till they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom Mark addeth with power Neither was that all He did not so come at that time as to put forth all his power or to do his whole work He hath at divers times come and manifested himself to his Churches And this present time is a time of the revelation of the Son of God and a day of his coming We look also for a more glorious coming of Jesus Christ before the end be For the Redeemer shall come untâ— Sion and turn a way ungodlinesse from Jacob And he shall destroy Antichrist with the brightnesse of his coming 2 Thes. 2.8 In which place the Apostle hath respect to Isai. 11.4 where it is said of Christ The rod of Jesse with the breath of his lips shall be slay the wicked There withall you have the Churches tranquility the filling of the earth with the knowledge of the Lord and the restoring of the dispersed Jews as you may read in that Chapter Some have observed which ought not passe without observation that the Chaldee Paraphrase had there added the word Romilus He shall slay the wicked Romilus Wherupon they challenge Arias Montainus for leaving out that word to wipe off the reproach from the Pope However the Scriptures teach us that the Lord Jesus will be revealed mightily and will make bare his holy Arm as well in the confusion of Antichrist as in the conversion of the Jews before the last judgement and the end of all things By this time you may understand what is meant in the Text by the day of Christs coming or coming in as the Septuagints read meaning his coming or entering into his Temple mentioned in the first Verse By which Temple Jerome upon the place rightly understandeth the Church or spirituall Temple When this Temple is built Christ cometh into it to fill the house with the cloud of his glory and to walk in the midst of the seven Golden Candlesticks The same thing is meant by his appearing When he appeareth saith our Translation When he shall be revealed saith the Chaldee Others read When he shall be seen or in seeing of him The originall word I find used to expresse more remarkable divine and glorious sights as Gen. 16.13 Have I also here looked after him that seeth me Gen. 22.14 In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen From this word had the Prophets the name of Seers 1 Sâ—m 9.9 And from the same word came the name of Visions 2 Chron. 26.5 Zechariah who had understanding in the visions of God Now but what of all this might some think It Christ come it s well He is the desire of all Nations O but when Christ thus cometh into his Kingdom among men with power and is seen appearing with some beams of his glory Who may abide and who shall stand saith the Text How shall sinners stand before the Holy One How shall dust and ashes have any fellowship with the God of glory How shall our weak eyes behold the Sun of Righteousnesse coming forth like a Bridegroom out of his Chamber Did not Ezekiel fall upon his face at the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord Did not Isaiah cry out Wo is me for I am undone for mine eyes have seen the King the Lord of hosts But why is it so hard a thing to abide the day of Christs coming or to stand before him when he appeareth in his Temple If you ask of him as Joshua did Art thou for us or for our adversaries He will answer you Nay but as a Captain of the Hoste of the Lord am I now come If you ask of him as the Elders of Bethlehem asked of Samuel while they were trembling at his coming Comest thou peaceably He will answer you as Samuel did Peaceably What is there here then to trouble us Doth he not come to save and not to destroy Yes to save the Spirit but to destroy the flesh He will have the heart blood of sin that the soul may live for ever This is set forth by a double metaphor One taken from the Refiners fire which purifieth metals from the drosse The other from the Fullers sope others read the Fullers grasse or the Fullers herb Some have thought it so hard to determine that they have kept into the Translation the very Hebrew word Borith Jerome tels us that the Fullers herb which grew in the marish places of Palestina had the same vertue for washing and making white which nitre hath Yet I suppose the Fullers sope hath more of that vertue in it then the herb could have However it is certain that Borith cometh from a word which signifieth to make clean according to that Mark 9.3 His raiment became shining exceeding white as snow So as no Fuller on earth can white them But to whom will Christ thus reveal himself And who are they whom he will resine from their drosse and wash from their filthinesse That we may know from the two following verses He is not a Resiners fire to those that are reprobate silver and can never be refined Neither is he as Fullers sope to those whose spot is not the spot of his children Nay Christ doth not thus lose his labour But he refineth and maketh clean the sons of Levi also Judah and Jerusalem This I doubt not to aver doth principally belong to the Jews for to them pertain the promises saith the Apostle and the naturall branches shall be grafted into their own Olive-tree But it belongeth also to us Gentiles who are cut out of the wilde Olive-tree and are grafted into the good Olive-tree God hath perswaded Japhet to dwell in the Tents of Sem. And so we are now the Judah and Jerusalem and our Ministers the sons of Levi. Gods own Church and people even the best of them have need of this Refiners fire and of this Fullers sope And so much for the scope sence and coherence of the Text The generall Doctrine which offereth it self to us from the words is this The way of Christ and fellowship with him is very difficult and displeasing to our sinfull nature And is not so easie a matter as most men imagine First of all this doth clearly arise out of the Text As when the people said to Joshua God forbid that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods Joshua answered Ye cannot serve the Lord for he is an holy God he is a jealous God Just so doth the Prophet here answer the Jews when they were very much desiring and longing for the Messiah promising to themselves comfort and peace and prosperity and the restoring of all things according to their hearts desire if Christ were once come Nay saith the Prophet not so Who may abide the day of his coming and who shall stand when he appeareth Secondly Other Scriptures do abundantly confirm it The
