THE TROUBLES OF JERUSALEMS RESTAURATION OR The Churches Reformation REPRESENTED In a Sermon preached before the Right Honorable House of LORDS in the Abby Church Westminster Novemb. 26. 1645. By JOHN WHITE Master of Arts and Rector of the Church of the Holy Trinity in Dorchester in the County of Dorset ZACH. 14.6.7 And it shall come to passe in that day that the light shall not be cleare nor dark But it shall be one day which shall be known to the Lord nor day nor night but it shall come to passe that at evening time it shall be light Published according to Order LONDON Printed by M. Simmons for John Rothwel and Luke Fawne and are to be sold at their Shops in Pauls Church-yard 1646. TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE The House of PEERES assembled in PARLIAMENT IN obedience to your Command Right Honorable I make bold to present unto your view these Meditations which in part I did and intended fully to have delivered in your ears the day whereâ—n by your appointment I was called unto this service I may truly say I intended it rather then performed it For the Meditations themselves being conceived as womens children are Gen. 3.16 in sorrow and pain upon the bed of languishing weaknesse when they were come to the birth wanted the help of strength to bring them forth I felt indeed so much I will not say sorrow but extremity of pain while I stood that day before you that I was enforced to present you only the heads for the most part of what I intended to have delivered then unto you if the infirmity then upon me had not hindered it You well know Right Honourable that the infirmities of the body have a strong influence upon the soul and therefore I assure my self you will not expect that from a minde distempered and distracted by the sense of pain and griefe which might be required of a free and enlarged spirit I make no question but some may be ready to passe that censure upon this message of mine unto you which old Cato gave once upon an Embassage sent by the Roman Senate wherein of the three Ambassadors one had his head full of scars by wounds received in the wars the second was lame in his feet the third defective in his intellectuals Eam legationem neque Caput neque Pedes neque Cor habere that Embassage said he hath neither Head nor Feet nor Heart I passe not for such censures I only desire that although these Meditations be the issue of an infirm Head and Body they may not be taken to be aegri somnia a sick mans dreams nor the illusions of a deceiving Prophet that cryes out I have dreamed I have dreamed Jer. 23.25 The words which I set before you are the words of truth the Oracles of God and if they be so esteemed by you and all that love the truth I have my desire and God shall have the glory The chief Subject handled is the Troubles which accompany the Churches Reformation In that particular God hath made my work suitable to his own both the restoring of Jerusalem and my Meditations thereupon were cast into times of trouble if pains and infirmities may be so accounted In the close of this Sermon you shall finde an humble Petition for the cherishing of poor Students which if you be pleased to entertain with favour as the last request of a dying man nay as an intimation from the Man Christ who dyed for us I know not whereby you may more ingage not man but the Lord himself to make good his promise to you Mal. 3.10 11 12. to open the windowes of heaven and to powre upon you and the Land blessings more then you can receive and to rebuke the devourer for your sakes so that all Nations shall call you blessed That your care and endeavour may be both in this and all other services for the Church to fulfill the will of the Lord Christ and that this may be your reward is and shall be the prayer of Your Honours humble servant in the Lord Christ JOHN WHITE THE Troubles of Jerusalems RESTAURATION OR The Churches Reformation DAN 9.15 The street shall be built againe and the wall even in the troublous Times WHatsoever things were written aforehand were written for our learning saith the Apostle Rom. 15.4 The Lawes for our Direction The Prophecies for Observation of their Accomplishment in answerable Events The Promises for our Comfort and conso ation The Examples of Evill for Caution of Good for Imitation And lastly the Events ordered by the Wisdome and Providence of God for Precedents and Patternes representing our State and Condition either What it is at Present and why so or what wee are to Expect it may be hereafter Upon this ground it is Right Honourable that I have made choice of this portion of Scripture to the Church of the Jewes then a Prophecy of that which was shortly to be fulfilled but to us being long agoe Accomplished in the nature of an History or Relation of what God did then for his people and How and When setting before us as in a Type the state and condition of our owne Church at present both what it Is and what God is about to doe amongst Us as will easily appeare by Paralleling the particulers of the One with the other For first that Church of the Iewes was then and had full Seventy yeares been held in Captivitie and bondage under the Babylonian Monarchy Our Church had bin farre longer oppressed under a more heavie yoke of the spirituall Babylon the Mother of Fornications Secondly