have heard already out of Numb 1. 50. and Aaron was charged to bear the children of Israel and their judgement upon his shoulders and breast as it is Exod. 28. 12. And thou shalt put the two stones upon the shoulders of the Ephod for stones of memoriall and Aaron shall bear their names upon his shoulders for a memorial Item vers 29 30. And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breast-plate of judgement upon his heart c. And Aaron shall bear the judgement of the children of Israel upon his heart before the Lord continually So is it the office of faithfull Ministers and Shepherds in the Gospel to bear the names of the sheep in their mindes as Christ saith A good Shepherd calleth his sheep by name Joh. 10. 3. which sheep are the vessels of Gods mercy Rom. 6. 23. And therefore the pastourall charge doth burden them with a care to bear them as it were upon their shoulders and in their heart we have the example both of Christ and of his Apostle Paul for this of Christ it is said He shall feed his flock like a shepherd he shall gather his lambs in his arm and carry them in his bosome Isa 40. 11. And the Apostle doth declare to the Corinthians that he did carry them in his heart Ye are in our heart known of all men 2 Cor. 3. 2. Lastly Although the civil Magistrate is not properly Magistrates by a resemblance represented or typed out by the Tribe of Levi yet herein is a similitude and resemblance between the Levites and Magistrates 1. That in the world the Magistrate hath the priviledge and right of the first-born which was and is to In the primogeniâ—ure rule over his brethren Isaac speaking to Iacob in the right of the first-born doth bid him Be lord over his brethren and doth injoyn his mothers sonnes to bow down unto him Gen. 27. 29. Herein then the Magistrate is the first-born in the world as Levi was in the Church and so there is a similitude of prerogative above others in both yet according to different respects 2. The second resemblance is in the office namely in this That the office of the civil Magistrate is also in In the office of bearing the vessels of the Lord. some sort appointed to bear the vessels of the Lord I say in the way of support and civil countenance for they are appointed by God to be nursing Fathers of his Church when they are called unto Christ and bound to call him their Lord. The civil Magistrate then hath an outward care and inspection of the Church committed to him and in this respect he is also a vessel-bearer of the Lord as it is said of Eliakim the sonne of Hilkiah that seeing he was to be a Governour and a Father unto the inhabitants of Ierusalem upon him should be hung the glory of his Fathers house And all the vessels from the vessels of cups to the vessels of flagons Isa 22. 24. He is compared there ver 23. unto a nail fastened in a sure place upon which vessels are hung to be preserved for use lest they might lie upon the ground and be troden under feet So in this way the Magistrate is by power and authority fastened in the wall of the State to bear up all the offices and the office-bearers both of Church and State that they may not fall to the ground and being troden upon become uselesse and contemptible but rather maintained in their true lustre and dignity as vessels of honour Here then the manner of bearing in the one and the other Which is different from the Leviticall bearing of the vessels in the manner thereof is different Levi doth bear them in his hands to make use of them and to doe God service with them in his house but Eliakim doth only support them by his strength that they may hang stedfast upon the wall both have a care of the same vessels of the Lord both bear them but each in his own way in respect of the effect of preservation their cares are parallel but in respect of the manner of their bearing their cares are different the one is inward the other is outward to the Church And although the relations are not the same yet both in the discharge of their duties are truely called vessel-bearers of the Lord because both are appointed by the Lord unto their severall charges for the preservation of his vessels Where by the way let us make this generall observation Where it is observed that the vessels are to be esteemed above the vessel-bearers That the vessels are not for the vessel bearers but the vessel-bearers appointed for the vessels The vessels are not made to be hung upon the nail but for a better use to contain some liquour or other things usefull for the service of the Master of the house but the nail is made and fastened in the wall only or chiefly for this use that the vessels may be hung thereon The vessels are the glory Isâ— 22 24. of the nail but the nail is no part of the vessels glory only the use thereof is to preserve the glory So also it is in Levi the tabernacle was not made nor the vessels thereof for Levi but they were made for the Lord and the glory of his service as for Levi he was made and set apart for the Tabernacle and for the vessells thereof to serve the same The Church as the Tabernacle is for God to dwell therein by his ordinances among his people and the Ministers are Gods servants and his peoples servants to this effect This then is to teach both Civill and Ecclesiasticall office-bearers whom God hath appointed either in and over his house or about it and his household vessells to think of themselves that at the most they are but stewards in their severall charges and that the vessells are not made for them that they should serve their own turnes out of them but that they are made for the vessells and that all their glory doth stand in this that each of them are in their places servants to uphold the glory thereof lest they be in the sight of men as vessells of no pleasure the Apostle saith 2 Cor. 4. 