cleaner innocency then other men Decius and Trajan two of the best and most moderate and just Emperours otherwise raised as cruell stormes of persecution against Christians as others that were seven times more loose and brutish So you may observe many amongst us that stand strictly upon a streightnesse and rectitude of Morall honesty doing no man wrong that will tythe Mint and Anise and Cummin very truly and exactly who yet carry the gall of Aspes under their lips to cast it forth upon the Children of God when they see their time and are alwayes in travell of mischiefe against them Those high Priests and Pharisees that hunted after the precious life of our Saviour were men that began to expostulate with Pilate the Governour and to take it ill at his hands that he would not so far honour and adore their integrity and uprightnesse as to proceed against Christ as an evill doer without knowing any other ground why he should proceed against him but only because such honest and just men as they had delivered him unto him Pilate then went out and said What accusation bring you against this man They answered and said unto him If he were not an evill doer wee would not have delivered him up unto thee John 18.29 30. And it may be these very bloody thoughts and purposes of such men against the Gospell may be a bridle in the jawes of their unrighteous and base dispositions and lust otherwise and keep them from any notorious breaking out in other cases They may by this meanes the better colour over and cover with a Cloake of civill honesty the foulnesse of their hatred and malicious practises against holy men I remember one observes well how the Romane State of old laboured to shadow and hide from the view of the world as well as they could a foule and base practise of theirs They had an evill eye upon Ptolomies great wealth and treasury as they had heard it to be and they knew not well how or upon what pretence to invade and seise upon it because Ptolomy was a friend and confederate with their State Friend or foe they were resolved not to lose such a booty and because they would put the best face upon the businesse they could they made Cato who was the great Patron of Justice in their State to be the Pablicus Praedo to be the great thiefe that should make the spoile for them Vt summa turpitudo facti authoritate viri aliquantulum tegeretur saith my Author That the notorious basenesse of the fact might be a little overshadowed by the credit and authority of the man that was the principall actor in it So I verily beleeve that the desires and intentions that many men have to oppresse the Church of God and to roote out the holy Seed from the earth and to do it in a more creditable way that they might be thought to doe nothing but that which is just and right and be countenanced by the world in their deed keepes many in awe from breaking out into many other base and notorious practises Who knows whether those two thiefes should have been crucified and put to death at all but especially at that time when our Saviour was crucified had it not been to make a pretence and beare the world in hand that there was the same justice and equity used in crucifying him in the midst that was in putting to death those on either hand But not to stand further upon this Therefore now let such men as either intend or practise evill against the Church of God or any member of it if they be worshippers of the goddesse Civill justice let them know and consider that they shall but blaspheme this goddesse of theirs by attempting any thing against these men in stead of washing their hands in innocency they shall now wash them in innocent blood For these are men that live peaceably by them and doe them no harme they take no mans Oxe nor Asse from them they are no enemies to the Civill peace and society of men they are no disturbers of the publique affaires of States and Kingdomes Nay they pray for the People and State wheresoever they live and they have intelligence with heaven with the King of kings who makes earthly Crownes to flourish upon the heads of Princes and who watcheth over Kingdomes and Nations for good for the wealth and peace of the places where they live Therefore let their enemies know whoever they be that they cannot but be unrighteous and unjust in all their practises against them Have thou nothing to doe with that just man saith Pilates wife to him It is a terrible thing to measure out unrighteous and hard measure to him that is just It is reported by some that the Jewes till this day impute that grievous judgement of God that hath lyen so heavy upon their Nation for so many generations from the destruction of their City Temple and State to the death of Simeon the just They may truly impute it to the death and murther of one that was just indeed But him they shall not acknowledge to be just till the time comes wherein they shall see him whom they have pierced When Stephen sought to aggravate the sin of those that put Christ to death and to represent it unto their consciences in the full proportion of it that they might the more easily apprehend it and consider of it he calls them the murtherers and betrayers of that just One. Acts 7.52 And Peter in like manner saith Act. 3.14 Ye denied the holy One and just and desired a murtherer to be given unto you which shewes that the consideration of the justnesse and righteousnes in those men whom they doe oppresse and seeke to destroy is an argument most likely to affect the hearts worke upon the consciences of wicked men Know ye not saith Paul 1 Cor. 6.9 that the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdome of God As if it were a sin of all others most apparently incompatible and inconsistent with the love and favour of God even in the judgement and conscience of naturall men And to draw the point a little to the present occasion those Children of the