during that Bondage the Church of the Iewes was deprived of all Gods Ordinances as with much bitternesse themselves complaine Psal 74.9 We see not our signes there is no more any Prophet neither is there any amongst us that knoweth how long Our condition in this respect was every way as sad and miserable as theirs we had indeed amongst those that occupied the roome of Seers but those that should have been our Watchmen were all Blind sleeping and loving to slumber Shepheards that could not understand looking all to their owne way every one to his gaine from his quarter as the Prophet Isaiah complaines of the Priests of his time Isa 56.10.11 Thirdly that yoke of the Babylonish-captivity was sodainly and unexpectedly broken and taken off from the necks of Gods people insomuch that those who were restored to liberty scarce believed that which they enjoyed but seemed to themselves like men that Dreamed Psal 126.1 Our deliverance from the Romish Bondage was no lesse sodaine no lesse unexpected then theirs even in a Moment that yoke was broken and we were restored to liberty to the admiration of all the Churches of Europe who said as the Heathen did of the Iewes The Lord hath done great things for them Psal 126.2 Fourthly that sodaine and unexpected Change of the state of the Iewes was wrought by the change of the Princes God sodainly cutting off
shall be no more said the Lord liveth that brought up the Children of Israel out of Egypt but the Lord liveth that brought up the Children of Israel out of the land of the North. This was indeed a work so farre above all possibility in mans eye that the Iewes themselves concluded Our bones are dryed vp our hope is lost we are cut off for our parts Ezech. 37.1 A work in it self wonderfull to Admiration but made more wonderfull by the Time wherin it was wrought a Troublous time sufficient to hinder the most easie and likely work much more to make a work in it self so Difficult and improbable altogether Impossible in mans judgement To come therefore to the neerer Examination of these words we shall find in them three Particulars worthy our serious consideration First the manner of Expression implying an infallibility Know saith the Lord to the Prophet and Vnderstand that is be sure of it and make accompt of it as of a thing certaine that shall not faile and afterwards The street shall be built againe and the wall in the time expressed after 7 weeks that is accompting every day for a yeare after 49 yeares from the going out of the Decree Secondly we have represented unto us the Condition of the Time when it shall be built a Troublous time for the exact Period of the time that it shall be accomplished after 49 yeares it makes not much to our present occasion unlesse it be to give farther assurance to the certainty of the Prophecy that God limits it to a precise number of yeares which none can doe but hee which hath the times and seasons in his owne hand It is enough to our purpose to looke upon it as a Troublous time Thirdly we have the work promised to be performed the building of the Street and Wall of Ierusalem The accomplishment of this Prophecy we have related especially to the Booke of Nehemiah Of these three Particulars as I have layd them out before you in their order The manner of the expression considered in relation to the Work the most difficult of all works and the Time the unfittest of all times iâ— worthy our carefull observation Notwithstanding the impossibility of the work in mans judgement and the impediments by the Troubles of the time the Street and Wall shall be built yea they shall be built by such a time Doubt not of it saith God but know this be assured it shall be so Thus God may speak and thus he thinks it fit to expresse himself So that upon this particular Instance we may observe in generall that Gods Promises even concerning things most Difficult and Impossible things in Mans eye are notwithstanding certain and Infallible They are saith the Apostle all of them Yea and Amen 2 Cor. 1.20 Yea and not Nay as hee explaines it vers 18. that is True in the event and reall performance and Amen that is Stable and firme as that Hebrew word signifies This will evidently appeare by instances The greatest of all Gods promises was that of sending CHRIST into the world to be borne of a Virgin and to be made Immanuel truly Man and so GOD with us this when God promiseth Isa 7.14 hee prefixeth a Behold before it Behold a Vigin shall conceive and beare a Sonne which is a note not only of Admiration but Confirmation too as if God would represent it as a thing Present to be seene with our eyes so Peremptorily doth he promise that wonder of wonders which was as really performed in the fulnesse of time Gal. 4.4 It was a strange and unlikely thing that Israel after so long and heavie a bondage under the Egyptians should be wrested out of the hand of such a mighty Nation that kept them under as their slaves yet God not onely promiseth it but bids Abraham to make accompt of it as of a certaine thing know saith he of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs and they shall afflict them 400 yeeres and afterward they shall come out with great substance Gen. 15.13 14. It was not more serioussy promised then really performed and that in the point of time limited