And saith he if that had been too little I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things then he cometh to expostulate the matter with him why he should so deal by his God as he had done Wherefore hast thou despised the Commandement of the Lord to do evil in his sight Thus God taketh the sins of his favourites more unkindly then the sins of any other And therefore is it so that God hath indeared any of us to himself by any special favours wherein he hath preferred us before others let us be so much the more watchful careful over our walkings that so he may never take up the like complaint against us as our Saviour here doth against Jerusalem O that thou even thou shouldest do thus and thus This it was that David took most heinously that his favourites and familiars should prove treacherous to him Psal 41.9 Yea mine own familiar friend in whom I trusted which did eat of my bread hath lift up his heel against me Some of his Courtiers friends Which our Saviour applieth unto Judas's dealing with himself Joh. 13.18 He that eateth bread with me hath lift up his heel against me This did exceedingly aggravate Judas's sin Had some of the Scribes or Pharisees done what he did it had been no strange thing But that Judas should do it one whom Christ had so far honoured as to admit him to so near an attendance upon his person to make him one of his Privy Counsel as it were this highly aggravated his offence O take heed lest the like aggravation lie against any of us And therfore the more gracious God hath been or shall be to any of us let us be the more grateful the more watchful the more careful to walk worthy of his mercies I have done with the former of these Circumstances these Aggravations Second Aggravation from the time Come we now to the latter which is taken from the Time and the Season In this thy day Q. And what is here meant by Jerusalems day The word Day explained A. Day in Scripture it hath divers senses and significations Literally and properly we meet with a Natural day and an Artificial day The one consisting of twenty four hours the Suns Revolution the other of the time of light from morning to evening Both which we finde in that one verse Gen. 1.5 And God called the light day and the darkness he called night And the evening and the morning were the first day By the first understanding the Artificial day by the latter the Natural But to let these pass as nothing to our purpose Tropically and improperly the word is diversly used 1. Sometimes for the time of mans life that space which he liveth upon earth Your father Abraham rejoyced to see my day saith our Saviour to the Jews John 8.56 the time of my manifestation in the flesh and abode upon earth I must work the work of him that sent me whilest is day John 9.4 that is whilest I live here upon earth 2. Sometimes it denotes the time of grace under the Gospel So the Apostle is conceived to use the word Rom. 13.12 where he saith The night is far spent the day is at hand The night the time of the Law which was a time of darkness and Ignorance wherein spiritual and heavenly mysteries were all clouded and vailed under shadows and figures In opposition thereunto the time of the Gospel is called the Day in regard of the clear manifestation of the grace of God and of the mysterie of salvation to all sorts not onely to Jews but Gentiles And so that other Text of the same Apostle is looked upon 1 Thes 5.5 Ye are the children of the day living in Gospel times As also that other prophetical Text Heb. 4.7 To day if ye will hear his voice saith David speaking of the time of the Gospel as it is there expounded 3. Sometimes it denotes any special opportunity apt and proper season for any transaction So that forenamed Text may be understood John 9.4 I must work whilest it is day that is whilest I have opportunity And so that other To day if ye will hear his voice whilest the time and season of grace lasteth whilest salvation is offered 4. And lastly by Day sometimes we are to understand a set time determined and appointed by God for some special purpose In this sense we find the word frequently used by the Prophets Jerusalems Day what the time of special grace And in these two last senses understand we the word here in the Text. Jerusalems Day was the time destinated and foreappointed by God and foretold by the Prophets wherein the light of the Gospel should shine forth unto her and that more clearly then ever heretofore and the offer of grace and mercy should be held forth unto her after a special manner Of this day this time the Prophets make frequent mention As the Prophet Isai chap. 60.1 Arise shine or be enlightned for thy light is come and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee So Zachary 9.9 Rejoyce greatly O daughter of Sion for thy King cometh unto thee Both which had their accomplishment in the coming of Christ in the flesh and particularly in his coming to Jerusalem at this time in this manner presenting himself to it as a King So he himself applies the latter of these Texts Matth. 21.4 5. And hereupon is this here called Jerusalems day the day that had been so often foretold the time wherein God did offer grace and mercy to her after a more special manner then ever he had done heretofore Before he had often made offers of that kind unto her as to the whole Nation of the Jews by sending his Prophets to her But now he doeth it by his Son So our Saviour sets it forth in that known parable of the Vineyard Matth. 21.33 c. A certain man planted a vineyard This vineyard was the Church of the Jews Isaiah 5.1 whom God took to be a peculiar people to himself performing like offices thereunto that the Husbandman would do to his vineyard Being thus planted he let it forth to husbandmen and went himself into a far Countrey God seemed to leave that Church wholly to the care of the Priests In process of time he sends his servants to the husbandmen that they might receive the fruits thereof verse 34. God sends his Prophets to this Church whom by the Parable goeth on they beat and slew vers 35. So they did the former Prophets many of them Againe he sent other servants moe then the first and they did unto them likewise verse 36. Before the Captivity he sent more Prophets to them then formerly who found no better entertainment then the former But last of all he sent unto them his son verse 37. God the Father sends his Son Christ into the world with a special messuage unto the Jews to require from them the fruits of all that grace
the head City of the Persian Monarchy the peace of the whole Kingdome and all the subjects in it depended upon that And therefore the Prophet adviseth the Jewish captives to seek the peace of that City and to pray unto the Lord for it for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace Jer. 29.7 Even thus was it with Jerusalem Yet again in the fifth place This City it was the City of the great King so called by the Psalmist 48.2 The great King Ierusalem the City of the great King the city of God but what king why not onely the City of David as it is sometimes called Luk. 2.4.11 the Emperial City where David and his successours had sate upon the throne for many Generations almost five hundred years together before the Captivity of Babylon There are set thrones of judgement saith the Psalmist the throne of the house of David Psal 122.5 Not onely so but it was the City of the great King of the King of heaven the City of God So our Saviour meaneth it Matth. 5.35 where forbidding to swear by Hierusalem he giveth this reason for it for it is the City of the great King i. e. of God So the Psalmist explains himself in the 8. verse of that psalme Psal 48. As we have heard so have we seen in the City of the Lord of Hosts in the City of God As also in the first verse God is greatly to be praised in the City of our God So was Hierusalem There God dwelt The Lord hath chosen Sion he hath desired it for his habitation This is my rest for ever here will I dwell Psal 132.13 14. This was the place the onely place upon earth where God manifested his presence in a fixed and constant way Here formerly was the Ark of the Covenant the pledge and token of Gods presence The glory of Israel and of the world and therefore called The glory Rom. 9.4 Here was the Sanctuary where God dwelt betwixt the Cherubins and from whence the light of salvation went forth unto all the world This was urbs sacris dicata as Grotius saith of it a place dedicated to the worship and service of God a place which God had chosen to put his name there the place whither the tribes came up to worship Psal 122.4 where the Ordinances of God were set up in their glory majesty and held forth in a publick way So as this place miscarrying it could not but go ill with the Churches of God and with the Religion of God And this it was as Gualter and Calvin note it upon the Text which above all other things our blessed Saviour took to heart Quum expenderet illam divinitus electam esse sacram sedem in qua resideret salutis