men to call them forth unto the works whom he hath gifted and qualified for it and this drawing out of the spirits of men in that way that the Lord would have them is a special work of the spirit of God 1 Sam. 10.26 God having gifted Saul he doth draw out the spirits of men to call him to the office of a King and to joyn with him in it whose heart God had touched and the finger of God is the spirit of God by whom the hearts of men are touched and therefore Zach. 4.6,7 Not by power and might but by my Spirit that is his spirit that is working upon the spirits of men both in instruments and opposites raising and elevating the one and subduing the other so that the spirit inclining and ordering and over-ruling of the hearts of men in such a work it is an evident testimony of a call from the spirit for their hearts God had touched c. Thirdly there is yet something more and that is persons being thus chosen there is a sanction and a stablishment from the Holy-Ghost that doth come upon them that as all the duties of the office lie upon their consciences by the command of God that whatsoever is required in that office the Lord expects it of them so all the honour and dignity of the office is due to them and that by a command from the Holy Ghost and men are to be subject for conscience sake as an act of obedience unto God as a wowan before she hath chose a husband is at liberty to marry whom she will only in the Lord but having once chosen a husband all the duties that belong to a husband she is to perform unto him by vertue of the Covenant of God and in obedience unto God and as it is with a people in the point of the Magistracy its true that civil government is appointed by God but that it shall be in this or in that form he hath not appointed and therefore though there be several forms of government yet all are lawful and may according to the rules of prudence be made use of in any state as shall be most for the publike good therefore all forms of civil government are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Pet. 2.13 but having made choice of Magistracy in what form so ever the authority of God then comes upon it and ye are to obey as unto God and to be subject for conscience sake Rom. 13.5 and so it is here also and upon these three grounds it is that the Holy-Ghost is brought in for the Constitution and establishment of Church-Officers and therefore it is that he hath set 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Act. 20.28 He did constitute them in that particular place where they should be Thirdly for this cause the Apostles they took special care to set up all the Institutions of Christ as well offices as ordinances as the state and condition of the Church did require and therefore they did not only gather them into bodies but they did also set Officers over them Acts 2.14,23 They ordained Elders in every Church and the same charge and employment they gave to the Evangelists who were appointed to this purpose to confirm the Churches and to ordain Officers in every Church Fourthly and we see that all the Churches of Christ accepted of Officers and acknowledged them as such as there were Elders in the Church of Ephesus Acts 20.28 and the Church of Jerusalem had not only Apostles but Elders also Acts 15.2,22 and therefore the whole Church is brought under these two heads them that rule over you and all the Saints Heb. 13.24 They are not all Rulers all are not men in office there be Rulers that are distinguished from Saints To what end are officers appointed in the Church what need is there of them they are appointed by Christ for these ends First for the Churches perfection in the Constitution thereof for though a Church without officers be a true Church in respect of the Essence of it when there is a society of visible Saints united into one body by mutual consent in the profession of the faith of the Gospel as appears Acts 6. there was a Church at Ierusalem before there were Deacons and a Church at Antioch before there were Elders Acts 14.23 but yet it is nor a compleat Church in all the parts of it as an Organical body therefore it hath officers superadded and therefore as soon as the Apostle had converted a people to the faith first they did embody them and then for their perfection they set officers over them they did not look upon them as compleat whilest they were as sheep without a Shepherd till there be some to rule and to order them in the waies of a Church and according to the Institutions of Christ and therefore in all ages the officers have been in a special manner the glory of the Churches as the Apostles were Rev. 12.1 Upon their heads is a Crown of twelve stars and therefore Cant. 8.8 We have a little Sister and she hath no breasts that is a stablished ministery and settled officers from whom the sincere milk of the word might be sucked breasts of consolation whereby they might be supported Now this tends to the perfection of a Church as we see it described Ezek. 16.7,8 Thy breasts were fashioned and thy hair was grown it notes coming unto maturity and ripeness of age whereas a Church wanting officers is but a little sister yet in her infancy or minority c. Secondly Officers are appointed in the Church to avoid confusion therefore the Lord saw officers to be necessary 1 Cor. 14.33 God is not the author of Confusion but of Peace in all the Churches of the Saints and Col. 1.2.5 rejoycing and beholding your order according unto Gods order when every man keeps his place and rank that is they that rule keep their place and they that are to be subject keep their place for the Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is a military term and if either of these be wanting there will be confusion in the Church therefore he will have some to rule and others to obey that there may be no disorder and by this means no differences for its disorder that is the ground of all differences as it is order that is the ground of peace break order in a Church and you break the peace of it immediately Thirdly the Lord doth it for the Churches edification that as he doth give diversity of gifts and all of them to profit withal 1 Cor. 12.7 It is not that any of them should lie idle and be used barely for a mans self and his own advantage as an ornament to himself but for the good of the Church so the Lord doth also appoint diversities of administrations to officers in the Church that according unto mens gifts so they may have suitable employments in the Church in which they may encrease their gifts and thereby
and that doth delight him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to retaliate that men may abundantly eat the fruit of their own ways and be filled with their own devices and the Lord makes in this retaliation a greater speed with some men then he doth with others answerable to the Mercies bestowed and abused some mens sins are as a basket of Summer-fruit quia maturitatem suam sunt assecuti Am. 8.12 Drusius they that have stood long under mercies and under Ordinances they do ripen the sooner and the Lord will surely hasten his work upon such a people habet sapientia justitiae sua compendia the Lord knows how to finish the work to cut it short in righteousness for a short work doth the Lord intend to make in the land Rom. 9.28 How long soever the work be that God makes with any other people yet with an unthankful people that lives in high abuses of goodness he will surely make a short work with them Fifthly At the same time when we begin to forsake God he doth begin to forsake us for so much must be taken from the beginning of the verse the Lord is with you whiles you are with him so we and some others render it dum fuistis Therefore the same date that our departing bears unto God the same also doth the Lords departing bear unto us at the same time when the Prodigal did but set the first step to return to his father the father did set forth to meet him and at the same time that any man departs and turns away from God at the same time doth the Lord turn away from him also and though it be not presently visible for our Apostacy from God is first in the inward man our souls draw back from him Jer. 6.8 at the same time also his soul departs or is dis-joynted from such a people and in such cases the Lord is very exact in observing of the time he keeps an account of it unto a day as we see it in Saul 1 Sam. 13 13,14 Now would the Lord have established the kingdom upon Israel for ever but now thy kingdom shall not continue now Saul departed from the Lord and from this time forth the Lord did forsake him and therefore 1 Sam. 13.2 it 's said that he reigned but two yeers over Israel that is Legitimè non rejectus á Deo so Junâ—post biennium a Shemuèle fuit so that though the kingdom did continue so many yeers â—fter or he continued in the kingdom yet he reigned as King but two yeers now he rejected God and now the Lord reâ—ected him from being King over Israel and though men discern it not yet there are symbolical precepts by which the Lord doth try men even at this day the Lord puts them upon such a business puts such power and such authority into their hands which they abusing and their heart departing from God in it they are under an evil aspect from God from that time forward that though their lives may continue and though they may for a time continue in their authority yet from that time he Lord departs from them and they do by degrees wither and decay insensibly degenerate in their zeal for God and his people Sad are the Records and the aspects of God upon great men in this kind such a day I tryed a mans integrity and his faiâ—hfulness I put power into his hand to honor me with it and yet his spirit departed from me his heart was false and unstable with me therefore from that day my soul is disjoynted from such a man will honor him no more Saul reigned long after before the people but from that time no longer in Gods account Sixthly In the same degree that a people do forsake the Lord will the Lord also forsake them and so much the Hebrew word also doth seem to import in existendo vos cum eo in your being with him he will also be with you and in your forsaking of him he will also forsake you The Lord departs from a people gradatim by several removes to see if there be any that will stir up themselves to take hold of God As the glory of the Lord departed from the Temple Ezek. 10.11 first he goes up from the Cherubins unto the threshold and from thence to the middle of the City and from the City unto the Mountain and these removes of God from us are answerable unto the degrees of our departing from him for in these things the Lord doth exactly observe a proportion As it is in the matter of outward afflictions so it shall be also in spiritual desertions Ezek. 7.16 as pride doth bud so the rod doth blossom violence doth rise up unto a rod of wickedness their rod is taken out of their own sins their own wickedness doth correct them and answerable to the growth of sin in them so doth the rod grow for them that it may be corrected And so it is in desertion also with the upright the Lord will shew himself upright if mens hearts be wholly with him he will be perfect and intire with them but if men be for God onely in shew he will be for them and with them onely in shew if they give unto him onely outward obedience he will give unto them onely a temporal reward if they do offer unto God but external service and that which is seemingly service but really a sin he will bestow upon them outward blessings that is that which shall be seemingly a blessing but really a curse a blessing in the thing but a curse to the man For the Lord will hold a proportion as we forsake him so he will in the same measure and degree forsake us also All the children of destruction are not born at once Hos 1. the first is Iezreel and the last Loammi yea and Gods own people answerable unto their departing from God so they shall find the Lords withdrawment from them David had his first ways 2 Chr. 17 and the people of God have their first Rev. 2.4 and they that do decline from God in holy obedience they shall finde the Lord will depart from them in reference to a gracious presence it shall not be with them as it hath been in times past they shall remember with bitterness after their departure from their former husband that it was better with them then it is now 2. Let us now look upon the grounds of this Doctrine that upon our forsaking of God he will forsake us and they are different according unto a double state of men in this life some are in a state of Nature and some are in a state of grace First they that are in a state of nature forsaking God shall be utterly forsaken by him and that for ever for the Lord doth deal with men according to the tenor of the Covenant under which he stands in all his administrations he is always mindful of his Covenant Now all men in
as when God became an enemy at first to mankind all the creatures also did become their enemy it were no matter for the desertion of all the neighbouring Nations though we were as a speckled Bird unto them and they all hate us yet if God be with us who can be against us but Tolle Deum nullus ero if the glory of the Lord departed then the Cherubims lifted up their wings and are gone as the voice that was heard to say in the Temple the night before Jerusalem was taken Migremus hinc c. Secondly if God forsake us all the creatures will break in upon us God hath forsaken him pursue him and take him for his hedge his fence is taken away I will take away the hedge thereof shall the Lord say and then a poor creature may comfort himself as Saul did in the creatures honour me before the people when the Lord had rejected him but it is but cold comfort for a man so to do for thy own servants will then become thy enemies Thirdly there is no one thing that afflicts and affects a gracious heart more then desertions either in Church or state or his own soul he fears nothing else all that David still prayes for is O Lord forsake me not Oh forsake me not utterly Lord be not thou far from me there is this difference commonly between a godly man and a wicked man the one fears Gods punishments but the other fears Gods departure and therefore Austin It is as with a chast wife and a harlot Austin they both fear their husbands Haec ne veniat illa ne decedat And the reason is because the one seeks only blessings from God and the other only seeks communion with God and if he had never so much from God yetif he be denyed to seek his face denyed fellowship with him and if the Lord do so forsake him all things are bitter unto him because the joy of his heart is gone surely if you go on to forsake the Lord he will forsake you but the desertion begins on your part if you do not forsake him he will not forsake you therefore so far as you have backslided from God return to him and you have this promise I will heal your backslidings THE DOCTRINE Of the Iews Vocation Preached at Gregories Lecture ROM 11.26 And so all Israel shall be saved as it is written c. THe Apostle having spoken in the close of the former Ch. of the vocation of the Gentiles I was found of them that sought me not of the rebellious under which is implyed the rejection of the Jews all the day long have I stretched out my hands to a disobedient