then the oile of Aaron more fructifiing then the deawe of Hermon That so we maie be al knit together without anie disiūction that whether we bee supplicants to the throne of grace wee maie al of vs come togither as ioint petitioners or whether we be the singers of thanksgiuing in the house of the Lord we maie al sing in the harmonie of the spirit or whether we be as the company of an army to stand in the gap to entreat for Cōditions of peace we may all cry togither Spare vs good Lord spare thy people bee not angrie with thine inheritance so al of vs being as so many beames issuing from the Sun of righteousnes all as brookes comming frō the fountaine of goodnes al of vs as nerues proceeding frō the head of wisdom al of vs as arteries springing from the hart of loue all of vs as veines deriued from the liver of life al of vs as lines drawne from the center of grace Al of vs going one way through truth vnto life through light vnto truth through loue vnto light hauing one hope one faith and grace of God in Christ Jesus the one only meanes of our saluation The vse hereof is to exhort al the Saints Vse seruāts of God to an vniformity in Christianity and the profession thereof that so there may be no diuision in the body for seeing a body a house a kingdome cannot stand if once deuided Alas how shal the Church of Christ the body of Christ the houshold of the faithful the kingdome of heauen vpon earth stand if there be so manie Sizers and Concisers Cutters Carvers of her members Liuie Rome in that ciuil or rather vnciuil discord betweene Crassus and Caesar and Pompey had almost lost by this threefold discorde the threefold cord of their concorde and many other Cōmon wealths haue been much wasted and impaired by the monster dissention Tacitus in vita Agrico lae Tacitus in the life of Agricola describing the figure fashion complexion chiualrie and resolution of the Britaine 's in that time obserueth this also that they were then drawne into pety partialities and factions Britan gens vali dissima Tacit and the greatest helpe that the Romanes had adversus validissimas gentes as he calleth our natiō was that they had no cōmon coūcel togither but each citty fought against their neighbours Et ita dum singuli pugnant vniversi vincūtur whilest one by one fighteth al are subdued The Romanes are againe entring our land they expect an aduantageous successe by our home-bred factions and schismes dissentions But Lord let it neuer come to passe let our Common-wealth and Church be as Ierusalem a Citty at vnitie safe as Mount Syon that shal neuer be remoued Let thy Church here be for euer the house of peace O let not her Peace-makers be her Peacebreakers let not her fathers be foster-fathers of dissention but let Patrones be patternes of vnity let her Presidents be the presidēts of vnity her Antients beare the standards of vnity let her be begirt with the wals of vnitie let her and her seruants her sonnes be guided by thee O God the God of vnity till the comming of thy Sonne Christ Iesus to iudgment J knowe J speak to an intelligent and ingenious auditorie J need not expatiat in this of the profit pleasure blessing faelicitie of vnitie You al know that she is the greatest gift of God cheifest ioy of Angels highest happines of mē fearfullest terror of diuils holiest harmonie of Saints heauenlyest Antheme of Celestial Cherubins The Empresse of the world whose priuie Counsel be the vertues whose Ladies of honor bee the Muses whose nearest attendants bee the Graces whose Gard be the Angels whose Court is prosperitie whose state is felicitie whose statuts veritie whose continuance eternitie David his Ecce as the roial vsher of this Empresse bids you behold how good gratious and happy and holy and heauenlie a thing it is to dwel together in vnity Hold it and behold it entertaine her retaine her that you maie al saie as these converts Come let vs goe vp And so J end this point and follow them in their going vp Come and let vs goe vp The life of a Christian is not the life of speculation 2 Obs not a professing life but a practising not a talking life but a walking they must not only Come together but goe together they must walke goe clime goe vp Goe repent goe vp perseuerance 1. Repent This ditty their dutie Come and let vs goe vp Jn the word go we may note their repentance in their going vp their perseuerance For the first they had lōg layen vpon the lees of vngodlines vnstird vnmoued they sat in the seat of the scornful or if they stood vp they stood but in the waie of sinners or if they walkt they walked but in the counsell of the wicked gressus digressus but now they take a newe iourney in hand they chuse new liuing waies they goe egressus regressus they goe goe out and goe on and goe vp and turne from the waie of their wickednes and from the wickednes of their waies Doctrine The doctrine gathered from the word goe is this that it is a certaine