A SERMON PREACHED Before the Right Honourable the House of LORDS In the Abbey Church at Westminster upon the 27th of August 1645. Being the day appointed for solemne and publique Humiliation Whereunto is added A BROTHERLY EXAMINATION Of some Passages of Mr. Colemans late Printed Sermon upon Job 11.20 In which he hath endeavoured to strike at the root of all Church-Government By George Gillespie Minister at Edenburgh Hieron in Epitaphio Fabiolae Alie sunt leges Caesarum aliae Christi aliud Papinianus aliud Paulus noster praecipit LONDON Printed by F. Neile for Robert Bostock dwelling in Pauls Church-yard at the sign of the Kings Head 1646. TO THE CHRISTIAN READER I Have in this Sermon applied my thoughts toward these three things 1 The soul-ensnaring Errour of the greatest part of men who choose to themselves such a way to the kingdom of Heaven as is broad and smooth and easie and but little or nothing at all displeasing to flesh and blood like him that tumbled down upon the grasse and said utinam hoc esset laborare 2 The grumbling and unwillingnesse which appeareth in very many when they should submit to that Reformation of the Church which is according to the minde of Jesus Christ like them that said to the Seers See not and to the Prophets Prophecy not unto us right things speak unto us smooth things and again Let us break their lands asunder and cast away their cords from us 3 The sad and desolate Condition of the Kingdom of Scotland then calling for our prayers and tears and saying Call me not Naomi pleasant call me Morah bitter for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me We were pressed out of measure above strength and had the sentence of death in our selves that wee should not trust in our selves but in God which raiseth the dead who delivered us from so great a death and doth deliver in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us Our Brethren also helping together by prayer for us that for the mercy bestowed on us by means of the prayers of many thanks may be given by many on our behalf The Lord liveth and blessed be our rock and let the God of our salvation be exalted He is our God and we will prepare for him an habitation our Fathers God and we will exalt him Blessed be the Lord God the God of Israel who onely doth wondrous things and blessed be his glorious Name for ever and let the whole earth befilled with his glory Scotland shall yet be a Crown of glory in the hand of the Lord and a royall Diademe in the hand of our God and shall be called Hephzi-hah and Beulah Only let us remember our evill wayes and be confounded and never open our mouth any more because of our shame when the Lord our God is pacified towards us Now are both Kingdoms put to a triall whether their Humiliations be siliall and whether they can mourn for sin more then for Judgement And let us now hear what the Spirit speaketh to the Churches and not turn again to folly New provocations or the old unrepented will create new woes therefore sin no more lest a worse thing come unto us A SERMON Preached before the Right Honourable the House of PEERS at a late Solemn Fast MALACHI 3.2 But who may abide the day of his coming and who shall stand when he appeareth For he is like a Refiners fire and like Fullers Sope. IF you ask Of whom speaketh the Prophet this of himselfe or of some other man It is answered both by Christian and Jewish Interpreters The Prophet speaketh this of Christ the Messenger of the Covenant then much longed and looked for by the people of God as is manifest by the preceding Verse And as it was fit that Malachi the last of the Prophets should shut up the old Testament with clear promises of the coming of Christ which you find in this and in the following Chapter so he takes the rather occasion from the corrupt and degenerate estate of the Priests at that time which he had mentioned in the former Chapter to hold forth unto the Church the promised Messiah who was to come unto them to purifie the sons of Levi But if you ask again of what coming or appearing of Christ doth the Prophet speak this Whether of the first or of the last or of any other The answer of Expositors is not so unanimous Some understand the last coming of Christ in the glory of his Father and holy Angels to judge the quick and the dead This cannot stand with ver. 34. He shall purifie the sons of Levi and purge them c. But at the last judgement it will be too late for the sons of Levi to be purified and purged or for Juda and Jerusalem to bring offerings unto the Lord as in the dayes of old Others understand the first coming of Christ and of these some understand his Incarnation or appearing in the flesh others take the meaning to be of his coming into the Temple of Jerusalem to drive out the buyers and sellers at which time all the City was moved at his coming This Exposition hath better grounds then the other because the coming of Christ here spoken of did not precede but soon follow after the Ministery of John Baptist and therefore