Church a Enlarge the place of thy Tent and let them stretch forth the curtaines of thine habitations spare not lengthen thy cords and strengthen thy stakes for thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left b A great encrease of the Church there was in the Apostles times but c a farre greater to be yet looked for d Though the enemy did come in like a flood the spirit of the Lord hath lift up a standard against him e The Sea saw it and fled Jordan was driven back But when the Gospel commeth like a noise of many waters as the Prophet calls it vers 2. signifying an irresistible encrease it is in vaine to build bulwarks against it God will even break open f the fountaines of the great deep and open the windowes of heaven and the Gospel will prove a second flood which will over-flow the whole earth though not to destroy it as Noahs did but to make it glad g for the earth shall bee filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the Sea Thirdly in this Temple beside the Holy of Holies h were three Courts the Court of the Priests the Court of the people commonly called Atrium Israelis and without both these Atrium Gentium the Court of the Heathen so called because the Heathen as also many of those who were legally uncleane might not only come unto the mountaine of the house of the Lord but also enter within the utter wall mentioned Ezech. 42. 20. and so worship in that utter Court or Intermurale Unto which did belong as we learne from i Josephus the great East porch which kept the name of Solomons porch in which both Christ himselfe did preach Io. 10. 23. and the Apostles after him Act. 5. 12. by which meanes the free grace of the Gospel was held sorth even to Heathens and Publicans and uncleane persons who were not admitted into the Court of Israel there to communicate in all the holy things k For the sonne of man came to seek and to save that which was lost This utter Court of the Temple is meant when l it is said that the Pharisees brought a woman taken in adultery into the Temple and set her before Christ Now all this will hold true answerably of the spirituall Temple For first as m the uncircumcised and the uncleane were not admitted into the Temple among the children of Israel so all that live in the Church of Christ are not to be admitted promiscuously to every ordinance of God especially to the Lords Table but only those whose profession knowledge and conversation after triall shall be found such as may make them capable thereof yet as Heathens and uncleane persons did enter into the utter Court and there heare Christ and his Apostles so there shall ever be in the Church a doore of grace and hope open to the greatest and vilest â—…nners who shall seek after Christ and n ask the way to Zion with their faces thitherward Secondly there shall be also somewhat answerable to the Court of the children of Israel o God can raise up even of the stones children to Abraham he will not want a people to trade in the Courts of his house and to enquire in his Temple Thirdly and as in the Typicall Temple there was a Court for the Priests so hath the Lord promised to the Church p Thy teachers shall not be removed into a corner any more but thine eyes shall see thy Teachers And againe q I will give you Pastors according to my heart which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding Fourthly and as there was a secret and most holy place where the Ark was and the Mercy-seat and where the glory of God dwelâ—… so Christ hath his owne r hidden ones s the children of the marriage chamber t who with open face beholding as in a glasse the glory of the Lord are changed into the same image from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord There is also a time comming when God will open the secrets of his Temple and make the Ark of his Testament to be seene otherwise then yet it hath beene which shall be at the sounding of the seventh trumpet Revel. 11. 15 19. The fourth thing wherein Ezekiels Temple representeth the Church of Christ is in regard of the great strength thereof u It stood upon a very high mountaine The materiall Temple also in Ierusalem as it is described by Iosephus was a very strong and impregnable place Interpreters think that Cyrus was jealous of the strength of the Temple and for that cause gave x order that it should not be built above threescore cubits high whereas Solomon had built it sixscore cubits high The Romans afterward when they had subdued Iudea had a watchfull eye upon the Temple and placed a strong garrison in the Castle Antonia which was beside the Temple the Commander whereof was called y the Captaine of the Temple And all this for feare of sedition and rebellion among the Jews when they came to the Temple Now the invisible strength of the spirituall Temple is clearly held forth unto us by him that cannot deceive us Upon this rock z saith he meaning himselfe will I build my Church and the gates of hell shall not prevaile against it The Princes and powers of the world are more jealous then they need of the Churches strength and yet which is a secret judgement of God they have not beene afraid to