and supporters of it set Truth at libertie Zachary 4. vers. 6. the great mountaine of opposition must be moved not by humane power and might but by the spirit of the Lord of Hoasts not only by his power but by his spirit because Church works must be carryed on in a way of enlightning and revealing the Truth Thus the wise providence of God wrought formerly when a Generall Councell though by many groaned after could not be obtained with the consent of the Clergy and Court of Rome to whom Reformation would be a certaine Ruine He stirred up divers Heroicall Worthies Waldus in France Wickliffe in England Luther in Germany Knoxe in Scotland to despise the light of Truth And Revel. 14. vers. 6. After the flying Angell having the everlasting Gospell to preach unto all that dwell on the earth then vers 8. there follows another Angell saying Babylon is fallen Doubtlesse the Pope must fall not only by the Sword of Princes but by the Sword of the Spirit 2 Thessalonians 2. vers. 8. That wicked One must be revealed and consumed with the Spirit of the Lords mouth If you would have the mystery of iniquitie unmasked see the Popes Triple Crowne tumble and the thicke mist of Popery vanish help forward the bright Sun-shine of Gods Word promote the libertie puritie and power of Truth You have had a discovery of some few sprigs growing upon this first Proposition let us in the Application gather the wholesome fruit which hangs upon them It is the good hand of God upon us when so many of our brethren in Ireland are still bleeding under their enemies crueltie that we are at libertie in this solemne Ordinance to plead with our God for mercie Oh that this day of Self-humbling might be to us in the use of it according to its nature a self-searching or soul-purging day My Commission is to hold forth the Glasse of Gods Truth before your eyes that you may may discover your spots and defects Let it be your worke to reade over your selves as well as your Bibles to speake and write retractations of your former errors and confessions of your miscarriages I wish we could all be Augustines herein The Lord knoweth what Volumes many of us might fill if we were but well studyed in our selves And together with the long Catalogue of all our other sins our neglect of Truth must come in as having a great influence into the rest for this we may blush and bleed yea rivers of teares are too little to bewaile this that in all our designes we have so little minded to purchase the Libertie the Puritie and Power of true Religion Adam and Eve began to make very bad markets to sell themselves and posteritie for the forbidden fruit Prophane Esau sold his Birth-right for a Messe of pottage Heb. 12. 16. How many with Absalom to humour their vain-glory will set the Peace of a Kingdome to sale How many with Haman to gratifie proud revenge will set a whole Church to sale Some with Iudas will set up their Saviour to sale for thirtie pieces Others with Diotrephes the first Cocke of the game that they may fill their sailes with Church-pompe and Church-power will set the Keyes of Church and Ordinances of Christ to sale Lay your hands upon your hearts To be purveyours for your lusts as the prophane Romanes 13. vers. 14. To be Merchants for the Pope as the superstitious Innovators To be Proctors for the Devill as Gospell-opposers what saith conscience Is this to buy the Truth Give me leave Honourable and beloved to come neerer you with three plaine Queres I study not alta but apta proferre Have you gotten your owne hearts possessed with the power of the Truth Hath Gods word a throne in your Consciences Colossians 3. 16. Let the word of God dwell richly in you If it dwell there First it must intrare then residere it must dwell and abide there exercising a soveraigntie over you ever drawing open into an humble familiaritie with it What fruitfull knowledge have you gotten in the mysterie of Doctrinall and Practicall Godlinesse They who know the Grace of God in Truth will bring forth fruit Colossians 1. vers. 6. Doth the Truth of your Religion appeare in your relations in the uniformitie of a Gospell conversation as Phil. 1. vers. 27. Aske your hearts whether in all your undertakings you move upon Religious grounds and for Religious ends God doth not onely number but weigh our actions and observes not onely what is done but why it is done The The word of Truth must be our judge therefore now let it be our Counsellor It is Philpots Glosse upon Iohn 12. vers. 48 The word that I have spoken shall judge him in the last day if the word shall judge us then much more ought it to be a judge of our doings now Have you set up Truth in your owne families It is most odious for a Minister of Christ to flatter to dawbe with untempered morter at any time but most abominable upon a Day of Humiliation You reckon your house your little Common-wealth by what law is it governed Doth the word of Truth the Scepter of righteousnesse beare sway there Whence then so much licentiousnesse tolerated in the servants so much dissolutenesse in the children so much oppression tyranny and too often other wickednesse in your selves and such distempers in family relations Psal. 101. vers. 2. David would walke in his house with a perfect heart Such as served him he would either finde them or make them Gods servants You would have others thinke your houses are Churches What thy house a Church to God and thou a covetous idolater Thy house a Church to God and thou an uncleane sonne of Belial What concord hath Christ with Belial what agreement hath the Temple of God with idols The argument is as strong for Magistrates as for Ministers 1 Tim. 3. 