decay and made him grow old in his youth now he grows young when he is old renews his strength as the Eagle and Rev. 16.17 the voice from the throne saies It is done Fourthly it is a Throne of Judgement for out of the throne comes thunderings and lightenings and voices Rev. 4.5 there do not only mercies and graces ascend upon the Saints but there are also very terrible things against the enemies of Christ and these Judgements are either temporal or spiritual either upon the enemies of Christ or upon the Saints First upon the enemies of Christ there are great Judgements that proceed out of the throne he did deliver Iudas unto Satan in an Ordinance when he stood upon his throne and so he doth bind men over unto wrath for his sitting on this throne of Iudgement is but a praeludium to the Iudgement that he shall pronounce against his enemies in the great day Isa 6.10 Go make the hearts of this people fat and make their ears heavy of all Iudgements none are like spiritual Iudgements And also great temporal Iudgements Rev. 8.3,5 there was a golden Altar before the throne and from the incense offered upon that Altar there came forth thunderings and lightenings and voices and earth-quakes c. this is all the Trumpets of Iudgement that sounded against the Churches enemies they did all come forth of the throne though the prayers of the Saints did procure them and all the ruines and over-throws that ever have befalen the enemies of Christ and the Gospel have proceeded from this throne when God is exalted amongst his people and let us comfort our selves with this the Lord raigns for ever he doth still sit upon the same throne of Iudgement and therefore so long as he sits upon his throne he will scatter away every evil thing as it is said Prov. 20.8 A King that sitteth on his throne of Iudgement seatters away all evil with his eyes c. let what enemies there will arise they shall fall by the thundring and lightning and voices that come from this throne Secondly against Gods own people for his throne is established by righteousness and therefore he will not spare his own people when he is in the middle of them but as he doth delight himself in their graces and therefore loves to be in the middle of them so he will punish their corruptions also and there are some spiritual Iudgements for them also Rev. 2.4,5 Yet I have something against thee because thou hast lost thy first love and I will come against thee quickly except thou repent and will remove thy Candlestick from thee which is the greatest spiritual Iudgement that can befall a people that though they that were godly should continue godly still and they could never be cast out of the number of the invisible Church yet they shall be looked upon as a visible Church unto Christ no more but he will take away the Ordinances and will depart from them and they shall fade away in their iniquities and so for temporal Iudgements also as sickness yea and temporal death it is a sentence that the Lord Iesus doth pronounce from his Throne 1 Cor. 11.30 For this cause many of you are sick and weak many of you fall afleep yet they are therein chastised of the Lord that they might not be condemned with the world it is done in mercy and not in wrath in much compassion unto their souls doth the Lord lay affliction upon their bodies yea even unto death it self for they that are embraced with everlasting loving kindness may sometimes dye under a temporal displeasure as it seems Iosiah did and so have many other Saints Vse First be exhorted to see Christ as present upon the throne for without this you come not to him but unto the duty he doth call unto you behold me behold me that worship that is terminated in any thing below him is a false worship and that faith also that doth not raise the soul up to him is a feigned faith but what are the signs of his presence how should a man know whether he be present or no these three things being premised you may try whether you have ever found him thus present c. First the Lord is present unto no unregenerat men in their duties they that live without God do pray without God and they fast without God therefore they must first desire his presence unto their conversion for as I have often told you an unregenerate mans services are no more accepted by God then when he swears or lyes c. for his services proceed from the same principle that his sins do c. Secondly God is not alwaies present unto the Saints but he doth sometimes withdraw himself as the Spouse complains My beloved hath withdrawn himself they seek him but they find him not he doth hide his face and he doth cover himself with a cloud that though they seek the Lord yet he is a stranger unto them if they walk in the waies of sin c. Thirdly even when he is present to the Saints yet he is not present to all of them in the same measure some have a fuller presence of God and a clearer discovery as some have a clearer Revelation of his mind so some have a clearer discovery of his presence then others in this life and it is so with the Saints even in glory that they behold his face continually yet they have divers degrees of glory some have a more full and perfect discovery of God then others have When God is present to the Saints here First the heart will be over-awed there is nothing will over awe the heart but Gods presence how dreadful is this place saies Iacob he had a discovery of God to him as present with him and it made the very place fearful to him the heart of man is very fearless of God naturally when a man doth come into the presence of God without Consideration and goes out of his presence without