fulfilled Confundetur omne jus leges interibunt non fides in hominibus non pax non pudor neque securitas neque Regimen hujus confusionis haec erit causa quod Romanum nomen quo nunc regitur orbis de terr a tolletur And it is the duty of the people of God to eye the prophesies and to look out for their accomplishment for the day of the Lord draws nigh then shall the Lord be King over all the Earth and Iehovah shall be one and his name one Zach. 14.9 The most glorious and perfect prophesie of this Kingdom of God which he shall set up in the latter days we have Rev. 21.22 So in the last eight chapters of Ezekiel which that I may give you a little light into There are three things mainly to be explained First what is meant by the City and Temple here spoken of 2. Unto what time this prophesie doth belong 3. What the waters are which issue out of the sanctuary which being explained will be as a key to open all the rest of the mysteries that are therein contained First unto what time is this prophesie to be referred for it s a great part of a Saints skill to be able rightly to discern and judge of times that they may know what to pray for and what to expect and when to co-operate and work together with God Now the times to which this prophesie relates are the times of the calling of the Jews when their coming in shall be as life from the dead and a new Resurrection in the world which will appear to us by four Arguments First it shall be after the Jews shall be converted for it is said The house of Israel shall defile my holy name no more as they have done by their abominations setting their threshold by my threshold and their post by my post and by this means there was a wall of separation between me and them and in my anger I consumâ—d them chap. 43.7,8,9 Secondly It shall be after the Tribes shall be united After the sticks of Ioseph and of Iudah shall become one in the Lords hand Ezek. 37.19,20,23 And therefore the Land is now divided amongst all the twelve Tribes of Israel Chapter 48. 3. It shall be after the glory of the Lord is returned for the name of the City shall be Jehovah Shammah the Lord is there chap. 48. ult and he saith I will dwell in the midst of them for ever chap. 43.9 I will set my sanctuary in the middle of them for evermore chap. 37.26 For when he doth return in to them again he will never forsake them he did indeed hide his face in a little wrath and for a moment but with everlasting kindness he will have mercy on them Isa 44.8 Ezck. 39.29 Neither will I hide my face any more from them c. 4. It shall be before Gog shall be destroyed for he shall come up against the people of Israel when they are planted in their own land and when they dwell safely chap. 38.14,15 Then he shall come against them as a cloud and cover the land and the Lord shall give unto Gog a place of graves in Israel c. Therefore Israel must be planted first in their own land and dwell there safely therefore I conceive it to be the same time with that Rev. 21.22 when Jerusalem shall come down from God out of heaven and when the glory of the Lord shall be in the middle of them the Tabernacle of God shall be with men and he will dwell with them And after they are setled in their own land and the people of God have rest for a thousand years then shall Satan be loosed who before was not bound from temptation but from persecution that he could not stir up men to persecute the Saints but as soon as he is loosed he stirs up this last and great enemy and he doth compass the Tents of the Saints and this holy City and then the Lord shews himself eminent and glorious in his destruction So that after Antichrist shall be destroyed Satan shall be bound so that the persecution of the Saints shall cease then shall this City and Temple be built which shall continue till the second coming of the Lord till the Heavens be no more the time therefore is to come do you long for it and pray for it Secondly What is meant by the City and the Temple prophesied of Here first it cannot be understood literally of a material City or Temple Peter Galatinus Peter Galatinus tels us that the Jews do commonly speak of a threefold Temple First the Temple of Solomon 2. The Temple of Zerubbabel 3. The Temple of Jacob which they say God shewed unto Iacob when he had the vision of the Ladder Now it cannot be spoken of the Temple of Solomon for that was destroyed before the captivity and therefore before this prophesie was revealed that was burnt with â—…re and for the Temple of Zerubbabel the measures and dimensions do no way agree thereunto for the glory of the latter house was inferior to the former Ezra 3.12 in many particulars as that the waters issue out of the Sanctuary and the trees that grow upon the River side and fishes in the River c. quae in secundi Templi instauratione nunquam fuerunt under the second Temple these things were not The materials shall not be in the Letter Foundations of Saphirs windows of Agats gates of Carbuncles Isa 54.11 and for the dimensions also Rev. 21.16 the height of the city shall be a thousand furlongs which could not be in the letter fulfilled and for the Temple there shall never be a restitution of the Jewish worship only the Lord doth as it is usual express Gospel Ordinances and Worship according unto the Ancient pattern Secondly it cannot be understood of heaven for these Reasons 1. It is new Ierusalem that comes down from God out of heaven Rev. 21.2 There is no Prince in Heaven but here the prince shall oppress the people no more 3. There is no priest in Heaven nor no Ordinances nor set times of worship which is plain here there 's the Priest and their several portions and set times of worship that when the people go in the Priest must go in and when the people go forth he must go forth 4. There is no measuring in heaven a city and a temple that is measured because it s built chap. 40.12 but this is a house not made with hands that cannot be meafured 5. They shall in this City be ashamed of all their former abominations but in Heaven there is neither sin nor shame chap. 43.11 6. This City shall have enemies that shall encompass it as we see Rev. 20.9 They shall compass the Tents of the Saints and of the holy city c. 7. And the waters that do issue out of the sanctuary are healing waters and the fruit of the Tree of life is for meat and the leaves
Jacobs trouble Lam. 1.17 The Lord hath commanded concerning Jacob that the Adversaries shall be round about c. therefore by Jacob here is meant only Judah that is the two Tribes that did not depart from God in the Revolt and Apostacy of the ten Tribes and that those of Israel that for conscience sake did leave their Habitations and went and dwelt in Judah and Jerusalem yet there 's a time of trouble for them also 2. What 's meant by the time of trouble It 's in the Original Hab. 3.16 tempus augustiae a time of straits which is called a day of straits when the Lord did come up upon them and invade them with his Troops for so the Army of the Babylonians is called when they should be led into Captivity by the will and command of others for their Persons and Estates to be made use of as a prey to serve the wills and ends of strangers and servants For strangers Jer. 30.8 Strangers shall no more serve themselves of them And for servants Lam. 5.8 Servants rule over us and there 's none to deliver us out of their hands Now when the walls of the City were broken down the Temple destroyed the Worship of God prophaned and all the Ordinances of God trampled under foot all Order Authority deposed and all things subjected unto the wil and lusts of a conquering Army now it was a time of straits great straits in point of conscience for they would now be working them about to their way and perswading them to worship their Gods Jer. 10.11 Now to be under the power of men and not to be subjected to their lusts and serve the lusts of men it 's a great strait and straits also in respect of the affliction having their lives alway hanging in doubt having their bread by weight and their water by measure and in respect of succour in a great strait also for there was no deliverer Lam. 1.3 All her Persecutors overtook her between the streights that there was no escaping no way to avoyd them and therefore 2 Tim. 3.5 These shall be difficult times in which men should meet with great and variety of straits that they should not know which way to turn themselves c. Thirdly it 's called a great day magnum pro formidabile Cal. Terribilis aut mire calamitosa à magnitudine supplicii magnus nominatur Theodor. And we doe read of five Great Dayes in the Scripture First the day of the Lord spoken of in Malach. 4.6 I will send you Elijah the Prophet before the great and terrible day â—f the Lord that is interpreted Luk. 1.17 of John Baptist who was to be the forerunner of Christs coming And this is called a great day for the great manifestations of God wherein life and immortality should be brought to light by the Gospel the great changes of Ordinances and the great destruction of the Enemies the terrible Judgements that should then be poured out for Mal. 4.1 The day cometh that shall burn as an Oven and all that do wickedly shall be stubble that is when the Sun of Righteousness doth arise with healing in his wings c. And for the terrible Judgements that under the Gospel the Lord would pour out upon the world and that is meant Acts 2.28 Joel 2.3 The Sun shall be turned into darkness the Moon into blood before that great day of the Lord come It 's spoken of the great Judgements that the Lord Christ would pour out upon the world and thereby make way for the receiving the Gospel publickly for he doth shake Heaven and Earth and thereby makes way for the coming of the desire of all Nations for out of the Throne when Christ is exalted comes thunderings and lightnings and voices Rev. 4.5 Secondly there 's the great day of Jezreel Hos 1. last That is when the Lord shall call home his antient people and gather together the outcasts of Israel Which shall be a day in which the Lord shall appear in his glory for when he doth build Zion he doth appear in his glory a day of the restitution of all things a day of enriching of the world a day when new Jerusalem shall come down from God out of heaven and a day in which the kingdoms of the earth shall be given to the Lord and his Christ and there shall not be any more any pricking bryer or any grieving thorn in all the land there shall be no more a Canaanite in the land forever all persecuting Powers shall be subdued Thirdly there 's a great day when the battel Armageddon shall be fought Rev. 16.14 When all the Powers of the earth shall rally and gather together their broken Troops against the Church of God they shall be the greatest combination that ever hath been and in which all the opposite Powers shall be utterly and finally broken and thereby way shall be made for the vial poured upon the air which brings in the binding of Satan chap. 20. Now this battel with the issue of it we have chap. 19.19,20,21 Now from the great preparations that the enemies do make and the great destruction which then they shall be sure to find and the great things which shall follow upon this and that in this day the Lord will make way for therefore it 's called the great day of God Almighty when the Lord shall fulfil all his promises and prophecies and Christ shall be cloathed with a garment dipt in blood and his name shall be called the Word of God Fourthly the day of Judgement is a great day also the Angels are said to be reserved in chains of darkness unto the Judgement of the great day for then shall the son of man sit upon the throne of his glory and all Nations shall be gathered together before him and he shall separate them one from another as a Shepheard divides his Sheep from the Goats c. and he shall then passe a finall sentence an eternall judgement upon the eternal estates of men and set a gulph between them for ever which they shall never pass when he hath so done he shall resign or give up his kingdom unto God the Father and then all the present wayes of administration shall cease Fifthly when the Lord brings any speciall judgement or affliction upon his people that also is called a great day Zeph. 1.14 the great day of the Lord is near it 's a day of darkness and gloominess a day of clouds and thick darkness that Trumpet and Alarum against the fenced Cities and against the high Towers it 's a threatning of the same Judgement there which here the Prophet speaks of the captivity of Babylon and it s called the great day of the Lord and so it 's here called also Fourthly it 's said that it 's such a day that there is none like to it that is First it is the greatest evil that ever befell that people they had been smitten with Pestilence with scarcity
no other opposition or temptation whatsoever â—…meron Lastly In respect of the Consequences and Issues of â—ath so also there is something in death peculiar to he â—ints First by death they are delivered from the powâ— of Satanâ— grace here in this life doth free a man from â—…e Dominion of Satan but it doth not free him from â—…s temptations and to be continually annoyed with the â—…llutions and suggestions of this unclean spirit for the â—…cked one to touch them 1 Joh. 5. tactu qualitatiâ—o is â—e great affiction of their lives and it is that wherein â—eir spiritual warfare doth mainly lye it was not the â—st part of the humiliation of Christ for Saâ—an to have â—…ch an access to him and to propose such suggestions â—s 〈◊〉 this will I give thee if thou wilt fall down and worship 〈◊〉 when he had but onely an access unto Christ by representations from without and not by suggestions within but he hath by reason of the darkness that is in us a more immediate access unto our spirits but our warfare shall be at an end and we shall be for ever freed not onely from the dominion but the temptation of Satan forever Christ makes use of the Angels in Ministerium and the devils in exercitium but both but for the time of this life and no more and therefore in the world to come after death there shall be no more of either to the Saints for ever 2. From the being and in-dwelling of sin which is the great misery that the Saints complain of Rom. 7.24 but he that is dead is free from sin that natural fountain of corruption original sin shall be perfectly dryed up and the soul shall never think a vain thought never speak an idle word any more for ever nay they shall not only be freed from sin actually as Adam was but even from a possibility of sin also that as the wicked after death are given up to sin as part of their torment and are in malo obfirmati so the Saints shall be in bono confirmati not onely they shall not sin but be freed from the fear of a possibility to sin for ever 3 For the perfection of their grace the Saints have here the first fruits of the earnest of glory and that is so precious to them that they sell all to buy it and count all things loss and dross in comparison of it and yet still there are many 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 things wanting in their faith and their love c. but 1 Cor. 13.10 then that which is perfect will come and that which is but in part shall be done away and these first fruits shall be swallowed up of glory 4 They shall be with Christ and receive the reward that he has prepared for them they shall enter into their masters joy here in this life Christ is said to be with us but after this life we are said to be with him yea to be ever with him he shall never hide his face more but it shall be communion without intermission and without interruption for ever says Bernard Christus est cum Paulo magna securitas Paulus est cum Christo summa faelicitas If a little of the presence of Christ be so sweet here when we have it in his spirit O what will his eternal presence in glory be thus dyes the wise man thus he enters into peace thus he rests upon his bed having walked before God in uprightness 2. Doct. When the righteous man dyes he is taken away from the evil to come the Lord had formerly told them that evil was prepared a sword was already barhed in heaven to make a sore slaughtâ—r and in verse 9. of the former chapter the Lord invites the beasts of the field to come and take their part of the prey now these are some that the Lord will hide in the day of his wrath Zeph. 2.3 the Lord hath a double hiding place for his people in evil times sometimes he hides â—hem in his pavilion and the secret of his Tabernacle upon the earth his chambers of peculiar providence and sometimes he hides them in the grave even the chambers of death in which in times of affliction Gods people do desire to be hid Job 30.23 and many of them are hid in meâ—cy from the evil that is coming on the earâ—h Thus when a flood came upon the world God provided an Ark for Noah and as he had an Ark for Noah so he had a grave for Methusalah who is conceived to be taken away the same year that the flood came upon the earth Gods usual course is either his people shall stand in the gap to turn away his wrath and his judgements which sometimes are deferred for the elects sake and if the Decree of God be gone forth and the judgement must come then the Lord takes his people out of the way before it come so the Lord dealt with Hezekiah he defers the judgement till after his death there shall be peace and truth in his days and Iosiah the Lord says to him because thy heart was tender Thou shalt be gathered to thy grave in peace and shalt not see the evil that I will bring upon this place and the inhabitants thereof thereforâ— the Lord Rev. 19.13 having described the rise of Antichrist and the general pollution ond corruption that should follow all men should worship the beast and wonder after him blessed are the dead 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from henceforth were they not blessed before yes all that dyed in the Lord are blessed from the beginning of the world but now to be taken away in a time of so great tryal it is a more special mercy upon these three accounts chiefly 1 That they may be preserved from the pollution of the times in which they live therefore the Lord takes them away it is a very hard matter for Gods people to live in times exceedingly evil and yet to pass through such times 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 unspotted and and not to have a taint and tincture of the present corruptions upon them to keep their garments whiteâ— now that the Lord may preserve his people unspotted from the world he doth translate them before hand takes them away from the evil to come 2 The Lord takes them away that they may be freed from the vexations that his people are in when the abomination of desolation is set up as Lot when he lived in Sodom they vexed his righteous from day to day with their ungodly deeds Gods people are mourners in Sion and they do with that their eyes were a well of water to weep for the sins as well as for the sufferings of the times and the Lord sees that their spirits cannot bear such dishonor as is done to his great Name and therefore he takes them away beforehand to better company even the souls of just men made perfect 3. God takes them away from the persecutions and afflictions of the times
to the Crown and he being a gracious man did turn from all the abominations of his fathers and the land having peace for the first ten years of his reign he spent that whole time in reformation in reforming the corruptions of Religion and thought himself as a Magistrate so highly concerned in it that he used his power to take away the Altars of the strange Gods c. and his Authority was not onely destructive as some would allow the Magistrates to destroy what they will so they build nothing but it was astrictive also for he commanded Iacob to seek the Lord God of their fathers and to do his Law and his commandments This glorious work of Reformation being begun for about ten years carryed on never was any great work so begun in this world but mighty mountains of opposition have been raised against it nowhere is an Army of Ethiopians raised against him the greatest that we read of in any story of a thousand thousand chap. 14.9 and though it may be it was not their direct aym to hinder the work of Reformation yet this doubtless was Satans aym in stirring them up for as the aym of the good Angels is beyond that of the Instruments which many times they use Dan 10. last and when I am gone forth lo the Prince of Graecia shall come He shall fight with the Prince of Persia but is over-ruled therein to another end then himself intended So is the aym of the evil Angels also but the Lord who delights in Reformation and loves to see Temple-work go on will not suffer this good work to perish under so great an opposition and therefore this mighty Army shall not stand before a Reforming Prince and a praying people but they were all smitten before the men of Iudah and they returned home to Ierusalem laden with the spoil in great abundance At this time the Lord stirred up the spirit of Azariah the son of Obed who went forth to meet them he preached this Sermon unto the King and unto the victorious Army and he saith hear me O Asa and all Iudah and Benjamin Gods Messengers may require audience and obedience in the Name of God from the greatest men upon earth and that when they were in the height of their prosperity and glory for the Lord hath exalted his word over Nations and kingdoms to root out and to destroy and to build and to plant and it is not the least charge given against Zedechiah that he humbled not himself before Ieremiah the Prophet speaking from the mouth of the Lord for though the men dye yet their words wil live and it will asuredly overtake men though they may seem for a while to escape it Zach. 1.6 Did not my words take hold of the fathers the sum of the Prophets Sermon is here laid down in three Doctrinal Propositions First That the Lord is with You whilst you are with Him Secondly If you seek Him He will be found of you Thirdly If you forsake Him He will forsake you Here is a Doctrinal Proposition with a particular Application the Proposition is this That they that do forsake God shall be forsaken of God 2 The Application is that if ye forsake God he will also forsake you that he hath so gloriously delivered and for whom he hath so eminently appeared riding upon the heavens and his excellency on the skye yet if he will turn his hand and consume you after he has done you good this is â—o perish with a double destruction as for a man to dye after he hath had some quickning works upon him is to be twice dead so for a man or a people to perish or be destroyed after the Lord hath done them good and seemed to rejoyce over them this is to perish with a double destruction For the opening of this Doctrine there are four things in the Text which are to be considered First we see that the desertion of a people never begins in God the Lord doth not forsake them till they forsake him There are two sorts of acts that God exercises over men some Actus dominii acts of soveraignty Secondly Actus justitiae the one respects men as creatures the other respects men as sinners Preterition is an act of soveraignty and that begins in God but desertion is an act of Justice and therefore must begin in us for the cause of all punishment the meritorious cause is to be found in the creature and doth begin in us and not in him It s true that all acts of mercy do begin in God and they have no ground in the creature he loves us first he shews mercy freely and what ever he doth it is for his own sake there is nothing in the creature that procures it The rise and foundation of mercy is in himself but acts of Justice have their rise from us for he doth in all judgements cleer this unto the creature that he doth not without cause any thing that he hath done and the Lord saith of all judgements hast thou not procured it to thy self is not this the wages that you have wrought and laboured for is not this the harvest which answers the seed that you have sowen for they that sow to the flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption c. So that the Lord doth never reject us till we reject him he doth never forsake us till we forsake him Rom. 6.23 the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life but acts of grace begin in God and they are meer gifts but all acts of Justice begin in us and are but the fruits of our own deservings he rejects us because we reject him first c. Secondly it may be supposed that they that have had the Lord much with them and have had great and eminent experience of his presence going with them yet they may forsake the Lord and depart from him Israel did so they forgat God their saviour who had done great things for them in Egypt wondrous works in the land of Ham and terrible things by the Red sea as Psal 10.6,21,22 and they that forget God will quickly forsake God a people may arise unto that foolish confidence in their own present condition that they may say Ier. 2.31 We are Lords we will come no more at thee a strange expression and they may walk towards God as if they were put into such an estate that they should now need God no more but that they could live without him we have now no more need of fasting and praying days of humiliation may now be intermitted for not onely months but yeers together What is this but for a people to say We are Lords we will come no more at thee we have not now the same need of God that we had in times past 2 Chron. 26.15 Vzziah was marvellously helped till he was strong but when he was strong his heart was lifted up unto his own destruction Isa 29.1 there
is a woe for Ariel the City where David dwelt which Mr. Calvin renders the Altar of God because the Sacrifices and Ordinances of God were there but others and so in the Margent it is rendred the Lyon of God quia tanquam Leo Gentes alienas subjugasset None could stand before them There is a wo for them because they had in the greatness of their strength and power and victories forsaken the Lord and therefore the Lord saith he would bring distresses upon them that he had formerly been with and they had conquered by his power and presence and they that in their pride did speak loftily as if they had spoken from Heaven the Lord saith they should be brought down to the ground and their speech should be low as out of the dust Thirdly Former duties nor former mercies shall not serve men but if they do forsake the Lord they shall be forsaken of him first former duties will not secure men here is a gracious Prince that had laboured ten yeers in the Reformation of Religion and that with great success and had met with great opposition and yet with resolution gone through all yet the Lord tells them that for all this if after this they did forsake the Lord he would forsake them There was in the days of Josiah the most glorious Reformation of Religion that ever we read of in Iudah he was such a King as like unto him was none before him nor after him should arise the like the people entring into a solemn Covenant before God that they would be the Lords people and the Reformation went farther for it was the taking away of the High places also which other Reformers left standing and they kept the Passover unto the Lord such a one as had not been since the time of the Iudges and yet 2 King 23.26,27 notwithstanding the Lord turned not from the fierceness of his wrath Here is a sad and unexpected close of this famous story and that not onely for old sins but Zeph. 1. the Land continued in the same evils still and therefore the Lords controversie continued against them there were the remnants of Baal in the hearts of the people still and there were those that did swear by God by Malchom that did endeavor so to keep up a mixture in Religion and those that were Apostates and were turn'd back from the Lord and men that were setled upon their lees that did say the Lord will neither do good nor evil and for this cause will the Lord search Ierusalem with Candles c. 2 Former mercies will not secure you if you forsake the Lord. It s true that former mercies are of a great engagement unto us to keep close to God the cords of love lay upon men the strongest bonds but yet if they do not oblige us they are not binding unto God It s true that faith may make use of former mercies as an argument to a repenting and returning people as Num. 14.19 Pardon the iniquity of this people according unto the greatness of thy mercy as thou hast forgiven this people from Egypt even until now but it is no prevailing Argument for a back-sliding people but the Lord wil say how long shall I bear this evil Congregation and therefore the word is gone out of his mouth and judgement shall the sooner and with the greater fury plead the cause of abused mercy in former deliverances Deut. 28.63 It shall come to pass that as the Lord hath rejoyced over you to do you good so also the Lord will rejoyce over you to destroy you and to bring you to naught the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth signifie to rejoyce summo gaudio incredibili laetitia Answerable unto the joy and delight which the Lord seemâ—d to take in blessing a people and in building them up such will the delight be which he will seem to take in ruining that people and destroying them If you be not bound by the cords of his law let me tell you he himself will never look upon himself as bound by the cords of his law if they be no ingagement upon you they will be found none upon him in the end Psal 120.4 it is by some understood of the slanders of men but it is by others understood of the judgements of God there shall be mighty and sharp Arrows with coals of juniper that is such as burn with greatest fierceness and longest lasting and such as yield a sweet savor in the burning there is no destruction like unto that when God shall delight to destroy a people he shall laugh at their destruction and mock when their fear comes Fourthly The Lord delights to deal with sinners in a way of proportion and retaliation according to their dealing with him and there shall be the Image of the sin in the judgement that shall be executed upon them that the Lord will but deal with them so as they deal with him if they forsake him this shall be their judgement he will also forsake them If men be invited to the marriage feast of the Kings son and they make excuses they will not come their judgement is they that were â—idden shall not taste of my supper If the people of Israel will not at the command of God go up unto the land of Canaan to take possession they will not enter into Gods rest the Lord saith nay he doth swear in his wrath that they shall not enter and if in the days of their prosperity men will say to the Almighty depart from us in the same proportion will the Lord say unto them in the day of their judgement Depart from me I know you not In those things wherein the sons of men are and their lusts acted and more drawn forth in those the Lord doth delight that their judgement should be The people of Israel were formerly weary of the Prophets as we now are of Ordinances and they did say to them prophesie not and cause the holy one of Israel to cease from us therefore the Lord saith he will cause the Sun to go down upon the Prophets and he makes the day to be dark about them that there should be none that should understand or be able to tell them how long and when they desired Teachers according to their lust and did say Speak to us smooth things and prophesie deceit these rough-spirited men we cannot away with them The Lord saith if any man will prophesie of wine or strong drink he shall be a Prophet unto this people yea even in hell the sins of men shall be their torment and the Lord delights to make them so t is true sin ceases there as it is paenae demeritum for judgement passes onely on men for what is the flesh but not paenae damnatio for damnati blasphemant Deum in hoc peccant sed peccata pertinent ad damnationis poenam c. for what the Lord doth he doth in high displeasure and indignation
