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A77480 Satan the leader in chief to all who resist the reparation of Sion. As it was cleared in a sermon to the Honourable House of Commons at their late solemn fast, Febr. 28. 1643. By Robert Baylie, minister at Glasgow. Published by order of the House of Commons. Baillie, Robert, 1599-1662. 1643 (1643) Wing B468; Thomason E35_17; ESTC R209954 47,169 63

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SATAN THE Leader in chief to all who resist THE REPARATION OF SION As it was cleared in a Sermon to the Honourable House of Commons at their late solemn Fast Febr. 28. 1643. By ROBERT BAYLIE Minister at Glasgow Published by Order of the House of Commons Micah 6.9 and 7.8 9. The Lords voice cryeth unto the City and the man of wisdome shall see thy name heare ye the rod and who hath appointed it Rejoice not against me O mine enemy when I fall I shall arise when I sit in darknesse the Lord shall be a light unto me I will beare the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against him untill he plead my cause and execute judgment for me he will bring me forth to the light and I shall behold his righteousnesse London Printed for SAMUEL GELLIBRAND at the Brasen Serpent in Pauls Church-yard 1643. Die Mercurii 28. Febr. 1643. IT is this day Ordered by the Commons House of Parliament That Mr. Rous doe from this House give thanks unto Master Baylie for the great paines he took in the Sermon he preached this day at the intreaty of this House at St. Margarets Westminster It being the day of publike Humiliation And to desire him to Print his Sermon And he is to have the like priviledge in Printing of it as others in like kinde usually have had H. Elsynge Cler. Parl. D. Com. I appoint SAMUEL GELLIBRAND to Print this Sermon ROBERT BAYLIE For the Right Worshipfull his much honoured friend M. ROUS One of the Members of the Honourable House of COMMONS Right Worshipfull THese late times have produced many great and sensible changes in many Time a great changeling both matters and persons I must acknowledge the power of time that mighty changeling over my minde also Some four yeers ago it was my wish and very passionate desire then publikely expressed to have had that favour of your honorable House as once to speak in their audience Ladens Autocat Praef. Notwithstanding the other day when in their Honours Name you did offer to me that singular courtesie how unwilling I was to entertain it my own heart doth know fully and you in a part can bear witnesse Verily my former desires to speak when I could not be heard were no greater then my present to keep silence when I was required to speak As I would have been very glad in so honourable an Audience to have said nothing so when your entreaty in sō great a Name had necessitated me to speak something I could have wished that what then was said might have past away without any farther notice But being it was your desire that what then was spoken should now go abroad esteeming it unfit to dispute any of your Commands in this also you shall have me obedient Be pleased therefore to receive what you required of me the Notes of that poor Sermon without any addition at all and without any change considerable It is well if it finde in the eyes of others when read that patience and respect which it had in your ears at the first hearing I know the matter it self is above any just contempt The scope of the Sermon for it is not mine but the Spirit of God's speaking to the Churches That of it which belongeth to me the managing of these divine Truths and their Application to the auditor I leave to the benigne construction of every Reader intreating his belief it was my sincere intention with so great simplicity and clearnesse as I was able To speak a word in season to every soul To let out from the fountains of Scripture the streams of consolation on the dry and parcht ground To send down from the Lamps of the Word the Rayes of divine Light for direction in these dark and misty days By the terrours of the Lord to perswade some To smite with the rod with the Sword of the Spirit the secure souls of our sleeping friends to awaken them and of our too watchfull enemies to pull them with fear but yet with all compassion out of the snare of Satan wherein now they lie captive at his will The Text led me by the hand to that most seasonable Consideration That in all quarrells about the building or rebuilding of a Church The chief parties in the present quarrell are Christ and the Devill the chief and principall parties are Christ and the Devill Men are but inferiour and subservient agents to these two Princes It is most certain That side which is for Truth for Piety for Justice must in the end triumph For it is utterly impossible that the Dragon and all his Angels though for a time and a long time they maintain the fight should ever prevail over Michael the Arch-Angel and his followers These extraordinary Commotions whereby not our Kingdom alone but the most of the neighbouring Nations are at this very hour so terribly shaken we trust they shall prove preparations for a glorious Work At the building of a Royall Palace where much rubbish is to be removed by many hands where timber stones and other materialls are to be brought together and set in the work by a multitude of divers Crafts-men no marvell if in that place for a time there be much noise and stirre much commotion and some confusion also Doubtlesse ere long The end of the present troubles must be happy the Scene of this world must be closed the Man of Sin must be beaten from the Stage which long he hath possessed The Rebellion must be removed from Jacob and the Iron sinew taken out of the neck of Israel The fulnesse of the Gentiles must be brought in with them that both may mourn after Christ their