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A90269
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God's work in founding Zion, and his peoples duty thereupon. A sermon preached in the Abby Church at Westminster, at the opening of the Parliament Septemb. 17th 1656. / By John Owen: a servant of Jesus Christ in the work of the Gospell.
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Owen, John, 1616-1683.
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1656
(1656)
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Wing O758; Thomason E891_2; ESTC R203086
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27,585
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57
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preserved remnant laying aside all other aimes and contrivances to betake themselves to the work of God founding Sion and preserving the common interest of his people Of the Propositions thus drawn from the words I shall Treat severally so farre as they may be foundations of the inferences intended The First is this The Nations about will be diligently enquiring concerning Gods dispensations among his people Their eyes are upon them and they will be enquiring after them In the handling of this and all that followes I humbly desire that you would consider in what capacity as to the discharge of this work I look upon my selfe and You. As you are hearers of the Word of God in which state alone at present though with reference to your designed employment I look upon you as you are not at all distinguished from others or among your selves but as you are Believers or not Regenerate Persons or coming short thereof And on this account as I shall not speake of my Rulers without Reverence so I shall endeavour to speak to my hearers with Authority I say then 1. There are certain Affections and Principles that are active in the Nations that will make them restlesse and alwaies put them upon this enquiry The people of God on one account or other shall be in all seasons a separated people Num. 23. 9. Lo the People shall dwell alone and shall not be reckoned among the Nation yea they are seperated from them whilest they are in their bowells and dwell in the middest of them Micha 5. 7 8. whether they are amongst them as the spring of their mercies or the rise of their destruction one of which they will alwaies be yet they are not of them No sooner then is any People or portion of them thus dedicated to God but all the Nations about and those amongst them not ingaged in the same way with them instantly look on them as utterly sever'd from them having other ways ends and interests then they being built up wholly on another account and foundation They reckon not of them as a people and a nation The Conclusion they make concerning them is that of Haman Esther 3. 8. There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the people in all the Provinces of thy Kingdome and their Lawes are diverse from all people Not their Morall and judiciall Laws which were the summe of that perfection which all Nations aimed at on which account they said of them Surely this great Nation is a wise and understanding People Deut. 4. 6. and the keeping of those Laws was their wisdome and understanding among all Nations nor yet meerly the Laws of their Religious worship but the whole way interest designe profession of that people is comprized in this expression they are diverse from all people Looking on them in this state they have principles as I said that will carry them out to an enquiry into their state and condition 1. They are full of Envy against them They shall be ashamed of their envy at thy people Isaiah 26. 11. looking on them as wholly separated from them and standing on another account then they doe they are full of envy at them Envy is a restlesse passion full of enquiries and jealousies the more it finds of poyson the more it swells and feeds It will search into the bottome of that which its eye is fixed on The transaction of the whole businesse between Nehemiah and Sanballat gives light to this consideration See Neh. Ch. 4. 1 2 3 4 5 6. And ever the nearer any nation is to this people the greater is their Envy It was Edom and Moab and Ammon the nations round about that were most filled with wrath and Envy against Israell Yea when that People was divided among themselves and the true worship of God remained with Judah and they became the separated people Ephraim was instantly filled with Envy against them Isaiah 11. 13. The Envy also of Ephraim shall depart and the adversaries of Iudah shall be cut off Ephraim shall not envy Iudah For there must be a desire of the same thing as something answering it which befalls in proximity of habitation that a man is envied for in him that envy 's him This is one fountain of the nations enquiry after your affaires Through the providence of God you dwell alone that is as to your main designe and interest You are not reckoned among the nations as to the state of being the people of God so far and under that consideration They count you not worthy to be reckoned or esteemed a Nation They envy to see the men of their contempt exalted blessed The same is the condition of Ephraim amongst us men not engaged in the same Cause and way with you they are full of envy Wherefore doe they enquire of your wellfaire of your state and condition of your affaires is it that they love you that they desire your prosperity that they would have you an established Nation No only their envy makes them restlesse And as it is in generall so no sooner doth any man upon a private account separate himselfe from the publick interest of the people of God but he is instantly filled with envy against the managers of it And notwithstanding all our animosities if this hath not befallen us in our differences and divisions I no way doubt a peaceable composure and blessed issue of the whole If Envy be not at work we shall have establishment 2. A second principle whereby they are put upon their enquiries is Feare They feare them and therefore will know how things stand with them and what are the works of God amongst them Hab. 3. 7. I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction and the curtains of the land of Midian did tremble I saw it when God was doing the great work described in that Chapter with many lofty allegoricall expressions of bringing his people out of bondage to settle them in a new state and condition the nations round about that looked on them were filled with affliction feare and trembling They were afraid whither these things would grow Psal. 48 1 2 3 4 5 6. Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised in the City of our God in the mountain of his holinesse Beautifull for situation the joy of the whole earth is mount Sion on the sides of the north the City of the great King God is known in her pallaces for a refuge For lo the Kings were assembled they passed by together They saw it and so they marvelled they were troubled and so they hasted away For feare took hold upon them there and pain as of a woman in travail The close of all the considerations of these Kings and their attendants is that feare took hold upon them Feare is sollicitous and enquiring it will leave nothing unsearched unlooked into it would find the inside and bottome of every thing wherein it is concerned Though the more it finds the more it
