heavy message 1 Sam. 2.30 31. I said indeed that thy house and the house of thy father should walke before me for ever but now the Lord saith Be it farre from me For them that honour me I will honour and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed Behold the dayes come that I will cut off thine arme and the arme of thy fathers house c. God first cut his family short and then after four generations took that Dignity of the High Priesthood from his house For after Ahijah Ahitub Ahimelech slain by Saul Å¿ 1 Sam. 23.16 c. and Abiathar t Ibid. ver 20. put from the Priesthood by Solomon that he might fullfill the word of the Lord which he spake concerning Elies house in Shiloh 1 King 2.27 the Chief Priesthood was taken from Ithamars line and restored to Eleazars family by Solomon who setled it on Zadok that descended from Eleazar u 1 Chro. 6.8 in whose race it continued not only untill the Maccabees but even to the last destruction of the Temple and City by the Romanes So severe is God towards those with whom he hath some time walked by eminent mercies conferred on them if care be not taken to agree with him as he requireth upon receit of those mercies How God walked with Saul our next instance appears in part by that of Samuel 1 Sam. 15.17 When thou wast little in thine own eyes wast thou not made Head of the Tribes of Israel And the Lord anointed thee King over Israel and that when he least expected it while he was seeking his fathers Asses But this high Honour not drawing his heart to agreement with God the Lord rejected him from being King ver 26. and repented that ever he had made him King ver 35. He had not reigned three years when this sentence passed against him and began to be executed on him in a terrible manner He held the Throne indeed 37 years after that doom pronounced for he reigned in all 40 years * Acts 13.22 but liv'd and died a most miserable forlorn wretch being forsaken of God haunted by an evil spirit macerated with envy and tearing himselfe with rage against David crossed and cursed in every thing he went about and at length when he saw three of his sonnes Jonathan Abinadab and Malchishua fall in one day at Gilboa by the sword of the Philistines he fell upon his own sword and became his own butcher 1 Sam. 31.4 His son Ishbosheth the only legitimate son that survived him did indeed by the aid of Abner mount the Throne and made a shift to keep it two years x 2 Sam. 2.10 But Abner upon a base quarrell revolting two of his Captains Baanah and Rechab murdered him upon his bed y 2 Sam. 4.7 carrying his head to David to purchase their peace After all this God sent a sore famine upon Israel three years together in the reign of David for Saul and his bloody house because he slew the Gibeonites z 2 Sam. 21. contrary to the Oath of Ioshuah a Josh 9.15 made to their Ancestours which famine could not be removed untill David had delivered seven of Sauls sonnes to the Gibeonites who hung them up all in one day before the Lord in Gibeah of Saul and so that plague stayed Thus we see how contrary God walked unto Saul both living and dead because Saul made no better use of Gods walking with him in advancing of him to so much honour Vzziah our last instance had great experience in the former part of his reign of Gods walking with him in a very gracious manner so long as Vzziah sought the Lord in the dayes of Zechariah the Priest For God made him to prosper and helped him against the Philistines Arabians and Mehunims the Ammonites and whom not So that his name became great and formidable over many Countries for he was marvellously helped untill he was strong 2 Chron. 26. But then instead of coming up to God fully his heart was lifted up unto his destruction for he transgressed against the Lord his God and went into the Temple to burne incense Then God walked contrary to him with a witnesse He smote the Temple and City with a most dreadfull earthquake which so amazed and affrighted the whole City that they fled out of Ierusalem * Zech. 14.5 for fear of being destroyed by the fall of houses or opening of the earth And by this earthquake a part of the roof of the Temple was opened whereby a beam of the Sunne smote Vzziah on the mouth with a lothsome scabb that instantly brake out into a terrible Leprosie all his body over which could never be cured to the day of his death as was hinted before out of Iosephus 2. From Persons let us ascend to whole Nations and Kingdomes And first look upon Israel in Egypt How did the Lord redeem them thence and walked with them even thorow the red sea going before them in a cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night and bare them as a man bears his sonne in all the way that they went b Deut. â— 31 insomuch as within the space of a very few moneths he brought them to the very borders of Canaan even unto mount Hor Numb 20.23 But there instead of comming up to a perfect agreement with God who had shewed them such mercy they fell to murmuring wishing themselves in Egypt again or that they might die in the wildernesse rather then adventure to go up and possesse the Land which God had promised them because they had heard of the Anakims and other Giants there that would oppose and withstand them For this God