which draws nigh to be given to you for an inheritance but I shall leave that as the work of one more knowing in those great and deep mysteries of the Fathers love then my self being one who hath more need to learn and to be taught of the meanest and weakest amongst you and indeed none can make you sensible of these things but the Spirit himself Onely I have out of that feast of far things of marrow and wine upon the lees well refined that God hath prepared for his chosen ones I say Out of that feast I have gathered a collation for you made up of such dainties as I conceive most suitable to your present state and condition Mal. 3.16 Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another and the Lord hearkened and heard it and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord and that thought upon his name Mic. 4.13 Arise and thresiâ— O daughter of Sion for I will make thy â—orn iron and I will make thy hoofs brass and thou shalt beat in pieces many people and I will consecrate their gain unto the Lord and their substance unto the Lord of the whole earth Isa 17.13 14. The nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters but God shall rebuke them and they shall flee far off and shall be chased as the chaff of the mountains before the winde and as a rolling thing before the whirlwinde and behold at evening-tide trouble and before the morning he is not this is the portion of them that spoil us and the lot of them that rob us Isa 4.2 3 4 5. In that day shall the Branch of the Lord be beautiful and glorious and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel and it shall come to pass that he that is left in Sion and he that remaineth in Jerusalem shall be called holy even every one that is written among the living in Ierusalem when the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughter of Sion and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgement and by the spirit of burning and the Lord will create upon every dwelling place of mount Sion and upon her assemblies a cloud and smoak by day and the shining of flaming fire by night for upon all the glory shall be a defence Yea the Lord will answer Joel 2.19 32. and say unto his people Behold I will send you corn and wine and oil and ye shall be satisfied therewith and I will no more make you a reproach among the heathen and it shall come to pass that whosover shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered for in mount Sion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance as the Lord hath said and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call For unto us a child is born Isa 9.6 7. unto us a son is given and the government shall be upon his shoulder and his name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor the mighty God the everlasting Father the Prince of peace Of the encrease of his government and peace there shall be no end upon the throne of David and upon his kingdom to order it and to estabish it with judgement and with justice from henceforth even for ever Fear thou not for I am with thee ch 41.10 11. be not thou dismaid for I am thy God I will strengthen the yea I will help thee yea I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness Behold all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded they shall be as nothing and they that strive with thee shall perish Since thou wast precious in my sight thou hast been honourable ch 43.4 and I have loved thee therefore I will give men for thee and people for thy life And the ransomed of the Lord shall return Isa 35.10 and come to Sion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads they shall obtain joy and gladness and sorrow and sighing shall flee away The meek also shall encrease their ch 29.19 20 21. joy in the Lord and the poor among men shall rejoyce in the holy One of Israel for the terrible one is brought to nought and the scorner is consumed and all that watch for iniquity are cut off that make a man an offender for a word and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate and turn aside the just for a thing of nought ch 54.17 No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgement thou shalt condemn this is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their righteousness is of me saith the Lord. Mal. 4.1 2 3. For behold the day cometh that shall burn as an Oven and all the proud yea and all that do wickedly shall be stubble and the day that cometh shall burn them up saith the Lord of hosts that it shall leave them neither root nor branch but unto you that fear my name shall the sun of righteousness arise with heaâ—ing in his wings and ye shall go forth and grow up as calves of the stall and ye shall tread down the wicked for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this saith the Lord of hosts Fear not O land Joel 2.21 be glad and rejoyce for the Lord will do great things The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this Isa 9.7 What shall one then answer the messengers of the nations ch 14.32 that the Lord hath founded Sion and the poor of his people shall trust in it Make hast my beloved Cant. 8.14 and be thou like to a roe or to a young hart upon the mountaines of spices I am come into my garden Cant. 5.1 my sister my spouse I have gathered my myrrhe with my spice I have eaten my hony-combe with my hony I have drunk my wine with my milk eat O friends drink yea drink abundantly O beloved Zac. 12.3 And in that day I will make Jerusalem a burthensome stone for all people all that burthen themselves with it shall be cut in peices though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it Luke 21.34 And take heed to your selves lest at any time your hearts he overcharged with surfeting and drunkenness and cares of this life and so that day come upon you unawares FINIS
Christ himself lived their policy kept them from receiving Christ the true God caused them to reject him for say they If we receive him IF WE LET HIM THVS ALONE ALL MEN WILL BELIEVE ON HIM and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation And what great afflictions and destructions it brought upon them we see in the story of the Macchabees yea what utter ruine at last overwhelmed them is evident have they not been as dung upon the face of the earth for more then 1200 yeers So that there 's nothing more clear then this That the ruine of States and Kingdomes is founded in and bottomed upon their State-policy at one time or other first or last their walking by the rules and maximes of this policy breaks them to pieces and brings them to their utter ruine Secondly consider The pernicious loathsome abomination of Jehonadabs counsel Hypocrisie is most odious to God most provoking yet Iehonadab counsels to that the righteousness of thy counsellors will not save thee ô Iehu although they have been exemplary for holiness and as a beacon upon a hill to shew men the way of life yet now they commit adultery with this grand strumpet State-policy God leaves them and they are become abominable by how much the more close and spiritual their iniquities are by so much the more wicked and abominable they are to God as the most excellent things