fear it is a sign that God was not present Secondly if God be present thy heart will be carried out to loath thy self for he that sees God in his glory will surely abhor himself in dust and ashes Iob 42.5,6 and will see himself undone there is no soul that ever enjoyed the presence of God but it makes him nothing of himself and so do the glorious Angels in heaven God is all in all unto them and they are in themselves nothing Thirdly if the Lord be present with thee thy heart will fall in love with him and thou wilt be carried out in admiration of him when a man sees the beauty of God and his glory in the Sanctuary a man would dwel there for ever he would dwel in the house of the Lord all the dayes of his life conversing with God and he would not be weary but it is wearisom to converse with duties only Moses was not weary when he was in the Mount
for outward mercies I even for spiritual mercies Secondly give some grounds and reasons to demonstrate the truth thereof how it comes to pass that there should be so much danger that a people should become the worse for mercies For the proof that you may understand the more distinctly let me lay it down in a double distinction of mercy Mercies are either Privative or Positive Privative that is deliverances preservations from varieties of evils and dangers which otherwise we were liable unto and indeed it is a good rule that some Divines have Majores sunt gratiae Privativae quam Positivae our Privative mercies are greater and more then our Positive mercies are though we perceive them not the dangers that we are delivered from are more then the present mercies we do enjoy Now let us see whether Privative mercies make men the worse when men are delivered do they grow the worse for their deliverance look to this Deut. 32.26 the Lord speaks of a great Privative mercy I said I would scatter them into Corners I would make the remembrance of them to cease from among men were it not that I feared the wrath of the enemy least their adversaries should behave themselves strangely least they should say Our hand is high I delivered them from their enemies when I took no argument from them for their deliverance then I took an argument from their enemies the Lord made use of that argument I would have given them into the hand of their enemies but I feared least they would wax proud what good now did this deliverance do this people in the 32. Verse Their Vine is the Vine of Sodom and their grapes are the grapes of Gomorrah here is the fruit now that these men brought forth of their Privative mercies that the Lord did not give them into their enemies hands for all that the people grew more wicked under these and their grapes were c. in this manner they improved their corruptions then certainly deliverances Privative mercies men are in danger to grow the worse by them In Psal 78.38 Many a time he turned his wrath away and would not suffer his whole displeasure to arise Were the people the better for it afterwards No they grew so much the more rebellious I will give but one instance more of Privative mercies and it is a famous one And it were well we made these our looking glasses Jonah is sent to prophesie against Niniveh VVithin fourtie dayes and Niniveh shall be destroyed the King with the City were awakened and humbled themselves before God and the Lord was pleased to defer the Judgement they were delivered were the people ever the better or was this deliverance in mercy No the people were never the better as appears if you look to the prophesie of Nahum where you have the destruction of that people threatned to be at hand this people that had fasted and prayed yet notwithstanding vengeance comes upon them with greater fury afterwards In Nahum 3.3,4 Woe to this City that is full of blood and lyes God spared her for a time and respited his wrath but then his wrath came upon them to the utmost thus Privative mercies may make men grow the worse And men may be delivered and a Nation delivered and they growing worse for it the Lord may reserve them to further plagues Secondly there are Positive mercies and they are of two sorts and men are in danger of growing worse by both of them Either temporal or spiritual mercies as if the Lord give men the Scriptures they are in danger to wrest them to their own destruction 2 Pet. 3.6 if God give them his Gospel they are in danger to turn his grace into wantonness In the Epistle of Iude ver 4. Not the word of grace but the priviledges of grace if God give men the Ordinances they say The temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord And we are delivered to commit all this abomination Ier. 7.8,9 and so in Heb. 6.7,8 there is the ground that drinks in the rain of Ordinances and Influences and yet brings forth Briers and Thorns So if men receive spiritual priviledges they may be the worse for them Mat. 3.9 Nay spiritual divination and be in danger to be the worse for it Paul was so 2 Cor. 3.7 there was sent a Messenger of Satan to buffet him least he should be lifted up overmuch Nay spiritual motions and operations Heb. 6.5,6 there are men enlightned that have tasted of the good word of God been made partaker of the gifts of the holy Ghost and tasted the powers of the world to come these are great works and yet notwithstanding what do these do these fit a man for the great Apostacy such as can never admit of a renovation thus When the unclean spirit goes forth out of the man which is a great common work too yet he returns with seven worse spirits then certainly spiritual mercies indanger men they that know most of God and Christ are in great