A SERMON Preached before His GRACE the Kings Commissioner And the Three ESTATES OF PARLIAMENT May the 25th 1690. By GILBERT RULE Minister of the Gospel at Edinburgh EDINBVRGH Printed at the Society of Stationers Printing-house in Harts-Close over-against the Trone-Church for George Mosman Bookseller at his Shop on the South-side of the Parliament-Close 1690. READER IT was not Choice but the Appointment of the General Meeting of the Presbyterian Ministers which made me with much Reluctancy to appear before so Great and Discerning an Auditory I was led to the Subject here treated of by observing that the Affairs of this Church and its Settlement after a long time wherein things hath been not of Course in it were under the Parliaments consideration And I was moved to allow the Printing of this Discourse only by the Command of Authority without which nothing could have prevailed with me to have made it so publick wherein there is nothing to commend it save the Divine Truths that are the matter of it As the Interest of Religion was our solicitude when these Thoughts were conceived and delivered So now we are filled with Joy while we behold the Religious regard that the High and Honourable Court of Parliament have shewed to the Mountain of the Lords House above other Mountains which they truly are and ought to be concerned about in the great step towards the establishing thereof that they made by their Vote 28th Instant Settling the Protestant Religion and the Presbyterian Church Government and their proceeding to consider the other things needful for promoting Religion in this Church and Nation That the Lord may help them to go on as they have begun and hitherto acted and reward them for their Good Deeds toward his House and that he may bless what here followeth for Soul advantage to them who read it is the earnest Prayer of Thine and the Church's Servant G. R. Edinburgh May 30th 1690. A SERMON ON Isaiah 2. Chap. 2 ver And it shall come to pass in the last dayes that the Mountain of the Lords house shall established in the top of the Mountains and shall be exalted above the Hills And all Nations shall flow unto it REligion and the Church which is the Chiefe mean of propogating it in the World is the most contemptible thing to many men â—hat can be and that which most men are least concerned about But as it alwayes ought to be otherwayes so the Lord here promiseth that there shall be a time when it shall be more regarded This promise was made to the Church before the Captivity in Babylon that it might be a support to the Faithful in that dark Hour And it is repeated Micha 4. and 1. As that which was needful and yet hard to be beleived We are here to consider First the certainty of the event It shall come to pass Or be Whatever unlikelyhood or letts may be in the way God hath said it Secondly the time of it the last dayes the dayes of the Gospel Or when God hath exercised his People with Tryal he will at last put an end to their trouble and bring this about for their comfort Thirdly The subject spoken of the Mountain of the Lords House By this no doubt is meant the Church or the Religious interest of Men Mount Zion that is one of the two tops of it called Mount Moriah where the Temple was built was a name ordinariely given to the Church of God And from the Dialect of the old Testament it is transferred to the new Testament Wherefor by the Mountain of the House of the Lord is meant the Church It is she It is the Religion owned and professed in her and Gods ordinances whereby she is distinguished from other Societies that is here promised to be exalted so high The Church or the concernments of Religion may well be called a Mountain both from her Eminency and also from her stability Fourthly two things are said of this Mountain her preference to other things and her increase are both asserted For the former it is to be considered First absolutely that she shall be Established 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth both preparation and fixedness And indeed hath a great Emphasis in this place The Church shall be prepared That is Men shall use the greatest application the greatest Care the greatest Wariness Consideration and Zeal they shall imploy all their Wit all their Activity and Care And not only so but the Lord will imploy his infinite Wisdom and Goodness for her being setled on lasting Foundations Rashness Headiness Indifferency and worldly Designs are not like to make good work when Men are about settling the Church It will make an ill contrived building that will not stand long The Church saith the Text also shall be Established That is fixed made impregnable so as the Malice and open enmity of Enemies nor the treachery of false Friends shall not be able to brangle her Constitution And the Lord will make her firm on the Rock that the Gates of Hell shall not prevaile against her It is also said that she shall