and gain-saying people he closes the Discourse in this Chapter and makes of this Chapter three parts first Consolatoria he hath not cast off his people 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 è conspectu amovere he hath cast them off but not so as he will never look after them again he hath not so cast them off for there is even amongst them and to come out of their loins who are at present rejected a seed according to the election of grace though those four great Judgements threatned are come upon them there is poured upon them the Spirit of a deep sleep unto this day their table is made a snare and their eyes are darkned that they see not and they do alwaies bow down their backs but these Judgements shall not alwaies lie upon them because they are dear unto God according to the election of grace the Lord hath not cast off his people whom he knew before Secondly Hortatoria If the Jews were broken off that were the natural branches yet let not the Gentiles boast against the branches broken off be not high-minded but fear for if God spared not the natural branches take heed lest he spare not thee also behold therefore the goodness and severity of God towards thee goodness if thou continue in his goodness if not thou shalt also be cut off Thirdly Prophetica and that is of the grafting in of the Jews again the natural branches if they continue not in their unbelief of what the state of the Jews should be when the Lord again shall return to them in mercy and build up the Tabernacle of David that is fallen down and this he doth Usher in with a praemium as being a great truth and that which he would have specially observed I would not have you ignorant of this mysterie What is a mysterie a mysterie is something made known by Revelation and can be known no other way it is from the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Phil. 4.12 I am instructed from heaven a truth which the Apostle had been taught by divine Revelation and though much of this is spoken of and foretold in the Scripture yet there is a spirit of Revelation that must go to the opening thereof or else he could never have understood it himself nor been able to reveal it or discover it to others its true it was abundantly revealed in the Scriptures and when it was discovered to the Apostles they could see clear Scripture for it but not till then they are mysteries till the Lord please to enlighten the understanding to know these mysteries and therefore as the calling of the Gentiles is said to be a mysterie hid in God from Ages and from Generations and made known only by Revelation Eph. 3.4,5,6 sc that the Gentiles should be fellow-heirs with the same body and partakers of the Promise of Christ by the Gospel the calling of the Gentiles though abundantly foretold in the Scripture was a mysterie unto the Jews that they understood it not and so the calling of the Jews may seem also a mysterie unto the Gentiles till the Lord reveal it unto them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrysostom so calls the Doctrine of the Jews calling Chrysostom a paradox and strange thing A strange and a wonderful thing and he that doth publish it shall seem at first to preach a paradox and a new Doctrine But what is this mysterie Blindness in spirit is hapned unto Israel until the fulness of the Gentiles shall come in that is the mysterie Blindness is in part come upon them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 There are three Interpretations and all true First non omnibus it is not come upon all Israel but upon a part and so it is to speak as the Apostles manner is molli locutione though it came upon a great part of them and in comparison there were but a few converted unto the faith of Christ yet he saith it came not upon all but upon part of them only the whole Nation were not cast away 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrysost there are many of them now do believe and many of them hereafter shall believe and therefore it is not come upon all the Jews for God had mercy on many in those primitive times Insomuch that the first glorious Christian
and Lud to Tubal and Javan to the Isles a far off that have not heard my fame nor seen my glory and they shall declare my glory among the Gentiles Esa 66.19 So that when the fullnesse of the Gentiles that God had appoynted before their call shall come in then blindnesse shall be take off from Israel and they shall be converted to the Lord in a great multitude A national way that they shall become a Church unto Christ being ingraffed into their own Olive tree and then shall there come in a greater fulness of the Gentiles even of many that never heard of the name of the Lord and so all Israel shall be saved but indeed the ensuing promise doth seem to restrain it onely into natural Israel For it is a Redeemer shall come to Sion and he that turnes away the iniquity from Jacob Esa 59.20 And this is the Covenant that I will make with them when I shall pardon their sins and so it refers all unto Israel that is unto the Iews and all Israel is ment not a sprinkling some few first fruits but the whole crop and whereas before he had said that blindness came but in part upon them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Now he saith when their deliverance shall come it shall come unto all Israel even unto the whole Nation for their iniquities shall be turned away by God and they also shall turn from their iniquities All Israel shall be saved not every particular person but a National conversion All Israel c. Beeing to treat of the comming in of the Iewes when all Israel shall be brought in there are many heads unto which all may be reduced which orderly the Scripture speaks there which I shall briefly in a summe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 set before you at this time that I may be at least an occasion of enquiry into each of them and thereby happily light may be encreased First there shall be National conversion of the Iewes wherein a great if not the greatest part of the Nation of the Iewes that are reserved shall be turned unto the Lord. This some oppose a Conversion they grant but a National Conversion it must not be Secondly this Conversion shall be in the height of their misery when there shal be the greatest misery and affliction upon them that ever was since their dispersion There shall be a time of trouble such as there never was since they were a Nation unto the same time and at that time Daniels people shall be delivered as many as are found written in the book Dan. 12.1 when they shall be dry bones and all hope shall be past with them that they shall say our bones are dry bones our hope is past and we are cut off for our part then the dry bones shall live and they that sleep in the dust shall awake Ezek. 37.11.12 Behold Oh my people I will open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves and bring you into the land of Israel That 's the Lords time of love above all other times when men lie wallowing in their blood when their hopes shall be lowest their Redemption shall be near Thirdly when they are converted they shall return unto Christ and embrace him whom they formerly crucified and rejected saying we will not have this man to rule over us and his blood be upon us and our Children but there shall come a time when Israel and Judah shall be gathered together which never yet was since their rejection and they shal appoint to themselves one head Hos 1.11 and this head can be no other then Christ whom they shall then by their own election appoint to be as a Head or a King over them its true that he was appointed by the Father in his eternal decree and in the covenant made between the Father and the Son before the World was as he himself saith I was set up from everlasting it cannot be spoken of him as he is God for it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I was appointed Prov 8.2.3 whch must refer into the office into which he was designed from eternity by the Father it is the same word used Ps 26. I have set my King upon my holy hill of Sion but now their hearts shall be brought about and they that rejected the counsel of God against themselves and would not have him to be their head whom the Lord had appointed now they shall also chuse the same and consent unto him they shall appoint unto themselves oâ—e head c. In that day shall there be a Fountain open unto the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness Zach. 13.1 it is spoken of the day of their conversion as appeares by what goes before in the former Chapter then shall Christ become the glory of his people Israel hee was their glory because that of them according to the flesh Christ came Rom. 9. But now they shall chuse him as their glory and they shall rejoyce and glory in him and they shall in their return seek the Lord and David their King Hos 3.5 that is they shall seek God aright according to the way of the Gospel and with Gospel apprehensions they shall not onely seek the Lord from whom they have grievously revolted but they shall seek him in Christ and they shal come to him in the way that he hath appointed that is in Christ and unto Christ shall they come Fourthly at their conversion there shall be wrought in them a great and a national humiliation Jer. 31.18.19 I was ashamed and confounded because I did bear the reproach of my youth Hos 14.8 Ephraim shall say What have I doe any more with Idols I have heard him and observed him c. Zach. 12.10 I will pour upon the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit of Grace and supplication and they shall look upon him whom they have pierced and they shall mourn for him and be in bitterness for him as for an only son as he that mourns for his first bâ—rn There shal be a great mourning as the mourning of Hadadrimmon c. Jer. 31.8,9 Behold I wil bring them from the North country wil gather them from the ends of the Earth and they shal come with weeping and with supplication I wil lead them to Sion they shal come but with weeping and supplications c. But is not this spoken of their return from Babylon How can it did they come out of Captivity weeping It cannot be meant fully of that return though there are different degrees of the accomplishment of prophesies but if we look to verse 1. At the same time saith the Lord I wil be the God of all the Tribes of Israel and they shal be my people Which can hardly be imagined unto the ten Tribes in that return to be fulfilled for they did never return from the land of their Captivity unto this day There
day of their deliverance shall come to the astonishment and amazement of the Nations and there are many great reasons that it must be a great day but I cannot insist upon them Seventhly the time of their calling shall be when the fulness of the Gentiles is come in blindness so long is happened unto them when the four Monarchs are cast down to dust in the period of them Dan. 7.12.13.14 after the destruction of Antichrist when the little horn is slain and his body given unto the burning flame now he comes to receive a Kingdom of the ancient of days and it shall be when the seventh Angels Trumpet shall sound then the Kingdoms and Nations under the whole Earth become the Kingdoms of the Lord and his Christ Rev. 11.16 which is from the setting up the abomination of desolation the 1290. days which shal be the year of the Iews redemption Dan. 12.11 which is to be finished four thousand year after which is 1335. daies but these are times â—hat I cannot now speak to Eighthly then shall be amongst them a glorious Church in which the presence of the Lord shall dwell Ezek. 37.27 I will set my Tabernacle among them for ever more And elsewhere Ezek. 48. ult the name of the City shal be Jehovah shammah the Lord is there Rev. 21.3 The Tabernacle of God is with men and he will dwell with them and it is not in Heaven for it is new Jerusalem that comes down from God out of Heaven and the Kings of the earth shall bring their glory to it and the glory of the Lord and of the Lamb shall be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the light of it and Rev. 21.12 twelve Angels at the gates and there shall be no use of the service of the Angels in Heaven they are sent forth as ministring spirits for the good of the Elect. But when they are gathered in as their Kindom begins with the Kingdom of Christ so shall it end also for he will put down all rule authority and power it is to be understood Etiam de principatu Angelico as well as of any other And they shall have the purest Ordinances Rivers of water of Life that is clear as Christal not running blood not mixed with fire Rev. 22.1 Not blood as is the Doctrine of Antichrist nor mixt with Fire either of affliction or contention as are the doctrines of the reformed Churches and then shall be the exactest discipline all that love and make a lye shall be without and the more of Gods order the more of his presence and his blessing for they shall see his face and his name shall bee written upon their foreheads c. Ninthly this Church of the converted Jewes shall be the Mother Church and shall be exalted above all the Gentile Churches the mountain of the Lords house exalted above the tops of the mountains Ezek. 16.61 then shalt thou be ashamed when I shall give thee thy sisters for daughters all the Gentile Churches shal know that they do receive as the Law from them at the first so now aboundance of light and nourishment great discoveries of God and of his grace for the light of the Moon shall be as that of the Sun and the light of the Sun seven-fold and the Temple shall be opened in Heaven and you may see into the Ark of the Testament all vailes shall be taken away both from the hearts of men and the mysteries of God and the Abdita the hidden things of God revealed the which should then be made fully manifest For he did not write the Word for the World to come but for the Life that now is and therefore there is nothing there hid that shall not be made manifest it shall appear unto the world that he wrote none of those divine mysteries in the word in vain Tenthly Then shall follow great peace and prosperity in the world all persecutions either from Enemies without or Tyrants within shall come to an end Ezek. 34.25.26 I wil make with them a Covenant of peace and wil cause evil beasts to cease out of the Land they shall dwell safely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods Esa 66.12 I will extend peace to her like a River that shall never be dryed up that when the enemies shall look when it will be dry it may be expected in vaine Labitur labetur Zach. 14.11 Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited persecutions from without for the four Monarchs shal bee destroyed and Satan shall be bound that he shall not stir them up to make war against the Saints Rev. 20. Ezek. 45.8 because their Princes before did slay them and not hold themselves guilty make nothing of oppression but now he saith my Princes shall oppresse my people no more a wall 12000 furlongs high Rev. 21.16 and for prosperity Esa 60.16.17 c she shall suck the milk of the Gentiles and the brests of Kings Eleventhly Over this people Iesus Christ shall in a glorious manner reign and that in a more eminent manner then he hath done over the Churches of the Gentiles for it is the Kingdom of David his Father which he is to sit on a Kingdom which he is yet to receive Ezek. 34.23.24 â—zek 37.25 Ezek. 21.26 David my servant he shall feed them and rule over them I will be their God and David my servant as a Prince amongst them when the dry bones are risen David my servant shall be their Prince for ever remove the Diadem c he will overturn overturn overturne and then will he come whose right it is The Scepter shal depart from Judah and they shall be many days without a King Any form of government of their own Hos 34. and what then they shall seek the Lord and David their King unto whom the Father hath committed all judgement Joh. 5.22 and in a special manner the Kingdoms and Nations over this people that from his presence their judgement is to go forth and therefore he shall in a more special manner be be King of the Jews as being his own people unto whom he hath a right of inheritance more then he has over any people of the world besides and yet I do confesse I do not see light from the Scripture to assert the personal reign of Christ upon Earth over them and the Saints reigning with him in his person I know Aliud est ChristuÌ„ regnare in Sanctis Aliud Sanctos regnare cum Christo both shall be in this life in some sense but yet whether Christ shall rule them by a personal residence upon earth is unto me still a doubt but this I say the Lord Iesus Christ hath a peculiar right unto the Kingdom of the Jews as he is of the seed of David And God will give him the Throne of his father David Twelfthly The people shall be exceeding holy in this Church walking in truth and sincerity there is a form of Godliness but there is little of the