aeternae foedus Sanctuarium unde prodiret salus salas toti mundo fieri non potuit quam ejus interitum graviter doleret Cal. ad loc The other considerations might move him but this above all to think that that place which God had made choice of to put his name in where he had dwelt where his Temple Part 2. the place of his publick worship was that that should be brought to such a miserable desolation The expression of Christs compassion by weeping Lachrymae sunt legati doloris Cyprianus lib. Ep. 7. as he by the eye of his divinitie saw to hang over the head of it this this it was that pierced his heart and stirred up his compassions in him drawing tears from his eies When he beheld the City he wept over it Wept over it There is the expression of his compassion Let me touch upon that also and I shall put the application of both these together He wept This Passion Weeping a passion not unsutable to Christ Mutarunt homines temerarii delicati quibus flere Christo indignis videbatur Grotius ad Text. some look upon as unsutable to the person of Christ And thereupon as both Beza and Grotius take notice of it from Epiphanus in divers of the ancient Copies this passage was left out But without any just cause Gorranus ad Text. alli Alii septies Christum flevisse asserunt Gerhard Harm ad loc To hear of Christs weeping is not such a rarity that any should boggle at it Four several times saith one Writing upon the Text we read hereof The first at his Nativity his Birth For this he citeth that Apochryphal Text Wisd 7.3 Where wisedome whereby he understandeth Christ who is so called Prov. 8. saith that she was Borne crying and weeping as all other do Thus Infants are commonly born crying whether weeping or no I will not say And thus that pretended Solomon is conceived to set forth the birth of Christ who was therein conformed to the rest of the sons of men But that being Apocryphal I leave it as I find it uncertain so as it may be believed or rejected without any prejudice to the faith The three other are clear The first at the raising up of Lazarus where we read Joh. 11.53 And Jesus wept The second here in this his Procession to Hierusalem as he calleth it He wept over it The third and last in his Passion in the Garden concerning which the Author to the Hebrews tels us that he offered up prayers and supplications with strong cryings and tears Heb. 5.7 Thus saith he did our blessed Saviour who was the fountain of life water the world with his tears which he compareth to the four Rivers which went out of Paradise to water the earth But letting that passe as more witty then weightie Weeping we see was no new or strange thing with our Saviour That ever he laughed that we read not that he wept we meet with it more then once Q. But it may be said Why Christ lamenteth what he could have remedied Wherefore should our Saviour here weep over Hierusalem what ever calamities he saw impending hanging over the head of it he could have prevented them if he had pleased And why then doth he lament that which with a word he was able to have remedied A. To this it is answered First This he did to shew the truth of his humanity To shew the truth of his humanity Carne humana circundatus vere humanos induit affectus Cal. ad loc Taking upon him our nature he took upon him also all Passions and Affections common to that nature Being made like unto us in all things sin onely excepted as the Apostle hath it Heb. 4.15 subjected to all our not sinful infirmities Thus he slept eat and drank which the nature of man requireth And thus we read that he was weary hungry thirsty and thus he wept All to shew himself truly man and that together with our nature he had also taken our Infirmities as the Evangelist Saint Mathew hath it Matth. 8.17 But secondly Hereby he testified his affection To testifie his affection to the Iews Hoc fletu testatus est
it had been otherwise with them So far is he then from taking pleasure in the death and destruction of poor sinners God not taking pleasure in the death of sinners This do tyrants sometimes they take pleasure in their bloody executions feeding their eyes therewith as with pleasing spectacles But so doth not our God in the destruction of his creatures To this purpose that of the Prophet Ezekiel speaketh fully Ezek. 18.31 32. Where the Lord bewayling the perversnesse of the people of the Jews in running on headlong to their own destruction he expostulateth the matter with them vers 31. Why will ye die O ye house of Israel then he professeth that he was not delighted in their destruction or the destruction of any other vers 32. I have no pleasure in the death of him that dyeth No though wicked persons and so most worthy to die yet God taketh no pleasure in their death So he elsewhere explains it Ezek. 33.11 As I live saith the Lord God I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked Object Why but doth not God will the death of the wicked How God willeth the death of the wicked Answ True he willeth it but he taketh no pleasure in it He willeth it as an act of Justice ordaining them to just condemnation for sin But he is not delighted in their destruction their misery Even as a just but merciful Judge he pronounceth the sentence of death upon a guiltie malefactor but it is with tears in his eyes God is delighted in mercy mercy pleaseth him as the Prophet hath it Micah 7.18 but so doth not the misery of his creature Appli Let it be taken notice of by every of us Not to the end that we should abuse this mercy Gods grace not to be turned into wantonnesse turn this grace into wantonnesse as Saint Jude saith of some in his time did Jude 4. taking occasion thereby to go on and continue in sin What shall we say then Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound God forbid saith the Apostle Rom. 6.1 Shall we therefore go on to provoke this God because he is so compassionate towards us so loath that we should perish what were this but to abuse this his lenitie and goodnesse to our own just condemnation But on the other hand let this goodnesse of God lead us unto repentance Gods goodnesse leading to repentance This is the right use of it as we may learn from the same Apostle Rom. 2.4 Be we hereby provoked to break off the course of our waies provoking sins and to come in unto this God by serious and unfeigned repentance This use will an ingennous child make of the indulgent affection of a tender hearted parent When he seeth the bowels of his father or mother yearning towards him bewailing his destructive courses if there be any spark of ingenuity left this cannot but work upon his heart and make him think of betaking himself to a new course which may be pleasing and contentful to so affectionate a parent Behold thus is our heavenly Father and thus is our blessed Saviour affected towards poor sinners And therefore let it have the like work upon every of us to provoke us to break off those sinfull wayes and courses which are so offensive to those pure eyes and come in unto our God by serious and unfeigned Repentance Christ still retaining the same affection towards poor sinners So doing now doubt not but we shall have comfortable experience of his grace and mercy What was the Lord Jesus so affected towards a stubborn and rebellious people that he so earnestly wisheth their good and so passionately bewaileth their calamity and will he not shew the like affection to poor penitent sinners such as by coming unto him seek for mercy from him Surely the Lord Jesus hath carried his bowels to heaven with him still retaining the same affection tovvards poor sinners that here he had upon earth Hovv ever he be not capable of expressing it in the like vvay He can hence forth weep no more All tears being wiped from his eyes as they shall be from the eyes of all his Saints vvhen they shall be translated to that blessed and glorious condition Yet still he retaineth the same affection towards poor sinners He that wept over Jerusalem here wishing that it had been othervvise vvith them then it vvas and vvas like to be he doth earnestly desire that those tears and that blood vvhich he here shed in the dayes of his flesh may be made effectual for the vvashing avvay the sins of poor sinners Which also they shall be to all those who turning away from them come unto him receiving him as their Saviour and Lord. But I shall not any longer dwell upon this which I take up from the general consideration of the words or from the manner of speaking Come we now to the matter taking a nearer and more particular veivve of this Lamentation The matter of this lamentation where the evil lamented Aggravations of it Wherein we shall take notice of two things the Evil of sin it self which our Saviour here bewaileth and secondly the Aggravations of that evil The evil bewailed is their stupidity their not knowing of what belonged to their peace The aggravations of that evil are two the one taken from the persons the other from the time The persons who were thus stupid Jerusalem If thou even