5. we preach our selves your servants for Jesus sake From the words thus opened let us make some Doctrinall and Practicall Observations in brief The first Doctrine to be observed is That God being a The first Doctrâ—â—e is â—hat God hath vessells in his house great house keeper hath vessels belonging to him which he hath appointed for the service of his house You know what is meant by a vessell namely an instrument fitted to contain something whereof a man doth stand in need and to be made use of to that effect Now the house of God is his Church 1 Tim. 3. 15. and the faithfull and elect are his vessells in this house The proof of this is to
are Ministers service committed unto the Ministery is set forth in the Tribe of Levi and in his separation from others unto God whereof Moses in brief gives us this information Deut. 10. 8. The Lord separated the Tribe of Levi to bear the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord to stand before him to minister unto him and to blesse in his name And with this charge none other was to meddle but Levi alone as being set apart to that effect and endued with a peculiar maintenance for that service With the same charge and in the same kinde is the Ministery of the Gospel now set apart by Christ nor ought they to be encumbred with any other cares but such as are immediately subordinate Who ought â—ot to meddle with worldly affairs unto the Gospel this is the Apostles rule to Timothy 2 Tim. 2. 4. No man that warrethintangleth himself with the affairs of this life that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a souldier If then he doth intangle himself with other affairs and employments then such as pertain unto the life to come he cannot please Christ for when a Disciple offered himself to Christ to attend his service desiring only leave to goe home first and bid his friends in the world farewell he was told by Christ that no man is fit for the kingdome of God who having put his hand to the plough of Gods service doth look back to any thing else Luk. 9. 62. And as they are thus to be set apart for the charge and ought not to meddle with any thing but their own plough and their own husbandry which is the tillage of mens souls towards God so may no man take the charge committed unto them upon himself Except he be called thereunto as Aaron was Heb. 5. 4. And the punishments of Korah Dathan and Abiram whereof the history is known Numb 16. and of Vzziah the King who presuming to take upon him the Priests office was strucken with leprosie and separated from the administration of the Kingdome 2 Chron. 26. 16. are for a perpetuall memoriall to shew that none may thrust himself upon this charge of the Ministery but must be admitted thereunto by an orderly calling To the Ministery therefore one way is the charge of And Magistrates whose commission is different from that of the Ministers Gods vessels eminently committed and to the Magistracy another way The Ministery is properly charged with a spirituall care of their souls in things pertaining to God Heb. 5. 1. but the Magistracy is charged with a temporall care of their outward and visible society in things properly pertaining to men for the administration of justice and good order and for the provision of things necessary and comfortable for their life In the one respect Aaron was to bear the judgement of the children of Israel upon his heart before the Lord Exod. 28. 30. In the other Moses when the people was unruly and murmured for meat â—aith that he was not able to bear them all alone Numb 11. 14. that is to care for all their matters and to deal so with them as to give them contentment for which cause seventy Elders are joyned to him to help him to bear the burden of his charge which was the outward regulating of their wayes in Justice and good order according to Gods will Thus then the manner of bearing and the charges are different although they are about and over the same vessells The Minister bears them as they are within the house of God and as in that house he is a steward and they of the household committed unto him that he should give them meat in due season But the Magistrate Matth. 24. 