but the glory was remooved the Lord gave him no answere any more from thence The like might be shewed still in the story further as we shall see after in the particulars but this may suffice for the present to manifest this point To returne therefore to our selves we are first to inquire what are the most evident signes of Gods glorious presence in his Church especially in the daies of the Gospell and heereby we are to judge of our estate and whether in regard heereof we have not just cause to feare the Lords departure without speedy repentance and all to give our selves to watch and pray Like as the word sincerely preached and the Sacraments administred according to our Saviours institution are the most infallible marks of the true visible Churches of Christ amongst which he hath promised his presence so long as these are duly observed maintained and reverenced so we may marke also thorow the booke of God fowre most lively evidences of his glorious presence in his Church amongst his people One whereof is more inward felt chiefly in the soules and consciences of men to wit the Spirit of the Lord accompanying the word and the powerfull operation thereof in mens hearts in and by the same word to cause all men to acknowledge the Lord to be there The other three are more outward and apparant to the view of the world although they be nothing but the fruits and effects of the same spirit The first of which three is when the Lord gives to his people abundance of saving and sanctifying knowledge of his heavenly word The second when together with this knowledge he worketh in them true holinesse of life and conversation and obedience to the same word and withall peace and unitie among his people arising from the same The third is in protection when he declares himselfe to be present amongst his people in shielding and protecting them and overthrowing all the plots of the enemies or casting a feare upon the enemie that they dare not rise up against his Church and chosen flocke For the first of these which is more inward viz The Spirit of the Lord speaking and working powerfully in the word It is not the word alone nor the Spirit alone but the word and Spirit going together The Spirit accompanying the word and speaking to the hearts and consciences of men out of the mouthes of his servants This is the Tenor and the very substance of Gods covenant with his Church for the infallible demonstration of his presence in it and with it And I will make this my covenant with them saith the Lord to his Church My spirit which is upon thee my word which I have put in thy mouth shall not depart out of thy mouth nor out of the mouth of thy seede nor out of the mouth of the seed of thy seede from henceforth for ever To make this more plaine As in the time of the law not the Arke alone nor the mercie seate covered with the Cherubims but the answeres from the Arke given immediatly from God were were the undoubted evidences of his most glorious presence amongst them so this must needs be acknowledged of all That not the Gospell alone nor the bare ministry thereof but the powerfull working of the spirit thereby speaking to every mans soule and conscience is the most evident demonstration of the same glorious presence in the dayes of the Gospell As for example when the word is lively and mighty in operation powerfull in converting mens soules and drawing the people of God after it This is the true presence and arme of the Lord. As it was when the Holy Ghost was sent downe appearing in forme of cloven tongues like fire to shew the heavenly fire that should accompany the word and inflame the hearts of the elect like as it then wrought wonderfully upon the consciences of the hearers and that very worke was an infallible witnesse of the presence of the Lord so is it now according to the manner of the working and measure thereof When by the same spirit some are pricked at their hearts with remorse for their sinnes and made to cry out Men and brethren what shall we doe as those who were so pricked at the hearts at Peters sermon When other have their hearts burning within them as the two Disciples going toward Emaus at the opening applying of the Scriptures unto them When as others are smitten downe to the earth in the sense of their own vilenesse and the Majestie of Iesus Christ as persecuting Saul who was made thereby a preaching Paul And when others are compelled to confesse That they neuer heard men speake so as those who came of purpose being sent by the Pharises to catch our Saviour Or as the poore simple man who comming in and hearing the word so Preached is made thereby to fall upon his face and enforced to acknowledge That God is in these men of a truth when others also shall receive such a strong assurance of the truth of God taught unto them being indeed his very word as they cannot be drawne away from it by any violence or feare no nor yet by any perswasions though an Angell should come from heaven and teach them otherwise And to conclude this point This must needs be confessed of all to be the most cleere and invincible testimony of his most gratious and glorious presence and of his spirit powred plentifully upon his Church when by the power of the word the blinde eyes are opened the deafe heare the stonie hearts are bruised the dead in sinne are raised to a new and holy life for this is not a a worke of flesh and blood but of the Spirit of the Lord onely This was a principall part of that lively presence whereby he was so wonderfull and after a sort visible in the primitive Church when the same day were added to the Church about three thousand soules by the preaching of Peter and the other Apostles and after when the Church increased so admirably And by this he hath promised to be with his faithfull ones teaching his truth sincerely unto the end of the world This finally is the full accomplishment of that promise To powre downe his Spirit upon his people in the dayes of the Gospell when he would gather his Church in any place as we may see thorow all the Historie of the Acts. And even as it was then so is it now according to the measure of grace whereby he sends downe his holy Spirit upon any Congregation And in some Congregations under faithfull Ministeries all these blessed be God are apparent thus graciously manifesting his presence thereby And therefore the more generally that this operation appeares in Preachers and people the more visibly doth the glory of the Lord shew it selfe and the more
