whereof the Father is the first the Son the second This Person alone is incarnate uniting in the fulnesse of time to his Divine Person the nature of Man The holy Ghost is the third and yet all three are equall in Glory in Eternitie and every Divine attribute Hold fast in thy minde these plain Catechetick Scripturall Notions of God Beware to make to thy self an Idoll in thy brain to frame a false erroneous and unwritten conception of the true God If thou worship the Trinity as three divers Gods thou becomest a Pagan abolishing by the multitude of Gods the Unity of the divine Nature If thou apprehend God so much one as not three Persons thou turnest Turk a Jew an old Arian and Macedonian Heretike and which is all these in one a Socinian a reall Atheist for it is Christs own Conclusion Who honoureth not the Son Ioh. 5 23. honoureth not the Father which hath sent him The neglect the contempt the denyall of any one Person reflecteth alike on all the three and the whole God-head A third Observation upon the Reproof if time did permit A fourth Observation would be the holy and gracious practice of Christ in his hotest zeal he bringeth no false 2 Pet 1.11 no railing accusation against the devill himself the farthest he goeth against this arch-enemy is to commit him to God to be rebuked Lyes calumnies railings agianst the devill are inexcusable and would not be countenanced It is a foolish policy and a profane zeal to advance the Cause of God by the arts of the devill Lying calumnies malicious bitternesse are hellish weapons a gracious hand must not take them up were it against their very author The Arsenall of God is not so unprovided of lawfull Arms his Quiver not so disfurnished of his own Arrows that we need go borrow from Askelon or Gath from hell it self these poysoned Darts dipped in the venome of Asps in the blood of that old Serpent the father of Lyes the great Calumniator from the beginning A fourth Observation A fifth Observation God rebuketh Satan before his finall destruction his children in this are heirs to their father After a little time death will put all the wicked in a full possession of their inheritance their souls first and after the Resurrection their bodies also shall be placed in these lakes of fire but before they are to be infeoffed and seized they are to have the earnest of their fathers portion they are to be rebuked of God their secret wickednesse is to be brought to light their well-covered villanies to be proclaimed on the house tops shame and confusion to be poured on their faces their malice and violence is to be restrained their pushing horns to be hammered off by the Carpenters Satan and they will bee coopt up within so narrow a circle and bee bound with so short a chain that all may understand they are rebuked of God Also it would be a comfortable consideration to meditate on the zeal of Christ for Sion A sixth Observation against all her enemies He speaketh here as a man in a passion repeating and ingeminating his angry words The Lord rebuke thee even the Lord rebuke thee The Lord proclaimeth the sounding of his Bowels before he got Flesh the tendernesse of his compassion towards the Church before his Incarnation Certainly the sympathie of his heart and his fellow feeling with us in all our afflictions is not now diminished but rather if possible increased after his experimentall knowledge on the earth in his own person of these evils which Satan and wicked men inflict upon the godly From the Reasons which the Lord useth for Satans reproof A seventh we may behold the Devill his end and intention in molesting of Joshua the thing he seeketh is the overthrow of Jerusalem Satan driveth most at the eversion of the publike Phil. 2 21. Therefore the preservation of the publike ought to go neerest our heart Many seek their own things and not those of Jesus Christ They minde themselves much more then either Church or State This self-wisedom is foolish for if the Ship wherein thou sailest be drowned what will become of thy Goods if the house wherein thou art locked be burnt how shall thy life be saved From the first Reason the choosing of Jerusalem observe An eighth That Election is a principall ground of comfort against all Satans tentations True the difference is wide betwixt a nationall and personall Election betwixt the choice of Jerusalem or any other place to be the seat and habitation of the Church and betwixt the Election of persons to grace and glory This I may not stand to cleer onely strive to make our personall Election sure for upon the grounded assurance thereof we come to a glorious confidence that no creature neither Satan nor the World nor conscience nor any other shall ever be able to confound us Rom 8.33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect It is God that justifieth Who is he that condemneth It is Christ that dyed One of the sweetest private fruits of such a dayes exercise is to get our calling and our Election sealed Verily a penitent soul who throughly hath mourned for sin and fled to Christ for mercy who hath gotten of his spirit for a reall and sincere beginning of a through Sanctification and amendment in every thing which either within or without hath been amisse A soul this farre proceeded in Grace useth to receive