danger to be the worse for such mercies And so it is true of temporal mercies too if you will take notice of that Hosea 1. it is a whole proof of the point in hand the text tells what is the mother of all the decay there spoken of even until they are called Loami they are not my people What is the mother of all this Diblaim and that properly signifies bunches of dryed Figgs and it is and was commonly interpreted to be a great dainty among them Cakes of Figgs were part of Abigals present to David By this the Lord sets forth their great plenty and abundance this is the mother the people had abundance and their hearts were set upon it What was the daughter to this people Gomer the word doth signifie perfection or defection commonly Interpreters take it in the last sense that is brought forth that great defection that great consumption that came upon the whole Land then certainly men may be the worse for temporal mercies that instance I am sure is plain enough in Dan. 7.2 out of the four winds that contended upon the great Sea there arose four beasts When they were grown great so as to become Monarchs they forgate to be men and became beasts and never till then never beasts till they became Monarchs thus there is a great deal of danger that men should grow the worse for temporal mercies I shall give one instance more in Neh. 9.25,26 they took strong Cities and a fat Land and possessed houses full of all goods c. and did eat and were filled and became fat c. Nevertheless they were disobedient and rebelled against thee here were men that were a great deal the worse for their plenty the Scripture is full of such instances Let this serve for the proof of the point But you will say to me What is the reason are the mercies of God of such a malignant nature so invenomed that they make men grow thus and thus the
the poor they are all the work of his hands they shall be all judged alike and shall all stand up alike before the Judgement Seat of Christ distances amongst men may perswade the vain mind of man that there is something that makes them differ but with the Lord it is not so and it is a small thing as well as a vain to profess we know God when in works we deny him And the fruit of all this is that thou maist make thy way prosperous and then thou shalt have good success the words have many efficacies prosperous that is to have all things go well with him and his undertaking to answer his design whereas many times it doth not but the contrary and the counsels of wise men are turned backwards and though they conceive one thing yet another is brought forth it is as the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a man that goes well on in his way and it is the same word used Psal 1. Whatsoever he does shall prosper and the other word for good success it doth signifie to do wisely the Septuagint 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 viam tuam diriges intelliges eam Jerom. Jerom. Res tanta est ex qua omnis ratio Magistratus bene gerendi pendebat inculcanda est Massius Massius in loc Doctrine The only way for a godly Magistrate to rule wisely and prosperously is in all his government to have respect unto the word and to keep close thereunto First this is the way to walk by an un-erring rule let me tell you the policies of men will deceive you for they do many times deceive themselves the wise are taken in their own craft and burnt as Bees in their own hives and the Devil doth commonly make use of the wisdom of the wise also cupit diabolus c. Satan hath his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 any man can act the Devils lusts but all men cannot understand and reach his depths therefore the Devil will make use of wise men in the world this way but this is a rule in which a man shall never err never miscarry Prov. 19.16 he that keeps the Commandments keeps his soul and as many as walk according to this rule peace be upon them it is the way to peace only Secondly this is the only vvay to rule with God Hos 11.12 they rule for God ye Iudge not for men but for the Lord and it is a great happiness to have God rule with them there are tvvo great Judgements that in a special manner vve should fear the one is to have God to depart from our Magistrates and the other from our Ordinances 2 King 18.6,7 Hezekiah clave to the Lord and departed not from him but kept his Commandments so the Lord was with him and he prospered in all things he took in hand every Government doth stand upon a double Covenant First between God and the Magistrate Secondly between the Magistrate and the people 2 King 11.17 between the Lord and the King and the people that they should be the Lords people likewise between the King and the people So that a people coming under the authority of men and obeying them for conscience sake it is still with respect unto the authority of God that they will so be under government as they wil be the Lords people still therefore the care of Magistrates should be not only that they rule in a way of providence Dan. 4.17 but in a way of grace Magnus Caesar sed Deo minor and whilest the Magistrate rules according to the word of God and hath respect to it in his Government so long God rules in and with the Magistrate and therefore all that he doth undertake shall prosper Thirdly this is the only way to have the spirit to be their guide in Government he hath undertaken to his people to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Leader not only as Saints as he is to all the Saints in general but also in their particular places and callings and imployments Ioh. 16.13 he shall lead you into all truth it is not to be understood in omnem veritatem absolute but necessariam all that is necessary to your calling imployments and condition in which he hath set you and where shall a man hear the voice of the spirit speaking but in the word it is in the Sanctuary of the Lord there David found the rule he was shewed the way the way of the spirit is in the word it is the light that shines in a dark place unto which you do well to give heed Fourthly this is the way to come under the favourable aspect of many gracious promises of success and prosperitie in your undertakings and administrations 1 King 2.3 Keep the charge of the Lord thy God his Statutes his Commandments his Judgements his Testimonies that thou mayst prosper in all that thou doest and whithersoever thou turnest thy self 2 Chron. 