signe of salvation in a penitent sinner vpon the first knowledge acknowledgment of his sinnes to goe to the throne of grace Austin Reason St Austin giueth the reason of this doctrine Man by his going from God is deformed and poluted and altogether void of al spiritual blessings and by his returne and going back to God he obtaineth al those blessings he formerlie lost Excedendo frigescit ascendendo fervescit Recedendo tenebrescit revertendo clarescit therfore these conuerts resolue here as those did of whom St Austin speaketh In 70. Psal Conferamus nos ad te bene erit nobis de nobis malum est nobis de nobis quia commisimus malum dimisisti nos nobis The state of Christians in their conuersion is vndoubtedly most heauenlie that though Sathan hath assaulted them and sinne hath wounded them and the world tempted them and the flesh betraied them and temptation entrapped thē yet al these enimies remoue their beeseedg when the soule is desirous to turne to his God O how happie is the Christian then when he hath the father calling the sonne mouing the holy spirit perswading the word directing the rewarde inuiting Saints conuersing Angels reioicing and he himselfe singing that sweet holy Hymne Nūc dimittis Lord now lettest thou thy seruant depart in peace from the wicked waies of the world the flesh the deuil and frō the companie of al infernall complices loe J come J walke J goe J runne J clime J goe vp to the house of the Lord J repent my sinns past video meliora proboque J follow hard to the marke for the high price of my saluation Thus
must remember they that were marked to be preserued in Jerusalem they were marked with the Character 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is the last of al the Hebrew letters teaching theÌ„ that they must run their race euen to the last Their profession must be Sacramentum militare to hold vntil death like to the couenant in our Liturgy of matrimony to be kept til death vs depart like to that in the Poet of Megara to her Hercules Seneca Non vincet fidem vis vlla nostram Moriar Alcide tua They must with the a Cant. 3.4 Spouse in the Canticles take hold and not leaue the hold With b Io. 20 21. Mary Magdalen stand and wait and stay at the sepulchre they must with the c Mat. 15.22 woman of Canaan crie continue in crying calling e Heb 12.4 d Phil. 4.1 They must continue in the Lord they must be stedfast and vnmoueable alwaies abounding in the worke of the Lord. f Ps 126.6 They must goe and go on yea they must goe and go vp with these Israelites Non est ad astra mollis è terris via They must go on go vp clime and ascend if they will be trulie vpright they must go right vp to the mountaine of the Lord to the house of the God of Iacob The vse herof is to exhort those that are matriculated in the book of Christ Vse that they proue proficieÌ„ts in his Schoole that they may walke froÌ„ strength to streÌ„gth from faith to faith from vertue to vertue froÌ„ grace to grace Ps 84. Rom 1.17 2. Cor. 3 18 and so maie at length passe froÌ„ glorie to glorie That so there be no euil or vnfaithful hart in vs at any time to fal from the liuing God not starting aside as Ephraim not backsliding with Demis not gainesaying with Ecebolius not repugning with Iulian not turning from the truth with Phygellus and Hermogenes not making shipwracke of a good coÌ„science with Hymeneus and Alexander but that for euer and euer wee consecrate our bodies to his name our eares to heare his word our tongue to sound his praises our hands to be lifted vp 4 obseru our cheekes to be bedewed our knees to be bowed our feet to aproach his Courts and so I come to the place whether they goe to the mountaine of the Lord to the house of the God of Iacob The Church of God in Scripture is compared to manie seueral things Cant. 2.10 Elek 17.6 for her louelines to a a Doue for her fruitfulnes to a b Vine for her holynesseto a c Pet. 2.9 Priecthood for her royalnesse to a d Psa 45.10 Queene for her brightnesse to the e Cant. 6.9 Morning for her fairenesse faire as the fairest of f Cant. 5.9 woemeÌ„ and here for her safenesse to mount Syon not for her visiblenes as the Papists out of this other places affirme but for her stedfastnes and safenesse shee is as Mount Syon that standeth fast fore ermore For visibility we hold as it hath been often answered them that it is an externall ornament no necessary argument of Christs Church wee know that of St. Austen to be true that the Church is wel compared to the Moone In Psal 10. for as the Moone receiueth the light from the Sunne so doth the true Church receiue her light from Jesus Christ the Sunne of righteousnes And as the Moone so the Church is soÌ„etimes in the full shineth in ful brightnesse as in the Apostles times and diuers hundred yeares after Some times she is in the waine and ecclipsed as for manie hundred yeares last past it hath beene in which that Apostasie froÌ„ the faith is come