45. doth bear them as they are in the world and so the Church it self as it is a visible societie of men wherein righteous and good order is to be observed is an object of that power and authority which God hath intrusted him withall for his glory So then every one doth bear these vessells differently in a manner sutable to his calling The use of this Doctrine is two-fold The first for exhortation The uses of exhortation the second for instruction and warning The exhortation shall be in two words to two things 1. That every one should lay this to heart and consider See what ves self thou art and what â—ust is given thee himself what sort of vessell he is and what the trust is which is committed to him of himself or of others Thou mayest know what sort of vessell thou art by the qualifications bestowed upon thee and place where thou art set whereby and wherein thou mayest become usefull for the Kingdome of Christ in thy self and in thy neighbour Let every one saith the Apostle consider his own work that is himself in respect of the work intrusted to him and then he shall have rejoycing in himself alone and Gal. 6. 4. not in another the custom and inclination of men is to reflect upon themselves not in simplicity but comparatively not with a single eye unto the rule but with an indirect respect unto other mens wayes in comparison of their own Thus the Pharisee said I am not like other men Luk 18. 11. or like this Publican c. Such a consideration of our selves doth give no just matter of rejoycing but the Apostles consideration of himself is true matter of joy for our rejoycing is this saith he The testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God we have had our conversation in the world 2 Cor. 1. 12. if we look thus to our own consciences within our selves to our talent which we have received and how we have bestowed it that we may know how to be accountable to God for it then we shall have true matter of joy in our selves and not in another The second duty is consequent unto this That every 2 2 Make tâ—y self a vessell of honour one in the consideration of himself should intend and endeavour to fit himself unto God as a vessell of honour This is that which the Apostle doth inferre 2 Tim. 2. 21. upon this Doctrine that God hath many vessells in his house therefore saith he if a man purge himself he shall be a vessell unto honour He supposeth that every one will aspire unto an honourable employment and that is the thing which I now stirre you up unto namely that every one should endeavour to fit himself for some honourable employment the means is to purge your selves from earthly qualities if a man doth this the Apostle doth promise him that he shall be a vessell of honour and if so then as one sanctified and set apart for the masters use and prepared for every good work no doubt the Lord will not let him be without imployment The use of Instruction and warning is also twofold The uses of instruction First
ISRAELS CALL TO MARCH OVT OF BABYLON UNTO JERVSALEM OPENED IN A SERMON BEFORE The Honourable House of Commons assembled in PARLIAMENT Novemb. 26. 1645. being the day of Publique Humiliation By John Durye a Member of the Assembly of Divines Published by Order of the House of COMMONS LONDON Printed by G. M. for Tho. Vnderhill at the signe of the Bible in Wood-street 1646. Die Mercurij 26o. Novemb. 1645. ORdered by the Commons assembled in PARLIAMENT that Sir Gilbert Pickering and Sir John Clotworthy do give thanks from this House to M. Durye for the great pains he took in the Sermon he preached this day at the intreaty of this House at St. Margarets Westminster it being the day of Publike Humiliation and to desire him to Print his Sermon And it is ordered that none shall print this Sermon without being authorized under his hand-writing H. Elsynge Cler. Parl. D. Com. I Appoint Thomas Vnderhill to print my Sermon John Durye TO THE HONOVRABLE HOVSE of Commons assembled in PARLIAMENT THe great work of Reformation which is put into your hand hath many and great advantages That it is undoubtedly a work which God alone can bring to passe That he will in his own time accomplish it That it cannot be wrought any other way then by the advancement of the Gospel of Christ That none can be instrumentall in it but such is are the trees of Isa 6â— 3. 4. Righteousnes the planting of the Lord by whom he may be glorified That to such the Lord hath promised that they shall build the old wasts and raise up the former desolations That none can oppose the work but such as hate to be reformed and know not the joyfull sound of his truth That all such as wait for God in the way of his judgements can be helpers in it That the decree is gone forth against Babylon that she shall be laid waste That these are pronounced blessed who shall take and dash her little ones against the stones and that you are so deeply engaged in this work that you can have no temporall safety nor subsistance but so farre as you proceed in it so that now you must either fall utterly and draw with you into ruine the other reformed Churches or else secure them and your selves by the building up of Zion all these are