the stamp of the Spirit The inward unction and witnesse that they are the Sons of God Elect and called who shall be glorified Rom 8.17 2 Pet. 1.11 after they have suffered a while to such an entrance useth to be ministred aboundantly into the everlasting Kingdom of Christ From the last Reason take but some few brief notes An ninth Jerusalem the Church of God and Joshua the chief Member of it for the time were like a Stick half burnt in the fire of the Babylonish Captivitie Out of that fire they were pulled in Gods mercy to be preserved against all the malicious assaults of Satan and his instruments From hence you see the best beloved people of God by the Devill and wicked men may be brought exceeding low and so neer to utter destruction as a stick burning in the fire is to Ashes So it was with Israel in Egypt in Babel and oft elsewhere We therefore in our most desperate cases must not despair Exod 3 2. Isai 43 2. Dan. 3.25 The burning Bush will not be consumed God hath promised to be with us in fire and water One like the Son of man walketh in the fiery Furnace with the three Children When to the eye of the World our condition is most desperate when sence maketh us cry out Lam. 3.48 â—3 My strength and my hope is perished from the Lord They have cut of my life in the dungeon and cast a stone upon me yet
chopping upon the slippery and half dead heart You see in this place he dealeth no otherwise with the very devil but be perswaded there is a time coming for a more severe reckoning The seventh of Ezekiel is often to be read by a secure people the sixth verse An end is come the end is come it watcheth for thee behold it is come the morning is come upn thee the time is come the day of trouble is neer and not the sounding of the mountains In that one verse the coming of the day of vengeance is five or six times proclaimed Happy are these who make use of the day of their mercifull Visitation The Lord hath been wonderfully good to us the War hath taken away the estates of many thousands the Sword hath bereaved many of their lives we are yet safe but can we tell how long manage well this happy day of grace humble your soul before the Lord make peace with him without further delay mourn for your known faults set your selves to amend the evil of your doings that you may be spared in the fearfull day of the Lords wrath when the sword of the field the famine and pestilence of the City may make havock of people without number Blessed are they who after so many warnings from the mouth of God in his Word from the hand of God in his Works have learned at last to be wise for their own great good Upon the Reproof The second Observation Christs rebuking of the devill will bring us to a victory over all our enemies observe first The onely way to remove all impediments and oppositions to the reparation of a Church and State is Christ his intercession with the Father against the devill That which hindered Jeshua and Zerubbabel to build the Temple to fortifie Jerusalem was that active spirit which moved and stirred up all the malignant instruments that appeared against them The Jews till this time were never able to overcome their enemies but behold so soon as Christ taketh the work in hand so soon as he rebuketh and restraineth Satan the principall enemy incontinent all the inferiour instruments on earth all these malignant men and women did fail and succumb they were no more able to trouble Gods people in their work This is the ground of our hope and comfort The opposers of the Reformation of our Church in the midst of so huge difficulties as this day on all sides beset us how shall our Sion be gotten builded when we look to the opposers their strength is exceeding great a mighty faction of declared Papists a great number of Episcopall Clergie and people openly joyning with Papists against us and both avowedly supported by Soveraign Authority Also a multitude of Sects Anabaptists Antinomians Separatists and others pushed on by a deluded conscience to oppose with all their skill with all their might all solid Reformation beside all the former a great number in all ranks and estates profane and loose persons exceeding unwilling to behold the setling of any Order which may controll them with any power in their wonted licentiousnesse Concerning the walls of Jerusalem The opposers of the Reformation of our State the establishing of Justice and Peace in the Civill State with what insuperable difficulties this work is compassed wofull experience doth teach A mighty faction of lawlesse men who have drawn away partly by perswasion and partly by force a great part of the people the greatest part of the Nobles and Soveraign Authority it self this faction of it self very potent is also supported with the help that forraign friends are able to afford and which is more then all yet named and more terrible then all flesh and blood we have to do with Principalities and Powers who act and guide with all the craft and force they are able our humane adversaries And which is yet the greatest strength of all the grievous sins of the Land which provoke the Lord God to be on the side of our enemies men and devils to strengthen their arm against us The sight of these mountains of Impediments would discourage the stoutest