of places The conveniency of them is considerable but the holiness of them in these new Testament-times is a fancy Joh. 4.21 Iesus saith unto her Woman believe me the hour eometh when ye shall neither in this mountain nor yet at Ierusalem worship the Father Ceremonious Worship is antiquated and distinction of places taken away Christ prayed in a Mountain and taught in a Ship and by the Sea-side and saith Paul 1 Tim. 2.8 I will that men pray every where lifting up holy hands without wrath and doubting Look to this that your persons be right that you have holy hands and hearts and that your Prayers be right without wrath and doubting accompanied with Faith in God and Love to your Neighbour so you may pray every where 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in any place so that you do not do it with the Pharisee and Hypocrite to be seen of men Prayers saith Estius are at this day no less grateful to God in any Church or any other convenient and fitting place than at the Temple of Ierusalem But then take this Expression my holy Hill mystically for the Church of God and we shall find the name doth most aptly agree to it it is indeed the Hill of Gods holiness because the Church is made up of holy ones Thus Paul speaks in his Epistles 1 Cor. 1.2 Unto the Church of God which is in Corinth to them that are sanctified in Christ Iesus called to be Saints Ephes. 1.1 To the Saints which are at Ephesus and to the faithful in Christ Iesus So Col. 1.2 To the Saints and faithful Brethren in Christ which are at Coloss. This holy Temple is not to be made of any rubbish all persons are not to be admitted to the communion and enjoyments there tho they come sometimes reeling out of an Ale-house and at other times reeking out of a Whore house No no Saints only are proper matter here The Invisible Church is made up altogether of real Saints such as are born of God renewed in the spirit of their minds have been made partakers of the Holy Ghost not only in his common gifts but also in his special and saving Graces who coming unto Christ as to a living stone chosen of God and precious are as lively stones built up a spiritual house an holy Priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifice acceptable to God by Iesus Christ 1 Pet. 2.4 5. The Visible Church is and ought to be made up of such as are at least visibly holy men openly loose and flagitious known to be of prophane hearts and lives whose lewdness is in their skirts and who carry the Devils mark in their foreheads men that live a plain downright contradiction to the Religion they profess ought not to be admitted into that Congregation of the Lord. All the Visible Members are foederally holy they are entred into Covenant with God the Seal of that Covenant is upon them the Vows of God are upon them they have been set apart for God solemnly devoted to his Fear and Service and they ought to be such as make an open profession of God and Christ and Godliness and such as make it their endeavour so to live up to that their Profession that Religion may not be dishonoured and reproached by them nor others scandalized and offended And among these holy Ones it is that Gods dwells It is in the Golden Candelsticks that Christs walks It is unto the Saints that he communicates himself and manifests himself It is in heaven above that he dwells by the presence of his glory and in the Church below that he dwells by his gracious presence and therefore it may be and is most fitly called his Holy Hill. 3. Quest. The third Question we have to speak unto is this Who is that King whom God hath set upon his holy hill of Sion who is he that God the Father doth in the Text call his King. Ans. To this the Answer is ready It is no other than his own dearly beloved Son the Lord Jesus Christ him hath God exalted to be a Prince as well as a Saviour he hath not only laid the burden upon his shoulders the iniquities of us all but he hath laid also the Government upon his shoulder and put the Scepter into his hand all power Regal Magistratical power both in heaven and in earth is delivered and committed to him As he is the eternal Son of the eternal Father the second Person in the sacred Trinity God equal with God he hath a natural Kingdom As he is Mediator as God-man he hath Regnum Oeconomicum a dispensatory Kingdom unto which he was appointed and anointed this was the Fathers Donative he made him Head of the Church and head over all things to the Church So that his Authority and Royal power extends it self unto all the world for at his name that is not to be understood of the Syllabical name of Jesus but his power and to that every knee shall bow even the stiffest all in heaven all in earth and all under earth Angels Men and Devils all are subject to him all to be order'd imploy'd rul'd over-rul'd restrained by him as he