exceeding great advantages which I am perswaded you doe understand and can truly value Therefore when I spoke unto you I found a freedom of spirit in love to the cause and to you which opened my mouth as without fear so with an assurance of acceptance and although the shortnes of the time would not suffer me to proceed and come to a full application yet I hope that if the thing which hath been delivered which in obedience to your Honourable command I have here published so neer as I can remember both in sense and words be laid to heart and rightly apprehended the main matter of my message will be in due time effected by the grace of God in your spirits which is to know the true relation wherein you stand towards the Church of God what the mystery of Babylon is and what you ought to aim at in raising up the walls of Jerusalem within your selves If time would have given leave I should have added something concerning the extent of your building that you must not make the walls of your Ierusalem too narrow in compasse but be mindefull that they ought to receive all those that are going out of Babylon with you I mean both your own and forreign Protestants whose eyes are upon you and whose peace and safety is wrapt up in your prosperity and how farre soever you shall think good in due time to look with an eye of brotherly correspondency towards them whereof to put you in minde is a part of my duty and therefore I now desire to crave leave that at a convenient season I may be permitted to offer the means thereof unto you yet in the mean time I may have confidence and rejoyce in this that the engagement which God hath put upon you by your Covenant is such that you cannot possibly be reconciled unto Babylon if you be faithfull to it And in your faithfull resolutions I dare promise unto my self that the Prophecie of Ieremy the Prophet shall be accomplished by your proceedings namely that they shall Ier. 5. 26. not take of Babylon any one stone for a corner nor a stone for a foundation but that it shall be desolate for ever If thus you are resolved to depart and goe out from her and answer effectually the call which is given to touch none of her uncleannes you may be sure that the work of the Lord and his good pleasure shall prosper in your hand You shall be exalted in his truth and beautified with his holines when he filleth Sion with judgement and Righteousnes And you may make sure of the promise which followeth the words of my Text that you shall not need to proceed in haste nor goe out by slight because the Lord will go before you and the God of Israel will be your rereward And that this may be so I shall never cease to make mention of you before the Lord at the Throne of Grace as it becommeth Your Honours Most humble and affectionate Servant in Christ Iohn Durye ISRAELS CALL TO MARCH OVT OF BABYLON UNTO JERVSALEM ISAIAH 52. 11. Depart ye depart ye goe ye out from thence touch no unclean thing go ye out of the midst of her be ye clean that beare the vessels of the Lord. THe Prophet Isaiah is truly called the Evangelicall Prophet because his scope is to shew two things First how the warfare of the The sâ—ope summe and parts of the Prophet Isaiah Church of God under the Law should be accomplished Secondly what the comforts are which under the Gospel should be conferred upon her and these are the two parts of this Prophecie the first concerning the warfare under the Law and the dispensation of severall judgements depending thereon is from chap. 1. to 40. The second concerning the comforts of the Gospel which at the accomplishment of this warfare the Church was to receive is from chap. 40. to the end His second part subâ—ivided in to foure promises 1. Of deliverance from Babylon 2. Of the comming of Christ In this second part four chief heads of comfort are promised unto the Church by the Prophet of which The first is That the Church should be delivered from the captivity of Babylon from chap. 40. to 53. The second chief comfort is That the Messias should come and by his suffering save his people chap. 53. Erect a new Covenant with his Church under the Gospel chap. 54 55. upon which true felicity is effected to all that keep it chap. 56. and from which are rejected Idolaters chap. 57. Hypocrites chap. 58. and obstinate Sinners chap. 59. The third chief comfort is That the bounds