instantly smote them with a very great mortality and doomed them to a fourty years pilgrimage in the wildernesse that all who had murmured against him might be cut off before he brought their children into Canaan Numb 14.13 When they saw their errour and smarted for it by the plague they who before would not go up when commanded would now needs adventure upon it when they were forbidden telling Moses Lo we be here and will go up to the place which the Lord hath promised ver 40. No saith Moses it is now too late the Lord will not go with you and the reason he gives them was this because ye have turned away from the Lord therefore the Lord will not be with you They who would not agree with God to go up when he bad them found him now to walke contrary to them when they were afterwards willing to go of their own heads for some of them who after Moses had forbidden them adventured presumptuously up into the hill but the Amorites which dwelt in that mountain came out against them and chased them as bees and destroyed them in Seir even unto Hormah Deut. 1.43 44. selfwild obedience is but transgression Afterwards when God was again pleased to walke further with Israel thorow the wildernesse see
THE NECESSITY OF Agreement with GOD OPENED IN A SERMON Preached to the Right Honourable the Noble House of PEERS assembled in PARLIAMENT Vpon the 29th of October 1645. being the Monethly Fast By C. BURGES D. D. Preacher of the Word to the City of London Published in Obedience to an Order of their Lordships LONDON Printed by G. Miller for Philemon Stephens at the Signe of the golden-Lion in Pauls Church-yard 1645. TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE HOVSE OF PEERS Assembled in PARLIAMENT Most Noble LORDS THE main designe of this plain Sermon is to awaken men not yet agreed with GOD out of their golden dreams of nothing but Halcyon dayes and mountains of perpetuall prosperity which the almost innumerable glorious Victories heaped on your Armies seem to promise To effect this I have endeavoured to put all upon the Triall of their Agreement with GOD which being the soul of my Text ought to be the chief subject of my Discourse I have therein insisted most upon the examining our performance of the Nationall Covenant which notwithstanding your pious command to whet the people upon it every Fast day is so much neglected yea despised that he is by some ranged among the dissolute that now will take it and it is made one character of the godly party which they who say stand apart appropriate to refuse it Uniformity which we have Covenanted to promote is become a scorne And they who being sensible of the mischiefs of no Government in the Church presse the setling of a Discipline according to our Covenant do every where hear Rigid Presbyterians Persecutours worse than Bishops and what not but what they are None know now how to Time things but they who while out the times to prevent the setling of any thing at all My Lords it is our happinesse and your honour that you have continued with Christ in his temptations and remained faithfull in the midst of a perfidious generation when the enemy had his hour For what Tiberius once spake to Nero and Drusus in the Senate Tacit. Annal. lib. 4. Ita nati estis ut bona maláque vestra ad Rempublicam pertineant may be much more said of you who are so borne for the Publike that you are engaged in honour to promote that what ever become of your selves There is no Publike act of yours if good but the whole Kingdom fares the better for it no evil that you commit but all the Nation suffers by it Be faithfull unto Christ who had never more need of your Zeal and let him alone with your safety and honour untill he give you a crown of life It is not enough that you act when acted unles you also quicken others to more expedition in that great busines of the Government of the Church It is not sufficient that your selves come up to an Agreement with God unlesse as Josiah you do your utmost with all vigour to draw others into the same also Nor will it suffice that you do good your selves if you wittingly suffer others to do evil against God and Christ without exercising that authority which God hath put into your hands against them You remember Galba who though innocent of much harm which passed under his name yet because he permitted them to commit it whom he ought to have bridled or was ignorant of that which he ought to have known lost reputation and opened a way to his own destruction The Lord of Lords guide quicken and prosper you in all the great affairs which are under your hands make you more and more zealous for Jesus Christ that he may yet further honour you above all your Noble Progenitours and give you hearts so to improve this homely piece that it may further your Account and not rise up in judgement against you in the great day of the Lord Jesus in whom I am and ever shall be Your Lordships most humble servant C. BURGES THE NECESSITY OF Agreement with GOD. AMOS 3.3 Can two walke together except they be agreed I May begin my Sermon with the words of Cyril a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cyr. Alex in loc This is a deep Riddle and a darke speech For better unfolding of it be pleased to cast your eyes on the first