curse that thought to have undermined the foundations both of the Religion and People of God in the Land at once and to have turned up all by the rootes that thought to have blasted that glory and beauty of the Land with the black breath of their displeasure doubtlesse if they had but lookt the Religion and Men in the faces against whom they were drawing such an arrow as that was their bow would have fallen out of their hand at their feete they could never have been able 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to looke their owne hellish project in the face if they had but considered the innocency and righteousnesse of that Religion and that People against which the dint and fury of it was chiefly bent they would have relented in the greatest heate of their passion fury and indignation as Esau did towards Iacob his brother if they had but patiently considered of what spirit they had been both People and Religion whose ruine they had sworne and bloodily conspired Many good workes saith our Saviour to the Jewes have I shewed you from my Father Joh. 10.32 For which of these workes doe you stone me Implying that they could have no other reason to proceed with violence against him but only the good he had done amongst them So may the Religion State and People against which these firebrands of hell breathed out nothing but new-found death ruine and confusion say unto them They have done you many good offices for which of them must they be destroyed by such a barbarous and unchristian destruction They have nourished and harboured you in their land they have sought the conversion and salvation of your soules they have pardoned and passed by many foule and wicked practises of men of your party and faction before and have not executed the just severity of the Lawes upon them they have been tender of their lives and sought every way to doe them good It must be for some of these that the horrible pit of destruction must be prepared against us the Gun-powder and Billets and Barres of Iron must take vengeance on some good worke or other other unrighteousnesse other provocation against us can there none be found But as it was true that the Jewes did seeke to stone our Saviour to death for some or all those good workes hee had shewed them however they rejected such a charge with deep indignation for thy good workes we stone thee not but for blasphemy and Esay prophecied as much in effect long before Esa 53.9.33 And he made his Grave with the wicked he the people of the Jewes made his Grave with the wicked and with the rich and honourable they did seek to shame him and yet honoured him about his death and buriall the one they did out of their owne wicked and malicious disposition against him the other was done by them by an over-ruling hand of God and both that which they did according to their owne desires and that which God caused to be done according to his desire had the same ground and reason in the person of our Saviour viz. because he had done no violence neither was there any deceit found in his mouth the Jewes they could not endure his exquisite holinesse and integrity and therefore they laboured to quench the spirit of the glory of it and sought to disgrace it God on the other side he could not endure to see such absolute innocency altogether suppressed and therefore he would honor him and so they came to divide the matter between them as Esay excellently expresseth it but evident it is from this place that it was his perfect integrity and uprightnesse that drew out the malice of their spirits against him so doubtlesse it was the holinesse and purity of the Religion and people against whose faces that dreadfull engine of death was chiefly bent that both enraged the cursed spirits of these men against them and that drew that gracious and glorious deliverance out of the hand of God unto them FINIS
hath given away and bestowed him with all his Greatnesse Majesty and Power upon his poore creature he hath made away himselfe from himselfe as far as his power was to make the alienation he cannot indeed deny himselfe saith the Apostle 2 Tim. 2.13 But his goodnesse it seemes hath tempted him to make a faire attempt to doe it It is the excellent prerogative of his infinite and incomprehensible beeing to doe with himselfe what he will what he can to the uttermost to give bestow alienate exchange himselfe c. and yet to be never the further off from the entire and full possession of the enjoyment of himselfe but rather to enjoy himselfe with the most advantage at the greatest distance So is it the native and genuine property of created goodnesse to quit and leave the Center to walk the circumference to forget one that it may remember many to be thrifty and sparing at home that it may be liberall and magnificent abroad And the reward of this goodnesse is the further it issueth and goeth abroad from home the richer laden it still returneth and maketh the greatest earnings of its owne expences That greatnesse which watereth not which refresheth not its owne roote by watering of others that seeketh not its maintenance enlargement and exaltation by the lifting up others from the dust will soone vanish like a pillar of smoke the roote of it will soone be rottennesse and the blossome thereof rise up as the dust There is nothing good but that for which something is the better Observe thirdly from the truth delivered how and by what meanes and from whence the Church and Children of God come to be so richly furnished so gloriously provided above the rest of the world with those precious habiliaments and ornaments of grace how they come to shine like Stars in the world in Knowledge Faith Love Patience Humility Goodnesse Temperance Zeale c. whereas other men made of the same flesh and blood with them are but as dull dusky and slimy clods of earth having neither ray of this beauty nor beame of this