as the only direction to the King and State to whom he had spoken before a repetition of this promise of Christ for unto us a son is born a childe is given and the government shall be upon his shoulder q. d. it belongs to Christ to secure his people Therefore fear not but apply your selves unto him for unto us a childe is born c. Å¿ And in the next Chap Thus saith the Lord of Hosts Be not afraid of the Assyrian the consumption decreed shall over-flow But in the next Chapter though the same discourse 't is promised There shall be a root of Jesse which shall stand for an Ensign to the people And it shall come to passe in that day That the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover his people from Assyria t And the Prophet Malachy The day cometh that shall burn as an Oven and leave neither root nor branch but unto you that fear my Name shall the sun of Righteousnesse arise with healing under his wings And ye by him shall tread down the wicked u 'T is a direction to peace in the time of trouble from the enemies of the Church 3. From the greater to the lesse from Gods own example the setting up of Christ is his onely work when he would make peace in the world he hath made peace by the blood of his son and by him reconciled all things x Hence when the Kings of the earth and Princes were all in an uprore he stills it with this I have set my King upon him and therefore now O ye Kings kisse him lest ye perish from the way y This work is called Gods Kingdom z because 't is his whole businesse as Kings in theirs and whole contentment as we say one is in their Kingdom when they are about that they take pleasure in 3 3. From the contrary none ever made peace and excluded him that prospered Pilate and the high Priests would have peace with Caesar a and the people b and the people with the Ruler c and they with the Romans d and to obtain they destroy Jesus now Pilate would have peace with all because an Adversary and laid violent hands upon himself e and the Priests and people did not so much oppose the Romans by this act as provoked them by otheâ—s Whereupon they came and took away both their place and Nation And Maximinus that he might enjoy a continued Peace interdicts the profession of Christianity and there follows a War with his own Subjects wherein he alwayes went by the worse f 4 4. From instances in all the severall kindes of peace peace as we heard before is 1 literall and so 1 negative non-disturbance and quiet this Christ brought here to Jerusalem he shall not come against this city nor shoot an arrow there g 2 positive 1 proper 1 With God bring justified by faith we have peace with him h 2. With men Agrippa Festus and the whole Councell all friends to Pauls person though not to his Religion i 3. With our selves My peace I give unto you let not your hearts be troubled k 2. Figurative all prosperity Butter and honey shall every one eat that is lâ—st in the Land and though persecutions yet after ward many times much abundance or with the afflictions many blessings l Solomon his Type the richest and wisest Prince Constantine the first Christian Emperour the greatest Potentate of the world We have seen the truth come we to the grounds of the Point which may be 1. 2 Because Christ onely can stop enmity at the head the beginning of strife is like the letting out of water m easily stopt at the Fountain Now Wars and Contentions come from above the star Worm wood which made the waters i. e. the people Revel. 17. 14. bitter fell down from heaven By the anger of the Lord it came to passe that Zedekiah n rebelled And the lying Prophet from the Lord encouraged Ahab to the War at Ramoth-Gilead Now Christ onely hath accesse to the Fountain head God himself 1. To intercede 2. To satisfie and so to pacifie Now when that is done he will make his enemies to be at peace with him o Reason 2 2. He onely can quench the Fire-brands to him alone all power is committed even in this kinde p Now there are three Incendraries 1. The Leviathans that make these waters boyl as Job speaks q great persons that move the multitude as the Pharisees the people now Christ governs these By me Kings raign and Princes and all Judges of the earth * and therefore when they are in tumult God sends Christ amongst them as the master his son when the servants are together by the ears and he stills them with a rod of Iron and breaks them in peeces like a Potters Vessell r 2. The unruly multitude These he quells too he calms as the noise of the seas so the tumult of the people Å¿ so he over awed those of Nazareth when they brought him to the brow of the Hill to cast him down he passeth through the midst of them and goes his way t so did he master the Buyers and Sellers in the Temple who wondered that no man laid hands on him when they themselves were scourged out by him u In vain shall David use courtesie or Rehoboam threatS one Absalom or Jeroboam will seduce the Kingdom but if they come with swords on purpose if Christ do but ask them who they seek they go backward and fall to the ground x 3. Divels Those lying spirits in