pleaseth Some he hath in his heart and others he hath under his feet and there he will keep them let them kick and winch never so much He is King of kings and Lord of lords come ye earthly Monarchs lay your Crowns at the feet of Jesus it is his due for he is infinitely above you when in your greatest height and it is your wisdom and interest those that honour him he will honour Whether you do or no it is all one to him as to his own interest yet he shall be glorious and as to his work and design that shall be carried on his own pace and according to his own mind and pleasure and maugre all opposition brought to perfection But to bow to him and take part with him is to be your own Friends and to do your selves a kindness Those that will not be ruled by his Laws are and shall be over-ruled by his power If they will not chearfully submit to him they shall be fatally broken by him That voice will sound one day and it will be a dreadful sound in the ears of the profane and Antichristian world Bring hither those mine enemies that would not have me to reign over them and slay them before my face The special Rule and Government which Christ hath is over the Church it is in Sion there he is a King of Righteousness there a Prince of Peace He is that token of love which God hath sent to his people that glorious Sun which he hath set in the Churches Orb Isa. 9.6 To us a Son is born to us a child is given that is the Son of God as to his Deity the Son of David as to his Humanity He is given to us and born to us to the spiritual Israel to us who are the spiritual seed of Abraham and who tread
however divided among themselves yet in a close and strict Confederacy against my Son and though I have without any Merit or Desert of theirs out of my meer bounty given them Riches and Honour Pleasure and Power all this avails them nothing so long as they see Him sitting in Sion This is their Language We will not have this Man Reign over us No Barabbas rather than Iesus a Lust rather than Christ. God sees it and he smiles at it He that sits in the Heavens laughs the Lord will have them in derision And then salva res est there is no danger As long as God laughs Matters are well the Virgin-Daughter of Sion may shake her Head at them and laugh them to scorn Poor Creatures they are busie as Bees but what is it they would do if they could What is that great thing which they are so earnestly bent upon What a most cursed design in which Beelzebub and all his Crew do most heartily join with them It is to dethrone Christ and to rase the Foundations of the glorious City of God and to blot out from under Heaven the Name and Memorial of Ierusalem But God knows it is a vain endeavor Actum est The Matter is not only determined but effected I have set up my King And what do they set themselves against him They kick against the Pricks they will wound them they dash against a Rock that will break them in pieces they had as good and may with as much hope to speed heap Pelion upon Ossa and wage War with Heaven go about to pluck the Sun out of the Firmament and debase it into a Gloworm They might with as much reason attempt to stem the Tide and to chain the Ocean It is as easie for these proud but silly Projectors to unhinge the whole Frame of Nature For it is impossible 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a thing that can never be done I have established his Throne in Righteousness and in Judgment and therefore it is not in the power of Earth and Hell of Men and Devils to pull him down Psalm 97.8 9. Zion heard and was glad and the Daughters of Judah rejoyced because of thy Iudgments O Lord. For thou Lord art high above all the Earth Thou art exalted far above all Gods. So much may suffice for the opening of the things considerable in the Text and for the Doctrinal part I now come to the Applicatory which will be composed of Instruction Exhortation and Consolation Use 1. First By way of Instruction This most excellent and precious Truth may teach us to admire and bless and glorifie God the Father Yea let his high Praises be in our Hearts and Mouths for his putting this Honour upon Christ and thus exalting with his own Hand him whom Man despised and whom the Nations abhorred That thus to do is our unquestionable Duty doth evidently appear by that which the Apostle saith 2 Phil. 8.9 10 11. Being found in fashion as a Man he humbled himself and became obedient to the death even the death of the Cross wherefore God also hath highly exalted him and given him a Name which is above every name That at the name of Iesus every Knee should bow both of things in Heaven and things in Earth and things under the Earth and that every Tongue should confess that Iesus Christ is Lord to the Glory of God the Father This is that which we Christians ought to confess which we must in the worst of