by the Lord The selfe same day it came to passe that all the Hosts of the Lord went up out of the land of Egypt saith Moses Exod. 12.41 It seemed so impossible at hing that Abraham should have a Sonne by his wife Sarah who had bin all her life barraine and was now 90 yeeres old and her husband an hundred and both their bodies dead as to the having of children that Sarah laughs at the Promise Gen. 18.12 and yet see how peremptorily God promiseth it I will certainly returne unto thee according to the time of life and loe Sarah thy wife shall have a Sonne ver 10. And we know the Lord made it good God promiseth to provide flesh for his people in the Wildernesse that they should eate their fill of it for a moneth long Numb 11.19 20. The people thought it was more then God could do as they spake Psal 78.19 20. and Moses was almost of their mind as it appeares by his objection of the impossibility of feeding six hundred thousand men besides women and children in a barraine Wildernesse that yeelded no provision for the sustaining of mans life yet we see it made good in the event by the sending of innumerable multitudes of Quails the most dainty of all flesh Numb 11.31 Many more instances might be brought to evidence this truth but these are sufficient Let us see what grounds we have for it in Reason First that God hath sufficient ground to speak peremp torily of things to come will be evident unto us if we consider what hinders men that they cannot speak in that manner or with like certainty concerning their owne purposes There be three things in men that may hinder the accomplishment of that which they intend 1. The man may die and then all his thoughts and consequently his resolutions and purposes perish with him Psal 146.4 Now God we know lives for ever from everlasting to everlasting he is God Psal 90.2 The earth may faile and the heavens may be roled up as a garment but God remaines the same and his yeeres faile not Heb. 1.11 Whence the Apostle drawes a strong ground of consolation to us in Christs mediation that it shall be effectuall to us because he lives for ever to make intercession for uâ— Hev 7.25 2. Though the man continue and live yet his mind and purpose may alter Never had a man more full purpose to doe any thing then Esau had to kill his Brother Iacob Gen. 27.41 and this resolution continued with him 20 yeeres while Iacob sojourned with Laban as is evident by his gathering of foure hundred men to come against him when he heard of Iacobs returne homewards Gen. 32.6 Questionlesse to doe that which Iacob feared with the sword to cut off him and his retinew And yet
Belshazzar who held them in Bondage and raising up Cyrus in his roome whom hee cals his Shepheard to performe all his pleasure in building Ierusalem and laying the foundation of the Temple Isa 44.28 Our Change as you all know was in like manner brought to passe by taking away Queen MARY who held us under the yoke of Antichrist and placing Queen ELIZABETH of blessed memory in her Throne to lay the foundation of his Temple and set on foot the work of Reformation amongst us Fifthly immediatly upon this glorious deliverance of the Iewes the foundation of the Temple was layd Ezra 3.16 And immediatly after the breaking and taking off the yoke of Antichrist from our necks howsoever other things needfull for the perfecting of the work were either Neglected or Deferred yet we must needs grant that the foundation of the Lords house was presently layd in the sound Doctrine of the Apostles and Prophets upon which the Church is built JESVS CHRIST himselfe being the chiefe Corner-stone Ephes 2.20 Sixthly that work of perfecting the building of the Temple of which the foundation was layd was a long time even for the space of 46 yeares interrupted so that the poore Iewes found no meanes to perfect the work which they had so happily begun Our work of this Churches Reformation hath bin interrupted now neere twise 46 yeares as the complaints of the faithfull servants of Christ manifested in their Bookes and Remonstrances from time to time and the severall Informations given in unto your selves since your Sitting here evidence to the whole world Yea so farre have our Master-builders bin from bringing forth the head stone of this Work that they have rather laboured to undermine and demolish the foundation of sound Doctrine already layd by broaching and countenancing dangerous Errours and Heresies contrary thereunto as you all know Seventhly those that hindered the Iewes in building their Temple were their Adversaries of the Nations that dwelt round about them and amongst them Rebum the Chancellor and Shimchai the Scribe with their Companions backed by a party at the Court which they hyred to hinder this work as they did during all the raigne of Cyrus Ezra 4.5.7 8.24 Now that the Nations round about us Priests and Jesuites with all the rest of the Romish Agents have been great hinderers of our work of Reformation the world knowes I am sure the Chancellors and Scribes with their companions have had a deepe hand in this mischievous designe supported as you all know by an hyred and engaged party in the Court of our Princes Eightly the policie used by the Iewes adversaries for the building of their Temple was the filling the Princes heads with jealousie that the