promises Chap. 11. 3. From the dangerous and pernicious consequence of back-sliding of which onely I shall speak Now this he setteth out 3. wayes 1. From the nature of that sin it is a crucifying to themselves the Son of God afresh and putting him to open shame Chap. 6. 6. a treading under foot the Son of God counting the blood of the Covenant an unholy thing and doing despite to the Spirit of grace Chap. 10. 29. 2. The irremedilesse punishment which attends that sin There remains no more sacrifice for it but a certain fearfull looking for of judgement and fiery indignation that shall consume the adversaries Chap. 10. 26 27. 3. The Person against whom peculiarly it is committed and that is he who is the Author subject and Mediator of the Gospel the Lord Jesus Christ concerning whom for the aggravation of this sin he proposeth two things 1. His Goodnesse and Love and that in his great undertaking to be a Saviour being made like unto his brethren in all things that he might be a mercifull and faithfull high Priest in things pertaining to God to make reconciliation for the sins of the people Chap. 2. 17. and of this there is a sweet and choise line running through the whole Discourse making the sin of back-sliding against so much love and condescension appear exceeding sinfull 2. His Greatnesse or Power which he sets out 2. wayes 1. Absolutely as he is God to be blessed for ever Chap. 1 and it is a fearfull thing to fall into the hands of the living God Chap. 10. 31. 2. Comparatively as he is the Mediator of the new Covenant in reference to Moses And this he setteth forth as by many and sundry Reasonings in other places of the Epistle so by a double testimony in this 12th Chapter making that inference from them both which you have v. 25. See that you refuse not him that speaketh for if they escaped not who refused him who spake on earth how much more shall not we escape if we turn away from him who speaketh from heaven Now the first testimony of his Power is taken from a record of what he did heretofore the other from a prediction of what he will do hereafter The first you have v. 26. in the first part of it His voice THEN shook the Earth then that is when the Law was delivered by him as it is described v. 18 19 20. foregoing When the mountain upon which it was delivered the Mediator Moses into whose hand it was delivered and the people for whose use it was delivered did all shake and tremble at the voice power and presence of Christ who as it hence appears is that Jehovah who gave the Law Exod. 20. 2. The other in the same verse is taken from a prediction out of Haggai 2. 16. of what he will do hereafter even demonstrate and make evident his Power beyond what ever he before effected He hath promised saying Yet once more I shake not the earth onely but also the heavens And if any one shall ask wherein this effect of the mighty power of the Lord Jesus consisteth and how from thence professors may be prevailed upon to keep close to the obedience of him in his kingdom the Apostle answers v. 27. And this word yet once more signifies the removing of those things that are shaken as of things that are made that those things which cannot be shaken may remain And thus am I stepped down upon the words of my Text finding them in the close of the Arguments drawn from the power of Christ to perswade professors to constancy in the paths of the Gospel and having passed through their coherence and held out their ayme and tendance their opening and Application comes now to be considered and herein these 3. things 1. The Apostles Assertion The things that are shaken shall be removed as things that are made 2. The proof of this Assertion This word once more signifieth no lesse 3. His Inference from this Assertion thus proved The things that cannot be shaken must remain In the first I shall consider 1. What are the things that are shaken 2. What is their shaking 3. What their removall being shaken For the first there is great variety of judgement amongst Interpreters the fore-going verse tells us it is not onely the Earth but the Heaven also but now what Heaven and Earth this should be is dubious is not apparent So many different apprehensions of the minde of God in these words as have any likenesse of truth I must needs recount and remove that no prejudice may remain from other conceptions against that which from them we shall assert The Earth say some is the men of the Earth living thereon and the
unto it's accomplishment Chap. 17. the Romane Harlot having procured the ten Kings or kingdoms into which the last head of the Romane Empire sprouted about the yeer 450. by the inundation of the Northern Nations to joyn with her they together make war against the Lambe v. 12 13 14. 12. The ten Horns which thou sawest upon the last head of the great Beast the Romane Monarchy are ten kings which have received no kingdoms as yet to wit when John saw the vision but receive power as Kings one houre with the Beast about 400. yeers after this the Pope ascending to his Soveraignty and these Western Nations growing into distinct Dominions about the same time 13. These have one minde that is as to the businesse in hand for otherwise they did and do vex one another with perpetuall broyls and wars and shall give their power and strength to the Beast or swear to defend the Rights of holy Church which is no other then Babylon and act accordingly 14. These make warre with the Lambe having sworn and undertaken the defence of holy Church or Babylon they persecuted the poore hereticks with fire and sword that is the witnesses of the Lambe and in them the Lambe himself striving to keep his kingdom out of the world and the Lambe shall overcome them shaking and translating them into a new mould and frame For he is Lord of lords and King of kings and they that are with him whose help and endeavours he will use are called and chosen and faithfull 16. The ten Horns which thou sawest upon the Beast being now shaken changed and translated in minde interest and perhaps Government these hate the whore and shall make her desolate are instrumentall in the hand of Christ for the ruin of that Antichristian State which before they served and naked and shall eat her flesh and burn her with fire Hence Chap. 18. 