thou The time the day of their visitation At least in this thy day These are the severals we have now to deal with Begin with the first The evil lamented The evil lamented their not knowing the things which belonged to their peace Here by way of explication three things Expli Three things are to be unfolded 1. What is here ment by peace 2. What were those things which belonged to Jerusalems peace 3. How it is said that they did not know those things Q. For the first What here meant by peace viz. All kind of happinesse by Peace here understand we prosperity felicity So the word was familiarly used among the Hebrews In as much as Peace is a comprehensive blessing they set forth all blessings under this Thus in their ordinary salutations they were wont to wish Peace Peace be unto thee and peace be unto thy house and peace be unto all that thou hast It is the salutation which David sends to Nabal 1 Sam. 25.6 And thus our Saviour sending forth his Apostles he puts this word into their mouthes directing them to salute the families where they came after that manner with an apprecation of peace Into whatsoever house ye enter ye shall first say Peace be to this hous Luk. 10.5 i. e. all kind of happinesse And so look we upon the word here in the text By peace understanding here all kind of felicitie Omnes foelicitatis partes as Calvin hath it all the parts and kinds of happinesse Happinesse both present and future
now what God intends towards thee who knoweth Should he remove thy Candlestick take away â—he Gospel from thee which is cause enough â—o fear should he bring the like evils upon â—hee as our blessed Saviour here threatens â—gainst Jerusalem should he make our Houses Cities Temples desolate should he bring utâ—er desolation both upon Church and State should he give a near and larger Commission to â—he Sword to eat flesh and drink bloud secondâ—ng it with those ordinary attendants which â—hrough a wonderful providence we have hiâ—herto been freed from Famine and Pestilence â—o sweeping us as dung off from the face of the earth yet must we acknowledg the Lord to be just and righteous In the humble acknowledgment whereof Vse 2. What to be done for the preventing of judgment 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hic est utinam Grotius ad loc let all of us seriously set our selves for the diverting and preventing of these Judgments To which end be we admonished and exhorted yet to hearken to this wish in the Text. So some here â—ook upon the words in the Text reading them Optatively utinam nosses O that or would to God that thou hadst known And O that England would yet hearken to this wish so as to comply with it Then which what can be more desirable for it What those things are you have heard viz. to receive Christ and his Gospel to give such entertainment to him and it as he requireth Now let all of us as we wish well to our own souls in particular and to this Nation in general seriously apply our selves hereunto As yet through riches of grace the Gospel of peace is held forth unto us As yet we enjoy the Ordinances of Christ Word and Sacraments with liberty and purity O let us now make much of them and make use of them with holy care and conscience waiting and attending upon them thereby making it manifest what esteem we have of them Specially indeavouring to profit by them to finde the power and life of them inwardly in our hearts in the changing and transforming them and to express that power in the course of our lives and conversations by so walking as becometh the Gospel So doing now may we yet comfortably hope that he who doth here so compassionately mourn over a rebellious people rejecting him and his Gospel will much more pitty spare a repenting people that is willing to hearken to his voice So pitty us as to turn away those threatned evils continuing the Gospel of peace with the peace of the Gospel to us and our posterities after us so long as the Sun and Moon endureth Thus I have done with the substance of this Complaint come we now to the circumstances the Aggravations The Aggravations of this complaint Aggravatâ—on 1. of this Evil. Which as I shewed you are two the Persons and Time Begin with the former If thou hadst known The Persons even thou 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Si vel tu nosses Si cognovisses tu Not If thou hadst even known as the former Translation renders it putting the Emphasis upon the word Known but if even thou hadst known with reference to the Persons or Place Even thou Thou also say some thou Jerusalem as well as others Thou as well as others Diodate Annot ad loc as well as this poor troop of my Apostles and Disciples or as divers other lesser Cities and Villages have done or as this company now doth which acknowledgeth me to be what I am crying Hosanna or as some other places heretofore have done some of which have been so happy as timely to take notice of what belonged to their peace So did that great City Nineveh at the preaching of Jonah they repented John 3.5 whose example elsewhere we finde propounded by our Saviour to the Jews Mat. 12.41 The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment against this generation and shall condemn it because they repented at the preaching of Jonah And the like had some other places and persons done And O that Jerusalem had also done the like If thou also hadst known Thou as well as others Or Secondly Thou rather then others Thou rather then others So Calvin and divers other Expositors here conceive of it As if our Saviour did here compare Jerusalem with other Cities of Judea Yea with all other Cities of the whole world All which Jerusalem excelled in respect of many priviledges 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vel tu urbs illa suprà omnes terrae urbes Deo dilecta urbs David urbs Regia urbs sacris dicata Grotius ad loc Jerusalem a Non-such in respect of spiritual priviledges This was the City of David the Emperial City yea the City of the great King the City of God a City beloved of God above all other places upon the earth Coeleste in terris Sacrarium as Calvin saith of it a heavenly Sanctuary upon earth where God had betrusted his Oracles his Ordinances where he had manifested his presence after a special manner dwelling between the Cherubins according to that of the Psalmist Psal 132.13 14. For the Lord hath chosen Sion he hath desired it for his habitation This is my rest for ever here will I dwell Such was Jerusalem Heavens favorite Earths Non-such a City paramount preferred and advanced above all other Cities and places upon earth in respect of spiritual priviledges And this our Saviour here taketh up as an Aggravation An Aggravation both of his Sorrow and her Sin 1. Of his Sorrow 1. Of Christs sorrows Even thou As for other places other Cities suppose Chorazin Bethsaida Capernaum the Gadarenes or Samaria or the like for any of these to perish and miscarry as they did this were no other but a sad thing deserving to be lamented over But that Jerusalem should do so this went nearer our Saviours heart then any other Even as Brutus his stab did to Caesars which made him cry out 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 tu Brute what thou my son thou Brutus Even so did Jerusalems obstinacy and ingratitude here to our Saviour And thereupon he crieth out after the same manner 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Even thou Like as it is with a natural parent he cannot but be offended with the miscarriage of any of his children but that his darling the son of his delights whom he hath set his love upon and shewen most affection to that he should miscarry this goeth near him So was it with Jacob when he apprehended some sad disaster to have befallen his son Ioseph his dear son the son of his age to whom he had expressed more affection then the rest of his Brethren as appeared by his party coloured garment this went near his heart insomuch that he refused to be comforted resolving to go down to the grave to him mourning as we have the story Gen. 37.3.35 And so was David affected with his Absolon He being his