once depraved are most vile base and abject most destructive so these men now going astray no counsel so destructive so contrary to God in the aggravations of it as theirs But now Iehu at parting I shall leave to your serious consideration some few of the words of God it may be you may get meat out of them 〈◊〉 15. â—3 28. And Samuel said Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt-offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord Behold â—o obey is better then sacrifice and to heaâ—ken then the sat of rams 〈◊〉 6.14 Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord he hath rejected thee from being king The Lord hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day and hath given it to a neighbour of thine that is better then thou 〈◊〉 â—3 But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the Lord even against the word of the Lord which he kepâ— not And also by the hand of the Prophet Jehu the son of Hanâ—ni 2 Kin. 16.7 came the word of the Lord against Baasha and against his house even for all the evil that he did in the sight of the Loâ—d in provoking him to anger with the work of his hands in being like the house of Jeroboam AND BECAVSE HE KILL'D HIM And he said unto him 1 King 20.42 Thus saith the Lord Because thou hast let go out of thy hand a man whom I appointed to utter destruction therefore thy life shall go for his life and thy people for his people Hosea 1.4 And the Lord said unto him Call his name Jezreel for yet a little while and I will avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu and will cause to cease the kingdom of the house of Israel Gal. 2.18 For if I build again the things which I destroyed I make my self a transgressor 1 Chron. 28.3 But God said unto me Thou shall not build an house for my name because thou hast been a man of war and hast shed blood 2 Chron. 19.2 And Jehu the son of Hanani the Seer went out to meet him and said unto King Jehosaphat Shalt thou help the ungodly and love them that hate the Lord therefore wrath is upon thee from before the Lord. 2 Chron. 26.16 But when he was strong his heart was lifted up to his destruction for he transgrest against the Lord his God ch 32.25 But Hezekiâ—h rendered not again according to the benefit done unto him for his heart was lifted up therefore was wrath upon him and upon Judah and Jerusalem ch 28.10 11. And now ye purpose to keep under the children of Judah and Jerusalem for bond-men and bond-women to you but are there not with you even with you sins against the Lord your God now hear me therefore and deliver the captives again which ye have taken captive of your brethren for the fierce wrath of God is upon you Wherefore it shall come to pass Isa 10.1 13. that when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon Mount Sion and on Jerusalem I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the King of Assyria and the glory of his high looks For he saith By the strength of my hand I have done it and by my wisdom for I am prudent and I have removed the bounds of the people and have robbed their treasuries and I have put down the inhabitant like a valiant man The Lord of hosts hath purposed it to stain the pride of all glory ch 23.9 and to bring into contempt all the honourable of the earth And it came to pass 2 Chron 25.16 as he talked with him that the King said unto him Art thou made of the Kings counsel forbear why shouldst thou be smitten then the Prophet forbare and said I know that God hath determined to destroy thee because thou hast done this and hast not hearkened to my counsel Now the good Lord help thee Iehu that upon reading this the maist understand the minde and will of God and repent and do tâ— first works lest c. A word to Jehonadab Jehu's counsellor In the second place I have a word to speak to Iehonadab hâ— excellent hast thou been how perspicuous hath thy glory shin'd the face of men insomuch that the Princes have taken notice of thâ— and have chosen thee for their counsellour thinking surely they shoâ— be happy and prosper if such counsellors as thou art teach theâ— Thou hast been counted worthy to ride in the chariots of the noâ— of the earth and thou hast been so far taken and ravished with tâ— sight of worldly glories from those mounts that thou hast fallen down and done worship to them notwithstanding all thy excellencies and perfections thou art overcome and fallen Repent and do thy first works or else saith the Lord I will come quickly and take that away that thou hast take away thy candlesticke Thou hast climed up the ascending steps to those Altars which are not of Gods appointment and your feet have slipt and you are fallen to the discovering of all your nakedness Remedies against this thou thy self O Jehonadab hast taught the people but now the disease hath overtaken thy self may we not justly say Physitian cure thy self but thy unskilful dealing with and carelesness towards thine own soul and thy being so slightly and so easily overcome makes it appear thou art really ignorant
An IMAGE OF OUR Reforming Times OR JEHV in his proper Colours Displayed in some EXERCITATIONS on 2 Kings 9 and 10 Chapters Setting forth The Opportunity was given him to do his Work in Cause he had committed to him to manage ALSO His POLICIE ZEAL PROFESSION HYPOCRISIE With his SINS and their Aggravations REASON for all this In all which he is proved to be a particular Character of our Times by which as in a Glass we may see the state and condition we have brought our selves into by our Deviations CONCLUDING WITH A Word to Jehu Jehonadab his Counsellor and the despised persecuted People of God By Col. EDW. LANE of Ham-pinnulo Isai 26.20.21 Come my people enter thou into thy chambers and shut thy doors about thee hide thy self as it were for a little moment until the indignation 〈◊〉 overpast For behold the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity the earth also shall disclose her blood and shall no more cover her slain London Printed for L. Chapman at the Crown in Popes head-alley 1654. A WORD from the PRISON To the Reader UPon request I have read by a running eye the ensuing Treatise in the Copie and I finde it like a good Jewel in a plain Leathern Case Although as B. Iewel once said Against Harding Faults will escape betwixt a man's fingers let him look to it ever so narrowly and be they never so few yet the Sophisters of our Times can tell how to multiply them in their Arithmetick Therefore the Lord Jesus make us watchful and wary who is able to keep us from falling these times and to present us FAULTLESS before the presence of his glory as Iude 24. For it is too too true that Piety doth now dance attendance to Policie and Iehu cul gravior est jactura Regionis quam Religionis is gotten up again by a mad Metempsuchosis upon the Stage in England to act his part Onely in this we are worse then Israel was for we have many Idols which men adore and evils which they harbour Non unum tantùm Vitulum sed multos habemus Not one Calf but many And such as refuse for their conscience sake must suffer persecution as they do and will do But though Israel play the harlot yet let not Iudah offend Ephraim is joyned to idols let him alone And heark hear it is the sound of the seventh Trumpet Rev. 11. for which the Saints are persecuted imprisoned and threatned of their lives at this day and shall the Trumpet give an uncertain sound God forbid O how alike is this Cup to Christs viz. traytor to Caesar enemy to Government therefore Fear not little flock Luk. 22.33 and Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake for theirs is the kingdom Matth. 