22.13 Only the Lord give thee wisdom that thou mayst keep the Law of the Lord thy God then shalt thou prosper c. 2 Chron. 24.20 Zachary was cloathed with the spirit and he had need be so that speaks to an apostatizing Magistracie and to a revolted and backsliding people and he said that they did transgress the Commandment of the Lord and therefore they could not prosper and Zach. 11.16 there is an Idol Shepherd or a foolish Shepherd it points unto the folly of the Government that was afterward to arise that is when they did forsake the Law of the Lord and what wisdom was there in them then Their Arm their power and authority with the people and their Eye their counsel shall be nothing but they shall err and cause the people to err in every work of their hands the Lord will mingle a perverse spirit upon them c. Use Then surely this is the way for you to prosper and this will be your wisdom in the sight of the Nations to keep close to the word and here I shall exhort you to keep close to the word First in the Doctrine of it Secondly in the worship it holds forth Thirdly in practice First for Doctrine Let the word be alwaies before you that you may receive it and give a testimony to it there is a form of Doctrine a pattern of wholsome words there is a personal foundation and there is a doctrinal foundation Heb. 6.1 Rev. 21.14 which the Saints ought to build upon all the superstructures let them be for clearing the truth and establishing not for subverting of the faith Sit profectus fidei non permutatio under persecution Satan acted another part Cogit homines negare Christum nunc docet Austin Austin Here are three things that I shall speak to First that the great interest Christ hath in the world is Truth First it is that by which Christ rules and conquers Psal 110.2 Rev. 6.2 Secondly it is that upon which the Church stands
deliver you no more as our Lord Christ after his satisfaction is said to finish transgression and make an end of sin so men by their transgressions may finish and make an end of mercy also it may come to its full number Now why doth the Lord in this manner record and number the mercies he hath bestowed upon a people surely it is in reference unto a Judgement he will call them to an account for the place where he set them on a fruitful hill the wall he made about them of protection the wine-press of Ordinances that he set up in them and the overthrow of their enemies that he wrought for them Thirdly the abuse of mercies is by God imputed to men and punished by him wo to Ariel Ariel was either the Altar of God where the sacrifices were offered or the Lyon of God quod vicinas Gentes subjugasset and yet there is a woe unto them Have I been a Wilderness to you or a Land of darkness and what iniquity have your Fathers found in me therefore I will be a Lyon unto Ephraim and as a Leopard I will observe them And what are these but ultimi judicii praeindicium for now the reasons of Gods Judgements are secret and no soul sees them but the Lord will make it appear in the day 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the day of Revelation of his righteous Judgement and all the Nations of the world shall see that it is not without cause all that the Lord hath done therefore particular Judgements are resemblances of the general Judgement it s said the Sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood Rev. 6.12,13,14 There was a great earth-quake and the Sun became black as a sack-cloth of hair c. which some have misapplyed unto the day of Judgement because of the resemblance in the description of it but it hath a great resemblance because it was all in reference to it therefore all the mercies that people do receive they are in reference to an account Doctrine 4. Fourthly answerable unto mens receits so shall their account be they that have received much shall account for much and they that have received little shall but for a little he that hath received five talents must look to reckon for five and he that hath received but two shall count for no more it is some kind of comfort unto them that have received but a few talents that they count but for a few as he did comfort his friends that had but one eye he should count but for the sins of one eye and it is a comfort unto godly men many times who have little of the things here below that their account for them shall be less then many another mans and it is a great ground of fear and terrour unto them who have received much from God surely great will their account be some shall account for an hundred talents and others but for few indeed much mercy is sweet in the receit but it is sad in the account and yet thus it must be upon a double ground First because all the mercies of God are given unto eternal ends and therefore they shall all of them be brought forth