suffer Babylon to be built in her full strenth a There were they in great feare where no feare was for when all shall come to all it shall be found that the Gospel and true Religion is the strongest bulwark and chiefe strength for the safety and stability of Kings and States Lastly the glory of this Temple was very great insomuch that b some have undertaken to demonstrate that it was a more glorious peece then any of the seven miracles of the world which were so much spoken of among the Ancients But the greatest glory of this Temple was that the glory of the God of Israel came into it and the earth shined with his glory vers. 2. Christ c the brightnesse of his fathers glory walking d in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks is and shall be more and more the Churches glory Therefore it is said to her e Arise shine for thy light is come and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee Surely as it was said of the new materiall Temple in reference to Christ so it may be said of the new spirituall Temple which yet we look for f The glory of this latter house shall be greater then of the former saith the Lord of hosts and in this place will I give peace saith the Lord of hosts Christ will keep the g best
have now chosen a Text which holds forth a remedy for this malady a cure for this case That is that if we will c humble our uncircumcised hearts and accept of the punishment of our iniquity If we be d ashamed and confounded before the Lord this day for our evill wayes if we judge our selves as guilty and put our mouth in the dust and cloath our selves with shame as with a garment If wee repent and abhorre our selves in dust and ashes then the Lord will not abhorre us but take pleasure in 〈◊〉 to dwell among us to reveale himself unto us to set before us the right patterne of his owne House that e the Tabernacle of God may be with men and pure Ordinances where before they were defiled and mixed f He will cut off the names of the Idolls out of the land and cause the false Prophet and the unclean spirit to passe out of the land and g the glory of the Lord shall dwell in the land But withall we must take heed h that we turn not againe to folly that our hearts start not aside i like a deceitfull bowe that we k Keep the wayes of the Lord and doe not wickedly depart from our God Thus you have briefly the occasion and the sum of what I am to deliver from this Text The particulars whereof I shall not touch till I have in the first place resolved a difficult yet profitable question You may aske what House or what Temple doth the Prophet here speak of and how can it be made to appeare that this Scripture is applicable to this time I answere l some have taken great paines to demonstrate that this Temple which the Prophet saw in this vision was no other then the Temple of Solomon and that the accomplishment of this vision of the Temple City and division of the Land was the building of the Temple and City againe after the captivity and the restoring of the Leviticall worship and Jewish Republike which came to passe in the dayes of Nehemiah and Zorobabel This sense is also most obvious to every one that readeth this Prophecie But there are very strong reasons against it which make other Learned Expositers not to embrace it For 1. The Temple of Solomon was 120. cubits high The Temple built by Zorobabel was but 60. cubits high Ezra 6. 3. 2. The Temple of Zorobabel m was built in the same place where the Temple of Solomon was that is in Jerusalem upon mount Moriah But this Temple of Ezekiel was without the City and n a great way distant from it Chap. 48. verse 10. compared with verse 15. The whole portion of the Levites and a part of the portion of the Priests was betwixt the Temple and the City 3. Moses his greatest Altar the Altar of Burnt-offerings was not half so big as Ezekiells Altar o compare Ezek 43. 16. with Exod. 27. 1. So is Moses Altar of Incense much lesse then Ezekiells Altar of Incense Exod. 30. 2. compared with Ezek. 41. 22. 4. There are many new ceremoniall Lawes different from the Mosaicall delivered in the following part of this vision Chap. 45. and 46. as p Interpreters have particularly observed upon these places 5. The Temple and City were not of that greatnesse which is described in this Vision for the measuring Reed containing sixe cubits of the Sanctuary not common cubits Chap. 40. 5. which amount to more then 10. foot the utter wall of the Temple being 2000. Reeds in compasse Chap. 42. 20. was by estimation foure miles and the Citie chap. 48. 16. 35. six and thirty miles in compasse 6. The vision of the holy waters chap. 47. issuing from the Temple and after the space of 4000. reeds growing to a river which could not be passed over and healing the waters and the fishes cannot be literally understood of the Temple at Jerusalem 7. The Land is divided among the twelve Tribes chap. 48. and that in a way and order different from the division made by Joshua which cannot be understood of the restitution after the captivitie because the twelve Tribes did not return 8. This New Temple hath with it a New Covenant and that an everlasting one Ezek. 37. 