5.10 Open your ears O ply your Oars you that row against the stream lose not one stroke for ye shall reap in due season if ye faint not Nicolas of Ienvile a young man was condemned to die and being set in a Cart his father came with a staff and would have beaten him but the Officers would not suffer him at which the son cries to the Officers to let his father alone saying he had power over him to do in that kinde what he would but Christ was dearer to him then his dearest friend on earth Hence it was that Hierome said that if his father were weeping on his knees before him his mother hung crying on his neck behind him and all his brethren sisters children kinsfolks howling on every side on him he 'd fling them all to the ground despise all his kindred run over his father tread under his mother to run to Christ and his Cause though on the Cross And what shall our bowels be shut up to blessed Jesus and his crucified Cause at this time of day seeing the Rulers Priests and Souldiers have got him up upon the Cross once again and that through the High treason of the Iudas's of these times Therefore up Christians up with the Sword of the Spirit Declare declare the Decree Psal 2.7 March march under Christs banner and bid deâ—â—â—â—â—e to the Apostates and present enemies of King Iesus who sputum lingunt â—lick the very spittle of IEHU The first Battel must he begun by the sword of Christs mouth Rev. 19.15 Isai 11.4 yet they onely shall overcome who love nos their lives unto death Rev. 12.11 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Like sober solid sincere holy humble heavenly-minded New-Nonconformists Thou that art ignorant of our danger in these days mayst do well to learn with a little self-denial as a Scholar 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies that lies along in the dust and peruse this Treatise with an impartial eye whereby I believe thou wilt soon see with Luther that it is Policie doth ruine true Religion and persecute the true seed and remnant at this day But be not troubled at these Trials which are foretold Mat. 24. Let us fear none of these things we must suffer for a short time behold the devil shall cast some of you into prison that ye may be TRIED Be faithful unto death and he will give you the crown of life Rev. 2.10 2 Tim. 4.7 8. So Dan. 11.35 and 12.10 Many shall be purified and made white and tried but the wicked shall do wickedly None of the wicked shall understand but the wise shall understand And Rev. 7.14 These are they which came out of great tribulation and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Out of PRISON he shall come to Reign Eccles 4.14 O Blessed prison golden priviledges with the Lamb. Such bonds are become our best chains through which our souls are mounting into Christ's Paradise and by which we take many a turn every day in Christ's White-hall where we have our life liberty light and the best air which no man can keep us from where we see our King in his beauty and receive many a sweet visit from him that others have not the happiness of Welcome Cross welcome Crown As Paul says God forbid I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Iesus Christ by whom the world is crucified to me and I unto the world Gal. 6.14 And as Chrysostome says on Eph. 3.1 Non ita beatum Paulum puto quod in coelum raptus quà m quod in carcerem conjectus I hold Paul was not so happy in his rapture as in his captivity Never so happy heavenly holy and translated as in a Prison So we for we are in the Mount and see all the world under us and do daily view the downfal thereof Babylon is falling is falling with all her worldly powers Policies and Abettors New and Old For out of Prison we see it and therefore say it A dreadful day a terrible day a wonderful day of the Lord is coming and yet a little little while and he will avenge the blood of Iezreel upon the
of spirit that the greatest glories here below yield yet that takes him and he is overcome and besotted so as that he cannot stir one foot from it his heart is glued to it and he commits Idolatry worships the devil that he may enjoy it all his work now is to endeavour to maintain what he hath got But Iehu it 's but for a little while thou canst keep it Here he takes up his abiding place and gives all to understand he can live by faith no longer he must now live by sense How many of such Jehu's have we in these our dayes rather then the loss of their mammon their belly-gods shall be hazarded by Christs raigning over his people in the world they will fight with sword and buckler against him and do what in them lies to hinder him Those that have formerly preached up the kingdom of Christ sounded the alarms to prepare for his coming having now joyned themselves to the powers of this world turne their note and begin to tell another tale Witness the letter sent to the Norfolk-Ministers headily and injuriously charging the people of God with things that are not true falsities but their folly shall be made manifest to all men 3. Another aggravation of Iehu's sin is this That he had commission given him from God and his people to execute the vengeance of God upon Ahab and Iezebel for the very same sins that he now commits himself onely he keeps from he more gross sins as the worshipping Baal and the like For one man to execute the judgements of God written upon another man for breaking the Laws of God and men and then to do the same things himself it 's most hainous Hosea 1.4 Surely in the end there will be found an instrument to execute the same vengeance upon thy head O Iehu which thou hast executed upon others though judgement linger out of mercy for a little while to the fourth generation It 's evident how guilty we are of the same sins our forefathers were yea those very abominations for which God hath cast out and caused the Land to spue out that generation of men before us are to be found rise amongst us worshipping the Mammon of this world Pluralities Non-residents c. with this addition The forsaking the Churches of Christ and cleaving to this present evil world for filthy lucre's sake Innovations both in State and in the Worship of God or if you will something like that course Ieroboam took to establish the Kingdom to himself is now taken in the things of a spiritual concernment what meaneth else this new invention of Tryers an Innovation a thing never heard of before that men must have a Commission from humane hands upon a humane account to preach the Gospel or else no Wages Is not this like the proceedings of the Beast Antichrist that would not suffer any to buy or sell but such as had his mark Consider I pray how neer this comes to Antichrist's making merchandise of souls Let our Jehu's look to it God will remember them