heart Our Comfort against both if above them all we did not see our mercifull high Priest intreating the Father for the remission of our sins for the rebuking of Satan with all vehemency the favour we know the Son hath with the Father will make him obtain all his desires Surely when these are obtained when the sins of the Land are remitted and Satan restrained all other impediments will soon be removed when the soul is separate from the body the members languish and cannor more stir when Christ hath confounded Satan men his instruments will quickly either be perswaded or forced to reason It is in vain to deal with men so long as a malignant spirit prevaileth over them The streams will run till the fountain be stopped Our first and main labour would be with Christ to restrain Satan for he is the life that vegetates he the spirit that stirres up all our opposites both in Church and State Observe againe how Christ in his debate with Satan A third observation Ioh. 8.50 Ioh. 10 30. 1 Ioh. 5.7 hath recourse to the Father that he would rebuke him The Sonne honoureth the Father he seeketh not his owne glory but the honour of the Father The Father and the Son are one for all these three that witnesse in Heaven the Father the Son and the Spirit are one true God Yet this is the order of the Divine Persons that the Father is the first the Sonne and the Spirit are both from him The Sonne from Eternity begotten of him The Spirit from Eternity proceeding from him and from the Sonne So long as the vaile of Flesh covereth the eyes of our Soule we must not enquire too curiously in this unsearchable Mystery 1 Kings 19.13 Elias wrapped his face in his Mantle when the Lord passed by him God will not be gazed upon he dischargeth it expresly under the pain of death Exod. 19.21 The malapart and Irreverent boldnesse of sundry Divines subjecting to the foul feet of their idle speculations the deepest and most unaccessible Mysteries of the holy Trinitie is justly plagued with evident and foolish errour Their eyes who will gaze on the Sun in the noon day cannot but be dazled and if that madnesse continue blindnes and excaecation inavoidable will follow Faith here if any where is the Mother of modestie The companion of simplicitie and reverence it setteth us limits at the foot of the Mountain in a farre distance Exod. 19.23 which we must not break through When we do behold with the most open face 1 Cor. 13.12 the Godhead we must be looking on our Glasse the eye must never wander from the Spectacles of the Word Onely what we see of God let it be holden fast against all contradiction Worship the Father the Son and the Spirit one true God three truely distinct Persons
holinesse none can see his face such of our selves we are not we are like to our Father old Adam till we become ingraffed in a new stock till Christ become to us a head it is he that sends down into us as living members the influence of his Spirit which begins continues and increaseth in us that life that light that love which makes us like our heavenly Father partakers of the divine nature 2. Pet. 1.4 Phil. 2.14 Iohn 15.5 Of our selves we cannot think a good thought It is he that works in us to will and to do without him we can do nothing out of him we are but lifelesse saplesse withered branches fit for nothing but the fire but in him we are the trees of righteousnesse bringing forth all manner of fruit in due season The use of this doctrine is The first use first for our information of the true cause why much of our devotion is fruitles oft times we draw neer to God but have no accesse we cry and call at the door of heaven but there is no hearing no opening no answer The reason is we have mistaken our way we have gone to the wrong door we have run ever alone in the vehemencie of our owne spirit in the fervour of our naturall desires we have forgotten our Mediator and gone to the Father without the Son or if we have begun to take him with us at once as foolish children we have run before our guide No wonder then we be disciplined for that error that Christ permitting us to assay how much we can do of our selves without him we feel our labours lost our prayers in vain no marvell there commeth no voice no message no fire from heaven on our sacrifice to give us any assurance of our acceptation Matth. 3.17 God will not shew himself well pleased with us for any thing we do when we come without the Son in whom alone he is well pleased A second use A second Use is for direction Hold fast to Christ in all thy wayes especially in thy approaches to God most of all in thy solemne Prayers on such a day as this Set Christ betwixt thee and God let all be offered up by his hand he is thy only Priest no man was permitted under the Law to offer his own sacrifice all was put in the Priests hand who laid all upon the Altar Christ is the true Altar which sanctifieth and maketh acceptable all that is laid on him When we draw neere to God by him he covereth all our infirmities he supplyeth all our defects he enableth all who seek their life in him to do every duty in such a way as is well-pleasing in the sight of God he taketh all our desires and prayers in his hand put teth them in his golden censer he kindleth them with his own fire Revel 8.3 and perfumeth them with