and accounted for in the eternal Judgement its true that the Lord hath some temporal acts that he doth in time but he hath no temporalends they are all of them eternal and all that men do all their actions also are in reference unto eternal ends therefore they shall all be brought forth at the eternal judgement so shall all that the Lord doth also and though the frame of this world shall stand but for a season yet the Lord will have an eternal glory thereby when all the creatures shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the sons of God so though there be great variety of mercies given to the children of men yet the glory that God shall have by them shall be everlasting glory as it is in our acts of sin though it be but for a season yet the misery will be everlasting so though Gods acts to the creature in this life be but temporal yet the glory of them will be everlasting there is not any one of these temporal mercies that you enjoy but the Lord doth them to eternal ends and therefore he will reap by them eternal glory and therefore some make that the meaning of that place Eccles 3.14 What ever the Lord doth he doth for ever ab imutabilitate men can change none of the works that they do indeed men may do works in one age which the next age may destroy and pluck down but men cannot do so of the worksof God what he doth there is no man can add to it or take from it For the ends of all Gods works they have all of them reference to eternity he doth them all for an eternal end which shall remain when the work is destroyed yet it shall attain its end and shall redound unto his eternal glory Secondly because all the Judgements of God shall be righteous Judgements now righteousness doth consist in a proportion therefore it shall be exactly answerable unto mens sins which they have committed and to the mercies which they have received it must neither exceed nor fall short there is a great deal of difference between acts of soveraignty and dominion in God when the will of God only is to be looked upon and the acts of his Justice wherein he will deal with the creature by a rule and will plead with him in a rational way so as he shall in the Judgements of God be his own Judge also therefore he is said Esa 28.17 to lay Judgement to the line and Righteousness to the plummet that is summa equitate jus reddere Forer Forer Therefore the Lord will be very exact in it in setting mens accounts in order before them for Jesus Christ shall Judge as man by the man Christ Iesus and therefor it shall be done in such a way as men may be capable of and may understand the reason of his proceedings that so they may justifie the Lord and therefore the Saints are said to Iudge the world because they shall be assessors with him when they shall hear the mercies that he hath bestowed and how he doth require of men his own again in that great day of their account Use If it be so that answerable to mens receits shall their account be then let us consider our mercies that God hath bestowed upon us what persons what people can equal us in mercies surely such will our account be without parallel we are all for receiving mercies at receits we are good but who doth think of his account Go to now you rich men weep and howl you great men men of great gifts men of high place men of great interest let me tell you answerable unto all this will your account be ye that pride your selves in what you have received
also and that is the presence here spoken of First it is a throne of glory and majesty the Throne the Scepter and the Crown are inter regalia that belong unto the royalty of the great King all these belong unto Christ the Crown he is crowned with glory and honour and he hath a Scepter which is sometimes the Word Psal 110.2 and sometimes the Sword Ezek. 21.10 what if it destroy the King and reach unto the greatest amongst men for judgement shall in a special manner reach them Verse 14. It was part of Solomons glory that he built unto himself a high throne of Ivory and a King sitting upon this throne appears in his glory and therefore at the last day when that great white throne of Christ shall be erected Rev. 20.11 it is said of him that he shall sit upon the throne of his glory and therefore Ezek. 10.4 and the glory of the Lord went up from the Chimney and stood over the threshold of the house and the house was filled with the cloud c. and so there is in the middle of his people 2 Cor. 3. ult we beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord there is that discovery of Christ to be glorious amongst his people as there is nowhere in the world beside they see he is altogether lovely they can see a beauty and an excellency in him above all the world they are able to describe him in his glory from head to foot when other men say What is thy beloved there is no beauty or comliness in him that he should be desired now as the Lord did to Moses when he did desire him shew me thy glory the Lord causeth his goodness to pass before him and so Iob 42.5 Now my eyes see thee c. it was such a discovery of glory as he never had before and so it was with Isa 6.34 and so Rev. 22.4 they shall see his face and his name shall be writ in their fore-heads as in Heaven the habitation of his holyness and glory there are such discoveries given forth of God which also are voluntary and in such a degree as he pleaseth for there is a Lumen gloriae as well as gratiae that is from the spirit of illumination and as God is pleased to discover more or less of his glory so have the Saints in heaven more or less glory for their glory consists in vision the more they see