to all his faithfull messengers to the end of the world to declare how they ought to carry themselves in such evill times according to their places and callings So Iohn Baptist cryes out against the hypocrites O generation of vipers who hath forewarned you to flie from the vengeance to come Our Saviour also among the Scribes and Pharisees being hypocrites thunders out nothing but woe woe This in like manner was the principall occasion of all the malice against him for that he testified in every place that their deeds were evill and also for denouncing Gods judgements to come upon them And to omit all other That righteous Lot in Sodome though a private man yet cryes unto them for that shamefull outrage I pray you my brethren deale not so wickedly In a word this hath beene the continuall behaviour of the Martyrs and Confessors of Gods truth as all Histories doe witnesse thus to cry against the sinnes of the times within the limits of their calling whence ordinarily they have suffred such bitter persecutions For crying also unto the Lord at such times it hath beene a most usuall thing with all the faithfull Prophets and other of his servants untill that he have forbidden some of them as he did Ieremie that he should not pray to doe that people any good when as they did grow obdurate and most extremely malicious against him and alwaies the neerer they have seene the wrath the more vehemently have they cried unto the Lord as Moses and Samuel stepping into the breach to stay the Lords hand that he should not destroy his people So that this point is likewise most cleare Yet to cause it to worke more effectually upon our consciences it shall not be unnecessarie a little to ponder some of the reasons why the godly doe so sigh and cry As First for that they who are the Lords indeed doe specially resemble their heavenly Father in hating those things which he hateth with a vehement indignation and what sinnes they cannot reforme nor restraine those they sigh and grieve for Secondly that they can no more endure the dishonors done unto his heavenly Majestie according to that measure of grace given unto them than the Angels which are in heaven doe according unto theirs and therefore they being subject unto these passions of griefe and sorrow must needs in seeing and hearing vex their righteous soules continually Thirdly because they have of the very â—ame spirit of zeale that was in our Saviour which was so fervent towards his fathers house that to see it defiled it did after a sort eat and consume him Fourthly how can it be but that they who are the children of God must needs be troubled to see Sathan set up and worshipped in the throne of their heavenly Father for so he is in all places where iniquitie hath the upper hand Or what childe is there except he be extremely unnaturall that is not cast downe in himselfe when he seeth his father angry Fiftly because not taking to heart such sinnes we become guilty of them for so Paul chargeth the Corinthians for the incestuous person that they were therfore guiltie of his sinne because they had not sorrowed for it and saith that they afterward by their sorrow and indignation testified so many wayes upon his letter sent unto them did shew themselves free from his wickednes Sixtly and lastly which is the principall because for the sinne of one notorious offender unpunished Gods anger may be kindled against all the place where he is and that therefore all of them are in danger of this vengeance with the rest even every one that doth not what he can within the compasse of his calling to reforme it at least by mourning for it and crying unto the Lord for pardon redresse This he shewes plainely in sundry places of his holy word although the contrary practise of the world declares evidently that very few beleeve this point Let us but observe two or three places the more to convince us and rouze our soules out of this our deepe securitie As first that of the case of inquisition for murder when one is found murdered if there be not the utmost endevour both in Ministers Magistrates and people to finde out the murtherer and to punish him by death according to the law against murther the land is defiled as is evident both by the strict manner of the inquisition that was to be made by all the people of Israel and by the protestation of the Rulers in the behalfe of all the people clearing themselves from it and also by the prayer that they were taught to make in this forme O Lord be mercifull unto us thy people Israel whom thou hast redeemed and lay no innocent bloud to the charge of thy people Israel and the bloud shall be forgiven them So saith he thou shalt take away the cry of innocent bloud from thee whâ—n thou shalt doe that which is right in the sight of the Lord. Whereby we may plainely see that the bloud of one man thus murthered defileth the bordering land and provoketh the Lords displeasure against the people if it be not carefully sought out and all holy meanes used for the avenging of it and taking away the cry thereof Secondly the Lord declares there evidently that the Land cannot be clensed and the sinne pardoned unto it but by the bloud of him that shed it or at least when no meanes is neglected to finde it out and to punish it Thirdly that innocent bloud cryes for vengeance from the earth continually as Abels did untill all the meanes be used for purging it A last reason of Gods severitie is because it is not with the Church of God as with the prophane Heathen for he dwels in the midst of his Church and therefore if any defile the Land where his Church is he will either punish them severely or utterly depart from them as appeares evidently in his threatning after the making of the Golden Calfe for he will be specially sanctified in them that draw neere unto him in such a holy profession He is very terrible in the assembly of his Saints Now as it is in this case of bloud so every notorious sin defileth the land and cryeth for vengeance against all the inhabitants the Land cannot beare it but will endanger all even to spue out that people in the end if it be not purged as their abominations did cause the Land of Canaan This we may see in sundry examples how somtimes the sin of some of the people hath indangered al the rest sometimes the sinne of one city and sometimes even the sin of one man when it hath not beene sought out and punished As to omit that sinne at the making of the golden calfe which although it was not