we should take notice That every one of us is 1 1. Thou art thy brothers keeper made his brothers keeper and that God will call us to an account not only how we have lookt unto our selves but how we have lookt unto our brethren It was Cains speech when he had murthered his brother and God calling him to an account for it he said What am I my brothers keeper yea thou art charged with the care of preserving thy brother and if thou doost not in love to him seek his good thou doest hate him in thy heart and he that doth hate his brother is a murtherer Our duty 1 Joh. 3. 15. then is to remember the rule bear ye one anothers burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ Gal. 6. 2. Christ did bear all our burdens therefore as he did deal with us we are bound to deal one with another if we will be counted his Disciples 2. Secondly we should take notice that although all men in one way or other are bound to bear the vessells of the Lord and to put to their hands to bear mutually their burdens yet that no man may goe beyond his line 2 2. Yet thou must not goe beyond thy calling and thrust himself upon a charge which is not committed unto him God hath distributed to every member of the body his faculty charge and place as he doth think good therefore no member can effect the châ—â—ge and place of another the feet cannot effect the office of the hand nor the hand of the feet the eye cannot take upon it to be the eare nor the ear the eye the bowells cannot take the office of the arms nor the arms of the bowells So may not the Ministery incroach upon the Magistracy nor the Magistracy upon the Ministery nor may he who is called to bear the vessells only in a private way take upon him the charge of a publike relation belonging to the Magistracy or Ministery Every one of the sonnes of Levi had their distinct and peculiar charge within themselves about the Tabernacle nor was it lawfull for any to meddle with that which was not committed to him Let every man abide in the sphear and calling wherein God hath set him The last observation which I will make upon this part The third Doctrine is That God doth respect his vessel bearers of the Text which concerns the persons is this That God hath a peculiar respect to those that are entrusted with the charge of bearing his vessells We see that the coherence of the text with the former matter doth cleerly speak this for the joyfull promises of deliverance and salvation are no sooner offered to the people of God in generall but the particular application is immediatly made to those by name who bear the vessells of the Lord as to such who are epecially in Gods eye in whom he is concerned that their behaviour may be answerable to the effect of his intentions Now that God doth respect in a speciall manner those to whom he doth commit a speciall trust is clear from the law of justice and prudency setled in the heart of all wisemen who give a trust unto others The Law is this to whom much is given of him shall be much required Luk. 12. 48. consequently to whomsoever a peculiar charge of great concernment is committed upon him a peculiar eye will be cast and from him a speciall account will be expected of his faithfull performance of the work You only saith God by the Prophet Amos to the children of Israel have I known of all the families of the earth therefore will I punish you for all your iniquities Amos 3. 2. as if he had said I have in a speciall manner taken notice of you to make my self known to you by the ordinances wherewith I have entrusted you to make my name known therefore I have also lookt more narrowly to your wayes then to others and will not suffer your iniquities to passe without a punishment because you are above all others accountable unto me of your wayes The ground of this is that which Moses doth tell Aaron upon the punishment of Nadab and Aâ—ihâ— Levit. 10. 3. for these two sonnes of Aaron presuming to offer incense unto God with strange fire which he had not commanded them were devoured with fire from the Lord for an exemplary punishment of will-worship and of false zeal in Gods service Hereupon Moses doth tell Aaron the cause of this punishment saying This is that which the Lord said I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me and before all the people will I be glorified God is jealous of his own glory therefore those that come nigh him must be holy as he is holy the neerer we are to him if we answer not the beauty of his holines to shew it forth we dishonour him the more therefore to vindicate and uphold his own honour he did before all the people glorify himself upon Nadab and Abihu lest their presumption being unpunished others might be encouraged to the like excesse God is interessed in those that are neerest to him in such as are strangers and aliens from the common wealth of Israel God is not much concerned and he doth suffer them to walk in their wayes and doth wink at the times of their ignorance but when he doth send them the knowledge of the Gospel and offereth unto them thereby the priviledge of being his people by Repentance and Faith he telleth them that they must be accountable unto him of their actions in the day appointed wherein he will judge the world in righteousnes Act. 17. 30. 31. The Gentiles that are not called by Gods name bring no dishonour directly unto it but it is for Israels sake that Gods name is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you meaning the Jews saith the Apostle is the name of God blasphemed Rom. 2. â—4 â—â—erefore he is carefull even of servants professing the Gospel though otherwise mean and contemptible in the world that their wayes should be answerable to their profession lest the Gospel might be evil spoken of for their sakes 1 Tim. 6. 