THE SEASON FOR Englands Selfe-Reflection AND Advancing Temple-work DISCOVERED IN A SERMON PREACHED To the two Houses of Parliament At Margarets Westminster Aug. 13. 1644. being an extraordinary day of Humiliation By THOMAS HILL B. D. Pastor at Tychmersh in Northamptonshire A Member of the Assembly of Divines The Harvest is past the Summer is ended and wee are not saved Jer. 8. 20. Now set your heart and your soule to seek the Lord your God arise therefore and build yee the Sanctuary of the Lord God c. 1 Chron. 22. 19. LONDON Printed by Richard Cotes for John Bellamy and Philemon Stephens 1644. TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE THE House of LORDS and THE Honourable House of COMMONS Assembled in PARLIAMENT at WESTMINSTER THE Lord Jesus Christ whose name is wonderfull hath reserved for this last age of the World wherein hee intends to do great things for his Church and against his enemies the accomplishment of many precious promises and the discovery of most glorious providences Amongst all other your State observations I hope you treasure up the experiences of his wonder-working hand for you since this happy Parliament began that so you may grow eminent as well in Christian as in state-wisdom Never had any Assembly of Counsellors in England greater reason then you to say with the Psalmist Psal. 139. 17. How precious are thy thoughts unto mee O God how great is the summe of them It were well worthy your wise care to take some course what ever it cost by a discreet and faithfull pen to preserve the story of Gods providence about you since these troubles began that so his honour might live therein when you are dead It s true indeed the Lords dispensations have been very various towards you and the method of his counsels past finding out As the Israelites in the wildernesse were sometimes not far from Canaan and then cast back for a long time so you sometimes begin to think your selves got neere the shore and to discover the Land some hopes of a gracious issue then a new storme arises and drives you into the main Sea again witnesse your present straites your renued perplexities Amongst other reasons hereof this may bee one It may bee God will not finish your state-affaires till you are more vigorous in his Temple-work Who knows how soon poore England yea and all the three Kingdoms might become gloriously happy could you remove such obstructions as interrupt the building of Gods house Your selves are not a little concerned in the expediting this great businesse of setling the Church opinions of most dangerous consequence begin now to spring up amongst us The controversie is not now onely betwixt congregationall and classicall Divines who are called Independents and Presbyterians in point of Church government There seemes to bee some good hopes of a faire accommodation betwixt them But with such others also who vehemently cry down not only the power of Ecclesiasticall Synods but likewise the Authority of the Civill Magistrate in matters of Religion thereby at once opening a doore to all licentiousnes in opinion practice even for Iewes Turkes and any whomsoever The Good Lord stirre up your hearts who have so great a share in the managing and in the successe of the great work in hand to do what becomes you in such times as these are When so many of your own Ranke the Lord humble them for their unfaithfulnesse have deserted their Trust You have obtained this great mercy this high Honour to be employed in Temple-service I hope you often consider who hath made you to differ and what he at this time expects from you You will please to allow mee the boldnesse to put you in mind of Davids carriage who when the three mighty men brake through the Host of the Philistims and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem 2 Sam. 23. 16. He would not drinke thereof but poured it out unto the Lord and hee said Bee it farre from mee O Lord that I shall doe this Is not this the blood of men that went in jeopardy of their lives therefore hee would not drinke it ver. 17. The tranquillity and many sweet refreshings the liberty and opportunity of doing Service to Church and State in the Parliament which you enjoy Is it not the blood of very many men How often have your Noble and couragious Generall with other VVorthies of the first Magnitude jeoparded their lives in the High places of the field to secure you in your Houses in your employments How much trouble and hazzard have our deare Brethren of Scotland undergone to themselves and Kingdom to keepe You from the danger of popery and slavery yea how many thousands some of all rankes it may make us bleed with sorrow to number them have already shed their dearest blood that you may possesse your lives and estates God forbid bee it farre from any of you that what is purchased at so deare a rate should bee prostituted to your own selvishnesse or any ignoble service Let all you have rather be powred out to the Lord and consecrated to his service in building him an House who hath