brightnesse found in them The Ground and Reason of the difference is to be seen face to face in the Doctrine The men so far exalted above their fellowes have a speciall relation to and peculiar interest in God And is it then any marvell if they be not like unto other men if the wealth and state and magnificence of heaven be found upon them if they be arrayed in holinesse like the Angels of God We use to say there is no fishing to fishing in the Sea no service to the service of a King and may we not adde no interest to an interest in God Can any man thinke that God who is that great King Mal. 1.14 in his greatest love and dearest affections should suffer his sons and daughters to be clothed with rags to walke up and downe the world with their nakednesse seen after the manner of the children of the devill whose estate is broken and sunke as low as the bottome of hell neither is able to give any other clothing or covering to his brood but that of shame and confusion of face The Kings daughter saith David Psal 45.13 is glorious within her clothing is of wrought Gold Impliing that the richnesse of her attire being not only of Gold which is the richest of Metals but of Gold improved and which hath further cost bestowed upon it by the working is but sutable to the state and condition of her Father being a King In former times there was a rate of costlinesse in garments allowed in Kings children which it seemes was not permitted others of inferiour Parentage at least not practised 2 Sam. 13.18 Ignorant and carnall men whose thoughts intermeddle not with this deare and deep interest the Saints have in God are ready and apt to take offence at their singular Holinesse Zeale exquisitenesse of life and waies above other men and to thinke they doe but artificially counterfait and dissemble by rule and hold as it were correspondence with the devill that he might furnish them with these shewes and semblances and appearances of great things and that there is no truth nor substance in them as we reade Mat. 13.37 that the Iewes not knowing Christ to be the person he was to have the relation unto God of a naturall Son but supposing he had Father and Mother amongst them of as meane and ordinary ranke as most of them had were offended at him in respect of that wisdome and those mighty workes that put forth themselves in him they could not tell how he should come honestly by either it is like they thought he might deale with the devill and have these rare commodities from him So many in the world being strangers to those termes which stand between the God of the whole earth and those that are in Covenant with him and knowing nothing more by such in such a way then by themselves and others when they see any thing greater and more excellent at least that seemes such in these men then in others or themselves they cannot tell how they should come by it in an ordinary and lawful way and so the devill being nearer at hand to them then God he bids them challenge him for the Author thereof bids them say it is he that teacheth and enableth them to dissemble strongly And they like obedient children conforme themselves whereby it comes to passe that the heavenly graces of the Saints which come down from above from God the Father of Lights as S. Iames speaketh are reproached by their Parentage and charged to be from beneath and to come from the devill the father of the darknesse of this world Men in many cases of this nature had rather venture the falling into a desperate error that makes for them then turne themselves a little about to behold the face of a truth that is bent against them When we see a woman richer then ordinary in Jewels Habit and Attire if she be knowne to be the wife or daughter of some Nobleman who is both nobly minded and by reason of the vastnesse of his estate is as able to furnish them with the richest Jewels as an ordinary man his wife with Pins and lighter ornaments we never so much as once question whether the Diamonds she weares be Bristoll stones or no or whether any thing be counterfait or base about her The knowledge of his greatnesse every wayes both for estate and spirit to whom this woman stands in so neare a relation stops the way against all such reasonings as these and over-rules our thoughts So if men first knew the unsearchable riches of God and of what spirit he is this way together with the mightinesse of his power to give spirituall treasure as Grace Holinesse Zeal c. in greatest abundance and secondly how neare the relation is betwixt him and his Church and People they could not lightly so much as in all their thoughts
that though all the wayes and pathes of God are Mercy and Truth unto his Church and such as keep his Covenant as David speakes yet are there many things in these wayes of his Ps 25.14 very liable and obnoxious for a time to another interpretation To give the true sense and meaning of all passages in Gods providence and administration towards his Church requires an Interpreter one of a thousand God may be comming towards his Church in a way of Mercy and Truth when the thoughts of our hearts are ready to say he is comming in a way of judgement and destruction There was given to me saith S. Paul 2 Cor. 12.7 A messenger from or of Satan It was well spied of S. Paul to finde out a gift of God in a message and messenger from the devill It sometimes requires much wisdome and pondering and consideration of things to understand the loving kindnesse of the Lord in them as David speakes Psal 107.43 There are some things hard to be understood saith Peter in Pauls Epistles which some pervert to their owne destruction So are there in Gods government of the Church many things hard to be understood for a season which some pervert to their owne discomfiture till God himselfe by the light of a joyfull issue cleeres his owne intent and meaning therein A 3. thing to be coÌ„sidered