a lamentation and name that Ichabod for the glory is departed from Israel and we the true Sons of the Church of England in the condition that Israel was in when they sate by the waters of Babylon and wept they hung up their Harps which were now grown uselesse because their sorrows for the desolations of Zion had silenced all their melody And yet we are call'd upon to believe that all these violences were design'd but to shake the dust out of the Badgers skins and to brush the Curtains and to Reform the Tabernacle that the pure gold of the Ark might shine the brighter in the simplicity of its own lustre That is just as the Souldiers came with Swords and Staves from the High Priests to apprehend and secure the Lamb of God and brought him before Pilate out of kindness that he might have the honour to clear and acquit himself But what became of the Ark of God in the midst of these disorders Why we heard of the same at Ephrata we found it in the wood Psal 132.6 some harmless Country people would tell us some tydings of it but it was in the wood like one bewildered strip'd of its due Attendants and Solemnities And yet as forlorn as it was its Captivity was a punishment not only to the Jews but also to the Philistims to them that triumph'd over it as well as to them that had lost the possession and forfeited the blessings of it The adversaries could not destroy it nor could they court it into their assistance The Dagon which they set up for themselves to worship fell before it with the loss of hands and head deprived not of strength only but of counsel too They provided a new Cart for it such was the new Discipline hewn out and rudely put together by Mr. Calvin and others in this last Century and the Classes were the Wheels of it and this the Faction drove on furiously for a while and stop'd not no not at the Red Sea they drove it into a Sea of blood but the Cattle that were yoked together to hurry it away were so unreasonable and head-strong they could not agree where or how to set it up and that they might not hurry it into utter ruine God was pleased to look thorow a frightful Cloud upon them Exod. 14.24 25. and took off their Chariot-wheels to trouble and discomfit them At last David the King being preserved and returnâ—n by as great a miracle of providence as the Ark it self in order to his own settlement he gives order to prepare the Tabernacle for the settlement of the Ark and summoneth all the heads of the Priests and Levites with the Nobles and Elders of the people So they brought the Ark of God c. We are no less happy then they in the decent situation of our Ark I pray God we may be no less dutiful in our gratulation for it To which purpose me â—hinks every devout soul should be a breathing out that Quaere of the Psalmist Psal 116. Quid Retribuam what shall I render unto the Lord for this great this signal benefit done unto us you can do no better than resolve with him I will come into thy house with burnt offerings I will pay thee my vows which I promised with my lips Psal 66.13 14. and spâ—ke with my mouth when I was in trouble for the Ark of God And because God takes no pleasure in the flesh of beasts neither will he drink the blood of Bulls or Goats but requires of us a spiritual a living and a reasonable Sacrifice Rom. 12.1 I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God that ye present your bodies a living Sacrifice holy acceptable unto God which is your reasonable service Having nothing else that can be acceptable to him who gave himself for us we should have the same devotion the same mind that was in the holy Martyrs we should have our hearts and wills prepared if duly call'd to it to be made a sacrifice by others in the mean time we should make an Oblation of our selves have our whole spirits souls and bodies devoted to Gods service and the service of his Church Such a devotion was in the great Apostle Phil. 2.17 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 If I be offered up as a libamen a liquid oblation upon the Sacrifice and Liturgy of your faith I joy and rejoyce with you all But Here is a twofold oblation recommended to us by the example before us in the Text. 1. A burnt sacrifice And 2. A peace-offering and such we must offer in a spiritual sense and we must offer 1. A burnt sacrifice and that upon a double account as such sacrifices use to be offered up upon 1. To acknowledge Gods Power and Dominion and Revere his signal Goodness herein demonstrated David hath furnished us with a Psalm to this purpose Psal 124. wherein the Church blesseth God for a miraculous deliverance of her self and the Ark of God setled in her possession If it had not been the Lord who was on our side now may Israel say If it had not been the Lord who was on our side when men rose up against us Then they had swallowed us up quick when their wrath was kindled against us Then the water had overwhelmed us the stream had gone over our soul Then the proud waters had gone over our soul Blessed be the Lord who hath not given us as a prey to their teeth Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowler the snare is broken and we are escaped Our help is in the name of the Lord who made heaven and earth Non nobis Domine non nobis therefore not unto us Lord not unto us but unto thy name be the praise Thou art worthy to receive glory and honour and praise but to us there belongeth nothing but shame and confusion of face for we contributed only to the reproach and captivity of Gods Ark and solemn worship its happy restitution and settlement we ow to thy signal power and goodness great and marvellous are thy works Lord God Almighty just and true are thy ways thou King of Saints Who shall not fear thee O Lord and glorifie thy name Rev. 15.3 4. 