loved you so much and given so many men for your lives It was an high strain of couragious Rhetorique in one of the City Souldiers at Newbury sight as it is related from good hands who when hee lay bleeding under mortall wounds breathed out this admirable expression O that I had another life to loose for Jesus Christ O that I had another life to loose for Jesus Christ Let this speech live in you after his death Bee willing at least to sacrifice the improvement of your Lives which cost the precious blood of Christ and many of his deare members in lifting up his Name and advancing his Temple Nehemiah when hee would incourage them in building the wall of Ierusalem notwithstanding all the scoffes of the adversaries after hee had armed the Labourers Nehem. 4. 13. 14. Hee said unto the Nobles and to the Rulers and to the rest of the people Bee not afraid of them remember the Lord which is great and terrible and fight for your brethren your sonnes and your daughters your wives and your houses The Lord in mercy turn your fighting into building and rebuke your enemies that you may have more liberty to build his House Herein I can rise higher then Nehemiah you build not onely for your Sonnes and Daughters but for the Lord who is the Husband of his Church the Prince of Peace the King of Glory that hath prepared an house eternall in the heavens for all that sincerely build his house here on Earth Arise therefore and bee doing and the Lord bee with you Which is the hearty prayer of him who Though most unworthy desires to serve you faithfully in the advancing Temple-work THOMAS HILL ENGLANDS SEASON FOR Selfe-Reflection AND Advancing Temple-worke HAGGAI 1. 7 8. 7 Thus saith the Lord of Hoasts Consider your wayes 8 Goe up to the
Mountain and bring wood and build the House and I will take pleasure in it and I will bee glorified saith the Lord IN reading the Holy Scripture that you may gain a more comprehensive knowledge thereof you shall doe wisely as to observe the originall Language in which the Holy men of God spake and to borrow what light you can from the neighbouring words in the context so withall very seriously to inquire into the Method of the severall bookes among themselves Hereby might you often find the understanding of one booke to bee as a key to unlocke another to which it hath a peculiar reference In the generall were you well acquainted with the five Books of Moses they being the Basisoâ—ll the Iâ—st It were a good preparation for your more intimate knowledge of the whole frame of Scripture Then for the particulars if you would clearly understand the Psalmes read the Books of Samuel much especially the Second many of the Psalmes being penned occasionally upon some passage of Story there mentioned they will thence receive much light And if you desire to bee well versed in the Prophâ—â—e read over and over the two Bookes of the Kingâ— and the Second Booke of Chronicles where you have the History of the Kings of Israel and Judab in whose dayes the severall Prophets did prophecy as doubtlesse in the New Testament dâ—stinct knowledge of the Story of the Acts of the Apostles would make many of their Epistles much more familiar to you You must not conceive as too many doe that the Res gestae the things contained in the Scripture were acted in the same order wherein the Bookes are ordinarily ranked up in your Bibles Let none thinke that Isaiah was the first of the Prophets in order of prophecying because hee is now placed first Learned men conclude out of 2 Kings 13. 25. that Jonâ—h prophecyed first of all the sixteen Prophets Nor that Pauls Epistles to the Romans and to the Corinthians were the first hee wrote because now so placed amongst the Bookes of the New Testament They who mind the story of the Acts of the Apostles affirm the Epistles to the Thessalonians to have the precedence Who ever ranked the Bookes of the Prophets and the Epistles of the Apostle Paul did rather consider the quantity of the volume then the order of the Contents in them It 's true whereas the Prophets are ordinariâ—y cast into three rankes some who prophecyed before the captivity of Babylon as Isaiah Jeremiah and others giving the people warning of it some who were appointed to bring them cordials in the captivity as Ezekiel and Daniel some to quicken and direct them after their return from the captivity as Haggai Zechariah Malachi These three you shall find in their proper place which is to bee last in order In reading them it is good to joyn the History with the Prophecy one will Illustrate the other There are little Historicall Books which have some contemporaneity with these as containing the story of Gods providence about his people and their carriage towards him after their returne from the captivity If you please to cast your eye upon Ezra 5. ver. 1. there you shall finde upon the cessation of the building of the Temple mentioned Ezra 4. 23 24. God stirred up Haggai and Zechariah to prophecy to the â—ews as here Hag. 1. 