common Saviour The shaking of the Heavens and Earth are the Lords Prefaces and Prologues his antecedent Acts which must be followed with such joyfull Conclusions When we are most tossed with Tempests when we are most likely to be split upon the Rocks of desperate dangers then would we cast up within the Vail the holy Ankor of this hope the strong Cable of this confident expectation In the subsequent Discourse I glance at one Point which I wish were well weighed by all who truely minde the prosperity of the Work in hand The longsome Anatchy of this Church is lamentable Durst I have taken the boldnesse of prefacing to the whole House as indeed I was loath to presume it having already by the length of my Sermon taken from them so much of their precious time it would have been all or at least my main purpose to have proposed to their Honours and pressed that one Consideration which now forsooth is become so triviall and common in the mouth of every one that it seemeth to be rare in the heart and reall sense of many I mean these extraordinary and unexpected delays of setting up the Government of God in his House The ordering of the State and Kingdom The first care of the
that have drawne them from the hand of God are more lamentable yet the greatest cause both of lamentation and seare is that great impenitency and contempt of repentance which appeares in the most of men Though the Idolatries the Adulteries the Bloodshed the Rapines the Ignorance of God the profane contempt of the Gospel and many other crying crimes of this Land be evident to the eye of all though the great wrath of God be revealed from heaven in his most heavie judgments upon the midst and all the corners of this poore countrey yet too few doe strike upon their thigh Ier. 31.19 to be grieved for what they have done not to speak of the madnesse of our enemies whose heart is plagued with induration their Court their Clergy their mis-led people running on in their wonted wayes as the horse to the battell If we will look upon our selves we shall find that hardnesse of heart that carnall and stupid security doth lye upon the spirits of too many It were very good for the people of God to set before their minds the causes of that heavie wrath which long has lyen upon these Dominions especially to search out the grounds of provocation which most neerly concerne themselves to make a diligent enquiry of those sinnes which have bin committed within their doors with the Lamp of the Word and the greater light of the Spirit to goe through all the corners of thy owne conscience and what ever causes of wrath thou findest there to lay them all out in an humble Confession earnestly supplicating for mercy in Christs blood for amendment by the power of the sanctifying Spirit deprecating wrath and these fearfull effects of it which this day are visible upon the estates upon the bodies upon the soules of many thousands of people This duty also would be performed with constancy and perseverance And with constancy thou must stand in this posture of Prayer till that cloud be pierced and dissolved wherein God long has wrapped himself Lam. 3.44 Lam. 3.49 Nebem 7.3 5. Psal 14.7 Lam. 2.18 19. that our Prayers should not passe through it thine eye must trickle downe and not cease without intermission untill the Lord look down and behold from heaven The mourning and separation of the fifth and seventh moneth must continue all the yeares of Sions captivity when the Lord brings it back then and not before can Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad when the Lord shall be good to Sion and build up the walls of Ierusalem then may we sit down under our Vine and Figge-tree to eat of the fat and drink of the sweet But till then teares should run down like a river day and night we should give our selves no rest the apple of our eye should not cease we should arise and cry out in the night in the beginning of the Watches our hearts should be powred out like water before the face of the Lord and our hands lifted up to him for the life of our children our Husbands our Fathers our Brethren our most beloved Friends who all very quickly may be in hazard if the hand of the Lord be stretched out still Every one would be carefull conscientiously to use this means for hereby the meanest may be profitable to the distressed and languishing publike The reason hereof When Monies are wanting none are able to supply but the Rich when Errors and Schisms are to be beaten in pieces by the hammer of the truth of God none can be serviceable but the Learned when State divisions are to be cured none can help but the Wise when Battels are to be fought none can appeare to purpose but the couragious and strong But for the duty in hand which makes more for the curing of our present evills then all that either Wealth or Wit or Learning or Strength is able by it I say these may do notable service who have a very small or no portion in any visible gift even poor simple unlearned weake women if they have the spirit of prayer and will set themselves to wrestle with God they may help to remove the obstructions and further the cure of the publike miseries when all the wealth wit learning force of the kingdom cannot promove the breadth of an inch our wished ends every one must try and examine his own practise of this most needfull duty to be grieved or comforted according to their performance and care herein A Second doctrine from the former ground in all our approaches to God we must stand before the Angel A second doctrine In all our prayers we would imploy Christ Isai 22.22 Christ the Angel of the covenant must be interposed betwixt God and the soul for he is the onely way none can come to the Father but by him the keyes of the house of David are laid on his shoulder he is the only door by a wrong door or a right door