of him the more they enjoy him and the more they are made like unto him so it is in this life also there is a Vision of faith and it is more or less according unto the different degrees of the Spirit of illumination Eph. 1.17 and it is this revelation of Christ that is the ground of believing in him Ioh. 6.40 he that sees the son and believes in him and so Isaiah sawe his glory and spake of him Ioh. 12.41 There are different discoveries made unto the souls of the Saints of the excellency of his person the King in his beauty the all sufficiency of his righteousness the glory of his holiness the fulness of his spirit the compleatness of his victories c. We see what a common work did to Balaam and how mightily it affected him and transported him how much more then a saving and a supernatural work upon the souls of the Saints the vision of Christ in his glory will be much illustrated as it is by a discovery of sin in its filthyness when the Lord sets a mans sin in order before him the Law entred that the offence might abound Rom. 7. not to make it to be more then it is for the Law adds no evil unto sin but it discovers it that a man sees it to be the most hateful thing that which before he loved more then his life and could venture all to attain it now he would give any thing to be rid of it so there is a vision of Christ that is manifested unto his people in the Gospel by which they are really and spiritually affected and carried out into love and admiration of him the vail of the covering that is upon all flesh being taken away and according to the reality and fulness of this discovery so doth a mans affections rise towards him Ioh. 14.21 I will manifest my self to him he had a manifestation before but he shall have a further manifestation for the Lord doth arise in the soul as the Sun of Righteousness as the morning his goings forth are prepared as the morning that shines more and more unto the perfect day and the more of the glory of Christ is discovered in the Gospel the more the man doth see the King upon his Throne for he doth sit upon a Throne of glory in the middle of his people as it is with sin there is a rational conviction of sin and that is light without heat and so there is a rational revelation of Christ that will harden the heart but will never melt it as there are Consolations from men taken out of the word but they will never satisfie the soul so there are discoveries of Christ from men which is but by the hearing of the ear but there is a sight of him and it is that only doth affect the heart c. Secondly it is a throne of soveraignty a throne doth belong to a King and so is a note of supream authority so in the government of the Angels the voice that commands them is from the throne that is in the Firmament over their heads Ezek. 1.25 so doth the Lord sit upon his throne and all his people are gathered about him that they may sit down at his feet and receive his Law Deut. 33.3 and he gives Laws unto the consciences of men for the word is mighty in operation and sharper then a two-edged sword dividing between the joynts and the marrow and discerns the secret intentions of the heart Heb. 4.12 The efficacy of the Law depends upon the authority of the Law-giver and therefore till that be seen the Law is of no power when a man doth see that it comes from him that is Lord of the conscience and Judge of the conscience as what is the reason that at the day of Judgement the conscience shal be specially awakened to accuse or excuse men Rom. 2.15,16 it is because then the majesty of the Law-giver shall be then most gloriously seen and in the authority of the Law giver lies the efficacie of the Law that as upon Mount Sinai the mountain did shake when the Lord did utter his voice so there shall be a shaking and a terrour struck into the hearts of men they shall have a dread and an awe upon them of that Majesty and authority from whence it comes though before they regarded it not It is wonderful to see the impressions that are made upon the souls of unregenerate men by this authority when they have but a glimps from a common work of this King upon his Throne
Oh Samaria hath cast thee off c. and the Eastern part of the Empire Rev. 9.20 It was their Idolatry in worship that did it Fourthly it will bring vengeance upon the Nations as well as on the Churches Hos 8.7 They have sown wind and reapt the whirl-wind Ezek. 10.2 fire from the Altar and scattered over the City it burns the hottest 2. Chron. 7.20 I will pluck you up by the roots out of the Land saies God Thirdly keep close to the word in point of practise also personal holiness the Lord requires of them that would prosper in their way and have God with them in their Government 1 Sam. 12.24,25 they had set up a new Government and the Lord had answered their desires I but he saith fear the Lord and serve him in truth and with all your hearts and consider how great things the Lord hath done for you but if you shall still do wickedly c. there the wickedness of a people indulged by the Magistrate will bring a Judgement upon the Government 1 King 14.5,7 if thou shalt walk before me as David thy Father walked in integrity of heart then c. Here you see the Apostacy of the Governors will bring a Judgement upon the Nation nay though it be but a personal Apostacy hear and fear and tremble you that are the Rulers of the Nation Secondly this is the way to get you honour in the hearts of men when you reform your lives purifie your hearts and your houses as well as your hearts there is a double image that the Magistrate must gain authority by an Image in you as men as well