verse of this Book which will afford some light to these words and to the whole Prophecie There you shall first meet a poor Herdsman of Tekoah a City of Judah six miles south from Jerusalem to wit our Prophet a man bred up among Cattle and a gatherer of sycomore-trees b Amos 7.14 15. suddenly * Amos ruborum mora distringens repentè Propheta effectus est Hieron ad Heliodor called of God as he followed the flock and sent unto Israel yea to prophesie even at Bethel the Kings Chappel and Court and there to denounce destruction to the King and Kingdome by the Assyrian as he after c Amos 7.9 10 11. did There also shall ye discover the People to and against whom he prophesied namely Israel not the whole progeny of Jacob but only the ten Tribes revolted from Rehoboam These being the major part of Israel carried with them that Name Sometimes they are called Ephraim from Jeroboam their first King who was of that Tribe as that party which adhered to the House of David was named Judah because that was the Family from whence sprang their Kings That these Prophecies were directed to these ten Tribes is further manifest by that of Amaziah the Chief Priest of Bethel Chap. 7.12 13. O thou Seer flee thee away into the Land of Judah and there eat bread and prophesie there but prophesie not again any more at Bethel c. which shews plainly that he prophesied only to Israel in that place where Jeroboam the first had erected one of his Calves There Amos for his boldnesse against the Calves received many affronts from Amaziah the Priest and at length a mortall blow with a Club on his head by Amaziahs sonne after which he was carried home to Tekoah where he soon died of that wound as we have it from Epiphanius d In vit Prophet and sundry others e Hieron Doroth. Isidor alijque In that first verse thirdly may you perceive the time when he prophesied It was in the dayes of Vzziah King of Judah and in the dayes of Jeroboam the sonne of Joash King of Israel two years before the earthquake a most remarkable circumstance The mention of those two Kings discovers Amos to have been contemporaneous with Hosea and Joel yea with Isaiah too whose Father he was not although some have so conjectured albeit he began somewhat after them and finished his course many years before them by means of that untimely death but now expressed These Kings reigned long Jeroboam 41 years Vzziah 56 years computing from the 16th year of his age only To the end therefore it might be more exactly known about what time of their severall reignes Amos prophesied it is said two
began Novemb. 3. 1640. to the admiration if not envy of the neighbouring Nations Insomuch as all other Protestant Churches and States that look Heaven-ward have their eye and heart upon our Parliament as Iacob upon his Benjamin For as he accounted his life to be bound up in the lads life k Gen. 44 30. so they reckon their welfare and happinesse to be wrapped up in the safety and prosperity of this Parliament even as all the Popish crew and prophane Atheisticall Belialists do measure their hopes by the good successe of the publique Incendiaries of this and the other two Kingdoms in this bloody warre of theirs for the extirpation of our Religion Laws and Liberties all at once How hath the Lord guarded guided and enabled our Parliament to bring back from the grave even a dead Kingdome whose Laws and Liberties had yeelded up the ghost and to revive Religion which lay drawing on toward her long home expecting every moment to breath her last Popery having long since prepar'd her winding-sheet and the soveraign power being imployed to draw away her pillows and to close up her eyes How marvellous have the outgoings of our God been toward our Armies even from the beginning when it was more to bring an Army into the field then now to lead it thorow the Kingdome At the first taking up of this Warre the Popish plotting destructive faction looked upon the very Nobility and Gentry of this Kingdome who adhered to the Parliament with as much superciliousnesse and scorne as sometimes Tiberius and his Court-Parasites beheld the Romane Senatours l O homines ad servitutem nati coming in a servile way to visit him after he had by the instigation of Sejanus and other lewd Counsellours and companions in evil to be rid of that great Councell withdrawn himselfe from Rome first into Campania and then into the Island of Capres where he might be most remote from the Senate and more free to contrive the ruin of it as well as to act wickednesse at his pleasure with his minions without interruption or controll If any were sent from our supreme Senate or from the Army with humble Petitions and seasonable advice they were looked upon with so much contempt and scorne as if they came rather to be made a sport to all the scumme of man-kinde then to offer any thing worthy the acceptance of reasonable men And as for the generality of this Kingdome they having been so much over-awed and accustomed to an iron yoke of Arbitrary power it was too too evident that the ancient English generosity of spirit was degenerated into so much poornesse and pusillanimity that it was a very difficult worke to draw together any considerable power at first to withstand that strong torrent of violence and