and that doth delight him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to retaliate that men may abundantly eat the fruit of their own ways and be filled with their own devices and the Lord makes in this retaliation a greater speed with some men then he doth with others answerable to the Mercies bestowed and abused some mens sins are as a basket of Summer-fruit quia maturitatem suam sunt assecuti Am. 8.12 Drusius they that have stood long under mercies and under Ordinances they do ripen the sooner and the Lord will surely hasten his work upon such a people habet sapientia justitiae sua compendia the Lord knows how to finish the work to cut it short in righteousness for a short work doth the Lord intend to make in the land Rom. 9.28 How long soever the work be that God makes with any other people yet with an unthankful people that lives in high abuses of goodness he will surely make a short work with them Fifthly At the same time when we begin to forsake God he doth begin to forsake us for so much must be taken from the beginning of the verse the Lord is with you whiles you are with him so we and some others render it dum fuistis Therefore the same date that our departing bears unto God the same also doth the Lords departing bear unto us at the same time when the Prodigal did but set the first step to return to his father the father did set forth to meet him and at the same time that any man departs and turns away from God at the same time doth the Lord turn away from him also and though it be not presently visible for our Apostacy from God is first in the inward man our souls draw back from him Jer. 6.8 at the same time also his soul departs or is dis-joynted from such a people and in such cases the Lord is very exact in observing of the time he keeps an account of it unto a day as we see it in Saul 1 Sam. 13 13,14 Now would the Lord have established the kingdom upon Israel for ever but now thy kingdom shall not continue now Saul departed from the Lord and from this time forth the Lord did forsake him and therefore 1 Sam. 13.2 it 's said that he reigned but two yeers over Israel that is Legitimè non rejectus á Deo so Junâ—post biennium a Shemuèle fuit so that though the kingdom did continue so many yeers â—fter or he continued in the kingdom yet he reigned as King but two yeers now he rejected God and now the Lord reâ—ected him from being King over Israel and though men discern it not yet there are symbolical precepts by which the Lord doth try men even at this day the Lord puts them upon such a business puts such power and such authority into their hands which they abusing and their heart departing from God in it they are under an evil aspect from God from that time forward that though their lives may continue and though they may for a time continue in their authority yet from that time he Lord departs from them and they do by degrees wither and decay insensibly degenerate in their zeal for God and his people Sad are the Records and the aspects of God upon great men in this kind such a day I tryed a mans integrity and his faiâ—hfulness I put power into his hand to honor me with it and yet his spirit departed from me his heart was false and unstable with me therefore from that day my soul is disjoynted from such a man will honor him no more Saul reigned long after before the people but from that time no longer in Gods account Sixthly In the same degree that a people do forsake the Lord will the Lord also forsake them and so much the Hebrew word also doth seem to import in existendo vos cum eo in your being with him he will also be with you and in your forsaking of him he will also forsake you The Lord departs from a people gradatim by several removes to see if there be any that will stir up themselves to take hold of God As the glory of the Lord departed from the Temple Ezek. 10.11 first he goes up from the Cherubins unto the threshold and from thence to the middle of the City and from the City unto the Mountain and these removes of God from us are answerable unto the degrees of our departing from him for in these things the Lord doth exactly observe a proportion As it is in the matter of outward afflictions so it shall be also in spiritual desertions Ezek. 7.16 as pride doth bud so the rod doth blossom violence doth rise up unto a rod of wickedness their rod is taken out of their own sins their own wickedness doth correct them and answerable to the growth of sin in them so doth the rod grow for them that it may be corrected And so it is in desertion also with the upright the Lord will shew himself upright if mens hearts be wholly with him he will be perfect and intire with them but if men be for God onely in shew he will be for them and with them onely in shew if they give unto him onely outward obedience he will give unto them onely a temporal reward if they do offer unto God but external service and that which is seemingly service but really a sin he will bestow upon them outward blessings that is that which shall be seemingly a blessing but really a curse a blessing in the thing but a curse to the man For the Lord will hold a proportion as we forsake him so he will in the same measure and degree forsake us also All the children of destruction are not born at once Hos 1. the first is Iezreel and the last Loammi yea and Gods own people answerable unto their departing from God so they shall find the Lords withdrawment from them David had his first ways 2 Chr. 17 and the people of God have their first Rev. 2.4 and they that do decline from God in holy obedience they shall finde the Lord will depart from them in reference to a gracious presence it shall not be with them as it hath been in times past they shall remember with bitterness after their departure from their former husband that it was better with them then it is now 2. Let us now look upon the grounds of this Doctrine that upon our forsaking of God he will forsake us and they are different according unto a double state of men in this life some are in a state of Nature and some are in a state of grace First they that are in a state of nature forsaking God shall be utterly forsaken by him and that for ever for the Lord doth deal with men according to the tenor of the Covenant under which he stands in all his administrations he is always mindful of his Covenant Now all men in
John 17. Sanctifie them by thy Truth c. Take away Truth and ye destroy Holiness at the root Let men pretend holiness whilest they will unclean opinions will ever be accompanied with unclean practises and therefore it is a vain thing for men to hope that a holy conversation can be maintained without truth which is the instrument which the Lord useth of mens sanctification Job 6.14 he forsakes God that forsakes the fear of the Lord. Secondly What is it for a people to be forsaken of God First when God withdraws the influence of his Spirit from the Ordinances that though the Ordinances continue yet the influences are gone it is the first step of the Lords removing from a people and this is properly the removing or departing of his glory from off the Temple though the Lord is everywhere present yet there was a gracious presence there Deus ubique est sed non eadem ubique praestat And therefore there is a darkness that fills the house when the glory of the Lord was departed its true that the Temple and the Sacrifices did continue but it was but barely an outside for the presence of God in glory and mercy was not among them and therefore when the Lord returns to a people in mercy the glory of the Lord doth in this manner return unto their Ordinances Ezek. 43.4 while he may be found seek the Lord the time of the Spirits working in the means is the day of salvation Heb. 6. unto that people there is a ground that drinks in the rain not only of Ordinances but of Influences and the Lord will say My Spirit shall not alwaies strive there is an oath that may go forth against a people and then they are undone for ever for the Lord is not as a man that he should repent and this is the greatest Judgement that can befall a person or a people in this life for if the Spirit of the Lord depart from them and evil Spirit from God in Judgement comes upon them a Spirit of giddiness a vertiginous Spirit which doth cause them to err in all the works of their hands there is by some a great talk of conversion that abundance have been lately converted it is true if turning unto a new opinion or being brought off from such a party be conversion there are abundance of such turnings in this Nation but such a general conversion that if we look into the conversation of men yea even of them that do profess Religion and the power of godliness and the good old way of holiness in the practise of it is even wholly forgotten amongst us Secondly he takes away the Ordinances also the presence of God is in them he is by these said to dwell amongst us now when God departs from a people he is said to take away the Ordinances which are the visible tokens of his presence Ier. 23.33 they say the burden of the Lord and they were weary of the Ordinances of God amongst them saies God this shall be your burden I will forsake you Nulla posthac erit Prophetia Calvin Calvin But what if it be so its that in a special manner that we desire but consider 2 Chron. 7.20 I will cast this house which I have sanctified for my name out of my sight and I will pluck you up by the roots out of my Land which I have given you when God once forsakes his Ordinances he will the Land too Thirdly the Lord doth forsake a people by taking away the former assistances that they have had and denying of them to his people therefore the promise is Isa 62.4 thou shalt be no more termed forsaken whilst they were under the power of the enemy and given up into the hands of their oppressors so long they were a people forsaken of the Lord Iosh 1.5 I will not leave thee nor forsake thee when God forsakes them they shall not have the wonted presence of God amongst them the Lord will neither bless their counsels nor go forth with their Armies but he will delight to make that people vile that all their enemies should take encouragement thereby and say God hath forsaken them persecute them and take them for there is none to deliver them as the presence of God is the great terror unto all that are round about he being a wall of sire about them and the glory in the middle of them so the greatest encouragement to the enemies is when they shall see that Gods people have not the wonted presence or assistance of God with them and they shall be a derision to all the Nations round about ha ha so would we have it Fourthly God doth forsake a people in respect of his returns of their prayers Psal 22.1,2 My God why hast thou forsaken me and why art thou so far from helping me and from the words of my roaring O my God I cry in the day time and thou hearest not and in the night season am not silent and this is the true greatness and the glory of a people Deut. 4.7 that they have God nigh them in all that they call upon him for and this hath been your glory in former times in the sight of your adversaries that you could say Tertullian Caelum tundimus misericordiam extorquemus And the prayers of the people of God have been the fire that hath gone out of the mouthes of the people of God that hath consumed your enemies on every side as Rev. 11 5. We did no sooner make our prayers but we might as it were with Stephen lift up our eyes to heaven and see Iesus standing at the right hand of God tanquam causae suae Judex vindex But if God forsake a people they may cry but the Lord will not hear them he will shut out their prayers in displeasure and will cover himself with a cloud that they shall not pass through when God takes away the spirit of prayer from his people there is not a greater Argument that I know that God doth intend to forsake them and to shut out their prayers Vse Having thus spoken of the Doctrinal proposition let us take the particular application to our selves If you forsake him he will also forsake you our own hearts cannot but testifie against us that there is a great forsaking of God in the middle of us look but upon the generality of the Nation and for all manner of prophaness we go beyond the worst of times and under a pretence of liberty every man doth that which is right in his own eyes and there is no master of restraint to put them to shame It may be the fault is immediately to be laid upon inferiour officers but ye know their neglects and yet you do not force your own Laws misera vis est valere ad nocendum it is woful liberty a liberty of sinning the horrible oppressions such as have not been heard of you have made an act against it and what
advancement of that people above all other Nations under Heaven but where the Ordinances were corrupted the place is polluted Ier 32.34 and when they were removed the Land was defiled Ezek. 7.22 And if it were so amongst the Jews who had onely Typical Prefigurations of Evangelical Ordinances we may safely conclude it with the Apostle with a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 How much more must these needs exceed in glory 2 Cor. 3 9. Rom. 1.8 Their faith was spoken of throughout the world there seems to be as one hath observed tacita antithesis fidei imperii and the Apostle seems to intimate that they were never so honoured by their Nation as they were by their faith throughout the world as this is the wisdom so this also is the glory and honour of a people in the sight of the Nations Deut. 4.7,8 If you ask me wherein doth this advancement consist that a people have by Ordinances I answer it doth consist in these six particulars all of them matters of great honour to a people First it is a great honour to any people for the Lord to avouch them publikely to be his people this is the honour of the S t s at the last day when the Lord breaks up the House keeping of this great world he will leave the lumber of it take it who will but the Lord will himself own his Iewels and he will take them and avouch them for his own before the world Mal. 3.17 and this is the advancement of a people by the Ordinances I entred into Covenant with thee and thou becamest mine Ezek. 16.8 upon this ground the Lord is pleased to speak of them as a people that he did specially own and of them as a people that had special interest in him therefore he is pleased to stile himself the God of Israel the Rock of Israel the hope of Israel and all by reason of the Covenant that he had made with them and the Ordinances that he had stablished amongst them But when once by sin the Ordinances are either corrupted or removed the Lord owns that people no longer Call them Loammi for they are not my people I will not be their God Hos 1.9 In a common calamity it is said Isa 4 1. that seven women shall lay hold upon one man and say we will eat our own bread and wear our own clothes only let us be called by thy name to take away our reproach if it were a reproach amongst men not to be called by the name of a Husband what is it when the Lord shall as it were give a people a bill of divorce and say call them Loammi they are not my people I will be stiled their God no more Secondly it is a great honour and advancement unto a people to have God present with them and as it were to reside amongst them this was the advancement of the Jews What Nation is there so great who have God so nigh them as the Lord our God is in all that we call upon him for Deut. 4.7 there the Lord doth promise his presence and his divine blessing In the place where I record my name I will come unto you and there I will bless you Exod. 20.34 And the Lord did never manifest his presence so gloriously as he hath done in the Ordinances of the Gospel 2 Cor. 6.16 Therein we behold as in a glass the glory of the Lord. 2 Cor. 3.18 What is this glass but the spiritual administration of the Gospel and the Ordinances thereof the vail of carnal stupidity being taken from the heart and we know Quod videtur in speculo imago non est they are the reverberated species of the thing it self and therefore seeing in a glass is the clearest way of vision next to face to face yet thus God vouchsafes his presence to a people in Gospel Ordinances And in these we have the presence of Christ also he walks in the middle of the Golden Candlesticks Rev. 2. whensoever you seek him be sure he is gone down to the Gardens of the beds of spices to feed in the Gardens and to gather Lillies Cant. 6.2 insomuch that the Gospel and the Gospel Ordinances thereof are called the face of Christ 2 Cor 4 6. that is that which doth as lively represent his presence unto us as if he were present with us in the flesh so that when a man shall come to behold him in glory and to see him as he is he shall be able truly to say this is the face that long since hath in the Gospel been exhibited unto my faith What shall be the advancement of all the Christians in glory it shall be only the beatifical Vision when they awake to be satisfied with his likeness to see him as he is now if this be begun here in the Ordinances that may be well counted the advancement of a people that is unto them as it were the beginning of eternal glory Thirdly fruitfulness also is unto a people great advancement and on the contrary barrenness is a reproach Gen. 30.23 The Lord hath taken away my reproach but they were never so much honoured by the fruit of their bodies though in that God made good his promise to encrease them as the stars of heaven and as the sand upon the Sea shore yet I say they were never so much honoured by the fruit of their bodies as they were by the fruitfulness of their Ordinances They are therefore called the Bed wherein Christ doth embrace his Church and wherein souls are begotten to the Lord Cant. 2.16 Our bed is green glorious things are spoken of Zion the City of God what be they I will make mention of Rahab Babylon Philistin Tyre with Ethiopia it shall be said this and that man was born in her c. that is though they were strangers unto Zion in their first birth and so children of other Contries but yet for their second birth their new birth they shall know it to be in Zion by means of the Ordinances and she shall be called the mother of them all and this is made the glory of a Church under the Gospel the dew of thy birth is of the womb of the morning Psal 110.3 that is multitudes shall be born unto it as the drops of the dew that are begotten in the womb of the morning But when the Ordinances are either corrupted or removed Christ meets his Spouse in this bed no more when the son of righteousnes with-holds his beams this dew is not exhaled and a man shall not find a drop falling from the womb of the morning this is a great reproach unto a people Cant. 4.2 Thy teeth are like a flock of sheep coming up from the washing they bear twins and not one is barren amongst them by the teeth of the Church some understand the Ministers quos aliis erudiendis Christus praefecit for the office of the teeth is to chew and to prepare the meat that it may be
God ariseth he hath abundance rise with him I say if the Lord old rise alone he is able to do it but whensoever he ariseth he hath aboundance rise with him When the Lyon roars all the Beasts of the forrest tremblâ— Observe I pray you when the Lord comes to Judgement against a people if he doth but say cause the instruments of vengeance to draw neer they come every man with a slaughter weapon in his hand immediately Ezek. 9.1 so when the Lord riseth up to execute vengeance upon an enemy I will give you but one place but it is a very glorious Scripture observe it I pray you Dan. 10.20 there is an Angel come to comfort Daniel and instruct him and he tells you now saith he I go forth against the King of Persia and when I am gone forth the Prince of Grecia shall come mark God riseth up as the Text tells you for it referrs to the same when God riseth up once then truly there is an Angel up and together with him all the power of the Grecian Monarchie When I am gone forth saith he then the Prince of Grecia shall come mighty wars there were between the Grecian and the Persian until the Persian were subdued before him Now how came it to pass the Angel went out first to fight against the King of Persia when God riseth up then I say there be abundance rise with him These are the grounds of the consolation that the people of God did take from the rising of God in his providential actings for them There is a word more that I would speak to A question will rise now in every one of your mouths Oh But how should a people know when by his spiritual eyes can he discern that God is raised up we see men rise an arm of flesh but how shall we be able to say God is raised up out of his holy habitation that were comfort indeed if we could conclude that but what if men rise without God Why now in answer to that I intreate you give me leave a little When God is raised up for a people he useth to cause magnam conjunctionem a great combination as it were and a joyning together of these five things observe them I beseech you and truly I think we may speak it with thankfulness to the glorious praise of our God they have very far concurred in the Lords rising among his people in England In the first place When the Lord is awakened by prayer that is the first thing prayer is Gods way by which he is raised up Iob 8.5,6 If thou make thy supplication to him he will surely awake for thee If thou make thy supplication to him what is the reason that God was raised up for his people here he was raised up by prayer look into Zach. 11.12,13 the Lord Christ he comes and prayeth how long will it be ere thou have compassion upon Ierusalem against whom thou hast had indignation these three-score and ten years why now what is the return The Lord answereth the Angel with good words with comfortable words I am jealous for Sion as soon as ever Christ prayeth my Brethren he prayes your prayers if ever prayer arise God ariseth I am jealous for my people That is the first You shall know when God ariseth if he be awakened by prayer and truly we had cause to hope in the beginning of our troubles that the Lord did pour a large measure a plentiful measure of the Spirit of prayer upon his people Secondly when the Lord defeateth the counsels of the enemy turns their plots upon their heads I beseech you observe the Lord is known by the judgements that he executeth when the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands when the Lord takes men and burns them like Bees in their own Hive truly that is an argument God is up men could not do that God brings mens waies eminently upon their own heads you have a Scripture very remarkable Micah 4. for I dare speak nothing to you but what I have a word for I the enemy say that they would come together and they would thresh Sion why now saith God they know not the thoughts of the Lord these are their thoughts I buâ— they do not know mine why what were 〈◊〉 thoughts Gods thoughts were to make their 〈◊〉 against the people of God to be the means of their own ruine their own counsels should destoy them for so he saith they shall be gaâ—hered togeâ—er as sheaves in a flore arise and thresh O daughter of Sonâ— they thought to come together to thresh the Church I but saith God they themselves shall be threshed they shall be gathered together as sheaves to be threshed it would be horrible ingratitude for any of us to overlook the manifold appearances of God in this kind in these latter daies and not confess the Truth That is a second ground how we may know whether God arise for his people In the third place when the Lord takes away the hearts of his enemies truly my Brethren the discipline of Spirits is not in men but in the Father of Spirits when it shall be truly said the men of might have not found their hands when that shall befall them that the Lord threatneth in Nahum 3.17 their Captains shall be like the great Grass hoppers in a Sunny day the Sun ariseth and they are gone when their strong holds shall be like ripe figgs falling into the mouthes of the Eaters when God shall make the very names of men terrible to the enemies certainly God hath the Discipline of Spirits when it shall be said the sword of the Lord and the sword of Gideon and that as it is said a Barley Cake shall overthrow the Tent this is the Lords doings Certainly God doth arise In the fourth place when the Lord acteth the Spirits of his people unto high and noble and invincible resolutions draws them out to resolutions more then men when he guides their strength when he girds up their spirits to the busineâ—s in Zach. 4 6. Not by power nor by might but by my Spirit how did the Spirit of God do it truly it is the Spirit of God working in the hearts of men raising up their hearts to encounter with the greatest difficulties to look a thousand deaths in the face with boldness and elevating the spirits of men beyond what or linarily is in men this is the Lord the Lord riseth when it is so And then in the last place when the Lord goes on in waies of mercy and draws out his loving kindness sometimes the Lord may step forth for his people and he may withdraw himself again and then the misgivings of their hearts will be ready to say it is the Lord is upon us but when the Lord holds on a continual tenor of mercies when it shall be said as it was to Ioshua there is no man shall stand before thee all the daies of thy life I am with
to stop their mouthes therefore if you would not have Judgements encreased take heed when you see the Lord appearing for his Church providentially acting the Lord is up then Say to thy own soul Let all flesh be silent before him That is the first looking upon these words as referring to the Churches enemies A word I shall add looking upon these words as referring to the poor distressed Jews who were now returned out of the Land of their Captivity but there was a mighty power of the enemy against them why yet saith the Lord do you keep silence silence your doubtings silence your frettings Silence your doubtings It it said of Abraham Rom. 4.20 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he did not dispute the business pro and con and truly neither must you if God be up leave the work in his hand leave off your doubtings leave off your doubtings upon conjectures and suppositions That is the first Let all flesh keep silence silence your doubtings Secondly Let all flesh keep silence silence your frettings saith David Psal 39. I kept silence I was dumb saith he for it was thy doings A terrible Judgement befell Aaron two sons were taken away by an immediate stroke from Gods hand and Aaron held his peace his spirit did not rise and discontentedly fret at the present dispensation Oh ye that fear God take heed when the Lord ariseth for his people keep silence before him silence your doubtings silence your fret tings That I press by four considerations and so I shall conclude I beseech you mark them You that fear God that know his name that expect an interest in all that mercy that the Lord intendeth for his people in the latter daies take heed I say that ye keep silence before the Lord. First Consider but this will you contend with God will you I say contend with God in Judgement the Lord challengeth that Who will appoint me a time who will contend with me in Iudgement Will you dispute the business out with God Consider Gods Judgement is the last Judgement and his Judgement is an eternal Judgement from his Sentence there is no appeal it is the worst course that a man could take that is to be Judged to undertake to contend with his Judgement before God therefore take heed of it you cannot contend with God in Judgement Iob 9.32 Secondly should not the Soveâ—aignty of God put you to silence though it may be all the actings of God be not according to your will should not the Soveraignty of God I say stop your mouthes â— hath not the Lord reserved to himself the power of Kingdoms Depoint Reges disponit Regna he it is that disposeth Kings he it is that disposeth Kingdoms now I beseech you observe this seriously this did silence David I was dumb and opened not my mouth it was thy doings truly had I looked barely upon man it was such a thing I could not have born if I had looked only upon instruments but when I looked upon him as my Soveraign and absolute Lord then saith he I was silent before him In the third place consider this A fretful spirit even in Gods own people doth strangely blind their eyes that they cannot see the goodness of God in the mercy but take many times that which is a high and glorious mercy they take it to be a cross and an affliction My Brethren observe envy will strangely hoodwink a man when the hand of the Lord is lifted up they will not see why for their envy at the people they text saith it is an evil frame of spirit in a Christian a froward discontented fretful spirit a spirit ill becoming a Saint your wisdom should hinder it Solomon tels you a man of understanding is of an excellent Spirit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 frigidus spiritu he is a man of a cool spirit a man of understanding a great many men will speak of their understandings and their zeal many times but know that a man of understanding is of a cool spirit Consider the Spirit of Christ comes in the form of a Dove be innocent as Doves without gall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sine felle sine dolo so the word signifies the Dove is without gall as well as without guil and truly that is a spirit becoming a Christian and the want of this my Brethren makes many deny the most glorious actings of God towards his people when many times even an Heathen man a stranger standing by is ready to cry out as he did truly it is a glorious God the God of the Christians Alas they will not look upon it they cannot see it envy I say strangely bleareth the eyes take heed of it therefore In the last place and so I have done Consider doth the wrath of man work the righteousness of God the Apostle S. Iames tels you clearly the contrary certainly you that will maintain Gods cause you must do it by Gods means the Lord needs no carnal weapons no help of any body no fleshly interest to maintain his spiritual cause no I entreat you consider it when if ever you will carry on the cause of God let it be done by the means and with that spirit that God requireth I dare undertake you shall find that of Nazianzen a good rule Nazian Let us be weak that we may overcome I that is the way the way to overcome men or to mannage a cause though you say it is the cause of God I say it is not to be done by humane heats and fleshly animosities therefore this is that I shall leave with you for the present in these five considerations farther and so have done First God hath never set up any authority or way of government but he hath reserved to himself in his providence a power to change it at his pleasure Zach. 21.10 Remove the Diadem take away the Crown God will shew himself to be King of Kings and Lord of Lords Secondly it is his ordinance that there should be a Magistracie they are called the shields of the earth the stay of your tribes the foundations of the earth and it is not good there should be an Anarchie for God hath set Rulers over men some by providence some by promise But yet God sets them over them that should be enough to restrain men of giddy spirits who are like the children of Belial without a yoak therefore let us not go about to pluck up our own bedge and destroy our own foundations Hab. 1.13 The fishes of the Sea have no Ruler over them but devour one another The Persians at the death of their Kings have 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 on purpose that men might find the evil of it therefore be not unruly boysterous spirits like the raging Sea But be content to submit to the bounds that God hath set you Thirdly though this Government be an Ordinance of God yet the extent and specification of it is but an humane creation 1. Pet. 2.13 〈◊〉
Col. 2.5 p. 91. 5. Church-Officers according to Institution Preached at the Churches choosing of Officers upon Heb. 13.17 p. 109 6. Communion with God good in bad times Preached at Pauls October 14. 1647. Before the Lord Maior and Aldermen upon Psal 73.28 p. 133. 7. The Saints inheritance Preached for Mr. Caryl on his Lecture day at London-Bridge upon 1 Chron. 3.22 following p. 163. 8. The great day At a private fast upon Ierem. 30.7 p. 164. 9. Grace abused At a fast for abused liberty Feb. 28. upon Iude 4. p. 187. 10. The just mans end At the funeral of William Ball Esquire a member of the house of Commons upon Esa 57.1 p. 209. 11. God with us whilest we are with him At a publike fast before the Parliament Iune 9. 1652. upon 2 Chron. 15.2 p. 231. 12. The doctrine of the Iews vocation Preached at Gregories Lecture upon Rom. 11.26 p. 267. 13. Heedless service unacceptable Upon 2 King 10.31 p. 289. 14 Gospel-Exaltation Upon Mat. 11.23 p. 309. 15. The two Covenants Preached in Bartholomew-lane Iune 22. 1652. Upon Gal. 4.21,22 p. 333. 16. Flesh silenced by Gods arising Preached before the Lord Maior Aldermen and Commons of London on a Thanksgiving day at Christ-Church London Iuly 26. 1651. upon Zach. 2.13 p. 357. 17. The duty and dignity of Magistrates Preached at Laurence-Iury Sept. 29. 1651. at the Election of the Lord Maior upon Zach. 10.4 p. 389. 18. Perfect cleansing upon 2 Chron. 7.1 p. 421. 19. A set time for Iudgement Upon Ierem. 8.7 p. 443. 20. One heart and one way Upon Zach. 14.9 p. 465. 21. Grace is wisdom and wisdom the principal thing Preached at a meeting of the company of Black-Smiths Octob. 29. 1647. in Fish-street London upon Prov. 4.7 p. 493. 22 The danger of being worse by mercies Upon Deut. 32.15 p. 513. 23. Unruly thoughts quieted by divine consolations Preached at Pauls Iune 9. 1653. upon Psal 49.19 p. 541. 24. Gods Throne erect in the Assemblies of his Saints Preached at a fast upon Rev. 4.6 p. 567. 25. The Keepers of the Vineyard must keep their own Vineyard At a fast before the Parliament Iune 13. 1650. upon â—ant 1.6 p. 589. 26. State prosperity in keeping close to the Word At a fast in the Parliament House Iune 31. 1653. upon Iosh 1.8 p. 617. 27. Christs instrumental fitness for his Fathers ends Preached at Bartholomew-lane upon Isaiah 42.2 p. 637. 28. The mysteries of Providence Preached at Pauls August 18. 1650. upon Ezek. 1.16 close of it p. 657. 29. Christs care in glory for his Churches good on earth upon Rev. 2.1 p. 681. 30. Gifts and Talents shall be accounted for Preached before the Parliament on a day of Thanksgiving Sept. 3. upon Luke 12.48 p. 705. 31. The upright heart and its darling sin Upon Psalm 18.23 p. 735. The Table of the Scriptures handled explained and opened in these following Sermons  Chapter Verse Page Genesis 3 19 528 17 2 741  7 159 Exodus 10 6 482 Numbers 14 24 741 Deutronomy 6 7 301 9 1 313 32 8 515  10 516  13 517  15 ib. 518 5â—1 Ioshua 1 8 617 24 19 297 703 Iudges 2 1 687 1 Samuel 2 29 522 6 7 302 13 2 241 1 Kings 16 31 472  32 ibid. 18 28 544 2 Kings 10 31 289 292 16 14 484  15 ibid. 1 Chronicles 15 13 92 2 Chronicles 15 2 231 Iob. 6 4 547 22 21 138 28 13 495 34 17 414  30 49 633 Psalms 4 3 141  4 505 8 2 69  6 See pag. 146 follow p. 163 18 23 735 739 742 23 6 See p. 153 follow p. 163 27 4 697 30 3 293 44 23 365 47 9 401 68 12 692 74 14 375 490 80 17 640 90 12 496 94 19 542 107 34 12 110 3 318 119 126 459 127 2 550 140 11 See p. 152 follow p. 163 Proverbs 3 14 504 4 7 493 8 2 276  3 ibid.  30 678 15 24 503 16 31 450 Ecclesiastes 3 14 725 5 1 294  6 687 10 8 462 Canticles 1 6 593 597 2 16 318 4 2 ibid. 6 10 321 7 5 145 8 8 116 Isaiah 5 5 321  17 520 7 00 515 9 1 171 14 12 314 26 20 464 28 13 14  17 726 29 1 236 707 534 723 30 18 See page 155 follows page 163 33 21 732 42 2 637 638 44 25 671 49 4 717 52 7 690 57 1 209 60 12 563 66 14 35 Jeremiah 2 33 459 7 12 690 30 33 290 31 8 277  9 ibid. Lamentations 4 20 398 Ezekiel 1 8 571  16 657 661 664 7 20 315 10 2 13 401 16 7 116  8 ibid.  39 321 37 7 713  24 640  25 ibid. 47 11 1 9 704 Daniel 2 44 2 4 16 660  17 ibid.   400 7 2 526  11 79  12 281  13 278  25 403   563 8 27 288  10 to 12 692 10 20 371 11 40 286  44 ibid. 12 11 281 Hosea 1 3 526  11 168 2 15 68 3 5 276 728 7 6 483 8 14 472 9 10 516 14 18 561 Ioel. 2 3 168 Amos 4 4 484 Micah 4 5 468 6 5 720 7 4 462 Nahum 1 10 671 Habbacuck 2 4 184 3 16 550  17 148  18 ibid. Zephaniah 1 14 169 2 2 554  4 559 Zachariah 2 13 359 365 3 7 143   701 4 6 114  7 ibid. 5 6 449 9 10 394  12 58 558  13 391 396 11 7 482 12 8 668  10 278 13 1 276  21 475 14 8 23  9 468 469 Malachi 4 1 168 Matthew 4 14 312 5 18 430 6 21 144  23 200 11 5 422  23 311 312 13 52 98 15 13 111 16 18 118 216  19 122 18 20 700  15 119 24 9 688  30 278  31 ibid.  51 305 Mark 4 24 303 10 30 149 Luke 1 76 689 10 27 430 12 41 705 710 13 32 48 24 8 295 25 18 ibid. John 2 10 102 3 34 715  35 710 10 16 273 15 2 22  10 157 16 13 625 20 21 124 Acts. 2 28 168 7 55 369 560 9 11 43 20 28 112 Romans 5 12 343 8 28 712 10 18 364 11 12 to 15 287  25 269 12 26 267  3 716 1 Corinthians 3 22 712 4 6 118 5 4 124 10 11 â—1 12 7 117  28 112 14 26 411  32 413 15 24 660  28 71  52 279 2 Corinthians 3 15 270 4 18 317  6 Ibid. 6 1 712  16 573 7 1 421 10 13 717 Galatians 1 6 194 3 19 339 4 4 351  21 333  22 334 Ephesians 2 20 408  21 ibid. â— 7 715  11 95  12 ibid.  13 46  14 483 Philippians 4 10 716  11 ibid.  12 269 Colossians 1 2 117  5 ibid.