and favour which had been shewen to them And this was Jerusalems day The time of special grace and mercy offered unto them after a special manner and that by Christ himself wherein she had a special opportunity tendered unto her if she had but had the wisdome to accept it to lay hold of it and make use of it accordingly Even the time of her visitation as the 44th verse after the Text explains it But hinc illae lachrymae this was a matter of just lamentation The day was come and even now spent but Hierusalem had not an eye to see it a heart to make use of it And this i◠is which our Saviour here bewailes in them and exprobrates to them pities them for and upbraids them with O if thou even thou hadst known at least in this thy day the things which belong unto thy peace At least what it here importeth At least There is yet a further Emphasis in that Interjection 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Et quidèm in hâc die tuâ saith the vulgar even in this thy day Hoc saltem tuo die saith Beza whom our Translations follow At least in this thy day that is though thou hast along time stood it out refusing and rejecting many offers of grace yet O that at the length thou wer 't wise Or If at least If after that thou hast slain so many Prophets so many servants of mine which have been sent unto thee with conditions of peace yet thou wouldest receive me their Master hearkning to the message which I bring Or at least If after all the unkinde and ungrateful repulses which my self hath hitherto met with by thy obstinate rejecting of my Person and Doctrine yet if now at the length in this my last Expedition the last journey that ever I shall make unto thee the last time of asking now at the day of grace and salvation as to thee is expiring If now at last thou mightest yet know c. Thus our Saviour here maketh use of this circumstance as a further aggravation both of his sorrow and their sin their stupidity and obstinacy that in this day of grace wherein God was pleased to make such a gracious offer of mercy to them they should yet stand it out to the last so neglecting and letting slip the present opportunity as they had done many other by the imbracing whereof they might yet have been happy So sad a thing it is for a people not to take notice of the seasons of grace and mercy vouchsafed unto them Obs Not to take notice of the seasons of grace a sad thing for their spiritual and temporal felicity and welfare so as to make a wise use and improvement of them This our Saviour here so sadly lamenteth in Jerusalem And this we shall finde the Lord elsewhere sadly complaining of in this people the people of the Jews As Jeremy 8.7 Yea the storke in the heavens knoweth her appointed times and the turtle and the crane and the swallow observes the time of their coming but my people know not the judgments of the Lord. Those poor creatures with many other meerly by a natural instinct they observe the times and seasons of the year and so order their going and coming accordingly but that people knew not the judgment of the Lord they tooke no notice of the seasons of mercy and judgment they saw not the judgements of God hovering over their heads that so they might use timely means for the diverting of them And this the Lord there chargeth upon them as gross stupidity And the like regardlesness of seasons and opportunities and the workings and dispensations of Providence he elsewhere complains of against them for by the same Prophet Jer. 5.4 Surely these are poor they are foolish for they know not the way of the Lord nor the judgment o◠of their God And by the Prophet Isaiah the like Isai 5.11 12. Where he denounceth a woe upon that people for not regarding the wor◠of the Lord not considering the operation of hi◠hands they had no regard of providential dispensations no regard of times and seasons whether of mercy or judgment This is a gros◠and deplorable stupidity a just ground both of Lamentation and Exprobration This is th◠thing which our Saviour upbraideth the Pharisees and Sadduces with They were curious observers of times and seasons in natural things but in spiritual and heavenly they were altogether stupid So he telleth them Matth. 16.2 3. When it is evening ye say it will be fair weather because the skie is red c. They were very observant of the usual prognosticks of fair or foul weather they could discern the face of th◠skie But saith he can ye not discern the signs of the times they were not so wise as to take notice of the choisest times and seasons such as that then was being the time of the Messias his comming unto them So Saint Luke hath it as the Syriack also rendreth that of Saint Matthew Luke 12.56 How is it that ye do not discern this time This time of grace wherein the promised Messia cometh unto you whom you profest to have so long looked and waited for and which the Prophets have so clearly pointed out to you and is now evidenced unto you by so many manifest signs and tokens as were you not wilfully blinde you could not but see this to be that time This he chargeth them with as grosse stupiditie And so indeed it is when men shall not take notice of the accepted time the day of salvation not see what belongeth to their peace in their day in the times and seasons of Grace which God vouchsafeth unto them Especially when God is pleased to manifest and make known his minde and will to them after a more clear and evident manner Especially when more clearly held forth That was Jerusalems case here in the Text. God had made known to them the things belonging to their peace formerly he had sent his Prophets to them from time to time for that purpose but now he did it more clearly by sending his Son to speak to them to tender himself to them in person Now this rendred their neglect and contempt a great deal more heinous and inexcusable that even in this their day they should not know c. For them to have been ignorant hereof at any time heretofore under the Law had been inexcusable but much more under the Gospel Even as for men to stumble in the twilight it argueth heedlesnesse but much more to stumble at noon-day as the Prophet speaketh of Israel in another sense Isa 59.10 Thus where God is pleased to afford men but a little light such as that was under the Law which Saint Peter compareth to a Candle a Light shinning in a dark place as that place is by some expounded 2 Pet. 1.19 for men not to give heed unto that light and take notice of the minde of God which is held
forth by it is a great neglect but when the day-star ariseth a clear light breaketh forth such as Gospel-light is now for men to shut their eies against the light or not to make use of it by walking answerably to it this is an high contempt of which Calvin here saith rightly Contemptum manet severior vindicta it hath a greater vengeance waiting upon it then if it were a simple neglect That it is so I presume it will not be questioned Bring we it home by way of Application which I shall direct as formerly onely by way of Conviction and Exhortation Applic. Use 1. A just Exprobation to many First by way of Conviction how many are there who lie open to this just Exprobration They have not known they do not know even in this their day the things that belong to their peace Not to speak of others bring we it home to our selves and see whether the charge do not lie too justly against many of us None of us but have had our Day a day of grace and salvation a time which God hath allotted unto us to look out for our spiritual and eternal welfare which to some of us hath been a Summers-day a long day And not onely a long but a clear day wherein God hath vouchsafed to us the means of grace and salvation in a comfortable manner causing the light of his truth to shine forth most clearly unto us And yet how many of us are there of whom it may bee too truly said That yet even in this our day we have not known the things which belong unto our peace to our eternal peace and happinesse But still we remain in our natural blindnesse and ignorance and unbelief having made little or no improvement of these precious times and means Nay notwithstanding God hath come unto some of us after a more special manner come near unto us in a more clear manifestation of his Will to us by some special providences visiting us with special mercies or special chastisements thereby calling us unto Repentance yet have we not known the time of our visitation Now what stupiditie what blindnesse what regardlesnesse what wretchlesnesse is this A heavie aggravation of our sin for present and if not timously prevented of our judgment for future So doth many a soul in hell at this day finde and feel it over whom if it would any waies profit or advantage them we might justly weep and lament as our Saviour doth herein the Text O! if they had known in their day the things which belonged unto their peace how happie how blessed might they have been But now how wretched how miserable these things being now for ever hid from their eies Time was when they had their Day they had their time of grace wherein they injoied the means of salvation so as had they but had the wisedom to have made use of them happie happie had they been to all eternitie But letting slip that time neglecting those means trifling away that Day now the night is come upon them even a night of blacknesse and darknesse an everlasting night so as the Sun shall never rise unto them again they are put into a hopeless helpless and remediless condition Not making use of the light whilest they injoied it they are now as Saint Peter saith of the Apostate Angels 2 Pet. 2 4. Cast down to Hell and delivered into chains of darknesse to be reserved unto judgment Such is their condition now Use 2. All exhorted to know what belongeth to their happiness in their day Which that it may never be ours give way to a word of Exhortation Every of us suffer our selves to be awakened and stirred