c. The Jews upon that passage Exod. 29.43 And Moses saw all the worke meaning of the Tabernacle with all things belonging to it and the service thereof and Moses blessed them have this observation Worke is a great thing For Shecinah i.e. the Divine presence or Majesty of God dwelled not in Israel till they had done the work as it is written Exod. 39.43 When the Faith of Gods Church worketh by love and manifests it self unto the world God is now at liberty to shew and manifest himselfe from heaven to be theirs by mercies poured out in abundance upon them and by doing the greatest thing for them And this for the fourth and last reason of the point CAP. V. Containing the first Vse of Instruction In sixe particulars THe Doctrine propounded opened and established is very usefull and profitable by way of Instruction and that in sundry particulars First we may herein behold as in a Glasse with open face that Philanthropie that sweet and gracious and soule-indearing disposition in God wherein he inclines to that poore creature of his called Man which wrought mightily in him in that day wherein he raised up the Tabernacle of Adam that was fallen and lifted up the heads of many thousand generations of his posterity from the gates of death The fountain and spring-head of this rich interest and blessed propriety the Church hath in God can be no other but such a nature or disposition as this gloriously ruling and triumphing in him Who would have said that ever that roote of bitternesse should have been healed that such a prey should have been taken away from the mighty that the captivity of the world should be turned againe that Adam with his poore blinde naked and miserable children after such a grievous fall and fearefull elongation from God thereby should ever have seen dayes of immortality and have been made company for the Angels and worne Crownes of righteousnesse and glory in the heavens Yes Hee that had knowne or possibly could have seen the glorious enlargements of the soule of the Almighty towards man that could have measured the height and depth the length and bredth of that love of God towards him hee might have prophecied of and foretold these great wonders In the face of this affection of his there shined a light by which the blessed history of mans exaltation might have been read before any thing tending thereunto had been outwardly acted or done On the other hand if it had been possible for a creature to have comprehended all other things in God or should God have laid himselfe as open and naked before his creature as all things are to him hiding only from him this affection to man we speake of together with the secret of his purpose for the accomplishment of the thing yea should Man or Angell have added to this knowledge of God the perfect knowledge of all things whatsoever besides of all mysteries of all secrets either in heaven or in earth or under the earth it would have been impossible that by all the strength of this knowledge the least or feeblest thought should ever have been conceived for the raising up of flesh and blood from that great death under which it was so hopelesly fallen This had still been a darknesse which all other light in the world would never have comprehended It was more easie without the knowledge of the power of God to have said that Sarah in her old dayes should give suck then without the knowledge of the unconceivable love of God towards man to have said that man being once fallen should ever have recovered any favour or interest in God more and therefore as in Sarahs being brought back again from the unfruitfulnesse and uncomfortablenesse of old age to the priviledge and solace of youth as the sunne in the Dyall of Ahaz being made a nurse the invisible power of God was made visible so in this interest and propriety which now the Church and People of God have in God that far more exceeding abundant love of God towards man is brought forth into a perfect light and the whole world filled with the glory of it Secondly from this propriety of the Church in God we may likewise observe by way of instruction a further confirmation then yet happily we have attained in that which I suppose wee have often heard of concerning the nature and property of good as being communicative or dispensive of it selfe The natures and properties of things for the most part are most willingly learned from those subjects that are fairest and perfectest in their kinde We love generally whether it be our prudence or pride to be taught by great Masters He that desires to understand the properties and qualities of light will rather goe to the great fountaine and informe himselfe from the Sun and the full streames of light issuing from that then to Wax Tapers or Torches or other inferiour Luminaries that give out their light by measure and with more malignancy To know how the glory and greatnesse of the world tastes and rellishes in the heart and soule of a man what contentments or discontentments they bring with them the greatest Prince or Monarch in the world is the only Oracle to consult with Men of inferiour place or standing on earth can certifie but in part and give but a broken and imperfect answer to him that should aske the