cannot be meant of our Saviours Incarnation but rather of his appearing with power and authority in the Temple But this also falleth short and neither expresseth the whole nor the principall part of what is meant in this Text For how can it be said that the Prophecy which followeth Vers. 3 4. which is all of a peece with Vers. 2. was fulfilled during Christs appearing and sitting in the Temple of Jerusalem Or how can it be conceived that the offerings of Juda and Jerusalem were pleasant to the Lord at that time when the Gentiles were not and the Jews would not be brought in to offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousnesse So that whether we understand by Juda and Jerusalem the Jewish Church or the Christian this thing could not be said to be accomplished while Christ was yet upon earth And in like manner whether we understand by the sons of Levi the Priests and Levites of the Jews or the Ministers of the Gospel it cannot be said that Christ did in the dayes of his flesh purifie the sons of Levi as Gold and Silver I deny not but the Lord Jesus did then begin to set about this work But that which is more principally here intended is Christs coming and appearing in a spiritual but yet most powerfull and glorious manner to erect his Kingdom and to gather and govern his Churches by the Ministery of his Apostles and other Ministers whom he sent forth after his Ascension Of this coming he himself speaketh Matth. 16.28 Verily I say unto you There be some standing here which shall not taste of death
Many shall be purified and made white and tried where the same word is used from which I said before the fullers sope hath its name The Doctrine shall be this Tribulation doth either accompany or follow after the work of Reformation or purging of the house of God So it was when Christ himself came into his Temple Luk. 12.49 I am come to send fire on the earth vers. 51. Suppose ye that I am come to send peace on earth I tell you nay but rather divisâ—â—on So it was when the Apostles were sent forth into the world Peter applieth to that time the words of Joel And I will shew wonders in heaven above and signes in earth beneath blood and fire and vapour of smoke the Sun shall be turned into darknesse and the Moon into blood Acts 2.19 20. The meaning is such tribulation shall follow the Gospel which shall be like the darkening of the great lights of the world and as it were a putting of heaven and earth out of their course so great a change and calamity shall come The experience both of the ancient and now-reformed Churches doth also abundantly confirm this Doctrine Neither must we think that all the calamities of the Church are now overpast Who can be assured that that houre of greatest darknesse the killing of the witnesses is past and all that sad prophecie Rev. 11. fulfilled And if some be not much mistaken it is told Dan. 12.1 that there shall be greater tribulation about the time of the Jews conversion then any we have yet seen At that time saith the Angel to Daniel there shall be a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time and at that time thy people shall be delivered every 〈◊〉 that shall be found written in the book I make haste to the Uses and first let me give unto God the glory of his truth if we have been deceived surely he hath not deceived us for he hath given us plain warning in his word and hath not kept up from us the worst things which ever have or ever shall come upon his Church And now when the sword of the Lord hath gotten a charge against these three covenanting and reforming Kingdoms is this any other then the word of the Lord that when Christ cometh into his Temple who may abide the day of his coming and who shall stand when he appeareth so he is like a refiners fire and like fullers sope And for the invasion of Scotland by such an enemy after a reformation is it any new thing May we not say that which is hath been Did not Senacherib invade Judah after Hezekiahs reformation 2 Chroâ— 32.1 And though after the reformation of Asa and after the reformation of Jehosaphat also the land had a short rest and a breathing time yet not long after a forrain invasion followed both upon the one reformation and the other Nay look what is the worst thing which hath befallen to Scotland as yet as much yea worse hath formerly befallen to the Church people of God toward whom the Lord had thoughts of peace and not of evil to give them an expected end I say it not for diminishing any thing either from the sin or shame of Scotland the Lord forbid we will bear the indignation of the Lord because we have sinned against him we will lay our hand upon our mouth and accept the punishment of our iniquity we will bear our shame for ever because our Father hath spit in our face our Rock hath sold us and our strength hath departed from us But I say it by way of answering him that reproacheth in the gates and by way of pleading for the truth of God Some have objected to our reproach that when the Lord required the Israelites to appear before him in Jerusalem thrice a yeer he promised that no man should invade their habitations in their absence Exod. 34.23.24 which gracious providence of his no doubt saies one continues still protecting all such as are employed by his command yet thath not been so with Scotland during the time of their armies being in England I answer besides that which hath been said already even in this the word and work of God do well agree and that Scripture ought not to be so applyed to us except the Canaanites and the Amâ—rites and the Jebusites of our time had been all cast out of our borders we find this day too many of them lurking there and waiting their opportunity for the