up to take notice of our day and so to take notice of it that therein we may see and know the things which belong unto our peace to our welfare and happinesse and that both temporal and eternal 1. Temporall hapiness of the Nation 1. For our Temporal happinesse O! that we and all others in this Nation were but yet so wise as in this our day to know the things belonging thereunto so to know them as that we might complie with them What belongeth thereunto Q. But here it may be some of you will be ready to ask me What are these things A. A Question not unuseful In the resolution whereof I shall give you no other directions then what the Text it self giveth me the hint of 1. Seek Peace it self 1. Seek peace it self I mean external peace It is not for nothing as I told you that Peace is here and so often elswhere in phrase of Scripture put for prosperity and happinesse Peace as in it self it is one of the chief blessings upon earth one chief part of this external happinesse so it is a thing which doth much conduce to the compleating of it As War maketh a people miserable so Peace happie making them flourish in all kinde of outward blessings And upon this account seek we after this Peace making this our Motto Pacem te poscimus omnes all of us seriously desiring and indeavoring after peace 1. Civil Peace the Peace of the State 1. Civil peace It is the Prophet Jeremies Counsel to the Captives in Babylon that they should seek the peace thereof Jer. 29.7 Seek the peace of the Citie whither I have caused you to be carried away Captives and pray unto the Lord for it for in the peace thereof shall yee have peace And the like do we for Englands Pray for the Peace of it Upon that depends her welfare and happinesse Divisions hastened Jerusalem ruine O! pray that Englands divisions may not do the like to her Seek the peace of the State Civil peace 2. And as Civil so Ecclesiastical 2. Ecclesiastical peace the peace of the Church Pray for the peace of Jerusalem Psal 122.6 Peace be within the walls and prosperitie within thy palaces ver 7. Upon Jerusalems peace depended the peace of the whole Nation of the Jewes And surely upon the Churches peace in a great measure depends the peace of this Nation And therefore seek after this peace seek it from God being earnest with him that he would heal our breaches giving one heart and way to his people And promote it by all holy waies and means But I shall not dwell upon this which I do but meet with by the by taking the hint from the word in the Text. For the procuring the welfare of this Nation seek Peace it self 2. Embrace the Gospel of Peace 2. And Secondly be we sons of Peace It is the direction which our Saviour giveth to his Disciples when he sent them forth to preach the Gospel in that fore-cited Text Luk. 10.5 6. Into whatsoever house yee enter first say Peace be to this house And if the Son of peace be there your peace shall rest upon it The Son of peace 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is as before I have explained
They who would seek God so as he may be found they must seek him timely whilest he may be found So the Prophet Isaiah directs the Jewes Seek ye the Lord whilest he may be found Isai 55.6 with which agrees that of the Psalmist Psalm 32.6 For this shall every one pray unto thee in a time when thou maiest be found Tempore inveniendi in a time of Finding Clearly intimating that there may be a time wherein God though he be sought yet will not be found This is that he tells the Jews Isai 1.15 When ye spread forth your hands I will hide mine eyes from you and when ye make many prayers I will not hear Not hear them when they pray no nor yet hear others praying for them So the Lord telleth his Prophet Jeremiah upon that account willing him to surcease his intercession on their behalfe Therefore pray not for this people neither lift up crie nor praier for them neither make intercession to me for I will not hear thee Jer. 7.16 And elsewhere he tells the Prophet Ezekiel concerning that Land Though these three men Noah Daniel and Job were in it they should deliver but their own souls Ezek. 14.14 20. So irrevocable is the sentence which God somtimes passeth upon obstinate and rebellious sinners such as have despised his grace and mercie that all means used for the procuring ana gaining his favour towards them shall be ineffectual and to no purpose Replic Replic Repentance at all times findes mercie True it may be said so long as they continue in their sins they can expect no other but repenting and forsaking them there is mercie to be found So it there followeth in that of Isaiah 55.7 Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return unto the Lord and he will have mercie upon him and to our God for he will abundantly pardon And the Lord giveth all sinners to know so much by his prophet Ezekiel Chap. 18.21 33.14 which Texts for substance though not in expresse tearms speak what the former of them was cited for in our late public Lyturgie that At what time soever a sinner repenteth him of his sin God will qut away all his iniquities out of his remembrance Answ Repentance not promised to men at all times A. True plentie of such promises wee meet withall assuring mercie to repenting sinners but where is that promise that assures unto them Repentance when they will Qui promisit poenitenti veniam non promisit peccanti poenitentiam He that hath promised pardon to the sinner whensoever he repenteth hath not promised to give him grace to repent whensoever he will Saint Paul speaking of the Repentance of men ill affected to the truthes and Ministers of Christ he puts in a Peradventure about it 2 Tim. 2.25 If God peradventure will give them repentance This is God's gift and being so it dependeth not upon Man's will but His Will And elsewhere hee tells us of an heart that cannot repent So our former Translation not amisse renders that Text Rom. 2.5 where the Apostle speaking of and to such as despise the riches of Gods goodnesse not knowing that it should lead them to repentance he saith that After their hardnesse and impenitent heart they treasure to themselvs wrath against the day of wraths c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cor resipiscere nesciens as Beza translateth it A heart that knoweth not how to repent knoweth not how to go about this work And elsewhere we read of some upon whom this doom is passed That it is impossible for them to be renued again unto repentance Heb. 6.6 Such is the case of desperate and malicious Apostates whom God in his just judgment giveth up unto impenitent hearts that they cannot at least shall not repent Thus doth God in his just and righteous judgment as I said somtimes with-hold his grace from those that have sleighted and rejected it when it was offered Thenceforth hiding from their eies the things that belong unto their peace That he doth this and why he doth it you have seen Quest Q. But how doth he do it Answ 1. How God hideth from men the things belonging to their peace A. Here I shall not dare to attempt to follow God too close in tracing of those paths of his which Saint Paul calleth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 viae impervestigabiles Rom. 11.33 How unsearchable are his judgments and his waies past finding out By the former Judgments as Grotius distinguisheth them understanding the Decrees of God by the latter the waies and means which he useth in the executing and bringing those decrees into act Both are to humane understanding inscrutable and untraceable fitter to bee admired and adored then curiously pried into Yet where God is pleased to hold forth a light unto us wee may safely follow him though it bee a far off And so shall I at the present in opening this great mysterie to you shewing you onely what is revealed and so may safely be asserted concerning it God hideth from the eies of men the things belonging to their peace Answ 1. By with-drawing the light 1. By taking away the light withdrawing and with-holding the meanes of grace from them This is one thing which the Lord threatneth against this unfruitfull Vineyard the people of the Jews sfaiah 5. ver 6. I will also command the cloudes that they rain no rain upon it That is as some saf ely if not somewhat too curiously expound it the means of grace and salvation should not bee continued unto that people as formerly He would bereave them of their Prophets take away their Teachers Which accordingly he did as may be collected from that Promise which the same Prophet maketh to the Church Isaiah 30.20 Though the Lord give you the bread of adversitie and the water of affliction yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more but thine eyes shall see thy teachers So it had beâ—n with that people Prophets had been very scarce among them So much we may take notke of from that of the Psalmist Psal 74.9 where the Church lying under a sad desolation is brought in complaining We see not our signes there is no more any Prophet neither is there a-mong us any that knoweth how long They wanted their Seers as the Prophets sometimes are called And by this meanes were the things which belonged to their peace hid from their eyes And by a like means came they here to be hid from Jerusalems Means of grace with-drawn from Jerusalem by withdrawing those means of grace from them which formerly they had injoied Christ himself being taken away he also ordered his Apostles after a while to withdraw from them So much is insinuated in that Parable of the Mariage feast where the first guests that were invited though sollicited by messenger after messenger refusing to come the servants are then ordered by the Master of the Feast to