be exalted or be made great and glorious God will put a Lustre on Her And men when the Lord poureth out the Spirit on them that seemeth to be promised in the Text will contribute what they can to promote her Spiritual Glory 2ly Comparatively The Church must be fixed and exalted above the Mountains and Hills That is preferred to all the other Interests of Men however great they he in the Eyes of the World the Lord will make Her more Glorious then any other Society or false Church And men will when this promise is fullfiled prefer Her Interest to all that can be dear to them or great in their Eyes The other thing that is said of the Church is that all Nations shall flow to Her when God shall thus exalt Her and when men shall thus shew their zeal for Her many will come to Her joyn with Her submit to Her it will be a Terrour to Enemies and an allurement to Strangers Diverse practical and important Truths might be observed from this Text But I pitch upon this one as of great use and necessity to be considered by this Audience at this time to wit That God will and Men ought to prefer the Interest of the Church and Religion to all other Concernments whatsoever Let us for our more distinct procedure consider First What this Religious Interest is and what are the great things to which it must be preferred Secondly How God will prefer it Thirdly How men should do it Fourthly Why it should be so For the First we must consider that Christ is a King Psal 2. v. 6. And though his Kingdom be not of this World Jo. 18. 36. Yet it is in this World And his Royal Power is exercised visibly among Men. Math 28. 19 20 with the 18. And that as distinguished from though no way opposite to and far less inconsistent with the Kingdoms
of men If it be managed according to his Laws it doth not tend to depress but to exalt mens greatness neither can it otherwayes curb their Excesses then by holding forth his Law which setteth bounds to all the Actions of Men with respect to the moral good or evil that may be in them Now this glorious King must have a people for here it must not be questioned That the people are for the King and not he for them Isa 43. 1. 7 21 There must be a Seed to serve him Psal 22. 30. Psal 2. 8. That the Doctrine that he hath taught be owned and believed That he be Worshiped in the right Management of his Ordinances That his Laws be declared submitted to and obeyed That the government and order of his House be observed as he hath held it forth and injoyned it And all this for the promoting of Holiness restraining of Sin and the Salvation of Men. This I say is that Mountain that great Concernment that the Lord doth and Men should prefer before all things else There are indeed other Mountains things that are great and Momentous in the Eyes of Men which may and ought in their own place to have a due regard But must no wayes vie with the Mountain of the Lords House with the great things that concern the Church and Religion The greatness and Prerogatives of Kings the Establishment of Earthly Throns and the Liberties and Priviledges of People the security and safety of the present Government and Constitution of a Nation the advancement of Trade and enriching of a Nation These are great things and by all good means must be secured so far as Men can do it Yet none of these separately nor all of them in Conjunction are of so much value as that they should be preferred to this Mountain that the text speaketh of But it must be set above them all It is true there is such a Connection betwixt this Mountain and some of these Mountains that the one cannot be safe if the other be Ruined And therefore even for its safety they are to be Regarded of which more after But when this Spirit that is here promised is poured out on Men these will be minded but in the second place 2ly I am to shew how the Lord doth and will preferre the Mountaine of his House the interest of Religion to all other Mountains or interests that are great in the Esteem of Men. This will appeare if we consider First what is positively declared in the Scripture of his special respest to his Church and her Religious concernments above all the other interests not only of the rest of the world but even of his own People A notable place to this purpose is Psal 87. Where Gods esteem of his Church is purposely insisted on It is His Foundation It is indeed the ground of all his Dispensations to men with respect to it is all the conduct of providence And then He loveth it better then all the dwellings of Jacob neither the Kings palace nor the Stately buildings of the Nobles none of the Civil Publick or Private concernments of his â—eople did beare so much bulk in his Eye yea such Glorious things are spoken by the Lord in his Word of the Church as of no other thing on Earth And the Lord reckoneth the honour of men not by their noble Blood but by their relation to his Church and concern in