 13 26 2 5 91 1 Thessalonians 2 6 271 5 12 101 2 Thessalonians 2 7 477 3 1 10  14 124 1 Timothy 1 15 329 3 10 96  16 694 2 Timothy 2 26 30 Titus 2 16 330 Philippians 3 2 195  19 ibid Hebrews 1 5 92  6 ibid. 9 12 See p 247 after p. 248 10 27 18 12 14 31 38  27 377 13 5 57 Iames. 1 18 696 1 Peter 1 12 35 2 5 743 4 7 271 2 Peter 1 5 44 3 16 11 194 1 Iohn 2 16 529   545  18 206   271 5 19 42  21 483 2 Iohn 5 10 54 Iude.  3 189 192  4 191  6 550 Revelation 1 13 682  20 686 2 1 685  4 582  5 ibid.  21 452 579 3 8 716 4 00 579  3 682  6 567 6 22 669  2 683  12 to 14 723 8 27 688 9 1 196  2 ibid.  10 197  14 718 10 7 288 12 15 196 13 00 190 378 16 9 11 80 17 12 73 18 2 to 13 63 70 78 19 1 84 358 21 22 3 4 22 1 282 FINIS Books Printed for and sold by Francis Tyton at the three Daggers neer the Inner Temple Gate THE several following books of Mr. Richard Baxters Aphorisms of Justification with their explication annexed wherein is opened the nature of the Covenants satisfaction righteousness faith works c. in 12o. The Saints everlasting rest or a Treatise of the blessed state of the Saints in their enjoyment of God in glory in 4 o. Plain Scripture proof for Infant-Baptism in 4 o. The right method in 32. directions for getting and keeping spiritual peace and comfort in 12 o. The unreasonableness of Infidelity manifested in four discourses the subject of which follows viz. 1. The Spirits Extrinsick witness to the truth of Christianity on Gal. 3.1,2,3 With a determination of this Question Whether the miraculous works of Christ and his Disciples do oblige those to believe who never saw them 2. The Spirits internal witness to the truth of Christianity on 1 John 5.10 3. For prevention of the unpardonable sin against the Holy Ghost a Demonstration that the Spirit and works of Christ were the finger of God or the Holy war between Christ and Satan on Mat. 12.22,23 A Postscript against Mr. Lyfords exceptions 4. The arrogancy of reason against divine revelation repressed or proud ignorance the cause of Infidelity in 8 o. Christian concord or the agreement of the associated Pastors and Churches of Worcestershire with Mr. Baxters explication and defence of it and his exhortation to unity 4 o. A defence of the Worcestershire petition for ministery and maintenance 4 o. The Quakers Catechize 4 o. An Apology against the modest exceptions of Mr. T. Blake and the digression of Mr. Kendal whereunto are added animadversions on a late dissertation of Ludiomeus Colvinus alias Lodovicus Molineus M. D. Oxon. and an admonition of Mr. W. Eyre of Salisbury with Mr. Crandons anatomy in 4 o. A confession of faith especially concerning the interest of repentance and sincere obedience to Christ in our Justification and salvation in 4 o. Parliamenti Declaratio 23. May 1649. Duke Hambletons case argued by Mr. Steel now Lord chief Baron of the Exchequer in 4 o. The Levellers design discovered by Henry Denn in 4 o. The Collection of Orders of Chancery with the alterations and additions agreed on by the Lords Commissioners of the great Seal and Mr. of the Rolls in 8 o. The anatomy of Iohn Lilburns spirit and pamphlets in 4 o. A short discourse between Monarchical and Aristocratical Government in 4 o. The grand Case of Conscience stated in 4 o. A discours concerning the engagement or the northern subscribers plea in 4 o. Heart-bleedings for professors abominations in 4 o. An English translation of the Scottish Declaration in 4 o. A discovery of some thoughts wherewith many precious souls are burdened by Daniel King in 4 o. English Law or a survey of the houshold of God on earth with an Essay of Christian Government folio The false Brother in 4 o. The rise growth and fall of Antichrist together with the much desired and waited for succession of our Lord Jesus Christ by Edward Haughton Minister of the Word A vindication of Infant-Baptism and singing Psalms by Mr. Sydenham Minister at Newcastle Gospel-mysterie Gospel-life and light by Dorneford A Commemoration Sermon on the fith of November before the Parliament in 4 o. A Commemoration Sermon on the fifth of November before the Lord Maior called a Voice from Heaven in 4 o. Heavenly Treasure or mans chiefest good in 12 o. Communion with God in Ordinances the Saints priviledge and duty in 12 o. XXXI Select Sermons on special occasions in 4 o. All by William Strong Minister of the word of God The horrid bloody Spanish Inquisition in 12 o. Spiritual Barrenness EZEK 47.11 But the myrie places thereof and the marishes thereof shall not be healed but be given to salt THey are great things which the Lord hath spoken of the latter days which are called by the Apostle 1 Cor. 10.11 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The ends of the world so you render it but Grotius renders it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eph. 1.10 The fulness and perfection of times Grotius Deus in omnibus actionibus prisci seculi semper ob oculos habebat tempâ—r a Messiae c. In which there shall be a perfection of Ordinances and of Churches and of Prophesies for the mysterie of God is in the latter days to be finished Rev. 10.7 There is a Kingdom of God which the Lord will set up or cause to arise Dan. 2.44 Which though it shall begin in the days of those Kings in the times of the Roman Monarchies yet it shall be the great Instrument in the hand of God to destroy the Monarchies for Iacob is in the hand of the Lord as a threshing instrument in the middle of the Nations either as dew from the Lord or as a Lyon amongst the Beasts of the Forest the Angels they poured out the seven vials full of the wrath of God which are the seven last plagues they came out of the Temple Rev. 15.6 And this Kingdom of God shall not come to perfection it shall not arise unto its greatness till judgement sit and dominion be taken away from the fourth beast to consume and destroy it unto the end Dan 7.26,27 It s true that the Church of Christ hath a mighty efficacy upon the world but it is secret invisible and comes not under humane observation Nisi oratione doctrina sustentaret Ecclesia mundum uno momento perirent omnia Luther on Gen. 30 But there will come a time when the power and glory of the Church shall be visible The mountain of the Lords house shall be exalted on the top of the mountains Lactantius when the prophesie of Lactan. p. 579. shall be
of it is for medicine now there will be no healing at the last day in Heaven there are the souls of just men made perfect and they need no healing Thirdly seeing it cannot be understood literally of a material Temple nor spiritually of heaven it must then be understood mystically of the Church of Christ made up of Iews and Gentiles when they shall be one fold under one shepherd Agnoscunt Haebrei quod ad futurum seculum hoc est ad Regnum Messiae haec pertineant Oecolamp Iâ—…m Nos ad Christi referimus Ecclesiam quotidie in Sanctis aedificari cernimus St. Jerom. But it is not a Temple that is always building and a City but it s a City that shall be built after such a time and therefore I conceive it not to be the Church of the whole New-Testament but barely the Church in the latter days of the world which is commonly called The city of our God but this in a special manner Rev. 3.12 is called so because of an Almighty hand of God in raising it and a glorious and special presence of God dwelling in it and by the Temple is meant those glorious ordinances of worship which should be exercised in this Church in the latter days which is set forth by expressions according to the Jewish pattern as the manner of the presence of Christ amongst the people under the Gospel is set forth by his presence amongst his people of Israel in the Tabernacle Rev. 4. so all the worship of God is set forth to us according unto that Standard pro ritu Templi there is a Temple and Altars and incense c. And that Ordinances of worship the institutions of Christ shall continue in this glorious Church unto the worlds end that 's plain for First it is said that the tabernacle of the Lord is with men Rev. 21.3 and that was a place for worship if the Lord will have a Tabernacle amongst men he will have amongst men instituted worship still Secondly the presence of God amongst men in this City is but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Lamp Rev. 21.23 therefore it shines in a dark place it is not such a presence as makes it a perfect day as it shall be in Heaven there will be no more the light of the candle c. And therefore it is a light in Ordinances for in them as in a Lamp the Lord gives unto his people light 2 Pet. 1.10 Thirdly there shall be all manner of Ordinances in this City of God First there shall be preaching for there shall be abundance of fishers chap. 47. Secondly there shall be the Sacraments for the Lord is with them baptizing to the end of the world and they are to shew forth the Lords death till he come Thirdly there shall be discipline for without are dogs and they that love and make 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that lie or do incline to it and there shall be a greater Spirit of discerning poured out this way then upon any of the former Churches of the Saints Fourthly there shall be Officers in this Church for fishers there are the Ministery Eph. 4. and they are to last till all the Saints be gathered and perfected and there is a right and a priviledge that belongs to them and not to others they that have a right to the Tree of life and may enter in at the gates of this city which every one had not a right to do for the dogs are without as having no right to enter Rev. 22.14,15 3. What is meant by waters that issue out of the Sanctuary which flow from the presence of God in the middle of his people it is to be understood first of truths A river of the water of life clear as Christal Rev. 21.2 Hic fluvius uberrima doctrina Christi So Brightman Zach. 14.8 in that day Brightman Zac. 14 8. Living waters shall go out of Jerusalem that is Evangelii doctrina so Drus Rev. 12.15 Drus. Rev. 12.15 The Dragon is said to cast out of his mouth a flood after the woman what is this flood his doctrine Mede he cast out Doctrinam pestiferam Arianismum scilicet sobolem ejus Mede 2. Because the effects that are here attributed to these waters cannot belong unto the waters alone therefore I do not only understand the truths of the Gospel but the graces of the Gospel and the gifts there bestowed Joh. 7.38,39 Out of his belly shall flow rivers of living waters c. Joh. 4.14 Whosoever drinks of this water shall thirst again but he that drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst but it shall be a well of water springing in him into everlasting life its true that there is not a healing vertue nor a quickning vertue in the word of it self Wheresoever the waters did come they were healed and every thing did live but yet it is by the word that the Lord doth work these great effects and by which the healing and quickning vertue of the Spirit is convey'd for it is a good rule that of Luther All things in the Church are to be measured by the word Florente verbo omnia florent in Ecclesia c. Luther But if all places where the waters come are not healed the Truths of God have not the same power and effect upon all there are some myrie and marish places First what is meant by these myrie and marish places the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth signifie dirt or mire such as man sinks into that is can neither go forward nor backward Ier. 38.22 thy feet are sunk in the mire and it is such a place where waters stand and have not a free passage Iob 8.11 Can the rush grow without mire and the other word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies a ditch lacuna a sink or a pit for dirty and foul water Isa 30,14 There is not a sheard to take water out of the pit and the resemblance between men that live under Ordinances unfruitfully and marish and myrie places is very plain in three things First in a marish place the water hath not a free passage but it stands and setles there it hath not affluxus and resuxus it meets with many a stop and a dam so it is with such a soul also therefore the Apostle prays that the Gospel may run and be glorified 2 Thes 3.1 Now when is the word said to run First when it meets with no stop no opposition but it hath a free passage Cum libere propagatur Secondly when it goes through the whole man and the will of God commanded is subjected unto Psal 47.15 when the word runs very swiftly that is Glass Cum voluntas Dei peragitur c. Glass So that when it hath no stop either in the mouth of the Ministers or in the hearts of the Hearers then the word is said to run and be glorified but when there are some truths of
give us is this Doctrine Holiness is the only way to happiness there is no seeing of God in glory without it none shall see God but the holy man And here for the right understanding of it we are to consider holiness three waies First quoad principium according unto the principle of it and that is Regeneration when the seeds of holyness that is holy principles are sown a new image is begun Secondly quoad incrementum according to the increase of it which is sanctification by which he that is new born to God grows up to the perfection of those habits received in the fear of God Thirdly quoad exercitium for the putting forth of those inward improved principles in a way of holy walking and this is in Scripture called obedience without holiness in all these suitable to the time and means that God doth vouchsafe man in a measure of truth and sincerity there is no hope to see the Lord. First Holiness quoad principium which is commonly called regeneration and without this there is no salvation John 3.3 Jesus said verily verily c. except a man be born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God we have first the manner of the assertion first nota dignitatis there is no truth but is a beam from the father of light but there are some truths more precious and of greater worth then others Secondly not a certitudinis all his words are true yet he doth set a special impress of truth for to be observed upon some words more then upon others Secondly the thing asserted except a man be born from above non unius partis correctionem sed totius naturae renovationem designat Calvin Calv. T is not the understanding is blind Labour to get it illightned the morals are ill Labour to reform them it is not the change of a mans way or his leaving some sins and taking up the practise of some duties but it must be A new nature as if he were new born into the world 2 Cor. 5.17 thou must have a divine nature a new creature there is nothing of the old building will serve all things must become new t is called therefore the new creation of God Thirdly the universality of the assertion aequivalet universali what age or calling or condition soever though this man were one that lived in the Church a Pharisee civil in his Conversation a Saint in his generation he was a man that had attained a more then ordinary pitch of knowledge a teacher and of a good disposition a man not bitter against Christ as the rest of his sect were and yet Christ saith to him he must be born again a man may be a member of a Church of a loving and ingenuous disposition a fair and unblamable conversation and a man of that eminency in knowledge that he may be a teacher of others and yet this man must be born again or he cannot see the Kingdom of God Fourthly the necessity he puts upon it also the Kingdom of God is both the Kingdom of grace here and hereafter of glory and to see it is frui to enjoy it participem fieri as ver 5. he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God so that to see it is to enter into or to have a mans own part and portion in it with the rest of the Saints so that let a man be never so great in the world never so eminent for profession let his outward carriage be never so upright nay Angelical yet if he hath no birth but his first birth he is not in Gods account a member of this Kingdom of grace nor hath any right to the priviledges of it here or of the Kingdom of glory hereafter he hath no part or portion therein There are two parables by which Christ doth hold this forth to us clearly first that of the marriage of the Kings son Matth. 22. there is a guest that comes without a wedding garment it is not a sleight thing to come to the ordinances in the Gospel in an unregenerate state if there be but one the King will come in to see the guests this wedding garment is Christ put on by faith in a work of vocation and the image of Christ begins in a man in the work of regeneration and he shall be cast out from the wedding that is so in the day when the Lord shall come and visit the guests so that parable of the foolish Virgins Math. 25. First Virgins they were and kept their garments from gross pollutions Secondly they were Professors and they joyned in society wih the wise Thirdly in high esteem they were for they had oyl in their Lamps they did shine as Lights in the world Fourthly they held out with great expectation unto the coming of the Lord for they went out to meet the Bride and yet they were shut out when the Bridegroom came because they had oyl in their Lamps but none in their Vessels the gifts of the Spirit of God are of two sorts some qualifying as the Spirit is forma assistens and works upon them in acts and this is oyl enough to cause them to make a profession and to shine as Lights in the world but some are renewing as the Spirit is forma informans A spirit dwelling in the Saints as a fountain of living Waters springing up to Everlasting life Now they that had the one without the other were shut out with I know you not c. And we have one famous instance in the Scripture and that is of Timothy he was born in the Church of godly Parents there was faith unfeigned in his grandmother Lois c. he was one Religiously educated for he knew the Scripture from a child and he was a child of a great deal of forwardness in so much that the People of God had great hopes of him there were many Prophesies that forespake him that he would be an eminent and a blessed instrument in the Church of God Paul saith according to the Prophesie forespoken that went of thee and yet for all this there had been no Salvation for Timothy but that he was begotten by Paul through the Gospel He is my own son in the faith 1 Tim. 1.2 And the reasons of it are two First it is in Regeneration that a man receives a new and another spirit 1 Cor. 2.12 We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit which is of God My servant Caleb hath another spirit saith God Numb 14.24 There is a double spirit that acts all Mankind all unregenerate men are under the power of the devil who is the spirit of the world the world lies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Ioh. 5.19 In aliquo posicum esse est sub ejus esse potestate Camer And this spirit acts and effects works in all the children of disobedience yea even in the elect before their conversion before their regeneration the strong man armed keeps the house till a
stronger then he comes but when the time comes that is appointed by the Father that the soul shall be actually given unto Christ who was in his purpose and in his covenant given to him before the world was for there was grace given us in Christ before the world began 2 Tim. 1.9 Now he sends forth the spirit of his son into their hearts and he takes possession of them for the Lord and the strong man that formerly kept the house is cast out that he that was before the devils house he is now the Temple of the Holy ghost and the habitation of God through the spirit now there are none for whom the house in heaven is prepared but they that have been the habitation of God here none shal dwell with God hereafter in whom the Spirit did not dwell here the same spirit that as a spirit of holiness dwels in them here it is the same spirit that is in them as a spirit of adoption and glory hereafter therefore the great change in a man the first change as the first fruit of electing love is in the receiving of another spirit and that is only in regeneration then is the spirit of Christ sent forth into the hearts of the Saints Secondly in regeneration a man receives a new Principle for by nature a man hath not in him a Principle of communion with God or of obedience to him Ioh 3.6 that is Christs Reason That which is born of the flesh is flesh it is wholly corrupt and that by which the soul is no way fitted to walk with God therefore marvell not that I say unto you that thou must be born again grace is a new creature 2 Cor. 5.17 Eph. 2.10 We are created in Christ to good works it is a new man an inward man and it is from this created infused habit that all holy actions flow let a mans duties be never so many and his outward behaviour be never so Saint like if it doth not flow from a new man an inward man it can no ways please God or be accepted of him it s a Law written in the heart spiritually enlightning the understanding and effectually determining the will unto Objects spiritual and supernaturally good and before this be wrought in a man there are no duties that are looked upon as duties by him Behold he prays Acts 9. saith the Lord to Ananias concerning Paul he was a Pharisee and they were much in prayer but it was never looked upon and reckoned as a prayer by God till he had a new principle a new man for the Lord looks to the heart that is he sees actions in their principles men can judge of principles only by their actions but God doth judge of actions according to the principles from whence they flow The tree must be good or else to God the fruit can never be good but as the apples of Sodom they must be good things that must be brought forth from an inward Treasury And take a godly man that is converted when he doth not stir up the grace of God that he hath received acts it in duty he doth perform it but barely as a natural man and it doth not stand upon account before God as a duty no further then there is an exercise of the regenerate part is any service accepted of God for it is the good work that is begun in us that the Lord will perfect Phil. 1.6 therefore grace is a good work in us a principle in the soul fitting it for service and communion and it is this that is ordained unto perfection in glory If there be not a new principle a good work begun never look to have it perfected in the day of the Lord. I see I am much prevented I shall but touch the rest Secondly Let us look upon holiness quoad incrementum and so it s commonly called in Scripture Sanctification that is the growth and improvement of that seed and those principles that were wrought in a man at his first conversion 2 Pet. 3 18. Grow in grace 2 Pet. 1.5 Add to your faith vertue non quoad habitum sed actum gradum add to the acts and thereby add to the degrees of the habit for acts do perfect habits And Col. 1.12 it is not barely the having of grace that is required unto Salvation but it is the growth of it and the improvement of it that a man may be made meet for glory I say growth in grace is a duty that is of necessity to Salvation as well as truth in grace where God gives light and means I speak not now of Infants or such as dye as soon as they are converted Col. 1.12 We are made meet Inheriters with the Satuts in light There is a double right that the Saints have to heaven First Jus haereditarium an hereditary right and that is at Regenration when they are put into Christ and so are made Coheirs with him of his inheritance having grace begun in them the same Image of God which shall be perfected in glory and was given as a principle ordained to such a perfection Secondly Jus aptitudinarium and that is a right of fitness whereby we are qualified to receive such a mercy and that is as an heir hath a right of Inheritance in his nonage but he hath not a right of fitness till he comes to years and be able to manage his Estate when he hath received it And there is required in the Saints as well a right of fitness unto Heaven as a right of inheritance without which I may say after a sort they cannot be saved and that upon a double ground First there is no grace that is ordained unto glory but growing grace and if grace be true there is a natural tendency in it unto growth as there is in seed that is cast into the earth and so much the more because they are planted by the rivers of water the Trees of righteousness they grow upon the bank of the River Ezek. 47.10 They shall grow as Willows they shall grow as Calves of the stall Mal. 4.2 There is a great measure of growth promised unto them and if true grace be necessary to salvation then growth of grace must be for there is no true grace but growing grace and there is no grace that shall come to Heaven else I forget that which is behind not that I have already attained Grace is not only donum but depositum and it must be improved it is a Talent that more must be gained by by Trading c. it is a spark from Heaven that will never cease aspiring till it be joyned with the flame of glory Eternal in the Heavens Secondly there is a pitch of grace that the Lord hath appointed unto his People that they shall fill up whilest they live here before they be translated unto glory there is a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ephes 4.13 A fulness of the age of the stature of Christ a
the pulpits in times past sound with such words as these Lord remember bleeding and dying Ireland Lord this is Ireland that is a cast-out peoplâ— hat none cares for but when thou makest inquisition for blood remember them c. and those prayers which were put up from many a gracious heart which are now answered though now many of them haply are displeased and discontented with the return of their own prayers Secondly it is a mercy given in when all things were desperate and even all hope of a deliverance was gone Now is God a help found in the needful time of trouble when the enemies power and confidence was high and they said Ireland is our own we will pursue them even take them and satisfie our lusts upon them we will surely root out the English name from amongst us and we will try if they can swim into England it may be their faith will bear them up as that partie hath alwayes scoffed at godliness in all their successes but be no more mockers least your bonds increase Now when you had not an Armie in the field the whole Kingdom was their own and not a Garrison left in the whole Kingdom but one and that brought to the very brink of destruction also and must have been surrendred speedily after they made their approaches to it Now God gives in the mercy now doth the Lord judge his people and repent him concerning his servants when he sees that their power is gone and that there is none shut up or left Deut 32.36 when there is no Army in the field no souldiers in garrison now is the time that the Lord doth appear and take to himself his great power and raign Thirdly when the Lord doth therein exceed the expectations of his servants a deliverance they hoped for but not so great not so sudden so that when it came they seemed as men that dream and they can scarce believe that God would do so great things for them when the Lord is come to do them when the son of man comes shall he find faith upon earth its a faith in reference to the coming of Christ for to take vengeance on the Churches adversaries Isa 64.3 thou didst great things for us which we looked not for for God doth not answer prayers according unto our hopes but according to his own mercies as he doth not reward our services according to the measure of our duty but in the mouth of mercy Hos 10.12 a man doth sow in duty but he doth reap in ore misericordiae Fourthly when it is by the hand of those whom they have oppressed when the witnesses that were slain shall rise again and they shall destroy their persecutors by the sword that comes out of their mouthes then it is the greater mercy and far the greater confusion unto the enemy Isa 41.15 When the worm Jacob shall thresh the mountains and when the arm of the Lord should be made bare in it and his hand more immediately seen beyond the purpose courage and intention of men they are engaged before they are aware and victorie is won before they know they are engaged in a Battle when the Lord shall bend Judah for him and fill his bow with Ephraim and they shall have the honour of the conquest that have had their great share in their Torments and were by the enemies designed for destruction and they shall fall by their hand it makes the mercy far the greater Fifthly when it is such a mercy as lets us see still that God owns the same cause and however men warp and turn too and fro yet the good old cause in which the people of God were engaged against the Antichristian party the Lord owns that cause still and gives unto his people hereby hopes of a settlement For the Lord Christ when he rides forth in the conquest of the Gospel he doth ride forth conquering and to conquer not all at once but by degrees and doth give to his people yet a ground of their faith to see if they be of the seed of the Jews before whom they have begun to fall they shall surely fall God hath given us therein Hos 2.15 the vally of Achor for a door of hope it is true that Achor was a pleasant vally and it was sweet in it self therefore it was joyned with Carmel and Bashan but yet it was much more sweet in reference to the hope for it was at the first entrance into the Land of Canaan and as the first fruits gives them possession of the whole Sixthly it is still a carrying on of the grand design that the Lord Christ hath to do in the world in the latter daies for Christ in glory hath not only Saints to gather home to himself and to bind them all up in a bundle of life and he doth raign for their sakes for he is the head over all things for the Churches sake but the Lord hath also enemies to be subdued he must raign till he hath put all his enemies under his feet and he will be faithful as the Fathers servant in the one as well as in the other therefore Rev. 14. there is a harvest of all the Saints to be reaped and there is a wine press of wicked men at the same time to be trodden c. Now the great enemy unto Christ in the latter daies of the world is that wicked one 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that Baylon the great the Mother of Harlots Now so far as this tends to the promoting of that great design as it doth exceedingly so far should the Saints of God rejoyce therein for they must by degrees go into pâ—rdition and though all the former subjects would be fit matter for our meditation throughout this day and might have given us several Considerations of very publike concernment in reference to the mercy of the day yet at present I have chosen this rather to draw out your praises thereby concerning which I shall present you but with these three considerations First the least return that you can make of a mercy is praise to God for it and it is all that the Lord doth expect of you Hos 14. and we will give thee the calves of our lips it is all the promise that the Lord would have his people make to him in the time of their straits Afflictions they are stupefactive and of a confounding nature and they close the mouth Jâ—r 8.14 let us enter into our fenced Cities and let us be silent there for the Lord our God hath put us to silence but mercies they are of an expansive and dilating nature and they open the mouth as Hannah not only her heart 1 Sam. 2.1 was filled but her mouth was enlarged also Secondly if you do not return praises for mercies God will surely add Judgements unto mercies and will turn his hand against you do you evil after he hath done you good Hezekiah received a mercy but he did not render according to
of the world Now if men be under the hand of God in wrath and one judgement doth make way for another God will punish them seven times more surely they must be utterly destroyed at the last so it was with Rome one Judgement makes way for another and one vial doth prepare and fit the subject for another So that as unto the Saints one mercy doth but prepare the subject and open the door unto another so also to ungodly men one judgement makes way for another and their hearts are hardned unto their own destruction Fifthly it is the expectation of Christ and all the Saints and all their prayers have been poured out this way First it is the expectation of Christ he is sate down at the right hand of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 expecting the rest which God hath promised him that all his enemies shall be made his footstool and Christs prayers shall be heard and his expectation shall not be frustrated nor made void and all the Saints have laid up prayers for it for Rev. 16.1 the vials come out of the Temple there is a double voice in this book a voice from the throne quod immediate a deo prosiciscitur and out of the Temple cum precibus sanctorum Impetratur Brightman Brightman Therefore all the degrees of wrath that Rome hath had upon her hath been from the prayers of the Saints and not by their Power and it hath been their expectation long ago that Rome should be utterly ruined Lactantius Horreo dicere dicam tamen quia futurum est Romanum nomen de terra amovebitur Now God that hath raised this expectation in the hearts of his people and drawn out this supplication he will not frustrate their expectations he will fulfill their petitions Doct. 2. All the Roman Power shall utterly fall they shall be destroyed with double destruction Jer. 17.18 and the sword shall be double upon them Ezek. 21.14 Babylon is fallen is fallen First the destruction of Babylon as from God it shall be pure wrath without mixture Rev. 14.10 they had a cup of fornication with which they made all Nations to drink Now God hath a cup of indignation also that which they must all drink and it is poured out without mixture if water be mixed with wine it breaks the force of the wine so that it doth not so soon bring a man to drunkenness as pure wine does this notes summum poenae severitatem judgement without mercy Here the judgements of God that he executes upon men have mercy mixed with them there is a mixture of light with all their darkness non dantur puraetenebrae but in Hell there shall be judgement without mercy and fury without compassion and truly the judgement that shall come upon Rome shall have a great resemblance of the Torments of Hell with it and therefore their judgement is very terrible Secondly it shall be an utter destruction which shall be the more Tormenting because it shall be in the height of their hopes Rev. 18.7 when she shall say I set as a Queen and am no widdâ—w and shall see no sorrow the thoughts of Babylon have been and still are high and are eminently confident of victories and successes and yet ver 8. her plagues come in one day as Sodoms with fire and brimstone Rev. 14.10 they shall be tormented with fire and brimstone God will as it were rain Hell out of Heaven upon them he hath fire and brimstone for this spiritual Sodom that they shall not know it till it comes upon them when they think themselves safe then shall judgement come and Babylon shall fall into the Sea like a mill-stone suddenly and irrecoverably Thirdly the judgement shall come upon all parties and upon all degrees and conditions of men that joyn with them all those that do partake of their sins shall have a share of the plagues there is a vial upon the earth that is upon the common people Secondly upon the Sea also there is a vial the jurisdiction of Rome Thirdly upon the rivers their ministers and Instruments that advance this authority all the ministerie of Rome that carry abroad this power over the world Fourthly upon the Sun all Princes and Magistrates and all powers so far as they hold of Rome Fifthly there will be a vial also upon Rome it self the throne of the Beast in the Lords time all this will be accomplished and the day hastens apace and there is no degree from the highest to the lowest that shall escape no place shall protect a man for the vial is poured out by the Lord and there is no escaping Fourthly there is an utter desolation described it shall become an habitationfor Devils which love to be in solitary and desolate places and it shall be a cage for every unclean and hateful bird as Sodom was it shall be a monument of wrath unto all the world Isa 13.19,20 Rev. 18.22,23 The voice of Harpers and Trumpeters shall be heard no more in thee c. and the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee c. Fifthly God will stir up the Instruments of vengeance to do their utmost to destroy them as he had before put it in the hearts of the 10. Kings to set her up so shal he also put it into their hearts to cast her down they shall make her desolate and naked and eat her flesh and burn her with fire Rev. 17.16 and Rev. 18.6 reward her as she rewarded you double upon her double and if the Lord put a principle of vengeance into the hearts of men and command them to do it surely the destruction may be exceeding fearful when the Lord does bid and command men to be cruel Lastly it shall make way for their eternal destruction For a man to undergo Temporal afflictions though they be grievous yet it were not so much so his soul might be saved in the day of the Lord but when death goes before and Hell follows after this is the greatest misery Now this is the condition of all that follow the Beast and receive his mark whose names are not written in the Book of the Lamb and therefore Rev. 19.20 the Beast was taken and the false Prophet and they were cast alive into a Lake that did burn with fire and brimstone Truly then it is terrible when judgements do make way for a mans everlasting destruction and eternal ruine Doct. 3. The destruction of Rome and every degree of it the Saints of God do look upon as matter of joy and triumph the righteous shall be glad when he sees the vengeance that shall come upon Rome and shall with a holy scorn say as they do upon the fall of litteral Babylon Isa 14. How art thou fallen from Heaven O Lucifer son of the morning Rev. 19.1 There is a voice of much people in Heaven Heaven that is put for the Church saying Amen Hallelujah because the Lord had judged the great whore c.