qualifications see the evil of it in these particulars I wil but name them First you abuse a Gospel-priviledge a power of Election that is put into your hands Secondly in the end you will find the misery of it by putting your selves into the power of men who shall not use their power for your edification but for their own honour and advantage making Church-power to serve their pride and lusts which hath been the common abuse of it in all ages of the Church Communion with GOD Good in Bad Times Preached at Pauls Octob. 14. 1647. before the Lord Maior Aldermen PSAL. 73. ver the last the former part But it is good for me to draw neer to God WHen dangers are eminent all men begin to look out for a refuge that they may be able to make a certain and an honourable retreate that they may in an universal deluge provide an Ark in a common conflagration a Zoar and in a common Shipwrack that they may have tabulam post naufragium that they may have something that when danger hath done its worst they may be able to lift up their heads and say Terram video I yet see an Haven to anchor in I yet see an Haven to make to a safe harbour All natural and unregenerate men they have their refuges to which they retreate the rich mans wealth is his strong Tower and his high wall is his own conceit But the Holy-Ghost hath told us that when God shall lay judgement to the line and righteousness to the Plumet the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lyes and the storm shall over-flow their hiding place Isa 28.17 But a godly man he hath his refuge also grace makes a man partaker of the divine nature 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Athen. Nazianzen expresseth it it doth wholly resolve the creature into God God is to him allin all God is his provision for he is a Sun His protection is from him for he is a Shield His perfection lies in him for he himself is his exceeding great reward Thus the name of the Lord is a strong Tower and the righteous flye thither and are safe when the Branch of the terrible ones shall be brought low specially if we consider the time into which God hath cast us As I know there is no duty so I know not of any Doctrine more necessary then for the people of God those that have an interest in him to be stir'd up at this time in a special manner to keep close to him that they may put on Davids resolution in the Text It is good for me to draw neer to God In this Psalm you shall find David lie under a great affliction and a great temptation an affliction for he saith that he was plagued every day and chastened every morning and the temptation rose from his observation of the contrary prosperity of the wicked Here was a dispensation of Providence that David could notunderstand here was a Temptation of Satan that David could not overcome thereupon he goes into the Sanctuary of God Truly whatsoever men may think the holyest men and the ablest men will sometimes stand in need of the Ministry of the word David went into the Sanctuary of God and then the passage of Providence was clear to him his mind was quiet there is a pacifying vertue in the word and the temptation vanished and this the Lord did by discovering unto David the ground of this differencing dispensations in outward things in regard of the different Covenants under which men stand and that both towards unregenerate men and towards his own people Towards unregenerate men the Lord in his Sanctuary did discover to David these Three things First of all their outward prosperity was but like a dream but an Image an appearance an outside 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth please men no longer then while they are asleep it was but as a dream when a man waketh that all their outward prosperity would certainly die Secondly the Lord discovered to him all this glory should end in their utter destruction in time and that this Jordan of content did but carry them down to the dead Sea the Lord will say they had their portion in this life Son remember that in thy life time thou hadst thy good things In the third place the Lord discovered to him that this common love should end in an eternal hatred so in these outward mercies there was a judgement their Table was made a snare and to ripen their sins and by this means highten their judgement and so all the prosperity of the wicked to be an act of wrath and not of mercy and the Lord did advance them that they stand upon slippery places In all Gods dispensations towards unregenerate men there is a judgement even in those things that are mercies outward blessings in themselves but curses to the men because this is a rule Sine summo bono nil bonum there is nothing good to a man that hath not an interest in God that is the chiefest good These things being discovered unto David he understood the end of these men but in the Sanctuary also God taught David something of his own people and they were these three things First that notwithstanding their sufferings yet they had Gods presence in them though the Lord be present with his people at all times yet especially in the worst times when the Bush is in the fire then in an especial manner is the good pleasure of him that dwels in the Bush there Thou art with me saith David thou holdest me with thy right hand And as he had Gods presence So he learned in the Sanctuary that they had Gods guidance as he did not bear the affliction alone by his own power so he did not go through it with his own wisdom thou shalt guide me with thy counsel And Lastly he had Gods glory for these light afflictions work for us a more exceeding excessive eternal weight of glory thou shalt guide me with thy counsel and afterwards receive me to glory and this sowing in tears shall make way for a joyful harvest Now David having understood these things in the Sanctuary hence he begins again to lay claim to God and that he had made the best choice Whom have I in Heaven but thee and who do I desire upon earth in comparison of thee surely it is good for me to draw neer to God Thus Gods people are gainers by all their afflictions and they grow the stronger by all their temptations This being the Connection The Observation then that I shall desire to handle without any division of the words is plainly in the Text. Doctrine In evil times it is good for the people of God to draw neer to God The best course a godly man can take in calamitious times is to keep close to God In the handling of this truth there are two things that I shall desire to clear for Explication and then we shall
electing love the Lord hath separated unto himself the man that is Godly Psal 4.3 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it is in the Hebrew he hath gloriously and miraculously wonderfully separated to himself into fellowship not only to himself for service but to himself for communion and what is the ground because you are predestinated unto followship 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 My Beloved when you all fell from God as well as the Apostate Angels might not the Lord have left you in the same condition with them and your doom should have been cursed and therefore cursed because you must depart but if the Lord had been pleased to have been reconciled if he had said to you as David did concerning Absolom bring the young man home but let him returne to his own house and let him never see my face if the Lord should have said I will not remember their evil against them to destroy them but they shall never see my face more they shall be estranged to me for ever you would have said this had been a mercie even your preservation but this doth not satisfie Electing love there is a double end that electing-love aims at 2 Luke 14. it is peace and good will not only Reconciliation but Communion that God may take the creature into fellowship with himself and empty himself as I may so speak with reverence into the bosom of the creature Be pleased now to consider you may then draw neer to God upon this ground of Gods electing love Secondly you may draw neer to God grounded upon the nature of the Covenant of grace under which you stand My Beloved God deals with all mankind in a Covenant-way and according unto the Covenant under which he standeth so are all Gods dispensations towards him and to that end the Lord hath made a double Covenant with a double head The first Covenant was made with the first Adam the second Covenant with the second Adam and therefore God looks upon all mankind as if there were but two men in the world 1 Cor. 15.47 The first man was of the earth earthly the second man is the Lord from Heaven Heavenly God looks upon all mankind as coming under these two heads the first Adam and the second Adam Now the Covenant of grace which the Lord hath established it hath a double propertie First it is faedus amicitiae a Covenant of friendship the Lord doth take Abram as his friend Abram my friend James 2.23 Now the School-men tell us of two sorts of relations relatio disquiparantiae connotat dominium that notes subjection and dominion as between a King and a subject a master and a servant there is not so properly communion and relatio aequiparantiae quae denotat Communionem now the proper end of friendship is fellowship for a mans friend is as his own soul and the Covenant of grace is a Covenant of fellowship therefore they may draw neer unto him being taken by God into a Covenant of friendship 2ly the Covenant of grace is a matrimonial Covenant faedus Conjugale I betrothed her in Hos 2.9 you knowin this is the neerest Communion the surest oneness in this relation beyond al other in the world the greatest friendship by vertue of an Ordinance two made one One that was heretofore a stranger shall be dearer then Father or Mother and this voluntary relation by consent shall by vertue of the Ordinance of God be more powerful then a natural relation and a man shall leave Father and Mother and cleave to his wife and if there be this power in an Ordinance of God that is but civil what efficacy shall divine Ordinances and this spiritual Covenant have Surely thou shall lie in his bosom and have the more intimate and full communion with him for ever Now when the Lord will set forth the neer Communion that his people may have with him by this Covenant this he calls a Matrimonial Covenant Thirdly you may draw neer to God grounded upon your union with the Lord Jesus Christ The Apostle tells us 1 Cor. 6.17 that he that is joyned to the Lord is one Spirit and by that Spriit we have access to the Father Eph. 3.12 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Apostle tells that our way to God is through him we have by Jesus Christ our manuduction he is the great Favourite that leads us in by the hand into the presence of the Father Eph. 2.18 through him we have an entrance to the Father by one Spirit Christ is not only medium reconciliationis but he is medium communionis also by his satisfaction the one by his intercession the other Jesus Christ my Beloved hath a double reference to us in the work of satisfaction he is the means of Reconciliation but in all our approaches unto God being reconciled Christ is the medium he it is by whom we have Communion with the Lord. Besides In the fourth place you may draw neer to God because of your conformity to him for we are made partakers of the divine nature 1 Pet. 1.4 and we live the life of God Eph. 4.18 and we have his Image restored 1 Cor. 15.49 Conformity is the ground of communion wheresoever it is Joh. 3.6 and the more Conformity the more Communion we have and when your Conformity shall be perfected so shall your communion be Take that place and it is a choice Scripture in that Zach. 3.7 If thou wilt obey my words keep my charge I will give thee places to walk in among those that stand by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 inter stantes illos who are these Those interpreters conceive to be Angels So Drusius Post mortem anima tua in chorum recipietur c. the Angels and the Saints they are taken into neerest communion So Calvin so that the more Conformity there is the more a man obeyeth God and the more he keepeth Gods charges the more the Lord will delight to give him places to walk in amongst those that stand by Nay In the fifth place you may draw neer to God for though God be in Heaven you may ascend and the soul may be above in Heaven when the body is walking here below there is a double way of the souls assent either in contemplation or affection In contemplation the soul may ascend John in Rev. 4. said I saw a door opened in Heaven and a voice said Come up hither John in his body ascended not but John in contemplation of his heart was above Col. 3 4. A man is worth as much as his love is worth Ezekiel when he was in Babylon by the River Chebar yet he saith the Spirit of God carried him in the visions of God to Ierusalem Ezek. 8.3 in his contemplation at Ierusalem and yet notwithstanding in his body in Babylon by the River Chebar And the soul may ascend in its affection Mat. 6.21 Where a mans treasure is there will his heart be and surely where a mans heart is there is his happiness