Religion verse 4th Egypt under the name of Rahab and Babylon were then the most flourishing Kingdoms in the World But it was a greater honour to be of poor Israel then of any of these A well reformed Church is a greater Glory with God then a flourishing Kingdom Yea the warlike Philistines the Rich trading Tyre the ancient Aethiopia were nothing to him in comparison of poor Judea Because Gods ordinances were there ye shall please God better and do him better service if ye make poor Scotland a well reformed Church than if ye could make her richer more potent and splendid than any of her Neighbour Nations It is Religion that maketh People truely Honourable for it is that which maketh them precious in Gods sight Isaiah 43 4. Nothing doth so truely and in the esteem of God and good Men so exalt a People as the Truth the Purity and the Power of Religion flourishing among them 2ly The Lords special respect to mens Religious above their other Interests will appeare if we consider what he hath done for his Cuhrch The greatest Manifestations of God and of his Attributes that ever the World was witness to The most Glorious things of his word and the most eminent of his Works have all had a special respect to the Church and the true Religion His chusing and purchasing a Church to himselfe was a Glorious passage And that both his setting up the Jewish Church Deut. 4. 34. Or hath God assayed to go and take him a Nation from the midst of another Nation by Temptations by Signs and by Wonders and by War and by a mighty Hand and by a stretched out Arm and by great Terrours according to all that the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your Eyes And yet more in erecting the Gospel Church The eternal Son of God became a man and laid down his Life for this end Tit. 2 14. His preserving and mantaining his Church is a Tract of Wonders interlaced with Miracles For the Churches Emblem is a Bush burning and yet not consumed Exod. 3. 2. We may with good warrand say that the whole conduct of Providence is managed with an Eye to the Church and Religion which cannot be said of any other interest in the World Hence Christ is not only head of his Church to rule her but head over all things for her behove Eph. 1 22 He made the World that he might have a People to serve him on Earth and to praise him for ever in Heaven Isaiah 45. 18 19. He made all the interests of the Nations of the World in his settling of them subordinate to his designs for his Church Deut. 32. 8 9. When the most high divided to the Nations their inheritance when he separated the sons of Adam he set the bounds of the People according to the number of the Children of Israel For the Lords Portion is his People Jacob is the lot of his inheritance So the best Interpreters apply that text The greatest revolutions that the World hath seen have had respect to this interest in the design of God An instance is in destroying the Chaldean and setting up the Persian Monarchy Isaiah 43 14 Thus saith the Lord your Redeemer the Holy One of Israel for your sake I have sent to Babylon and have brought down all their Nobles and the Chaldeans whose cry is in the ships The one persecuted the people of God It is pulled down and the other is set up to relieve them So Cyrus got the Crown on their Account Isaiah 45. the 1
neglected She is not set on the top of the Mountains but somewhat else preferred to Her Half Reformations are often condemned when the high places were not removed though many things were commendably Reformed there is alwayes a mark set on that Reformation as Sinfully defective 3dly The promoting of Holiness is one chief way of advancing Religion and making the Church Glorious Holiness is Her Beauty and Cognisance Psal 93. 5 Ezek. 43. 12. Let Laws be made and executed for restraining the horrid Immoralities that have defaced the Church and for encouraging true Piety 4ly Let no Interest be preferred to or come in competition with the concernment of Religion As it can never Clash with any of the true Interests of Men So where it is so apprehended that men think that either it or they must suffer inconveniency let it alwayes have the preference as being of most value and on account that due regard to it is the way to engage the Lord to take care of mens other Interests even when they seem to be in hazard See for this Exod. 34 24. For I will cast out the Nations before Thee and enlarge thy Borders neither shall any man desire thy Land when thou shalt go up to appear before the Lord thy God thrice in the year This should be minded mainly with the greatest zeal with the greatest tenderness lest any wrong step be made about it An error about other matters should be look'd on as of less moment and less dangerous consequence If any thing must run a venture let it not be Christs Interest 5thly It belongeth to this preference that Religion should have that it be postponed to no other concernment As we are to seek the Kingdom of God first with respect to our own Souls Matth 6. 