2. Babylon and that whole Antichristian State which was supported upon their power and greatnesse having lost it's props comes topling down to the ground Babylon the great is fallen is fallen v. 2. and the Saints take vengeance on the whore for all her former rage and crueltie Double unto her double according to her works v. 6. V. 9. And the Kings of the Earth being some of them shaken out of their dominion for refusing to close with the Lamb who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her learning practising false worship of her institution shall bewail her and lament for her as having received succour from her her monstaries and shavelings in their distresse whereunto indeed they were brought for her sake when they shall see the smoke of her burning beholding her darknesse stink and confusion in her finall desolation Now all this shall be transacted with so much obscurity and darknesse Christ not openly appearing unto carnall eyes that though many shall be purified and made white yet the wicked shall do wickedly and none of the wicked shall understand but the wise shall understand Dan. 12. 10. there shall be no such demonstration of the presence of Christ as to open the eyes of hardned men but at length having suffered the poore deceived wretches to drink of the cup prepared for them he appears himself gloriously Chap. 19. 13. in a more eminent manner then ever before to the totall destruction of the residue of opposers And that this will be the utmost close of that dispensation wherin now he walketh I no way doubt The Assertion being cleared and proved the Reasons of it come next to be considered and the first is that It shall be done by the way of Recompence and Vengeance It is the great day of the wrath of the Lambe Revel. 6. 17. The land shall be soaked with blood and the dust made fat with fatnesse For it is the day of the Lords vengeance and the yeer of recompense for the controversie of Zion Isa. 34. 7 8. The day of vengeance is in his heart when the yeer of his redeemed is come Isa. 63. 4. The Kings of the Earth have given their power to Antichrist indeavouring to the utmost to keep the kingdom of Christ out of the world What I pray hath been their main businesse for 700. years and upward even almost ever since the Man of Sin was enthroned How have they earned the Titles Eldest Son of the Church The Catholick and most Christian King Defender of the Faith and the like hath it not been by the blood of Saints is there not in every one of these kingdoms the slain and the banished ones of Christ to answer for in particular Hath not the blood of the Saints of Jesus yeleped by Antichrist and his adherents Wicklieffes and Lollards cried from the ground for vengeance upon the English Heaven and Earth for a long season did not their bodies lye in the streets of France under the names of Waldenses Albigenses and poore men of Lyons Hath not Germany and the annexed Territories her Husse and Hussile Hierome and Subutraguians to answer for is not Spaine's Inquisition enough to ruine a world much more a Kingdom Have not all these and all the Kingdoms round about washed their hands and garments in the blood of thousands of Protestants And do not the Kings of all these Nations as yet stand up in the roome of their Progenitors with the same implacable enmity to the power of the Gospel Shew me seven Kings that ever yet laboured sincerely to enhance the kingdom of the Lord Jesus and I dare boldly say Octavus quis fuerit nondum constat And is there not a cry for all this How long Lord holy and true doest thou not avenge our blood on them that live on the earth Revel. 6. 10. Doth not Sion cry The violence done to me and my flesh be upon Babylon and my blood upon those Heavens of the Nations And will not the Lord avenge his Elect that cry unto him day and night will he not do it speedily Will he not call the fowls of Heaven to eat the flesh of Kings and Captains and great men of the Earth Revel. 19. 18. Will he not make these Heavens like the wood of the vine not a pin to be taken off them to hang a garment on in his whole tabernacle The time shall come wherein the Earth shall disclose her slain and not the simplest Heretick as they were counted shall have his blood unrevenged neither shall any attonement be made for this blood or expiation be allowed whilest a toe of the Image or a bone of the Beast is left unbroken That by his own wisdom he may frame such a power as may best conduce to the carrying on of his own kingdome among the sons of men He hath promised his Church that he will give unto it holy Priests and Levites Isa. 66. 20 21. which shall serve at the great feast of tabernacles Zech. 14. 16. a