generation then take heed to walk close with God It is good for you to draw neer to God But Secondly it is good for you to draw neer to God when all things else withdraw themselves from you My Beloved it is good for a Christian to make such a supposition as the Prophet Habbakuck doth in Chap. 3.17,18 Though the Fig-tree should notblossom though there be no fruit in the Vine though the labour of the Olive should fail and the fields should yield no meat the flocks should be cut off from the folds and the Herds from the stalls yet I will rejoyce in the Lord and I will triumph in the God of my salvation Mark he doth not only pitch upon those comforts that are rather for complement then necessity but the choicest provision as I may so speak of the worlds making here is the Fig-tree the Vine the Olive the Field the flock and he saith not If any of these should fail then they might be recompenced with the labour of the other but if all these should fail together and conspire to make man miserable and not only to fail in hope but even what you have already in possession When doth a man think his flocks to be certainer then in his folds and his herds then in his stalls but though the flocks and the herds should fail what now will bear up his soul I will rejoyce in God Oh it is time to keep close to God let me tell you the Land reels to and fro like a Drunkard sometimes leanes this way you know it and sometimes that way truly when the Land begins to sink under a mans feet once foundations shake then it is time for a man to lift up his hands and to take hold of heaven restat iter coelo for this will be the great cut to a mans heart when he shall be shut out of all things here below as it was with Saul in his agonie the Philistins made war against him and God hides his head the Philistines made war so they did many times before and Saul got the better Saul had now an Army in the field I but though he had an Army Saul had lost his God the Lord is departed from me and answers me no more This is the best way indeed to keep close to God it is time to draw neer to God when all things else withdraw themselves from you Thirdly it is best because if you draw neer to God God will certainly draw neer to you he hath promised it in Jam. 4.8 Draw neer to God and he will draw neer to you and the approach of God summs up all Gen 15.1 for in his presence is fulness of joy It is a mighty expression Rev. 21.7 that he that overcomes shall inherit all things I and that of our Savtour Mark 10.30 If a man forsake father and mother house or lands he shall have a hundred fold more in this life a hundred fold in some respect he cannot have an hundred Fathers or an hundred Mothers but Interpreters say it is not to be understood formaliter but eminenter he shall have all the comforts in God that these could afford him if they were a hundred times more Oh then draw neer to God and God will certainly draw neer to you But I but name things Fourthly to draw neer to God is best for by this means you shall be preserved from the evil that other men suffer the evil of suffering The promise is in Psal 91.10 He that dwelleth under the shaddow of the most high no plague shall come nigh him he will give his Angels charge over thee it notes a constant fellowship thou shalt be the special charge that the Angels have I shall desire you but to consider the Lord hath projects of providence for his peoples preservation as well as for his enemies destruction Noah walked with God and had an Ark when the rest of the world of ungodly men perished in the waters David a man that kept constant communion and we see how the Lord owns him in all his tryals and appears for him upon all the glory there shall be a covering and there are projects of providence beyond the wisdom of men or Angels for the Lord knows how to deliver the just from all their trouble and how to reserve the wicked to the day of Judgement These things now I am forced to pass over Lastly and so we will hasten to the Application It is best for men to draw neer to God because a close communion keeps up in a mans soul those qualifications as shall make every afliction comfortable and easie be the times never so bad for the drawing neer of the soul to God is like the Sun to the earth which by its heat and perfect influence puts life vigour and beauty into things dead and withered before Cant. 1.12 Communion with God is the spring-time of all grace and therefore I will but name them First Communion with God will keep a mans soul in a silent humble frame that was the fruit of Aarons Communion in Levit. 10.3 a great cross be fell him he lost two Sons taken away by an immediate act of Gods hand even in an act of sin yet Aaron held his peace Aaron held his peace fellowship with God will certainly keep the soul in a peaceable submissive frame that be the affliction what it will be the soul shall say Gods will is the rule of goodness when Judgement was pronounced against Hezekiah good is the word of the Lord and Iob the Lord hath given and the Lord hath taken away Secondly fellowship with God will keep a mans soul in a holy independency upon the things below there is nothing my Beloved puts a mans soul out of band with the creature like communion this is the way to have the Moon under your feet as the expression is for that in fellowship with God a man that knows what it is to have close communion knows that he doth really set his feet where other men set their hearts it puts the mouth out of tast to all creature comforts to him Chrysostom 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrysost though the world were on fire about his ears yet he hath lost nothing for his portion is enough In the third place as a holy independency so a holy magnanimity of spirit he shall not think those things great that other men think insupportable Iesus Christ endured the Cross and despised the shame and the shame of the cross was the greatest suffering Why do you weep and break my heart I am ready not only to be bound but to die for him Luther And Luther I remember when the enemies gave out that he had recanted he writes in a Letter of his that I will never recant think that I will do any thing rather then recant be the dangers and threatnings what they will be they are not careful to answer thee in this matter omnia de me praesumes praeter fugam
the more he shall be acquainted with the secrets of God for communion lies much in imparting of secrets Abraham is called the friend of God and he had gotten such an interest in him that God can do nothing that he will hide from Abraham Gen. 18. And Moses God will speak to him as a man with his friend sace to face 1 Sam. 9.15 The Lord told Samuel in his ear In this respect it may be truly said the secret of the Lord is with them that fear him and his Urim and Thumim with his holy ones these lean upon the Lords bosom from day to day and that is the seat of secrets as well as of love Thirdly the more a man draws neer to God the more acceptable will all his services be and therefore the more Moses appeared before God and stood in the gap the more God delighted in him and he turned away the wrath of God from his people Job must pray for his friends and the Lord will hear him though they were godly men yet they were not contented that it should be only well with them but they wrestled with God for others and God will honour them with the answer of prayers for they that draw most neer to God and God draws neer to them are the men of his good will God will say unto them Concerning my sons and the works of my hands command ye me c. and therefore Bernard speaking of such times of Communion Bernard Dulce commercium sed Breve momentum saith he when it is so with a man then pray for me cum talis fueris memento mei for then his prayers will surely prevail Moses prays Exod. 32. Lord pardon them c. and God repented of the evil he thought to have done to his people c. My presence shall go before thee and I will give thee rest Lord shew me thy glory Thou canst not see my face and live but I will cause my goodness to pass before thee God can in such approaches unto the soul deny them nothing Fourthly the more a man shall prosper in whatever he doth undertake Joseph was a successful man in all his undertakings and the ground of it was because the Lord was with him Gen. 39. last he kept constant Communion with God and so David in all things that he did he prospered for the Lord was with him 1 Chron. 11.9 Josh 5. the ground of all Joshua's success in war was because the Lord was with him I know a godly man doth prize his services above his comforts his work above his wages as one of the Martyrs said when he came to dye Nothing did grieve him more then that he was now going to a place where he should be for ever receiving wages and never do any more work Now if you would be employed by God and would have the Lord to delight to use you and prosper you in your undertakings keep close to him Fifthly the more fellowship you have with God the more friendship you shall find among men Indeed the people of God are commonly the persons that are most evil spoken of in the world the evil eyes of vain men are set against them and they will do what they can to render them unsavoury and they learn from their father the Devil to cast aspersions on them But yet notwithstanding they are the Lords darlings and are precious in his sight the world may throw dirt on them but it shall not stick or fasten there and if it be good for them they shall be delivered from the strife of evil tongues and in evil times when dangers come when the enemy encamps the City God will give them favour in the sight of their enemies God gave Ioseph favour in the sight of the Keeper of the prison Gen. 39.21 and Ier. 3.9,11 Nebuchadnezar gave charge concerning Ieremiah a poor man in a danger when the rest of the great Princes were not considered and among the godly they have the highest place in their hearts All my delight is in the Saints saith David Zach. 8. ten men shall lay hold of the skirt of a Iew because God is with him Communion with God here is the highest pitch of happiness next to the beatifical Vision in glory Sixthly Lastly it is the highest pitch of happiness for any people to have God for their God the People of God make this their great Boast Who is a God like unto our God and the neerer they come to God the more they have of him the fuller is their happiness and they are thereby encouraged because they know that God delights in Communion with them he calls upon them for it he proclaims it to let the world see that he that is God blessed for ever will have his Tabernacle among men he will walk amongst them Rev. 21.4 he calls them Hephzibah my delight is in them Communion is the first fruit of fruition therefore the people of God should labour for it every act of fellowship is the morning-star Rev. 2.21 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and doth assuredly tell that the day is approaching if it be so great a matter to have the first fruits of glory what must the possession be Consider what hath been said and the Lord give you understanding in all things THE SAINTS INHERITANCE At Mr Carryl's Church at London-bridge 1 COR. 3.22 Or things to come OMitting the Context The words contain in them the Inheritance of a Christian with the Tenure thereof The Inheritance is all things the Tenure is ye are Christs and Christ is Gods First the Saints have an Inheritance Christ is by the Father appointed heir of all things Heb. 1.13 As he is the Son he is haeres natus as he is the Mediator he is haeres constitutus The one by Generation which was an act of his Nature and the other Designation which was an act of his Will Now the Saints being made Sons by the Sonship of Christ they are also made co-heirs with him in his Inheritance Rom. 8.17 And his Inheritance being all things so must theirs be There are two things in Christ to be distinguished First 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a price payd and thereby a satisfaction given unto provoked Justice and so Christ did fulfil the righteousness of the Law and payd the curse thereof Secondly there is Meritum which is a purchase made as it was perform'd by a person that was not bound unto the Law The Law indeed required it of Men but not of him that was God and Man and so the excellency of the person is the ground of the Merit and of the Purchase and the Inheritance for though it be true Meritum Christi habet in se gratiam invisceratam there is the free grace of God in all the merit of Christ Yet there is nothing that is so pure grace but that there is a purchase also therein That the Father may be truly said to give it and Christ truly said to purchase it also
in an afflicted condition He went mourning all the day long for the oppression of his enemies and the Lord hid his Face And his soul was dejected within him but yet he had hope in God For I shall yet praise him who is the health of my Countenance and my God The Saints do comfort themselves in their saddest condition with their Interest in things to come that the Lord will wait on them and be gratious and will not keep his anger for ever Consider these Eight thiâ—gs Secondly But how shall things to come become the Saints In respect of good and evil things to come 1. They are delivered from temptations to come A man shall be delivered from them and not left unto them and there is a great deal of mercy in the preventing grace of God this way in being freed from temptations The Lord will not lead his People through the Land of the Philistines Exod. though it was the neerest way to the Land of Canaan lest the people see it and their hearts turn back again into Egypt c. And indeed the Lord doth strangely order things in his Providence that temptations may be hid from his Peoples Eyes Satan desires continually to winnow the Saints but the Lord rebukes him and all his temptations 2. If Temptations sometimes assault them yet he doth make provision for them against Temptation Satan hath desired to winnow thee saith our Lord to Peter Luk. 23.31 but I have prayed for thee The Lord lays in consolation for the future tryals of the Saints and as the Temptation was fore-appointed so also is the Consolation Jer. 10.11 When the children of Israel were in Babylon and should have temptations to worship other Gods they were bid to make this Answer The Gods that have not made the Heavens and the Earth shall perish from the Earth and from under these Heavens And 't is very observable that one Answer God puts into their mouths is wrote in the Chaldee Tongue c. So the Saints shall be able to withstand them by vertue of the Intercession of Christ c. 3. Afflictions to come either they shall be delivered from them as Hezekiah thou shalt saith God be gathered into thy grave in peace God had an Ark for Noah and a Grave for Methusalah The Floud was appointed to come upon all the Earth well at the time appointed it comes But first Methusalah must be delivered for he lived until that very Year the Flood came and God provides him a Grave takes him away from the evil to come him does God deliver from it But Noah he must abide the tryal for him God provides an Ark and safely carries him through it Isa 4.5 Upon all the glory there shall be a defence The great water Floods shall not come nigh unto thee or else if they be afflicted they shall be gratiously supported under them The grace of God shall be sufficient for he hath promised When thou goest through the fire I will be with thee Isai 43.2 There is gratia perveniens assisteus in suffering as well as in sins and duties Psal 43.46 We will not fear though the earth be removed for there is a River the streams whereof shall make glad the City of God 4. Mercies to come to the Saints shall prove