5. If a man know not how to rule his owne house how shall hee take care of the Church of God How can you be good Reformers both of State and Church unlesse you be first Reformers of your selves and your owne Families Light is a great advantage to an house especially the light of Truth The Father of Lights is not pleased to dwell in a darke habitation such a corner is fitter for Satan the Prince of darknesse It was a very honourable report which Melancthon giveth of Prince Anhalt Cubiculum ejus erat Academia curia Templum His Bed-chamber was an Academie a Court a Temple The Lord gives you a share in this honour Let not your Chambers be Academies onely for the advanocment of learning or Courts for the daily dispatch of publique affaires but Temples for the worship of God and calling upon his name Give the people not onely Rules but examples of Reformation Let Religion be first advanced in you it will the sooner bee setled by you Have you imployed and improved
your publique interests to help forward the trade of Truth to promote Religion in the Libertie Puritie and Power of it Never was any Parliament the sonne of so many prayers and teares Never had any a larger share in that blessing of the Lord upon Ioseph Deut. 33. vers. 16. feeling the good will of Him that dwelt in the bush so often burning yet not consumed What reciprocall reall love have you expressed unto God and the Cause of his Truth When Moses proposed that question Exod. 32. vers. 26. Who is on the Lords side The sons of Levi gathered themselves together vers. 27. and by their zeale obtained a blessing in Moses his Catalogue when their brother Simeon was left out Deut. 33. vers. 9. We live in shedding discriminating times it is a frequent question quarum partium On what side are you If this be the question who is on Truths side what eccho what answer will you returne oh you great Counsellors Suppose this day God and thy Conscience held a Closet Committee the Lord saith I have put such a rich price into thy hand I have betrusted thee with an influence in the Grand Affaires of the Church what saith Conscience What hast thou done what wilt thou doe by speaking voting by hand heart purse for the Truth Davids question is most seasonable 1 Chron. 29. vers. 5. Who is willing to consecrate his service this day unto the Lord Oh that you might returne the same pious answer with the chiefe of the Fathers and Princes of the Tribes who all offered willingly vers. 6. Could you finde this fruit upon your Self-examination Doubtlesse though you may serve this day in sorrow as you ought to doe upon a Soul-afflicting day in sighes in groanes in teares yet you shall reape in joy To engage and quicken your utmost endeavours for the happy purchase of truth You may please to looke upon your selves Honourable and Beloved in a double capacity First as Merchants trading for your owne everlasting good Then as Publique Factors betrusted with the best good of many hundred thousands In a Merchant or Factor there are some speciall Requisites 1. Wisdome 2. Activity 3. Resolution First Wisedome to discerne both the Commodities themselves and opportunities of trading The first use of Wisdome is to discerne the Commodities themselves Religion must not be taken upon trust Faith is Gods way to save us credulity the devils method to undoe us 1 Thess. 5. 21. Try all things hold fast that which is good And by sound knowledge possesse your selves most carefully of such truthes as are most necessary Those that are Fundamentalia in fide or in Praxi buy them at any rate but sell them at no rate There are Magnalia and minutula legis It will argue much hypocrisie to be substantiall in circumstantiall truthes and circumstantiall in the substantials of Faith and Repentance Let us wisely proportion our zeale according to the nature of the truths themselves This Counsell Paul giveth his Titus Matters of consequence he must affirme constantly but avoid needlesse questions Tit. 3. 