1. the misdemeanour of any of ones household doth reflect upon the Master of the family and this is Gods meaning towards the children of Israel Levit. 20. 7 8. when he faith sanctify your selves and be ye holy for I am the Lord your God and keep my statutes and doe them for I am the God that sanctifie you because I have set you apart for my self and I have given you my statutes which are the way of holines therefore set you your selves apart for me and keep my statutes for I am the Lord your God if you doe otherwise I will not own you as mine Can two walk together saith God by the Prophet Amos 3. 3. except they be agreed that is can God walk with a people and accept them for his own and employ them in his service to bear his vessells
of honour and not have an eye unto them to see that they walk worthy and agreeable to the place wherein he puts them no by no means his honour is too much engaged in them not to regard them and look after them This then being a cleer and undeniable truth That God hath a speciall eye to those that are honoured to be neerest unto him Let me offer a word of application unto The Application of the point you concerning your present condition Consider I pray you in what case you stand towards God with this whole nation whereof you are a body representative Consider I say what our relations and engagements First to the whole nations of great Brittain are We are all entrusted to bear the vessels of the Lord in our distinct charges and places in a more eminent way then any other people of the world for the Nations of great Britain have made a new thing in the world a thing which hath not been done by any Nation in the world since the preaching of the Gospel in it a thing which since the Jewish Nation in the daies of Nehemiah was never heard of in any Nation that not only the Rulers but the whole multitude of the people should enter into a Covenant with their God and one with another and that two Nations should be leagued with an Oath together man by man to walk in the waies of his Word to maintain the Cause of Religion and to reform themselves according to his will This is a new thing in the Christian Church therefore there is a speciall engagement lying upon us all more then upon other men to bear every one our own vessels to bear the vessels of each other and to bear joyntly the Church and Cause of God in our hearts hands and shoulders In all the world there is not a Magistracy so eminently entrusted with such a charge over a people so neerly united unto God as you and the Parliament Then to the leaders thereof in the cause of Reformation of Scotland are Your charge is not only the outward safety of three Kingdomes to settle them in such a way as you have covenanted but the care of the Protestant Religion and Cause wherein the vessels of the Lord which are in forraign parts are concluded is committed unto you that you together with them may be brought out of Babylon I beseech you mark this our engagement unto God and let us lay it to heart Mark Gods intention and our obligation to fulfill it God hath since the beginning of the Reformation of his Church from Popery and Antichristian superstition intended to bring his vessels out of Babylon unto Sion the way hath been opened by the preaching of the Gospel a long while ago the Nations of Europe some more some lesse frequently have begun their marches in severall troops and the spirits of many Magistrates and of many Ministers have been stirred up and called upon to bear the vessels of the Lord and by their care power authority assistance and vigilancy to bring them to Sion there to be fully setled in the right use of the Ordinances of God But none of all the Magistrates or Ministers of other Nations have ever given such an answer to this call as you and we of the Ministery and this people hath done for we all have undertaken the cause in the full extent thereof therefore we are in this employment neerer unto God then any others and he is more interessed in you and in Scotland then in any Nation whatsoever And if this be so doe not you think that God will have a neerer respect unto you then unto others and that he doth expect a more exact performance of this charge from you then from others You and we all have fastened the cause we have in hand upon him and for this cause we have no foundation to build on but upon him and he hath none other employment for us but that we all should carry his vessells carefully out of Babylon if you doe this faithfully according to your promise and make it your aim to fulfill your Covenant to this effect with him you may be sure that he will bear you up and bear you out in all your difficulties but if you have any other aim and doe not make this your glory that the vessells of the Lord are committed to your trust if you cast them off in your heart and think them a wearisom burden and heavy to be borne If I say any doth but in his heart quit the charge committed unto him will not God require it at his hand doth not he trye the secrets