the incense of his own merits that so dressed they may have a sweet savour in the nostrils of the Father A third use is for caution in our magnifying of Christ A third use for caution against the Antinomians beware of an old trick of the devill which of late he hath resumed and by it done more mischiefe then ever Grace and wantounesse in themselvs are most opposite yet Satan striveth to conjoyn them To turn the grace of God into wantonnesse Iude 4. Mat. 27.29 It is no new thing to adore Christ in shew while you buffet him in truth There is a generation of people who under the colour of magnifying the free grace of God of setting Christ in his Throne of advancing a Gospel way of crying down nature and legall righteousnesse with these glorious shows and pleasant words they are misled by a spirit of delusion to patronize profanity to grieve and extinguish the Spirit of grace to scoffe at repentance and sorrow for sinne to foster the fruits of the flesh to bring in the highest degree of all wickednesse a dedolence of minde a reprobation of spirit when a man has committed all wickednesse with greedinesse to be nothing grieved for it as if the Spirit of the just Lord were nothing offended with it Among the many devils who very boldly this day are walking up and down the land this is one of the worst albeit masked with the fairest shews of piety and reason Who magnifies not the Lord Iesus let him be Anathema maranatha let Iesus be all in all to thy soule make him alone thy Righteousnesse thy Sanctification thy Redemption 1 Cor. 1.30 but for all that beware to divide Christ from his Spirit his death from his life his blood from his grace Separate not faith from repentance dash out none of thy Lords commandements so long as thou livest wert thou never so holy thou hast need from thy heart to beg pardon for thy sins whosoever will neglect repentance must perish who ever will have true comfort must be a mourner Christ eurseth them that laugh now and no laughter more devillish then in the act of sin he blesseth them that mourn now and no mourning in a child of God more pious then for the offending of God and grieving of his Spirit by sinne I thought to have laid open other stratagems of Satan by occasion of the words in hand and pointed at some other very dangerous errors wher with lately this land was overgrown and which to this day are not altogether evanished First that Idolatry of the Papists in their standing before Angels and Saints for intercession before images for adoration further no Papist ever went and thus far Court-Divines here were wont to preach and print 2. Against the Arminians That wickednes of Arminius denying the commerce of the Israelites with the Angel of the Covenant taking away the knowledg of Christ from the very Patriarchs and Prophets that however Christ speak expresly of Abrahams seeing of his day reioicing therin yet the Lord must have the open lie and Abrahams both sight and joy must go no further then to his son Isaac the type of Christ they must be terminate in the shadow and not go through to the substance It is the lesse wonder that this man and his followers should steal Christ out of the Law since under the Gospel they really remove him from the hearts of the people putting free-will in the place of grace and in stead of our justification by Christ would teach us that old fundamental error of the Papists justification by works and inherent righteousness to wit by faith as a worke in us Strange that any Protestant Divines should yet stumble upon that infamous stone 3. Against the Socinians That horrible wickednesse of the Socinians denying the Angel of our Text to be Christ because he had no being before his conception denying his Incarnation abolishing his divine nature blaspheming the Trinity A wonder that so foul a spirit should ever have gotten entrance in any famous Divine or other man
in Fasting and Praying with Faith and Sanctification one of these is more precious then a thousand others who notwithstanding all their fighting and disputing for the common Cause do continue to grieve the good Spirit of God to strengthen the hand of Satan against us going on after all these publike Humiliations in their wonted course of security neglecting the mortification of their secret lusts and all carefull walking with God in the Spirit of their minde to any true pleasing A second Observation might be made on this passage A second Doctrine Satan opposeth most our prayers for Sion That Satan his invasion of the godly is most in their Worship and specially in their prayers for the publike as here he resisteth Joshua when he is standing before God to petition for the ruined estate of Sion No wonder the people of God at these solemn times of publike Supplications The godly most distracted with temptations in time of publike humiliation Gen. 15.11 Matth. 