Mercies indeed Saul hath a Kingdom as wel as David but it was a mercy to David and therefore the Lord did qualifie him for it and gave him Kingly graces and weaned hii soul from the Mercy before he had Bernard Bern. Ecce paratum est cor meum vis me constituere pastorem ovium aut regem populorum My heart is as a weaned child Psal 131.2,3 And therefore it 's sayd Isa 30.18 that the Lord waits to be gracious he doth not defer because he is unwilling to bestow mercies upon us but because we are not prepared to receive Mercie for Mercies to unprepared soules are like unto Cordials unto foul stomacks the which do but increase the peccant humours and therefore the Lord never gives them till the season of them and till he hath prepared the soul to receive them There is a double right that the people of God have to Mercy First there is jus haereditarium a right of Inheritance and that they have as soon as they are converted but yet they are but then as a child in its nonage Secondly there is a jus aptitudinarium a right of fitness that is wanting and the Lord doth not give any Mercy in Mercy till both be found in the soul till there is a right of fitness as well as an hereditary right Fifthly Sins to come If God leaves under any temptation that we are foyled by it as that the best of Gods people may for I know no sin but may overtake such but final impenitency and the sin against the Holy Ghost yet all things shall work together for good to them that fear God Et si omnia qui ni etiam peccata Aug. Aug. If all things then sin it self is not excluded God makes a strange use of sin to his peoples good and benefit either to discover unto a man what is in his heart and so to abate his carnal confidence as the Lord did let Hezekiah fall to that end that the work of Mortification may be perfected and the Sword of Godly sorrow may go the wider and the Plough of Repentance the deeper and that shall be the fruit of it that the man may be more vile in his own sight or else to make him the more instrumental in that kind to do good unto others being able to comfort them with the same consolation with which he himself was comforted of God And being himself converted he may be the better able to convert and strengthen the brethren Luk. 22.32 And the Saints of God do see great Mercy even in their sins to come as well as in their suffering that as some of the Antients have blessed God for the Falls of the Saints those Horrenda naufragia by reason of the comfort and support and admonitions that they had from them So they do see cause many times to bless God for that Grace that brings so much good out of their sins also and so much they may promise themselves from a principle of Faith in regard of sinning as well as suffering Sixtly in respect of the happy and glorious condition of the Church that is promised in the latter daies there is a time coming when all the kingdoms of the earth shall become the kingdoms of the Lord and of his Christ Rev. 11.16,17 and unto the holy people of the most high Dan 17.27 And when the smoak out of the Temple shall vantsh and the Temple shall be opened in heaven and a man may see into the Court of the Testament which is within the vayl The darkness of the preâ—ent dispensation of God shall be done away and new Jerusalem shall come down from God out of heaven
school of affliction and God doth cast some men into great afflictions that thereby he may fit them for high and eminent services afterwards Joseph had never been so fit to have been a Governour in Egypt if his foot had not been hurt in the stocks nor Moses to have been a leader of the people of Israel if he had not been banshed forty yeares in the Wilderness and David his Crown had never sate so well if he had not been hunted as a Partridge upon the mountains Fourthly that the Lord may have some to give their testimonies unto his truth that it may appear that there are some that do stand for God and dare appear for him when the world wonder'd after the Beast there are some that stand with the Lamb upon mount Zion Rev. 14.2 There are two Witnesses The Witnesses of God are but a few yet some there are that God will raise up in all Ages so that corruption in Doctrine and Worship shal not go untestified against for the Lord will not leave the world without witness and hereby the Lord will endear his Witnesses and raise them up in the hearts of the Saints it will make them dear and their names precious in the Churches for none have been so precious in their names as they that did not count their blood precious they thought not their lives dear to them they loved not their lives to the death How precious was Peter in his suffering When all the Church ingaged their interest unto God for him Acts 12. As Roses are sweeter in the Still then upon the stalk so it is with the Saints in all their sufferings in the apprehension of the Churches Use 2. Is it so that there is a day of trouble to Jacob Then do you look for a day of trouble also and to that end it 's your wisdom to discern the signs of the times Mat. 16.3 God hath stretched the expansum of his Word over the rational world and as by the heavens a man may discern in the natural world so by the Word if a man be skilful in it a man may discern the signs of the times in the rational world also In the Word there are two sorts of rules First antient Predictions Secondly present Dispensations 1. Antient Predictions Rev. 10.7 cum finituis sint when they were about to finish The 1260 daies are not yeares fulfilled therefore the killing time is to come for the Beast receives his Kingdom with the seven Kings since the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 was removed 2. There was never yet that perfect Victory that they did say they are dead there were none that did visibly appear to bear witness against them therefore it is yet to come Secondly present dispensations compared with the rules of the Word First when there 's a general decay of Wisdom in Rulers and children and babes rule over a people Isa 27.14 I will do a marvellous work the wisdom of the wise men shall perish and now I will distress Ariel Secondly when there is poured out upon a people the spirit of a deep sleep as Isa 29.10 that nothing could awaken them but as men sleeping upon the top of a Mast though the Sea roar and the Wind make a noise yet they sleep stil when men are secure then the distress of Ariel is near I will search Jerusalem with candles and the men that are setled upon their Lees c. Thirdly when there is a general oppression and mercilesness in the Rulers Zac. 11.5 When a people become the flock of the slaughter Mic. 7.3,4 the Judge asketh for a reward now shall be their perplexity Fourthly when there are general neglects of Government and order amongst a people every one does what 's right in his own eyes when the base doth presume against the honourable and the children against the antient Isa 3.5 then presently there is a ruin coming ver 8. Jerusalem is ruin'd and Judah is fallen Iudg. 18.7 When there was no master of restraint in Laish their ruin was near Fiftly when there are bitter envyings and parties the people shall be as fuel for the fire Isa 9.19,20 No man spares his brother but every man eats the flesh of his own arm c. Jer. 8.7 My people know not the judgement of the Lord. Doctrin 2 Yet Jacobs trouble is but for a time then shall deliverance be Mich. 7.9 Though I fall I shall arise and the Lord will be light about me the rod of the wicked shall not alway lye upon the lot of the righteous The Witnesses though they be killed yet they shall not alwaies lye dead but they shall rise again c. I cannot now stand to prove this Doctrine but spend the remainder of the time I have to speak in a short use to all the people of God Use First live by faith in this time of trial the Lord doth but wait to be gracious and he saies blessed be those that wait for him Hab. 2.4 The just shall live by his Faith The meaning is he shall live comfortably under the cross for it is an expression like that of the Apostle Now we live if ye stand fast And the acts of Faith that we should now exercise should be these I le name two or three First commit your selves to him quietly leave your selves with him Psal 114.14 As you have committed your soules to him so to him also commit your way Dan. 3.17 Be not careful in this matter he that hath cast me into the fire will assuredly watch over me in it because he hath promised to bring me out of it Secondly wait for him till he be gracious and doe not make hast he that beleeves does not make hast Doe not use unlawful means out of pride of passion because you will not wait Gods leisure nor do not use compliance with carnal men to deliver thee for that is not the way of faith Thirdly look towards God in thy prayers under this consideration that he hath undertaken deliverance 2 Chron 22.12 We have no might neither know we what to do but our eyes are towards thee for it is the exercise of Faith that doth procure deliverance Gen. 49 21. His bow abode iâ—…â—…re gâ—… that is invictum robur it 's by this that the 〈◊〉 of God prove victorious in their sufferings But how may a man know when deliverance is near Are there not rules for that as well as the other I will only name there three rules First when the people of God look towards him and return if not Lev. 26.24,25 â—e will punish them seven times more till he hath destrey'd them for there is a pedigree of judgement Hos 1. Jeel 2.14 Rent your hearts and no your garments c. Prepare to mâ—et thy God O Israel There is no going to God in the way of his judgement but by meeting of him and that is not in a way of opposition but in a way of submission Secondly when the hearts of the
we might learn to dye well for Heb. 9 27. it is appointed to all men once to dye but death comes not presently and the end of a mans life is that he may consider his latter end Deut. 32.29 men do not live here to get riches and injoy the good things that are present and the pleasures of sin are but for a season this life is but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the school of death which teaches men how to dye 2 It is the last act of a mans life the close of all his actions and for a man in his life to burn as a Torch to shine as a light and afterwards to go out in a snuff as the foolish Virgins and the foolish Builders in Iobs affliction there was nothing desirable but yet there was in the end which God made with him that which was very desireable Iulius Caesar when he was taken in the Senate he plucked down the robe he wore about him Ut honestè caderet It is the night that commends the day mark the end of the righteous man his end is peace 3 At death all outward excellencies will leave a man Iob 4.21 their excellency goes away and they dye without wisdom for though there be a flower in the grass which has a glory in it yet Psal 90.11 it quickly comes to nothing so shall all the excellencies that men so pride themselves in their learning parts wisdom and policie knowledge in the Scripture and in the common works of grace it is all but flesh and will take its leave at death and it will be said of you as one of the Antients said of Caesar who was one of the greatest men in the world in his time Ubi nunc pulchritudo Caesaris quò abiit magnificentia tua What is become of his glorious magnificence his Armies Triumphs and Trophies 4 At death your eternal states are cast it is aeternitatis ostium the door of eternity there is a Double time set to the sons of men 1 A time of working 2 A time of rewarding A time of working here they toyl and labo urbut at death the Lord doth call the labourers to give them their hire every man shal have his peny but after death comes judgement there is no more time of working for after death remains nothing but judgement then for ever But what shall a man do that he may be blessed in his latter end I will set before you these five things and the Lord teach you to profit by them 1 Let me exhort you to get union with Christ and thereby thou art translated from death to life for this is a truth no man dyes well that doth not dye in the Lord. What a sad thing is it to think that a second death must follow death rides before and Hell follows after nihil facit mortem malam nisi quod sequitur mortem when death in sin went before and eternal life is not begun in thee 2 Serve thy Generation and thereby lay up a good foundation against that last day Act. 13.36 Fight the good fight and finish thy course be abundant in the works of the Lord It s said of Saul Sam. 13.1,2 he reigned two years over Israel he reigned twenty yeers but after he was rejected of God no more is counted of him nor will it be unto all those that spend their lives unprofitably that are but as empty trees onely serve to cumber the ground are unprofitable both to God and man vita fabula est in qua non refert quam diu sed quam bene 3 Number your days and consider your latter end with Joseph of Arimathea walk with thy Tomb. A man shall not need much Arithmtick to number his days they are so few and yet he will need a great deal of grace to number them they are so evil and so death shall come upon thee not as a stranger but as a friend that brings peace along with him and rest 4 Exercise faith much on the dying graces of Christ and the promises the Lord made Ioh. 16. to all Christians dying as well as living of his fulness we shall receive grace for grace it is our business in this world to be made conformable unto Christ not onely in our life but also at our death and then the Lord says of his people they shall be mine Mal. 3.17 what a glorious creature will a Saint be in that day when God himself looks on him as a Iewel 1 Cor. 3.21 all things are yours then a Saint enjoys perfection enough when he has a full possession of God Psa 16.11 in thy presence are fulness of joys and on thy right hand are rivers of pleasures for evermore and then when a Saint has such a glorious advantage by death shall not we say blessed are the dead which dye in the Lord 5. Lay up a treasury of prayers that thou mayst be fitted for this great change if a man be in any straight or any sad condition nature will prompt him to seek relief and he will take any course that may deliver him out of it especially since God hath made such a promise Call upon me in a time of trouble and I will hear you and if a man be so careful to avoid and prevent these lesser changes that they may not do him harm how much more should he be industriously careful touching this great change Psal 34. the Psalmist begs that he may know his latter end Psa 90.12 so teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom and therefore a man should lay up a treasury of prayers in his life time and they will be as so many comforts to him on his death bed he shall then have a gracious answer of all those prayers Vse 2. Let us lay to heart the loss of the righteous man that we be not guilty of that sin condemned in the Text. I know it has been a thing condemned or at least always suspected funeral Panegyricks as being a badge of the false Prophet and by a funeral Oration we do as the Papists do think to send souls to heaven after their death even those that have been posting to hell all their life but yet seeing the name of the righteous is as a precious oyntment poured out and that precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of all his Saints and seeing it was an Antient custom to do the Saints of God honor at their death I think it but our duty to consider of our loss in this brother at this time though it be but to carry a torch after him to his long home first he was a man of a gracious spirit in whom the Lord had wrought the good work and a through work of Regeneration he was one that feared God above many that had truly given up his name to Christ one that had oyl in his vessel and did not onely shine by profession before men one that was not indulgent