Times be free and forward and bold in the confession and publick owning of That that Jesus Christ who while Tabernacling among us was by the blind and wicked Iews counted no more than a Man the Son of a Carpenter yea the worst of Men the vilest of Sinners a meer Cheat and Impostor a Blasphemer that in his glorious Operations had assistance from the Prince of Devils He even He is Lord non cum limitatione quadam not with limitation as other Lords are who are but Men and no more and may be weak Men and unrighteous Men and cruel and unreasonable Men and so it is necessary they should be directed and bounded by Laws but Jesus is Lord absolute He is unlimited unbounded He hath all Power He is Lord over all the World and over all Creatures and doth whatsoever He pleaseth so to do is his Royal Prerogative his unquestionable Right Now as he is God-man Head over all things to the Church King of Sion and of Saints He is Gods King made so by God the Father and this is to be owned and confess'd to the Glory of God And we are obliged to seek his Glory for He hath sought our Good. We are beholden to the Father for our present Comforts and Hopes and for our future Salvation and Happiness as well as to the Son Yea there was a concurrence and contribution made to it by all the sacred Persons of the glorious Trinity But to the Matter before us As God the Father hath thus honoured Christ so must we honour the Father for doing so and there is great reason for it Take these two First That which we mentioned even now this advancement of Christ was the Fathers Act. It was He that exalted him to be a Prince and a Saviour He that gave him this excellent and super-eminent Name It was He that set him up for King and delivered into his Hand all Power both in Heaven and in Earth It was He that put all things under his Feet and gave him the Heathen for his Inheritance and the uttermost parts of the Earth for his Possession All is of the Father Heb. 5.5 Christ glorified not himself to be made an High Priest And by parity of Reason we may say He glorified not himself to be made a King but He that said unto him Thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee So again in Psalm 118.22 23. The Stone which the Builders refused is become the head Stone of the corner This is the Lords doing it is marvellous in our Eyes Well may it be so for it deserves to be so and may well command our highest Admirings and most grateful Returns But besides this consider Secondly In this Honour and Power which have been thus in infinite Wisdom conferred upon the Lord Jesus Christ by God the Father He had a special and most gracious Respect unto Us and our Good. It was for our sakes as well as for his As herein the Father designed and aimed at the Rewarding of his Son for all the hard things he had suffered and the unmatchable Service he had done so the security wellfare and happiness of those whom he had given to him Therefore he is made Head over all things to the Church He is Head over all over the Devil and his Instruments over Hell and Rome over the worst and greatest of Men He is higher than the highest of them in those things in which they deal proudly He is above them and He is so
you Let no Talents lie dead upon your Hands and unoccupied but be all imployed and improved for him to whom you owe your selves and your All. Do what you can for the Name and Interest of Christ. This was the excellent Account which the holy Apostle Paul was able to give of himself Philip. 1.21 That to him to live was Christ. And it will be well very well for us if we through Grace are able to give up the like Account of our selves that while to too too many to live is Sin and the World to fulfil the Lusts of the Flesh to heap up Riches to advance in Honours to pursue the empty and perishing Delights which the Creatures afford we fly a more sublime and lofty pitch for to us to live is Christ. Our hearts are immovably fixed upon Christ and devoted to him Our Projects and Designs are laid for Christ Our Lives and Actions are directed unto Christ to his Honour and advancement of his Interest the increasing of the number of his Subjects and enlarging the Bounds of his Empire It is the positive and declared Will of God That men should honour the Son even as they honour the Father Now let us all conform and be obedient to this Will as we will answer the contrary at our peril It is far better for us to live to Christ than to our selves or to any thing else in the World. This will yield us the greatest Peace and Comfort here together with the greatest Profit and Reward hereafter They that live to Christ will never see cause to repent of it whatever else they repent of they will never see cause to reflect upon it with a Blush for they live to good purpose to the best and most excellent purpose Those Persons shall find no