as upon you as Magistrates the Elders were crowned and also cloathed with white garments Rev. 4.9 Thirdly not keeping close to the word in point of practice is the way to provoke God to lay you aside and not to delight in you he loves vessels fitted for the Masters use when you are faithful to God in waies of holiness as well as unto the Nation in waies of Justice Isa 8.2 And I took unto me faithful witnesses to record Uriah the Priest c. A man may be faithful in discharging some trust put upon him by men but yet be unfaithful to God in waies of holiness Contah was a despised broken Idol a vessel in whom God had no pleasure one that God will set himself to disgrace God will pour out contempt upon Princes and all ungodly Magistrates and if you also walk unholily there will be a shame poured upon all your glory they must be called and faithful and chosen that God will delight to use Consider the Judgement upon Shebna he and all his lumber was cast down Isa 22.16,17,18 if men in authority be vain-glorious and self-seeking though they have made many men their creatures and raised parties to strengthen their interest God will sweep away all such rubbish Fourthly this will be a testimony to you if you walk holily and faithfully that you are called to the imployment in mercy and not in wrath if the graces of the condition God hath placed you in be exercised indeed a man may exercise parts and gifts but â—…at doth not make a man acceptable in the sight of God if the imployment a man is in do draw out and improve his corruption certainly it was in wrath not in mercy that he was placed in it therefore Remember your first love 2 Chron. 17.3,5,6 walk in your first waies that yee may have an interest in God to attain mercy from him for your selves and for the people Oh how powerful would the prayers of gracious Magistrates be and how able are they as Moses was to stand in the gap and to turn away wrath they are the shields of the earth Psal 47.9 and they are to be scuta Deo hominibus to keep off Judgements from breaking in upon the people from God as well as violences one from another and can a man do that can he think to turn off wrath from a Nation who doth expect Judgement upon himself daily and is in continuall danger of it And if there be any amongst you that are unsound-hearted under all your shews the Lord will discover you for Iob 34.30 He will not have the hypocrite raign lest the people be ensnared the word signifies a man that walks in a cloud or hath an artificial covering that men may not see and observe his steps God hates such men in authority and for his peoples sake he will not have them raign therefore let me exhort you to be sincere and truly holy in your own persons many of you have been judged so to be continue in it manifest it let it appear that you are better by authority not worse you are called Gods upon earth Oh how unworthy the name of a God will such be A drunken God an unclean covetous God c. Oh let such things be not so much as named amongst you but with abhorrency as becomes Saints see to whom the promise of protection is made and of exaltation also Isa 33.15 he that walketh righteously and speaketh uprightly he that despiseth the gain of oppression that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil he shall dwell on high and the place of his defence shall be the munitions of Rocks bread shall be given him and his waters shall be sure c. I le add but a few considerations a little to quicken you to this duty I le but name them Consider first the mercies that you have received Deut. 8.10 a people purchased with mercy redeemed with a mighty hand saved yea with great salvation Secondly the opportunities you have had Prov. 17.16 opportunity is a price talentum maximum there is a time when the Angels stir the waters and if you miss an opportunitie of doing good God may never honour you with one again Thirdly remember the promises that you have made in the daies of your distress c. What have you held forth to the Nation nay to all the world with hands lifted up to the most high and vowed the endeavour of a reformation and it is a snare after vows to make enquiry the delay of a vow was visited upon Iacob twentie years after c. Fourthly consider the expectation of the Nations all the eyes of the Saints all the world over are upon you and they look what you will do God hath made your cause leading let not your example hinder them that follow you in the way that you have gone c. Fifthly it will be a mighty testimony of your uprightness that your heart is for God and that you are set against evil things persons c. Psal 139.21,22 David appeals to God in it Oh that many of you could do so as he said amicum amo in Deo inimicum propter deum they are your corruptions that are snares both to you and the Nation Sixthly what account