question in comparison of the other If a man would know among those that have suffered how sore and terrible the avenging wrath of God for sin is if it were lawfull to enquire of Beelzebub and he had a minde to tell the truth there were none to him to give information thereof So to gaine a perfect understāding and knowledge what the maner law motion influence c. of good and goodnesse are there is no such opportunity as to looke stedfastly upon the glorious God of heaven when he goeth forth in the wayes of his goodnesse unto the world The lineaments beauty and proportion of goodnesse are no where to be seen so clearely and perfectly or upon tearmes of like advantage as in the face of his goodnesse because he is both the Fountaine and Sea of goodnesse yea the Truth it selfe saith that there is none good but one and this one is God Mat. 19.17 None good originally and from himselfe but God none good entirely and without some touch of malignity but God none good comparatively with a full perfect inexhaustible unwearied goodnesse but God Now in the Doctrine delivered this property of goodnesse we speake of which we may call self-communication is gloriously manifested and that from the greatest subject of it in heaven and in earth yea from him to whom goodnesse is essentiall yea essence it selfe His goodnesse serveth him as Davids zeale to his house dealt by him It even consumed him and eate him up it left no David for David to care for or regard so the exceeding goodnesse of the most high God
being an use of Reproofe are handled Fol. 171 CAP. VIII Wherein the third and last branch of the Use of Reproofe is handled Fol. 215 CAP. IX Wherein the Doctrine is applyed to the enemies of the Church by way of Exhortation Fol. 257 June 23. 1640. IMPRIMATUR THO WYKES THE SAINTS Interest in GOD. PSAL. 68.20 He that is our God is the God of salvation and unto God the Lord belong the issues of death CAP. I. Wherein the Coherence together with the sense and meaning of the words are cleared and Doctrines raised WE are met in the presence of this God of ours as the Text speaketh to our hearts very gratiously who is the God of saluation to pay the yearely tribute of praise and thanksgiving which a mercy so transcendently glorious as that Deliverance was which this day calls to remembrance hath imposed upon us with the rest of our Brethren of this Nation That which our Prophet spake of the great workes of God in generall Psal 111.4 though some restraine the words to the deliverance from Aegypt may in speciall manner be applyed to that great Deliverance wrought for this Land which wee now celebrate Some of our English translations reade the words thus The marcifull and gracious Lord hath So done his marvellous workes that they ought to be had in remembrance Our late Translation without any variation of the sense thus He hath made his marvellous workes to beremembred that is upon such workes of his by which hee intends in any more especiall manner to magnifie himselfe on earth he sets as it were such faire and large Characters of his glorious Greatness Power Wisdom and Mercy that all the world cannot but see and know the superscription whose it is He hath so done his marvollous workes that is in such a manner hath put so much as it were of himselfe into them that they ought to bee had or must needs or cannot but bee had in remembrance which is the same with the other Translation he hath made his marvellous works to be remembred that is he hath as it were compelled the world against the naturall inclination and disposition of it which stands to neglect to passe by to forget any thing that God doth to preserve the remembrance of them Men cannot but doe what they doe therein That great Deliverance which that great God of ours wrought for this Nation now 29. years since is of this sort or kinde of his workes among many excellent and goodly workes of his which shine like the Stars in the Firmament it is one of the first magnitude it doth not require it rather comes with power and authority upon us and commands this solemne remembrance of it selfe by this Nation As our Saviour answered the Jewes speaking against the people who so much magnified him If these should hold their peace Luk. 19.4 the Stones would cry So if wee the people of this Land the Men and Women to whom the duty of praising God for such a mercy doth belong if wee I say should have that Miracle or rather indeed Monster of sin found amōgst us not to exalt the name of God under such a provocation we might have cause to expect that God would provoke us and confound us by them that are neither Men nor Women The very beasts of the field or trees or stones of the earth would rise up and take this glory from us They would cry out if we should hold our peace that great is that God that could and would deliver after such a manner David tooke notice by way of thankfulnesse of that speciall love God bare to Sion above all other places in that Land in that he would have his praises heard there Psal 87.2 The Lord loveth the gates of Sion more then all the dwellings of Iacob So have wee just cause to conceive and judge by that great mercy of his to this Land that the same Lord loveth more to be praised by us then any