bosom to mourn with them and have compassion over them and this he is to do not only for some of the great ones but he is to do it impartially over all the flock For God makes no difference in respect of any mans title or place but he that hath the best heart is the best man in Gods account and in Church members those should be esteemed by us that have the greatest graces not the greatest places Fourthly it is the Pastors duty if any man in the Church walk disorderly or inordinately he is to mourn for them Jer. 13.17 My soul shall weep in secret for your pride and Phil. 3.18 Now I tell you weeping c. Their miscarriage should be to him as the errors of a child unto a tender Father he should bewail them with bitterness to consider how they thereby go about to destroy themselves should exceedingly affect the Pastor as Christ when he beheld Ierusalems sins he wept over it and many times there is nothing left for a minister to do for a person but to shed tears Secondly he is to admonish them and that authoritatively â— Thes 5.12 Know them which labour amongst you and are over you and admonish you in the Lord that is by vertue of the authority that is commited unto me by Christ I do admonish you in the Lord and this is to do a thing in the name of the Lord Iesus Christ 1 Cor. 5.4 Yea reprove them sharply and so Paul doth propose it unto the Corinthians Whither he should come to them with the rod or in the spirit of meckness Thirdly if nothing else will do they must together with the Church in which they are have the main hand they are to stir them up to cast out such a person and to represent it to the Church according to the power that is committed unto them by Christ for the Churches edification Rev. 2.3 they must not bear them that be evil they must be cast out they should look upon it as their Burthen that any amongst them should deserve to be cast out from the Church yet they must do their duty this is the rule that they have over you in the Lord Heb. 13.17 Fifthly they must walk as examples to the flock 1 Pet. 5.3 Go before them in a holy life 2 John 10. it is said Christ is the Shepherd and he goes before the sheep and his sheep do follow him the meaning is he went before them in a holy conversation for he hath in all things given us an example a Copy to write after that we should walk as he hath walked Pastors should be a living Scripture and walking Bibles more then any other men and yet ye are to take this as a rule be you followers of us as we are of Christ and mark them who so walketh as they have us for an example Philip. 3.17 Secondly for the dispositions with which all these duties are to be done which I will lay down in six particulars First from a tender love and care God doth put this care of the flock unto those whom he calls to be their Over-seers in mercy and he doth give them graces sutable Pastors graces 2 Cor. 8.16 God did put the same care into the heart of Titus Phil. 2.26 Epaphroditus that was their Pastor he doth long for them exceedingly and his love was so great that he would not have them so much as grieved and therefore he was sorry that they had heard that he had been sick there was in the heart of our Lord Christ a Law of love written thy Law is in the middle of my bowels as there should be a love amongst the members so in a special manner in those that are Pastors and Fathers to a people their bowels should yern over them Secondly all this is to be done with the spirit of meekness in a way of Ministry and not in a way of Majesty For we are but your servants for Christs sake and we are not to rule as Lords over Gods heritage 1 Pet. 5.3 and therefore pride and imperiousness must be avoided for all that we have to do is by the word and we can rule no other way Thirdly all things must be done without self-respects and to make a gain of the people we must feed the flock not for filthy lucres sake that though the Pastor is to eat of the milk of the flocks and though it be the peoples duty 1 Cor. 9.14 God hath ordained that they should yet this is not to be the end propounded by the Minister or Pastor unto themselves for them to have such a low end as this put me into the Priests office that I may eat a piece of bread no we are to seek you and not yours and to expect our crown of glory at the appearing of the great Shepherd of the sheep 1 Pet. 5.9 Fourthly it must be with faith and an expectation that God will in a special manner bless their endeavours and labours unto that people over which God hath put them over which the holy Ghost hath made them overseers for with the call of God there doth go the blessing of God and if God do put a man into any office he may expect a blessing upon him in that imployment he doth call Christ and he doth promise him the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand and Christ sends forth the Apostles and he promises to be with them to the end of the world Math. 28.19 the people are to expect a greater blessing by them because God hath put them over them Heb. 13.17 they watch for your souls So the Ministers also that go forth with faith to preach the Gospel the Lord will make them a blessing to the people where he sends them Fifthly it must be done as those that give an account for your souls that are the people committed to his care Heb. 13.17 there are great accounts that men have to give for talents and opportunities of doing good and of Riches that God hath entrusted them with and Honours and the day of grace but the greatest account is that of souls which are precious unto all those to whom their own souls are precious and as the Lord Jesus himself comes in at the last day before the Father Here am I and the children that thou hast given me Heb. 2.13 So also this will be the work of the Ministry at the last day they will give an account of your souls O what a great thing is it for a Minister to be able to say I prayed for such a soul I instructed such a soul he was blind before and God used me as an Instrument to convey light to him I watched over such a soul for it is your souls only that we have to do with all and its only with reference to your souls that we watch over you Sixthly the Pastors of a people do their duty as those whose crown of glory it will be at the last day
for us to deliver our flock well into the hands of the great Shepherd at the last day that he hath betrusted them with 1 Thes 2.19.20 This is our glory and Crown of rejoycing yea in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming c. to see their graces thrive their souls prosper Christ gloried in it he sees the Travel of his soul and is satisfied and it is a great satisfaction unto poor Ministers in this particular also and having given their charge safe into the hands of Christ they shall then lay down the burden of their office and they and their flock shall be made happy together and though the particular relation shall cease between them yet shall they take more special comfort and communion one with another as Saints in glory for ever their relation that they had to each other here will sweeten their glory hereafter Secondly Now to make up this Order of the Gospel also there is a duty that the Members do owe unto their Pastors that are in this manner chosen by them and they are these First it is the peoples duty to pray for them as those that God sets in authority over them if your Pastor prays for you as being over you you should also pray for him as being over you First pray for their gifts and abilities to go through their duty the whole compass of it Eph. 6.10 and for me saies the Apostle that utterance may be given unto me Secondly for their preservation Rom. 15.30 That you strive together in prayers that I may be delivered from them that do not believe in Judea Thirdly pray that they may have a sanctified use of all their afflictions and of all Gods dispensations Phil. 1.19 I know that this also shall turn to my salvation through your prayers when the prayers of Pastor and people meet together at the Throne of grace each for other it is exceeding acceptable to God Secondly honour them in your hearts let it be answerable to the honour Christ hath given them in the Congregation 1 Thes 5.13 Know them and esteem them highly in love for their works sake they are to look upon themselves as your servants and to look upon you as the Lords heritage and that they are not Lords of the flock they are not to know in that respect their own honour as Moses his face did shine it was seen of others but not of himself but yet there is an honour that is due from you unto them also Thirdly submit unto them or be perswaded by them Heb. 13.17 Attend upon their ministrie as those from whom you may expect a special blessing though it may be they may not have such great parts and gifts as others yet they are those that God hath set over you and do you submit to them though they be in outward respects far inferiour unto you yet as they are Pastors so they stand in Christs stead for remember they are so by an Institution and so disobedience unto them speaking in the name of Christ is a disobedience unto Christ he that hears you hears me and he that despiseth you despiseth me it is a very dangerous thing for a people to have their Minister go to God against them and bewail the contempt that is put upon them and say Lord thou hast sent me to a rebellious and gain saying people Christ says to such a one Thou shalt kick the dust of thy feet against them it will be easier for Sodom then it will be for that man in the day of Judgement Fourthly encourage his labours strengthen his hands stand by him look upon your selves as concerned in all things that befall him Phil. 2.26 Epaphroditus was sick and they were very sensible of it though he were absent from them and he was willing to venture his life for the Churches service and indeed the labour is burdensom and continual do what you may to make it easie to him that he may undergo it with cheerfulness For if he give up his account with grief it will be unprofitable for you Heb. 13.17 So if he do his work with grief also it will be as unprofitable to you as uncomfortable to him Fifthly admonish him of what evil so ever you see in him if he do not walk with a right foot towards the Gospel or be negligent in the performing of his office say to him Take heed to thy Ministry Col. 4.17 It were a misery for the greatest officer to be exempted from that ordinance of admonition which is a mercy to the meanest member and yet be careful do not take up every flying report against him for there are no men so subject to the scourge of the Tongue as they are but God as he will wipe all tears from their eyes will also wipe off all blots from their name Sixthly there is a supply which you are to make to their wants and it is your duty to administer unto them of your substance according to your ability Gal. 6.6 You must make him partaker of all good things First you must do it in obedience as an Ordinance of God Secondly it must be given proportionably to a mans ability for it must be in all good things Thirdly not to think much of what you give them if the ministers of the Gospel sow spiritual things why should we count it a great matter if we let them reap of our carnal things these things which are the truths that the Gospel holds forth as the Lord hath enabled me I have endeavoured to give every one their portion both Pastor and people what remains further in relation to both as God gives opportunity I shall by his assistance set before you I shall now beg your prayers that the Lord would teach me how to go in and out before you that so I may be given you in mercy and not in Judgement Church-Officers According to Institution Preached at the Churches choosing of Officers HEB. 13.17 Obey them that have the rule over you and submit your selves for they watch for your souls as they that must give an account that they may do it with joy and not with grief for that is unprofitable for you THE Church of Christ is sometimes called The Tabernacle Rev. 11.1 c. And as in the Tabernacle all was by Institution done according to a pattern both Ordinances and Officers so it must be in the Church of God the spiritual Tabernacle of God amongst men 1 Cor. 12.4,5,6 There are three things that are by the Lord exceedingly differenced in the Church first there are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all have not the same gifts but the Lord divideth them according as he will Secondly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there are diversities of Offices all the members in a Church have not one and the same office or ministery or labour Thirdly there are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 different effects of those offices and gifts men labour in them with a different fruit and
set before other men and exalted above them for in Church societies it is not outward honours or wealth that exalts men men may be great men yet have but mean gifts and of little honour and esteem in the Church of God but also they are called by terms of authority they are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in this place and v. 7. they are your Guides Leaders and Commanders and therefore it is taken from the Master or Pilot in a Ship that turns it about to steer it in its right course and therefore they were of old called The Masters of Assemblies Eccl. 12. and this appears so much the greater if you do consider also that they speak to you in the name of Christ for 1 Thes 5.12 They are over you in the Lord and what they do require by vertue of their office they can do it in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ as an Embassador hath great power because he speaks in the name of the King and they can enjoyn you as you owe obedience to Christ in whose name we speak and whose work we do therfore he that rejecteth you rejecteth me 1 Cor. 5.4 In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ deliver such a man to Satan if they did it in their own name there were little power in it indeed but in the name of Christ there is great authority and there is this the more to be added because as it is a power given them by Christ and Christ is despised in them so it is a power given them by your own consent now for a man to give consent to put power into a mans hand and afterwards he denyes him the exercise of that power which he hath given him it is for a man to Judge and condemn himself in the thing which he himself allows therefore it layes a necessity upon you of subjection to this power both for conscience sake and as a thing that was done by your own free election and consent and so there is not only an authority that commands it but a Law of love also as a woman subjects her self to her husband not only as God hath commanded it and given him authority over her but also from a principle of love because this is the man that I did chuse to my self to obey and to be subject unto all my dayes therefore a double Law is broken in this respect and this still argues the greatness of an Officers power in the Church It s called the power of the keyes which doth note a very great authority and office Isa 22.22 power in the house the ordering of governing of all the affairs in a family shall go through their hands as it is said of Joseph what ever was done in all the land of Egypt he was the doer of it so it is true of them what ever is done in the Church of God it must go through their hands they must also be the doers of it and Math. 16.19 it is the keyes of the Kingdom of Heaven which is meant both of grace and glory a power to bind and loose in the Church by vertue of the Institution of Christ and what they do bind and loose or they remit or retain shall be so done in the world to come in the Kingdom of Heaven so that they shall open Heaven to the Church and if they shut them out heaven shall be shut out if they binde upon their consciences so will the Lord also in the world to come in Heaven and in this respect it is a far greater power then if a man had the keyes of the authority and Government of all the Kingdoms of the Earth Thirdly the subjects of this authority it is not the bodies lives of men or their estates but the authority is spiritual and it relates unto the soul only and this will appear First because it is managed only by spiritual means as the Kingdom of Christ is not of this world the management of things in the Church of Christ are not to be done in the way of the world it is not by any outward power and greatness or by authority and force of arms c. but all is ordered by the word 2 Cor. 10.5 The weapons of our warfare are mighty through God for it is this that is the Scepter of the power of Christ and all the authority that he doth exercise by his Ministers and Officers under him it is by the word only and if they wil not hear the word let such a man be unto thee a Heathen man let him be Anathema Maranatha to the coming of the Lord we must leave him as a man incurable we can do no more to him 1 Cor. 16.22 if the word will not reclaim him we have no way to deal with him but to set before him the Judgement that is written which if he despise then Church-Officers have no more to do but as they when they refused the Gospel did shake off the dust of their feet it will be easier for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of Judgement they have no power either to imprison or afflict their bodies or seise upon their estates if they obey not they can only leave men to the Judgement of the Lord. Secondly answerable unto the power such are the censures and they are all spiritual they relate unto the soul they can inflict no corporal punishment upon men but the Punishment in Scripture and first a binding of their sins Joh. 20.21 as they pardon sin in the conscience and in regard of their Church-state by receiving them after sinning upon their repentance So there is a binding of sin upon the conscience convincing a man of the guilt of sin and also the putting him out of the society so that the mans sin is bound in his own conscience and before the Church and the Lord saith It shall be bound in heaven and shall not be pardoned to him or if he be godly he shall not have the sense of pardon till by this ordinance of Christ he be again received Secondly they withdraw communion with him 2 Thes 3.14 If any man obey not our word note that man and have no fellowship with him that he may be ashamed all this is in reference to the soul that the man may be reclaimed it is only Mingle not with him that when he shall see all godly men to avoid him as a Pest and his communion as some filthyness he may thereby take shame to himself Thirdly deliver him to Satan 1 Cor. 5.4,5 Ordinances are means to inflict spiritual Judgements as well as to convey spiritual Blessings cast him out by a Judicial act from the Assemblies of the Saints and so being cast out he is in the world where Satan rules he shall have nothing to do with Ordinances more and yet all this is with special respect unto his soul it is for the destruction of the flesh that the soul may be saved in the day of the Lord therefore all power
is for the good of the soul that is committed to the Officers of the Church Thirdly all their power is for spiritual ends all with relation to the soul First for preservation they do watch over them that they be not deceived with corrupt Doctrines lest being led away with the error of the wicked they should fall from their stedfastness and because VVolves will come in watch therefore take heed to your selves and to all the flock Act. 20.30 and also lest they be corrupted in their practises for a little leaven will leaven a whole lump therefore Church Officers are made watch-men to discover the danger that is coming upon them and to prevent it Secondly for their edification therefore S Paul saith The power was given for edification that he had authority in the Church it was that he might have the greater opportunity to edifie the Church of God and 1 Thes 5.12 They labour amongst you and admonish and instruct you all is for the edification of the body of Christ till we all come to the unity of the faith and to a perfect man Thirdly for their salvation all is done that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord 1 Cor. 5.5 and therefore the great care of all the Officers mentioned in Scripture hath been of the souls of men and to see their souls prosper and their graces thrive how ever it was with them in outward things if they were rich in faith and abounding in hope and full of good works though it went never so mean with them in outward things they were not afflicted with it and therefore Paul is mightily troubled when they are turned away from the Truths of the Gospel and when any of them do walk scandalously to the endangering of the souls of the rest of the body c. Fourthly Officers must give an account of souls that are committed unto them Here first every man must give an account to God for his own soul and his own waies for we must all appear before the Judgement seat of Christ to this end 2 Cor. 5.10 Secondly every man shall give an account of the souls of others so far as either they have been under his power or he hath had a hand or been instrumental in their destruction as the destruction of Israel will be charged upon Ieroboham who made Israel to sin and Lev. 19.17 Thou shalt not bear sin for him Ab alienis meis Austin Austin and it is a terrible thing to be Instrumental in any mans destruction Thirdly but Officers in a special manner that do take the charge of souls they shall give an account for them that is according to the terms of the Prophet Ezek. 3.17,18 If thou give him warning he shall dye in his sin the blood shall be upon his own head thou hast delivered thy own soul but if thou do not give him warning he doth perish but his blood shall be charged upon thee it shall be required at thy hands it is the guilt of blood that is the greatest guilt and of all bloods the blood of souls yet this is that which lyes upon you which Erasmus saith Erasmus are fulmina non verba it s a terrible thing to consider such a charge upon him with such a danger A man that considers what account he hath to give of his own sins he would not be willing to take upon him also the guilt of other mens sins and give account for them Fourthly all that are imployed by God there will come a time when they must come unto God and deliver up their charge for the talents that they have received I had five Talents here they are and are improved to five more the unprofitable servant must come also that hid his Talent in a Napkin and conscience shall give up its charge when it layes down its viatory office delivering the man up perfectly unto the grace of God and Christ the Kingdom which some as Chrysostom do understand of the Church of the Saints and that fitly and truly unto the Father I have kept them through thy name take them now to thy self that they may be with me where I am and so for a man to lie down in the dust with this account and to appear before God with this truth Of all the souls that thou hast given me this is my account that I have brought them unto thee safe here am I and the children thou hast given me Fifthly of all trusts in the world that of souls is the greatest First it is the great thing in the man and the man is lost when his soul is lost and therefore in one place it is said loose thy soul and in another loose thy self it is eternal destruction when the soul is lost it is more worth then a world it will not profit a man to gain the world if he loose his soul Secondly it is the great thing that Christ betrusts us with he doth prize it above all things else all other Talents that he gives us are but for the good of the soul and it was in love to the soul that Christ did and suffered all that he did for poor lost man it was meerly for the redemption of his soul the great thing that Christ hath an eye to is the soul the which he hath most glory and about which he hath laid out most grace Thirdly it is that which Satan doth most of all oppose and desire to destroy he is indeed Abadon he hates all man-kind but his chief aim is at the soul he is a murtherer but he will murther the soul if he can that is it which he doth charge all his volleys at he cares not for mens estates and for their honours it is their souls that is the great thing in his eye therefore there is nothing is in so much danger and there is no such trust committed unto a man as the souls of men it is a greater trust then to have the charge of all the Kingdoms of the world Sixthly surely then they had need know the souls well that are under their charge they had need of a very exact account of them and to keep an account of them that shall give this account before Christ at the last day and therefore all that are heedless in this office and that for low and poor ends undertake such a charge and are negligent and are wanting in that labour and diligence in it it doth plainly argue that men do judge the account of souls to be but a small thing and that which may be easily passed over and truly as he that hath no care of his own soul will never take care of an others so he that makes no matter of giving up an account to Christ of his own soul it is no wonder if it be a small thing to him if he had the burden of all other mens souls upon him also but he to whom the account of his own soul is dreadful he
come to Application First I desire to shew you what it is for a man to draw neer to God by sin every man he is departed from God the first design of sin is to draw a man away 1 Iam. 14. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the further a man goes in a way of sinning the further he doth depart from God Inde 18. and all the lustings of their heart are ungodly lusts In this respect it is said the Prodigal went into a far Country Eph. 2.17 Now there is by reason of sin a double distance of enmity and estrangement The Apostle in Col. 1.21 puts them both together VVe are strangers and enemies in our minds through evil works now answerable to this double distance so must our returning to God be there must be a returning by reconciliation to take away your enmity and by Communion to take away your estrangement for Christs business is to bring us back unto God again 1 Pet. 3.18 First for Reconciliation that is not in Scripture called drawing neer so much as being made neer Eph. 2.17 You are made neer that were a far off by the blood of Christ so that by Reconciliation a man is put into a state of neerness and proquinquity That is the first thing whereby the creature returns to God but now being made neer being put into a state of union then Secondly The soul comes to draw neer that is the estrangement must be removed which is done by communion to exercise acts of communion observe it I pray I say a man must first be put into a state of neerness and made neer before ever he can exercise acts of communion and then draw neer Now this drawing neer is for a soul to come to God from day to day to improve his interest in him grow into more and more acquaintance and familiarity with him and you shall find that when a man is once brought into a state of union then the Lord calls him alwaies unto fellowship Open unto me my Love my Sister and my Spouse there are continual knocking 's of the Lord as for a further entrance there is a principle in us alwaies drawing back to perdition and you shall find that there is a Spirit within alwaies calling to draw neer unto God the Bride saith come and the Spirit saith come the Spirit in the Bride There is a great deal of distance between God and the best of the Saints for 2 Cor. 5. while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. So Ignatius of old he saith Aqua viva in me intrinsecus dicit veni ad Patrem that there was a living voice within him that alwaies called upon him And I beseech you consider a soul that is once put into a state of communion and hath tasted what it is to draw neer to God he desires a daily communion he is never neer enough he doth continually set it as a seal upon the heart When a man is once by reconciliation put into a state of neerness then in all Ordinances in all waies of obedience in his exercise of all graces the soul is said to draw neer that is to act and increase his fellowship and communion with God This I conceive to be the meaning of that expression Ioh 22.21 Acquaint thy self with God and be at peace so goodness shall come unto thee acquaint thy self with him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 assuesce te cum illo it is in the Hebrew and is rendred by some accustom thy self to be with him a daily commerce with God and an accustoming of a mans self with fellowship and communion with him this is properly to draw neer So that as Reconciliation taketh away your enmity so communion takes away your estrangement But you will say to me Can a creature draw neer to God if you look upon man in his natural distance God is in heaven you are upon earth can there be a drawing neer between finite and infinite cna finite and infinite have fellowship nay look upon man in his moral distance as a sinner and so can there be agreement between light and darkness can righteousness and unrighteousness have fellowship Surely God is a consuming fire and who can dwell who can engage his heart to draw neer to him Now give me leave I beseech you to clear this to you by proposing to you this consideration There is a two-fold state of a sinner There are some sinners that are in a state of estrangement unto God and whosoever you be that are here present the enmity of whose nature is not yet taken away and destroyed by a work of Reconciliation I say to you whatsoever you be you cannot draw neer to God you may have communion with duties you may pray you may hear but you can never have fellowship with God in those duties and that upon a double ground First because the enmity of your nature remains and two cannot walk together unless they be agreed and surely the neerer such a soul comes to God in any duty wherein Gods people approach to him the more God is provoked against him and the more he is estranged from him a strange expression that of the Prophet I saw him in Gilgal there I held my peace Gilgal was the place of worship the neerer any man comes the more a mans heart riseth against him and the more enmity doth encrease I saw him in Gilgal and there I held my peace you cannot draw neer to God the enmity of your natures still remains You cannot draw neer to God also Secondly because you have another society your fellowship is with unfruitful works of darkness and the fellowship the amity and love of the world is enmity unto God I remember Augustine complains concerning himself in the daies of his unregenerate condition speaking of the pride of the lusts of his Spirit Ecce hi sunt amici quibus consului quibus credidi these were the companions that I conversed with these were my friends and these were my Counsellors Now my Beloved whosoever he be that hath Communion with the unfruitful works of darkness it is no wonder if that man cannot draw neer to God I have told you already and I desire you would lay it to heart you must be made neer or else you can never draw neer you must be in a state of communion or else you can never have fellowship with God That is the first thing But there are a second sort of sinners that are made neer by the blood of Christ and these though God be in heaven and they are upon earth though they be sinners and the Lord be holiness it self nay though they in their own apprehensions shall say as Hooper once did Lord thou art Heaven I am Hell yet they may draw neer to him and that upon these six grounds I beseech you observe them A sinner put into a state of communion may upon these grounds draw neer to God The first is Gods
the more he shall be acquainted with the secrets of God for communion lies much in imparting of secrets Abraham is called the friend of God and he had gotten such an interest in him that God can do nothing that he will hide from Abraham Gen. 18. And Moses God will speak to him as a man with his friend sace to face 1 Sam. 9.15 The Lord told Samuel in his ear In this respect it may be truly said the secret of the Lord is with them that fear him and his Urim and Thumim with his holy ones these lean upon the Lords bosom from day to day and that is the seat of secrets as well as of love Thirdly the more a man draws neer to God the more acceptable will all his services be and therefore the more Moses appeared before God and stood in the gap the more God delighted in him and he turned away the wrath of God from his people Job must pray for his friends and the Lord will hear him though they were godly men yet they were not contented that it should be only well with them but they wrestled with God for others and God will honour them with the answer of prayers for they that draw most neer to God and God draws neer to them are the men of his good will God will say unto them Concerning my sons and the works of my hands command ye me c. and therefore Bernard speaking of such times of Communion Bernard Dulce commercium sed Breve momentum saith he when it is so with a man then pray for me cum talis fueris memento mei for then his prayers will surely prevail Moses prays Exod. 32. Lord pardon them c. and God repented of the evil he thought to have done to his people c. My presence shall go before thee and I will give thee rest Lord shew me thy glory Thou canst not see my face and live but I will cause my goodness to pass before thee God can in such approaches unto the soul deny them nothing Fourthly the more a man shall prosper in whatever he doth undertake Joseph was a successful man in all his undertakings and the ground of it was because the Lord was with him Gen. 39. last he kept constant Communion with God and so David in all things that he did he prospered for the Lord was with him 1 Chron. 11.9 Josh 5. the ground of all Joshua's success in war was because the Lord was with him I know a godly man doth prize his services above his comforts his work above his wages as one of the Martyrs said when he came to dye Nothing did grieve him more then that he was now going to a place where he should be for ever receiving wages and never do any more work Now if you would be employed by God and would have the Lord to delight to use you and prosper you in your undertakings keep close to him Fifthly the more fellowship you have with God the more friendship you shall find among men Indeed the people of God are commonly the persons that are most evil spoken of in the world the evil eyes of vain men are set against them and they will do what they can to render them unsavoury and they learn from their father the Devil to cast aspersions on them But yet notwithstanding they are the Lords darlings and are precious in his sight the world may throw dirt on them but it shall not stick or fasten there and if it be good for them they shall be delivered from the strife of evil tongues and in evil times when dangers come when the enemy encamps the City God will give them favour in the sight of their enemies God gave Ioseph favour in the sight of the Keeper of the prison Gen. 39.21 and Ier. 3.9,11 Nebuchadnezar gave charge concerning Ieremiah a poor man in a danger when the rest of the great Princes were not considered and among the godly they have the highest place in their hearts All my delight is in the Saints saith David Zach. 8. ten men shall lay hold of the skirt of a Iew because God is with him Communion with God here is the highest pitch of happiness next to the beatifical Vision in glory Sixthly Lastly it is the highest pitch of happiness for any people to have God for their God the People of God make this their great Boast Who is a God like unto our God and the neerer they come to God the more they have of him the fuller is their happiness and they are thereby encouraged because they know that God delights in Communion with them he calls upon them for it he proclaims it to let the world see that he that is God blessed for ever will have his Tabernacle among men he will walk amongst them Rev. 21.4 he calls them Hephzibah my delight is in them Communion is the first fruit of fruition therefore the people of God should labour for it every act of fellowship is the morning-star Rev. 2.21 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and doth assuredly tell that the day is approaching if it be so great a matter to have the first fruits of glory what must the possession be Consider what hath been said and the Lord give you understanding in all things THE SAINTS INHERITANCE At Mr Carryl's Church at London-bridge 1 COR. 3.22 Or things to come OMitting the Context The words contain in them the Inheritance of a Christian with the Tenure thereof The Inheritance is all things the Tenure is ye are Christs and Christ is Gods First the Saints have an Inheritance Christ is by the Father appointed heir of all things Heb. 1.13 As he is the Son he is haeres natus as he is the Mediator he is haeres constitutus The one by Generation which was an act of his Nature and the other Designation which was an act of his Will Now the Saints being made Sons by the Sonship of Christ they are also made co-heirs with him in his Inheritance Rom. 8.17 And his Inheritance being all things so must theirs be There are two things in Christ to be distinguished First 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a price payd and thereby a satisfaction given unto provoked Justice and so Christ did fulfil the righteousness of the Law and payd the curse thereof Secondly there is Meritum which is a purchase made as it was perform'd by a person that was not bound unto the Law The Law indeed required it of Men but not of him that was God and Man and so the excellency of the person is the ground of the Merit and of the Purchase and the Inheritance for though it be true Meritum Christi habet in se gratiam invisceratam there is the free grace of God in all the merit of Christ Yet there is nothing that is so pure grace but that there is a purchase also therein That the Father may be truly said to give it and Christ truly said to purchase it also