Septuagints and many of the interpreters read that Text thus For when I shall cast out the nations before thee and enlarge thy borders no man shall desire thy land when thou shall go up to appear before the Lord thy God thrice in the yeer And this is the true sence read it as you will For the promise is limited to the time of casting out the Nations and inlarging their borders which came not to passe till the dayes of Solomon it is certain that from the time of making that promise the people had not ever libertie and protection for keeping the three solemne Feasts in the place of the Sanctuary as might be proved from divers forrain invasions and spoylings of that Land for some yeers together whereof we read in the book of the Judges But I go on In the second place let God have the glory of his just righteous dealings Let us say with Job I will leave my compâ—aint upon my self and say unto God Shew me wherefore thou contendest with me But by all means take heed you conceive not an ill opinion of the Covenant and cause of God or the reformation of Religion because of the tribulation which followeth thereupon Say not it was a good old world when we burnt incense to the Queen of heaven for then we were well and saw no evil But said the people to Jeremiah Since we left off to burn incense to the Queen of heaven and to poure out drink-offerings to her we have been consumed by the sword and by the famine Jer. 44.17 18. To such I answer in the words of Solomon Say not thou what it is the cause that the former times were better then these for thou diest not enquire wisely concerning this Was the peoples coming out of Egypt the cause why their carcasses did fall in the windernesse or was it their murmuring and rebelling against the Lord which brought that wrath upon them If thou wilt enquire wisely concerning this thing read Zephaniah cap. 1. In the dayes of I siah even in the dayes of Judahs best reformation the Lord sent this message by the Prophet I will utterly consume all things from off the Land v. 2. And I will bring distresse upon men that they shall walk like blind men and their bloud shall be poured out as dust and their flesh as dung vers. 17. What was the reason of it It is plainly told them and
interested in him that sin is himself and his corruptions are his members therfore when we leave off sin we are said to live no more to our selves And morification is the greatest violence that can be done to nature therefore it is called a cutting off of the chief members of the body Mark 9.43.45.47 a salting with salt and a burning with fire ver. 49. a ciccumcision Col. 2.11 a crucifying Rom. 6.6 So that nothing can be more difficult or displeasing yea a greater torment to flesh and blood Yet now art thou willing notwithstanding of all this to take Christ on his own terms to take him not only for rightousnesse and life but to take him as a refiners fire as fullers sope O that there were such a heart in thee When Christ bids thee pluck out thy right eye and cut off thy right hand say not in thy heart how shall I do without my right eye and my right hand Nay thou shalt do well enough thou shalt even enter into life without them thou shalt be a gainer and no looser Say not thou how shall I go through this refining fire fear not thou shalt lose nothing but thy drosse Thus get thy heart wrought to a willingnesse and a condesending in the point of mortification Lastly if you say But after all this how shall I attain unto it put thy self in the hands of Iesus Christ trust him with the work if you mark the Text here and the verse that followeth Christ is both the refiner and the refiners fire thou shalt be refined by him and thou shalt be refined in him Thou deceivest thy self if thou thinkest to be refined any other way but by this refiner and in this refiners fire The blood of Christ doth not onely wash us from guilt but purge our consciences from dead works to serve the living God Heb. 9.10 and they that are Christs have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts Gal. 5.24 Here you may see the thing is feceable and attainable and not onely by an Apostle or some extraordinary man but by all that are Christs Being his and in him they are inabled through his strength to crucifie the flesh with the affections and lusts thereof FINIS A Brotherly Examination of some passages of Mr. Colemans late Sermon upon Job 11.20 as it is now Printed and published By which he hath to the great offence of very many endeavoured to strike at the very root of all Spiritual and Ecclesiasticall Government contrary to the Word of God the solemn League and Covenant other reformed Churches and the Votes of the Honourable Houses of Parliament after advice had with the Reverend and Learned Assembly of Divines I Have before touched this purpose in the third branch of the third Application of my second Doctrine and did in my Sermon in the Abbey Church expresse my thoughts of it at some length But as I was then unwilling to fall upon such a Controversie so publickly especially in a Fast Sermon if that which I intend to examine had not been as publikly and upon the like occasion delivered So now in the publishing I have thought good to open my mind concerning this thing distinctly and by itselfe That which had been too late to be preached after Sermon is not too late to be Printed after Sermon Others upon occasion offred have given their testimony against his Doctrine And I should think my self unfaithful in the Trust put upon me if upon such an occasion I should be silent in this businesse and I beleeve no man will think it strange that a peece of this nature and strain get an Answer and I go about it without any disrespect either to the person