reason to be ashamed of so living nor to be afraid of dying when they are called hence nor tremble at the thoughts of giving up their Account when called to appear before their Judge Let me therefore in the first place direct my Discourse to you who are private Christians and accordingly move in the lowest and narrowest Sphere of Activity If you have an Heart such as you should have you even you are in a capacity of doing something for Christ though not so much as others above you I pray give me leave to ask What have you done And now do you take up the Question and bring it home to your selves and propound it seriously to your own Souls O my Soul what have I done You have lived several Years in the World some fewer some more you have some of you been great Talkers and made an high Profession of Faith in Christ and Love to him and I do not in the least question but some of you have taken a great deal of pains and eaten your Bread in the sweat of your Brows you have wrought hard for your selves and your Families you have had multitudes of Thoughts and been taken up with carking Cares you have risen up early and sate up late and eaten the Bread of Carefulness you have watch'd and you have work'd and wearied your selves with working and when you have not met with the desired Success you have fretted and pined and could almost for grief and vexation tear off your Hair But now inquire What have you in the midst of all this done for Christ Certainly he deserves something of you He humbled himself for you he suffered and died for you he became a Curse for you He did bear your Iniquities and his Fathers Wrath He made peace and purchas'd Heaven for you And all this deserves something You owe him a great deal no less than your All and you are shamefully disingenuous and ungrateful if you do not study Returns Besides this consider as he died so he rose again a Conqueror and is a King upon his Vesture and his Thigh there is this glorious Name written King of Kings and Lord of Lords And so he is able to reward you to make up all your Losses to satisfie you for all your Labours to answer all your Hopes and to exceed your highest Expectations Well then call your selves to an Account before God call you to it for he will do it one day What have you done for Christ If you have done much if you have been stedfast immovable and abounding in the Work of the Lord take the Comfort of it knowing that God is not unrighteous to forget it your Labour shall not be in vain you shall enter into Joy. But still go on and endeavour to do more and abound in it more and more for none of you have as yet done enough but have cause to mourn at your coming off so pitifully If there be any of you that to this day hath done nothing for Christ and truly I do fear yea I greatly fear there are too many such in this Congregation and in all you have had a great many Irons in the Fire and all of them diligently minded and tended while Christ hath been forgotten and neglected let me ask you Doth Conscience say nothing to you Have you not sometimes some secret Checks and inward Gripes If in such a Case as this Conscience be silent if it do not reprove you and set this Sin before you really your Case is sad But I shall do my Duty and in the Name of God I advise you to be ashamed and to begin your Duty now and double your diligence upon the account of your former slothfulness neglect and wofully mis-spent Time not knowing how soon your Breath may be stopp'd and all Opportunities for Service taken from you Now now begin and go on to speak for him plead the Cause of his Name Ordinances and Institutions and do not do it with a cold Indifference but as becomes Persons nearly concerned Commend him to your Families Relations Friends and Neighbours See what Hearts you can get for him Love him your selves with all entireness of Affection and do what you can to allure and draw others to love him too Dan. 12.3 They that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the Firmament and they that turn many to Righteousness as the Stars for ever and ever Labour then my beloved Friends labour hard as those that have a dear and fervent Love to this lovely Iesus and as those who also have an eye to this glorious Recompence of Reward In the next place I shall with faithfulness and earnestness yet with all due respect offer my Advice and Request to my Reverend Fathers and Brethren in the Ministry who hold the Head by whatsoever Sentiments and Opinions they are divided and distinguished Of and among whom all that are sound in the Faith and accompany their Labour in the Word and Doctrine with an unblamable holy and exemplary Conversation I greatly love and highly esteem and honour You are Embassadors for Christ Oh do not forget that You ought to be his Paranymphs the real and hearty Friends of this ever-blessed