of all hearts and although man may cast dishonour and contempt upon his vessells of honour and neglect them in his thought yet he will not utterly forsake them but will be found faithfull unto them although all men should prove lyars Take heed therefore every one to his spirit that yee deal not falsely with your God in this great employment you may be sure that he will not suffer himself by the contempt of his vessells to be reproached and vilified he hath borne even from the dayes of old his own from the belly from the womb he hath carryed them as a nursing father and he doth promise to be the same unto them even Isa 46 3 4. unto their old age and even unto hoar haires to carry them The only way then for you to be supported by him is this that you be sure to support with all your heart and might his vessells for you must know that it is only for their sake that you are and shall be a sure nail fastened in the wall of this Kingdome only I say for this end that the vessells of your Lords house and the glory thereof may be hung upon you but if you cannot be made use of by him to this effect though the nail be never so strong and fastened in a place never so sure it shall be broken and pulled down for the Lord hath spoken it Let us then all fear lest we come short of our duty in the charge committed unto us in our severall places Let us look to one another and exhort one another daily lest our hearts be hardened through the deceitfulnes of sinfull and humane counsells and lest the eagernes of pursuing these cause us forget the main thing committed unto us which is to behave our selves as servants only and as such servants who bear the vessels of the Lord and upon whom the eyes of the Lord are continually open And as this on the one hand is an object of exceeding great fear to make us carefull that we may not be found faulty in so great a trust so on the other hand it is an unspeakable matter of joy comfort and encouragement to those who have their consciences cleer in this matter telling them that they aim at nothing else but at the dutifull performance of this very thing namely that the
all the promises of the Gospel For the Apostle 2 Pet. 1. 4. doth tell us that all the precious promises are given to us to this end that by them we should escape the corruption which is in the world through lust and become partaker of the divine nature which in effect is nothing else but to march away from Babylon and come to the spirituall Jerusalem The use and application is for exhortation and earnest The application of the duâ—y entreaty That the resolution here recommended to the vessel-bearers of the Lord may be seriously laid to heart and carefully minded by every one of you that are here If you think that the matter doth any way concern To all in generall you then you ought not to slight the admonition and if you think it any honour to be a vessel-bearer of the Lord and if you conceive that God doth look after those whom he doth employ in honourable charges then conceive also that it will be very necessary to settle your resolutions in a way answerable unto his call If you can apprehend it any way dangerous to be in Babylon then linger not to make an escape And if the state of Jerusalem be the way to happines then make haste to live in it lift up the hands that hang down and the feeble knees make straight paths unto your feet and depart O depart ye go ye out of the midst of her that bear the vessels of the Lord. This every one is bound to doe for himself but such as are leaders of the flocks must intend to march before others To the leaders of the people in particular and direct them in the way The Prophet Jeremy in his fifth Chapter from ver 4. to 9. doth represent unto us our condition and the duty of our rulers Our condition is like to that of the Children of Israel and Judah who are said to be going and weeping and seeking the Lord their God This weare now doing in these dayes of our Humiliation chiefly if there be at all any sincerity in us It is said of them that they should ask the way to Zion with their faces thitherward This I hope we are now doing It is said that they shall exhort one another saying come let us joyne our selves unto the Lord in a perpetuall Covenant that shall not be forgotten This I hope we have done already Then the distracted condition of the sheep being represented that their own shepherds had caused them to go astray and turned them away on the mountains and that they had gone from mountain to mountain and had forgotten their resting place which was in former time and is still in some sort our condition All this being thus premised the exhortation followeth which I desire to make my words unto you at this time Remove out of the midst of Babylon go forth out of the midst of the Chaldeans and be as the he-Goats before the flocks to you that are in place this is spoken be ye as the he-goats the flocks are marching go then before them And if you are fully minded to discharge this duty even as it is by God himself recommended unto you