or parts of my Reverend Brother Onely I must give a testimony to the truth when I hear it spoken agaiâ—st and I hope his Objections have made no such impression in any mans mind as to make him unwilling to hear an Answer Come we therefore to the particulars Foure rules were offered by the Reverend Brother as tending to Unity and to the healing of the present Controversies about Church-Government But in truth his cure is worse than the disease and instead of making any agreement he is like to have his hand against every man and every mans hand against him The first Rule was this Estâ—blish as few things Jure Divino as can well be Which is by Interpretation as little fine gold and as much drosse as can well be The words of the Lord are pure words as silver tried in a furnace of earth purified seven times What you take from the Word of God is fine gold tried in the fire But an holy thing of mans devising is the drosse of silver Can he not be content to have the drosse purged from the silver except the silver it self be cast away The very contrary rule is more sure and safe which I prove thus If it be a sin to diminish or take ought from the Word of God in so much that it is forbiden under pain of taking away a mans part out of the Book of Life and out of the holy City then as many things as are to be established Jure Divino as can well be But it is a sin to diminish or take ought from the Word of God in so much that it is forbiden under pain of taking away a mans part out of the book of life and out of the holy City Therefore as many things are to be established Jure Divino as can well be It must be remembred withall 1. That the question is not now whether this or that form of Church-Government be Jure Divino but whether a Church-Government be Jure Divino Whether Jesus Christ have thus far revealed his will in his Word that there are to be Church-censures and those to be dispenced by Church-Officers The Brother is for the Negative of this Question 2 Neither is it stood upon by any so far as I know that what the Parliament shall establish concerning Church-Government must be established by them Jure divino If the Parliament shall in a Parliamentary and Legislative way establish that thing which really and in it self is agreeable to the Word of God though they do not declare it to be the will of Jesus Christ I am satisfied and I am confident so are others This I confesse that it is incumbent to Parliament-Men to Ministers and to all other Christians according to their vocation and interest to search the Scriptures and thereby to infoâ—â— their own and other mens Consciences so as they may do in faith what they do in point of Church-Government that is that they may know they are not sinning but doing the will of God And it ought to be no prejudice nor exception against a Form of Church-Government that many learned and godly Divines do assert it from Scripture to be the will of God And why should Jus divinum be such a Noli me tangere
let us take it all home to our selves because notwithstanding of that publick reformation there was a remnant of Baal in the land and the Chemarins and those who halt between two opinions who swear by the Lord or to the Lord which is expounded of the taking of the Covenant in Josiahs time but they swear by Malcham also v. 4.5 There are others who do not seek the Lord nor enquire after him and many that turn back from the Lord in a course of back-sliding v. 6. other clothed with strange apparell vers. 8. others exercising violence and deceit vers 9. a number of Atheists also living among Gods people ver. 12. For these and the like causes doth the land mourn It is not the Covenant but the broken Covenant it is not the Reformation but the want of a reall and personall Reformation that hath drawn on the Judgment Blessed are they who shall keep their garments clean and shall be able to say All this is come up on us yet have we not forgotten thee nor dealt falsely in thy Covenant Thirdly give God the glory of his wisdom many are now crying how long Lord wilt thou hide thy self for ever Shall thy wrath burn like fire Your answer from God is that the rod shall be indeed removed and even cast into the fire in your stead but when it shall be when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon Mount Zion and on Jerusalem Isa. 1 0 12. If the Iudgement have not yet done all the work it was sent for then they shall go out from on fire and another fire shall devoure them saith the Lord God is a wise refiner and will not take the silver out of the fire till the drosse be purged away from it He is a wise Father who will not cast the rod of correction till it have driven away all that folly which is bound up in the hearts of his children Behold therefore saith the Lord I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem as they gather silver and brasse and iron and lead and tinne into the midst of the furnace to blow the fire upon it to melt it so will I gather you in mine anger and in my fury and I will leave you there and melt you He speaks it to those who had escaped the captivity of Jeboiakim and also the captivity of Jehoiachin and thought they should be safe and secure in Jerusalem when their brethren were in Babylon I will gather you saith the Lord even in the midst of Jerusalem and when thou think you are out of one furnace you shall fall into another and if you will not be refined from your drosse you shall never come out of that furnace but I will melt you there and leave you there which did so come to passe for the residue that escaped to Egypt and thought to shelter themselves there as likewise these that remained in Jerusalem and held out that siege with Zedekias even all