in the day of his accounts when he makes enquiry for blood and out of their own mouth they shall be condemned in that they have condemned and executed the judgements written against others and committed folly with the same sins themselves 4. Another Aggravation of Iehu's sin lies in this in that God did honour him with that special anointing by a special messenger as he did none of the Kings of Israel beside since Solomon's days no not Ieroboam Indeed God sent a messenger to Ieroboam to tell him what he would do for him but he was not anointed as Iehu was One Tyrant slew another and usurp'd the Kingdom to themselves but none was anointed but Iehu he was anointed to do the Lords work yet against this Anointing against this special testimony of God did Iehu sin O ungrateful Iehu But God will reward thee according to thy works Can we shift this Aggravation also off from our selves What Anointings hath God anointed us with What special and signal Testimonies hath he given of his being with us giving us Commission to do his work and being well pleased with us for obeying his voice witness Naseby Dunbar and Worcester besides many other Read over the Story of our times and see if ever God dealt so signally-graciously with any people since Israel's time Yet against all this do we sin for the present our hearts like the stony ground received them with joy and how full of resolutions were we to do for God and to the glorifying of his Name by following him fully whithersoever he would lead us but loe how soon are we turned out of the way we are sitting still building cieled houses for our selves and making sure the kingdom that it return not from us to the Son of David though God hath said that though the heathen rag and the people imagine a vain thing and Kings and Rulers take counsel together against his anointed laughing them to scorn and having them in derision he will yet set his King upon his holy hill of Sin on and give him the utmost ends of the earth for his possession O kiss the Son lest he be angry and ye perish in the way when his wrath is kindled but a little If a little wrath will perish you what ruine will that great wrath which you deserve bring speedily upon you if you prevent it not by a timely repentance 5. A fifth aggravation of Jehu's sin was this He was anointed King of the people of the Lord. This people were the Lords people and he was their God God set this Iehu ruler over this his people If they be the Lords people and the Lord be their God then he onely must he worshipped and served and feared by them they must bow down to no other Gods but him they must serve him in his own appointments not by any inventions of their own they must worship him in the place where he will be worshipped not upon the Altars of mens devising at Dan and Bethel If the people of the Lord they must walk in the Lords Wayes obey his Laws Precepts and Commands and no other All this and much more is intimated in these words The people of the Lord. And this manner of expression of the Prophet to Jehu did intimate to him that God did expect that he should lead the people on to the performing of all this God had made him the leader of his chosen ones and now he expected that he should lead them in the wayes God had chosen to communicate himself in Quest Now what benefit is this to Jehu to be King over the people of the Lord more then over any other people Answ Truely it 's a very great benefit for 1. He was in a very fair way to the fullest enjoyment of God attainable on this side heaven in his own appointments his Ordidances for being made ruler over the Lords people had
he made Solomons prayer he should have had Solomons return and had been a ruler after Gods own heart as David was and so have been made partaker of Davids full enjoyments of God in his Ordinances But 2. To be a ruler over the Lords people it 's of great advantage for what was he not able to do by their mighty power and force in faith and prayer If we look into the Scripture and see what wonderful things have been done by the faith and prayers of the Lords people we cannot but say of a truth Iehu had as great an advantage to become a second Solomon for wisdom not State-policy a second David for valour and might in conquering enemies as ever man had It 's more to be ruler over the Lords people then to be Emperor of the whole world besides to be ruler over the Lords people that have the mighty and faithful God so neerly and strongly tied and bound to them by so many great irrevocable and infallible promises as he hath made to them in his word and hath so often sworn the certainty and truth of them with the highest and greatest oath a people that have done and are still able to do such mighty and wonderful things by faith and prayer yea had done such great wonders before this Iehu's eyes witness the acts of Elijah Elisha and many other of the Lords Prophets in those dayes to be ruler over such a people what greater thing could be done for a man on earth what greater advantage over the world could be given to him Yet against all this Jehu sins though God made him ruler over his people to these and these ends and purposes and thereby gives him so many and great advantages yet he steers a contrary course in stead of leading the people to Jerusalem to worship he leads them to his calves at Dan and Bethel instead of pulling down all those inventions of their own which provoked God to so great wrath he pulls down onely those new more gross inventions which he could with no credit nor any the least shadow of conscience keep up but the old ancient fundamental bounds and limits of an Idolatrous kingdom Jeroboam's sins they must stand still and keep the people of God from going up to Jerusalem to worship from behaving themselves like the Lords people when God had carried himself so like a gracious God towards them they must stand still for the same reason and upon the same account they were first invented All that God had done for Jehu did not convince his dark minde nor his hard Idolatrous heart of the folly of those things and the reason on which they were founded nor of the equity safety happiness honour and glory that there was in and to be found in obeying the will of the Lord in leading his people up to Jerusalem to worship in Gods own appointments Now truely we need not Diogenes lantern and candle to finde out that man whom God hath made taller by the head and shoulders then the rest of his brethren and made leader of his people in this our day who hath led the people of the Lord on prosperously to the destruction of our Ahabs c. on whom the eyes of the Lords people have been fixed even to high and great expectations of the performance of many vows and promises and when we have found him shall we not see him taking up his station among the calves those antient inventions that our fore-Fathers found out to maintain an Idolatrous-kingdom and making them his own and if so will he not make that great wrath and punishment God hath so often entail'd upon them his own too shall we not behold him leading the people back again into those wayes to redeem his people out of which God hath made bare such a mighty arm of