And this Inheritance is as full and large as could be desired for it is all things Rev. 21.7 He that ouercomes shall inherit all things All things are yours 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 our gifts are benefits given for your good It 's said of Christ Psalm 86. That God hath put all things under his feet that is hath given all things into his power and dominion In potestate tradere so as all shall be his servants at his command and their utmost end shall be his glory and so he hath put all things under the feet of the Saints they are all subjected to them as their servants so that the highest end next unto the glory of Christ is for their good All things shall work together for their good 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 First all things are for their use 2 Cor. 6.10 As having nothing and yet possessing all things So that though the Saints do not ingross all things unto themselves by way of a Monopoly yet as far as their necessity shall require they may expect the use and the service of them all so that whatsoever extraordinary experiment any of the antient Saints have had of the service of the creatures when they have needed them that they also may expect as their exigencies and necessities shall require The Heavens to rain bread and Rocks to give water and the Sun to stand still and the Moon to go badk for the Saints are the Lords of all the creatures and all things shall be for their use because they have an interest in him that is the Lord of Hosts Fidelibus est totus mundus Aug. Secondly all things are the Saints for their comfort and they can tast a goodness and a sweetness in them all 1 Tim. 6.17 He gives us all things richly to enjoy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And indeed in this respect we must onely mundo uti frui Deo for he is onely to be the rest and delight of the soul So the Schoolmen tell us fruitio est finis In the utmost end attain'd we have the greatest comfort that a soul can be capable of it is noblissima voluntatis actio and so as Heb. 11.25 Injoy the pleasures of sin Other pleasures enjoyed become pleasures of sin all creatures enjoy'd become the baits and the snares to sin but here fruition as one hath well observed signifies nothing else but cum laetitia rem aliquam perci pere and so God hath given a godly man the creatures and all things that he may take comfort in them And this is the Saints portion that they may have all these things as a Viaticum in their way to heaven Though their happiness lyes not in these things these things are not the peculiar gifts of God to them even unregenerate men may have the creatures For God gives the Kingdoms of the earth to the basest of men but they have no comfort in them they have only the sting the gall and the wormwood that is in them all his dayes he eats his meat in darkness Eccles And he hath sorrow with his dainties Thirdly a godly man hath a spiritual fruit and benefit by them all of them tend to his blessing and to the prosperity of his inward man They are scala caeli and the soul climbs to heaven by them as it 's said of King Jehoshahat 2 Chron. 17.5,6 he had riches and honour in abundance and his heart was encouraged in the wayes of the Lord c. whereas to other men their Table becomes a snare to their soul it 's to them as lime to their wings that they cannot ascend up to heaven They are pondus the weight that keeps the soul groveling here below There 's a double evil befallen the creatures since that curse came upon them Gen. 3.17 it 's deceiving and it's defiling 1. They deceive they are themselves empty yet raise mens expectations from them He that depends on them seeds on ashes Isa 44.20 and comes under the Serpents curse Dust shalt thou eat and when he depends most thereon is as he that worshippeth an Idol who hath a lye in his right hand 2. They defile Tit. 1.15 to the unclean all things are unclean Now in the covenant that the Lord made with the creatures Hos 2.19,20 c. God promises not onely that they shall not be hurting but that they shall not be poluting to the soules of the people of God Grace shall make advantage by them all and they shal all of them work together unto a mans spiritual good that the soul shal shine prosper by them Fourthly they shall all of them have an influence into eternity and all of them shall adde to a mans eternal account and a man shall have the fruit of them in his eternal inheritance A man makes friends of the unrighteous Mammon and therein makes himself bags that wax not old Luk. 12.23 and thereby lays up a good foundation for time to come that he may lay hold of eternal life for we are but Stewards of what we enjoy and we must one day give an account answerable to the improvement of those Talents committed to us by God such will our honour be at the last thou hast been faithful in the Mammon of unrighteousness and therefore the Lord will not fail to give unto thee the true Treasure Secondly the Tenure is ye are Christs for we hold all in Capite all by virtue of Union Omnes communio fundatur in unione our communion with him is in his graces in his priviledges in his victories in his sufferings in his inheritance c. But what 's the ground of it It 's from our union It 's the highest glory of a man next the glory of God that such a glorious creature as a woman should be made for his comfort and service for the man was not created for the woman but the woman for the man So the highest glory of God is Christ as God-Man that he should become subject to him That he that was the Lord of the Law should be made under the Law he that was God equal with the Fother 2 Cor. 11.3,4 and thought it no robbery so to be So Christ holds his right to all things from God and we hold ours from Christ by vertue of union with him There is a double dominion There is dominium politicum and that is grounded upon the providential Kingdom that Christ as the Lord hath bestowed upon him by God all the services of the creatures for he hath bought all the creatures even all the world of God not onely the Saints but ungodly men also for there are some deny the Lord that bought them But he buyes them not all alike but some as servants others as sonnes some their persons and others their services onely and as servants he doth give unto them a reward and they have a right to it but it s onely a right of Providence as they are servants But now there
in an afflicted condition He went mourning all the day long for the oppression of his enemies and the Lord hid his Face And his soul was dejected within him but yet he had hope in God For I shall yet praise him who is the health of my Countenance and my God The Saints do comfort themselves in their saddest condition with their Interest in things to come that the Lord will wait on them and be gratious and will not keep his anger for ever Consider these Eight thiâ—gs Secondly But how shall things to come become the Saints In respect of good and evil things to come 1. They are delivered from temptations to come A man shall be delivered from them and not left unto them and there is a great deal of mercy in the preventing grace of God this way in being freed from temptations The Lord will not lead his People through the Land of the Philistines Exod. though it was the neerest way to the Land of Canaan lest the people see it and their hearts turn back again into Egypt c. And indeed the Lord doth strangely order things in his Providence that temptations may be hid from his Peoples Eyes Satan desires continually to winnow the Saints but the Lord rebukes him and all his temptations 2. If Temptations sometimes assault them yet he doth make provision for them against Temptation Satan hath desired to winnow thee saith our Lord to Peter Luk. 23.31 but I have prayed for thee The Lord lays in consolation for the future tryals of the Saints and as the Temptation was fore-appointed so also is the Consolation Jer. 10.11 When the children of Israel were in Babylon and should have temptations to worship other Gods they were bid to make this Answer The Gods that have not made the Heavens and the Earth shall perish from the Earth and from under these Heavens And 't is very observable that one Answer God puts into their mouths is wrote in the Chaldee Tongue c. So the Saints shall be able to withstand them by vertue of the Intercession of Christ c. 3. Afflictions to come either they shall be delivered from them as Hezekiah thou shalt saith God be gathered into thy grave in peace God had an Ark for Noah and a Grave for Methusalah The Floud was appointed to come upon all the Earth well at the time appointed it comes But first Methusalah must be delivered for he lived until that very Year the Flood came and God provides him a Grave takes him away from the evil to come him does God deliver from it But Noah he must abide the tryal for him God provides an Ark and safely carries him through it Isa 4.5 Upon all the glory there shall be a defence The great water Floods shall not come nigh unto thee or else if they be afflicted they shall be gratiously supported under them The grace of God shall be sufficient for he hath promised When thou goest through the fire I will be with thee Isai 43.2 There is gratia perveniens assisteus in suffering as well as in sins and duties Psal 43.46 We will not fear though the earth be removed for there is a River the streams whereof shall make glad the City of God 4. Mercies to come to the Saints shall prove Mercies indeed Saul hath a Kingdom as wel as David but it was a mercy to David and therefore the Lord did qualifie him for it and gave him Kingly graces and weaned hii soul from the Mercy before he had Bernard Bern. Ecce paratum est cor meum vis me constituere pastorem ovium aut regem populorum My heart is as a weaned child Psal 131.2,3 And therefore it 's sayd Isa 30.18 that the Lord waits to be gracious he doth not defer because he is unwilling to bestow mercies upon us but because we are not prepared to receive Mercie for Mercies to unprepared soules are like unto Cordials unto foul stomacks the which do but increase the peccant humours and therefore the Lord never gives them till the season of them and till he hath prepared the soul to receive them There is a double right that the people of God have to Mercy First there is jus haereditarium a right of Inheritance and that they have as soon as they are converted but yet they are but then as a child in its nonage Secondly there is a jus aptitudinarium a right of fitness that is wanting and the Lord doth not give any Mercy in Mercy till both be found in the soul till there is a right of fitness as well as an hereditary right Fifthly Sins to come If God leaves under any temptation that we are foyled by it as that the best of Gods people may for I know no sin but may overtake such but final impenitency and the sin against the Holy Ghost yet all things shall work together for good to them that fear God Et si omnia qui ni etiam peccata Aug. Aug. If all things then sin it self is not excluded God makes a strange use of sin to his peoples good and benefit either to discover unto a man what is in his heart and so to abate his carnal confidence as the Lord did let Hezekiah fall to that end that the work of Mortification may be perfected and the Sword of Godly sorrow may go the wider and the Plough of Repentance the deeper and that shall be the fruit of it that the man may be more vile in his own sight or else to make him the more instrumental in that kind to do good unto others being able to comfort them with the same consolation with which he himself was comforted of God And being himself converted he may be the better able to convert and strengthen the brethren Luk. 22.32 And the Saints of God do see great Mercy even in their sins to come as well as in their suffering that as some of the Antients have blessed God for the Falls of the Saints those Horrenda naufragia by reason of the comfort and support and admonitions that they had from them So they do see cause many times to bless God for that Grace that brings so much good out of their sins also and so much they may promise themselves from a principle of Faith in regard of sinning as well as suffering Sixtly in respect of the happy and glorious condition of the Church that is promised in the latter daies there is a time coming when all the kingdoms of the earth shall become the kingdoms of the Lord and of his Christ Rev. 11.16,17 and unto the holy people of the most high Dan 17.27 And when the smoak out of the Temple shall vantsh and the Temple shall be opened in heaven and a man may see into the Court of the Testament which is within the vayl The darkness of the preâ—ent dispensation of God shall be done away and new Jerusalem shall come down from God out of heaven
of bread cleaness of teeth invasions of Enemies but never any like unto this and therefore does the Prophet call it an onely evil Ezek. 7.5,6,7 it 's come and it is not a high sound the eccho of the mountains but it shall be so in truth and in reality in which the fury of the Lord shall be poured out upon them he would give the dearly beloved of his soul into the hand of his enemies Secondly there 's none like it if we also compare Gods dealing with them and with other people The Lord hath not dealt so with any Nation as he hath done with Jerusalem and therefore they are afflicted and in captivity with the heathen Nations who are at ease and sit stil Zach. 1.13.14 For judgement must begin at the House of God and there is at the last a worse end remaining for them that obey not the Gospel c. Secondly here 's a consolation also Jacob shall have his time of trouble but it is yet but a time the people of God never enter into affliction without a promise and therefore they are prisoners of hope when they are in a pit in which there 's no water Zach. 9.11,12 There are three great promises that the Saints have under all their afflictions First they are promised support in the affliction I will be with you and there 's a River the streames whereof do make glad the City of God Gen. 15. there 's a light that goes between the peeces in the middle of the darkness the bush in the fire is not burnt a peculiar providence watches over them to keep them from fainting under the affliction Secondly they are promised Sanctification This is the fruit of the affliction to take away their sins by this shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged they shall be made partakers of his holynesse and of his glory for these light afflictions that are but for a moment shall work for us a more exceeding and eternal weight of glory Thirdly there 's a promise of deliverance out of affliction Israel shall not dye in Aâ—gypt though it be four hundred years before they come forth though the Temple be trodden down of the Gentiles and the woman be in the wilderness 1260. dayes yet she shall not alwaies be in a wilderness estate and though they be in Babylon yet the Lord by the blood of the Covenant will send them forth out of the pit and he will break the yoke from off the neck of the anointing c. And some think as Calvin that to be the meaning of Is 9.1 Her dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation when he first lightly afflicted the land of Zabulon c. that was in the inroads formerly made upon them by Tiglah Pileser and was that greater then the captivity when the City should be destroyed and the Temple burnt with fire and there was no comparison in the affliction but yet the darkness should not be such and the reason is this huic certa permissionem esse additam cum in prioribus nulla esset better be as low as Hel with a promise then in Paradise without it the darkness of the bottomless pit would not be utter darkness if there were but the light of a promise for the soul to look upon for there is a time of the pro nise Acts 7.17 when it will truly speak and not lye But what are the grounds why God will not spare his own people Hence the grounds are these two First God will not spare his own people there 's a time of Jacoh's trouble when even Gods own people shall be reduced to extremity and there shall come upon them a time of straits Secondly Jacobs trouble is but for a time there 's a day of deliverance for them they shall be saved out of it The Doctrine is this Doctrin There is a time of Jacobs trouble Gods own dearest people are many times brought into a time of straits It 's true that through a mans whole life Christianus must be crucianus he must take up his cross that will follow the Lord There 's no son that he receives but he chvstises Affliction is a Childs portion in the ways of holyness their correction is as truly from the hand of their father as their provision is But my purpose at present is to speak of some special times of Jacobs trouble a great day a day of straits And God doth many times bring his own people unto this It will appear to be true from all the dealings of God with the Saints the children of Israel were in bondage in Aegypt long and their affliction was great but there was a time when the bricks were doubled and the opposition heightned so that they were as dead carrion cast out to the Ravens Gen. 15. And though Israel were hated of all the Nations which God called their evil neighbours yet there were some special straits that befell them as in the dayes of Asa 2 Chron. 14.9,10 When there came an Army of the Ethiopians an host of a thousand thousand men and in the dayes of Hezckiah when Senacherib besieged Jerusalem it s a day of trouble of rebuke and of blasphemy Isa 37.3 But yet there was a time of greater straits when they must be carried into captivity and the glory of the Lord removed from his own habitation And the Gospel was no sooner placed in the world but the great Red Dragon raised a persecution the Heathen Emperours and all the Powers of their Empire Rev. 12.1,3 And that Power was no sooner broken and the Church obtained of God a Man-child but immediately there was a flood cast out after the woman the Arrian Heresie and they persecuted the Church more then the Pagans had done before and then the Earth helped the Woman c. Then doth Anti-christ arise and the people of God do prophecie in sackcloth and ashes Witnesses they are and two Witnesses for their paucity and for their sufficiencyâ— and yet there is a time of greater straights that remains for them there is the time of their fulfilling and of their killing so that God doth reserve a time of straits for his own people there 's a time of Jacobs trouble c. First because the Lord will give unto them some eminent experiences of his providence under which they walk it 's true that he is the Saviour of all men but especially of them that beleeve and upon all the glory there is a covering at all times Isa 4.5 but the greater the straits are the more eminent shall the protection be if Daniel be in the Lyons den and the three children in the fiery furnace the wonder had not been so great if the bnsh had not been in the fire but to see it in the fire and yet not to consume that was the greatest sight that ever Moses saw before When the Earth is removed and the Mountains cast into the midst of the sea then there is need of a Song upon
enemies and their sins are grown unto a height Rev. 14.18 when the grapes are fully ripe when men do add unto al their sins contempt of God and say Who is the Lord it is an argument they are not like to stand long that doe stretch their mouthes out against heaveâ— and their tongues run through the earth When Instruments doe rise against their maker and the axe is against him that hews with it then I will send amongst the fat ones saith the Lord and kindle a burning under their glory Thirdly when the hearts of the people of God are low and their spirits do fail and they say our bones are dry our hope is past and we are cut off Ezek. 37.12 When the Son of man comes shall he find faith upon earth Men will not beleeve it Luk. 18 8. And though ye see no waies or means of deliverance yet remember It is not by power nor by might but by my spirit Zach. 4.7 And the earth did help the woman The Lord can make use of any Instruments for the Redemption of his servants The barborous Nations came in for their succour which I fear will be the Judgement upon this Nation GRACE ABUSED At a Fast for abused Liberty Febr. 28 th JUDE 4. Turning the Grace of God into wantonness c. THE word propounded for this daies humiliation is that we may take shame to our selves before God for that horrible abuse of that Gospel liberty which God hath given us which is the fruit of the Prayers the Tears and the Blood of the ancient Saints of God amongst us Rara quisquam circa bona sua satis cautus it 's a very rare thing for men to walk worthily under Mercies that they have earnestly desired when they are enjoyed There are two things that most men desire and they are Power and Liberty and when they have attained them I may say they are unto men as they describe waters suis terminis difficilè continentur They are easily apt to run over in what vessels soever you put them in I can my self remember when Arminianism did first invade this Nation how much the old Puritans for that was then the term of reproach were affected with it how the Ministers preached against it and writ against it and the Saints fasted and prayed against it as that which they looked upon as the inlet of Popery for if you will receive it first in its doctrine the same persons will quickly begin to set it up in its worship also And it was so much layd to heart by the godly Patriots of the Nation that I have been assured from good hands that they drew up an Act of Parliament to be past against it in the Parliament at Oxford which they did intend to have stood upon and by an Act of the Civil Authority to have supprest it had not the Parliament been in a sudden in an untimely manner broken up and yet now we can cry out against Popery and yet maintain with open face the Doctrines of Popery and that under the notion or name of the greatest liberty that can be and I can remember also that in the Bishops time when the people of God could not have liberty to meet without danger or the name of a Conventicle though it cross Tertullians notion for he saith cum boni coeunt non est factio dicenda sed curia c. and in danger of a High Commission How would the people of God have rejoyced at the Liberty that now they may enjoy and how sad it is to see how they are neglected by some and strangely prophaned by others they cannot be liberi unless they be Sacrileâ—i as Augustin against the Pelagians c. And this being the work of the day to humble our soules for theâ—e corrupt opinions and abhominable practises that under the notion and conceit of abused Liberty are broken forth amongst us that which the Lord requires of us is this That we should not only cry out against it as many of us doe but have our hearts seriously affected with it and desire the same for our Governours also that do injoyn this Fast that they may be humbled for that for which they do enjoyn upon us a day of Humiliation for every new Fast is a new obligation both to them and to us against this evil not onely to speak against it and pray against it but also to endeavour to reform it in our places to the utmost of our power for there is not any thing that is a greater provocation unto God then a cloak of Religious duties drawn over any corrupt intention Of a Jezebels Fast and a Pharisees long Prayers the one to shed innocent blood and the other to devoure the estate of an innocent person and both are an abhomination to the Lord. And this being that which is appointed for the humiliation of this day to help you therein and to administer somthing unto your thoughts I have made choice of this Scripture now read unto you The grand exhortation in this Epistle is set down ver 3. Contend earnestly for the faith once given unto the Saints The thing that you must strive for is the Faith the Doctrin of Faith the Doctrin of the Gospel which ye cannot keep without contention 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word signifies pro viribus it is to strive with all their might or as some render the word it's to strive one after another in your places and successive Generations in super certare or certamen repetâ—re It 's not enough to strive once and to assert the Truths but ye must do it again and again after one another as often as the Truth of God is opposed And he gives the reason of this exhortation First because it is a depositum that the Lord hath in mercy delivered unto the Saints Rom. 3.2 which the Lord requires them to keep You are but Stewards of it it is committed unto you that you should transmit it unto posterity Secondly it was but once given and therefore you cannot expect that if you part with it the Lord will again bestow it unto you It 's like the fire upon the Altar that was at first kindled from heaven and was there by the industry of the Priests to be kept alive and was never to go out it was but once given it was Gods free Grace to bestow it and he doth expect that it should be our care and work to preserve it Thirdly he doth press this from the danger of it in regard that the enemies lye in wait there are certain men crept in unawares c. First false Teachers they doe not rush in for then they would be observed but they creep in secretly and in an unobserved manner Rev. 13. A beast rising out of the earth There 's a temporal power of the Pope for he is represented under a double vision of two Beasts First a Beast with seven heads and ten horns that is he did
can alledge to defend it the greatest plot that ever the Divel had and so it is with Popery they 'l alledge the same Scriptures together with us Secondly The bitterest enemies that ever the Church of God had have been those that have owned the same Scriptures with themselves as the Samaritans and the Jews and the Papists unto us for hereby wickedness comes under the title of a Duty John 16.2 They shall suppose that they do good service and Paul saith I verily thought that I ought to do many things against the name of the Lord Jesus he did it in Duty and did Sin conscientiously as I may say c. Vse The Lord hath given you Liberty in many things such as we could not have expected that ever our eyes should have seen done Now let me exhort you Do not turn this Grace of God into vantonness Use not your Liberty as an occasion â—o the flesh Take heed of this way of sinning above all other to make the Word of the holy God a Patron of Lust abhor those men above all other men next the Divel that are best skill'd in Scripture to this end that they may justifie an evil way Truly I shall say better our old bondage or suffering again if this be the use we make of it if our new liberty be a liberty in sinning One disputes for Free-will and Universal Grace and he hath Scripture for it another he disputes against the regulating power of the Law and he hath Scripture another against Prayers but when the Spirit moves him and he hath Scripture another against the Sabbath and others for all manner of wickedness for they say we live in God and others plead for swearing for it 's an Ordinance of God Thou shall swear by his Name and others plead for mixt multitudes in Ordinances and they have Scripture and others act for every ignorant and confident fellow to preach in our publike Congregations for say they the Scripture says as every man hath received the gift so let him minister c. whereas we know the publike ministery is an Office and it is committed unto some and not to all 2 Cor. 5.17 Consider but these four things and I have done First Is this the return you make for all the goodness of God towards you Consider the evil of it First hereby you do dishonour God in that which is highest to him and which he has most exalted next to his Son Psalm 138.2 His Word is exalted above all his Name Now to lay the Word of God aside and to count it as a strange thing Hos 8.12 is a great evil much more to turn it against the Lord and gather rules from the Word to justifie that which the Lord himself abhors Secondly Hereby you do gratifie the Divel for that hath been his great Design First when the Lord hath at any time powered out a higher measure of light as in Luthers time then rose up abundance of heresies and so in the days immediately succeeding the Apostles and when the Lord works any great changes tending to Reformation for cast Satan down in one kind and he will rise in another as when Rome Pagan was cast down now there is a floud upon Rome Christian c. and by degrees to be at last gathered together into the See of Rome Thirdly No men brings on themselves greater destruction then these men do who turn the grace of God into wantonness by bringing into the Church damnable heresies 2 Pet. 2.3 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they are men ripe for destruction and as I have told you the Lord will make it eminently appear that they are the greatest enemies to his glory and his Churches good and therefore God reserves them for worse punishment then other wicked men shall have God looks on them as men of Blood Bloody men that are drunk with the blood of souls the sons of perdition men of sin 't is an Hebraism that signifies an eminency in every one of those kinds of sin that wicked men are guilty of and it is not only reserved for them hereafter God will not stay till he gives punishments and rewards at the day of Judgement as he will do to all men both good and bad but they shall receive an earnest of damnation here in a special manner as well as hereafter God will exalt their damnation above other mens Primogenitus Sathanae Hereticks are the first born of the Divel and they shall have a double portion with the Divel in his Inheritance Fourthly This is a dangerous fore-runner of destruction to any Nation or Church Truly if if you bear with the woman Jezabel God will not bear with you for he is tender of his Truths and prizeth them above all the world Heaven and Earth shall fail before one tittle of that shall fall to the ground Christ made that the great signe of the destruction of Jerusalem that it was neer There shall arise false Christs and false Prophets many and so 1 John 2.18 There are many Antichrists and hereby we know it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and it s not spoken of the end of the world but of the destruction of the Jewish state and it drew very neer upon this ground because many Antichrists had turned the grace of God into wantonness and made use of the Word of Christ to the dishonour of Christ in opprobrium Christi and it was the over-spreading of heresie that did give the Sarasins footing in the Eastern Empire and seeing they are willing to be deceived the Lord let out that floud upon them therefore oh all you that fear God that desire to serve him as he has revealed himself in his Word whose spirits God has drawn forth to prize the truth of the Gospel Take heed of false Teachers Hold fast the Faith that was once delivered to the Saints For if damnable heresies do creep in amongst you Consider nothing threatens destruction so much as they do THE Just Mans End AT THE Funerall of William Ball Esquire a Member of the House of Commons ESAY 57.1 The Righteous perish and no Man lays it to heart IN these words are four things to be considered First here 's a godly man described in his life and that either in respect of his inward disposition or his outward conversation In his disposition of soul hee is a Righteous man and a merciful man also A Righteous man hee had need have good eyes that finds out such a one for Psal 53.4 The Lord looked down from Heaven upon the children of men and he found none righteous Indeed in a legall sence there is none but hath an allay in a Gospel sence there is arighteousness that is imputed upon justification and there is a new image infused upon sanctification and both these must concur in the righteous man and the merciful man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the man of mercy who hath attained mercy himself and who is ready to shew mercy unto others
we might learn to dye well for Heb. 9 27. it is appointed to all men once to dye but death comes not presently and the end of a mans life is that he may consider his latter end Deut. 32.29 men do not live here to get riches and injoy the good things that are present and the pleasures of sin are but for a season this life is but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the school of death which teaches men how to dye 2 It is the last act of a mans life the close of all his actions and for a man in his life to burn as a Torch to shine as a light and afterwards to go out in a snuff as the foolish Virgins and the foolish Builders in Iobs affliction there was nothing desirable but yet there was in the end which God made with him that which was very desireable Iulius Caesar when he was taken in the Senate he plucked down the robe he wore about him Ut honestè caderet It is the night that commends the day mark the end of the righteous man his end is peace 3 At death all outward excellencies will leave a man Iob 4.21 their excellency goes away and they dye without wisdom for though there be a flower in the grass which has a glory in it yet Psal 90.11 it quickly comes to nothing so shall all the excellencies that men so pride themselves in their learning parts wisdom and policie knowledge in the Scripture and in the common works of grace it is all but flesh and will take its leave at death and it will be said of you as one of the Antients said of Caesar who was one of the greatest men in the world in his time Ubi nunc pulchritudo Caesaris quò abiit magnificentia tua What is become of his glorious magnificence his Armies Triumphs and Trophies 4 At death your eternal states are cast it is aeternitatis ostium the door of eternity there is a Double time set to the sons of men 1 A time of working 2 A time of rewarding A time of working here they toyl and labo urbut at death the Lord doth call the labourers to give them their hire every man shal have his peny but after death comes judgement there is no more time of working for after death remains nothing but judgement then for ever But what shall a man do that he may be blessed in his latter end I will set before you these five things and the Lord teach you to profit by them 1 Let me exhort you to get union with Christ and thereby thou art translated from death to life for this is a truth no man dyes well that doth not dye in the Lord. What a sad thing is it to think that a second death must follow death rides before and Hell follows after nihil facit mortem malam nisi quod sequitur mortem when death in sin went before and eternal life is not begun in thee 2 Serve thy Generation and thereby lay up a good foundation against that last day Act. 13.36 Fight the good fight and finish thy course be abundant in the works of the Lord It s said of Saul Sam. 13.1,2 he reigned two years over Israel he reigned twenty yeers but after he was rejected of God no more is counted of him nor will it be unto all those that spend their lives unprofitably that are but as empty trees onely serve to cumber the ground are unprofitable both to God and man vita fabula est in qua non refert quam diu sed quam bene 3 Number your days and consider your latter end with Joseph of Arimathea walk with thy Tomb. A man shall not need much Arithmtick to number his days they are so few and yet he will need a great deal of grace to number them they are so evil and so death shall come upon thee not as a stranger but as a friend that brings peace along with him and rest 4 Exercise faith much on the dying graces of Christ and the promises the Lord made Ioh. 16. to all Christians dying as well as living of his fulness we shall receive grace for grace it is our business in this world to be made conformable unto Christ not onely in our life but also at our death and then the Lord says of his people they shall be mine Mal. 3.17 what a glorious creature will a Saint be in that day when God himself looks on him as a Iewel 1 Cor. 3.21 all things are yours then a Saint enjoys perfection enough when he has a full possession of God Psa 16.11 in thy presence are fulness of joys and on thy right hand are rivers of pleasures for evermore and then when a Saint has such a glorious advantage by death shall not we say blessed are the dead which dye in the Lord 5. Lay up a treasury of prayers that thou mayst be fitted for this great change if a man be in any straight or any sad condition nature will prompt him to seek relief and he will take any course that may deliver him out of it especially since God hath made such a promise Call upon me in a time of trouble and I will hear you and if a man be so careful to avoid and prevent these lesser changes that they may not do him harm how much more should he be industriously careful touching this great change Psal 34. the Psalmist begs that he may know his latter end Psa 90.12 so teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom and therefore a man should lay up a treasury of prayers in his life time and they will be as so many comforts to him on his death bed he shall then have a gracious answer of all those prayers Vse 2. Let us lay to heart the loss of the righteous man that we be not guilty of that sin condemned in the Text. I know it has been a thing condemned or at least always suspected funeral Panegyricks as being a badge of the false Prophet and by a funeral Oration we do as the Papists do think to send souls to heaven after their death even those that have been posting to hell all their life but yet seeing the name of the righteous is as a precious oyntment poured out and that precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of all his Saints and seeing it was an Antient custom to do the Saints of God honor at their death I think it but our duty to consider of our loss in this brother at this time though it be but to carry a torch after him to his long home first he was a man of a gracious spirit in whom the Lord had wrought the good work and a through work of Regeneration he was one that feared God above many that had truly given up his name to Christ one that had oyl in his vessel and did not onely shine by profession before men one that was not indulgent