other Nation under heaven that the English Incense is in heaven as the Gold of Ophir sometimes was upon earth preferred before that of other Lands it makes the sweetest perfume and savour in the Nostrils of God And therefore because he would have it plentifully offered and sent up unto him he hath unbared his holy arme to doe those great things for us which our soules know right well When he made this compact with David I will deliver thee and thou shalt praise me Psal 50.15 it was a signe that he had a minde to Davids praises more then other mens so having delivered this our Nation once and again and the third time also with so high a hand What other construction can all the world make of such his dealings with us but that he delights to have his praises sung and his name magnified by the English Nation more then all Lands besides Since therefore wee have so great a testimony of the Lords good pleasule in this kinde that he esteemes our praises lovely and desires to heare our voice let us addresse our selves to this great and honourable service let us fill the golden Vialls of our hearts with these sweet odors and make a perfume before the Lord. To furnish both you and my selfe herewith I have made choice of this rich Veine in one of the Psalmes of David as you have heard wherein wee shall finde the praise and glory of God bearing very strongly The Psalme it selfe is in genere laudativo that is of that kinde of Psalme which is in purpose framed for the exaltation of the name and praise of God For the scope of the words no more but this The scope The Prophet a few verses before having set forth severall deliverances and victories which God had given him and his people Israel his heart being full with a Commemoration and mention of so many mercies of the love of the Lord and admiration of his goodnesse in these two verses this and the former not able to hold any longer hee easeth himselfe and breakes forth into the praises of his God in this manner Blessed be the God that daily ladeth us with his benefits c. For the meaning of the words and meaning of the words a little will suffice because here is nothing scarce either word or phrase but is every mans language He that is our God that is that God with whom we are in Covenant whom wee serve and worship That God whether true or false which any Nation or People or any private person chuseth for a god and bestowes that feare and love other points of worship which belongs to God indeed is usually termed and well may be their or his God because such a People or such a person may seem to have a right and interest in the power of that God whatsoever he is for helpe and succour in times of need Out of some such principle as this he spake that said Iure venit cultos ad sibi
to the ground and lie in the dust if innocency and righteous dealing will not sustain them which is an essentiall Character of him that hath confidence in God yea have they not cast off his Word as Esay 30.12 and trust in violence and wickednesse as the former or Oppression and perversenesse as the latter Translation hath it and stay thereupon do they trust more in Treasons in Poisons in Rebellions in Conjurations in Fires in Swords in Ships in bloody Butchers in Gunpowder in Vaults in Iron in Wood in any thing then in God and doe they not stay themselves thereon are not these the goodly Pillars and polished Corners of their Temple doe they not hope to live and subsist in the world and to hold up their heads above Water by such engines and projects and designes as these This is the interest that Church hath in God Surely that Church may say He that is their God is not the God of Salvation but of Destruction the name of their God in Hebrew is Abaddon Rev. 9.11 CAP. VIII Wherein the third and last branch of the Use of Reproofe is handled THirdly and lastly if the Church and People of God have such interest in God as hath been formerly opened then those also are to be reproved that challenge this interest in him and yet suffer their hearts in times of danger to be troubled and over-whelmed with inordinate and tumultuous feares If they see but a great Wave comming towards them they are ready with Peter in Mat. 14.29 to cry out We perish or if they taste but some bitternesse in the Broth presently cry out with the Prophets Children 2 Kings 4.40 There is death in the Pot. How many are there that say they have interest in God whose hearts faile them and become like stones within them cold and heavy if trouble or affliction doe but come forth and look a little upon them they are not able to endure the appearance of any danger As when the great Champion of the Philistims did but shew himselfe in the field 1 Sam. 17.24 it is said that all the men of Israel when they saw the man they ran away from him and were sore afraid they knew not whether ever he should have come neare them to hurt any of them or no and yet they were all afraid and ran away only upon sight of him So the Israelites Exod. 14.10 did but lift up their eyes and saw the Egyptians marching after them and the Text saith they also were sore afraid If dangers and troubles doe but put forth a little and begin to bud we conclude that a deadly Winter must needs be at hand If