1. The word of the Lord came by Haggai the Prophet unto Zerubbabel the sonne of Shealtiel Governour of Judah and to Joshuah the sonne of Josedech the High Priest whom hee finds readily willing to bee ingaged in Gods work This you may observe in all stories When the Lord hath any glorious designe to carry on hee prepares some active Instruments to concurre with him therein Here Haggai was raised by God ro stirre up Zerubbabel Joshuah and the people they were fitted to entertain the Prophets counsell and to concurre with God in his great worke as appeares most clearely Ezra 5. 2. and Hag. 1. 14. where you have a most proper Echo to Haggai his Sermon a joynt contribution of their indevours The Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the spirit of Joshuah and the spirit of all the remnâ—nt of the people and they came and did worke in the House of the Lord of Hoasts their God And when the Lord intended to imploy Luther for the discovering and confounding the Abominations and usurpations of the Pope what a Traine was there laid for that work in the unexpected concurrence of others with him at that very time Then were there some great persons stirred up by God to appeare for him and protect him from the fury of his Adversaries as the Duke of Saxony c. About that time there were some Learned men furnished with ability and courage to second him as Zivinglius c. yea and then some Cities prepared to receive his Doctrine which so many others persecuted As it was in Judah in Hâ—zekiahs dayes The hand of God was upon them to give them one heâ— 2 Chron. 30. 12. So in Germany in Luthers time The same happy experience have wee found amongst our selves when the Lord was pleased to arise to have mercy upon his Sion first in Scotland and now in England what a constellation of providences hath appeared in awakening the spirits of so many to bee vigorously active for the blessed worke of Reformation According to that in Psal. 110. 3. The people are willing in the day of his power Some of our Zerubbabels of our Joshuahs and of the remnant of our people have been more willing then formerly to bee ingaged in Temple-worke God will either finde or make Instruments to serve his purpose in advancing his owne great designe But bee the worke never so good there will bee some obstructions and though some Instruments bee prepared for action yet there are too many ready to retard the best and most plausible things Hereupon this man of God the Prophet Haggai being sent with a Message to quicken the building of the Temple First begins with complaints to their negligent intermission in the Lords Worke discovering the carnall principle which did mis-lead them ver. 2. This people say the time is not come the time that the Lords house should bee built The Babylonish furnace had not burnt up all their drosse they had been seventy yeeres at the Schoole of affliction and yet many of them very poore proficients They made good Solomons Proverbe chap. 27. 22. Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a morter among wheat with a pestell yet will not his foolishnesse depart from him Indeed they doe not here bluntly and peremptorily refuse to joyne in building the Temple but indevour cunuingly to put it off Sloathfull spirits will study pretences and excuses to palliate their negligence in the Lords worke And where ever it light they care not so they may but shelter and justifie themselves in their own omissions
humour would have taken up Armes to fight for the Prelacy and the Service-Book have been so hammered and hewed by the continuance of Gods Judgements upon us that now they are come to this Let the Parliament and Assembly doe what they will with Prelacy and Liturgie so the sword may bee sheathed now Truth shall bee welcome so they may have Peace O then why should not you hold up your courage and confidence in the midst of all obstructions and difficulties God walkes towards you in his ordinary pace You have already reaped such good fruits as will helpe to beare the charges of our long delayes The Lord hath hereby facilitated the rebuilding of his own house There are wise men who think our Reformation would have been very low had not God raised the spirits of our Reformers by the length of these multiplyed Troubles It hath been more then once observed by such as looke on that when our Parliament Spirits have begunne to faile and sinke then some Plot or other of the undermining adversaries hath been discovered whereby they have been quickned to the Lords work and when they have begunne to clash and divide amongst themselves then hath appeared some common danger wherein they were all involved and so have been happily reunited for the publick welfare of Church and State God knows how to make all events subservient to his own purposes You read in Isa. 1. 25. 