2. A second design of our spiritual burnt sacrifice must be to make an atonement for those miscarriages which forfeited our interest in the Ark and betrayed it into captivity It was good advice of the Priests and Diviners to the Philistims when they consulted them about returning the Ark of God 1 Sam. 6.3 Oh! send it not away empty said they but in any wise return God a trespass-offering with it that you may be healed The captivity of that Ark wrought a strange conviction in the Philistims as well as in the Jews The Philistims saw clearly they had no reason to triumph in this defeat they had given Israel for though they had won the field they had got no
caused it to send forth a stinking savour * Eccles 10.1 but offering it out of a pure and free devotion without any such opinion Christ did both value and reward it Suppose we then that there be some things in the Solemnity of Gods Publick worship that he hath not required is it not enough as long as he hath no where forbidden them nor entred any caution to their prejudice is it not enough I say that I have the approbation of my own Conscience is it not enough that I am able to say I have used my best judgement and herein I have found mercy of the Lord to be faithful if this be not enough is it not enough that I have Gods acceptation is it not enough that I can hear God saying to me secretly as he said sometimes to David upon a like occasion by his Prophet it was well that it was in thy heart is it not enough that God is ready to reward this my freewill-offering my voluntary devotion But 3. Besides we have the equity of a Divine Law upon a parity of Reason for our warranty in this our practice and this ought to be of great force with us For 1. as far as I can perceive this is the firmest ground that the observation of the Lords day relies upon There are some insinuations for it indeed in the practice of the Apostles as their meeting together on that day to make Collections and the like but these will not amount to the authority of a Precept The Sabbath of the Jews without all peradventure was Typical Heb. 4.4 c. therefore abolished hereupon the Apostle exhorteth the Colossians Let no man judge you in meat or in drink or in respect of an Holy-day or of the new moon or of the Sabbath-days which are a shadow of things to come Col. 2.16 17. But that God should be solemnly worshipped still upon several accounts and that some time should be set apart for that worship to be performed in there is a parity of Reason for it and so upon that account the equity of the fourth Commandment doth still bind us And 2. The strength of the Apostles Argument for the maintenance of the Gospel-Ministry as far as I can discern relies chiefly upon this bottom Do ye not know that they which minister about holy things live of the things of the Temple and they that wait at the Altar 1 Cor. 9.13 14. are partakers with the Altar even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the Gospel should live of the Gospel We can find no such Ordinance as this is of Christs positive institution under the Gospel that which the Apostle speaks of therefore must be an Ordinance emergent out of the equity of the former Law of God upon a parity of Reason Under the Law God thought it equitable that such as waited at his Altar and devoted their time as well as their soul and strength to his service should have some setled maintenance allottâ—d them and their attendance upon the several parts of their holy Office requiring nothing less but rather much more diligence and attention under the New than under the Old Testament the equity of that Divine Right standâ— in full force and should prevail for an honourable support of the Ministry at least as much now as it did then And 3. Whether the Right and Title that the Infants of Believers have unto Baptism doth not ultimately relie upon this foundation let the learned judge Gods Law intitled them to the Sacrament of Circumcision upon the account of that faith which had engaged their Parents unto God in the holy Covenant the equity of that Institution upon a parity of Reason extends to the benefit of such Infants as are now born of Christian Parents and that speech of St Peter Acts 2. imports no less Vers 38 3â— Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and ye shall receive the gift of the holy Ghost for the promise is unto you and to your children Now to apply these instances to our purpose I demand 1. Was there a solemn external worship of God required under the Law