power Rev. 9. that though they had faces like men and the teeth of Lyons a great shew of meekness and yet abundance of stoutness and courage joyned with success in all their undertakings for they were crowned Locusts yet they had a sting in their tails diabolicam pseudo-Propheticam propaginem denotat all the power of their Conquest was used to no other end but to leaven and poyson all places where they came and conquered with their corrupt opinions whoever they be that use their power in this manner be their success what it will be they are in judgement and for the Torment of all where they come and such Locusts proceed out of the smoke of the bottomless pit Secondly They forsake God that forsake his worship ye are they that forsake the Lord that forget his holy Mountain to prepare a Table for that host c. Isa 65.11 Some expound it of the host of heaven and there is a great number of them for they that forsake the way of the Lord they do find out many inventions in Gods worship There is a double worship of God natural and instituted the one following upon the nature of God and the other flowing from the will of God and the latter the Lord did see necessary in all ages as medium cultus naturalis it was necessary unto Adam when he was in Paradise the Sabboth and the tree of life and the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil were then instituted it was so for the honor of God that the Lord Jesus himself observed it in the days of the flesh and did thereby fulfil all righteousness and worshipped God according unto the institution of the Jewish Church and he hath left such Institutions to be observed in his Church to the end of the world the Saints continued in the Apostles Dectrine and fellowship in breaking of bread and prayer and now men are grown so Religious as they cry down instituted worship and say that they are but forms it is true that rested in they are no more as the Ceremonies of the Jews were not but as they are Forms so they are Duties therefore to say men may use them or not use them and that Christians are sometimes for seeking under Formes but there is yet a higher way some that are unwedded unto any Forme that reserve themselves single for the immediâ—te embraces of their love What is this but to forsake the Lord because it is to forget his holy Mountain to worship God in any other way then he hath appoynted that is Idolatry and to neglect that way of Worship that he hath appoynted his people to walk with Him in that is prophaneness We complain of the prophaneness of the people throughout the Nation they are such Principles as these that are the great Grounds of prophaneness and from hence it goes forth into all the Land for how ready will all they that were weary of Ordinances and lookt upon them as a burden long agoe how greedily will they imbrace such a Doctrine as this is that may be a bribe unto their Consciences in their prophaneness and utter neglect of God surely it is a good rule qui non est Religiosus Christianus non est that man doth very much forfeit his Christianity that doth either in Doctrine or Practice in this manner decry the instituted Worship of Christ I am not willing to speak much of Officers now which is an Institution as well as that of Ordinances for the Lord hath set them in the Church 1 Cor. 12.28 and he hath appointed their term of continuance till we all come unto the unity of the Faith unto a perfect man till the whole body of Christ be gathered and perfected and the end Ephes 12.14 why he hath appoynted them is that we may not be carryed away with every wind of Doctrine that was the end why God appoynted them and this is the main reason why men oppose them because they cannot carry men away as they would by this means and theresore it is a true observation that never any man did begin to overthrow and corrupt Religion but he began with the Ministery first It is that which Adam Contzen directs to the Ministers and those that give their Testimony to the Truths of God specially suppress them error cui patrocinium deerit sine pugna concidet so calls he Truth and there is a promise made to them that God will be present with them to the end of the world and a provision is made for them to the end of the world for the Lord hath ordered that they that serve of the Altar should live at the Altar Cor. 1.9,14 though now a great part of the Religion of the times is to cry down a Ministery and so as Luther hath observed Satan hath had two ways to put out the light of the Gospel mendaciis Inopia And he saith men do profess Ministris nihil opus est they were things not much to be regarded though there is a justice to be exercised unto them as men how much soever they are despised as Ministers but it were not much to be regarded though you look upon them as men of all others the least considerable if God were not forsaken in it but to forsake Gods Worship is in the Scriptures account to forsake God Thirdly we forsake God by carnal confidence The Lord saies Jer. 2.13 they have forsaken me and they have digged to themselves broken Cisterns Jer. 17.5 Cursed is he that trusts in man and makes flesh his arm and his heart departeth from the Lord if the Lord be not exalted alone in the soul either sub ratione boni aut auxilii the heart of man forsakes him and leans on something else that is not God Now if it be Counsels of men the power of Armies the Assistances of Confederates so far a man forsakes the Lord therefore the Lord doth way lay all humane succours that they shall prove vain and unsuccessful and men shall be ashamed of their Confederacies thou shalt be ashamed of Assyria as thou hast been ashamed of Egypt thy considence yea destruction comes out of it they that sit down under the shadow of a creature it is but under the shelter of a bramble fire will surely come out of it to consume the Câ—dars of Lebanen when men turn to God they are taken off from carnal confidence they shall then say Ashur shall not save us therefore men turn to the creature when they do forsake and depart from God Fourthly men forsake God in their conversation when they neither walk with God or worthy of God the waies of sin are departing from God going into a far Countrey it is communion with Belial and walking in waies of pride oppression and uncleanness it is living without God and therefore surely it is a forsaking of him a departing from him and forsaking of his Truth and Worship is the only and special means thereunto our Saviour says
as when God became an enemy at first to mankind all the creatures also did become their enemy it were no matter for the desertion of all the neighbouring Nations though we were as a speckled Bird unto them and they all hate us yet if God be with us who can be against us but Tolle Deum nullus ero if the glory of the Lord departed then the Cherubims lifted up their wings and are gone as the voice that was heard to say in the Temple the night before Jerusalem was taken Migremus hinc c. Secondly if God forsake us all the creatures will break in upon us God hath forsaken him pursue him and take him for his hedge his fence is taken away I will take away the hedge thereof shall the Lord say and then a poor creature may comfort himself as Saul did in the creatures honour me before the people when the Lord had rejected him but it is but cold comfort for a man so to do for thy own servants will then become thy enemies Thirdly there is no one thing that afflicts and affects a gracious heart more then desertions either in Church or state or his own soul he fears nothing else all that David still prayes for is O Lord forsake me not Oh forsake me not utterly Lord be not thou far from me there is this difference commonly between a godly man and a wicked man the one fears Gods punishments but the other fears Gods departure and therefore Austin It is as with a chast wife and a harlot Austin they both fear their husbands Haec ne veniat illa ne decedat And the reason is because the one seeks only blessings from God and the other only seeks communion with God and if he had never so much from God yetif he be denyed to seek his face denyed fellowship with him and if the Lord do so forsake him all things are bitter unto him because the joy of his heart is gone surely if you go on to forsake the Lord he will forsake you but the desertion begins on your part if you do not forsake him he will not forsake you therefore so far as you have backslided from God return to him and you have this promise I will heal your backslidings THE DOCTRINE Of the Iews Vocation Preached at Gregories Lecture ROM 11.26 And so all Israel shall be saved as it is written c. THe Apostle having spoken in the close of the former Ch. of the vocation of the Gentiles I was found of them that sought me not of the rebellious under which is implyed the rejection of the Jews all the day long have I stretched out my hands to a disobedient and gain-saying people he closes the Discourse in this Chapter and makes of this Chapter three parts first Consolatoria he hath not cast off his people 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 è conspectu amovere he hath cast them off but not so as he will never look after them again he hath not so cast them off for there is even amongst them and to come out of their loins who are at present rejected a seed according to the election of grace though those four great Judgements threatned are come upon them there is poured upon them the Spirit of a deep sleep unto this day their table is made a snare and their eyes are darkned that they see not and they do alwaies bow down their backs but these Judgements shall not alwaies lie upon them because they are dear unto God according to the election of grace the Lord hath not cast off his people whom he knew before Secondly Hortatoria If the Jews were broken off that were the natural branches yet let not the Gentiles boast against the branches broken off be not high-minded but fear for if God spared not the natural branches take heed lest he spare not thee also behold therefore the goodness and severity of God towards thee goodness if thou continue in his goodness if not thou shalt also be cut off Thirdly Prophetica and that is of the grafting in of the Jews again the natural branches if they continue not in their unbelief of what the state of the Jews should be when the Lord again shall return to them in mercy and build up the Tabernacle of David that is fallen down and this he doth Usher in with a praemium as being a great truth and that which he would have specially observed I would not have you ignorant of this mysterie What is a mysterie a mysterie is something made known by Revelation and can be known no other way it is from the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Phil. 4.12 I am instructed from heaven a truth which the Apostle had been taught by divine Revelation and though much of this is spoken of and foretold in the Scripture yet there is a spirit of Revelation that must go to the opening thereof or else he could never have understood it himself nor been able to reveal it or discover it to others its true it was abundantly revealed in the Scriptures and when it was discovered to the Apostles they could see clear Scripture for it but not till then they are mysteries till the Lord please to enlighten the understanding to know these mysteries and therefore as the calling of the Gentiles is said to be a mysterie hid in God from Ages and from Generations and made known only by Revelation Eph. 3.4,5,6 sc that the Gentiles should be fellow-heirs with the same body and partakers of the Promise of Christ by the Gospel the calling of the Gentiles though abundantly foretold in the Scripture was a mysterie unto the Jews that they understood it not and so the calling of the Jews may seem also a mysterie unto the Gentiles till the Lord reveal it unto them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrysostom so calls the Doctrine of the Jews calling Chrysostom a paradox and strange thing A strange and a wonderful thing and he that doth publish it shall seem at first to preach a paradox and a new Doctrine But what is this mysterie Blindness in spirit is hapned unto Israel until the fulness of the Gentiles shall come in that is the mysterie Blindness is in part come upon them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 There are three Interpretations and all true First non omnibus it is not come upon all Israel but upon a part and so it is to speak as the Apostles manner is molli locutione though it came upon a great part of them and in comparison there were but a few converted unto the faith of Christ yet he saith it came not upon all but upon part of them only the whole Nation were not cast away 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrysost there are many of them now do believe and many of them hereafter shall believe and therefore it is not come upon all the Jews for God had mercy on many in those primitive times Insomuch that the first glorious Christian
Church was a Jewish Church Blindness is therefore but in part Secondly non omnino it is not a blindness in all things but in respect of this one particular to see Jesus Christ to be the Messiah and the Saviour of the world the consolation of I srael which they expected and waited for in this respect they were under a judicial blindness they that were otherwise Ieshuron the seeing people and they that had lived in the valley of Vision and knew more of the mind of God then all the Nations of the earth besides for in Iudah is God known and his name is great in Israel c. so that there is a particular blindness in Judgement that as God may and doth hide some objects from a people as he did Lots door from the Sodomites and so the Disciples that conferr'd with Christ their eyes were held that they might not know him so the Lord doth in Judgement hide some Truths some Doctrines from men that they shal not see them 2 Cor. 3.15 to this day when Moses is read there is a vail upon their hearts that is in reference unto Christ and the things of Christ which are foretold and spoken of in the Old Testament but when they shall turn to the Lord the vail shall be taken away c. and so though they know much of the Law and the mind of God in respect of moral duties and the worship of the Lord required of them yet the intent of these either as Christ was hid in the one or as the other was a Schoolmaster to bring unto Christ so they had a blindness upon their hearts a blindness so in part was come upon them in respect of the object thus we may often note men may be knowing in some things and yet have on them particular blindness in others Thirdly in respect of the time it shall be but in part not a continual or everlasting blindness though it hath been a long and dreadful desertion as ever came upon any people never was any the like therefore the Apostle saith wrath is come upon them â—wordE the uttermost 1 Thes 2. â—6 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which may be either understood of those particular persons as Beza saies who did oppose the present ministerie and so wraâ— might come upon them for ever to eternity an everlasting destruction refer'd unto the particular persons who did maliciously oppose the preaching of the Gospel or else it may be understood de atrocitate paenae and so the word is used 1 Pet. 1.13 Hope to the end or hope perfectly but the end is commonly put for the finishing of any particular dispensation so the end of judgement upon the Jews Dan. 9.24,26 and Luke 21.9 the end is not by and by and so the end of any Judgement or dispensation the end of the administration of the Kingdom of Christ 1 Cor. 15.24 then cometh the end Dan 12.9 Seal the Book till the time of the end till the time that God hath appointed for the calling of the Jews and the fulfilling of this mysterie 1 Pet. 4.7 the end of all things is at hand the total desolation of the Jewish state and worship not of the end of the world is it spoken So 1 Iohn 2.18 This is the last time we read This is the last hour of what of the world no but of this dispensation to the Jewish state before their utter ruine So wrath is come upon them to the end till the time that the Lord hath appointed when they shall be called and then the Lord will cause his fury to depart from them and that shall be when the fulness of the Gentiles shall come in then the wrath upon the Jews shall end and continue no longer but when the fulness of the Gentiles is come in then shall the blindness of the Iews be taken off and they shall be again ingrafted into their own Olive-Tree that is they that were called Loammi and were not a Church unto God but were cast off and termed desolate and forsaken they shall become a Church unto God again and so all Israel shall be saved By all Israel there is a double sense of it First some refer it only to the Iews and so all Israel is as much as tota gens Israelitica that whereas before even in the time they were broken off and the Gentiles grafted in and surrogated in their place there were many particular persons converted of the Jews and they were brought home unto Christ and added unto the true Church of Christ but yet the Nation still remained under blindness as rejected by Christ still but now that mercy which was before shewed unto particular persons shall now become National and it shall take in the body of the Iewish Nation which is yet preserved in their dispersions in great multitudes unto this great day of Jesreel So Beza Par. c. and they say Else the Apostle had revealed no such great mysterie to say that when as blindness was removed from the Iews then the fulness of the Gentiles that come in to the faith shall be saved and a great number of the Iews for it was plain that the Gentiles were converted and brought home daylie but the subject the Apostle had in the words is to speak of the coming in of the Jews which should be as a new resurrection and therefore they understood it not of spiritual Israel but of Israel according to the flesh others do understand it of the whole Israel of God that is of the whole Church of God which shall be made up of Jewes and Gentiles when it shall be presented by Christ unto the Father without spot or wrincle c. And it is a speech like unto that John 10. Other sheep I have which are not of this fold them I must bring in and these shall be one fold and have one shepherd What is there spoken of the conversion of the Gentiles is here spoken of the conversion of the Jewes c. and yet there is a mystery revealed in it also not to say that the Gentiles converted shall be saved that was a thing commonly known but that at the comming in of the Jewes there shall be a greater fullnesse of the Gentiles brought in and that the Gentile Church shall be great gaines by the Jewish convertion that as their casting off was the inriching of the worâ—d so their comming in should be life from the dead and that there should be a great addition to the comming in of the Gentiles and a second fulness of them brought in at the conversion of the Iewes and so all Israel shall be saved not onely natural Israel and those that were surrogated and ingraffed into their Room but also those that are supperaded unto both these For as is said Esa 60 3. the Gentiles shal come unto thy light and Kings to the brightnesse of thy rising I will send those that scape of them unto the Nations unto Taâ—shish Pull
were but two Tribes returned from Babylon we never read of the return of the ten Tribes They went into Captivity with weeping and with weeping shall they return But if so it shall be sorrow under suffering in the one and under the sight and apprehension of their sin in the other Fifthly the Scripture seems to speak as if the great meanes of their Conversion should not be by the preaching of the Gospel as the Gentile Churches are brought home unto the Lord but that it shall be by sight and by a visible appearance of the Lord Jesus unto them I shall assert nothing possitively in it onely give me leave to set before you some Scriptures that seem fully to speak so much Zach. 12.10 They shall look upon him whom they have pierced and mourn And that it is not barely a spiritual looking upon him with an eye of faith such as the holy Ghost calls Joh. 6.40 Seeing the Son and believing on him but that it is a bodily vision and to see him with bodily eyes for Dan. 7.13 there is the Son of man comming in the clouds of heaven brought to the ancient of days to receive a Kingdome What Kingdom sure his Davidical Kingdom when he shall sit on the throne of his Father David When Christ receives this Kingdom it is not as he receives the spiritual Kingdom and entred upon the administration of the providential Kingdom that was by his sitting down at the right hand of his Father and so enter as man actually upon the administration of all things for its plain that to receive this Kingdom which shall be after the four beasts are destroyed He shall come in the Clouds of Heaven and they shall bring him unto the ancient of dayes he comes attended with the Angels and they bring him unto the ancient of days its true that Gods comming in the Clouds his riding upon the Clouds it s that which notes out the eminent visible glorious appearance of his Majesty but it s the appearance here of Christ as he is the Son of man which I conceive is never found to be so used in the Scripture but at the last day the Lord Jesus shall appear in the clouds when he comes to judgement As spoken of a visible appearance so this also shall be and so much haply is meant Mat. 4.30.31 Then shall appear the sigh of the Son of man in Heaven and then shall ye see the Son of man comming in the clouds of Heaven I know its a perplexing Scripture yet haply is meant this appearance of the Son of man not to judgement but as a signe that the judgement is neer that which they may be as truly assured of as the husband-man can be that the summer is neer when he sees the fig-tree put forth leaves c. and therefore I should rather conceive there is meant the appearance of Christ in the clouds for the conversion of the Iewes and to receive a Kingdom rather then his appearance at the day of judgement when he must shortly give up the Kingdom and I am induced rather to think so because it follows and he will send the Angels with a great sound of a Trumpet and they shall gather together the elect from the four windes Which is I do not conceive to be restreined unto the day of judgement though the Apostle doth so speak also of the general Resurrection 1 Cor. 15.52 The Trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised the Lord shall descend from Heaven with a shout with the voice of the Archangel and the trumpet of God 1 Thes 4.16 But when this Trumpet shall sound all the Nations shall be raised bad as well as good Elect as well as Reprobate and they shall all awake unto judgement but this is a Trumpet that gathers onely the Elect from the four winds therefore it seemes that none shall hear this trumpet but the Elect and that it shall sound unto them as such and shall never reach unto the Reprobate and that instruments of mercy or judgement are called Angels is ordinary and that what the Lord doth eminently and publickly and dreadfully make known his glory to them with the sound of a Trumpet is clear Rev. 1.10 4.1 and therefore it may be spoken of the Lords gathering in the Elect of the Iewes having not cast off whom he knew before who are now scattered even into the four windes of Heaven and therefore there is that which seems to incline unto this of the conversion of the Iewes at first shall be by sight and by appearance of the Lord Iesus Christ visibly in the clouds of Heaven and so Pauls conversion should be as the first fruits the Lord setting forth him as a pattern to the whole Nation his conversion was by a sight of Christ from Heaven and a glorious light that shone round about him and so its probable there shall also be but yet not all of them so converted but the Lord will take some of them and make them to be as Priests unto the Lord and they shall declare his glory amongst the Gentiles and shall be instrumental in gathering of them and they shall also bring in their brethren that is say some the unconverted Gentiles which shall be as brethren then all the differences between them being taken away Others more properly refer it unto the Iewes the remainder of them not brought in the first grand conversion of the Nation for it is said They shall bring all their brethren for an offering unto the Lord out of all Nations upon Horses and Charriots and upon wild beasts unto my holy mountain So that it may be some of them shall be converted by the appearance of Christ and others of them by the preaching of the Gospel by those that are amongst them converted that their brethren going forth to them and declaring to them the returning of God in wayes of grace unto their Nation and the great things that he hath done for them and so they having a spirit of grace poured out upon them shall also be brought as an offering to the Lord. Sixthly The manner of their calling shall be exceeding eminent and glorious unto the admiration of all Nations that they shall all see how the Lord hath honoured them Esa 60.1 The glory of the Lord is risen upon them Hos 1.11 Great shall be the day of Jisreel it shall be a glorious day that which shall make them honorable in the eyes of all the Nations of the Earth that ten men out of every Nation under Heaven shall lay hold of the scirt of a Jew and shall say we will go with you for we have heard that God is with you Ps 10.2.16 When the Lord shall build up Sion he will appear in Glory they shall have glorious appearances of him such as no people ever had and this shall make them to be the desire of all people as they have had a great day of misery so a great and glorious
day of their deliverance shall come to the astonishment and amazement of the Nations and there are many great reasons that it must be a great day but I cannot insist upon them Seventhly the time of their calling shall be when the fulness of the Gentiles is come in blindness so long is happened unto them when the four Monarchs are cast down to dust in the period of them Dan. 7.12.13.14 after the destruction of Antichrist when the little horn is slain and his body given unto the burning flame now he comes to receive a Kingdom of the ancient of days and it shall be when the seventh Angels Trumpet shall sound then the Kingdoms and Nations under the whole Earth become the Kingdoms of the Lord and his Christ Rev. 11.16 which is from the setting up the abomination of desolation the 1290. days which shal be the year of the Iews redemption Dan. 12.11 which is to be finished four thousand year after which is 1335. daies but these are times â—hat I cannot now speak to Eighthly then shall be amongst them a glorious Church in which the presence of the Lord shall dwell Ezek. 37.27 I will set my Tabernacle among them for ever more And elsewhere Ezek. 48. ult the name of the City shal be Jehovah shammah the Lord is there Rev. 21.3 The Tabernacle of God is with men and he will dwell with them and it is not in Heaven for it is new Jerusalem that comes down from God out of Heaven and the Kings of the earth shall bring their glory to it and the glory of the Lord and of the Lamb shall be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the light of it and Rev. 21.12 twelve Angels at the gates and there shall be no use of the service of the Angels in Heaven they are sent forth as ministring spirits for the good of the Elect. But when they are gathered in as their Kindom begins with the Kingdom of Christ so shall it end also for he will put down all rule authority and power it is to be understood Etiam de principatu Angelico as well as of any other And they shall have the purest Ordinances Rivers of water of Life that is clear as Christal not running blood not mixed with fire Rev. 22.1 Not blood as is the Doctrine of Antichrist nor mixt with Fire either of affliction or contention as are the doctrines of the reformed Churches and then shall be the exactest discipline all that love and make a lye shall be without and the more of Gods order the more of his presence and his blessing for they shall see his face and his name shall bee written upon their foreheads c. Ninthly this Church of the converted Jewes shall be the Mother Church and shall be exalted above all the Gentile Churches the mountain of the Lords house exalted above the tops of the mountains Ezek. 16.61 then shalt thou be ashamed when I shall give thee thy sisters for daughters all the Gentile Churches shal know that they do receive as the Law from them at the first so now aboundance of light and nourishment great discoveries of God and of his grace for the light of the Moon shall be as that of the Sun and the light of the Sun seven-fold and the Temple shall be opened in Heaven and you may see into the Ark of the Testament all vailes shall be taken away both from the hearts of men and the mysteries of God and the Abdita the hidden things of God revealed the which should then be made fully manifest For he did not write the Word for the World to come but for the Life that now is and therefore there is nothing there hid that shall not be made manifest it shall appear unto the world that he wrote none of those divine mysteries in the word in vain Tenthly Then shall follow great peace and prosperity in the world all persecutions either from Enemies without or Tyrants within shall come to an end Ezek. 34.25.26 I wil make with them a Covenant of peace and wil cause evil beasts to cease out of the Land they shall dwell safely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods Esa 66.12 I will extend peace to her like a River that shall never be dryed up that when the enemies shall look when it will be dry it may be expected in vaine Labitur labetur Zach. 14.11 Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited persecutions from without for the four Monarchs shal bee destroyed and Satan shall be bound that he shall not stir them up to make war against the Saints Rev. 20. Ezek. 45.8 because their Princes before did slay them and not hold themselves guilty make nothing of oppression but now he saith my Princes shall oppresse my people no more a wall 12000 furlongs high Rev. 21.16 and for prosperity Esa 60.16.17 c she shall suck the milk of the Gentiles and the brests of Kings Eleventhly Over this people Iesus Christ shall in a glorious manner reign and that in a more eminent manner then he hath done over the Churches of the Gentiles for it is the Kingdom of David his Father which he is to sit on a Kingdom which he is yet to receive Ezek. 34.23.24 â—zek 37.25 Ezek. 21.26 David my servant he shall feed them and rule over them I will be their God and David my servant as a Prince amongst them when the dry bones are risen David my servant shall be their Prince for ever remove the Diadem c he will overturn overturn overturne and then will he come whose right it is The Scepter shal depart from Judah and they shall be many days without a King Any form of government of their own Hos 34. and what then they shall seek the Lord and David their King unto whom the Father hath committed all judgement Joh. 5.22 and in a special manner the Kingdoms and Nations over this people that from his presence their judgement is to go forth and therefore he shall in a more special manner be be King of the Jews as being his own people unto whom he hath a right of inheritance more then he has over any people of the world besides and yet I do confesse I do not see light from the Scripture to assert the personal reign of Christ upon Earth over them and the Saints reigning with him in his person I know Aliud est ChristuÌ„ regnare in Sanctis Aliud Sanctos regnare cum Christo both shall be in this life in some sense but yet whether Christ shall rule them by a personal residence upon earth is unto me still a doubt but this I say the Lord Iesus Christ hath a peculiar right unto the Kingdom of the Jews as he is of the seed of David And God will give him the Throne of his father David Twelfthly The people shall be exceeding holy in this Church walking in truth and sincerity there is a form of Godliness but there is little of the