go into the High-waies and Hedges and By-lanes and to bid new guests as the Evangelists have it Mat. 22.9 Luke 14.21.23 The meaning of the Parable seems to be obvious This Marriage is the marriage betwixt Christ and his Church The first invited guests were the Jews to whom God sends his servants one after another first the Prophets then John the Baptist with the Apostles and Disciples of CHRIST who perâ—waded them to come and receive Jesus Christ and to have Communion with him but they refusing the Apostles with their Successors are afterwards sent to the Gentiles Which accordingly sometimes after our Saviours Ascension came to passe For however at the first according to their Masters direction they applied themselves onely to the Jewes yet afterwards finding them unworthie and being rejected by them they shook off the dust of their feet against them turning to the Gentiles So Paul and Barnabas expresly tell them Act. 13.46 When they heard the Jewes contradicting them and blaspheming their doctrine Then they waxed bold saith the Text and said It was necessarie that the Word of God should first have been spoken unto you but seeing you put it from you and judge your selves unworthie of eternal life lo wee turn to the Gentiles for so hath the Lord commanded us Thus when men do abuse the light of the Gospel Christ often removeth the Candâ—estick as hee threatens the Church of Ephesus Revel 2.5 taketh away that light taketh away his Ministers and Ordinances and so leaveth them in the darke by which meanes the things belonging to their peace are hid from their eies and that through the want of means 2. 2. With-holding the Spirit But Secondly sometimes the means are injoyed but the Spirit is withheld not accompanying not going along with the meanes Even as the Church complaineth Psal 44.9 that God did not go forth with her Armies Her Armies went forth but God did not go forth with them as formerly to direct assist blesse and prosper them to make them victorious Thus God sometimes sends forth his Ministers but hee doth not go forth with them hee doth not accompany his Ordinances with his Spirit This is that which the Prophet Isaiah complaineth of hee lift up his voice like a trumpet hee spared not to his dutie But who hath believed our report to whom is the arme of the Lord revealed Isaiah 53.1 His Ministerie was for the most part ineffectual few there were that were wrought upon by it Hee had as elswhere hee bemoans it Isaah 49.4 even laboured in vain and spent his strength for nought Now whence was this Why God did not concurr with him by the efficacious work of his Spirit hee did not put forth his power reveal his Arme hence was it that his indeavours became so ineffectual to the greatest part And thus God is pleased sometimes to enervate his Ordinances by withdrawing his presence from them Even as it was in Ezekiels Vision hee saw the Glorie of the God of Israel going up from the Cherub to the threshold of the house Ezekiel 9. Verse 3. The Cherub stood still in his place but the glorie was departed God had withdrawn his presence from it Thus Ordinances may bee continued and yet the Spirit withdrawn whereby they become ineffectual So as though the light shine forth unto men yet wanting that Spirit of Illumination which should open their eies and let that light into their hearts they still remain to the dark So fared it with the Scribes and Pharisees though the mysterie of Salvation was as clearly held forth unto them as unto others yet whilest others saw it it was hid from them How so Why this was God's work to put a differencee betwixt the one and the other So much our Saviour taketh notice of and acknowledgeth Matth. 11.25 I thank thee Father Lord of heaven and earth or I confesse unto thee or acknowledge before thee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because or that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto Babes The same Word was preached by the same persons unto both but it had not the same effect in both To the simpler sort of persons men and women of weak apprehensions altogether unlearned and ignorant very children in understanding the mysteries of eternall Salvation were clearly revealed by the Ministerie of Christ and his Apostles but not so to the wise and prudent great and learned Clerks men wise in their own and others opinions as the Scribes and Pharisees were To them were these things hid Now whence was this Why God did not co-operate with the Word as to them hee did not work upon their mindes by his Spirit by which means the Word became ineffectual unto them 3. Blinding the eye and hardning the heart Again in the Third place God concurreth in hâ—ding these things from the eies of men not onely in Negative or Privative but also after a sort in a Positive way Not onely by not opening their eies and hearts but by blinding and hardning them So it was with this people the people of the Jewes as our Saviour also taketh notice of it giving this as a reason why they did not believe John 12.39 40. Therefore they could not believe saith hee because Isaias said again He hath blinded their eies and hardned their hearts that they should not see with their eies and understand with their hearts and bee converted and I should heal them Thus dealt God with that people justly punishing their wilful obstinacie by giving them up unto a reprobate sence to a spiritual blindnesse and obduracie In as much as they had first blinded themselves closing their own eies against the light Their eies they have closed so Saint Matthew hath it Matth. 13 5. As also the Apostle Act. 28.27 therefore God in his just judgment blindeth them They blinded themselves first they would not see therefore God in his justice blindeth them that they should not see So giving them up to spiritual blindnesse which as that Apostle tells us still resteth upon that people untill this day I would not brethren that yee should bee ignorant that blindnesse in part is happened to Israel untill the fulnesse of the Gentiles be come in Rom. 11.25 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Blindnesse or Hardnesse for the word signifieth both is happened in part unto the greatest part the generalitie of that Nation insomuch that they do not nay till the time appointed be come they shall not see the things which belong to their peace This is the reason which the same Apostle giveth why those of that Nation did not see what was so clearly held forth unto them in the preaching of the Gospel 2 Cor. 3.14 Their mindes were blinded there was a veil upon their hearts as the next ver hath it God hath given them up in his just judgment for their contempt of the means of grace to a fearful exceration and obduration blinding their eies and hardning their
hearts Thus the Lord is said to have done Pharaohs Exod. 4.21 And the like is said of Sihon King of Heshbon that refused to let Israel passe by him Deuteronom 2.30 The Lord thy God hardned his spirit and made his heart obstinate that he might deliver him into thy hand This hee did not onely by with-holding his grace from them but by delivering them up unto the perversnesse of their own spirits and to Satan to bee acted by him unto their ruine and destruction And after the like manner may God bee said to have hardned the hearts of this people the people of the Jewes not onely by with-holding his Spirit from them but also giving them up unto their own hearts lusts as rhe Psalmist hath it Psal 81.11 12. My people would not hearken unto my voice and Israel would none of mee So I gave them up to their own hearts lusts or as the margin readeth it to the hardnesse of their hearts and they walked in their own counsels and to the power of Satan to bee acted by him to bee blinded and hardned by him Yea even giving Commission to his Word to have such an accidental effect upon them even as the Sun hath upon the Clay to harden it So much wee may learn from that Text of the Prophet Isaiah cited by our Saviour Isaiah 6. ver 9 10. Where the Lord giving him his Commission to go unto that people hee bids him or rather foretelleth him what hee should do that hee should make their heart fat Make thou the heart of this people fat and make their ears heavie and shut their eies c. Now how shoula hee do this Why onely by preaching the Word to them But what then had the Word any such proper operation