it can be no other but the power of the Romish Babylon supported by the Kings of the Nations which must therefore be shaken and dryed up 2. Morall or the Idolatry of the Gentile worshippers The Jews stick hard as yet at this that God should abolish any kinde of worship which himself had once instituted But that he should ever accept any false worship which he had once strictly prohibited and no where to this day appointed to this they will never be reconciled Now such is all the invented idolatrous worship which the Kings of the Earth have sucked in from the cup of fornication held out unto them in the hand and by the Authority of the Romane whore this still they cleave close unto and will not hearken to the Angels preaching the everlasting Gospel that men should worship him who made the Heavens and the Earth and the Sea and the fountains of waters Revel. 13. 6 7. that is the God of heaven in Jesus Christ in opposition to all their Ieonolatry Artolatry Hagiolatry Staurolatry and Masse abominations This then must also be removed and because as you saw before it is so rivetted and cemented into and with all the orbes of the Nations Heaven and Earth that they must be shaken and brought {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} before it can be effected 2. The second thing he hath to accomplish is the tremendous totall destruction of Babylon the Man of Sin and all his adherents that are not obedient to the heavenly call Revel. 18. 4. Now as Sampson intending the destruction of the Princes Lords and residue of the Philistines who were gathered together in their Idoll temple he effected it by pulling away the pillars whereby the building was supported whereupon the whole frame topled to the ground So the Lord intending the ruine of that mighty power whose top seems to reach to heaven will do it by pulling away the pillars and supporters of it after which it cannot stand one moment Now what are the Pillars of that fatall Building are they not the powers of the world as presently stated and framed pull them away and alas what is Antichrist It is the glory of the Kings put upon her that makes mens eyes so dazle on the Romane Harlot Otherwise she is but like the Egyptian deities whose silly worshippers through many glorious portles and frontispeices were led to adore the image of an ugly Ape Adde hereunto that in this mighty work the Lord Jesus Christ will make use of the Powers of the Nations the Horns of them that is their strength Rev. 17. 16. they must hate the whore and make her desolate and naked and eat her flesh and burn her with fire now whether this can be accomplished or no in their present posture is easily discernable Doth not the Papall Interest lye at the bottome of all or the most ruling lines of Christendome can that be ejected without unbottoming their own dominion do they not use the efficacy of the Romane jurisdiction to ballance the powers of their Adversaries abroad and to awe their Subjects at home hath he not a consider able strength in every one of their own Bosomes Are not the Locuists of their religious orders all sworn slaves to the Pope for number sufficient to make an Army to fight the greatest Emperour in the world Are not most Potentates tyed by Oath or other Compact to maintain either the whole or some part of the old Tower under the name of Rights of holy Church Prelates and the like and can any expect that such as these should take up the despised quarrell of the Saints against that flourishing Queen doubtlesse no such fruit will grow on these Trees before they are throughly shaken 4. That his own people seeing all earthly things shaken and removing may be raised up to the laying hold of that durable kingdom that shall not be removed All carnall interests will doubtlesse be shaken with that of Babylon Many of Gods people are not yet weaned from the things that are seen no sooner is one carnall form shaken out but they are ready to cleave to another yea to warm themselves in the feathered nests of unclean birds All fleshly dominion within doores and all civill dominion that opposeth without doores shall be shaken Now these things are so glewed also to mens earthly possessions the talons of the birds of prey having firmly seized on them that they also must be shaken with them And therefore from them also will he have us to be loosed 2 Pet. 3. v 12 13. And these are some of the Reasons of the Position layed down which is so bottomed so proved as you have heard of the speedy accomplishment of all this I no way doubt I beleeve and therefore I have spoken Whether I shall see any further perfection of this work whilest I am here belowe I am no way solicitous being assured that if I fail of it here I shall through the grace of him who loved us and gave himself for us meet with the treasures of it otherwhere Come we to the Uses The Rise of our first Vse I shall take from that of the Prophet Who is wise and he shall understand these things prudent and he shall know them for the wayes of the Lord are right and the just shall walk in them but the transgressors shall fall therein Hos. 14. 9. Labour for this heavenly wisdom and prudence that we may know these things and be acquainted with the minde and will of God in the season and generation wherein we live His way is not so in the dark nor his footsteps in the deep but that we may perceive what he is about Luk. 12. 54 55 56. our Saviour gives it in as a sure testimony of the Pharisees hypocrisie notwithstanding all their pretences and possession of Moses Chair that they were wise in earthly things and had drawn out experiences by long observation of what was like to come to passe as to the weather by considering the ordinary signes of the alterations thereof but notwithstanding that mighty effectuall concurrence of signes in heaven and earth with the accomplishment of Prophesies all pointing to the instant establishment of the kingdom of God in the coming of the Messiah not discerning them at all they come and cry If thou be the Christ give us a signe when without satisfying their sinfull curiosity heaven and earth was full of signes round about them Men who wil not receive God's signes suppose they should be wonderfull proficients in credulity might they have signes of their own fancying The rich Glutton thought that if his way of teaching might have been set up by men rising from the dead there would have been a world of converts more then were made by preaching the Word of God Men suppose that if God should now from heaven give in some discriminating prodigie oh how abundantly should they be