or no 2. Was it acceptable and pleasing to Almighty God yea or no if it were which cannot be denied then I demand Further 3. upon what account was that service required was it upon the account of Gods Supream Dominion and Sovereignty only or upon the account also of his Benefits his works of Creation Preservation and Redemption that it was upon this double account is evident Psal 29.1 2. Give unto the Lord O ye mighty give unto the Lord glory and strength give unto Lord the GLORY DUE UNTO HIS NAME worship the Lord in the BEAUTY OF HOLINESSE and Psa 150. Praise ye the Lord praise God in his Sanctuary praise him in the firmament of his POWER praise him for his MIGHTY ACTS praise him according to his EXCELLENT GREATNESSE praise him with the sound of the Trumpet praise him with the Psaltery and Harp praise him with the Timbrel and Dance praise him with stringed Instruments and Organs Well did God require to be worshipped so reverently and so solemnly then upon this account why how comes God to lose his Title how come these accounts to be altered hath God under the New Testament given out a dspensation unto dust and ashes to be insolent and saucy with him and in his own house and in his solemn and publick worship too or is Gods Dominion less Sovereign is his Majesty less Glorious then it was or did not he make us but we made our selves if we be his creatures if we be the sheep of his pasture then the invitation of the Psalmist lays hold upon us Psal 95.6 O come let us worship and fall down and kneel before the Lord our Maker if we do not the Elders that are before the Throne of God will shame us out of our irreverence for they fall down before him that sitteth upon the Throne and worship him that liveth for ever and ever and cast their Crowns before the Throne saying Thou art worthy O Lord to receive glory and honour and power for thou hast created all things and for thy pleasure they are and were created Revel 4.10 11. And hath he not redeemed us too and what is the sum of our redemption was it our bodies only out of a temporal thraldom to be put into the possession of a land that flows with milk and honey was this all hath he not redeemed our souls too from the powers of darknesse and the wrath to come to inherit the blessings of eternal joy and glory hath he not thus redeemed us and how was this redemption wrought by a force of Arms or of Love by exchange of money or the price of his own blood if it be so and so it is then certainly here is all the equity in the world that we should pay him the
and saith he ye shall see these great works come to pass shortly And in his Epistle to the Reader he tells him I shall not prophesie if I say The sword is now drawn whose anger shall not be pacified till Babylon be down And this is Mr. William Bridge And another of These Prophets is as positive as if the work had then been already done the greatest blow that ever was given saith he to Antichristian Government is that which NOW IT HATH HAD Babylon is fallen is fallen so fallen as it shall NEVER rise again and this is Mr. Jeremy Burroughs * On Isa 66.10 in a Thanksgiving And others to inflame and ingage the people unto Rebellion have forced the holy Scripture seemingly to belie it self for so they did when they preached upon those Texts Cursed is he that withholdeth his hand from blood See Evangelium Armatum per totum and cursed is he that doth the work of the Lord negligently when they were fighting against the King and his loyal Subjects And lest the peoples Consciences should be affrighted and their insolence daunted at the Apostles dreadful Commination against such Resisters Rom. 13. They that resist shall receive to themselves damnation They found out an allay by a gentle interpretation of the Phrase See Dr. Ham. ib. p. 33. it does not signifie the damnation of hell they tell their confidents whom they had abused and seduced to follow their pernicious ways but some temporal mulct only if the King should prove able to inflict it But when so much Christian blood hath been shed and a most flourishing Kingdom with a Church of the best Constitution in the whole world destroyed under a pretence of pulling down Antichrist what new Model have they got what Plat form have they received from heaven to set up in the room of it why no other than what their blind imaginations should stumble upon by chance and God knows when And the holy Text is sacrificed too to gratifie this conceit Go with me saith Mr. Case to Heb. 11.13 And ye shall find Abraham with his staff in his hand In his Sermon before the Peers March 25. 