13.4 fall short of their intended services That their hearts come not up to their desires in the acts of Worship That vageing of minde hardnesse of heart fruitlesnesse of hearing lie hardest then upon them The reason is Satans speciall attendance at these occasions above any The ravenous birds wait upon Abraham onely at his Sacrifices the fowls go out with the sower to pick up the good Seed to make the Word and the Worship unprofitable Our heart of it self is very earthly carnall dead and vain yet besides all its inward Malignitie Satan by his tentations strives to inspire it at these holy times with so much of his supernaturall wickednesse as he is able It should adde to our grief when our sensible miscarriage in so holy an exercise demonstrateth not onely the presence of a devill with us but also his prevalence over us for our great hurt Also it is a matter of singular comfort when we get grace to discharge ourselves of these solemn services in some measure acceptably When with a Spirit enlightned enlivened enflamed melted from above we get our souls poured out before God for the publike sins and publike distresses When with an holy an honest and vigorous bent-sail of spirit we have begged mercy and what else we conceive needfull for our selves and others When in an attentive and faithfull heart we receive the heavenly Seed of the Word and feel our selves thereby strengthned to walk in the wayes of God to mourn for and fight against the corruptions of our heart and life This is a matter of joy for this cause among others that hereby we obtain a sensible victory over that strong spirit who hath not been able as oft at other times to deprive us of the comfort and fruit of the Worship Christ who at such a time maketh thee clearly victorious over Satan shall shortly make thee to triumph and tread him under thy feet A third Observation might here also be pointed at A third Doctrine Satan resisteth most the Ministers of Gods house if time did not strait Satan his speciall malice is against Joshua the high Priest his speciall enmitie is against the servants of Gods House the Messenger of Satan buffeteth Paul it was Peter and the Apostles that Satan sought to winnow 2 Co. 12.7 Lu6e 22.31 and sift as Wheat The Reason is They are the Pastors of Gods flock The Reason when the Shepheard is stricken the flock will be scattered They are the Stewards of Gods House If the Steward become unfaithfull the children of the family will be in danger of starving They are the Officers of Gods Army if the Leaders and Standard-Bearers fall the Souldiers will soon be put to the flight They are the light of the World if the Lamps be extinguished the House sitteth in darknesse and the shadow of death They are the Salt of the Earth if they become unsavoury the people are in danger to become a polluted and unsavoury Sacrifice Great care would be had for the assistance and comfort of the servants of Gods House The Use the people would bear them in their hearts before God and pray for the abundance of the Spirit of grace upon them the grace of God on the Pastors turneth to the benefit of the people the oyntment poured on the head of Aaron dropped down to his feet and drenched the lowest borders of his garment When the Lord clothes his Priests with Righteousnesse and Salvation then do all the Saints shout aloud for joy the people not onely by their prayers to God would assist and hold up the weary hands of their Pastors as Aaron and Hur did the hands of Moses but also by their loving countenance their liberall maintenance their ready obedience would give them all encouragement Heb. 13.17 They watch for your soul obey them therefore that they may do their work with joy and not with grief for that is unprofitable for you When most of the day and much of the night they have been with God on the Mount for your welfare when much of their time hath been spent in combating with Satan for the safety of your soul Is it meet that they should be grieved The honourable Houses would see to the encouragement of Gods servants or their hands weakned by your neglect of them or miscarriage towards them Doubtlesse it will be the speciall care of this religious and wise Senate to establish such Orders in all this Land for the House of God that his Ministers shall be encouraged to set themselves with all cheerfulnesse about the salvation of the peoples souls Your Honors wil so provide it that the Pastors shall have nothing to do but with God and with souls and with devils to hold off by their Spirituall weapons these roaing Lions from their flocks questionles your Pieties will procure so much due respect and so honorable a maintenance for every servant of God in this land that without disquietnes of minde or solicitude for the things of this world they may wait wholly on their Spirituall Charges The Pagan Princes of old the Turkish this day the ancient Popish Parliaments and the late Prelaticall have demonstrate their care for that which they esteemed the service of their God it will be very far from this most hopefull of all Parliaments for which the Lord hath already done so many and so great things which also for time to come hath so much need of the speciall assistance and singular help of God that they should in this so naturall so reasonable so Christian a Duty towards the servants of God be any ways lacking Most wisely and with all reason have they procured the Lamps of the House of God to be set in such posture as their light may best shine to the use of men Starres though otherwise great and full of light if they move in too high a Sphear become either invisible or of an obscure and bad light for little use to men below upon earth The