33. So must we use the same Conduct with respect to the publick and more general advancement of that Kingdom This is to be understood when the time of considering this Affair may import either its esteem its safety or any other advantage to it Then all things should yeild to it even in that circumstance Let it not be thought when we thus plead that they who do most concern themselves in the Church are either Impatient under necessary delayes or would prescribe to them whom the Lord hath entrusted as the Nursing Fathers of the Church They can with confidence Trust this to the Wisdom of such Worthy Patriors But we are confident that zeal for the Church the consideration of her present Confusions and regard to the Souls of Men will suggest this to them If David was allowed to plead with God as Psal 70. 1 5. That the Lord would make hast to deliver and help him and that he would make no tarrying I hope we shall not be blamed if we so plead with men 6thly They that are truly zealous for advancing the Interest of the Church and Religion will also be careful that the State be well settled There is a connection betwixt these two as between the Soul and Body The illness of the one affecteth the other If the Government be not supported if that Establishment of it that is Friendly to Religion be not secured if it be in the hands of either open Enemies or false Friends to Truth and to the right wayes of God the Church cannot be safe It is true the Lord can support her and hath done it amidst her most Bloody Foes But a Godly Magistracy is the ordinary means for that end They are Nursing Fathers Christ hath committed the care of his Spouse as to externals to them And this Trust they cannot well perform if they let the House go to ruine over Her head Wherefore if men will establish the Mountain of the House of God above other Mountains They will also be duely careful of the Interest of the Nation and that for the Churches fake for the sake of the Protestant Religion here and elsewhere as well as for theit own sakes The fourth thing proposed to be Discoursed is to give the Reasons why the Interest of Religion should be so minded and that with preference to all other Interests I may confidently affirm that few Reasons will be needful to perswade them of this and to incline them to it who in leed understand what Religion is and who are truely concerned in it But that I may give you a few hints to this purpose Consider First The advancement of Religion is that whereby God is more honoured then by any other way The Riches Power Splendor of his People or of a Nation or of great Ones doth not so much honour him as this doth Neither doth their meaness and contempt and low condition in the World so dishonour him as abounding Sin Idolatry Superstition Church Confusion or other sinful courses do see Psal 48 1 2 3. Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised in the City of our God in the Mountain of his Holiness Beautiful for Situation the joy of the whole earth is Mount Zion on the sides of the North the City of the great King God is known in her palaces for a refuge Christ is King of Kings and therefore his interest is to be preferred to that of all the great men on Earth 2ly The Salvation of men is nearly concerned in this the advancement of other interests may be conducive to their riches power and Worldly greatness But this is the mean to save their Souls The soundness of Doctrine the purity and liveliness of Ordinances yea the order of the Church of God is of great use for this end Even that tendeth to preserve the truth and ordinances of God To curb vice and to engage men in the wayes of God And therefore they who desire to be holy or to see holiness promoted among men cannot but think it of high concernment that the Church be well setled If then ye have any regard to your own immortal Souls If ye value the Souls of People more then your Worldly concernments make it your care to advance Religion rather then any other interest 3ly True Religion and the flourishing of it among a people is the greatest Glory of a Nation The poorest most contemptible People may by this means have their reputation advanced in the sight of God and in the esteem of all good men Yea often in the Eyes of them that are but moral and intelligent though Enemies Deut 4 6. 7 8 v. 6 Keep therefore and do them for this is your Wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the Nations which shall hear all these statuts and say surely this Nation is a wise and understanding People v. 7. For what Nation is there so great who hath God so nigh unto them as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon him for v 8. And what Nation is there so great that hath statutes and Judgements so righteous as all this Law which I set before you this Day And not only so but 〈◊〉 is