is that as it was said of Christ the head of the Church that he was appointed or set up for the falling as well as for the rising of many in Israel So is it true likewise of the whole body of the Church God hath so appointed it and so carries and orders the affaires state and condition of it that it shall be and must be the great stumbling stone of the world upon which the principle haters of God and his truth shall dash themselves in pieces God could have confounded the world and the wise things therof otherwise and have brought to nought the mighty things of it by a more immediate way but said the holy Ghost God hath chosen the weake 1 Cor. 1.27 28. things of the world and the foolish things and things that are not to doe it by God divides the glory with his Church he will honour himselfe and his Church together in the destruction of the world God could have tempered another cup that should have been as present death to the Nations to have drunke of it Zach. 12.2 but Ierusalem must be made the cup of poyson to all the people round about when they shall be in the siege against Judah and Jerusalem He could have framed and throwne Millstones downe from heaven upon all people as he did upon those five Kings and their Armies in the dayes of Ioshua Iosh 10.11 but Ierusalem againe must be made the heavy stone for all people that whosoever shall offer to heave at it and lift it up to carry it away shall be torne in pieces by it though all the earth should be gathered together against it Zach. 12.3 The Church of Rome indeed gapes after this priviledge and makes account that all Nations and Churches in the world that will not bow downe and serve her and fall downe and worship her shall be destroyed and imputes the fearefull desolation of the Grecian Churches to that enmity against her which they professe to this day Fourthly it is to bee knowne likewise and considered that the Church is not appointed only and simply to be the destruction of the wicked and enemies of God but to be their destruction in a speciall and more remarkable way and manner viz. in the nature of a Snare that they may not feare nor thinke of destruction from it till it be upon them or that kinde of destruction which the Scripture usually calls a being confounded Behold all they that provoke thee saith Esay 41.11 shall be ashamed and confounded To be confounded properly is this when a man hath been lifted up in great hopes and confidence of successe victory and prevailing in any thing and then on a sudden quite besides his expectation is brought downe and falls upon inevitable destruction knowes not how to help himselfe And so the other word that is joyned with it of being ashamed is a word of like importance we know it is not simply poverty and want and a meane condition that makes a man ashamed in the world but only when it succeeds riches and plenty and fulnesse A poore man in the Country that is borne only to inherite the dust that had never a good Coate on his back since he was borne he is not ashamed of a 〈…〉 walkes and holds up his head and shewes his face before any man for all that but take a Courtier or a Merchant or a Citizen of best ranke and quality that have been clothed with fine linnen and fared deliciously every day that have not been seen but in soft raiment in Silke in Silver and Gold if such a man shall be brought downe to rags and have no better to put on but some course Mantle or the like this makes him hold downe his head and ashamed to shew his face to any that knowes him So when the Lord saith that the enemies of his Church shall be ashamed it implies that they shall have a time granted them wherein they shall flourish like a green Bay tree which tastes not of Winter as most trees besides do losing the beauty and verdure and comelinesse of their leaves which the Bay tree doth not that they shall have a time wherein they shall doe even what they list in the world as David speakes Psal 73.7 c. or as the originall hath it shall even passe the desires of the heart that is shall have more power and authority and glory in the world then they could well tell what to doe with wherein they shall have the Saints of God and the Church of the most High under their feet and shall throw downe the foundations and shall see no man able to doe any thing against them able or likely to make resistance In this great prosperity of theirs and poore and contemptible condition of the Church before them God layes the foundation and corner stone of their shame and confusion which otherwise to speake properly could not be brought to passe And â—o those two similitudes we opened out of Zach. 12.23 whereby the Lord represented unto us how termes stand between his Church and the wicked the enemies of it in this point viz. that the Church should certainly be the ruine and confusion of the wicked they both cary an intimatioÌ„ of what I now speak of viz. that the Church shall be their destruction in the nature of a Snare or in such a way and at such a time when they shall little feare it or expect it Jerusalem shall be a cup of poyson to all the people i. e. when the people shall thinke the Church fit to be devoured and swallowed up and shall thinke to