to himself in his own iniquity did not hide a sweet morsel but had respect to all the Commandments and hated every false way Secondly he was a friend to Reformation in the purity and spirituality of it which consists not onely in casting out the old rubbish of corruption in doctrine and worship but laying a new foundation not onely an outward Reformation of Ordinances but an inward reformation of members Re. 11.1 The corruption of the Church is so express'd There are many when God is about to reform his Church will bear the name of Christians Isa 54.11,12 I will lay thy stones with fair colours and thy foundations with Saphyrs when the Church of God sparkles in the eys of the world as many times it does it shall have many followers There is saith Calvin a double foundation a foundation of doctrine on which the Church is built and of members of which the Church is constituted and this he saith is meant here the Church shall not be built of every ordinary and Common-stone but new-Jerusalem shall be built with precious stones and without shall be dogs and every one that loves and makes a lye and in comparison of what now it is they shall be all eminent Saints then as it is said thy people shall be all righteous every one of them and this will distinguish in an eminent manner the Saints from the men of the world and therefore no wonder if godliness has so few friends in the world Color omnibus unus 3 He was a man in all his relations of a very publik spirit he was far from making those private advantages to himself that many do of kindred and friends he was one had impoverisht himself for the publick service to my knowledge and never sought and profess'd never would recompence from the State Many men will serve the kingdom whilst they serve themselves upon it and the while they serve the State they have wrought well for themselves dives potestas pauperem facit Rem-publicam 'T will be an honor in after ages that a man hath made no advantage of his publick trust when every man is making gain from his interest to promote himself and his family thereby 4 He was a man very humble of a meek and a sweet temper free from the common bitterness that is in men he had much of the Dove and of dovelike simplicity and much of the wisdom though very free from the craft of the Serpent a man full of sweetness and love of an amiable and a winning conversation which surely are things in the sight of God in great price 5 He was a man of a very faithful spirit which truely now is very hard to finde We may well say the faithful man is perished falshood is now grown the wisdom and the policy of the times for men to pretend grace and intend nothing less to look one way and row another to speak words smoother then butter when they have war in their hearts and to betray his brother with a kiss and with Ioab stab him in an imbracement and he that can carry it with the greatest fairness and smoothness is the wisest man and this is the great policy of our times 6 Lastly He was and I wish all that are in places of trust would consider this exceeding industrious and active in the care of the publick much lay upon him he did not spare his pains and his time even to the neglect of his own necessary affairs yea the necessity of nature for a support of nature many a time as I can witness and the sad condition of the kingdom lay very heavy upon him he was willing to his power to put men a work ere he had wages for them from the publick Many men are active but it is when there is something to be gotten that does oyl their Chariot wheeles they love to tread out the Corn but to plow in hope and to labour barely for the publick good I fear there are but few such in the kingdom I le appeal now to you that knew him you knovv these things to be true I doubt not but God has rewarded him according to his works God with Vs whilst We are with Him At a publick Fast before the Parliament Iune 9. 1652. 2 Chron. 15.2 But if ye forsake Him He will also forsake you THe Lord having rent the kingdom from Rehoboam according unto the vvord that he had spoken and left him only tvvo Tribes that his servant David might have alvvays a light before the Lord in Ierusalem this remainder of the kingdom did he seek to establish to strengthen himself in but as Luther observes qui regit signum est in quod Satan omnia jacula dirigit therefore as he doth of men endeavour to corrupt the first the prime of their yeers so he doth also to Magistrates the prime of their Government that he may lay corruption in the foundation and therefore he forsook the Law of the Lord ch 12.1 and men in Authority sin not alone principum delicta sunt plano diabolica they have many that fall with them therefore it is said that he did not only forsake the Law of the Lord but all I srael with him having thus departed from the Lord they now betake themselves unto other Laws having chosen unto themselves other Gods for they forsake God that forsake his Law and they build high places and Images and groves upon every high hill and under every green tree and there were Sodomites in the land also who did according unto all the abominations of the Nations permittente Rehoboam so also he did give them a toleration its true that he did not set them up by authority but he did connive at them and let them alone he did not look upon it as his duty to use his Authority and turn the edge of it against them but there was something else in it for it was done nomine praetextu religionis Pet. Mart. it being the way that the heathens did worship their Gods and who shall limit the Consciences of men that way of worship which they shall think fit that they are to use and who shall controll them and so set themselves in the place of God if men as Sodomites or Ranters will worship God who hath power to gainsay them for uncleanness in opinion will soon bring in uncleanness in conversation and Abijam succeeded his father in all these abominations for he walked in all the sins of his father that he had done before him as Rehoboam did in the abominations of the heathens which the Lord had cast out before them for men may be the sons of those per imitationem to whom by generation they have no relation and they that cast others out of authority and yet be their successors in the same abominations they are in Gods account their sons though their posterity be disinherited by them and this was the state and condition of the kingdom when Asa came
hath well digested there is in the best men much precipitancy many oversights much inadvertency there is folly and madness in the heart of a man whilest he liveth Eccl. 9.3 and both are hasty therefore a man had need take heed to himself Lastly there is much loosness and vanity in a mans thoughts Ier. 4.14 how long shall thy vain empty thoughts that have nothing in them lodge within thee that when a man sets about any duty his thoughts will not keep to the thing in hand he likes not to retain God in his knowledge Rom. 1.28 the mind of man will never leave tossing from one thing to another till it shift out thoughts of God and of the spiritual part of duty also mans mind in a duty conversing with God is like one that looks through an Optick-glass upon a star with a palsey hand it is long before he can ken and discern it and as soon as he hath found it so unsteady is his hand that he looseth it again and such is the unsteadiness of our thoughts in the most serious services Now seeing it is so if ever a man will serve God acceptably he had need serve him heedfully take heed how you hear watch unto prayer Mar. 13.33 Secondly here is also a sin reproved and that is heedlesness but Iehu took no heed or did not diligently observe to walk c. hence Heedlesness in a mans converse with God is a provoking evil First It is so by the Lords own sentence and censure Isa 29.13 This people draw nigh to me with their lips but their hearts are removed far from me Ezek. 33.31 Secondly it is so by the Saints own confession Isa 64.67 Our righteousnesses are as filthy rags there is none to call upon thy name and that stirs up himself to take hold of thee Thirdly It is so by Gods just Judgement as in 2 Sam. 6.7 where Uzzah without due consideration did touch the Ark not being thereunto called it is said the Lord smote him for his errour or as the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for his rashness and forgetfulness and he dyed before the Lord Now to press this upon you also I desire that these particulars may be well considered First ordinarily according to your care and heed in the duty so will God measure to you grace and profit by the duty Mar. 4.24 Look with what measure you meet shall be measured to you again that is look what measure of care and preparation you bring to the ordinance such a measure of fruit and profit shall you carry from it Secondly when either Judgement shall come or God thus open thy conscience in sickness or death all these services that thou hast heedlesly performed thy spirit in them will fade away as leaves nipped with the wind and a man shall have no comfort in them at all Isa 64.6 we fade away as a leafe in our iniquity that is the iniquity of our righteousness the iniquity of our holy things whereas the duties of godly men that have life and care and substance in them their leaves shall not fade and their fruit shall not be consumed Ezek. 47.12 Thirdly Consider the oftner a man doth perform duties in a heedless manner the worse he will daily grow and what good soever he had in him before will surely decay Luk. 8.18 Take heed how you hear for to him that hath shall be given and from him that hath not shall be taken away he that stirs not up the measure of grace that he hath in the duty he will surely grow worse after his performance for in the Scripture sense idem est non habere non uti Fourthly there is no service that thou performest heedlessly but thou art in danger of some temporal Judgement we see Nadab and Abihu were consumed with fire from heaven Lev. 16.2 And Uzzah 2 Sam. 6.7 and who can promise himself security from the same punishment that doth go on in the same sin Fifthly hereby thou sinnest against a cloud of witnesses the blessed example of all the Saints and it is in some respect a greater Aggravation of sin to sin against Example then against Precept because the one hath a stronger hand upon a man then the other praecepta ducunt exempla trahunt look to Abraham the Father of the faithful see how heedfully he walks with God Gen. 18.27,30 Seeing I have taken upon me to speak to the Lord that am but dust and ashes and then by and by Oh let not my Lord be angry and I will speak c. Iacob is humbled that he was not so aware of the presence of God as he ought to have been Gen. 28.16 and David was afraid when the Lord had made a breach upon them and cryes Oh shall the Ark of the Lord come to me and durst not remove the Ark till he had enquired of the mind of the Lord 2 Sam. 6.8,9 Lastly it is a sin against great mercy thou shouldest be a vessel of honour fitted for the masters use and in this respect godly men prize their services above their comforts And amongst the glorious promises Psal 10 17. Consider this he prepares the heart to pray and causeth his ear to hear he will accept the heedful service and will give much grace to them that hear shall more be given Mark 4.24 else Mar. 1.14 Cursed be that deceiver that hath in his flock a male and offers to the Lord a corrupt thing c. Thirdly this is not only an evil thing but an evil sign also and so here made by the Holy-Ghost a sign of hypocrisie and unsoundness of the heart of Iehu hence this Doctrine A constant heedlesness in a mans converse with God is a dangerous sign of an unsound heart Isa 29.13 they draw neer to me with their lips but even while they did so they took no care to bring their hearts with them but they were removed from the Lord and this heedless performance was a sign of their hollowness and unsoundness So Christ saith of the Pharisees their care was wholly about the out-side of the duty making clean the out-side of the cup Christ made this a sign of their hypocrisie for hypocrisie is but an out-side like cloth of Arras fair and beautiful without but look to the inside nothing but raggs and ends now when a mans constant care is only for the outward performance and never looks whether the heart answer within that is an unsound heart but yet I say constant heedlesness for the best of Gods people are many times too rash and hastie and inconsiderate in their approaches unto the Lord but it is not constantly so neither do they rest therein but that man with whom it is so surely he hath nothing but a form 2 Tim. 3.5 Now to apply this briefly there are in it three Directions First Be humbled for the hypocrisie past so doth the Church Isa 6.4,6 they were ashamed of their righteousness Hypocrisie is so exceeding hateful to