there be but a thick arme of flesh lifted up against us to strike we thinke the blow must presently fall upon us If Satan doth but shew himselfe in armes and bring forth his troopes and display his colours before the Wals we give the City as lost presently Yea some men are as teÌ„der of their fears in this kinde and as impatient to have them rebuked and touched as David was of his Son Absolon or Adoniah 2 King 1.6 it is said that his Father would not displease him from his Childhood to say Why dost thou so Some men even take such a felicity and contentment in their feares and apprehensions of dangers though otherwise feare hath torment as S. Iohn speaketh that neither will they displease them themselves nor suffer any other to displease them they will not endure any man to dispute or to conceive any hope when they have once feared So that they seem to have a touch of Ionahs spirit in them that was angry with God for not executing judgement upon Ninevch when he had prophesied the destruction of it Some men seem so highly to honour the Propheticall signes of their feares as if they would take offence at Gods goodnesse and mercy if he should not bring upon them and the Church of God amongst them the judgements and mercies that they have prophecyed of in their feares Now I say all such distracting and dismaying feares as these are no wayes seemly and comely in those that professe this speciall interest in God Are they not rather a giving honour to men and magnifying the powers of darknesse and the devill himselfe above God What are any such feares being rightly interpreted but as much as to say the rage and malice and wickednesse of men are greater then the goodnesse and truth and power of God These are windes and waves that will not obey him that he cannot 〈◊〉 and commanâ—â— Should such a man as I feare saith Nehemiah that have professed such confidence in God and still you shall finde that in Scripture there is an opposition between those feares and that honour that is due unto God from those that are his and say they have interest in him See those Scriptures Ezra 8.22 Nehem. 4.14 1 Pet. 3.14 15. at your leisure But you will say Object If the Lion hath roared who will not or shall not be afraid as Amos and if the Trumpet be blowne in the City ought not the people to feare If God himself denounce war against his people and take part with their enemies and strengthen their hands daily and suffer the men of the earth to exalt themselves against them and to doe with his Saints even as they list as it is said they did to Iohn the Baptist in his time and cuts off the wonted signs and tokens of his presence with his owne so that they can see few or none of them left are not these things enough to shake the foundations of any mans confidence to make all hands hang downe Amos 3.8 and all knees wax feeble to breake the heart of any mans hope who is able to stand in the face of such a destruction comming from the Almighty and doth not tremble exceedingly And therefore they that feare in this case are in no cause of reproofe but rather to be relieved with mercy and compassion To this I answer divers things Answ but very briefly First The roaring of the Lion that is heard it may be the roaring of that Lion that goes up and downe the world seeking whom he may devoure it may be the roaring of hell and of the devill comming with open mouth upon the poore Church of God like a ramping and roaring Lion as David speaketh and not the roaring of the Lion of the Tribe of Iudah against his Church and People If it be so we may give losers leave to speake and cry out and to roare too and no great cause thus far to be troubled at it We must pardon the devill the excesse of his wrath he is in great straights his time is shorter then ever and that which he doth he must doe quickly the sound of his great Masters feete is behinde him with the great chain of darknesse in his hand to lay him up fast in the bottomlesse Pit for ever Secondly it is to be considered
be unto dissolution corruption though not as the end yet as the meanes whereas wee know corruption in that sense whether considered as end or meanes is contrary to the desire much more the fervent desire of every creature Therefore the vanity whereunto the creature is here said to be subject and to be subdued unto viz. by the over-ruling hand and power of God seems rather to be meant of a vanity in their service and labour implying that they doe otherwise then they have a minde to doe or then stands with their owne inclination and so it is to be taken rather for a vanity of sorrow then of mutability which is called a bondage of corruption ver 21. either because to be thus subdued and held to it by God to serve his enemies it is to the creature as unpleasant and bitter as a bondage unto corruption or because such a subjection doth staine and corrupt the glory of the creature Notwithstanding it is the pleasure of God so to have it for a season and in respect of that hope God hath given it that it shall shortly be delivered the creature is well content with it it is no vanity to it in either of these respects Now if question be made Wherefore doth God subdue the creature to vanity in this sense and compells it to