of it self Not so neither had the Prophet any such intention in the preaching of it but through their obstinate tempers it become so to them an occasion of their further blinding and hardening God in his just judgment suffering and ordering that his Word should have such a direfull effect upon them as that they should grow worse and worse by it untill they should attain to that height of impenitencie as should bee irrecoverable This it is The Word will have it work one way or other beeing as the Apostle saith the favour of life or of death 2 Corinth 2.16 Where it doth not open and clear the eye it will close and blinde it Where it doth not soften the heart it will harden it And in this way and by this means doth God in his most righteous Judgment hide from the eyes of men the things which belong to their peace which they have refused to see To these I might adde his sending of False Teachers Sending false teachers among them such as those the Prophet Jeremie speaketh of who cried unto the people Peace Peace where there was no peace Jeremiah 6.14 So lulling them asleep in carnall securitie that they shall not see what belongs to their peace in truth As also his sending of strong delusions Strong delusions that men should believe a lie because they have not received a love of the truth as the Apostle hath it 2 Thes 2.11 Sending a Spirit of Errour a lying spirit to them such as that was which seduced Ahab to his destruction 2 King 2.22 These and many other wayes God hath to carry on this his most just and righteous design But herein I shall follow him no further That which hath been spoken may be sufficient for doctrinal Confirmation and Illustration What now remaines is Application Where in the first place let me design you to make a stand a little Applic. Application to the Nation in general and look upon this Nation wherein we live as our Saviour did here upon this City Jerusalem and see whether there be any just cause to do what he did to weep over it mourn over it upon any such account Touching which let me first declare for my self that not having my Saviours eyes a prophetical eyeas he had I dare not pronounce the like sentence upon this that he doth upon that viz. that the things which belong unto Englands peace are now hid from her eyes No as my prayers have been and shall be so my hopes yet are to the contrary that God will yet be merciful to this Nation and I want not some grounds to bottom these hopes upon But yet let me shew you what two just causes of fear may be apprehended Her sad prognosticks paralelled with Jerusalems that God hath a sad controversie with it In the declaring whereof I shall as far as I may parallel it with this City of Jerusalem which I shall do altogether upon a Religious account not medling at all with the Civil of these sad prognosticks I might reckon up diverse But. I shall content my self to single out some of those which are most obvious 1 Not seeing what belonged to peace in his day Among which let the first and principal be our not seeing the thing which betmged to our peace in our day Where I shall not do what happily with too much evidence of truth I might descend to those particular times and seasons wherein mercy hath been held forth and offered unto this Nation in a more signal and remarkable manner Surely such Criticall daies England hath had and some of them within our mememorie seasons and opportunities which had they been laid hold of and improved as they might how happy might she have been I shall content my self with generalities Onely taking notice of that long day of grace and mercy which this Nation hath had during which the light of the Gospel hath shone forth to it and that in so clear and glorious a manner as I suppose without flatterie I may speak it it hath not done to any other nation under heaven Now have we in this our day known the things which belonged to our peace Hath Christ and his Gospell found that intertainment among the generality which he expected and it deserved The Generalitie I say True it is some there have been and at this day are who have sincerely imbraced both And so there were in Jerusalem some that cryed Hosanna to the Some of David Hosanna in the highest Matth. 21.9 15. But how is it with the greatest part do not they yet love darknesse rather then light setting light by the light of the Gospel and the Ministery thereof even Gadarene like preferring their swine before Jesus Christ A charge wherein I wish there were not too much truth Such sleight and slender entertainment hath the Gospell with the faithful messengers thereof found among the greatest part of this Nation A sad prognostick Specially if it be considered to what a height this disaffection is at this day improved Disaffection to the persons and Calling of Ministers a sad prognostick and risen even to the disclaiming and crying down of the Ministery it self So is it with some and not
a few They are growen disaffected not onely to the persons of Ministers but even to their function and calling disclaiming that as Antichristian Thus are the feet of them who bring glad tidings of peace which sometimes were and in themselves are beautifull now become in the eyes of many black and deformed A sad symptome So it was in Jerusalem of which we read 2. Chr. 36.16 The Lord God of their fathers sent to them by his Messengers rising up betimes and sending them because he had compassion on his people on his dwelling place But they mocked the Messengers of God and despised his words and misused his Prophets untill the wrath of the Lord rose against his people till there was no remedy no Healing This made their disease incurable and the wrath of God implacable When sickmen being distracted shall flye in the faces of their Physitians and there be none to bind them what hope of Cure can there be This was Jerusalems case as the Parable sets it forth Matth. 21.33 God the great Householder having planted a Vineyard the Jewish Church and let it forth to Husbandmen so the Priests he sends his servants some after other to receive the fruites thereof his Prophets former and latter to require that people to bring forth fruits meet for repentance but they beat one and killed another and stoned another so did they use the Prophets Hereupon he sendeth his sonne Christ himself who met with the like usage Now what followe h hereupon That you may hear first from the mouthes of the Jews themselves to whom our Saviour here propoundeth this Parable making them judges in the cause that so he might cōdemn them out of their own mouthes They say unto him he will miserably destroy these wicked men and will let out his vineyard to other husbandmen which shall render him the fruites in their season v. 41. which afterwards you find explained and applyed by our Saviour to themselves v. 43. Therefore I say unto you the Kingdome of God shall be taken from you and given to a Nation bringing forth the fruit thereof When the Ministers of God come to meet with such intertainment and that for doing their office it is a sad presage that the Kingdome of God the Gospel shall not long continue there and that Judgment is not far from such a people Upon this account our Saviour looketh upon Jerusalems condition as desperate O Jerusalem Jerusalem thou that killest the Prophets and stonest them which are sent unto thee How often would I have gathered thy children together as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings and ye would not Behold your house is left unto you desolate Matthew 23.37 38. Here is a first Prognostick and that a sad one Secondly Let a second be that which I have named and touched upon already 2 Gods withdrawing the light by putting out the Candles Gods withdrawing the light by putting out the Candles I mean taking away his Ministers who are said to be the light of the world Thus was it done to Jerusalem And whether this be in any degree applicable to this Nation or no I shall leave it to those who are privie to the present state of it to judge Of late how many able and faithfull Ministers taken away Now when a Prince begins to call away his Ambassadours it is ordinarily looked upon as a Passing-bell to the peace of that Nation Repl. But howsoever it may be said some be by Providence taken away yet others by the like providence are substituted in their roomes A. True it may be in some places Many places destitute of true Gospel Ministers but not so in all Some Candlesticks there are at this day and I suppose not a few destitute of Candles not well knowing where to find a supply Again as for those which are thus substituted by the providence of God are they also all substituted by his Ordinance Are there not some and not a few Ambassadours without their commission men running before they are sent not called nor impowred to do any Ministeriall act which yet Vzziah like they attempt to do that not onely to preach which the Apostle will tell us none can do except they be sent Rom. 10.15 speak they may but not Preach which is an act of