1646. pag. 41. and his sandalt on his feet and his loyns girt please to let me ask him two or three Questions by the way see what he will answer Reverend Patriarch whether are you going Answer I know not When shall you return Answer I know not How will you subsist Answ I know not He is in haste as well as we and therefore I 'le ask him but one Question more Abraham why then do you go at such UNCERTAINTIES to this he will answer I go not upon uncertainties I have a call I have a command and that will secure my person and bear my charges By faith Abraham when he was called to go into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance obeyed and went out NOT KNOWING WHITHER HE WENT Heb. 11.8 Christians saith he observe a Call is as good as a Promise and a little after we have not only a call but a promise not in general only but in special The whole Book of the Revelation is nothing else but one great Promise of the down-fall of Antichrist and Gospel-Reformation and that is the work Parliament and Kingdom have now in hand in these three Nations Thus Mr. Case But what they meant by that Gospel-reformation they could never agree to tell us witness Mr. Daniel Evance in his Sermon * Intituled The Noble Order pag. 41. before the Lords Jan. 28. 1645. on 1 Sam. 2.30 where he tells them thus I profess my Lords I am neither for Paul nor Apollos nor Cephas nor Christ till I know what Paul and Apollos and Cephas are for and what those that say they are for Christ can say for him But I could wish my Lords that we had the PATTERN that every man might Consult with the mount WHICH OF THE TWO IS CHRISTS GOVERNMENT The CHILD is CHRISTNED for ought I see before it is BORN and we have the NAMES before the THINGS It seems by their own Confession they were not so good Marks-men as St Paul was When will these be so ingenuous as those mentioned Zac. 13.4 5. I therefore so run not as uncertainly so fight I not as one that beateth the air they were like the Samaritanes to whom our Saviour saith Joh. 4.22 Ye worship ye know not what In this they were like those the Apostles speaks of who professing themselves to be wise they became fools Rom. 1.22 take heed therefore that you do not slander or belie the Ark of God that is the fourth Caveat 5. You must not intrude or pry into the Ark of God We must look no further than as the holy Ghost hath set it open and the hand of the Prophets and Apostles drawn the Curtain for us God will not allow the common people to gaze upon the holy Mount Exod. 19.21 secret things belong to the Lord our God Revealed things are for us and for our children Deut. 29.29 If we must needs afford a prospect to our curiosity there are Mysteries displaied to us in the holy Gospel 1 Pet. 1.12 such as the Angels desire to look into can we not satisfie our selves in the contemplation of these things If we must needs let our thoughts run out upon the judgment to come can we not confine them within the modest limits of sobriety and meditate upon the certainty and the severity with those terrible accidents that shall attend it is all our longing after the forbidden fruit that grows upon this tree See Gerh. de extrem Jud. mihi p. 190 how many impostures have the Christian World been deluded with upon this account for filthy lucres sake And of what ill consequence this is you may learn from Mr. Calamy * In his sate Sermon he tells you it is the way to make men Atheists to believe nothing and thereupon he concludes that certainly those Ministers do no good to the Church that prescribe Times and Seasons for when those Seasons are come and we find our selves disappointed after that we will believe the Minister no more This was the sin of the Bethshemites prying into the Ark of God which cost them no less then 50070 lives Mr. Calamy was very sensible of this judgement upon those men 1 Sam. 6.19 and yet at the very same time he must needs be peeping into the Ark himself for what else means his hints touching those strong impressions upon the hearts of many learned men as to the year 1666 and the Book printed to prove that Antichrist shall then be destroyed what means he else by his hint that some pitch upon a neerer time which he is loth to name But he tells us he is sure that God is now pouring out his Vials upon Antichrist and the Throne of the Beast and although some few drops of these Vials may fall upon the Reformed
cadent omnia quae terrena sunt ac mundus ipse subvertetur saith Origen such an Earth-quake might ensue as should remove those Mountains of earth that oppose in our way to heaven and level the world under our feet and bring down the Comforter to inlighten and assist us Let us therefore approach the Ark of God with unanimity and this will make us inclinable to the last part of our duty in our demeanor towards the Ark. 4. To approach it with uniformity for our unanimity is to terminate and center there in uniformity Hence the Apostle is so pathetical 1 Cor. 1.10 Now I beseech you brethren by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ that ye all speak the same thing and that there be no divisions or Schisms among you but that ye be perfectly joyned together in the same mind and in the same judgment And why so why that ye may with one mind and one mouth glorifie God even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ Rom. 15.6 That promise of God Jer. 32.39 Ezek. 11.19 I will give them one heart and one way that they may fear me for ever hath reference certainly to the Christian Church But this is such a promise as implies our co-operation for the accomplishment of it I demand then whether God hath perform'd his Engagement to the Christian Church whether he hath done his