God's Work in Founding Zion AND His Peoples Duty thereupon A SERMON PREACHED IN THE Abby Church at Westminster at the opening of the PARLIAMENT Septemb. 17th 1656. By JOHN OWEN a Servant of Jesus Christ in the Work of the Gospell Walk about Sion and goe round about her tell the Towers thereof Mark ye well her Bulwarks consider her places that ye may tell it to the Generation following For this God is our God for ever and ever He will be our guide even unto death Psal. 48. 12 13 14. OXFORD Printed by LEON LICHFIELD Printer to the University for THO: ROBINSON 1656. Wednesday the 17 of September 1656. ORdered by the Parliament That Mr Maidston and the Lieutenant of the Tower doe give the hearty Thankes of the House to Doctor Owen Deane of Christ-Church and Vice-Chancellor of the Vniversity of Oxford for his great pains taken in his Sermon Preach'd this day in the Abby Church at Westminster before His Highnesse the Lord Protector and the Members Elected to Sitt this present Parliament And that he be desired to print his Sermon And that no man presume to print it without his Leave Hen Scobell Clerk of the Parliament TO HIS HIGHNESSE THE LORD PROTECTOR And To The PARLIAMENT Of the Common-wealth of England Scotland Ireland c. ALthough I need plead no other Reason for the publishing of the ensuing discourse but your Order and Command for my so doing yet because I know that your peculiar Interest as Governors of this Common-wealth in the severall stations wherein you are placed of God is truely stated therein in the pursuit whereof your Peace and the Peace of these Nations will be found to lye I crave leave to adde that consideration also Being fully acquainted in and with what weaknesse it was composed and delivered I cannot but conclude that it was meerly for the truths sake therein contained which is of God and its suetablenesse through his wise providence to the present state of things in these Nations that it found acceptance and entertainment with you which also makes me willing to be therein your Remembrancer a second time From the day wherein I received a command and call unto the service of Preaching unto you unto this issue of it wherein it is cloathed anew with obedience to your Order I found mercy with God to have that caution of the great Apostle abiding in my heart and thoughts if I yet please man I am not a servant of God Hence I can with boldnesse professe that influenced in some measure with the power of that direction I studiously avoided what ever might be suggested with the least unsuitablenesse thereunto with respect either to my selfe or others It was for Sions sake that I was willing to undertake this duty and service rejoycing that I had once more an opportunity to give publike Testimony to the great concernment of the great God and our deare Lord Jesus Christ in all the concussions of the Nations in the World and peculiarly in his wonderfull providentiall dispensations in these wherein we live And here as the summe of all touse plainesse and liberty of speech I say If there be any thing in any person whatever in these Nations that cannot stand with that can stand without the generall interest of the people of God pleaded for let it fall and rise no more And the Lord I know will send his blessing out of Sion on what ever in singlenesse of heart is done in a tendency to the establishment thereof Farther I shall not need to suggest any thing of the designe of the ensuing discourse they who take themselves to be concern'd therein will acquaint themselves with it by its perusall I shall only adde if the generall principles asserted therein be in your hearts if in pursuit thereof you endeavour that in no corner of this Nation it may be said this is Sion that no man careth for but that those who love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity and are by faith and obedience separated from the perishing world following the Lamb according to the light which he is graciously pleased to impart unto them and ingaged by the providence of God in that work which he hath undertaken to accomplish amongst us be not overborne by a spirit of prophanenesse and contempt of the power of Godlinesse raging in the Earth that they may be preserv'd secured from the returne of a hand of violence and encouraged in the Testimony they have to bear to the Kingdom of Christ in opposition to the World and all the ways which the men thereof have received by Tradition from their Fathers that are not according to his mind you will undoubtedly in your severall conditions receive blessing from God which also that you may in all your concernments is the daily prayer of Your humblest Servant in the work of our dear Lord Jesus JOHN OWEN ISAIAH 14. 32. What shall one then answer the Messengers of the Nation That the Lord hath founded Zion and the poore of his people shall trust in it THe Head of the Prophetie whereof these words are the close lies in v. 28. in the year that King Ahaz died was this burden which gives us the season and just time of its Revelation and delivery The Kingdome of Judah was at that season low and broken Forraigne invasions and intestine divisions had made it so An account hereof is given us 2 Chron. cap. 28. throughout as it is especially summ'd up v. 19. of that Chap. For the Lord brought Judah low because of Ahaz King of Israell for he made Judah naked and transgressed sore against the Lord Amongst their oppressing Neighbours that took advantage at their low and divided condition their old enemies the Philistines the posterity of Cham in Canaan had no small share as v. 18. of that Chapter The Philistines also had invaded the Cities of the low Countrey and of the south of Iudah and had taken Beth-shemesh and Aialon and Gederoth and Shoco with the Villages thereof and Timnah with the Villages thereof Gimzo also and the Villages thereof and they dwelt there In this state of things God takes notice of the joy and triumphing of the whole land of Palestina that is the Country of the Philistines In that the rod of him that smote them was broken that is the power of the Kings and Kingdome of Judah which for many generations had prevailed against them especially in the days of David 2 Sam. 5. and of Vzziah 2 Chron. 26. 6. and kept them under was made weak and insufficient for that purpose v. 29. Rejoyce not thou whole land of Palestina because the rod of him that smote thee is broken It is no wonder if Palestina that was to be smitten and broken by the rod of God among his people rejoyce at their perplexities and distresses when we have seen men so to doe who pretend to dwell in Iudah To take them off from their pride and boasting their triumph and