these did fall under the sword and the famine and the pestilence till they were consumed Jer. 24.8.10 Let those that are longest spared take heed they be not â—orest smitten Say not with Agag the bitternesse of death is past The child chastâ—ed in the afternoon weeps as sore as the child chastised in the forenoon Remember the Lord will not take away the judgement till he have performed his work yea his whole work and that upon Mount Zion and Jerusalem it self It is no light matter the rod must be very heavy before our uncircumcised heart can be humbled and the furnace very hot before our drosse depart from us We have need of all the â—ore strokes which we mourn under and if one lesse could do the turn it should be spared for the Lord doth not afflict willingly we our selves rive every stroke out of his hand But in the fourth and last place let us give God the glory of his mercy also he means to do us good in our latter end It is the hand of a father not of an enemy It is a refining not a consuming fire The poor mourners in Zion are ready to say Our bones are dried and our hope is lost we are cut off for our parts we are like to lie in this fire and furnace for ever because our drosse is is not departed from us we are stil an unhumbled an unbroken an unmortified generation yea many like Ahaz in the time of affliction trespassing yet more against the Lord many thinking of going back again to Egypt To such I have these two things to say for their comfort First there is a remnant which shall not onely be delivered but purified and shall come forth as gold out of the fire The third part shall be refined and the Lord shall say It is my people Zach. 13.9 And a most sweet promise there is after the saddest denunciation of judgement Ezek. 14.22 23. Yet behold therein shall be left a remnant that shall be brought both sons and daughters â—ehold they shall come forth unto you and ye shall see their way and their doings and ye shall be comforted concerning the evill that I have brought upon Jerusalem even concerning all that I have brought upon it And they shall comfort you when you see their wayes and their doingâ— and ye shall know that I have not done without cause all that I have done in it saith the Lord God Dan. 12.10 Many shall be purified and made and tried but the wicked shall do wickedly and none of the wicked shall understand but the wise shall understand Jer. 24.7 After the promise of delivering those that were carried away to Babylon there is a nother promise added of that which was much better I will give an heart to know me that I am thy Lord and they shall be my people and I will be their God for they shall return unto me with their whole heart Psal. 130.8 He shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities Zebp 3.12 13. I will also leave in the midâ—â— them an afflicted and poore people and they shall trust in the name of the Lord The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity not speak lies neither shall a deceitfull tongue be found in their mouth Let your souls now apply these and the like promises and cry Lord remember thy promise and let not a jot of thy good word fall to the ground Secondly as the promises of spirituall and eternall blessings so the promises of peace and temporall deliverances are not legall but even Evangelicall If we be not refined and purged as we ought to be that is a matter of humiliation to us but it is also a matter of magnifying the riches of free mercy Isa. 48.9 10 11. For my Names sake will I deferre mine anger and for my praise will â—refrain for thee Behold I have refined thee but not with silver I have chosen thee in the fornance of affection for mine own sake yea for mine own sake will
I do it The Lord is there arguing with his people to humble them to convince them and to cut off all matter of glorying from them And among other things left they should glory in this that what ever they were before they became afterward as silver refined seven times in the fornace Nay saith the Lord I have refined you in some sort but notas silver not so as that you are clean from your drosse but I have chosen you and set my love upon you even while you are in the fornace not yet refined and I will deliver you even for my own names sake that you may owe your deliverance for ever to free mercy and not to your own repentance and amendment A land is accepted and a peoples peace made with God not by their repentance and humiliation but by Christ beleeved on Micah 5 5. This man shall be the peace when the Assyrian shall come into our Land There were Sin-offerings and Burnt-offerings appointed in the Law for a Nationall atonement Levit. 4.13.21 Num. 15.25 26. which did typifie pardoning of Nationall sins through the merit of Jesus Christ We must improve the office of the Mediator and the promise of free grace in the behalf of Gods people as well as of our own souls which if it be indeed done will not hinder but further a great mourning and deep humiliation in the Land And so much of tribulation The third thing held forth in this Text of which I must be very short is Mortification This also is a refining fire Matth. 