8. It were a seasonable improvement of your Wisedome and Power to hinder the Devils or Popes Chapmen from opening their packes of adulterate wares and to put an high value upon such precious parcels of Truth as have a great influence both into Doctrinall and practicall Religion Give me leave here in the behalfe of Truth to suggest some briefe hints First Put in caveats against Arminian errours which doe so extenuate originall sinne and magnifie the power of nature that they feed our hereditary disease of pride and eclipse the glory of Gods grace Oh trade for the doctrine of free grace Maintaine the King of Heavens Prerogative In the spirituall building grace laid the first foundation in Gods free eternall purpose Grace erecteth the wals yea and addeth the top-stone Eternity will be little enough to admire to adore to cry grace grace Therefore carefully possesse your selves of this truth against the enemies of grace Secondly Minde the promoting of those Truthes which justifie The purity of Divine Worship according to Gods owne will against Popish and superstitious innovators There is a bewitching pompe in the out side of popery which intangleth some Ancient Writers used many wanton Metaphors and such a liberty of expression before the mystery of iniquity was discovered which deluded others There is a disposition in all corrupt natures no lesse to spirituall then bodily fornication Vindicate therefore the second Commandement which Papists have expunged and others so much clouded Where God hath professed himselfe jealous let us be zealous of trading for such Truthes Thirdly Put a value upon such Truthes as discover the dangerous errours of Socinianisme which is no better then a Complication of many antient heresies condemned by ancient Councels A Doctrine that undermineth the merit and satisfaction of our Saviours death that will scarce allow faith to swimme where reason cannot wade that will so farre bring downe Religion to reason that we must beleeve little more in Divinity then we can see in reason Arminianisme gratifieth the pride of will Popery the pride of outward sense and Socinianisme the pride of carnall reason Fourthly Let Truthes for the sanctification of the Lords day be pretious truthes Gods institution of that day bringeth with it a speciall Character of holinesse and an influence of a peculiar blessing God hath sanctifyed and blessed it Yea in the primitive times it was a badge of Christianity When the question was propounded Servasti Dominicum Hast thou kept the Lords day The answer was Christianus sum intermittere non possum I am a Christian I cannot neglect it There was no little danger in the Anti-sabbatarian doctrine seeing upon Gods owne day we professe publiquely our communion with God in his Ordinances Then we expect to enjoy the richest influence from him And if men could dispute away our Christian Sabbath we should soone lose the vigour of our practicall Religion God having made it holy by Institution by Ordination let us keepe it holy by Observation The second use of Wisdome in Factors is to know and consider their opportunities Ephes. 5. 15 16. See that ye walke circumspectly not as fooles but as wise redeeming the time Hierusalem in this was as unwise as unhappy that she knew not the day of her visitation Luk. 19. 41 42. Who did expect such nutus providentiae hints of divine providence as God hath afforded to unworthy England in these two last yeares to repossesse her of that Truth which many thought departing The Philistins had almost taken our Arke Our friends our enemies our selves our owne guiltinesse passed a sentence of death upon us We discovered so many leakes in ships of Church and State as if both were sinking The tempest was great our Saviour seemed to be asleepe our onely refuge was to cry Lord save us we perish Mat. 8. 25. The
both light and heat Libertie of the Gospel makes it a Gospel to us The Church in the Acts knew how to value this libertie of Truth and therefore when Peter was imprisoned instant and earnest prayer was made the answer was as effectuall Peter released Herod confounded and truth set at libertie Of all famines the Soul-famine Gospel-famine is the most grievous threatned as an heavy Judgement Amos 8. 11 12. But a most sweet mercy to feel and taste the accomplishment of that promise Isa. 30. 20. Though the Lord give you the bread of adversitie and the water of affliction yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more but thine eyes shall see thy teachers Secondly Puritie of true Religion is a good purchase as well as libertie That we may have an incorrupt Religion without sinfull without guilefull mixtures not a linsey-woolsey Religion All new borne babes will desire {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} 1 Pet. 2. 2. Word-milke Sermon-milke without guile without adulterating Sophistication of it of which Paul glories 2 Cor. 2. 17. For we are not as many which corrupt the word of God but as of sinceritie but as of God in the sight of God speake we in Christ Whose zealous care it was 2 Cor. 11. 