Let me again be your remembrancer on his behalf and mention some publike cares which ought to be laid to heart First look to the house of God to settle it in good order and then look to the further settlement of the civill state Some men when they are put in minde of this use to say We must have a being before we can intend a well-being they mean by a well being the settlement of Religion and by a being such a frame of the common wealth as they propose unto themselves but I say that this is a false and preposterous method of proceeding for it supposeth that there is no being in God but that all our being is in this world it makes Religion the accessory and this present world the principall but Christs Doctrine and exhortation is quite contrary Mat. 6. 33. Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and the righteousnes thereof and all other things shall be added unto you but if you seek Gods Kingdom in the second place you have no assurance that you shall get it nay I will assure you that you shall lose it and with it all your other purchases The Prophet Haggai after the captivity of Babylon had to doe with Hag. 1. 2. men that spoke thus The time that the Lords house should be built is not yet come But what doth God answer them is it time saith he for you to dwell in your houses and to provide for your selves and is it not time to provide for my house O let us not have cause to say so unto you that God who doth so miraculously provide for you should be so ill requiâ—ed by you Let me then speak freely concerning the setling of the house of God amongst you if you will have God to dwell in it give him the priviledge which every one of you doth challenge in his own house namely to be master in it and to order it as you think good Let me intreat that he may have this right in his house and you may be sure that all will be well Holines becommeth the house of the Lord and without holines no man shall see his face Here I have just cause to praise the Lord for your last vote and resolution whereby this point of holines is much advanced by the decree of removing all scandalous persons from the Communion of Saints settle but the judicatories of particular Congregations and let all the thrones of the whole house of David be erected and you shall finde that the fruit of righteousnes will be peace and the work thereof quietnesse and assurance for ever Isa 32. 17. But where there is no restraint of scandalls and offences as hitherto there hath been none there a wo must follow wo unto the world because of offences With the settlement Matth. 18. 7. of the Church as a body compact together for so Jerusalem is to be built Psal 122. 3. The Schooles of the Prophets the Universities must be setled purged and reformed with wholsom constitutions for the education of the sonnes of the Prophets and the government of their lives and with the soundnes and purity of spirituall learning that they may speak the true language of Canaan and that the gibberidge of Scholastical Divinity which is nothing else but the language of corrupt humane reason and Philosophy concerning spirituall objects without respect to the Word of God I say that the gibberidge of that falsely so called Divinity may be banished out of their society Next unto the Schooles of the Prophets whereof besides the Universities it were to be wisht that some lesser ones might be setled in every Province Next I say unto these all the inferiour common Schooles of all sorts of children and youths should be taken into serious consideration and men of parts encouraged to have the inspection and oversight of them The corruption of all states and qualities of people doth arise from the neglect of these Schooles wherein no seeds of vertue or grace but rather all habits of dissolutenes are begotten in the souls of children which makes them useles if not hurtfull to the common-wealth by the matters of knowledge which are taught them This building up of the spirituall Jerusalem in the souls of all men both young and old will overthrow the foundations of Babel by Gods blessing in the very corruption of our nature For except you dig deep to lay the foundations of Zion one way and to root up the foundations of Babel another way your building will be to little purpose These thoughts and resolutions will naturally lead you to the counsells of peace and in those counsels the settlement of all the Courts of Justice thorowout the Land will be necessary that this unnaturall warre being at an end whereby the state of Babylon is powerfully maintained amongst us we may have our hearts enlarged and our mouths opened to sound forth the praises of our God who passeth by the sinnes of the remnant of his people and doth not keep his wrath for ever and who for his own Name sake that it may not be prophaned among the Heathen doth worke deliverances in Jacob. To him be glory honour and praise for evermore Amen FINIS Errata PAge 33. marg for grounded upon the History read grounded upon the letter of the History p. 46 l. 9 for fifth read filtieth