the mouths of Ahabs Prophets and Rehoboams Councell that incense to warre and violence these also are subject to Christ y for he hath spoiled them and triumphed over them in his Crosse z so defeated he their project in the tumult at Ephesus when by Demetrius the Silver-Smith he thought to have made sure of Paul a 3. Because Christ is the Prince of peace the master of this office to whom the grand Commission of peace is directed he shall be called the everlasting Counsellor and Prince of Peace b hence he sayes That all Judgement is committed to the sonne c Which is so large that all differences full under some branch of it if the question be what is truth in point of Doctrine he is a Prophet who hath promised to lead his into all truth d if matter of power and authority he is a King and the Lord of them e from whom they have all derived their authority t is his part to shew the limits of their Commission and keep them withinbounds that they abuse not their power against their Master if it be a matter of wrong or injury he is a Priest who will be both the Advocate to plead and satisfaction f so that t is to be busie in
is till they should feele such calamitie as should afflict them as a woman in travell as Interpreters a generally expound it and Cap. 4.10 he sayes peremptorily she should go to Babylon and be there delivered and Cap. 7.13 having in the verse before promised a prosperous time of the Church yet as expounding himselfe he sayes notwithstanding the land shall be desolate because of them that dwell therein as was mentioned before and for this we have the consent of many Scriptures some whereof threaten so much as after the making of the golden Calfe though the Levâ—â—es executed judgement to the slaughter of 3000 persons b and the people suffered it and Moses was so importunate with God that he had rather lose his soule then be denied yea c and the people mourned too when they heard God would not go up with them himselfe but send an Angell d yet God tels them in the day that he should visit he would surely visit this sin upon them e and so in Deuteronomy f upon their blessing themselves in their owne wayes against all the curses of the law 't is threatned that the Lord will not spare him now sparing implyes intreating but that the land should be made a desolation carried into captivity for that is pointed at in that place as appeares by comparing the context g and we know what fasting and praying was before the captivity h and before this comming in of the Assyrian not onely by i others but Hezekiah himselfe and the godly then living which yet God would not remove before he had made them know that he was the Lord the Assyrian not being repelled till he had wasted and spoiled all the land but two or three Cities at the most and the captivity not returning till seventy years not withstanding the lamentation of the Prophets as Ieremy and the many fasts yearely celebrated a and not then neither without much importunity as appeares in Daniels fasting and humiliation b not but that God would then have delivered them but that he might shew the difficulty of eluctating from the punishing of so great a provocation hee stirred up by his spirit such importunities in the hearts of his servants And in the businesse of choosing a King when God had before admonished them of it and shewed them the manner of the King and they would not be admonished he tels them that therefore when they should cry out unto him because of their King he would not heare them c according to that of the Proverbs * because ye would have none to my counsell and despised all my reproofe they shall cry but I will not heare them they shall seeke me early but shall not finde me but they shall be filled with the fruit of their own devices so also the Prophet Esay d of the voluptuous persons in the time of publike calamity That this iniquity should not be purged untill they dyed 2 other places there are that shew execution done according to such threatning without all remorse or intreaty no place being found for repentance though carefully sued for with teares Ely the High Priest being admonished of the disorder of his sonnes and though admonishing them thereupon yet not restiaining them as the Lord had threatned that the sinne of Elâ—es house should not be purged with Offering nor with Sacrifice in regard of the temporall punishment so was it accordingly fulfilled in the death of his two sonnes of himselfe and the losse of the Priesthood for many yeares from his family e Gods dealing with David after the matter of Vriah is well knowne The childe must surely dye the sword must never depart from his house his owne sonne must rebell and his owne wives defiled by him horrid calamities and yet we know that David deepely repented greatly humbled himself before the Lord f good Iosiah refusing the voice of the Lord by the mouth of the King of Egypt is slaine in the battell g and Hezekiah having received the peremptory denunciation of the Babylonish captivity never so much as opened his mouth against it a Hence God forbids the Prophet