part in giving his people one way if not then we are to expect some new Revelations for the discovery of that way for how shall it be set open to us otherwise But this is not only contradicted by the Apostle but sentenced too with the dreadful commination of an Anathema for thus he saith though we or an Angel from heaven Gal. 1.8 9. preach any other Gospel unto you then that which we have preached unto you let him be accursed And for the greater verification of this truth he doubles his asseveration as we said before so say I now again if any man preach any other Gospel unto you then that ye have received let him be accursed I am the way saith our Saviour and the truth too and that can be but one we have the mind of Christ 1 Cor. 2.16 saith the Apostle and no man can no man dare deny that to be the one way that God hath promised and this is set open to the world Acts 16.17 by the Ministry of the Apostles and Evangelists These men are the servants of the most high God which shew unto us the way of salvation And if you ask me why some men refuse to walk in this way I must refer you to some of their stubborn fellow travellers for answer Thus saith the Lord Stand ye in the ways and see and ask for the old paths where is the good way and walk therein and ye shall find rest for your souls but they said we will not walk therein Jer. 6.16 And why not why here lies the quarrel God hath appointed certain Guides to direct us and point out the way to us and we are offended at this we make our Guides our stumbling-blocks God hath also given a general Order to these Guides to set up some shades for our better accommodation and to hang up some lights for our more safe and regular walking in this way leaving it to their care and prudence what these shades shall be made of and where these lights shall be set up and here having an over-weening conceit of our own worth and wanting that due reverence for our Guides and Governours which we ought to have we fall out in and about the way too pride and prejudice Envy and Animosity strike in and make us NON-CONFORMISTS The Apostle foresaw this or rather had a present intuition of it in some Churches of his own planting and therefore when he injoyns this accord and uniformity for securing this duty he prescribes also these Caveats Let nothing be done through strif Phil. 2.2 3. or vain-glory but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better then themselves And the same charge he gives to the Ephesians Ephes 4.1 2 3. I therefore the prisoner of the Lord beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called with all lowliness and meekness with long suffering forbearing one another in love and by keeping this temper especially towards our Guides endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace Uniformity is this bond of the Churches peace and 't is that that makes her terrible as an Army with Banners which attribute no society of men can boast of Cant. 6.10 but where they all keep the same posture and observe the same motions and obey the same word of command under their respective Officers In obedience therefore to the Apostles command as well as for the honour and advantage of Gods Church Let us as many as be perfect be thus minded Phil. 3.15 that is as it follows in the next verse Let us walk by the same rule let us mind the same thing And I must add to take away an objection that may arise from the words intervening it may be very justly expected that we should be so perfect as is there required for though some novices in the Faith who were then but newly crept out of the darkness of Heathenism or the shades of the Jewish observances though these I say might then expect some further Revelation to inlighten them more clearly in that which by reason of their ignorance or prejudice they were not for the present satisfied in yet we are to expect no such matter we have already attain'd to the utmost we can expect of immediate Revelation a Gal. 2.8 9. Jud. ep 3. and it is our duty Divine Revelation and Command hath made it so in all doubtful matters to resign our judgments up to the conduct of such Guides †Heb. 13 7 17. as God hath set over us and for the truth of this Position I appeal to the declared doctrine of Mr. Baxter for thus he saith * In his Unsavoury Volum◠against Mr. Crandon or his Nosegay presented to Mr. Joseph Caryll page 83. ante finem Let me be bold to tell my opinion to my Brethren of the Ministry that though I deny them to have either credit or Authority against the known Word of God yet so great is their credit and Authority even as Teachers and Guides of the Church in Causes agreeable to the Word and in Causes to the people doubtful and unknown and in Causes left by the Word to their determination the Word determining them but generally that I think the ignorance of this truth hath been the main cause of our sad Confusions and Schisms in England and that the Ministers have been guilty of it partly by an over-modest concealing their Authority and partly by an indiscreet opposition to the Papists errour of the Authority of the Church and I think that till we have better