oppression which had for so long time carried all before it and broke down whatever stood in the way to oppose it and began to plead prescription against all Law and Justice Our condition therefore at that time when the enemy presumed that none durst be so hardy as to appear in Armes against them required more then ordinary spirits to break the ice and to appear in the head of an Army or Navy to give the first onset and charge against a party so great and puissant so inveterate and subtile so combined so many years preparing so many wayes assisted and so strongly backed and countenanced by the Royall Majesty which they had also deeply ingaged for the destruction of all that the faction had necessitated to take Armes in defence of the Royall Authority as well as of the Laws and Common Liberties Yet even then God stirred up some Noble and Publike spirits from among the Governours of Israel who offered to sacrifice themselves willingly among the people * Judg. 5.9 whom God went along withall and did great things by them wherein we greatly rejoyced what ever the unthankfull world apt to cry Hosanna one day and stone him the next when their own turne is served please now to barke to the contrary But this last Summers successes have been beyond all expectation and almost beyond credibility The right hand of the Lord hath so visibly smitten thorow the loyns of our proud enemies that even themselves must confesse God hath every where sought for us against them How many victories have been obtained Towns and strong holds wonne and recovered and the strength of the enemy how is it every where broken This is so marvellous in our eyes that we are like men that dream scarce daring to believe our own eyes Oh that we could more exalt our God and give unto him the glory due unto his Name for so many so great so glorious salvations afforded to his people by his own Almighty arme stretched out for them in so eminent a manner But will God thus walk together with us for ever He alone that is our strength our buckler the horne of our salvation and our high Tower grant it may be so and cursed be that man who shall so much as in his secret thoughts desire it may be otherwise Howbeit remember the Text and remember the Doctrine which it hath yeelded us together with the Instances whereby it hath been abundantly confirmed There must be an agreement yea another manner of ugreement then most are aware of between God and us before I dare promise any long continuance of his walking with us as he hath hitherto done Nay I must pronounce the contrary from the Lord and do here call God and all his people to witnesse this day of that I speake namely that it is as possible for light to walke with darknesse for Christ to keep company with Belial for one contrary extreme not to oppose the other as for God and England to walke long together while they be upon no better termes of agreement then for ought appears they be yet come unto Let our Parliament and Counsels consult let our Armies fight and be as prosperous and expeditious as Caesar when he every where made that good Veni Vidi Vici Let the enemy be every where routed scattered and shattered all to pieces before our forces yea let the great City be never so strongly fortified guarded united yet unlesse God be really and fully agreed withall I must say mutatis mutandis unto them and you as sometimes Jeremy of the Caldeans who for a while were forced to quit their siege of Jerusalem when Pharaohs Army was upon their march against them and when the people grew confident that now the worst was past and the danger was over Deceive not your selves saying The Caldeans I say Cavaliers shall surely depart from us for they shall not depart For though ye had smitten the whole Army of them that fight against you and there remained but wounded men among them yet should they rise up every man in his Tent and burne the City with fire Jer. 37.9 10. It is not multitude or strength will do it there is
threatning greater desolation then the sword of the enemy or any other judgement that is upon us You see what a long roll what a black catalogue may be brought in against us how many sins we have to spread before the Lord this day what great what scarlet sins we are guilty of who yet are apt to put farre away the evil day to grow confident that our danger is over that we shall never see that adversity which have come upon others in the Kingdome and that God is now so fast tied to us as never to depart from us nor to give over walking with us in all wayes of mercy and grace This day is set apart for solemne serious publike humiliation and Sermons upon this day are or should be so managed as to helpe us in this duty to set our sins before us with their severall aggravations that we might draw the more water of godly sorrow out of our rocky hearts and pour it out before the Lord as Israel at Mizpeh a 1 Sam. 7.6 O therefore be afflicted and mourn and weep rend your hearts put your mouths in the dust through shame and confusion of face and out of desire to be humbled to the utmost before the decree of Englands ruins bring forth desolation before the fierce anger of the Lord come upon you before the day of the Lords anger come upon you b Zeph. 2.2 as the Prophet speaketh