serve and comfort wicked and sinfull men One maine reason is this It is because God hath yet many of his Children upon the way of their Pilgrimage in the world amongst them and he hath more to succeed them for a while But if these were once all through the Wildernesse of this world and entered into their glorious rest God would deliver the creature from the bondage mentioned it shall no more minister to the children of disobedience but shall be restored into the glorious liberty of the Sons of God it shall be as free from serving sinfull men as these in the state of the Resurrection shall be free from obeying any sinfull corruption Therefore those that seek to take away the lives of the Saints of God they make the foundations of the round world to reele totter and stagger and attempt to shake the pillars of heaven and earth They doe as if a man should undermine and dig down the foundations of the house he dwells in to cause it to fall on his head and those that were with him We see whilest Lot was in Sodome Gen. 9.22 Sodome was in Lot i. e. the safety and peace of Sodome was in Lot I can doe nothing saith the Angell to him meaning towards the destruction of the City till thou beest gone out of it and hast taken Sanctuary Now suppose the men of the City had persecuted Lot and thrust him out of their City before this as words brake out that way they were talking of such a matter ver 9. had not the storme and tempest of the fiery indignation of the Lord come swifter upon them then it did Except those daies were shortned saith our Saviour of the troubles of Jerusalem no flesh could be saved but for the Elects sake these daies shall be shortened Mat. 24.22 On the contrary concerning the mercies and good things wicked men enjoy in this world except these dayes were lengthened and prolonged there could none of these mercies be enjoyed but for the elect and righteous mens sakes these dayes are lengthened unto them And therefore the Prophet Esay makes a solemne and sad observation upon it that righteous men should perish and so few consider it and lay it to heart Esay 57.1 The righteous perisheth and no man layeth it to heart c. as if it were a thing of neare concernment and to be taken much to heart when a righteous member is cut off from the body of any State or Society of men and yet of the two it is a thing much more to be laid to heart that such a righteous man should be thrust our by men themselves from amongst them or lose his life by their hand then if God should take him away by death It is true in both cases it is likely he is taken away from the evill to come but in the former when men destroy the righteous from amongst them the evil to come is like to come both more suddenly more heavily upon those that are left Therefore they that persecute the Saints of God they call for fire as it were downe from heaven upon their owne heads they put a sword into the Lords hand wherewith to slay them If that Scarlet Whore of Rome had been or ever should be able to performe the devise she imagined and yet imagines daily to roote out all the holy Seed the whole family that is descended of Jesus Christ in all the world so that she had left none but her owne adulterous generation to possesse the earth she might then thinke indeed that she sate like a Queen but the truth is she should have prevented her judgment and torments so much the sooner Shee had but brought the feare and dread of the devill which was To be tormented before his time so much the more speedily upon his owne head Suppose the Lord had given us up into their bloody hands which yet we and our posterity shall have cause to blesse him so long as the Sunne and Moone indures that it was far from all his thoughts to doe but put case I say that she had been let alone with State People Gospell Religion that she might have done with all these as it is said the Jewes did by Iohn the Baptist Mat. 17.12 even what she list that she had triumphed in that fatall blow for ought that she knew or was aware of she might have shaken the foundations of her owne Mountaines and have caused her Sun to have set over her head even at noone dayes she might have thundered even the Lord Jesus Christ out of heaven to have taken speedy vengeance upon those that would bring up hell from beneath upon the face of the earth and that had destroyed out of the world the beauty and glory of it Fourthly and lastly this consideration also may prevaile with the enemies of the Church and People of God to cause them to desist from persecuting the Saints from attempting and plotting evill against them because they cannot lift up a hand against these but in a way of unrighteousnesse wrong They are called in Scripture The generation of the righteous and their waies are just and holy and good therefore whoever shall touch any of these to doe them any harme to afflict or bring evill upon them cannot be innocent but injustice and violence will be found in his hands Many of those that are the sourest enemies of the Church and that beare a tyrannicall and inveterate hatred against the Saints are men that for Morall honesty and Justice stand upon termes of honour and reputation and thinke it their great glory that they wash their hands in