your wisdom above Gods and it is as much as if you should say truly things go not so well now as I could wish them if the government of the world were in my power truly matters should be better ordered you do plainly say so that party should prevail that I would have prevail and those waies should be carried on that I would have for my Brethren he that correcteth another mans act doth in that at least suppose he is wiser then he Secondly hereby you exalt your wills above Gods your will is the rule of goodness not Gods Now I intreate you observe was the Devil ever guilty of higher Atheism then this for a man to say it is true thus and thus it is and I must needs acknowledge it that God judgeth the world but yet I should rather have judged it to have been better if it had been thus what is this to say truly this is my will that is the rule of goodness and not Gods for if it had been as I would have it it had been better You little consider when men are carried out in passion in such things as these are you little consider the abomination of them Nay In the third place You hereby put God out of his Throne for the government of the world such a man saith with Absolom Here is no man to do you Iustice if the Government of the world were in my hand things should not be carried on with such confusion and disorder the Church of God should not be brought to that distress nor the world put into such disorder as now it is Consider what a high sin is this well that is the first But In the second place I intreate you consider this do you think now when the Providence of God is so mysterious and thy will riseth against the actings of Providence do you think you will turn God out of his way do you think I say that you shall turn God out of his way No I beseech you observe it in Isa 31.2 the Lord will not call back his Word saith the Text it is not all your grudging my Brethren will make God go back No I entreate you observe there in the 3. ver I will rise up against the help of those that work iniquity I both they that work iniquity and they that help them shall fail together saith the Text they and their helpers it is true many think by calling in help by joyning partie to partie counsel to counsel they shall certainly prevail and so by this means scatter parties upon different interests and ends made up into one Why but what is the meaning of this truly they that could not prevail by themselves must never look to prevail by their helpers saith God I will rise up against them that help them do not think you shall turn God out of his way because it pleaseth not you the way that God goes in No thou mayst set thy self in a way against God and fall before him I will give you two instances of this and truly they are very remarkable ones One is that of Ahaziah the King of Iudah Ioram the King of Israel is wounded Ahaziah his brother in Law goes down to visit him you will say this was but a brotherly curtesie was there any harm in this nothing but civilitie I but Ahaziah goes down at the same time when God was going forth in Judgement against Ioram and against the house of Ahab and what follows truly Ahaziah dieth in the way the same instrument that destroyeth Ioram destroyeth Ahaziah that he perisheth in civilitie I will give you another instance of a godly man so that you may see it is dangerous to have a pre-engaged will against the actings of Providence Iosiah he wrought the great reformation that was in Iudah after the revolt of the ten Tribes yet after he had wrought this reformation yet this man he must be standing in the way of Gods Providence Pharo-Neco King of Egypt was appointed by God to execute a Judgement of God upon Charchemish a Citie that belonged to the King of Assyria upon the borders of Euphrates he desires Iosiah that he might have liberty that being the shorter cut to pass through his Countrey Iosiah he refuseth it and a man would have thought he had good reason for it too he had had a great deal of experience heretofore of the crueltie of the Egyptians they had been ill neighbors and he was likewise in league and covenant with Nebuchadnezzar the King of Assyria he did owe fealtie and allegiance he had taken the oath of allegiance to him and what should he not be faithful to his King upon this ground now he goes forth So Peter Martyr So Doctor Usher in his late Chronologie a kind of suddain fierceness there rose in the man and what followeth why truly he dyeth in the way Iosiahs good reforming tender hearted Iosiah yet he meets God in the way of his Judgements and he dyeth in the way therefore I say take heed think not your opposition will turn God out of the way O submit your wills his Providence is mysterious But that I may a little give you some grounds for it for the quieting of your hearts take notice but of that expostulation first by the way take notice of that expostulation of God unto Samuel 1 Sam. 16. How long wilt thou mourn for Saul seeing I have rejected him Saul was not yet deposed from the Kingdom Saul raigned still I but Gods will was manifested to Samuel Samuel mourneth God reproveth his mourning as if he should have told him Why dost thou dote upon a man as if the good of the whole Common-wealth lay upon him rather look out for better for the time to come God doth not love those passions neither will he allow them in his own people that cross his will when it is manifested how long wilt thou mourn for Saul seeing I have rejected him Now to bring about your wills to the effecting will of God I beseech you be pleased but to consider these two or three things they are mighty quieting considerations and so I have done In the first place consider this all the government of the world is committed unto Christ I have told you I say the Government of the world is committed unto Christ the Father judgeth no man he hath committed all Iudgement to the Son it is the speech of Christ that acteth the living creatures and the living creatures act the wheels as you have heard Now my Brethren should not you be willing to leave all in Christs hand seeing God hath committed all into his hands There is a double title Christ hath he is bound to be faithful in both 1. As it is an office in which he is imployed by God the Father And Secondly as the Church is his own inheritance Now I intreate you consider if all be committed to Christ the government of all things then I say leave it with submission