eye hath cost the world deare The touching of it hath cost the blood of the greatest Monarchs of many Kings and Princes of the earth It hath cost whole Monarchies Kingdomes and States the greatest the richest the strongest that ever the world saw their whole Estates Riches Glory and Peace True we reade often of the jealousie of God over his great name in respect of any pollutions and prophanation of it by other sins but we do not reade of his great jealousie but only for and over Jerusalem his Church but as concerning the case of Jerusalem wee reade of it twice in the same Prophet Zach. 1.14.8.2 As if God had a jealousie and a jealousie a two-fold jealousie a double and a single a greater and a lesse and the lesser jealousie he puts on and armes himselfe with when he went forth to execute vengeance for other sins but whē he sets forth against the enemies of his Church when he comes to plead Jerusalems cause with her adversaries his double jealousie now went on his great jealousie was reserved for causes of this nature as of highest and greatest importance for his glory Yea I shall say yet more that when men have put forth their hands to this worke I meane to afflict the Church of God upon the fairest termes upon greatest advantage or likelihood that can be conceived of doing any good upon it and making earnings of it I meane when they have seemed in doing it even to give the right hand of fellowship to God himselfe when he hath begun to punish them yet did never any man come off fairely from the worke God still found something or other against those that were his workmen and executioners which made a breach between him and them they never eate of their labours nor ever rejoyced in any of these works of their hand seldome any of their heads went downe in peace to their Graves An instance hereof we may see in the Aegyptians according to the Lords owne prediction long before how it would fall out Know for a surety saith the Lord to Abraham Gen. 15.13 14. that thy seed shall be a stranger in a Land that is not theirs and shall serve them and they shall afflict them foure hundred yeares notwithstanding the Nation whom they shall ferve will I judge c. And that God did not only foresee and foretell this that the Israelites should serve the Aegyptians and be in bondage but that himselfe had a speciall hand in it in bringing it to passe it is evident from Psal 105.25 where it is said that God turned their heart i. e. the heart of the Aegyptians to hate his people and to deale craftily with his servants because they began now to be corrupted in Aegypt and to displease him God tooke off the good will and the affections of the Aegyptians from them and yet we know how deare the Aegyptians paid for that worke and service the Israelites did them they had better have given double treble wages to other men to have made their Bricks then to have the people of God make them for nothing Other instances of like nature you may finde in Scripture Esa 36.20 if you reade Psal 78.61.2 with Psal 65.8 you shall finde a passage of like importance Rabsheka it is like lyed or at least spake upon a groundlesse presumption viz. because till then he had prospered when he told Hezekia's messengers that he was not come against Jerusalem without the Lord God had said to him destroy it But in Nebuchadnezzar King of Babel the case is plaine 2 Chron. 36.17 it is said expresly that God brought upon them the King of the Caldeans yet if you reade Ier. 50.17 18. besides many other places you shall finde he had his wages paid him in sorrow and desolation Israel is scattered as Sheep the Lions have driven him away First the King of Assyria hath devoured him and last this Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon hath broken his bones Therefore saith the Lord of Hosts the God of Israel Behold I will punish the King of Babylon and his Land as I have punished the King of Assyria c. So Iudges 3.12 you may reade the like of Eglon King of Moab it is expresly said that God strengthened his hand against Israel c. yet we know this medling with Israel was his ruine As for example of the just vengeance and fiery indignation of the Lord breaking out upon those who without any warrant or commission from him have evill intreated despitefully used oppressed and persecuted the Church of God these both in sacred Records and other Histories of the Church are without end or number There is not only a Cloud of such witnesses but the whole heaven is spread over with them and divers of them known unto all men So that it would be but time lost to produce them Therefore now I beseech you consider you that are enemies of the truth that have imbittered spirits against the holy City and Church of God consider and ponder with your selves the truth and weight of this motive There was no man ever spread a snare to take the People of God with but first or last if he continued his malice his owne foot was taken with it No man ever digged a Pit for such but fell himselfe into it no man ever attempted mischief against it and continued in it but it still returned upon him and fell on his own pate as David speaketh It was the argument the Lord Jesus Christ himselfe used to Paul when he tooke him hard at this worke busie in persecuting the Saints and meant to take him off from it Saul Saul why persecutest thou me Act. 9.5 It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 against sharpe pointed Irons as Goads or Nailes have teaching that a man cannot lift up his hand or heele against the meanest of the servants of God but with as much folly and madnesse and with as little hope of doing themselves good as he that shall stand chopping and dashing his naked hands or feete against the sharpest points of weapons or instruments made of Steele or Iron Pilates wives argument that she used to take of her husband from having any thing further to doe against Christ was that she had suffered many things that day in a dreame by reason of him Mat. 27.19 But the argument wherewith the Holy Ghost now presseth upon you to have no more to doe against these men is of greater efficacy not only one womā hath suffered many things in a dreame but a thousand thousands both men and women whole Nations and Kingdomes and States as was said Kings and Princes and mighty ones of the earth have suffered really full waking in deed and in truth the soarest and most grievous destructions the most fierce fiery and horrid judgements that the world hath seen To let all other instances passe only to mention that fiery storme and tempest which was the