26 27. But at the return of the people from Babylon there was no new Covenant saith q Irenaeus onely the same that was before continued till Christs comming Wherefore we must needs hold with r Hierome s Gregory and other latter Interpreters that this vision of Ezekiel is to bee expounded of the spirituall Temple and Church of Christ made up of Jewes and Gentiles and that not by way of allegories only which is the sense of those whose opinion I have now confuted but according to the proper and direct intendment of the vision which in many materiall points cannot agree to Zorobabels Temple I am herein very much strengthned while I observe t many parallel passages betwixt the vision of Ezekiel and the Revelation of Iohn and while I remember withall that the Prophets doe in many places fore-tell the institution of the Ordinances Government and Worship of the New Testament under the termes of Temple Priests Sacrifices c. and do set forth the deliverance and stability of the Church of Christ under the notions of Canaan of bringing back the captivity c. God speaking to his people at that time so as they might best understand him Now if you aske how the severall particulars in the vision may be particularly expounded and applyed to the Church of Christ I answer the Word of God the River that makes glad the Citie of God though it have many easie and knowne Foords where any of Christs Lambs may passe thorow yet in this Vision and other places of this kind it is a great deep where the greatest Elephant as he said may swim I shall not say with the Jewes that one should not read the last nine Chapters of Ezekiel before he be thirty yeers old Surely a man may be twice thirty yeers old and a good Divine too and yet not able to understand this Vision Some tell us that no man can understand it without skill in Geometry which cannot be denyed but there is greater need of Ecclesiometry if I may so speak to measure the Church in her length or continuance through many generations in her breadth or spreading through many Nations her depth of humiliation sorrowes and sufferings her height of faith hope joy and comfort and to measure each part according to this pattern here set before us Wherein for my part I must professe as Socrates in another case Scio quod nescio I know that there is a great mystery here which I cannot reach Only I shall let forth unto you that little light which the father of â—…ights hath given me I conceive that the Holy Ghost in this Vision hath pointed at foure severall times and conditions of the Church
sake who through the presumption and unhumblednesse of their spirits will acknowledge no fault in any thing they have formerly done in Church matters I cannot leave this application to the Kingdome till I inlarge it a little further There are foure considerations which may make England ashamed and confounded before the Lord 1. Because of the great Blessings which it hath so long wanted Your flourishing estate in the world could not have countervailed the want of the purity and liberty of the Ordinances of Christ That was a heavie x word of the Prophet Now for a long season Israel hath been without the true God and without a teaching Priest and without Law It hath not been altogether so with this Land where the Lord hath had not onely a true Church but many burning and shining lights many gracious Preachers and Professors many notable defenders of the Protestant cause against Papists many who have preached and written worthily of practicall Divinity and of those things which most concern a mans salvation Nay I am perswaded that all this time past there have been in this Kingdome many thousands of his secret and sealed ones who have been groaning under that burthen and bondage which they could not help and have been y waiting for the consolation of Israel Neverthelesse the Reformation of the Church of England hath been exceedingly deficient in Government Discipline and Worship yea and many places of the Kingdom have been without a teaching Priest and other places poisoned with false Teachers It is z said that all the house of Israel lamented after the Lord when they wanted the Ark twenty yeeres O let England lament after the Lord untill the Arke be brought into the own place of it 2. There is another cause of this great humiliation and that is the point in the Text to be ashamed of all that you have done Sinne Sinne is that which blacketh our faces and covereth us with confusion as with a Mantle and then most of all when we may read our sinne in some judgement of God which lyeth upon us Therefore the Septuagints here in stead of being ashamed of all that they have done a read accept their punishment for all that they have done Which agreeth to b that word in the Law If then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled The Greek readeth there ashamed and they then accept of the punishment of their iniquity This is now Englands case whose sinne is written in the present Judgement and graven in your calamity as c with a pen of iron and with a point of a Diamond to make you say d The Lord our God is righteous in all