which S. Paule by the spirit of God foreshewed That there should come a departing and the man of sin should be disclosed eueÌ„ the sonne of perdition 2. Thes 2.3 and more plainlie the spirit speaketh euidentlie that in the latter times some shal depart from the faith and shal giue heede vnto spirits of errour and doctrine of deuils which speake lies through hipocrisie and haue their Consciences burnt with a hot iron 1. Tim. 4.1 For the visibilitie of the Church the argument would as well befit Bethel where Ieroboam his calues had more coÌ„course then the Temple at Ierusalem and might iustifie the Ephesians clamour Great is Diana of the Ephesians whom al the world worshippeth and is as availeable to proue the Arrians to be of the Church Naziane who measured their Church by multitude not quality and the Turke maie in this contest with the Pope his Church being as apparant in shew as ceremonious for rites as superstitious in deuotion as glorious in Temples as ancient almost for succession Our aduersaries in this remeÌ„ber not how in the sacred stories the Church is hieroglyphically depainted by Noahs arke by Abrahams progeny Iobs family Eliahs complaint Nebuchadne sors furnace the Apostles latent the Christians Couchant That the Church is like a a Cant. 2.2 Lylie among the Thornes like a Lylie of the vallies Like a b Esay 1.8 Lodge in a garden of Cucumers Like a c Cant. 2.14 Doue in the holes of the rockes and in the secret places of the staires d Rev. 12.6 like a woman flying into the desert e Eze. 16.5 yea cast out into the open field to the contempt of her person Thus hath shee bin seene and skorned acknowledged but detested visible but miserable Where now is the magnificent pompe and glorie and speciositie eminencie and perspicuitie of this Church I follow these visible heretickes no farther about their visibility The Church is here named by the name of a mountaine That God who among al the fowles chose the Doue among al the flowers the Lylie among al trees the Cedar amoÌ„g al natioÌ„s Iudaea amoÌ„g al daies the Saboath among al turrets the tower of David among al Cities Ierusalem among al other mouÌ„taines hath chosen Syon for himselfe It is not Babilon that burnt mountaine Ier. 51.25 nor Horeb that smoaking mountaine Exod. 19.18 nor Eball that cursing mountaine Deut 27. â—3 nor Synai that trembling mountaine Deut 4.1 where there was fire to the midest of heauen and darknesse and mists and cloudes and thundring and lightning the Trumpet sounding and the earth quaking But it is that prepared mountaine Mich. 4.1 it is that high mountaine Esec 20.40 It is that holy mouÌ„taine Ps 2.6 Jt is the mountaine of his name Esay 18.7 it is the mountaine of his Temple Mich. 3.12 the mountaine of his testament Esay 14.13 the mountaine of the house of the Lord. Mons supra montes mons in vertice montium Some take these words to be spoken of the general Church some of the particular Temple Some that the Prophet here alludeth by the particular to the general Sion was the place where he apointed his Temple to bee built this therfore is called the
is such a ConcatenatioÌ„ in government that where there is a good king there is also a good kingdome a good Counsel a good Cleargy and a good Commonwealth the axiome euer true Rex velit honesta nemo non eadem velit If the hart of a Prince bee set vpon honest things the hartes of al others wil be set vpon the same things with him The vertues of priuate men bee only their owne of Princes and great men all the worlds dicta edicta facta exempla Their actions breed axioms their words examples If they once doe that which is preposterous their schollers will be many The disease of the head is the head of al diseases O how ought great meÌ„ to be aduised then in their actions not only for their owne sake but for the auaile of others that by vertue they may breed vertue that their goodnesse may not only be immanent but also transient especially seeing their names places offices powers and honour bee worth no estimation vnlesse vertuous and not vertuous vnlesse exemplarie to moue and draw and excite others vnto pietie and Christianity they being the watch men and rulers and heads and shepheards of the people as Homer calleth Agamemnon Hom. Ill 10 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Which Caesar truly shewed himself to be Polycrat neuer vsing the word Ite 2. Vse but the word of my Text Venite Come Secondly this may serue to the reproach of those that come not at all vnto the Lord who being withheld by their riches or withdrawn by their pleasures or detained by their profits or bewitcht by their senslesse and liuelesse cogitations they deferre procrastinate their comming vnto the Lord not vouchsafing to come to ioine with the congregation of his Saints Laert. in vita Diog Against whom Diogenes shall be witnesse who was so diligent in comming to Antisthenes that he told him he should not