Ieremy to pray for them and tels them though â—Moses and Samuel persons that had great prevalency with him should never so earnestly intercede yet his heart could not be toward them b and in another c he saith though Noah Daâ—iel and lob yet they should save neither sonne nor daughter so this comming in of the Assyrian was peremptorily concluded notwithstanding Hezekiahs reformation d and that of the Chaldees notwithstanding Iosâ—â—s e the Babylonish captivity came because the Lord would not pardon f and the Corinthians g were struck with mortality and no discovery of the sinne till many were taken away or if it were discovered yet the evill though no doubt they repented not removed till by experience they had found that 't was a fearefull thing to provoke the Lord to anger and to fall into his hands for contumacy I have been the larger in the proofe of this particular Object because there may be objected 1 Diverse expresse places of Scripture in the Prophet Ieremy the Lord saith When I speake concerning a land to pluck up and to destroy it if that nation shall turne unto me with all their heart I will repent me of the evill I thought to do h and Hosea gives the reason why they were delivered into the hand of the Assyrian Because they refused to returne thereby intimating that if they had returned he should not i other places might be added also there may be 2 objected reasons grounded in Scripture the generall tenor of it which is to comfort those that are humbled with the hope yea assurance of seasonable deliverance The very ground the Scripture goes upon in comforting is this that repentance which if it be true includes an aversion from sinne and conversion to God in Christ whose blood cleanseth from all sinne k takes away the cause of affliction and therefore the effect must needs cease To the scripture wee answer by a double distinction 1 of denunciation of judgement where of some are purely minatory and threatning upon supposition of non repentance such as was that to the Ninevites a and these upon repentance are alwayes diverted others are Decretory or Determined absolutely foretelling what shal unavoidably follow such was this of the comming in of the Assyrian the Babilonish captivity and divers others And wee have ground for this distinction in that of Zephany b before the decree bring forth seeke yee the Lord and that of our Saviour c if thou hadst knowne in this thy day and that of the Psalmist d To day if you will heare his voice harden not your hearts intimating that if they should not so is that place interpreted concerning those that lived in
Court and your persons shall be guiltlesse And the Kingdom if they will not have the Lord Jesus to raign over them shall know That there have been Prophets to teach and a Parliament to establish Christ among them That there is a more tollerable for Sodome and Gomorrah then for this nation hanging over them Shake off the dust of your feet it shall be a testimony against them I began the exhortation to this honorable Assembly with some Motives to the advancing of Christ so let me end it Consider therefore That Christ hath done for you what in this kinde he requires of you 1. He hath brought you into a relation of his own which is of publike and common persons He is the chief representative person that ever was being from all eternity given a head unto the Church c In like manner each of you stand for multitudes some for hundreds some for thousands and some for ten thousands t is Christ that hath bent the heart of so many for to him is all power committed d over the hearts of men to commit their lives posterities and estates yea souls to your faithfulnesse wisedom and courage 2. He hath continued you when the adversaries device was onely to put you out and non-Parliament you He sate in heaven and laughed them to scorn discovered their plots enervated their force and drew the hearts of the people their purses and persons to cover your heads in the day of battle T was the men onely whose hearts the Lord touched that followed Saul who was then zealous to fight the Lords Battells e 3. Christ hath advanced you to be fellow souldiers with himself in joyning the sword of the Law with that of the word to the slaying of the man of sinne and casting down his strong holds to purge his own house set up his Lamps to take off the yoak from the neck of his people to lay meat before them to execute the Judgement that is written against his adversaries Hath delivered you from the strivings of the people hath taught your heads to Councells of peace your hands to actions of warre and hath given you many glorious victories in the day of battell Though sometimes the people of God have fled before the men of Ai because perhaps there hath been an Athan in the camp or an Achitophell in the Councell or an evill and unbeleeving heart to depart from the living God not putting our trust in his help Now then for a recompence be ye also enlarged Admit retain and advance him who hath done all these for you 2. The observation will also afford a direction to the