God that he makes all their punishments to be measured out by that they shall have their portion with Hypocrites Mat. 24.51 they shall have their portion with the Devil and his Angels to shew none so neer to the Devil as they no man so hateful unto God or creatures but the Devil and this is a most common and ordinary way of hypocrisie that can be this makes the Saints groan in themselves therefore Bradford did write in his Letters to his friends Iohn Bradford a very hypocrite a very painted hypocrite look back with how little preparation how vain thy thoughts how thy eyes have wandered c. Secondly Apply the righteousness of Christ for the pardon of this amongst other evils Exod. 28.38 Christ must have upon his forehead holiness to the Lord that he may bear the iniquity of your holy things a great part of the holiness of Christ is appointed for this for the pardon of your unholiness in service Thirdly be more heedful for the time to come and to stir you up to it consider but only this how heedful you have been in the waies of sin Prov. 16.30 He shuts his eyes that deviseth mischief a man that will study and be intent upon a thing will shut his eyes that so objects from without do not distract his mind so intent is this man in a way of deceiving Iob 17.11 the thoughts of man are called the possessions of the heart whereupon a mans heart doth dwell now we know upon any sinful projects and thoughts of evil a mans thoughts are so settled upon them that a man cannot remove them but there they dwell but as for the things of God a mans heart dwells in them as one doth that is in another mans house he is alwaies going and taking his leave Now let this heed be seen First in thy Preparation prepare with all thy might as David did for the material Temple 1 Chron. 29.2 and say in thy heart as Solomon did the house must be great and magnificent for it is for the Lord 2 Chron. 26.6 Isa 12.3 Come to the Ordinances as wells of salvation as breasts of consolation Isa 66.11 to see the face of Christ and the goings of the Lord Come to them as the ministration of the spirit and a Doal of spiritual gifts Rom. 1.12 Secondly when thou art come take heed in the performance be not rash with thy mouth let not thy heart be hasty Eccl. 5.1,2 when thou dost do it with all thy might as David did 1 Chron. 29.17 act all graces stir up all thy affections awake my glory c. else when thou hast done there will be an out-side of service but yet they will not be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 They will be empty works hollow no inward grace or strength or affection to fill them out Thirdly to shew that thou canst never take heed enough after every service go and humble thy self before God for thy want of heed and watchfulness say with Abraham I that was dust and ashes did take upon me to speak to the Lord and with Iacob How dreadful is this place it is the house of God the gate of Heaven God was here and I was not aware c. Lastly and to enable thee so to do get the fear of the Majesty of God throughly planted in thy heart and whenever thou comest before God stir up thy fear and all those awful considerations that may be for fear is the watch-man of the soul exceeding heedful and vigilant that is appointed as the remedy be not rash with thy mouth but fear thou God Eccl. 5.7 and to this end walk in the fear of the Lord all the day long walk with God in his fear at other times a special cause why men are no more heedful in Gods worship is because they give liberty to themselves and have no eye to his presence at other times therefore be thou in it all the day long GOSPEL EXALTATION MATTH 11.23 And thou Capernaum which art exalted up to heaven shalt be brought down to hell for if the mighty works which have been done in thee had been done in Sodom it would have remained unto this day THE Lord hath not chosen one fixed place for the Gospel to reside in unto which all Nations that expected any benefit thereby were to resort as he did for the Jews at Jerusalem that only was the valley of Vision but now its sound is gone forth into all lands and there is beauty in the feet of those that bring those glad tidings Isa 52.7 the Lord hath now made it an ambulatory an itinerary Gospel it walks from place to place and comes home to the doors of those who will scarce go out of their doors to it And wheresoever it comes it brings with it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A fulness of blessing Rom. 15.29 It is to a place as the Sun to the world a beam of the sun of righteousness Mal. 4.2 It is the rain of the earth Heb. 6.8 it is a feast of fat thingâ— of fat things full of marrow of wine on the lees well-refined Isa 25.6 it is the glory of God and the glass wherein we behold it 2 Cor. 3.18 it is the face of Christ 2 Cor. 4.6 the ministration of righteousness 2 Cor. 3.9 it is the dole of spiritual gifts Rom. 1.11 it is eternal salvation it self yea great salvation Heb. 2.3 Here are garments to cover your nakedness meat to satisfie your hunger medicine to cure your diseases armor to protect your persons and a Treasure of precious promises and sure mercies to provide for your posterity that so there may be nothing wanting to make it up a fulness of blessing But wherever the Lord sends this Gospel and the Ordinances thereof he doth send it with a threefold reference First as donum with reference to our thankfulness Secondly as depositum which respects our faithfulness Thirdly as talentum which respects our fruitfulness that we may bring forth fruit meet for him of whom we have received it that we fall not into the sin and so become liable unto the censure of the unprofitable servant now the fruit which the Lord expects where he sends these Gospel-Ordinances is Repentance and Conversion Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand Matth. 3.2 The Lord lights not up this canâ—le but it is to find the lost groats he goes not abroad in this but it is to find the lost sheep or to meet some prodigal son And though there may be fruit of an inferiour nature civility and formality which men may bring forth yet the Lord counts this nothing unless repentance and conversion go before them as ciphers they be that stand for nought if set alone though they add to the Number if the figure of conversion go before Christ saith not unto them Auditores Spectatores Administratores ni fuissent virtutem ejus divinam non laudavissent â— saith Brugens plainly manifesting unto us that all the
to stop their mouthes therefore if you would not have Judgements encreased take heed when you see the Lord appearing for his Church providentially acting the Lord is up then Say to thy own soul Let all flesh be silent before him That is the first looking upon these words as referring to the Churches enemies A word I shall add looking upon these words as referring to the poor distressed Jews who were now returned out of the Land of their Captivity but there was a mighty power of the enemy against them why yet saith the Lord do you keep silence silence your doubtings silence your frettings Silence your doubtings It it said of Abraham Rom. 4.20 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he did not dispute the business pro and con and truly neither must you if God be up leave the work in his hand leave off your doubtings leave off your doubtings upon conjectures and suppositions That is the first Let all flesh keep silence silence your doubtings Secondly Let all flesh keep silence silence your frettings saith David Psal 39. I kept silence I was dumb saith he for it was thy doings A terrible Judgement befell Aaron two sons were taken away by an immediate stroke from Gods hand and Aaron held his peace his spirit did not rise and discontentedly fret at the present dispensation Oh ye that fear God take heed when the Lord ariseth for his people keep silence before him silence your doubtings silence your fret tings That I press by four considerations and so I shall conclude I beseech you mark them You that fear God that know his name that expect an interest in all that mercy that the Lord intendeth for his people in the latter daies take heed I say that ye keep silence before the Lord. First Consider but this will you contend with God will you I say contend with God in Judgement the Lord challengeth that Who will appoint me a time who will contend with me in Iudgement Will you dispute the business out with God Consider Gods Judgement is the last Judgement and his Judgement is an eternal Judgement from his Sentence there is no appeal it is the worst course that a man could take that is to be Judged to undertake to contend with his Judgement before God therefore take heed of it you cannot contend with God in Judgement Iob 9.32 Secondly should not the Soveâ—aignty of God put you to silence though it may be all the actings of God be not according to your will should not the Soveraignty of God I say stop your mouthes â— hath not the Lord reserved to himself the power of Kingdoms Depoint Reges disponit Regna he it is that disposeth Kings he it is that disposeth Kingdoms now I beseech you observe this seriously this did silence David I was dumb and opened not my mouth it was thy doings truly had I looked barely upon man it was such a thing I could not have born if I had looked only upon instruments but when I looked upon him as my Soveraign and absolute Lord then saith he I was silent before him In the third place consider this A fretful spirit even in Gods own people doth strangely blind their eyes that they cannot see the goodness of God in the mercy but take many times that which is a high and glorious mercy they take it to be a cross and an affliction My Brethren observe envy will strangely hoodwink a man when the hand of the Lord is lifted up they will not see why for their envy at the people they text saith it is an evil frame of spirit in a Christian a froward discontented fretful spirit a spirit ill becoming a Saint your wisdom should hinder it Solomon tels you a man of understanding is of an excellent Spirit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 frigidus spiritu he is a man of a cool spirit a man of understanding a great many men will speak of their understandings and their zeal many times but know that a man of understanding is of a cool spirit Consider the Spirit of Christ comes in the form of a Dove be innocent as Doves without gall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sine felle sine dolo so the word signifies the Dove is without gall as well as without guil and truly that is a spirit becoming a Christian and the want of this my Brethren makes many deny the most glorious actings of God towards his people when many times even an Heathen man a stranger standing by is ready to cry out as he did truly it is a glorious God the God of the Christians Alas they will not look upon it they cannot see it envy I say strangely bleareth the eyes take heed of it therefore In the last place and so I have done Consider doth the wrath of man work the righteousness of God the Apostle S. Iames tels you clearly the contrary certainly you that will maintain Gods cause you must do it by Gods means the Lord needs no carnal weapons no help of any body no fleshly interest to maintain his spiritual cause no I entreat you consider it when if ever you will carry on the cause of God let it be done by the means and with that spirit that God requireth I dare undertake you shall find that of Nazianzen a good rule Nazian Let us be weak that we may overcome I that is the way the way to overcome men or to mannage a cause though you say it is the cause of God I say it is not to be done by humane heats and fleshly animosities therefore this is that I shall leave with you for the present in these five considerations farther and so have done First God hath never set up any authority or way of government but he hath reserved to himself in his providence a power to change it at his pleasure Zach. 21.10 Remove the Diadem take away the Crown God will shew himself to be King of Kings and Lord of Lords Secondly it is his ordinance that there should be a Magistracie they are called the shields of the earth the stay of your tribes the foundations of the earth and it is not good there should be an Anarchie for God hath set Rulers over men some by providence some by promise But yet God sets them over them that should be enough to restrain men of giddy spirits who are like the children of Belial without a yoak therefore let us not go about to pluck up our own bedge and destroy our own foundations Hab. 1.13 The fishes of the Sea have no Ruler over them but devour one another The Persians at the death of their Kings have 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 on purpose that men might find the evil of it therefore be not unruly boysterous spirits like the raging Sea But be content to submit to the bounds that God hath set you Thirdly though this Government be an Ordinance of God yet the extent and specification of it is but an humane creation 1. Pet. 2.13 〈◊〉
Lord makes of a glorious estate unto his people after their deliverance But it is the first only that I am to speak to as being only proper for the present occasion Out of him shall come forth the corner Doct. The Observation that I shall deliver to you from thence is this When the Lord returns to his people in mercy he will give unto them Governors that shall support them that shall be for the supporting for the uniting and for the adorning of the Common wealth I say when the Lord returns to a people in mercy he will give unto them Governors that shall be for the support the uniting and adorning of the Common-wealth Here are but two things that the time will give me leave to speak to Therefore I shall omit the third I shall shew you that when the Lord returns to a people in mercy he gives them such Governors as support the Common-wealth they shall be as the Corner-stone upon which the weight of the building may lie Secondly he doth give them such Governors as shall be as the Corner stone that may unite the Common-wealth I shall begin with the first First good Magistrates are as the Corner-stone to support the Common-wealth it is true all the stones in the building do conduce to the upholding thereof for as it is in the spiritual building so it is in the Politick men are built as living stones but I say the main weight of it lies upon the Corner-stone because the weight of the building the burden of all lies upon the Magistrate therefore I say he is here resembled to a Corner-stone Now that a Magistrates business is to uphold the Common-wealth take notice of these four denominations in the Scripture First Magistrates are called the foundations of the earth Psal 82.5 and Mich. 6.2 where he speaks of the oppression of Magistrates he saith all the foundations of the earth are out of course I have said yee are Gods why you that are the foundations of the earth to pull up Magistracy is to pluck up all by the foundation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 est quasi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Secondly they are called the breath of your Nostrils Lam. 4.20 the breath of our Nostrils it is spoken of Zedekiah who was an evil Prince yet he hath this honourable title given him by the Prophet it is as possible for a man to live without breath as it is for a Common-wealth to subsist without Magistracy Thirdly they are called the shoulders upon which all the weight is born Isa 22. I will give him the key of the house of David I will lay the key of the house of David upon his shoulders a key is Symbolum potestatis an emblem of Government Now saith the Lord I will not put the key in his hand but I will lay it upon his shoulders Isa 9.6 Unto us a child is born the Government is upon his shoulder Principes mundani onus gubernandi rejiâ—iunt in humeros servorum it is but to let you see the weight of Government therefore it must be laid upon the shoulder and men must lay their shoulders to it In the last place Magistrates are called the Arms of the people the Arms of Moab are broken Ier. 48.25 I am not able to bear this people alone saith Moses Moses had not Arms sufficient to bear such a weight My beloved the great burden of all I say lies upon the Governors they are the Arms by which the people are born up Unus tantum subditus in Civitate Magistratus est Luther saith Luther there was but one subject in a City and that is the Magistrate the weight of all yes upon him And it must needs be so if you take his reason for he saith Ante peccatum Politia nulla fuit politia est remedium necessarium naturae corruptae all civil Government was but a necessary remedy that was brought in for corrupt nature Now if it be a remedy against corrupt nature the burdens of corrupt nature are exceeding many in so much as the Lord himself complains in Amos 2.13 I am pressed under your abominations as a Cart that is full of Sheaves therefore I say the weight of all the supporting of all lies upon the Magistracy they are the corner-stone upon whom the weight of the building lies But the great enquiry will be how are Magistrates