2. to espouse the Church of Corinth to one Husband no polygamy in the second marriage that he might present them as a chaste virgin unto Christ This he endeavoured by pure Gospel means and by perswading to puritie and singlenesse of heart in the use of those means The Devill is as busie vers. 3. to corrupt peoples minds from the simplicitie that is in Christ well knowing the simplicitie that is in Christ is the best Rule for the Churches conformitie to this we may subscribe without any checke of conscience And indeed what are false Religions but Humane compositions The Alcoran compounds Mahomets fond devices with some fragments of Gods word Popery compounds unwritten Traditions most presumptuously with Holy Scripture yea it rakes up Heathenish customes revives old Jewish Ceremonies which are now mortuae mortiferae dead and deadly compounding them with the institutions of Christ You may discerne such mixtures in many errors about the great mysteries of the Gospel even in every linke of the golden chaine of Salvation Rom. 8. 30. Arminians in the Decree of Election compound foreseene faith with the Soveraigntie of Gods will In vocation so compounding mans Free-will with Gods Free Grace that with them in the act of conversion prima causa depends upon secunda the power of Gods grace must wayte upon the concurrence of our good nature Popish Doctors doe strangely compound works with faith in the act of justification and in glorification so compound the merits of the Saints with the merits of Christ that by a condignitie they become meritorious of eternall life let the Devill affect vaine compositions the whore of Babylon must paint her wrinckled face with some borrowed beautie to cover her inward deformities Christ and his Truth will glory in no vernish so much as native simplicitie and puritie Thirdly Truth must be purchased as well in the power as in the libertie and puritie of it There should be such a streame as runs purely without mud and that in a strong torrent Hypocrites will swarve in the last age when most Gospel-light breaks out many painted professions will borrow some lustre from it This Paul foretels 2 Tim. 3. 5. In the last dayes together with many streames of wickednesse there will be a generation of men having a forme of Godlinesse but denying the power of it a good description of hypocrisie But the Lord bespeaks power both in the dispensing and the professing of Truth Paul desired to preach in the demonstration of the spirit and of power 1 Cor. 2. 4. as well knowing that the kingdome of God is not in word but in power 1 Cor. 4. 20. It is not wording but working the power that will evidence to speaker or hearers that they are subjects in the kingdome of Grace and heires to the kingdome of glory This Paul made an argument of their election 1 Thess. 1. 5. that the Gospel came not to them in word only but in power and in the Holy Ghost much power appearing in the dispensation of it and the Thessalonians hearts so fully possessed with the power of the Truth that their carnall principles were confuted their passions moderated their lusts mortified and their self-ends confounded Most men affect in Religion either a dull moderation or an outside pompe both enemies to the power of Truth Moderation doth better in other things then in the practise of Religion where there cannot be a nimium God requires totum cor and totum cordis the whole heart and the totalitie of it that we should love him with all our heart with all our soul and with our strength Luk. 10. 27. Indeed moderation hath its season but with Calvins caution I confesse saith he there ought to be moderation yet this I constantly affirme care must be had that under pretence of moderation nothing be tolerated which proceedeth from the Devill or Antichrist Neither must we so affect the outward pompe of Religion as to neglect the power of it Hilary his counsell was good who writing against Auxentius Bishop of Millaine complained that the Arrian faction had confounded all and therefore admonished all men to take heed how they suffered themselves to be led with outward appearances It is not well saith he that you are in love with walls that you esteeme the Church in respect of houses and buildings and in and under those shewes and appearances pretend and urge the name of peace Is there any doubt of Antichrists sitting in these places This makes Popery such a Religion as pleases mens eyes and humours their eares rather then rectify their mindes and heale their hearts because they seeke not so much to purchase the power as the pompe of Religion Having layed open before you the Commoditie it self to be purchased Truth in the libertie puritie and power of it It s necessary further to enquire into the nature of the purchase with its price As all other markets ordinarily begin at home so indeed our trading for Truth The spirit of God having convinced the heart how farre it is come short of the glory of God by sin Rom. 3. 23. and that men are alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them Ephes. 4. 18. withall giving the soule an hint and taste of the excellencie and sweetnesse of Divine Truth the only Soveraigne means of its recovery it groanes most seriously and pants most affectionately after acquaintance with the truth and possession of it And that not only by some cold velleitie by some dull wishing and woulding but by a peremptorie choice not by wandring and flashy but constant and fixed desires not by lazie and