3.11 He shall baptize you with the holy Ghost and with fire Mark 9.49 For every one shall be salted with fire and every Sacrifice shall be salted with salt He hath been before speaking of mortification of the placking out of the right eye the cuting off the right hand or the right foot and now he presseth the same thing by a double allusion to the Law there was a necessity both of fire and salt the Sacrifice was seasoned with salt and the fire upon the Altar was not to be put out but every morning the wood was burnt upon it and the burnt offering laid upon it So if we will present our selves as a holy and acceptable Sacrifice to God we must be seasoned with the salt and our corruptions burnt up with the fire of mortification The Doctrine shall be this It is not enough to joyn in publick Reformation yea to suffer tribulation for the name of Christ except we also endeavour mortification This mortification is a third step distinct from the former two and without this the other two can make us but almost Christians or not far from the Kingdom of God In the parable of the Sower and the seed as we find it both in Matthew Mark and Luke this method may be observed That of the four sorts of ground the second is better then the first the third better then the second but the fourth onely is the good ground which is fruitfull and getteth a blessing Some mens hearts are like the high way and the hard beaten road where every soul spirit and every lust hath walked and converted their consciences through the custome of sin are as it were seared with a hot Iron In these the Word takes no place but all that they hear doth presently slip from them Others receive the Word with a present good affection and delight but have no depth of earth that is neither having had a work of the Law upon their consciences for deep humiliation nor being rooted and grounded in love to the Gospel nor paradventure so much as grounded in the knowledge of the truth nor having counted their cost and solidly resolved for sufferings thereupon it comes to passe when suffering times come these wither away and come to nothing thing There is a third sort who go a step further they have some root and some more solid ground then the former so that they can suffer many things and not fall away because of persecution yet they perish through want of mortification One may suffer persecution for Christ not being sore tried in that which is his Idol lust yet enduring great losses and crosses in other things Of such it is said that the cares of this world and the deceitfulnesse of riches and the lusts of other things entering in choke the Word and it becometh unfruitfull Mark that the lusts of other things that is whether it be the lust of the eyes or the lust of the flesh or the pride of life and he speaks of the entring in meaning of some strong tentation coming upon a man to catch him in that which is the great Idol of his heart and his beloved lust what ever it be such a tentation he never found before and therefore thought the lust had been mortified which was but lurking Did not Judas suffer many things with Christ during the time of his publike Ministery Did not Ananias and Saphira suffer for a season with the Apostles and Church at Jerusalem What was it then that lost them They neither made defection from the profession of the truth nor did they fall away because of persecution But having shined in the light a sound profession having also taken up the crosse and born the reproach of Christ they make shipwrack at last upon an unmortified lust I shall enlarge the Doctrine nofurther but touch upon some few Uses and so an end First let all and every one ofus be convinced of the necessity of our further endeavouring after mortfication The best silver which cometh out of the earth hath drosse in it and therefore needeth the Refiners fire and the whitest garment that is worn will touch some unclean thing or other and therefore will need the Fullers sope The best of Gods children have the drosse of their inherent corruptions to purge away which made Paul say I keep under my body and bring it into subiection lest that by any means when I have preached to others I my self should be a castaway It is a speeâ—h borrowed from reprobate silver which is not refined from drosse and so is the word used by the Septuagints Isa. 1.22 Thy silver is become drosse The Apostle therefore sets himself to the study of mortification lest saith he when I have been refining and purifying others I my self be found to be drossie silver And as there is inherent drosse so there is adherent uncleannesse in the best and who can say that he hath kept his garments so clean that he is unspotted of the world or that he hath so separate himself from the pollutions of the world as that he hath touched no unclean thing So that there is an universall necessity of making use both of the refiners fire and of the Fullers sope Secondly let us once become willing and contented yea desirous to be throughly mortified A mans lusâ—s and corruptions are indeed so strongly
Monarchy of the Messiah and among Papists who desire to uphold the Popes Temporall Authority over Kings as Christs Vicegerent upon earth Die Iovis 28. Aug. 1645. IT is this day Ordered by the Lords in Parliament assembled That Mr Gillespie who preached yesterday before their Lordships in the Ab'ey Church Westminster it being the day of the publique Fast is hereby thanked for his great pains he took in the said Sermon And desired to Print and publish the same which is onely to be done by Authority under his hand Jo. Brown Cleric Parliament I Appoint Robert Bostock to Print this Sermon Geo. Gillespie FINIS Isa. 30.10 Psal. 2.3 Psal. 2.3 Ruth 1.20 Cor. 1.8 9 10 11. Psal. 18.46 Exod. 15.2 Psal. 72 18 19 Isa. 62.3 4. Ezek. 16.63 Act. 8.34 The meaning of the Text searched Matth. 21.10 11 12. Mark 9.1 Isa. 59.20 Rom. 11 26. Brought on Revel 9. {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Ezek. 1 28 Isa. 6.5 Iosh. 5.13 14. 1 Sam. 16.4 5. In Ier. 2.2 {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Ier. 6.30 Deut. 32.5 Rom. 9.4 Rom. 11.24 Doctrine 1. Proved first from the Text Iosh. 24.16 Iosh 6.19 2. From other Scriptures Ioh 6.60 Mar 10.21.22 Mat. 19.24 25. Matth 8.34 Mark 3.21 Luk. 14.28 Ioh. v. 26 2 33. Matth. 