power and providence and it 's my prayer that our eager marching back towards Egypt may not hurry us to the brink of the red-sea ere we make a stand A sixth aggravation of Jehu's sin was His deceiving Gods expectations But Jehu took no heed to walk in the way of the Lord God of Israel with all his heart Saith God I have done thus and thus for Jehu anointed him King over Israel honoured him in executing my judgements upon mine enemies by him and because he hath done all that was in my heart against the house of Ahab mine and my peoples enemies I have given him the kingdom and now I expected he should have brought forth fruit answerable to my kindness with all his heart But Jehu took no heed to that Will not the loving kindness of thy God work upon thee O Jehu what will then Love in its effects is like the Sun it either softens or hardens one of these two are the inseparable effects of its influences Whether wilt thou be hardened with Pharaoh and drowned in the Red-sea or softened with Hezekiah and have thy dayes prolonged canst thou remember the goodness of God to thee and bring forth no hearty fruit answerable to his expectations but deceive him totally Well Jehu thou wilt repent of this when it is too late I fear How have we in our dayes been guilty of this deceiving the expectations of our God in not in any measure answering the mercies of our God What returnes have we made to him for his mercy at Naseby Dunbar Worcester and many other places Yea such is the deceit and hypocrisie of our hearts that we cannot tell how to perform those LITTLE VOWES that the glory of those mercies extorted from us in the present ravishment of our hearts with their glorious beauty The Seventh and last aggravation of Jehu's sin is necessarily implied in the words that it was against all the faith and prayers of the people of God Can it be supposed that such a man as Jehu was so full of holy profession so outwardly zealous for God and the performance of his word who would not have one tittle of it fall to the ground should not such a man as this have a large-share in the hearts of Gods people and so in their faith and prayer and yet to deceive them and sin against these What mighty sins were these sins of Jehu's guilty of such aggravations surely the sins of Corah Dathan and Abiram were but Pigmies to these Giants if their sins opened the earth to the swallowing them up alive certainly the head of these reach heaven it self and cry aloud for veangeance and wrath And may not our Jehu's cry guilty here too what faith what confidence of Gods performing his promises now to the latter ages of the world what a spirit of prayer hath been amongst the people of God in these dayes by beholding the glorious out-goings of God in his providences and his beginning to execute his wrath upon Babylon the kingdom of the Beast and have not you sinned against these consider it have not you frustated and deceived the expectations of the people of
things as are abominable to the least spark of honesty Application of this reason to our times Consider with your selves I pray you the Jehu's of our age can you give a better account then your great grand-Father Iehu hath done before you for the same reason of State that ruled him rules you surely your consciences upon a strict examination will tell you No you may be more skilful in palliating your sin then he was and have more cunning deceitful shifts then he had to blinde the eyes of your own consciences and others you may have more specious pretences and cloaks for your sin then he had By how much the times and the work of the times may afford you more matter to plead upon and by how much Satan your counsellor hath gotten more experience and perhaps hath found out more wiles now then he had then and so may furnish you with three or four shafts more in your quiver then Iehu had But in the end it amounts to one and the same account Lest the Son of David should raign the fear of losing your outward glory kingdom keeps you from submitting to the Son of David to his Scepter and command the unbelief of your hearts and your love to this present evil world will not suffer you to hazard in Gods own way the loss of your outward concernments and kingdom for Christ's the Son of Davids sake lest while you are doing Christ service you lose your darlings yea that fear hurries you on to the committing the worst of follies and vanities provoking him to the greatest anger And is it so then take warning Make your peace with him while it is to day hearken to his voice lest his anger be kindled and when he comes he consume you in his hot displeasure Hear what he saith Bring hither those mine enemies that would not that I should raign over them and I will slay them I tell you The wrath of his kingdom or the wrath he will manifest against his enemies when he goes up to his kingdom will be by many degrees more dreadful then the wrath he hath manifested at any other time or upon any other occasion You say indeed You would have him raign and be King you are for his kingdom as much as any but the time is not yet Ezek. 12.27 28. compare with 2 Pet. 3. it 's a great way off the vision is for many dayes but hear what the Lord of Hosts saith to such Pleas as these are Behold they of the house of Israel say The vision that he seeth is for many dayes to come and he prophesieth of the times that are afar off thus saith the Lord God There shall none of my words be prolonged any more but THE WORD WHICH I HAVE SPOKEN SHALL BE DONE SAITH THE LORD GOD. Alas poor hearts you are either afraid of rendering up an account too soon lest you be found light in the balance or your hearts cleave so close to this present world that you are loth to leave these vanities yet you would have a little more sport with them A little more sleep a little more folding of the hands saith the sluggard or you are afraid lest you have not yet gotten the wedding-garment on and so would fain have him stay long that you may have time enough to procure it because you apprehend it hard and difficult to come by if this be it why go to Christ you will finde him a willing Saviour his heart open to receive you Ask and you shall have knock and it shall be opened to you seek and you shall finde whosoever comes to me I will in no wise cast out saith Christ or is it because your conscience smites you and tells you You are of the left-handed companions of Christ that must go into utter darkness where is weeping and wailing gnashing of teeth Though you care not much for Heaven yet you would keep as long out of hell as you can and therefore put the evil day far from you the day that will bring evil to you though joy and glory to the Saints and people of God if so The Lord will come in a time when you expect him not Mat. 24.50 51. in a day when you look not for him before you are aware and cut you asunder and appoint you your portion with the hypocrites You say indeed You are for Christs kingdom and that you long for it as much as any but his kingdom is within in the heart in the inward man not in the outward man over the world of a spiritual nature not of this world Kinde subjects you will divide the kingdom between your selves