27. Before Zion shall be redeemed with Judgement hee will purely purge away her drosse and take away all her Tinne Here was much drosse in England both of persons and things Wonder not if they bee not suddainly or easily removed Many drossie persons and things have been taken away by the length of these troubles which otherwise in all probability would still have clogged us As in matters of State the civill Sword being so indulgent would not take off Delinquents therefore the Lord still renues the Commission of the Militarie Sword to doe Justice till his Counsell bee fulfilled So in the Affaires of the Church many poore deluded people in England were fond of their needlesse Ceremonies and ready to dote on some Babylonish trinkets who probably would not have been weaned from them had not God whipped them off by the continuance of these troubles You have the greater reason to bee satisfyed under his hand who hereby makes us more willing heartily to return from Babylon to Hierusalem that wee may goe up to the Mountaine and build the Lords House And so I hasten to the last observation out of the eighth verse Goe up to the Mountain and bring wood and build the house It is doubtful to some Expositors what Mountain is here meant whether mount Moriah where the former Temple was built that it might there bee raised againe Or whether it bee Libâ—nus and that they should goe up thither to cut trees and so carry them to Hierusalem to build the Temple In reference to the main purpose both will come to the same the Lord cals upon them with expedition to build his House Go up to the Mountain You must saith Hierom Ascend from the Vallies to the Hill call off your mind from earthly things if you would build the Temple of God Ambrose glosses upon it Ascendite in montem Scripturarum caelestium c. Goe into the Mountain of the Heavenly Scriptures cut there the Tree of wisedome and life c. Let us leave these Allegories and with Junius imbrace that which the whole series of the words most cleerly holds forth The Lord here puts them upon a course how to recover themselves from under those evils which lye upon them hee bids them shake off their sluggishnesse breake through opposition goe up to Sion and build the Temple Hence observe To set seriously and readily about building the Temple is a most compendious way to obtain favour from the Lord of Hosts when his hand is lifted up against a people The Lords great designe here on earth is to prepare a Temple to raise a glorious Throme for his Sonne in his Church This is the tenour of his promises I will make thee an eternall excellency a joy of many Generations Isa. 60. 15. His providentiall dispensations runne this way Isa. 62. 6 7. I have set watchmen upon thy walls O Hierusalem which shall never hold their peace till hee make Hierusalem a praise in the earth In the materiall and spirituall Temple this was his great worke what was typified in the one shall bee gloriously accomplished in the other Hag. 2. 7. 9. there hee doth ingage his favourable presence In this place will I give peace saith the Lord of Hosts Hence by his Prophets the Lord did so much incite the Jews to expedite this worke Hereby he trayned them up to the expectation of Christ and to faith and hope in him who was represented by this Temple hereby they might be led Heaven-ward in the exercise of the duties of piety whilest they are imployed in Temple worke yea indeed the neglect of the building of this House would argue much prophanenesse of spirit it being the place which God himselfe appointed for his solemn publick worship But I need not look further then the Text it selfe which hath native strength in it to confirme the observation Behold here a double Reason to quicken you all as you desire favour and rest in these troublous times to bee diligent in building Gods House The first reason speakes to their selfe-love And I will take pleasure in it Ero propitius in ea as Calvin reads it with others There you shall meet my blessing there you shall have the priviledge to seeke mee and the happinesse to find mee There the Lord had by his promise engaged his owne gracious presence with his people and his acceptance of their prayers and services Compare 1 Kings 8. 29. with Deut. 12. 11. My name shall bee there and there should bee his eye his eare and his hand according to their exigents The second reason suits as much with his owne glory And I will bee glorified saith the Lord Gods people have three glorious and gracious aspects of their heavenly Father in Christ in the Church and in Heaven Hee first looked upon them in Christ from eternity and they may behold him in Christ then they meet him in his Church in his house here upon earth and afterwards shall come to enjoy him everlastingly in Heâ—ven And indeed for the present wee never see so much of Gods glorious goodnesse in Christ wee never see so much of the glorious hopes of Heaven as when wee converse with God in his owne house There hee doth shew to his people most of his glory manifestative hee is glorified and then also his people do active objective glorifie him both in the building of his house and worshipping him therein according to his will Psalm 102. 16. When the Lord shall build up Sion hee shall