Iewes were a dangerous people and if the Temple and Ciâ—ie were built apt to rise in Rebellion against the King which might turne to his great damage Ezra 4.13 15 16. And that Satan and his Instruments as in all former ages so at present have made use of the same policie to â—inder our work of a thorough Reformation is as cleere as the light And I wish that jealousie were at this time so throughly removed out of mens heads that they might no more feare that the Reformation of the Church according to the Patterre layd downe in Gods word will prove like Nchuchadnezzars stone Dan. 2.27 a meanes to breake all other Kingdomes that is as too many conceive all civill Power and Government in pieces Ninthly while the building of the Temple was thus hindered the poore Iewes were in great reproach and affliction Neh. 1.3 And we know during this long time of hindering our Reformation not onely such as pleaded for it but as many as were true Israelites and looked toward Zion had not only their soules filled with the scorning of those that were at ease and with the contempt of the Proud as the Psalmist speakes Psal 123.4 but were continually followed and vexed with sharpe Persecutions insomuch that whosoever abstained from evill made himself a prey as the Prophet complaines it was in his time Isa 59.15 Tenthly notwithstanding all the Malice Power Policie and restlesse endeavours of the Iewes adversaries yet the Temple was finished and the Walls and Streets of Ierusalem were built at last Now howsoever we are not yet fully Parallel to them in this Particular yet seeing the chiefest adversaries of this Reformation are already taken away and seeing the work by the mighty power of God hath bin thus farre caried on in your hand it gives us great ground of hope that the same God will in his owne time and way perfect the work which he hath begun and bring forth the head-stone thereof with shooting that wee may cry Grace Grace unto it as he promiseth Zach. 4 7. Lastly the building of the Wall of Ierusalem and the street thereof fell out in troublous times I may spare the labour of laying out the Parallel of our state to theirs in this Particular Res ipsa loquitur we as you see are forced to build with our Armes in our hands as they did Neh. 4.17 18. The consideration of these Particulars setting before us in the state of the Iewes briefly pointed at in these words our own Condition every way answerable thereunto as face answers face in the water as Salomon speakes Prov. 27.9 is of great use unto us both to raise up our hearts to more heedfull attention to those things which in this portion of Scripture seeme to be spoken to us in their persons and withall to move us to a more narrow search into the particulars in these words layd before us as neerely concerning our selves The truth is both upon that ground and much more for the Wonders of that great Work to the performance whereof God ingageth himself in this Promise which wee have before us it concernes us in duty to enquire throughly and observe and search into every circumstance of this way of God which when we have all done is yet farre above our reach It is one end why God hath made his Workes wonderfull that they may be both Remembred and sought out of all that have pleasure therein Psal 111.2.4 And that this work set before us in this Prophecy may be worthily accompted amongst Gods greatest wonders is evident by the accompt that himself makes of it first by representing it the Prophet Ezechiel in a vision of a Field full of dryed bones scattered all about every bone out of his place and sodainly by a Word of the Prophets mouth comming together with a noise and shaking every bone to his bone and cloathed as sodainly with Sinewes flesh and skin and by another word of his mouth receiving breath and life so that they stood on their feet an exceeding great army which God himself calls a resurrection out of the Grave Ezech. 37.7 8 10 13. And secondly by advancing it above the wonders which he wrought in bringing his people out of Egypt as himself in expresse termes affiâ—mes Jer. 16.15 It
when they meet together Esau instead of killing salls to kissing and embracing and weeping over his Brother Gen. 33.4 In this Balaam tels us God is not like man Numb 23.19 God is not as man that he should lie neither the sonne of man that he should repent that is he neither speakes that which hedoth not intend or purpose nor puposeth that at present what he meanes to alter afterward No God is alwayes of one mind Job 23 13. and the thoughts of his heart stand throughout all ages Psal 33.11 Vpon both these grounds the Lord concludes the safe condition of his people I the Lord change not he meanes neither in nature nor in purpose I am still the same God and of the same mind therefore yee sonnes of Iacob are not consumed Mal. 3.6 3. Men who have no power in their hand but what they receive from God have many times by him such impediments cast in their way as they are not able to remove or consequently to effect what they intended Pharoah may in his owne heart resolve I will pursue I will overtake I will divide the spoile my lust shall be satisfied upon them Exod. 15.9 But God puts a cloud betweene the Army of the Israelites and the Egiptians and takes of their chariot wheeles that they drive them