Take heed of turning these monethly humiliations into formalities lest we provoke God more by our hypocriticall mock-fasts then by any other our sins for which we pretend to be humbled on such daies as these Beware of that bull-rush humiliation which the Lord complains of Isa 58.8 Who derides not that ridiculous folly of Lewes the 11th who wore a Crucifix in his hat in testimony of great devotion and so often as he had sworn an Oath or committed other grosse offence he would take off his hat and kisse his crucifix thinking that a sufficient satisfaction for his fault and then go sin again as much as before But there is somewhat more to be done by those that would indeed make their peace and agreement with God Surely it is meet to be said unto God I have borne chastisement I will not offend any more That which I see not teach thou me if I have done iniquity I will do no more Job 34.31 32. 2. This leads me to the second branch of the Exhortation and which is the other main part of this dayes duty namely to labour before we depart this place to bring our hearts to come up to a full and perfect agreement with God This is one of the great errands of all the Ambassadours of Christ namely to pray all to whom they come in Christs stead as though God did beseech you by them to be reconciled unto God 2 Cor. 5.20 Let the power of the death of Christ be applyed by faith to eat out and kill that naturall malice and enmity that naturally rageth in every one of our bosomes against God Mortifie therefore your members which are upon the earth fornication uncleannesse inordinate affection evil concupiscence and covetousnesse which is Idolatry for which things sake the wrath of God comes upon the children of disobedience Col. 3.5 6. Bring your hearts to a perfect compliance with God in affections resolutions and in all your actions away with all self-love and self-ends Men of private designes will betray the Kingdome Religion and all the world if it were in their power if temptations and opportunities be offered rather then be frustrate of their own ends what ever shew of zeal for Christ and the Publike they pretend unto in the carrying on of the Publike Cause It was Calebs comfort happinesse and honour that in managing the publike service of Israel committed to him by Moses he followed God fully Numb 14.24 An excellent paterne for you that are the heads and guides of our Tribes who are now leading this poor sinfull Nation thorow a sharpe and tedious wildernesse where we are to march thorow rivers of blood towards a firme and well grounded Peace and perfect Reformation If any of you have private ends in this publike worke which God forbid we shall be bought and sold as sometimes Esther and her people were not only for bond-men and bond-women Esth 7.4 but to be destroyed to be slain and to perish Be sure of this nothing but a firme agreement with God and the power of godlinesse can keep any of you all firme and constant to the Cause of God and his people Achitophel was a man of as deep wisedome and as great a pretender to the interests and service of David and the Kingdom as is possible for any mortall to be towards any King or Kingdome in the world Yet when Absolom by wiles and promises of greater place and preferment set upon him he could not stand before such temptations Only an Hushai a faithfull plain publike-spirited man held it out and at length had the happinesse to overthrow the counsels of a farre deeper and subtle Counsellour then himselfe and thereby saved both a King and Kingdome It is the honest plain downright-hearted Counsellour that scornes all private ends out of supernaturall principles that shall carry it at the long runne and live to see all the Achitophels of the time sent to hell in a string or in some other dresse Renue Covenant with God this day and do it heartily it is a chief worke of the day If David and Jonathan thought it necessary to enter into Covenant a second time 1 Sam. 20.16 who had never violated their first agreement thinke it not superfluous but a matter of necessity to renue that Covenant which we have every day broken and that with a very high hand by walking contrary unto him for which he hath brought the sword upon us to avenge the quarrell of his Covenant d Lev. 26.24 25. But do it in sincerity for all haltings in a Covenant are the greatest provocations that men obnoxious to wrath can possibly commit that great sinne against the Holy Ghost only excepted Rest not here thinke it not enough to renue Covenant but minde it and keep it When thou vowest a vow unto God deferre not to pay it for he hath no pleasure in fooles Eccles 5.4 Therefore God made a Law to binde men to performance even of voluntary vows to which they were no way tyed but by their own voluntary choice Deut. 23.21 22. When thou shalt vow a vow unto the Lord thy God thou shalt not slack to pay it for the Lord thy God will surely require it of thee and it would be sinne unto thee I beseech you therefore to consider all that you have Covenanted but especially in matters of Religion and Reformation And herein let your selves be first firme and unmoveable in such Truths as all the people of God have unanimously imbraced as being undoubtedly founded on the word of God Shift