office but also some of them to administer the Seales the Sacraments And by this means the Church in many places cometh to be deprived of an Ordinance upon which all other publick Ordinances have a dependance I mean of a true Gospell Ministerie with which Jesus Christ hath promised his special countenance Thirdly To this add in the third place that where means are continued 3 The Spirit with drawen from the means yet is not the Spirit withdrawen So was it with Jerusalem they injoyed Ordinances but there was no life in them the Glorie of the Lord was gone up from the Cherub And is it not so in many parts of this Nation at this day Ordinances remain but is not the glorie of the Lord departed from them where is that life where is that power which heretofore appeared in them God hath yet his Armies of Prophets many faithfull and powerfull Ministers who may be looked upon as the Chariots and Horsemen of Israel but he doth not go forth with these his Armies as formerly giving such successe unto the labours of his servants as heretofore he hath done How is it that in many places where the word is purely and powerfully preached there are such thin Auditories as there are specially upon the week daies in comparison of what they have been some refusing to come not willing to lend an eare to any but their own others neglecting to come out of an irreligious prophanesse and among those that do come yet how few constant conscionable attendants upon this Ordinance A plain evidence that this ordinance hath lost much of that respect as also of that power that sometimes it hath had And what I say of the word I may also apply it to the Sacrament the Sacrament of the Lords Supper Which though held forth in the purest and most comfortable way of Administration according to Christs Institution the Churches primitive practise yet how is it by many sleighted and neglected So as those who heretofore were wont to come as it now seemeth for fear or fashion being now left to themselves will not come for love The feast is prepared and the Guests invited but they find some excuse or other to keep them away A thing which I wish there were not too just cause to complain of even in this place Now surely among other this is also a sad token 4. 4 The eyes of many blinded To which let me add those other which I have also made mention of Gods blinding the Eyes and hardning the hearts of many sending so many false Teachers with strong and strange delusions amongst us giving up many to the believing of them All sadly
remarkable in this Nation at this day I think never more in any And what may we conceive these to portend Surely sad Omens they are giving us too just cause to fear lest God should be about to depart to take away his Kingdom his Gospel from us which meeteeh not only with such sleightings but such affronts and oppositions as it doth 5 Judgments not profited by 5. To which let me yet subjoyn that which bodes as ill as any of the former our not profiting by Judgments but rather being made worse by them This is that which the Lord complaines of against Israel Isai 1.5 why should ye be stricken any more ye will revolt more and more Gods judgments had a contrary effect upon them to what they were intended He corrected them for their amendment thereby to bring them home to himself but they took occasion thereby to go further away from him so as his Corrections were in vain to them as elswhere he complains Jer. 2.30 In vaine have I smitten your children they received no correction viz. so as to be bettered by it but rather waxed worse worse And would to God that this did not lie as too just a charge against this sad Land and Nation wherein we live That God hath stricken us I suppose there are few but are in some kinde or other sensible But what effect have these Rods these Judgments had upon us Are we better by them Are we thereby reclaimed reformed brought home to God Are we made the more humble the more careful the more watchful the more fruitful O that these effects were to be found amongst us But is it not clean contrary Are we not grown more proud a sin I think never so visible in this Nation as at this day more remiss more loose more barren and unfruitful then ever And if so what just cause have we to fear lest the Lord in his most righteous judgment do unto us as there he threatens unto Israel give us over striving no longer with us but leaving us to our selves letting us alone as elswhere he threatens unto Ephraim Hos 4.17 to go on in our sinful provocations until there be no remedy These are some of those grounds upon which we may build our too just fears To which I might yet have added some other But I forbear any further charge Coming rather to enquire Q. What shall we now do for the Land of our Nativity What to be done for this Nation A. 1. Do what our Saviour here doth for Jerusalem Mourn over it weep over it 1 Mourn over it with compassionate and affectionate tears laying to heart the sad state and condition thereof This doth he knowing how it was with that City that the things belonging to her peace were now hid from her And this do we over England fearing lest it should be so with it 2. But tears alone will not help When Joshuah was fallen upon his face 2 Take away the Action by feeling a National Reformation mourning for the discomfiture which had happened unto Israel Josh 7.10 the Lord takes him up with these words Get thee up wherefore lyest thou upon thy face Intimating unto him that it was not his humbling and afflicting himself without somewhat else that would heal that breach which Israels sinne their violating and transgressing the Covenant of their God had made upon them as it followeth in the next verse There must be some other course taken for the reconciling of them unto God and making their peace with him And what was that Why the people must be sanctified and the Accursed thing must be taken from among them as the 13. verse hath it And O that England might take the like course It is not all our falling upon our faces before the Lord all our daies of publick Humiliation though that be a sacrifice acceptable unto God that will serve to appease his wrath and to procure his favour that alone will not do it unlesse also the people be sanctified and the Accursed thing removed from among us This then let every of us in our several places indeavour Beginning first with our selves Every one searching and trying our own waies that we may find out the Action in our own hearts and lives our own personal sinns Which having found out now take them away putting away the evill of our doings from before the eyes of our God by serious and unfeined repentance and reformation renewing our Covenant with our God cleaving unto him with full purpose of heart Then indeavour we the like for others every of us in our places as I said Magistrates in their places Ministers in theirs Masters of families in theirs private Christians in theirs contributing what we may to wards a reall and Rational Reformation that so the Accursed thing even all kind of wrath provoking abominations may be taken away from the midst of us and that we may be a people sanctified dedicated and consecrated unto the Lord. So doing now knew we for our Comfort God not willing to cast off a people in Covenant that we have to deal with a God gracious and mercifull slow to anger and of great kindnesse ready to repent of what ever evill he intendeth against a people Especially his own people not willing to reject and cast off a people that are in Covenant with him So much he expressed to this people the people of the Jewes before the Captivity by making so many removes before his final departure from them so the Prophet Ezekiel saw it in his Visions in which the glory of the Lord removed not lesse then five several times before it took its leave First from the Cherub to the threshold of the house the Temple Ezek. 9.3 2. It removed higher standing over the door cap. 10.4 3. From the threshold it returned and stood over the Cherubins which were mounted up from the Earth as ready to take their flight v. 18 19. 4. From thence to the midst of the City and 5ly From thence to the Mountain on the East side of the City the Mount of Olives Cap. 11. v. 23. Now what did these frequent removes import Surely a great unwillingnesse in God to depart from that people And so it is so long as there is any remedy God is not willing to forsake a people whom once he hath taken into Covenant with himself So much we may hear him passionately declaring concerning Israel Hos 11.7 8. My people saith he are bent to backsliding from me So was Israel yet mark what followes How shall I give thee up O Ephraim how shall I deliver thee O Israel How shall I make thee as Admah how shall I set thee as Zeboim Myne heart is turned within me my repentings are kindled together So loath is God as it were to cast off a people whom once he hath struck a Covenant with if there be any hope of teturning unto him and demeaning themselves as becommeth his people And