with much adoe so that the Israelites recovered the further shore before their Enemies could overtake them who perished in the waters before their eyes No such impediments can stand in Gods way who having all power in his owne hand doth whatsoever he pleaseth in Heaven and in Earth in the Seas and in all deepe places Psal 135.6 And none can stay his hand Dan. 4.35 No even the mountaines shall become plaines before him Zech. 8.7 Hence it is that seeing Gods purposes and Acts are all one he may speak of what he will doe as if it were already done for his will gives a being to those things that do not yet subsist which the Schoolemen call Esse Volitum otherwise God should speak falsely when he calls things that are not as if they were But men can speak no farther then of their intentions because they have already a being in their hearts so that they may truly say this I intend or purpose to doe but if they speak of the event or effect they must read St. Iames his limitation If the Lord will Iam. 4.14 Because they know not what shall be no not to morrow 2ly As God may speak certainly and infallibly of whatsoever he means to do though in appearance in maus eye it seeme never so improbable or impossible so it beseemes him to speake so in point of honour he must speak like a God as well as doe like a God I will open rivers in high places saith God Isa 41.18 19. and make the Wildernesse a standing poole and fruitfull in pleasant and usefull plants that they may know that the hand of the Lord hath done this ver 20. And as the Lord manifests himselfe to be God by doing things beyond beleefe and above the power of any second cause so doth hee by speaking of impossible things to be done afterward I will say unto the North give and to the South keepe not back Isa 43.6 and ver 9. He challengeth all the world to speak as he speaks that is to foretell certainly things to come to say Unto the deepe be dry and I will dry up thy Rivers to say of Cyrus he shall performe all my pleasure c. Isa 44.27 28. There is no question but the history of the Creation manifesteth the Lord to be God wherein we have him described speaking first and doing afterwards let there be light a Firmament Seas Earth c. And it was so 3. In respect of us it was in a sort necessary that God should thus deliver hsi promises in expresse and peremptory termes because they are the foundation of our faith which must rest upon certaine and immutable things in which it is impossible for God to lye that so we might have strong consolation Heb. 6.18 How easily our Faith in the apprehension of Gods promises may be staggered especially in times of tryall appeares in the example of the Prophet David who finding himselfe compassed with the sorrowes of death so that the paines of hell gat hold upon him acknowledgeth that in that perplexed condition he was ready to conclude that all men were lyars Psal 116.3.11 He meanes perhaps the Prophets who from Gods owne mouth had assured him of the Kingdome And the Psalmist Psal 77.8 in expresse termes questions not only the mercies of God but his promises also It is therefore necessary in respect of the weaknesse of our Faith in Gods Promises and our pronenesse to question the truth of them that they should be delivered by God in certain and full and cleere expressions Vse 1. If then Gods Promises be so certain and infallible in themselves and so represented and delivered unto us by God himself how is it that wee give so little credit to them That the words and engagements of men that deceive and are deceived are esteemed above them An Epigrammatist of our owne had rather take King Iames his word then St. IAMES the Apostles Qui petit accipiet Iacobus Apostolus inquit O si Jacobus Rex mihi dicat idem Whether that were his intention I know not but I am sure he there expresseth not only his owne thoughts but the opinion of men in generall For who sees not but that those who will be contented to trust men upon their bands with hundreds and thousands if need be are like the Ruler Luke 18.22 23. who when Christ himself tels him that if he will part with his estate for the relieving of his poore servants he shall have treasure in Heaven as he then so men now refuse the assurance and depart with sad countenances The best assurance that men can have for the enjoying of the Mannors or Lands which they purchase of other men is but an evidence under the hands and seales of mortall men and yet upon such assurance men lay out and part with large summes of Mony somtimes with all they have notwithstanding the possessions when they have them are of an uncertaine and changeable condition and often wrested our of their hands by fraud or violence But where are the men that will take our Saviours word Luke 18.29 30. that if they make losse of any thing for the Kingdome of God they shall receive manifold more in this present time and in the world to come life everlasting and upon that assurance adventure their whole estates Where are they that will take Salomons word that if they cast their bread upon the waters after many dayes they shall find it Eccles 11.1 Or that God will repay us whatsoever we lay out upon his poor servants Prov. 19.17 Or the Prophet Isaiah's promise that he that deviseth liberall things shall stand that is secure his estate by