the corner-stone of the Common-wealth how do they or how must they support the Common-wealth that their duty may answer their dignity that they may indeed prove corner-stones I shall give you five directions as briefly as I may First that the Magistrate may be a corner-stone to support the building he must take care that he uphold Religion that must be his first that must be his great care that which should be mainly in our eye in praying for them should be chiefly in their eye in practising 1 Tim. 2.2 Pray for Kings and those that are in Authority that you may lead a peaceable and a quiet life in godliness and honesty peace without godliness is but a vain and a mock-peace but because now this is made a controversie I shal offer three considerations which truly are to me unanswerable that the Magistrate is to take care of Religion Nay his great care his first care is to be of that pray observe them well because you are every where told now Magistrates have nothing to do with matters of Religion In the first place every Magistrate ought to rule with God Hosea 11. ver ult Judah rules with God the throne of the Magistrate is therefore called the throne of God When Constantine was exalted to the seat of the Empire it is said he was taken up into the throne of God Rev. 12.5 then the great care of Magistrates must be that they do not rule alone but that they have God to rule with them it is true the most high rules in the Kingdoms of mortal men Dan. 4.17 but he rules but as he doth rule in the Kingdom of the Devils he rules but by a way of providence but you that fear God should endeavour that God should rule among you as he rules among his Saints in waies of grace in waies of grace I say Now I beseech you consider let Religion be neglected or corrupted presently God forsakes that people Look but into the 10. and 11. Chapters of the prophesie of Ezekiel it is true the Lord doth not remove all at once but the glory of the Lord goes up first from the Cherubims to the threshold of the house from the threshold of the house to the midst of the City and from â—he City to the Mountains my Brethren if the glory of God leave your Ordinances once be well assured he will leave your City next the next move is that therefore whatsover you do if you would rule with God take heed that by this means he be not provoked to depart for a Magistrate ruling alone and a Minister preaching alone
is much alike the one will never convert a soul and truly the other will never subdue a people Nay mark what the Lord saith to convert souls and to subdue hearts is his work David acknowledgeth it Psal 18.47 Thou art he that subdueth the people under me saith he truly if a man in his person neglect Religion he lives without God in the world and if a Magistrate in his Government neglects Religion he rules without God in the world That is the first argument and I never expect to have it answered I look upon it as an unanswerable consideration The second is this and pray mark it for you had need endeavour to strengthen your thoughts against such delusions as these are that are everywhere suggested I wish it were not in men in high places In the second place A Magistrate ought so to rule as that God may not break in in Judgement upon a people Pray mark it you ought to rule so as God may rule with you Secondly you ought so to rule as that God may not in Judgement break in upon the people my beloved you that are Magistrates you are the shields of the earth called so Psal 47. ult the shields of the earth Now consider I humbly pray you a Shield is a defensive weapon that the main protection of the people lies in you are not only to protect them from injuries among men but you are to protect them also from Judgements from God and therefore when wrath goes out from the Lord Moses stands in the gap when a plague is gone forth from the Lord David intercedeth Hezekiah prayes for the people the Magistrate is to be a Shield to them But let the Magistrate in his Government neglect Religion what then the Judgement of God breaks in upon the people immediatly look into Ezek. 10.2 Go saith the Lord take fire from between the Cherubims scatter over the City here is a fire now to burn the City whence comes it out of what Ordinances neglected the fire is taken from between the Cherubims it is taken from off the Incense Altar it will not only serve to offer the sacrifices but the same fire will serve to burn the City too that is a Scripture that I desire you much to observe 2 Chron. 7.19,20 If you forsake my statutes and serve other Gods saith he be negligent in matters of Religion once and what then saith the Lord I will pluck you up by the roots out of the Land that I have given you there be some men now that think to root you by the neglect of godliness and to root you by the neglect of Religion this it not the way to establish you no consider this is the way to pluck you up by the roots even your Common-wealth before it hath scarce taken root In the third place I beseech you consider Magistrates ought so to rule as they destroy not the foundations of their authority You will say he is a foolish man that puls down his own house with his own hands then certainly Magistrates must so rule as that they destroy not the foundations of their own Authority My Beloved if you uphold not Religion you do so Rom. 13.5 you must be subject saith the Apostle not only for fear of wrath but for conscience sake why all Divines give this as a rule conscientia immediate Deo tantum subsicitur Conscience is subjected immediately to God only then we are to obey the Magistrates only because it is an Ordinance of God can any man rationally imagine that men will obey the Magistrate for conscience sake who is an Ordinance of God and to be obeyed immediately that neglects this Ordinance of God in which this authority immediately is can any man rationally imagine I say that men will obey the Magistrate for God that do not obey God for himself my Beloved this is the way to destroy and to pluck up by the roots I say all authority it destroies the foundation of all authority it is the most destructive opinion to Government that ever came into the world and yet notwithstanding it is observable too see how the Jesuites and some others meet in this thing though upon different grounds Mariana he saith Mariana Princeps nihil statuat de Religione Princes and Magistrates have nothing to do with matters of Religion saith he why because there he would establish the authority of the Pope now say some others the Magistrate he hath nothing to do in matters of Religion because though he will cry out against the Pope yet notwithstanding he will make himself one he will take such a licentiousness that he will take to himself the Papal authority thus I intreate you then to Consider this is the first thing wherein the Magistrate should shew himself the corner indeed to support the Common-wealth let him uphold Religion That is the first I shall be more brief in the rest Secondly the Magistrate is to be the corner to support the Common-wealth in upholding the Laws the Laws are the foundations of the earth they be so called Psa 11.3 if the foundations be cast down what can the righteous do the Laws are the foundations it is a note of ignominie set upon Oppressors Dan. 7.25 that they labour to change times and Laws they labour to change the times and Laws the Law is the Rule between the Subject and the Magistrate that the one may know how to rule and the other know how to obey it is the standard between a man and his neighbour by which all differences are to be tryed therefore they that are in supreme authority they ought to take special care to observe the Laws and they that are in subordinate authority they ought to take special care to execute the Laws for this cause Magistrates they ought to be well acquainted make it their business to study the Laws by which they are to rule the truth is my Beloved a Magistrate without the Law and a Minister without the Bible they are equal absurdities a Magistrate unskilful in the Law and a Minister ignorant in the Scripture Job saith I was an eye to the blind and feet to the lame and a father to the poor I diligently searched out the cause saith he Job 29.15 I diligently searched out the cause it may be he had more sense to complain then he had skill to explain but I searched it out saith he he that shall do so must be skilled in the Laws there are in waies of sin many cunning conveyances David tells us Psal 58.2 that there are men that weigh violence in the earth that weigh violence that commit sin by measure they know how far they may go and yet how far they incurr danger by this means an unskilful Magistrate many times justifies the guilty and condemneth the innocent therefore it s your duty I say to preserve the Laws it is your duty to be well skilled in those Laws this is certain an ignorant Ministery
Ezek. 33.31 and after vain glory in prayer Mat. 6.5 for if ever grace have the advantage it is then when a man stands before the Lord and that sin bear it down at best duties it argues that lust is exceeding powerful in a man and he is exceedingly unclean Now for some rules to judge of the perfection of this work how a man comes neerer to it take these five First The more clearly a man discerns and the more fully his heart is affected with spiritual sins the more clearly he can discern them for as all sins proceed from darkness so every sin encreaseth darkness the more unclean any man is the more blind he is therefore Paul could not only see Satans pitched battles against him but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Cor. 2 11. the stratagems and ambushes that he used not only the temptation it self but Satans plots and purposes in tempting the depths of Satan Rev. 2.24 And the more he is affected with them the more bitterly he doth condemn them and mourn for them as David for his base dejection Psal 42.11 his carnal confidence in the creature Psal 30.6,7 his secret grudging at the prosperity of the wicked Psal 73.21,22 Agur for his brutishness in regard of spiritual things Prov. 30.2 Surely I am more brutish then any man and have not the understanding of a man Hezekiah for the pride of his heart 2 Chron. 32.26 for as a mans graces grow more and more in the new man inward in the old man so will his lusts and temptations be and therefore they that be still exercised about outward and bodily lusts it argues a small cleansing in them but the more a man considers that God is a Spirit and his eye is most upon the Spirits of men and that these defiling lusts before God make him most like unto the Devil who is spiritual wickedness and he saith My house and land and estate is worth so much but my heart is nothing worth Prov. 10.20 for consider if it were with me as with Maximenius and some of those Roman Emperours through their exceeding gluttony their bodies bred vermine continually how loathsom should it be for you to think and to have reason so to do but I am a man of a corrupt mind 1 Tim. 6.5 and that continually breeds vermine and will at last the worm that never dyes and this makes a man loath and abhorr himself it is a good sign of a clean heart Secondly The more a man hates and is afflicted and gos mourning for not only the raigning but the being of sin as it was with the Apostle that sin had never rebelled that it had never led him captive yet his body of death makes him miserable Rom. 7.24 the very being of it when it is with a man in regard of sin as it was with leprosie the Type Lev. 14.44,45 When they had scrapt about it and carried out the dust then they shall sweep it again then if it break forth again the house must be pluckt down So when a man hath done all he can by removing the dust and by carrying out the rubbish and yet lust will spread then to be contented and desire to have the house dissolved the house of nature that the building of sin might be destroyed 2 Cor. 5.2 it is an Argument of a great measure of purity Thirdly The more speedily a mans heart is awakned to turn to God after sinning it was a sign that Davids heart was in a clean frame when his heart smote him assoon as he had cut off the lap of Sauls garment 1 Sam. 24.5,6 and of Peter that immediately he went out and wept bitterly Math. 26. ult The first note was that a pure heart keeps it self that the wicked one toucheth him not but the second is speedily to return and cleanse a mans self after falling Davids heart was in a defiled frame that he could lie well nigh a year in the sins of Adultery and Murder without repentance the heart of a man is a fountain Mat. 12.35 that preserves it self pure and in its first glory as a fountain doth but if mudd do at any time enter into it it will be continually working of it out and it is as truly an argument of purity as the other and when a man repents that will also afflict him that God was forced to use so many means with him before he could be brought to repentance that Ephraim bemoans Ier. 31.18 Fourthly The more jealous a man is of himself upon every occasion Mat. 26.22 How far am I guilty in this sin Is it I Lord Fifthly The less a mans heart is affected and the less he is taken with worldly things Gen. 15.1 Rev. 12.1 Hem Germana illa Bestia and as Moses and Ioseph prefer the good of the people of God before any worldly advantage of their own Sixthly The more truly glad a man is and can bless the Lord that he hath been pleased to cross him in a way of sinning let God cross Ahab and he is in a rage better meet a Beare robbed of her whelps then meet a wicked man God hath crossed in a way of sinning Pro. 17.12 cross David in a way of sinning and he blesseth the Lord. And David said to Abigail Blessed be the Lord God of Israel which sent thee this day to meet me and blessed be thy advice and blessed be thou which hast kept me this day from coming to shed blood and from avenging myself with my own hand The Motives thereunto are these five First this fits a man for communion with the Lord and makes his communion more clear for what communion hath light with darkness Christ with Belial and though a man be godly and so hath fellowship with the Father and with his son Christ 1 Joh. 1.6 yet if we say we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness we lye if therefore walking in darkness take away all fellowship then the more a man walks in darkness the less fellowship he hath therefore the promise to a clear communion is unto such as separate themselves for then God saith I will receive you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I will dwell in you 2 Cor. 6.16,17 which notes clear and neer communion Secondly It is a special means to be imployed that God should use a man 2 Tim. 2.21 If a man therefore purge himself from these he shall be a vessel to honour sanâ—tified and meet for the Masters use c. and so Mal. 3.3 and Godly men be as happy in their services as in their rewards on the contrary it is a Judgement to be despised of God so as not to be used a vessel wherein he takes no pleasure Ier. 22.28 The earthen vessels leprous must be broken they are of no use Thirdly this will make a man ready and willing to do service for it is corruption that is the clog that hinders from service Heb. 12.1 Let us lay aside every weight and the sin which doth so easily