and your Soveraign but you have so much self-love as to keep the greatest part for your own share If he rule not over the world How can he have the utmost ends of the earth for his possession according to the promise of the Father How shall the Saints judge the world â—f they believe â—he kingdom of Christ is onely â—hus spiritual in â—heir sence that is the reaâ—on the Jehonaâ—bs of our time â—o not keep to â—heir place and â—ffice in the â—uilding up of â—is kingdom â—ut seek so â—uch after the â—uâ—t and outâ—ard glory and â—ammon of this â—orld surely â—ey either â—eâ—eve not what â—ey say or their â—earts care not â—or what they â—elieve is the â—reatest happiâ—ess If he rule not over the world methinks that would be an impertinent expression viz. When he shall surrender up the kingdom to his Father can this kingdom be onely that over the heart How can he give his people to possess the gates of their enemies How can he deliver them out of the hands of all the enemies of their salvation How can he give the kingdom and dominion and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven to his people If he rule not over the world as King How can he give his people the possession of the promised land performing all the promises to them for that is such a gift as he cannot fully give them till he is a King and hath received the kingdom prepared for him and promised to him by his Father Then shall his people behold him in his glory and the day of his power shall seize upon them and make them as the chariots of Aminadab Much more might be said in answer to these Pleas and to prove and that without contradiction that Christ hath a kingdom to enjoy over this world and that he will raign amidst among his people and in that over the world when not a dog shall dare to bark or wag his tail against any servant of the Lord. But I suppose I have said sufficient for this place and referre you to those elaborate discourses that are already sent forth into the world on this subject but thus much give me leave to say That it 's too much to be feared that the Pleas of these men against the kingdom of Christ
over the world arise from their so much love of the world as they care not who gets the heart of man so they may have the world and the dominion thereof to themselves disturbe not them in the enjoyment of their mammon and outward glory and they care not who rules the heart whether God or the devil This might be evidently demonstrated but it 's too too irksome to me to rake into their rottenness But for a parting word know that this kingdom of Christ over the world is a spiritual kingdom so spiritual as that it 's apparent you are not acquainted with it and through your unbelief though some of you may live to behold it yet you shall not taste the sweetness of it Now O 〈◊〉 England 〈…〉 commune with your own hearts bring them before the judgement-seat and examine whether you are guilty or not ask your consciences if they be not feared they will tell you the truth of the matter Have not you gone a whoring after the sins of your fore-Fathers committed adultery with those State-policies those inventions of their own which brought ruine upon them and so have wrought folly in Israel Have you not withdrawn the peoples hearts from the Lord by your personal deviations from that good profession you once made by turning the wheel back again and unraveling that bottom which you have been winding up so many years and many other wayes Do you not endeavour to stifle the word of the Lord in the mouth of the Prophets spoken to you in this your day Are you not making new Priests to serve your own turns that will do your drudgery serve your interests in stead of the interest of the Lord Christ even men of the lowest of the people men of the most servile base serpentine nature that will turn and winde through the most Meandrous paths of darkness to accomplish their ends the enjoyment of their earthly dunghil-mammon This I speak not of all I say God fordid there should be this spirit in all the Ministers no there 's some wheat good corn amongst this great deal of chaff And God and your own hearts are onely able to tell you whether you intend to impose new devisings of your own in matters of the worship of God upon the people of God This is evident that you endeavour to keep up as much of the old decayed deformed withered worship as with any credit you can Yea all these and other of your sins are guilty of many high and great aggravations Are there not such dreadful circumstances accompanying your abominations as raise their cry up to Heaven if your repentance prevent not provoked vengeance seising upon you will let you know it to your cost You have had many examples before your eyes of the wrath of God sweeping away the generation before you for those sins which now you have made your own Yea have not you your selves executed the judgements written against those very sins that now you make your darlings Have you not had the special Testimonies of God going along with you while ye were doing his work yea to the filling of your hearts with a present joy but you have stony-hearts and will sin still Have you not deceived the just expectations of your God and lastly Have you not had the faith and prayers of Gods people going along with you to strengthen you in Gods work yet against all this you have sinned And what reason can you give for these your whoredoms God knows as wretched a foolish reason as ever poor soul 〈…〉 raign lest the kingdom return to the house of David Can you give no other reason No truely you cannot all your other Pleas are but sprigs that spring from this root this is the totum of all Lest the Son of David should reign Is it possible for you to think this will bear you harmless in the day of Gods wrath will this quit you in the day of your accounts and discharge you in the day of Gods judgements no you will be found guilty yea you are found guilty already and though in mercy the long sufferance and forbearance of God may be towards you for a little season yet you will know to your smart though God hath if I may with reverence use that similitude woollen feet he hath leaden hands Hearken to your judgement and doom written of old that hath brought to the dust so many mighty ones of the earth for committing the same sins you have done though far less aggravated Jer. 4.19 20 30. My bowels my bowels I am pained at my very heart my heart maketh a noise in me I cannot hold my peace because thou hast heard O my soul the sound of the trumpet the alarm of war destruction upon destruction is cried for the whole land is spoiled suddenly are my tents spoiled and my curtains in a moment And when thou art spoiled what wilt thou do though thou clothest thy self with crimson though thou deckest thee with ornaments of gold though thou rentest thy face with painting in vain shalt thou make thy self fair thy lovers will dispise thee they will seek thy life Isai 1.4 Ah sinful nation a people laden with iniquity a seed of evil doers children that are corrupters they have forsaken the Lord they have provoked the holy one of Israel to anger they are gone away backward Your burnt-offerings are not