Ministry who should be sonnes of peace we preach-for peace and behold warre because we propose this opinion and that reason and the other authority but not This man Our pressing of the Law should end in Christ our exhortations to holinesse begin at him so the Apostle in the Churches Catechisme the Epistle to the Romans f 3. This truth will direct also the people who all gape for peace That they take heed they spit not out Christ for he is the Peace both to the Kingdom and if they will receive him to their Consciences but with this proviso That he himself be the peace they hope for because he that loves not the Lord Jesus though never so desirous of his benefits shall be faith the Apostle Anathema Maranatha g How can they expect peace by Christ who oppose or care not for his person Ministers Ordinances and people Thus farre the second generall of the Text the Last propounds The means or manner how Christ will be peace when the Assyrian shall come and that is exprest in these words We will raise up against him seven Shepheards and eight principall men Which we should first have opened but the discourse is much too large already referring therefore the Text to Hezekiahs time as was noted before for then only they were according to the letter delivered from the Assyrian And our Prophet was in Hezekiahs time * Observe That a state being invaded in hostile manner to the overthrow of their Laws and Liberties contrary to Covenants and Agreements by those that should protect them may defend themselves in the same Way raise up Officers and draw others into their society for that purpose This will appear by considering 1. The relation that Judah had to the Assyrians at this time which was a relation of subjection and servitude and therefore t is said of Hezekiah h when he brake this relation that he rebelled and served not 2. The occasion of this relation and that was the securing of themselves in the time of Ahaz i Father to Hezekiah against Rezin and Pekah Kings of Syria and Israel To which end Ahaz offers to Tiglath-Pilnezer King of Assyria his service and by consent of the Kingdom as it seems emancipates it to him in a perpetuall homage and league offensive and defensive whereupon he came and delivered them 3. The violation and that first on the part of Hezekiah k but that being reconciled and satisfaction made and accepted whereby the relation was again renewed and he became Senacheribs servant it was afterward broken by the Assyrian l who would have them now not as servants any more but as slaves and would have their persons and estates to dispose of at his own pleasure contrary to Covenants which extended only to hommage and acknowledgement of his superiority and seigniory Here upon the State i. e. The King with the advise of his Nobles m 1. Denies him and 2. when he labours forceably to put on what he had illegally required he resists him in the same way he came i. e. By Arms and withall solicites and obtains the Egyptians as Rabsake◠n intimates and the Ethiopians as Interpreters o conceive to assist him Judging that as they were free frō the obligation of doing so much more being a state from the necessity of suffering unlesse God had given speciall command for it as he did afterward to Zedekiah p So Ahab q when Benhadad King of Syria to whom he was tributary and his vassall q for he calls him his Lord the King r and confesses himself to be his and all that he had ſ yet when reason would not satisfie but besides the Dominion he would have possession of all they had Ahab upon the advise of the Elders and people refuses the Syrian invades they stand upon their Guard and by Gods blessing utterly rout him 2 2. It might be proved from the lesse to the greater the examples of particular men against the violence of their Princes in Scripture as of David * the people rescuing Jonathan * Elisha * the Priests resisting Vzziah * c. if time permitted might be freed from exceptions brought against them 3. From the practise of the Church downward as the Macchabees * the
Christians as soon as they had Laws as under Maximinus * and Valentinian * the reformed Churches * our own Bishops as Jewell Abbot Bilson Andrewes and Princes as Queen Elizabeth * King James * and His present Majesty in His expedition to Rochell but this Argument being fully handled by others we here passe it Thus farre we have considered the parts of the Text severally now consider them joyntly and so there will flow this 5 5. Observ. That When such an adversary as was the Assyrian shall invade such a Nation as was this of Judah at that time Christ will then be peace to such a people To cleare this consider 1. what kinde of adversary the Assyrian was 2. Who the people of Judah were 1. The Assyrian was of Cham the accursed seed t 2. A proud insolent enemy full of scorn and contempt of the people of God u 3. Full of blasphemy against God x 4. Pretending Gods authority for what he did y 5. Pressing the consciences of Gods people with the most horrid crimes that might be against God and man against God overthrow of his worship z against man