power now there shall be much of the power of Godlinesse of the life of Christ manifested in them thy people shall be all righteous the branch of my planting that I may be glorified Esay 60.21 It is the Bride the Lambs wife having the glory of the Lord upon her Rev. 21.10,11 it s true there shall not be perfect holinesse in the Saints for there is a Tree of life for medicine as well as for meat Rev. 22.2 and they shall not be without Hypocrites those that shall cleave unto them by flattery but yet there shall be a glorious spirit of discerning even of them also and they shall be without not onely that make but they that do love a lie Thirteenthly This Church shall have abundance of converts and their Ordinances shall be exceeding fruitfull to bring in souls into the Lord Ezek. 37.9,10,11 Where the Waters come every thing shall live and there shall be a multitude of fish even as that of the great Sea exceeding many thy Gates shall be open continually not shut day nor night that they may bring the riches of the Gentiles and their Kings shall be brought and they shall flie as a Cloud and as Doves unto their Windows because of the glorious Majesty of the Lord that is seen amongst them c. Fourteenthly They shall be brought home into their own land and they shall dwell there they shall dwell in their own Citie as in the days of old and Ezek. 12. Ezek. 37.25 Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place even in Jerusalem they shall dwell in the land that I gave to Jacob their father wherein their fathers dwelt they shall dwell there even they and their Children and Childrens Children for ever Fifteenthly There shall be a perfect union between the ten Tribes and the two Tribes and the hatred shall depart that breach was never yet made up But then the sticks shall become one Ezek. 37.19 The envy of Judah shall depart and Ephraim shall vex Judah no more I wil gather them out of all Countries whither I have driven them in my anger and I wil give them one heart and one way and then Jehovah shall be one and his name one c. Jer. 32.39 Sixteenthly They shall be the great instrument in the hand of the Lord for to ruine and destroy the Turkish Empire when the Lord shall bend Judah for him and fill his bow with Ephraim Dan. 11.40.44 We read of the King of the South whom tidings out of the North and out of the East shall trouble There are several reasons why by the King of the South I conceive to be meant the Turkish Empire as that which had the next power and exercised the next Tyranny over the Jews and being come to a height there is tidings from the East and North troubling the gathering together of the Jews Ezek. 37.7 when the bones came together there was a great noise and a shaking and standing up they became an exceeding great and formidable Army and he saith that these bones are the house of Israel returning into their own land here is the tidings that trouble the King of the South there the Turk invadeth the glorious holy Mountain and then he comes to an end and none shall help him it is Euphrates must be dried up to prepare the way for the Kings of the East Rev. 16.12 that they may join themselves with the Western Christians Seventeenthly At their returning to the Lord there shall be by them a wonderfull blessing upon all the Gentile Churches their gain shall be much by it they were gainers by the Jews rejection their casting off was the inriching of the World their diminishing the riches of the Gentiles how much more their fulnesse Rom. 11.12.15 it shall be as life from the dead it is not I conceive spoken of the Jews that there comming in should be suddenly and by an act of almighty power as a resurrection as it is resembled Ezek. 37. but it shall be unto the Gentiles as life from the dead that is as misery is exprest by death so all joy and happinesse is exprest by life it shall be as it were a resurrection put a new face upon the world that as it shall be a glorious condition upon earth when all the Saints shall arise and stand upon the earth with joy being perfected in their graces and in their faculties so shall this be even unto the Gentiles as well as unto the Jews a resurrection Eighteenthly With the calling of the Jews the Kingdome of the God of heaven shall be set up that which is now so commonly called the fifth Monarchy shall begin when the four Monarchies are destroyed which shal be with the drying up the River Euphrates that is the Turkish Empire It s true that Christ hath a Kingdome during the rule of the Monarchies in the dayes of those Kings God doth set up a Kingdome but it is a little stone and it breaks the Image by degrees and then afterward becomes a Mountain and the Kingdome given unto the Saints of the most high Which in the Book of Dan. 7.27 it s meant the Jews who are every where called the holy people not of the Gentile Saints Dan. 8.24 and 12.7 and therfore it is they must take the Kingdome and possesse it and it shall be given to them which is not wel applied by all that will call themselves Saints and holy people as if they were to take to themselves the rule of all the Kingdomes of the world Nineteenthly Unto this time the perfect fulfilling of all the prophesie of God doth belong there are degrees of fulfilling the prophecies more or lesse in all times but it s unto this that the perfections of the World are reserved Rev. 10.7 its never before the 7th Trumpet sound that the mystery of God is finished that is all those secrets that were in the bosome of God to perform and which he revealed unto his servants the Prophets all those do not receive their full accomplishment all that God doth intend to do for his people in the advancement of his son in this World is now fulfilled and accomplished Lastly And this glorious condition shall continue unto this people unto the day of judgement that they shall suffer no more the Sun shall no more go down nor the Moon withdraw it self Esay 60.20 I will set my Tabernacle in the middle of them for evermore Ezek. 37.26 by an everlasting covenant and I will plant them in their own land with my whole heart and my whole soul and I will never turn away from them to do them good there shall be no more sorrow nor crying all tears from their eyes shal be wiped away and no more curse as they formerly had Rev. 22.4 they shal be cast out of the land no more c. There Sun did rise and set but now shal go down no more These things require further discussing then one hour permits But having
God that he makes all their punishments to be measured out by that they shall have their portion with Hypocrites Mat. 24.51 they shall have their portion with the Devil and his Angels to shew none so neer to the Devil as they no man so hateful unto God or creatures but the Devil and this is a most common and ordinary way of hypocrisie that can be this makes the Saints groan in themselves therefore Bradford did write in his Letters to his friends Iohn Bradford a very hypocrite a very painted hypocrite look back with how little preparation how vain thy thoughts how thy eyes have wandered c. Secondly Apply the righteousness of Christ for the pardon of this amongst other evils Exod. 28.38 Christ must have upon his forehead holiness to the Lord that he may bear the iniquity of your holy things a great part of the holiness of Christ is appointed for this for the pardon of your unholiness in service Thirdly be more heedful for the time to come and to stir you up to it consider but only this how heedful you have been in the waies of sin Prov. 16.30 He shuts his eyes that deviseth mischief a man that will study and be intent upon a thing will shut his eyes that so objects from without do not distract his mind so intent is this man in a way of deceiving Iob 17.11 the thoughts of man are called the possessions of the heart whereupon a mans heart doth dwell now we know upon any sinful projects and thoughts of evil a mans thoughts are so settled upon them that a man cannot remove them but there they dwell but as for the things of God a mans heart dwells in them as one doth that is in another mans house he is alwaies going and taking his leave Now let this heed be seen First in thy Preparation prepare with all thy might as David did for the material Temple 1 Chron. 29.2 and say in thy heart as Solomon did the house must be great and magnificent for it is for the Lord 2 Chron. 26.6 Isa 12.3 Come to the Ordinances as wells of salvation as breasts of consolation Isa 66.11 to see the face of Christ and the goings of the Lord Come to them as the ministration of the spirit and a Doal of spiritual gifts Rom. 1.12 Secondly when thou art come take heed in the performance be not rash with thy mouth let not thy heart be hasty Eccl. 5.1,2 when thou dost do it with all thy might as David did 1 Chron. 29.17 act all graces stir up all thy affections awake my glory c. else when thou hast done there will be an out-side of service but yet they will not be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 They will be empty works hollow no inward grace or strength or affection to fill them out Thirdly to shew that thou canst never take heed enough after every service go and humble thy self before God for thy want of heed and watchfulness say with Abraham I that was dust and ashes did take upon me to speak to the Lord and with Iacob How dreadful is this place it is the house of God the gate of Heaven God was here and I was not aware c. Lastly and to enable thee so to do get the fear of the Majesty of God throughly planted in thy heart and whenever thou comest before God stir up thy fear and all those awful considerations that may be for fear is the watch-man of the soul exceeding heedful and vigilant that is appointed as the remedy be not rash with thy mouth but fear thou God Eccl. 5.7 and to this end walk in the fear of the Lord all the day long walk with God in his fear at other times a special cause why men are no more heedful in Gods worship is because they give liberty to themselves and have no eye to his presence at other times therefore be thou in it all the day long GOSPEL EXALTATION MATTH 11.23 And thou Capernaum which art exalted up to heaven shalt be brought down to hell for if the mighty works which have been done in thee had been done in Sodom it would have remained unto this day THE Lord hath not chosen one fixed place for the Gospel to reside in unto which all Nations that expected any benefit thereby were to resort as he did for the Jews at Jerusalem that only was the valley of Vision but now its sound is gone forth into all lands and there is beauty in the feet of those that bring those glad tidings Isa 52.7 the Lord hath now made it an ambulatory an itinerary Gospel it walks from place to place and comes home to the doors of those who will scarce go out of their doors to it And wheresoever it comes it brings with it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A fulness of blessing Rom. 15.29 It is to a place as the Sun to the world a beam of the sun of righteousness Mal. 4.2 It is the rain of the earth Heb. 6.8 it is a feast of fat thingâ— of fat things full of marrow of wine on the lees well-refined Isa 25.6 it is the glory of God and the glass wherein we behold it 2 Cor. 3.18 it is the face of Christ 2 Cor. 4.6 the ministration of righteousness 2 Cor. 3.9 it is the dole of spiritual gifts Rom. 1.11 it is eternal salvation it self yea great salvation Heb. 2.3 Here are garments to cover your nakedness meat to satisfie your hunger medicine to cure your diseases armor to protect your persons and a Treasure of precious promises and sure mercies to provide for your posterity that so there may be nothing wanting to make it up a fulness of blessing But wherever the Lord sends this Gospel and the Ordinances thereof he doth send it with a threefold reference First as donum with reference to our thankfulness Secondly as depositum which respects our faithfulness Thirdly as talentum which respects our fruitfulness that we may bring forth fruit meet for him of whom we have received it that we fall not into the sin and so become liable unto the censure of the unprofitable servant now the fruit which the Lord expects where he sends these Gospel-Ordinances is Repentance and Conversion Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand Matth. 3.2 The Lord lights not up this canâ—le but it is to find the lost groats he goes not abroad in this but it is to find the lost sheep or to meet some prodigal son And though there may be fruit of an inferiour nature civility and formality which men may bring forth yet the Lord counts this nothing unless repentance and conversion go before them as ciphers they be that stand for nought if set alone though they add to the Number if the figure of conversion go before Christ saith not unto them Auditores Spectatores Administratores ni fuissent virtutem ejus divinam non laudavissent â— saith Brugens plainly manifesting unto us that all the
fit nourishment for the rest of the members so do these Brightman Brightman Dividendo distinguendo nodos solvendo obscura illustrando dentium funguntur munere c. These for their purity are like a flock of sheep newly washed and for their fruitfulness they bear twins and not one is barren amongst them but by their labours they bring forth much fruit and they bring home many a soul to the Lord but if once God withdraw his Ordinances his people become barren as it is in the Church of the Jews and it is true of the seven Asian Churches and many other forsaken Churches of the Gentiles the barren hath born seven and she that had many children is waxen feeble Isa 5.4 Fourthly its a glory to a people to have store of all things in it so that they may be able to communicate to others in their necessities but need not borrow of any this was the advancement that the Lord promised unto his people Deut. 28.12 you shall lend unto other Nations and shall not borrow this is that wherewith God hath exceedingly honoured this Nation of ours and when that we many times vainly boast that we need not for outward things be beholding to any people but much greater is this glory in things spiritual and all this is by the Ordinances if the embryos in the womb of the Church want nourishment her Navil is like a round Goblet that wants not liquor and by it the children in the womb are nourished unto life Cant 7.2 if babes want milk they may suck and be satisfied with these breasts of Consolation Isa 66.11 if the children want bread the belly of the Church the Sacrament of the Lords supper the belly which receives the sustenance for the rest of the body is like a heap of wheat set about with Lillies Cant. 7.2 if strong men want meat it is to be had in them Heb. 5.12 and if they need water for their spiritual refreshment here are the wells of salvation Isa 12.3 and that you may not think that in the daies of drowth these will be drye the Lord tells you that there are springs to feed them all my springs are in thee Psal 87. ult But when the Lord takes away the Ordinances then the tongue of the sucking child cleaves to the mouth for thirst then the children cry for bread and there is none to break it to them then they that fed delicately upon the purest Ordinances they are desolate in the streets and they that were brought up in scarlet imbrace dunghills it is spoken by the Prophet of a bodily famine Lam. 4.5,6 it is much more true of a spiritual famine when men shall run from Sea to Sea to seek the word of the Lord and shall not find it Amos 8.12 this is not only a misery but also a dishonour unto any people Fifthly it s a great advancement when the Lord makes a people flourish in outward things making them the head and not the tail as the Lord promised Deut. 28.13 and how comes it to pass that a people do not flourish all the outward prosperity that we have in which we so much glory it is only by the Ordinances 2 Chron. 7.19,20 the Lord threatens that if they did forsake his Ordinances and serve other Gods then he would remove his Ordinances from them and the House that I have sanctified for my name I will cast out of my sight c. And what follows then saith the Lord I will pluck them up by the roots out of the land that I have given them when the Ordinances were removed and the Lord called them Loammi all their outward prosperity did quickly vanish Hos 2.9 I will take away my corn in the time thereof and my wine in the season thereof and I will recover my wool and my flax given to cover thy nakedness c. Ezek. 16.39 I will break down thine eminent place that is the Temple where they did play the Harlot and set up the Image of jealousie before the Lord Cap. 8. therefore the Lord will remove the Ordinances and what then then they shall strip thee of all thy cloathes and leave thee naked and bare we therefore that count our outward prosperity our glory consider we hold it by the Ordinances Sixthly it s a great advancement to a people to be well fortified so as to be able in danger both for defence and offence to secure themselves not to fear their enemies this was the glory that God did vouchsafe the Jewish Nation and was sometime the glory of the English also the fear of thee shall fall upon all Nations round about Deut. 2.25 These are spiritually the Towers of Zion Psa 48.12,13 that we are bid to tell and the bulwarks that we are wished to mark it is because of this that the Church is described to be terrible as an Army with banners Cant. 6.10 that is because the weapons of our warfare in them are not carnal but mighty through God therefore they are as great a dread unto the enemies as an Army set in battle-array But as they are either corrupted by a people or removed from them so doth their defence depart as the Lord threatens Isa 5.5 I will take away the hedge thereof and it shall be eaten up I will break down the wall thereof and it shall be trodden down Now what was this hedge and this wall nothing else Musculus as Musculus interprets it but the Ordinances the Word and Sacraments c. which did serve for two ends as a hedge and a wall ad separationem ad munitionem therefore when the Lord took away the Ordinances their defence departed from them and as men corrupt them so they break the Hedge and pluck down the wall of our protection it is true it may not fal at once but one picks out one thing and another another till at last they make a plain way for the Beasts of the field to break in upon the Vineyard of the Lord In all these respects and in many more the Ordinances of the Gospel in their purity and power are a great advancement to a people Surely then they are in an errour that esteem the Ordinances in their power to be a matter of disgrace a note of indignity upon any place or person First make it your glory Secondly walk toward it as your glory for that which is so great an advancement to a people must needs be an honour to a person also yet such is the enmity and the folly of our nature that we are apt to glory in any thing yea many times in those things that are our shame the wise man in his wisdom the strong man in his strength and the rich man in his riches c. Jer. 9. and pass by that as an aspersion which indeed would make us truly honourable and in comparison of others advance us up to heaven for any thing else to be pointed at men count an honour
against thee thou hast none to make answer for thee for thy Covenant admits no advocate Lastly if any services be required thou hast none to help thee but thy own might no Christ to strengthen thee no Spirit to help thy infirmities Rom. 8.26 as it is with the people of God in the Covenant of grace Secondly none to bear thy sins or sufferings and so wrath must needs come upon thee immediately it comes upon the godly under the second Covenant and Christ the Mediator stepped between he bare the curse being made a curse for us Gal. 3.13 but when the Lord shall come to pour out his wrath upon thee thou maiest rather hope to prevail with the Rocks and the Mountains then with Christ he will not appear for thee but thou must wrastle it out with the wrath of the great God for ever and it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God Heb. 10.30,31 there must needs be Iudgement without mercy and fury without compassion when the Lord will stir up all his wrath and none step in to bear one drop of this storm for thee for thy Covenant admits no Mediator Thirdly it is a Covenant under which unto man fallen there is no hope of reparation First it promiseth no repentance after sinning it belonâ—s to the second Covenant that Christ shall give repentance unto Israel Acts 5.31 Secondly it promiseth no space to repent but Gen. 2.17 the day thou eatest thou shalt dye and so they had had not Christ stept in Rev. 2.21 space to repent is not from the first Covenant Thirdly if a man did repent this Covenant promiseth no acceptation upon repentance it saith indeed Gen. 4.7 if thou dost well thou shalt be accepted but it faith not if thou dost evil thou shalt upon after repentance be accepted therefore this is a mans miserable condition and this it must be by this Covenant for ever therefore the Devils are in a hopeless Condition because the Covenant under which they stand offers them no mercy after sinning and God hath not revealed unto them any other Covenant and the same is the condition of every man by this first Covenant only men have this priviledge that they have a second Covenant offered unto them upon which they may lay hold with hope of mercy therefore neglect not these glorious offers seek the Lord while he may be found close with the grace in the new Covenant know the day of thy visitation for if thou be found at the last day under Adams Covenant and untranslated thou must expect no other but to bear thy own sin and shame for ever Let this awaken you to seek first for a change of thy Covenant and then afterward for a change of thine Image many men labour to change their waies and to abstain from many sins but whilest thou art under this first Covenant thy Covenant promiseth no grace to perform duties thy Covenant promiseth no acceptance therefore the first thing that a soul should set upon is to seek to God to be translated out of that Covenant that bondage under which by nature he stands FLESH SILENCED BY Gods arising A Sermon Preached before the Lord Maior Aldermen and Commons of London on a Thanksgiving day at Christ-Church London July 26. 1651. ZACH. 2. ver ult Be silent O all flesh before the Lord for he is raised up out of his holy habitation IT is the great honour of the Saints that they are made the Temples of the Holy-Ghost and the Priests of the most high God that they may offer to him spiritual sacrifices acceptable to him through Iesus Christ The sacrifices of the Jews were of two sorts Some were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Propitiatory Sacrifices for the obtaining of pardon and peace and reconciliation after sins committed there were other sacrifices that were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 peace-offerings a returning unto God of thanks and praises for blessings received When God did put into the hands of his people a cup of consolation for that is the Prophets expression in Ier. 16. then did they take the cup of salvation the cup of benediction and returned unto God again Psal 116.13 You have both these sacrifices in the spiritual sense of them under the Gospel and the Lord delights in each of them in their seasons Sometimes the Lord calls his people to mourning and it is dangerous to deceive the expectation of God Sometimes he calls them to rejoice Consider in Heb. 12.23 you are by the Gospel taken into Communion with Angels and your Communion with the Angels in a great measure doth consist in bearing a part with them in your praises it is the action of heaven and requires hearts in heaven to joyn with it therefore the hearts of the Saints are so described Rev. 19.1 I heard a voice of much people in Heaven saying Amen Hallelujah it is spoken of the Saints upon earth it is usually in that book styled the Church of God in heaven but how when they praise God they are a great multitude in Heaven The Countries that have most staple commodities in them for exchange you know they have the freest and the fullest traffique The most glorious intercourses between heaven and earth is in mercy and the most glorious return between earth and heaven is in grace praises and the returning of mercies into themselves ad locum unde exeunt gratiae revertantur Bernard saith Bernard it is a returning of mercy into the same fountain the same bosom of love from whence it flows it is indeed the habitation of God that next to heaven he delighteth to dwell in he inhabiteth the praises of Israel These considerations I desire to premse that you may a little observe of what weight and importance the services that you now go about are For the words that I have read to you that you may find out the meaning and scope of the Holy-Ghost in them it is necessary that we look into the story the context and the connexion of the verse which I shall briefly give you and I intreate you diligently to mark The Babylonian Monarchie having trodden down the City of God the holy City and laid wast the Temple and worship of God for seventy years that time being expired the Lord according to his promise delivers his prisoners out of the pit in which there was no water Deliverance was proclaimed by Cyrus the first King of Persia this liberty some of the Jews undervlaued and they still chose rather to abide in the Land of their captivity to them is the speech directed in the 6. ver of this Chapter Ho saith God come forth and stie from the Land of the North they might have had liberty but they embraced their former bondage those that did accept of deliverance and returned into their own Countrie they were no sooner returned but there rose a Samaritan faction their neighbours those that were neither Gentiles by profession nor Jews by religion
thee Is it so my Brethren then all men must conclude surely the Lord is raised up out of his holy habitation And this is the first point The second I shall speak a little to but very briefly that I may come to the second general in the Text I am loth to trespass or to straighten him that succeeds in the service The second Doctrine that I propounded to you was this Dostrine That the experiments that the Saints have of the rising of God for them in some Providential actings are a sure pledge to their faith that he will go on the will not leave the work till he hath brought it to perfection so observe I will give you but one Scripture Psal 74.14 he smote the head of Leviathan in the water and he gave him to be meat to the people inhabiting the wilderness the Lord here doth encourage them against those great difficulties that they were to meet withal in the wilderness after they came out of Egypt why now what is the use that they must make of the affliction of Pharoah and his Army called the head of Leviathan there his power his policy his strength the Lord brake the enemy Why the text saith he gave it to be meat to the people Why did the people of Israel in the wilderness feed upon the dead bodies of the Egyptians No that is not the meaning of it but this he gave it to be food to their faith not to their bodies for their faith to feed upon in all those ensuing difficulties that they were to meet withal in a howling wilderness in decretis sapientium nulla est Litura Wise men make no blots when the Lord hath begun he useth to go on if he open the first seal against Rome Pagan he never leaves till he comes to the seventh seal If he sounds the first Trumpet against Rome Christian he goes on to the seventh So having begun to pour out some of the Vials against Antichristian Rome surely the Lord will never leave till the last vial be poured out So it is a great encouragement to the Saints the great experiments they have had of the Lords rising for them in his providential actings that the Lord certainly will go on Oh but will you say to me If we could be assured of that but what if the times should turn there are changes in the right hand of the most high what if we should see a new face upon things I know these are the suppositions of every heart here Now I intreate you consider I confess there is an ultima clades adhuc metuenda there is a great cloud that yet hangs over all the European Churches pray observe what I say the killing of the witnesses I cannot look upon as past because I cannot find the time of the prophecying in sackcloth and ashes to be expired and Rome Antichristian as well as Rome Pagan under Iulian shall have its three years and a half but yet for your comfort let me tell you the experiments that you have had of Gods providential actings may secure your hearts that they shall never prevail so as to put out that lâ—ght of the glorious Gospel that God hath set up among you they shall never prevail so far Rome hath a time of seduction and a time of persecution the time of Romes seduction is over though it is true the grand persecution is to come Angustine I remember tells us that there is a threefold persecution that the Church of God should undergo August The first is violenta by force The second is fraudulenta that is in a way of heresie A third should be violenta fraudulenta there should be a deceit mixt with force Now I intreate you be pleased to consider there be these three arguments that I have looked upon as a great stay to my own thoughts in this respect I shall crave leave to propose them to you In the first place the Apostle Heb. 12.27 tels us that the Lord doth shake the things that are made that the things that cannot be shaken may remain he shaketh the things that are made that they may be removed that the things that cannot be shaken may remain then the end why the Lord hath shaken in Church and State whatsoever is of man what the Lord will not have to continue it is that he may remove it Why now this is the great end then that the Lord hath that things that cannot be shaken should remain Whatsoever Jesus Christ hath removed all the power of men shall never exalt for he did shake it to that very end that he might remove it I say what the Lord hath removed as a thing made moveable all the powers of men shall never be able to establish again Jesus Christ will maintain the ground he hath won That is the first Argument Yea In the second place when Christ rides forth for to Conquer he conquers not at once but he will go on to conquer that is another argument you may see him going forth Rev. 6.1,2 he rideth forth conquering and to conquer he did not conquer all at once but he carries on the victory Luther I remember said when he began Luther brevi efficiam ut Anathema sit esse Papistam it shall not be long saith he but by the grace of Christ I shall bring it about that it shall be looked upon as a cursed thing to be a Papist God hath carried on the work still and I remember it was the speech of Latimer one of our Martyrs when he came to be burnt I hope I shall kindle a fire this day in England shall never be put out Romanum nomen de terra tolletur Certainly the Lord Christ will carry on his work for he conquers not all at once he goes on conquering and to conquer In the third place Consider I beseech you the ten Kingdoms shall destroy the whore that is my third argument the ten Kingdoms are the Instruments God will use Antichrist riseth in a double beast Rev. 13. in his civil power so he makes up one beast with the ten Kingdoms In his Ecclesiastical he makes up his ten Kingdoms in the Clergy that is the Beast that hath two horns like a Lamb he speaks like a Dragon Now observe I beseech you these ten Kingdoms the Lord will make use of to destroy the Whore therefore he must reserve a considerable party Nay a major party that shall hate the Whore who shall become chosen and faithful the Lord hath been pleased to make this one of the ten Kingdoms certainly the Lord will uphold a major party here those that shall keep themselves that be Virgins not defile themselves with the fornications of Antichrist and the Lord will raise them up for this great service and they shall stand with the Lamb upon Mount Sion Consider I beseech you this and then when you look about upon those glorious providential acts of God for you truly you may
comfort your selves with this the Lord is raised up out of his holy habitation he hath begun and he will carry on the work And so much now for the first branch of the Text the Proposition the Lord is raised up out of his holy habitation The inference that followeth upon it I shall speak but briefly to only I pray you lend me your diligent ear and with that I shall conclude I would be loth to trespass in respect of time The Lord is raised up out of his holy habitation what then be silent Oh all flesh before him That is the inference be silent O all flesh before the Lord. These words Interpretets referr both to the Churches enemies and to the people of God who were returned from the Land of their captivity The particle Interjectio est silentium Imperans Jerom. Ierom. Oh that is here used is a kind of Interjection by which the Lord commandeth silence and not a silence of the tongue only but silence of the soul My soul keep silence unto God There is a double silence in the world Some men keep silence in policy because they would not discover themselves till a convenient time But all the people of God that will approve themselves they must keep silence in duty Well First then Let us look upon enemies and as it is a direction to them a command laid upon them Oh all flesh be silent before the Lord. I here is a double ground of all ungodly mens silence and I find it used so in Scripture First there is a silence from shame Psal 31.19 let the lying lips be put to silence that cruelly and despightfully speak against the righteous silencing may be by shame Secondly there is a silencing of men wiâ—h fear and astonishment Psal 107.41 he setteth the poor on high with Princes the righteous shall see this and rejoyce and all wickedness shall stop their mouth men shall be amazed to see it There is a silence from shame there is a silence from fear then it is as if so be the Lord should have said unto all the Churchs enemies for shame or if not for shame for fear suppress your murmurings away with your boastings your censurings your slanderings Keep silence Oh all flesh before the Lord why now give me leave to inforce it a little All those that are enemies unto Gods actings among his people give me leave to speak a word to you if any such are here as in most of our Congregations it is like there are When the Lord is raised up out of his holy habitation doth gloriously appear in providential actings for his people then see that you keep silence I say away with your murmurings your disputings your censurings your slanderings and let me inforce it upon these four grounds remember them First know the Lord hears all your murmurings the Lord takes notice of all your censurings sometimes men in design keep silence because they dare not speak out But remember what the Lord told his people when they murmured against Moses Exod. 16. the Lord tells them that they have not murmured against thee at the 7. ver they have not murmured against thee but they have murmured against me When God appears in Instruments and you evidently see the hand of God with them then when you murmur at these Instruments you murmur against God remember that and the Lord takes notice In the second place It is a far greater Judgement for a man to be given over to a froward fretful spirit under an affliction then any affliction that can befall him I desire that it may sink deep into all your hearts I say to be given over under an affliction to a froward and a fretful spirit is a greater judgement then any affliction can befall him for a man to be like a wild Bull in a Net full of the fury of the Lord the cross he cannot bear and yet he cannot avoid it I intreat you consider it is worse then any other judgement can befall you it is the Devils sin and it is the Devils punishment mark this I say it is the Devils sin and it is the Devils punishment the Lord crosseth him in all his designs and yet notwithstanding for all that still his spirit risseth up against all his acting and so envy is his sin and his plague now do you mark it is true all sins are from the Devil but yet some are from him per modum servitutis others per modum Imagini in some sins you do the Devils work but in some sins you bear the Devils image and I beseech you consider this is the condition of every man so far as he is given over to a froward fretful perverse discontented spirit under the providential actings of God towards his people Consider I beseech you it is this that makes Hell this makes Hell when a man is under the hand of God that yet he cannot bear it nor he cannot avoid it It was a good speech of Bernard Bernard Ubi non est propria voluntas non erit infernum take away a mans self-will and truly you take away hell this is that my Bretheren makes it be so when an affliction lies upon a man all that while his will continually riseth against the dealings of God and he frets against the hand of God upon him it is the greatest Judgement could befal him In the third place This will certainly hinder your repentance It is a sad Scripture that so much the more sad because it hath an aspect upon the times in which we live Rev. 16.9 you read of the Vial poured out upon the Sun the highest authority in Church and State so far as it holds to Rome Now the Text saith that men should be scorched the same Vial that was poured out upon the Sun I say now that men should be scorched exceedingly fretful perplexed in spirit and what follows why the text saith they blasphemed God that had power over these plagues and they repented not to give God the glory My Brethren there is not a greater Judgement befalls men in these daies then through a fretful spirit against the instrument to neglect the hand of God and not repent and turn Yea in the last place that I may draw to wards a conclusion This will provoke the Lord I assure you for to bring greater plagues upon you therefore take heed to it to keep silence before him when you see Gods hand upon you Isa 26.11 When the hand of the Lord is lifted up they will not see but they shall see and be ashamed for their envy at the people saith the Text. My Brethren God worketh Judgements in lesser characters at first and truly if men cannot read it he will write them in more eminent and capital Letters small judgements they will not open wicked mens eyes truly neither will they stop wicked mens mouthes and if they will not do so assuredly God will have a way for all wicked men