that proud and blasphemous Senacherib and his huge Armie when the Angâ—ll of the Lord slue an hundred and fouresâ—ore thousand of the enemies in one night upon which considerations and the like in former times the Holy Ghost faith that God is well knowne in Iudah his name is great in Israel All the world talked of his name and feared Because as his Tabernacle was there so there he brake the arrowes the bowe There he shewed his puissance and his power restrayning the rage of the enemies and turning it unto his praise and so there made himselfe terrible to the Kings of the earth To conclude this point likewise This is a principall part of that glory of the Church in the earth which is so foretold by the Prophet Esay to be in the Churches of God in the flourishing estate thereof in the dayes of the Gospell That when the Lord should wash away the filthines of his people by his word and Spirit he would create upon every place of Mount Sion and upon the assemblies thereof a cloud and a smoake by day and the shining of a flaming fire by night for upon all the glory should be a defence and a covering should be for a shadow in the day from the heat and a place of refuge and a covert from the storme and from the raine In which words all these parts of the Lords glory upon his Church are comprized evidently foretelling that as he would adorne and glorifie his Church then with abundance of knowledge and holinesse so his protection should shelter it from all danger as the coverings did the Tabernacle And this indeed was the glory of the Primitive Church according as it was spoken of by Esay Yea every wicked man whose conscience is not utterly scared when he commeth into any such a Congregation where these three shine bright is inforced to acknowledge such a place to be a glorious and blessed place and God to be there untill that men have by their disobedience to the word and by their maliciousnesse put out the eye of their soule and conscience altogither To applie all this And first to this people of Iudah If wee marke well wee may cleerely see how God had wonderfully withdrawne from them that outward glory which formerly they had enjoyed and had also shewed them evident tokens of his departure in every one of these respects before he went away utterly And first for holy knowledge when they daily waxed more blind and senselesse by all the paines of their Teachers and all other their forewarnings so that they were worse therein then the oxe and the asse as the Prophet Esay complained many yeeres before Secondly for holinesse of life the abominations following will evidently demonstrate for reverence of the Lords messengers in that they misused them untill there was no remedy So for peace and unitie when Ephraim was against Manasseh Manasses against Ephraim and both against Iudah when all the godly who followed the true Prophets and cleaued only to the word and the covenant of the Lord were generally hated made as signes and wonders like as the Prophets were whose word they obeyed And lastly for protection when as the glory was almost gone in Ezechias dayes when he himselfe and Ierusalem were in that danger by Senecharib and cleane gone by Manasses at what time he was carried away captive into Babylon Afterwards also was Iosiah their shelter cut downe by the enemie which was the next most manifest forerunner of the finall departure and of their glory So they had after this overthrow after overthrow untill this plague was utterly come upon them and their glory also departed without hope of recovery till Gods anger was fully accomplished upon them Thus we have seene this point at large wherein the outward glory of the Church consists how all this was fully verified amongst them according to the vision That God had indeed made all these removals of their glory before his finall departure But now let us in the second place returne home from Iudah unto our selves and lay it neere unto our hearts considering well first whether the Lord have not begun as sensible removals of all this glory even amongst our selves in every one of these kindes sundry wayes and at sundry times proceeding by degrees And whether he doe not thereby threaten manifestly that he is purposed utterly to remove and to take away all his glory and his gratious presence from us and to leave us to the will of our enemies to be made a reproch and a shame when he is departed from us unlesse we prevent and retaine him by our speedie amendment To begin and apply in order as in the presence of the Lord. Where is that delight of ours in most places that we were wont to take in his word our inciting and incouraging one another Come let us goe up to the house of the Lord our talking of it and our rejoycing in it as of our chiefe glory Do we not in steed hereof waxe weary of it very generally hearing it commonly for a fashion or for satisfying of the law or some like respect Are we not growne to this passe for the most part to be ashamed of talking or reasoning of it Yea what is more common than in steed hereof to discourage one another from being forward in following after it and those holy assemblies of his people where he hath promised his presence for ever Are not our people in steed hereof set rather to flocke to all kinds of vanities and places of the worse resort to dishonour and provoke the Lord even to those places where is open profession of all impietie and schooles of all lewdnesse and ungratiousnesse Let the ordinarie frequenting of so many profane and lascivious playes fitter for Sodome than the Church of God be witnesse Where is that holy sound and powerfull knowledge of God amongst the people become which in regard of the long and quiet time of the Gospell that thorow the riches of the Lords mercy we have enjoyed should have growne to ripenesse that which was wont so to abound amongst us in many goodly Congregations whereby the Popish sort were ashamed of themselves for their ignorance specially as was said that love which hath bin so declared in hungring after the word in delighting in it as our felicitie Nay what is become for most part of that singular commendation for readinesse in the Scriptures and soundnesse of judgement in the word of the Lord wherein many of our Gentry and cheifer sort in many places did sometimes excell for which they were much to be commended and indeed it was their dutie far so to excell for they of all other have the most meanes for all good helps and leysure to get the knowledg of the Lord and also are most bound thereunto