finde a staffe strong enough to beate him from him whilest hee had anie thing to teach him And Scipio shal rise in iudgement against them â— iuie who was so deuout in daily frequenting the Capitoll to performe diuine offices that hee was had in great honour among the Romanes for his deuotion But alas Epicurisme Atheisme Paganisme Anabaptisme Barowisme and Papisme haue so enchanted many amongst vs that they will not come vnto our Church Charme the Charmer neuer so wisely Especially our malitious enemies the Edomites Ammonites the Papists who by their doctrinal contradictions and personall maledictions doe disgordge the impostumes of their poisonfull stomackes against our faith truth religion King and God framing to theÌ„ selues a religion out of the fragments and remnants of the ancieÌ„t heresies they are become heires apparaÌ„t to all those monsters of Sathans kingdome the Montanists and Maniches and Eustathians Hull in Polytick Athiest Orm erod in picture of Pap. multi aâ—ij and Pellagians and Collyridians and Carpocratians and Marcâ—onits and Valentinians despising the truth which was deliuered by Angels preached by Prophets testified by Apostles witnessed by Martyrs sealed by the bloud of many thousand Saints and the worldes Saviour and do so farre condemne and contemne vs and our religion as that they thinke it most meritorious if they could abolish vs our seruice of God out of the land of the liuing Such are these seed of the Serpent Sonnes of Beliall workemen of Babell Pyoners of Hell so much are they incensed against vs as that they are become blood-thirsty Crocodiles hart-gnawing Vultures dilaniating Lyons poysonful Aspes in laying snares more subtile then Doeg for wicked Counsell worse then Achitophell for blasphemous impietie farre aboue Rabshakah for diuelish hunting more truculent then Nimrod for murther and massacre more sauadge then Herod for betraying of their God and King and religion and land and Nation more deuilish then euer any of the tribe of Iudas O that they had remoued their blindfolded ignorance and ignorant Idolatry or that they were remoued out of the land that so we might all goe togither as sheepe of one sheephard sonnes of one father inheritours of one kingdome Inhabiters of one Country and so might trauell togither to that eternal Ierusalem where the spirit and the bride say Come and let him that is a thirst Come Reuel and let whosoeuer will Come and drinke freely of the water of life that so with mutuall minds all of vs might moue each others as they heare doe Come and let vs. And so let vs Come froÌ„ the word Come to the words let vs the persons mouing and moued And here first behold the greatest Change 2. Obser mutation alteration metamorphosis that euer was foes receiued as friends aliants as citizens enemies as seruants the reiected as elected the Sonnes of the bond woman made free strangers to the promise made heires The Gentiles who had no couenant in hope no hope in God no God in the worlde are now conuerted accepted approued On the other side behold with terror and trembling the right Oliue tree made a wilde branch the Citizens made aliants the heires made strangers Iacob a supplanter supplanted Esau reiected receiued Israell made Ismaell Ismael made Israell and the Israelites to whom appertained the adoption and the glory and the couenant and the giuing of law and the seruice of God and the promise are now become a froward generation Doctrine The Iews peruerted and the Gentiles coÌ„uerted The doctrine that hence I gather is this they that turne from God he wil turne from them and they that turne to the Lord he will turne to them Reason 1. Sam. 2.13 The reason and proofe of this doctrine is that of God himselfe Jn Sam. They that honour me I will honour them and they that despise me I will despise theÌ„ Though the Jewes were the people whose fathers he had loued whose seed he had chosen whom he brought out of the lande of Aegypt for whom he shewed so many miracles and to whom he manifested so many mercies a people as deere to him as the apple of his eie as nere as the signet on his right hand yet if they forsake him they shall be fettered famished scattered coÌ„sumed vtterly reiected and on the other side though the Gentiles were a people odious in the sight of God and men an adulterous and Idolatrous generation yea though their sinnes were as red as scarlet he can make them as white as snow though as red as crimson if they will turne hee can make them as white as wool A strange mutatioÌ„ an vnheard of Metamorphosis Shall I tel you of Sampson so strong that proued so weake of Salomon so wise that proved so foolish of Peter a Pastor that prove an impostor of Iudas a preacher that proued a traitor of Paule a persecutor that proued a preacher what is al this to this The Iewes that were receiued are reiected the Gentiles that were reiected are receiued Shall I tell you that al the world