his workes which he doeth for we obeyed not his voice Did not the land make Idoll Gods of the Court and of the Prelaticall Clergy and feared them and followed them more then God and obeyed them rather then God so that their threshold was set by Gods threshold and their posts by Gods posts as it is said v. 7. I speak not now of lawfull obedience to Authoritie Is it not a righteous thing with the Lord to make these your idols his rods to correct you Hath not England harboured and entertained Papists Priests and Jesuites in its bosome Is it not just that now you feel the sting and poison of these vipers Hath there not bin a great compliance with the Prelates for peace sake even to the preiudice of Truth Doth not the Lord now iustly punish that Episcopall peace with an Episcopall warre Was not that Prelaticall government first devised and since continued to preserve peace and to prevent Schismes in the Church and was it not Gods iust iudgement that such a remedy of mans invention should rather increase then cure the evill so that Sects have most multiplyed under that Government which now you know by sad experience Hath not this Nation for a long time taken the Name of the Lord in vaine by a formall worship and empty profession Is it not a iust requitall upon Gods part that your enemies have all this while taken Gods Name in vain and taken the Almighty to witnesse of the integrity of their intentions for Religion Law and Liberty thus perswading the world to beleeve a lye What shall I say of the Book of Sports and other prophanations of the Lords day This licentiousnesse was most acceptable to the greatest part and they e loved to have it so Doth not the great famine of the Word almost every where in the Kingdom except in this City make the Land mourn on the Sabbath and say f I do remember my faults this day Yea doth not the Land now enioy her Sabbaths while men are constrained not only to cease from sports on that day but from labouring the ground and from other works of their calling upon other dayes What should I speak of the lusts and uncleannesse gluttony and drunkennesse chambering and wantonnesse prodigality and lavishnesse excesse of riot masking and balling and sporting when Germany and the Palatinate and other places were wallowing in blood yea when there was so much sinne and wrath upon this same Kingdome Will not you say now that for this the Lord God hath caused g your sun to go down at noon and hath turned your feasts into mourning and all your songs into lamentation Or what should I say of the oppressions injustice cousinage in trading and in Merchandise which your selves know better then I can do how much they have abounded in the Kingdome Doth not God now punish the secret injustice of his people by the open iniustice of their enemies Doe ye not remember that mischiefe was framed by a Law and now when your enemies execute mischief against Law will you not say Righteous art thou O Lord and iust are thy iudgements One thing I may not forget and that is that the Lord is punishing blood with blood the blood of the oppressed the blood of the persecuted the blood of those who have dyed in Prisons or in strange Countries suffering for righteousnesse sake h He that departed from evill did even make himselfe a prey There was not so much as one drop of blood spilt upon the Pillory for the testimony of the Truth but it cryeth to Heaven for precious is the blood of the Saints Doth not all the blood shed in Queen Maries dayes cry And doth not the blood of the Palatinate and of Rochel cry And doth not the blood of soules cry which is the loudest cry of all God said to Cain k The voyce of thy Brothers blood cryeth unto me from the ground the Hebrew hath it thy brothers blouds which is well expounded both by the Chaldee Paraphrase and the Jerusalem Targum the voyce of the blood of all the generations and the righteous people which thy Brother should have begotten cryeth unto me I may apply it to the thing in hand The silencing deposing persecuting imprisoning and banishing of so
make speed Put since now by the blessing of God they are thus farre adâ—…nced that they have found in the Word of God a pattern for Presbyreriall Government over many particular Congregations and have found also from the Word that Ordination is an Act belonging to such a Presbytery I beseech you improve that c whereto we have already attâ—… till other A â—…s of a Presbytery be agreed on afterward Your selves â—…know better then I doe that much d people is perishing because there is no Vision e the harvest is great and the Labourers are few Give me leave therefore to quicken you to this part of the Work â—…at with all diligence and without delay some Presbyteries be associated and erected in such places as your selves in your wâ—…edome shall judge fittest with power to ordaire Ministers with the conâ—…rt of the Congregations and after tryall of the gâ—…ts soundnesse and conversation of the men In o doâ—… you shall both please God and bring upon your selves 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of many poore soules that are ready to perish and you shall likewise