acceptable Jer. 6.20 21. nor your sacrifices sweet unto me Therefore thus saith the Lord Behold I will lay stumbling-blocks before this people and the fathers and the sons together shall fall upon them the neighbour and his friend shall perish For the Pastors are become brutish ch 10.21 and have not sought the Lord therefore they shall not prosper and all their flocks shall be scattered Thus saith the Lord concerning the Prophets that make my people erre that bite with their teeth Mic. 3.5 6 7. and cry Peace and he that putteth not into their mouths they even prepare war against him Therefore night shall he unto you that you shall not have a division and it shall be dark unto you that ye shall not divine and the Sun shall go down over the Prophets and the day shall be dark over them Then shall the seeâ—s be ashamed and the diviners confounded yea they shall all cover their lips for there is no answer of God Zach. 11.3 There is a voice of the howling of the shepherds for their glory is spoiled Lam. 4.13 For the sins of her Prophets and the iniquity of her Priests that have shed the blood of the just in the midst of her Isai 9.14 16. Therefore the Lord will cut off from Israel head and tail branch and rush in one day for the leaders of this people cause them to erre and they that are led of them are destroyed Mic. 6.16 For the statutes of Oâ—ri are kept and all the workes of the house of Ahab and ye walk â—n their
eyes of God as his people are for he saith They are as the apple of his eye must be trampled upon brought under Let us learn from hence Not to trust to man whose breath is in his nostrils but in the living God who is onely faithful and true to the end 2. We may here observe The utmost limits that a Iehonadab will go he will run on to the very gates of heaven but he is so swoln with the venome of self-righteousness the honour and glory of this world that he cannot enter that straight gate but in matters of the worship of God the golden Calves the inventions of mens devising will satisfie him well enough that that will please his Prince will content him he will be outwardly holy and zealous for God make good and wholesome Laws for the regulating of the outward man he will command his houshold and family to exercise the vertue of temperance Ye shall drink no wine neither ye nor your sons for ever He will not have a drunkard in his house he will go higher yet command covetousness from among his family and followers they must not build houses nor sow seed nor plant vineyards nor have any See how vertuous our Jehonadab is where shall we finde his fellow surely there 's none like him Thus Jehonadab inherits the praises of the earth the reward of his vertue But here 's a spot in this beautiful face HIS END which is onely this That they may live long in the world That ye may live many dayes in the land c. all his advantages could raise him no higher then the world notwithstanding all his seeming contempt of the world yet he places his happiness here below for this is the end wherefore he ordained his precepts and That he would have his children and followers aim at in their obedience to them that they may live many dayes in the land and this end by their obedience they obtained For thus saith the Lord Iehonadab the son of Rechab shall not want a man to stand before me for ever God gives them their desire and their aim in all their devotions To live long in the world and their posterity not be rooted out so long as there 's a being in the earth for the generation among whom they live that I conceive is onely meant by not wanting a man to stand before God for ever Thus we see Iehonadab's resting place that all his endeavours and works follow after Not in God but in the world But again further he will in a measure own the present cause of God the truth and work of the present generation He comes to meet Iehu to meet him to congratulate him and bid him God speed who can say now Black is his eye Iehu could not He Questions not the affection of his heart to the work but TO HIM to his interest Is thy heart right as my heart is with thy heart Here 's a supposal that Iehonadab's heart was right to the work otherwise why should Iehu say As my heart is with thy heart If he had not thought his heart right to the work that was THEN doing Iehu's heart could not be right with his for Iehu's heart was really set upon that present work of rooting out and destroying the house of Ahab and Baal but Iehu knew Iehonadab's heart was right to the work of reformation and he professes his so too And here lies the Question Is thy heart right FOR ME for my person my interest my sitting on the throne my governing the people in the place of Ahab as my heart is right with thy heart for that which thou desirest Reformation These Jehonadab's will rise up in judgâ—ment against the Jehonadab's of our times being men moâ—â— righteous by far thâ—â—â—ouâ—s waâ—â—ing exactly up to their profâ—st principles 〈◊〉 ouâ— Jehonadab's are as â—aâ— from doing as thâ—â—â—st is from the â—â—st â—â—n â—d no 〈◊〉 in any particular he that hath but hâ—â—sâ—nâ—y cannot but â—ee it plâ—â—â—y If their gâ—eaâ— gâ—aâ—d father old Jehonadab were alive how would he â—â—dew his gray hairs with tears â—o â—ee how unâ—â—k him thâ—se his children are if so then what can these mâ—n expect but to have a heavier weight of wrath laid upon them by how much their sins have exceeded their predecessors Now all Iehonadab's excellencies vertues righteousness and holiness could not preserve him from striking up the bargaine entering into covenant with Iehu to be for him And Iehonadab answered It is and upon this they strike hands and ratifie the covenant If thou wilt be for me I am for thee and he gave him his hand and he took him up to him into the chariot they are become one presently and now Iehonadab is set on high in the chariot made a privy counsellor and entered into covenant with his King to be for him and to strengthen his hands he becomes a LAW-MAKER prescribes precepts and directions for the ordering future ages as hath been already mentioned but among all those Laws there 's not a word of going up to Ierusalem to worship and sanctifying Gods name in drawing nigh unto him in his most holy place in those sanctified appointments he hath ordained to be worshipped in no that would not stand with the new-made interest of his Prince and therefore like a good subject and friend he is silent as to that leaves it for some other and more fit season But to satisfie his conscience and to salve his reputation among good men he makes Orders for the outward deportment between man and man and sets no such an end to be his scope as hath the face of a promise withit yea is part of a promse but it 's but the outside the bottom of the promise his heart never dives into it 's not the enjoyment of God himself in a promise but of this world in a promise that is the great aim and end of all his wayes That your dayes may be long in the land not that you may enjoy God in his own high appointments at Ierusalem no that would offend his Prince and alas tender heart he is loth to grieve him to whom he is so much beholden Thus we see how far a Jehonadab will go no further then he can drag his Prince along with him if he stay at the Calves and admire their golden glory Jehonadab will do so too but the glory of a holy God in his own Ordinances he is a stranger to ignorant of This consideration exhorts us to seek out other leaders and not to follow after any Iehonadab whatsoever if we do they will lead us to the Calves into wayes of their own invention instead of Ierusalem There 's not a Iehonadab will venter his carkase for Christ if the worldly powers will not go along with him he will stay with them rather then run a hazard in going a little onward alone to seek out the Lambe who is the faithful leader of his people But let us diligently seek