rebellion a 6. A cruell adversary as was shewed before b 7. An unreasonable enemy that nothing would satisfie but religion bodies and estates c He would carry them out of their own Land 8. A persidious adversary for having accepted of Hezekiahs satisfaction he yet returns with his Army d 9 A seditious adversary appeals to the people e 10. A flattering and fair promising Adversary f but ayming at ruine of Law Religion Liberty Estates g 11. A slanderous adversary against those that stood for the publike good calling them deceivers and imposters h 2. The people of Judah were 1. The people of God who had Christ among them in the legall worship 2. At this time an humbling and reforming people both in point of Gods worship and of themselves i 3. A people submitting to any reason k 4. A resolved people to keep the Religion Law and Liberty God had given them l and industrious thereunto 5. Prudent to take all courses for their security and to prevent any advantage to the enemy m 6. A people that rested upon and were obedient unto under God those of whose fidelity they had proofe n 7. Lastly A people that carried it in a religious way so as to keep God with them depending especially upon him and resigning themselves up to him o 2. Further proof of this by testimony of Scripture we shall omit and onely hint to the reasons which may be Reason 1 1. Gods honour is engaged both in respect of his people I Wrought for my names sake that it should not be polluted among the heathen in whose sight I had p brought thee out three times repeated in that Chapter 2. In respect of the enemy shall not my soul be avenged on such a people at this p 2. Gods truth only which always even upon humiliation hath promised deliverance as multitudes of Scripture testifie q much more when the adversary provokes him to do it as Sol speaks of rejoycing at an enemies hurt that a man so doing does provoke God to turn his hand from him r 3. Gods constancy being he hath once done it we may not doubt him for he is without variablenesse or shadow of change The Jews plead this to Pilate to do as he had ever done Å¿ and Christ himself our fathers trusted in thee and thou didst deliver them t The Vse is for incouragement and exhortation The enemy hath done half our work by being so bad Let not us by our hardnesse of heart loose the benefit by not doing the other To conclude therefore There remains a rest for the people of God u and a Judgement written for his adversaries x Let not us be as the old Israelites whom God was forced to consume before hand that they might not see the good he would do for his people y This do therefore and live Humble we our selves this day under the mighty hand of God God z That he may lift us up apply we our selves unto This man the Lord Christ that he may be our peace Resolve we to stand to our Protestation of defending him with our Lives Liberties and Estates And then in that day it shall be said This to wit This man in the Text is the Lord and we have Waited for him and we Will rejoyce in his salvation for in this place shall the hand of the Lord rest and Moab the false Brethren and implacable Adversaries of the Church shall be trodden down as Straw is trodden down for the dunghill a Errata PAg. 3. Line 11. For Gods read God with a Comma p. 6. l. 19. Put out so Same page last line but one for thus this r. thus this pag 7. lin. 4. fax Chaldee Kings r. Chaldee Kings p. 21. l. 23. put out with p. 25. l. 8. adde if there were an before Ahab and for will r. would l. 10. after matters adde there were an and after Ahaz for will r. would p. 27 l. 28. after he adde Papist and Cavalier p. 28. last line but one for mouth r. master p. 30. 1 6 for partly Gods r. ply God p. 31. l. 10. for him r. God p. 39. l. 17. for him r. my holy hill l. 27. after Pilate adde who l 28. for because r. becames FINIS * â— Act. 13. * Isai. 45.17 * Isai. 9.6 * Isai. 9.6 * Isai. 66.9 * Gal. 6.9 Introduction to a 2 cor. 6.1 b Iob. 33.17.23 c 1 cor. 7.20 d luc. 12.57 e 1 Thes. 5.11.14 f Bph. 4.11.12 1 Tim. 4.15 Rom. 13. 6. g 1 Tim. 5.22 cap. 4.14 h Tit. 2.15 * Paul being to write to the Romans in the very first words proposes his vocation Rom. 1.1 a luc 12.42 b 2 Tim. 2.15 c â— Ezâ—k. 13 â—â—iâ—cium d Iam. 5 13.14 e 2 Tim 3 15. The Text â—opened from 1 the time of this Prophesy a occasion a 2 King 18.9.13 cap. 24 10. 3 scope 4 Arguments 1 humbling from 1 their sinne in the 1 variety of it 2 degree 3 universall a cap. 3.1 b cap. 7 4. c cap 3.3.5 4 wilfull d cap. 2.1 5 Incorr rigible a Cap. 3.11 b Cap. 2.6 2 Arguments humbling from the judgements 1 Many 2 Gâ—ievous 3 Vniversall 4 Deliberate 5 Determined 2 Consolatory where 1 A caution premised c cap. 1.3.4 C. 7.13 2 Arguments of comfort propounded by promises 1 Secondary 1 Fundamentall in christ who is d Cen. 3.15 a 2 Cor. 1.20 b Psal. 89.3 1 Described from His place of birth 2 Person 3 Office 4 Time of appearing c Ier. 306. d O siander in 〈◊〉 5 Performances for the Church 1 In Generall a Applyed to the comfort of the Church in the present straight mentioned in the text whereof the 2 Comfort