spirit against Judas Psal 69.8,9 and it took effect upon him many hundred years after he was dead and had seen corruption God hath promised to bring forth Judgement to victory and to present you without spot or wrinkle your prayers and endeavours for this shall add to your glory and these promises shall be accomplished in the Lords time and then your names shall be recorded in those mercies as those that were co-workers with God and preparing your own glory here for hereafter and then you shall rejoyce in them not only as Gods mercies but also as an answer to your prayers all the prayers of the godly are not for present fruit yet so as they bring a harvest many years after and then when it comes a man hath the sweetness of the mercy and the answer of the prayer all come in together if the Spirit that indites prayers doth so here in this life how will it do hereafter when he shall dwell in a man for ever without grievance how will a mans joy be great when his joy shall be as the joy of harvest oh how full will a mans joy be then Vâ—… Let it therefore stir us up to the practise of this duty which is here exhorted and that is perfect cleansing And now to awaken us to it the more I will give some Rules by which men may judge that they have great need of this exhortation and that the work of cleansing is very imperfect in them Consider these six particulars First To sin much against knowledge is an argument of a very unclean spirit whether it be against principles as Rom. 1. ult Who knowing the Iudgement of God that they which commit such things are worthy of death not only do the same but have pleasure in them that do them or against repeated admonitions as Judas and Pilate did or against the secret instructions of a mans own conscience the chastisement of his reins as Darius and Herod did against Iohn the Baptist Mark 6.22 or against truths professed as Saul against Witches and truths glorified in us the Apostle saith Thou art called a Iew and makest thy boast of God and gloriest in the Law through breaking the Law dishonourest thou God Secondly The more speedily lust takes away the man the more unclean that man is therefore the expression is A man soon angry Prov. 14 17. A man of a hasty spirit Eccl. 7.9 but on the other side a man of understanding that is a holy mortified man is of a cold spirit so that though the fire of corruption blown long by Satan may kindle at last yet it doth not speedily because he hath a cold spirit not a Gun-powder disposition unto evil Prov. 7.22 as soon as the harlot made the motion it is said he went after her strait-way or immediately without any more ado c. And as it argues a heart the more perfectly sanctified when it is sitted for a very good work Tit. 3.1 for any honourable use so it argues a heart more exceedingly unclean when it is fited to be used by Satan in any evil work when the heart is prepared as an Oven fit for any Batch Hos 7.6 fit to be led captive at the will of Satan 2 Tim. 2.26 And the truth is that makes a man stubble to judgement because he hath been stubble to sin first and therefore lust in a mans heart is not only compared to fire amongst men that must be fed with fewel and so it sooner burns but it is a fire that feeds it self without fewel and therefore called the fire of hell Iames 3.6 Thirdly the more sin passeth through the whole man without controul the more unclean the heart is as in the performance of duty the more the soul is subdued to the duty and every thought brought into subjection 2 Cor. 10.2 the more sanctified it is so on the contrary the more the heart is subdued by a lust and the less resistance it finds Iude 11. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 v. So Ezek. 16.36 Thy filthyness was poured out to all thy Lovers when shame which is a doom to some mens lusts prevails not when checks of conscience thoughts of death and Judgement keep not mens lusts from overflowing 2 Pet. 3.4 it shews a heart exceedingly defiled Fourthly the more unsatiable mens desires are in the commission of any sin the more unclean the man is Hab. 2.5,6 Nebuchadnezar for his covetousness is compared to a Drunkard for his unsatiableness for none cal faster for wine usually then they that have had too much before it is with greediness Eph. 4.19 who being past feeling have given themselves over to work all uncleanness 1 Pet. 4.4 with greediness excess of riot wherein they think it strange that you run not with them to the same excess of riot Isa 5.14 As the grave and as hell they weary themselves Ierem. 9.5 the members are weary in obeying when the Law of the members is never weary exacting Balaams lust was too swift for the very beast and mens lusts are often too vast for their weakned and tyred ability to act them therefore they load themselves with thick clay Hab. 2.4,5 enough to load them but not to satisfie them Fifthly the more provision a man makes for lusts before and the more plots he hath going to accomplish his lusts the more unclean that man is Rom. 13.14 As Iudas sought opportunity to betray Christ Mat. 26.16 And some do provide themselves of nets and draggs before hand to catch men as Hab. 1.16 Hos 7.5 and 6.7 They have made ready their heart as an Oven it is conceived to be spoken of the Princes of Israel under some Idolatrous King the hearts of the Princes and the Counsellers were ready as an Oven they had prepared themselves to receive and bring in any wickedness or any Idolatry and they were ready to bring the people into it and they had their Agents went about to leaven the people that were not all of that mind presently in the mean time it is said the saker the King some say or else they that had the special hand in this he sleeps not at night but he observes how the plots take and where the lump is leavened and the people prepared to entertain the innovations that he did intend to bring in and if they miss an opportunity of sinning they be sorry for it 2 King 5.20 Sixthly and lastly The more lust doth disturb a man in holy duties it did shew indeed that Elyes sons were sons of Belial that lay with the women at the door of the Tabernacle 1 Sam. 2.22 It argued that Zimry was desperately set upon evil when in a day of humiliation he durst bring a woman where all the Congregation were humbling themselves before the Lord. So for a man to lead a lust through the whole soul in the special presence of God in his Ordinances shews a very unclean spirit if the heart of the people go after covetousness when they are hearing
Ezek. 33.31 and after vain glory in prayer Mat. 6.5 for if ever grace have the advantage it is then when a man stands before the Lord and that sin bear it down at best duties it argues that lust is exceeding powerful in a man and he is exceedingly unclean Now for some rules to judge of the perfection of this work how a man comes neerer to it take these five First The more clearly a man discerns and the more fully his heart is affected with spiritual sins the more clearly he can discern them for as all sins proceed from darkness so every sin encreaseth darkness the more unclean any man is the more blind he is therefore Paul could not only see Satans pitched battles against him but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Cor. 2 11. the stratagems and ambushes that he used not only the temptation it self but Satans plots and purposes in tempting the depths of Satan Rev. 2.24 And the more he is affected with them the more bitterly he doth condemn them and mourn for them as David for his base dejection Psal 42.11 his carnal confidence in the creature Psal 30.6,7 his secret grudging at the prosperity of the wicked Psal 73.21,22 Agur for his brutishness in regard of spiritual things Prov. 30.2 Surely I am more brutish then any man and have not the understanding of a man Hezekiah for the pride of his heart 2 Chron. 32.26 for as a mans graces grow more and more in the new man inward in the old man so will his lusts and temptations be and therefore they that be still exercised about outward and bodily lusts it argues a small cleansing in them but the more a man considers that God is a Spirit and his eye is most upon the Spirits of men and that these defiling lusts before God make him most like unto the Devil who is spiritual wickedness and he saith My house and land and estate is worth so much but my heart is nothing worth Prov. 10.20 for consider if it were with me as with Maximenius and some of those Roman Emperours through their exceeding gluttony their bodies bred vermine continually how loathsom should it be for you to think and to have reason so to do but I am a man of a corrupt mind 1 Tim. 6.5 and that continually breeds vermine and will at last the worm that never dyes and this makes a man loath and abhorr himself it is a good sign of a clean heart Secondly The more a man hates and is afflicted and gos mourning for not only the raigning but the being of sin as it was with the Apostle that sin had never rebelled that it had never led him captive yet his body of death makes him miserable Rom. 7.24 the very being of it when it is with a man in regard of sin as it was with leprosie the Type Lev. 14.44,45 When they had scrapt about it and carried out the dust then they shall sweep it again then if it break forth again the house must be pluckt down So when a man hath done all he can by removing the dust and by carrying out the rubbish and yet lust will spread then to be contented and desire to have the house dissolved the house of nature that the building of sin might be destroyed 2 Cor. 5.2 it is an Argument of a great measure of purity Thirdly The more speedily a mans heart is awakned to turn to God after sinning it was a sign that Davids heart was in a clean frame when his heart smote him assoon as he had cut off the lap of Sauls garment 1 Sam. 24.5,6 and of Peter that immediately he went out and wept bitterly Math. 26. ult The first note was that a pure heart keeps it self that the wicked one toucheth him not but the second is speedily to return and cleanse a mans self after falling Davids heart was in a defiled frame that he could lie well nigh a year in the sins of Adultery and Murder without repentance the heart of a man is a fountain Mat. 12.35 that preserves it self pure and in its first glory as a fountain doth but if mudd do at any time enter into it it will be continually working of it out and it is as truly an argument of purity as the other and when a man repents that will also afflict him that God was forced to use so many means with him before he could be brought to repentance that Ephraim bemoans Ier. 31.18 Fourthly The more jealous a man is of himself upon every occasion Mat. 26.22 How far am I guilty in this sin Is it I Lord Fifthly The less a mans heart is affected and the less he is taken with worldly things Gen. 15.1 Rev. 12.1 Hem Germana illa Bestia and as Moses and Ioseph prefer the good of the people of God before any worldly advantage of their own Sixthly The more truly glad a man is and can bless the Lord that he hath been pleased to cross him in a way of sinning let God cross Ahab and he is in a rage better meet a Beare robbed of her whelps then meet a wicked man God hath crossed in a way of sinning Pro. 17.12 cross David in a way of sinning and he blesseth the Lord. And David said to Abigail Blessed be the Lord God of Israel which sent thee this day to meet me and blessed be thy advice and blessed be thou which hast kept me this day from coming to shed blood and from avenging myself with my own hand The Motives thereunto are these five First this fits a man for communion with the Lord and makes his communion more clear for what communion hath light with darkness Christ with Belial and though a man be godly and so hath fellowship with the Father and with his son Christ 1 Joh. 1.6 yet if we say we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness we lye if therefore walking in darkness take away all fellowship then the more a man walks in darkness the less fellowship he hath therefore the promise to a clear communion is unto such as separate themselves for then God saith I will receive you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I will dwell in you 2 Cor. 6.16,17 which notes clear and neer communion Secondly It is a special means to be imployed that God should use a man 2 Tim. 2.21 If a man therefore purge himself from these he shall be a vessel to honour sanâ—tified and meet for the Masters use c. and so Mal. 3.3 and Godly men be as happy in their services as in their rewards on the contrary it is a Judgement to be despised of God so as not to be used a vessel wherein he takes no pleasure Ier. 22.28 The earthen vessels leprous must be broken they are of no use Thirdly this will make a man ready and willing to do service for it is corruption that is the clog that hinders from service Heb. 12.1 Let us lay aside every weight and the sin which doth so easily
imagine that when the cup of fury that is in the Lords right hand hath gone round and all nations have tasted of it and yet that we shall not drink thereof Ier. 25.15 may it not be as truly said of us as of our brethren Ezek. 12.4 thou hast caused thy dayes to draw neer thou art come even unto thy years there is a time for Judgement the text tels you upon a Nation and he that is wise shall know and discern both time and Judgement Eccl. 8.5 Now as I have before shewed you thâ—… Ministers are Servants so also they are the Prophets of the Nation and therefore preaching is called prophecying and the Ministers of the Gospel are called Prophets 1 Cor. 4.32 though not in so full and compleat a sense as the Prophets antiently were yet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quadam by a true resemblance and analogy though not a fore-telling yet a fore-speaking things to come for that God that had made all things by his word doth uphold all things by the word of his power Heb 1.3 governing all things by the rules of the same exactly dispensing punishments and rewards according to the tenour of the promises and threatnings therein recorded so that as he hath appointed the Sun Moon and Stars to rule by day and by night over this natural world Psal 19. so he hath stretched forth the Expansum of the Law over the rational world Rom. 10.18 all things being ordered according to the precepts promises and threatnings thereof Now as a man that is skilful in the one by observing and calculating the influences and aspects and conjunctions of the one can foretel in many things what is to come in the natural world So the other by observing the promises and threatnings and the special aspects that is in them both can in a great measure fore speak what is like to come to pass in the rational world also sutable hereunto the Prophet here tels â—s that there is First a time for Judgement Secondly that this time may be known Thirdly the ignorance of this time makes a man more bruitish then the unreasonable creatures For the scope of the place seems to be this that such is the wisdom of unreasonable creatures the Stork Crane and Swallow that in winter they flie from cold and hard places unto those where there is a more temperate and moderate air they knowing the seasons and the appointed times for this they flie away before and by the instinct of nature to make provision for a natural life Now God had made man wiser then the Beasts that perish above the beasts of the field and he hath appointed a time for Judgement and he hath foretold it shall come and yet man is not so wife for himself as either to prepare for it or to flie from it and this is meant by not knowing the Judgement of Jehovah 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Judgement of God is either Directive as the Law written in the Book or the Law written in the heart as Mat. 12.20 bring forth Judgementto Victory Secondly Corrective Thirdly Destructive and this last is meant here it is spoken of the Judgement of utter ruine and desolation upon whom the former Judgements neither the directions of the word nor corrections of Gods rod had taken its due effect its proper work Neither is it meant of the Judgement it self only that it should be utter destruction the fatal blow the last and utter ruine of that people but also the time of this Iudgement which was at hand and this the people knew not and so much the word in the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies tempus certum constitutum a certain and an appointed time Gen. 17.21 My Covenant will I stablish with Isaac which Sarah shall bear unto thee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 at this set time in the next year and this seems to be intimated by the subjects the Stork and the Crane know their times but my people know not the Judgement that is not only the Iudgement it self but not the time of Iudgement that is at hand that which the Prophet had so often told them and that which they were continually admonished that it was neer cum in re tam clara dilucida coecutirent therefore here the Prophet doth justly complain that they were more bruitish then these unreasonable creatures 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they know not verba sensus significant cum affectu effectu In the count of the Holy-Ghost in Scripture a man knows no more then he believes and is affected with and makes use of they knew not they considered not believed not were not affected with neither did they make use of it either the Iudgement it self nor the time of the Iudgement either to fear it or to flie from it so that the Iudgement and the time of Iudgement was appointed this they should and they might have known believed and been affected with but they were more unwise for themselves and for their temporal and eternal safety then the unreasonable creatures they knew not the Iudgement of the Lord. Hence the observations that I purpose to insist upon are these two First that there is unto a sinful Nation a set and an appointed time of Judgement Secondly that this time may and should be known or else in vain are they blamed for not knowing it First Doctrine Doctrine There is unto a sinful Nation a set and an appointed time for Iudgement a time when Iudgement shall infallibly come and God will bear with them no longer God being the antient of dayes he is the Lord of time and the great Land-lord of the world and he hath set unto every thing a season or an appointed time to every thing under Heaven Eccl. 3 1. but in reference to the point in hand it will be requisite that we consider of a six-fold time appointed by him that is Lord of time First there is a time of sinning a set and an appointed time for there is First a fulness of sin appointed by God that it shall have its period it shall not grow in infinitum Gen. 15.16 The iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full and as there was a fulness so there is a time appointed to fill up this measure to fill the Ephah Zach. 5.6 where the measure of the sin of the people of Israel is set out for the greatness of it by an Ephah the greatest dry measure amongst the Iews and there was a time for the filling up of the Ephah before it was carried into the Land of Shinar Secondly there is a measure of wrath which every vessel of wrath shall treasure up for all shall not have the same measure and the Reason is because all do not treasure up the same measure unto themselves Rom. 2.4,5 Now seeing it is a Treasure that doth grow by degrees and several additions there must be a time for the filling and the gathering of this Treasure some Exchequer daies
when this Treasure is brought in so that the time in which men fill up the measures of sin and the treasure of wrath this is that which I call an appointed time of sinning Now as some men and some Nations measures and treasures are greater then others so God gives them an appointed time to fill it up and being considered in it self the greatest Iudgement that can befall a man is for the Lord to give unto a man or a Nation a long time of sinning as the time that man hath to sin is but small only during the time of the body for he shall only give an account of the things done in the body not those that are done in statu separato 2 Cor. 5.10 and to a man in the body there is an appointed time under heaven Iob. 7.1 a short time appointed for his being and therefore a short time for his sinning But the Devil hath a large time from the beginning of the world unto the end of it to the day of Iudgement which argues that there is much wrath reserved and prepared for him that must have so long time to enlarge the vessel and fit it to receive it for as gray hairs are a Crown if they be found in the way of righteousness Pro. 16.31 that is it is a special mercy to live long to add to a mans Crown so it is a special curse for a man to go on in evil and yet his daies to be prolonged Eccl. 8.12 Secondly a time of patience when the Lord holds his peace and reproves not Psal 50.21 indeed God is angry with the wicked every morning Psal 7.11 there is not a day that he riseth but a cloud of Gods displeasure riseth over him but yet he deferrs his Iudgement holds his hand there is a time when he is prest under their abominations as a Cart is prest under sheavs Amos 2.13 for to have men go on to sin against him and because Iudgement is not executed speedily therefore to have their hearts fully set in them to do evil and the patience of God to be made the ground and the encouragement of sinning cannot be but a great and a heavy burthen to the patience of God and yet there is a time when the Lord bears and doth not by and by ease himself of his adversaries as he saith in Iudgement he doth Isa 1.24 and it is an ease to him Ier. 32.31 the City of Ierusalem the Lord saith had been a provocation to him from the day that it was built which was many hundred years and yet the Lord had born it and had not removed it out of his sight according as he threatned for to do for there is a season for God to glorifie all his attributes he will make them all exceeding glorious in their time now after this life there shall be time to glorifie Iustice Mercy and Truth but the patience of God can have no place in heaven nothing that shall burthen Gods patience and in hell he will shew forth no patience nothing but wrath to the vessels of wrath it is the breath the fury of the Lord that is a River of Brimstone burning in it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Isa 30. ult therefore there must be a time for the Lord to glorifie his patience and a time for Christ to rule in the midst of his enemies and a time for him to rule over them when they shall be made his foot-stool there must be a time for the decree to conceive and to bear before it bring forth Zeph. 2.1 The truth is we consider not what a precious time even the time of patience is to have a poor soul that expects to be executed at last but to have two or three years added to his life by way of a reprival how great a favour doth he esteem it So for a man or a people to have deserved death for the Lord to cut ten or twenty years out of eternity but to respit the Iudgement and give a man but so much time of ease it is a special and extraordinary favour It is not time of slackness but time of patience 2 Pet. 3.9 Thirdly there is a time of repentance when God doth defer and respit the Iudgement after sinning of purpose that man may return and come in Rev. 2.21 I gave her space to repent and she repented not the words are Emphatical 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he gave it and the principal and proper intent that God had in it was this that they might have time to repent come in and make their peace in a time wherein the Lord calls men to repentance by the ministery of the word stretching out his hands all the day long Ier. 32.33 when the Lord calls to weeping mourning baldness and sack-cloath Isa 22.7 a time when the Lord strives inwardly with the spirit of a man to bring him to a sight of sins and sorrow for them a time when if men seek him he will be found Isa 55.6 and when though the Lord do threaten never so severely it is but with condition of repentance and if then they will come forth and take hold of his strength and make peace with him they shall make peace according to his promise Isa 27 5. when though there be a cloud of blood hang over a people and grievously threaten danger but yet it is but conditional and if they return and repent they shall make their peace and God will be again reconciled and the judgement shall not come as we see in Nineveh for that only I call time of repentance when there is hope of mercy else repentance will not profit for it comes too late Fourthly the time of patience and repentance have their periods indeed these times are not of the same length to all to some God shew◠but a little patience and to others a great deal riches of patience and forbearance that though they do evil a hundred times yet their daies are prolonged so for repentance some have but a winters and others a summers day but when these are longest yet there is a time when they will expire and time shall be no more they have their fixed and set bounds that they cannot pass First time of repentance for though the spirit may strive and strive long yet he saith he shall not alwaies strive Gen. 6.3 and though if in the day of repentance men do come in he will turn from his fierce wrath Isa 55.6 Yet if this time be past there is a time when the Lord will not be found Ierusalem had the day of her visitation wherein she might have known the things belonging to her peace but a great while before the Iudgement came they were hid from her eyes Luke 19.42 Secondly it is true the time of patience may last longer then the time of repentance for God may with-hold his hand even when Judgement is determined against a people but yet the time of patience will not alwaies last the longest day
Mat. 16.3 It is that Christ reproves in the Pharisees they could discern the true face of the sky but could not discern the signs of the times one might have been done as wel as the other if they had applyed themselves to the like care and industry But may it be known as the Lord governs the world by the Sun Psal 19.1 Rom. 10.18 and in nature doth many times cause Comets and blazing Stars as tokens of some dangerous and dismal accidents approaching in nature so hath the Lord set forth by the Book of the Word some signs also hat are as so many Comets to the world if a man doth wisely behold them by a spiritual eye and a right judgement resulting from them for the waies of God are unchangable he is not wearied with process of time neither can he be ever won to give his blessing in one age which he hath cursed in another and therefore that which hath been a sign of Iudgement in one age must needs be so in another for the word of God is like to a well-drawn picture that casts an eye upon every person and every Nation alike It is necessary therefore to enquire what be the signs foregoing Iudgement which the Scripture doth set down I will only mention these two which I desire every one that is wise will lay to heart that so he may be able a little to discern the signs of the times First a fulness of sin that is made the sign when Iudgement was to come upon the Amorites Gen. 15.16 when their iniquity was full and this is made the ground of bringing Iudgement put in thy sikle and reap for the harvest is ripe Ioel 3.16 So Jer. 1.11,12 An Almond tree hath the first ripe fruit of any tree and it notes the hastening of them to ripen their sins and the Lord saith as they did hasten their sins to a ripeness so he would hasten to ripen his Iudgements so that this is a certain sign foregoing Iudgement But when is sin full when is it ripe in a Nation I know Divines commonly and truly set forth the fulness of sin by its universality impudency and obstinacy but I will not insist upon these But let us look into this Nation of Iudah of which our Prophet speaks here and see what did ripen their sins and brought them to that fulness that brought the Iudgement see what it was amongst them that filled the Epha and made way for the women with the wind in their wings to carry them away First when a people seeks to make void the Law then it is time for God to work that is to execute Iudgement so David saith Psal 119.126 the word in the original is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies irritum facere non palam ex professo sed oblique not by open opposing but by secret undermining it is fitly exprest by our Saviour Mat. 13.6 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ye have unlorded taken away the ruling power of the Law by your Traditions how this hath been done in this Nation in these latter times is not unknown unto them that know any thing of the Doctrine of this Church sometimes by opposing Scripture to Scripture sometimes by subtile distinctions grounded upon Scriptures in a show by misinterpretations and frigid expositions put upon Scripture by false conclusions and Paralogismes drawn out of Scripture and by customs and Church traditions put upon it as the practise of the Primitive Church the Iudgement of the learned and all that the wisdom of men and not the Law of God might rule but when men come so far that they dare not only to change the Laws of men but to temper with and un-lord the Law of God it is time for the people of God to pray and then it is time for God to work Secondly corrupting the worship of God by humane inventions that have a show of wisdom and will-worship to hold correspondency with Idolaters Jer. 2.33 Why trimest thou thy way to seek love he speaks it of their correspondence with Idolaters sometimes with Egypt and sometimes with Assyria◠they did so order things in Gods worship as might best further their Politick ends now this triming did please and then another and all was to please their Lovers How much triming hath been used in this Nation of late years we must have Altars Crucifixes Copes Tapers Basons sometimes we have been taken with the French sometimes the Spanish and sometime the Italian fashion what is this but to trim our way to seek love Thirdly Confederacy with Idolaters of a contrary Religion Ier. 2.36 why gaddest thou about to change thy way sometimes they went down to Egypt sometimes they did slie to Assyria c. this is called the fornication of the Nations Ezek. 16. The gadding of this Nation of latter times in this kind I need not speak of that it is too well known unto most Nations in the Christian world but all that ever we are like to get by it is the same that was the gain of this people Ahaz made a confederacy with the King of Assyria 2 Chron. 28.20 and he came and distressed him but strengthened him not Fourthly abusing the Messengers of God 2 Chron. 36.16 They mocked his Messengers and they mis used his Prophets till the wrath of God rose up against them that there was no remedy How far this hath taken place in these latter daies is not unknown to all many of them imprisoned disgraced deprived and those that did enjoy their liberty for the most part Prophecied in Sackcloth Rev. 11. in much affliction and full of doubts and fears every one suspecting whether what he did would please or no. Fifthly not laying to heart the afflictions of our Brethren Amos 6.6.7 They drink wine in bowls and stretch themselves upon beds of Ivory therefore they shall go into Captivity with the first that go Captive how far we have been affected with the distresses of our bretheren in France formerly the desolations in Germany and the present unheard of cruelties in Ireland our hearts know very well and it will be well if in the day when the Lord makes in juisition for blood some of this blood be not found bound up in our own skirts These were the evils that ripened the harvest of sin with them and moved the Lord to say unto the Executioner of Judgement put in thy sickle and reap oel 3.13 and how can we expect but that it shall be so with us also for God measures all Nations with the same line and the same plumet Isa 28.17 Secondly the beginnings of Iudgement are an evident token that the time of Iudgement draws neer When the Fig-tree puts forth leaves you say summer is neer so when you se these things come to pass say it is neer even at the door Lu 2.30 3 For he saith in Judgement when begin I wil also make an end 1 Sam. 3.12 as former mercies be pledges of future and meat for the
soul to feed upon in the expectation of mercy he gave them to be meat to his people in the wilderness Psal 74.14 so former Judgements are meat also for the soul to feed upon in the expectation of future for the wrath of God breaking in upon a people is like a breach in awall where the enemy will be sure with all violence to break in if no man stand in the gap to make resistance impossibile a patente porta iram Dei non procedere For by a lesser Judgement God makes way for his anger for a perfect and an utter ruine Psaul 78.50 Let us see whether the same way be not made with us as it was with them First all Nations about them were against them Ier. 12.9 Mine inheritâ—nce is as a speckled Bird the Birds round about her are against her as a strange Bird seldom seen the Birds usually fall upon and set themselves against her if we did wisely consider the estate of this Kingdom how it is a speckled bird and how the Nations about her are against her as a strange bird it were easy to conceive and what expectations most of them have from the present state of things amongst us it is not hard to guess Secondly the general corruption and decay of truth and wisdom of men in places of greatest trust their silver becomes dross and their wine mixed with water Isa 1.22 their Judges and Officers and men in authority growing daily more and more corrupt the best of them is a Briar Mich. 7.4 that is a poor man flies to them for shelter as a sheep to a thorny hedge and instead of defending they do fleece him in and what follows the day of thy watchmen and thy visitation cometh now shall be their perplexity what hath been the condition of this state we all know how servants have ruled over us and there was none to deliver us out of their hands men of servile birth and education and servile spirits in so much that there hath been no peace either to him that went out or to him that came in for God did vex us with all adversity 2 Chron. 15.6 Thirdly the subversion of fundamental Laws of the Kingdom which the Scripture calls the foundation upon which a Kindom stands which was a bitter complaint of the Church of God in this state all the foundations of the earth were out of course Psal 82.5 what invasions have been made upon us and our Laws hath been abundantly of late discovered and Solomon tells us that he that breaks a hedge a Serpent shall bite him Eccl. 10.8 he speaks it of this hedge by which a people are defended and kept several that all do not become first a Common and then a Wilderness Lastly private and intestine divisions amongst us the fore-running of Gods last and fiercest wrath upon that people Ephraim against Manassch and both against Iudah Isa 9. ult which the Lord saith is as if one member in the same body should be injurious to another as if a man should eate the flesh of his own arm and how far the wrath of God is at present stretched forth against this Nation we all know and complain of what secret whisperings and murmurings what jealousies and fears there are one of another and what parties and how for these divisions there do arise great thoughts of heart we can never sufficiently bewail which doth continnally threaten that the Lord will take us and dash us one against another as Potters Vessels These were the fore-runners of Judgement with this Nation which did show them that the time of Judgement was at hand and these are now the sins of the times which may justly occasion us to conceive that the time of Judgement is at hand let it not be our sin which is here reproved as theirs that we should not know the time of the Judgement of the Lord. Vse Use for direction only in five things First not to know the time is misery enough therefore men are taken suddenly unawares insnared in an evil time as birds in an evil share and as fishes in an evil net Eccl. 9.12 Secondly that you may know the time to improve this promise Whosoever keepeth the Commandment shall find no evil a wise mans heart shall discern time and Iudgement Eccl. 8 5. Thirdly a wise man foresees the evil and hides himself but fools pass on and are punished Prov. 22.3 First by a work of humiliation Hab. 3.16 When I heard my belly trembled rottenness entred into my bones I trembled in my self that I might rest in the evil day Secondly a work of reformation Zeph. 2.3 Seek righteousness seek meeknesâ— it may be you may be hid in the day of the Lords wrath Thirdly improve all the promises that perfection to which you are called Isa 26 ult come my people enter into your chambers the Promises and Attributes are the chambers of the godly but you must come into them else they will afford no shelter upon all the glory shall be a defence Fourthly be much in prayer to lay in for this time will be profitable for you for know prayer never proves ineffectual to a spiritual end it never in this respect comes too late because God never comes too late 1 King 18.45 Luke 21.36 Watch therefore and pray continually that you may be accounted worthy to escape all those things that shall come to pass fidelibus orationibus Deum ambimus coelum tundimus Fifthly betake thy self to the mediation of Christ Mich. 5.5 for this man shall be the peace when the enemy comes into the Land he is a refuge from the storm a defence from the wind a river of water in a dry place and the shaddow of a great Rock in a weary Land Isa 52.2 therefore return you to your strong holds you prisoners of hope Zach. 9.12 Remember his name is Shilo the peace-maker and he is so called everywhere when the Scepter departs from Judah Gen. 49.9 there must needs be nothing but trouble yet then he is the peace-maker then doth Shilo come