16 24. Iames 44. 1 Cor. 3.18 3. From the excellency of Christ 1 Sam. 24.24 Gen. 35.4 4. From the nature of the Covenant The Use 1 King 1.6 Eccles. 2.10 Ier. 2.23 24. Luk. 16. â—5 An Objection answered four wayes 2 Doctrine Cleared in four branches thereof Gualt. hom 8. In Malach. Vult enim docere propheta venturum quidem Christum sed Reformatorem fore accrrimum divini cultum vindicum Gualther on the place Martyr on the place Accessione temporis declarantur Experimur hodie retegicoÌ„plura quae á multis annis laâ—uer unt Gualther Orietur dies id est clarior lux veritatis quae omnia protrabet Tossanus Mundus tandeÌ„ agnoscet vanitatem traditionum humanaruÌ„ Chamier-Panst. Tom. 3. lib. 26. cap. 13 14. Bullinger on the place Matth. 3.12 Act. 2.3 Ribera upon the place First application to the opposers of Reformation Revel. 14.2 Gen. 3.11 Prov. 20.7 Num. 11 28 29. 12.1 2. 2 Chron. 16.10 2 Sam. 19.29 Ionah 1.3 Mark 9.33 34 35. Gal. 2.11 Col. 4.17 Revel. 2. 3. 2. Application to the Parliament in 4 particulars Luk. 16.2 1 Touching connivence aâ— or correspondence with Malignants 2 Touching Liberty of Conscience Prov. 26 23. Ier. 3.28 Iob 3.4 Ioh. 17 2â— 3 Touching the restraint of scandalous persons from the sacrament Psal. 119.119 Psal. 5.5 Grotius annot. in Malac 3. See Mr. Robinsons Apology cap. 12. Faustus Socinus wrote a Book to prove that all those in the Reformed Churches of Poland who desire â—o be truly godly ought to separate themselves and oyn with the Assemblies who faith hâ— are falsly called Arrians and Abioniles One of his arguments is this because in those reformed Churches there is a great neglect of Church Discipline whereby it cometh to passe that scandalous persons are admitted to the Lords Table The same argument is pressed against some Lutheran Churches by Schlichringius Disput pro Socino contra Ms Sacrum pâ— 484 Lâ—et 〈◊〉 dolendum sit taâ—a promissed passimque fieri abiissâ— in â—orem pejus tamen adhue est quodmalis isâ— is praeter concienes interdum aliquas quibusdam in locis nulla adhâ—beatur medcina neâ— rectores Ecelesiarum haec cura tangat ut vitia tam latè grassantia discipliná censurá Ecclesiasticá ab ipso Christo Apostolis institutacoerceanâ—ur Vnde sactum est ut non solum ista peccata quâ— levâ— ora videntur sed câ—iam alia graviora put a comessati ones compotationes ebrietrates scorrationes libidines ira in 〈◊〉 nine obtrectationes caedes ac bella diâ— uvio quodam Ecclesiastico nundarins 3 application to Ministers Ioh. 5.35 Enar in Psal. 104. Cum audis ignis â—st minister Dei incensurum illam putas incendat licet sed foennâ—â— tuum id est car nalia omnia tua desideria Act. 17. 6. â— Câ—ron 29.34 3 Doctrine Brightman Alstod in Dan. 1â— â— â— Chron. 14.9 and 20.1 Anâ—wer to Mr. Prynnes 12 Questions Cajetan in Exod. 34.24 non obligabat praeceptum apparendi â—er in annoâ— usque ad ' diâ—tatos terminos terrae promissae quâ—do secura unive saregio sutura erat D Riv. â— commeâ—t in illum loc. tum quia Deus â—jecturus â—rat hosâ—es ex corum terminus tum quia diâ—atatus ernt fines populi sui ut vicinosnon tam haberent hostes quam subditos tributarios 2 Vse Iob 10.1 2. Eccl. â— 10 Psal. 44.17 3 Use Psal. 89.46 Ezech. 15.7 4 Vse Ezek. 37. â—â— Bulling Gualt. A. cularius on the place Levit. 2.13 Lev. 6.12 13. 4 Doctrine Matth 13. Mark 4. Luk 8. Mark 4.19 I Vse 1 Cor. 9.27 {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Isa 1.27 2 Vse 2 Cor. 5.15 3 Vse Psal 12.6 Rev. 3.18 Grotii Apologet cap. 5. Extranci autem quorum maximus â—sse debuâ—rat usus in pâ—ce conciliandâ ex partium alicrâ erant conqusâ—sitâ— Et infra â—osa mandata externis data damma ionum Remonstrantium prae se serebant ut orationes habitae ante â—aulum cognitam The Arminians in their Examen censurae cap. 25 p. 86. â—87 hold this as a necessarie qualification of those that are admitted into Synods that they be not stricted to any Church nor to any Confession of Faith In our first paper presented to the Grand Committee Bellarm. de Cler. l. 3. c. 1. {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} una simul From {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} uâ—ire Maldonat Mercerus Melanchton Jansenius Diodati D. Jermin Paedag. lib. 2. cap. 12. Gen. 14.23 Vers. 32. Religionâ—s Christianae bâ—evis Institutio â—nno 1634. ca. 23. Qud â—st regium munus Ref. Est munus ipsi à Deo commissum omnes creaturas intelligentia praeditas as imprimis homines ex iis collectam summa câ—in auctoritate 〈◊〉 potestate gubernandi Iac. Martini Synops. relig. Photin cap. 23 〈◊〉 non negomus Christo jam ad dextrâ—m Dei sedenti subjecta esse omnia inimicosque ipsi subjici◠〈◊〉 siab ellum pedum suorum c. Praprie tamen dâ—citur Rex suae Eccâ—esiae uti etiam Ecclesia proprie Joquendo ejus regnum est Sic enim de ipso vat cinatus est Zecharias cap. 9. v 9. c. Vnde 〈◊〉 cum Meâ—eâ—r ferro osstium Christi Regium defiaimus quo Christus ciues suos Verbi 〈◊〉 vio usque ad mundi fiacra colligit consque praeclaris donis ornat contra hostes in quorum medio domitatur sortiter defendis as â—andâ— aeterna gloria honore coronat Fr. Gomar Aral prop. Obad. vers ult. Is autem Jesus Christus in N.T. exhibitus Rex Qui ut cum Patre habet 〈◊〉 generale omnipotentiae it a habet speciale de quo bic agitur mediationis P. Martyr loccom class 2. cap. 17 p. 293. regnare interdum accipi quasi sit excellere eminere prae caeteris summum locum tenere Ac ista significatione Christus perpetuo regnabit Sin vero dicamus regnare idom quod officia Regis exercere c. Christus non semper reguabit Zanchius in Eph. 1.271 expounds the latter part of that verse of the eternity of Christs Kingdâ—me but he addes Fâ—â—crit regnand hoc modo quo jâ—â— egnat tanquam Mediator