greatly strengthen the hearts and 〈◊〉 of your Brethren of Scotland joyned in Covenant and in Arms with you I say therefore againe g arise and be doing and the Lord be with you Yea h the Lord is with you according to the Word that he hath Covenanted with you so his Spirit remaineth among you Feare yee not but i bee strong in the Lord and in the power of his might FINIS Die Mercurii 27. Martii 1644. IT is this day Ordered by the Commons assembled in Parliament That Mr. Nicoll doe from this House give thanks unto Mr. Gillespie for the great paines he took in the Sermon he preached this day at the intreaty of the said Commons at St. Margarets Westminster It being the day of publike Humiliation And to desire him to Print his Sermon And it is Ordered that no man shall presume to Print his Sermon but whom hee shall authorise under his hand writing H. Elsynge Cler. Parl. D. Com. I appoint ROBERT BOSTOCK to Print this Sermon GEORGE GILLEâ—… Die Mercurii 27 Martii 1644. IT is this day ordered by the Commons Assembled in Parliament That Master BOND and Master NICOLLS do from this Howse give Thanks unto Master BOND for his great pains he tooke in the Sermon he preached this day at MARGRET WESTMINSTER at the intreaty of this House it being the day of Publike Humiliation And they are to desire him to print his Sermon And it is Ordered that none presume to print or reprint his Sermon without being authorised vnder the hand wrighting of the said Master BOND H. Elsynge Cler. Parl. D. Com. I do appoint Francis Eglesfeild to Print my Sermon Iohn Bond a Act. 5. 38. 39. b Act. 18. 14. 15 16. 17. c Liberty of Conscience pag. 34. 35. d Hos 8. 7. e Isa. 8 17. f Iob 13. 15. g Isa. 62. 11. i 2 Cor. 6. 2. Isa. 66. 10. k Isa. 37. 3. l Matth. 25. 5. m Lev. 26. 18 21 2â—… 28. n Lev. 26. 25. o 1. Armagh Serm. at Oxford March 3. p. 17. 19 27. p Grâ—…us de jâ—…re belli ac pacis lib. 1. cap. 4. sect. 7. Haec autem lex de qâ—…a agimus de nâ—… resistendo supremis potestaâ—…i bus pendere viâ—…etur à voluntaâ—…e eoâ—…um qui se primùm in sociâ—…tatem civilem â—…onsociant à quibus jus 〈◊〉 ad imperantes manat Hâ—…vero si interrogarentur an velâ—…nt omnibus hoc onus imponere ut mori praeoptent quâ—… nullo casu viâ—… superiorum armiâ—… arcere ne cio an velle â—…e sint responsuri Ibid sect. 13. Si Rex pâ—…rtem habeat summi imperii partem alteram populus auâ—…senatus regi iâ—… partem non suam involanti vis justa oppont poterit I might adde the testimonies of Bilson Barâ—…ius and others q Psal. 34. 〈◊〉 r Isa. 64. 7. s Isa. 62 6 7. t Psal. 84. 6. u 1 Sam. 7. 6. x Deut. 32. 2. Englands disease a Mal. 4. 1. b 2 Chroâ—… 33. 17. c Levit. 26. 41. A remedy for it d Ezek. 36. 32. e Revel. 21. 3. f Zech. 13. 2. g Psal. 85. 9. h Psal. 85. 8. i Psal. 78. 57. k Psal. 18. 21. Another Temple meant in this vision then that of Jerusalem l I. Baptista Villallpandus explaâ—… Ezek. tom 2. part 2. lib. 1. Isag. cap. 9. 12. 13. Corn a lapiâ—…e in Ezek. 40. Proved by 8. Reasons m Ezra 3. 1. 8 6. 3. 5. 7. n C. a Lapiâ—…e himself reckoneth the City to be 27. miles distant from Temple o See also Codex Middoth cap. 3. sect. 1. p Polaâ—…us Sanctius q Lib. 4. cap. 67. r Lib. 13. iâ—… Ezek. s Hom. 13. in Ezek. The Church of Christ intended t Compare Ezek. 37. 27. with Revel. 21. 3. Ezek. 40. 2. with Revel. 21. 10. Ezek. 40. 3 4 5. with Revel. 11. 1. 21. 15. Ezek. 43. 2. with Revel. 14. 2. Ezek. 45. 8 9. with Revel. 17. 16 17. 21. 24. Ezek. 38. 2. 39. 1. with Revel. 20. 8 Ezek. 47. 12. with Rev. 22. 2. Ezek. 48. 1. to v. 8. with Revel. 7. 4. to v. 9. Ezek 48 31 32 33 34. with Revel. 21. 12 13. 16. Ezek. 40. 4 with Revel. 1. 11. 4. 1. Foure things holden forth in the Vision 1. The materiall Temple as a Type v Codex Middoth cum Commentariis Const. l'Emperâ—…ur Arias Montanus in his Libarus I. Baptista Villalpandus explan. Ezek Tom. 2. par 2. Tom. 3. Tostaâ—…us in 1. Reg. 6. Lud. Capellus in compendio bist Iudaicae Ribera de Templo lib. 1. and others 2. The Church of the Gentiles 3. A more glorious Church in the latter dayes Proved by five reasons x Rom. 11. 12. y Ib. vers. 15. z Isa. 2. 2. a Ib. v. 4. b Isa. 11 9. 60. 17 18. c Polanus in Ezech. 45. Derâ—…formatione Status civilis agitur v. 8 9 10. In quibus praedicâ—…io est etiâ—…m principes et mâ—…gistratus politicos adducendos ad obedientiam fidei in Chriâ—…m aâ—… saltem coercendos et iâ—… officio continendos ne amplius oppriâ—…t populum 〈◊〉 d Psal. 2. 2. 〈◊〉 Rev. 11. 3. 12. 6. f Rev. 21. 4. Some respect had to the Church Triumphant g Verse 3. h Verse 24. The Text divided i 1 Thes. 5. 23. So Phil. 1. 9. 11 k It is not {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} bosch but {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} calam Which two some Hebricians distinguish by referring the former to the Greek {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} and the Latin Verecundia the latter to the Greek {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} and the Latin Pudor Reformation not enough without humiliation Proved two wayes l Rev. 3. 19. m Rom. 6. 21. n Ib. ver. 19. 22. o Vid. Martyr in Rom. 6. 21. p 〈◊〉 9. â—…7 q Psal. 51. 4. r 1 Cor. 11. 31