after him go up the mount towards him he will lead us to his Father and make us partake of the same glory he possesses at his right hand Who would not follow such a leader and venture a little to seek him out if at any time we lose sight of him through the terrible and uncouth shakings of earth-quakes 3. We have set before us the sins and iniquities of Iehu with their aggravations and it 's evident how neer these our times are allied to them It 's worthy our serious consideration whether the differences between the times and the dispensations of God in the times or any other circumstance accompanying our deviations may give us any good and sound ground to hope that Iehu's punishment the consuming wrath of that age will not be the portion of this generation seeing they have so notoriously espoused his adulterous deviations and apostacy We finde what sudden sad effects Iehu's apostacy brought forth In those dayes in the dayes of Iehu's apostacy the Lord began to cut Israel short and Hazael smote them in all the coasts of Israel We finde already how our liberties begin to be cut short witness the persecution of the Lords people in Wales and other places In the margin it 's rendered to cut off the ends if the ends of the body the head and the feet be cut off what is the trunk able to do but roll in its own blood Come my people enter thou into thy chambers and shut thy doors about thee â—hide thy self as it were for a little moment Isa 26.20 and 63.4 until the indignation be overpast For the day of veangeance is in mine heart and the yeer of my redeemed is come 4 Again We here see the portion of those that joyn themselves to comply with Iehu in his abominable deviations RVâ—NE as soon as ever Iehu had accomplished his purposes and through Iehonadab's help kept the people within the ancient bounds and limits of the Idolatrous kingdom sad effects follow The Lord cuts Israel short Hazael smites Israel in all their coasts eastward and by that time there came to be a general compliance of the people and God had given them a little time to fill up the cup of their iniquity full then comes VTTER RVINE and behold they are not Is it not a great dispute among the learned what is become of them where the ten Tribes are the place of their abode is hid from the whole earth This is most certain That all those that cleave to comply with Iehu in his apostacies shall be partakers of that great wrath that God in due time will pour down from heaven upon the head of Jehu and all his companions in inquity Rev. 18.4 Come out of her my people that ye be not partakers of her sins and that ye receive not of her plagues 5. It 's worthy our observation That Jehu never afterward made use as we read of those Prophets of the Lord that anointed him that first did his work for him and help'd him to his power by which he got the throne When they had done so much as he could expect from them knowing their principles were not suitable to his design farewel then he had no more to say to them their hearts were too honest and brains too shallow for his deep politick designs they would walk answerable to their professions the glory of which affected the peoples hearts perform all their promises and engagements but these things stood not with Jehu's interest therefore no more of them adieu those half-witted fellows whose conscience cannot swallow a lye sealed with the highest asseverations that by such fine slights of State-wisdom we may clime the steps of honor But come thou Jehonadab thou art a righteous person and hast more wisdom then Myriads of those Idiots And indeed what can you expect more from a Jehu who sets up an interest contrary to God's never expect friendship or friendly dealing from him till God hath changed his heart and of a Jehu made him a David of a Saul a Paul Consider Jehonadab a little further then judge He was one that came to meet Jehu when he had made a sure progress in his work he was not at the beginning among the Prophets of the Lord to strengthen Jehu's hand in the work no but when he had slain the King and Jezebel and by a wile destroyed the Kings seventy sons and was going with power sufficient to make a full end of all his enemies Then comes good Iehonadab to congratulate Iehu to have a finger i' the pye before it 's put i' the oven And Iehu he strikes in with this holy man and engages him easily enough poor soul to be on his side Iehu knew full well that this wary wise man that knew the way to sleep in a whole skin till Iehu had almost made sure work and then comes and proffers his congratulatory service to his greatness would be a fitter instrument for his turn then those hardy simple-hearted fellows the Prophets of the Lord that to fulfil the minde of God would run through such hazards and dangers as they did to lift up Iehu into a capacity to do the will of God It 's this Iehonadab that Iehu is so eager to engage The text saith he lighted on him like a bird of prey and with his tallons he hoisted him up into the chariot a high place that diz'd poor Jehonadab's brains so as they could never get into their right posture again And what sweet complements past between them his whole discourse was about sincerity and uprightness of heart when God knows it was that he least cared for but Jehonadab understood him well enough and knew what counsel would please as appears in the matter of Baals Priests It 's this Jehonadab that Jehu loves and hugs in his bosome for you the Lords people who have not a Jehonadab's wisdom farewel he will have no more to do with you such fanatick silly fellows that are good for nothing but to ruine a State As we cannot finde it in the story that Jehu took any friendly notice of the Lords people to whom he was so much engaged after he came to the Throne so we shall never finde it in experience that a Jehu will be a friend indeed to those who in sincerity of heart look Sion-ward 6. From hence the Saints and people of God may see what their work is To bear the cross of Christ in bearing witness against those deviations and apostacies that are too too likely to over-run this generation of men to seek after the Lamb the Lord Jesus Christ for their Leader and follow him whithersoever he will lead them there 's no doubt nor Question to be made but his designes are right and adequate to the will of his Father who hath promised him the throne of his father David Much might be said to you the children of the most High of that full redemption and great glory