if fast locked there is no entrance through him we have both an accesse to the Father Ephes 2.18 We have boldnes to enter into the Holiest by the blood of Jesus by a new and living way Heb. 10.20 The reason of this is first the wisdom and goodnes of our God The first reason who when man by the fall was banished from his presence and could have no more immediate fellowship with him hath appointed a mid-man for reconciliation to stand betwixt him man that the friendship which could not immediatly be kept might be renewed continued by such a mediation 1 Tim. 2.4 I here is one God and one mediator betwixt God and man the man Christ Iesus Heb. 8.6 He is the mediator of a better Covenant which was established upon better promises However we have promises that God wil be our God and will receive us as his people that he will remember our sins no more that he will give us an eternall inheritance yet in him only it is that we have any right to any of these promises for he only is the mediator of that Covenant Heb. 9.15 A second reason The second when we come alone to our God we cannot be welcome we are so defiled with the guilt of by-gone sinnes while we live sinne lives in us and betwixt the holy pure eyes of God and our sinfulnesse there is so great a contrarietie that if these two should meet without some interposition the justice of God would be a consuming fire to us When ever therfore we are bold to draw neer to him it is necessary to have this Angel standing betwixt us to cover our sinnes to divert wrath by the sacrifice of his soul for sinne to purchase friendship by the sprinkling of his blood to extinguish the flames of wrath A third reason The third who ever will stand before God who is to speak to that Majesty who is to walk or have any fellowship with him must in some measure be like him Heb. 12.14 holy as he is holy for without
of note in this I le except this were an houre of darknesse wherein all sorts of devils are crept out of their dens and walk so familiarly with men that they become bold now to speak of petitioning authority for a toleration that so this poor kingdome not onely in these times of confusion but for ever should be to them all a place of quiet habitation A fourth of these Against Popish Priests who presse on us the office of a proper Priest to offer up in a sacrifice upon the Altar the present body of Christ not caring to bring back with open face into our Church that grossest abomination of Popery the unbloudy sacrifice of the Masse The fifth of these Against Bishops who from the high Priest of the old Testament would inferre a Pontife and an Ecclesiastick Prince in the new by this means not onely bringing back the types and figures of Aaron the pedagogic of Moses but also with the Papists the authors of this argument re-inducing a Diocesan Bishop and a Patriarch above him with a Pope above all as Aaron was above the other Priests How farre this is against the grounds of the Gospel may be seen by the most simple in these three plain reasons First Christ hath made all the officers of the New Testament who are of the same order to be equall all to be Brethren none to be a Prince or in any degree of superiority above his fellows This is not controverted in the three extraordinary officers no Apostle above an Apostle no high Evangelist above a low one no Prophet superior to a Prophet This is also granted in 3 of the ordinary officers no Deacon above a Deacon no Elder above an Elder no Doctor above a Doctor That the like is in the seventh officer That no Pastor is a high and a great one above a small and a low Pastor the rule of proportion and the analogie of things in the same kind will make it cleare Secondly the nature and essence of Episcopacy puts the power of ordination in the hand of one man expresly against the Apostle 1 Tim. 4.14 where Ordination is put into the hands of many for it is called the laying on of the hands of the Presbytery however divers expositions of the word Presbytery are brought by some yet no man can expone it of one Bishop 3. The nature of Episcopacy puts all the Ecclesiastick Iurisdiction of a whole diocesse in the hand of one man but Christ Matth. 8. gives it to many Tell the Church none ever did expone the Church of one Bishop except some Papists who understand it of the Pope With a good conscience therefore have your Honours rooted up and cast out of the Church that evill tree which God never did plant what further also shall be found necessary for the full extermination of that cursed weed if an Ordinance were requisite to be added to the former Bills or what else the heart of good people can require for their full security from the returne of the least degree of that Popish government it is fully expected from your piety and zeal What some pleads for the antiquity of this wicked weed I wish they would answer ingenuously if any more antiquity was ever alledged by any for Bishops then is confest by all of Monks and Friers of Hermits and Nuns for Abbots and Priors also if it can be said with any colour of truth that more hurt did ever come to this Church and State by the one then now is seen and felt from the other And if England did never repent to this day for altering the old Laws and casting out of their Church and State these former Locusts what greater reason can be imagined they shall have ever to repent the putting of Bishops and their dependances out of their Laws and Land All your brethren of the reformed Churches after almost a hundred yeers experience have oft rejoyced but never grieved for banishing that degree of Antichristianisme It cannot be denyed but that Episcopacy is such a supporter of Papacie that where the one falls the other cannot stand Pluck up but this one weed in the Antichristian Kingdomes over Sea let Bishops only be removed from Italy and Spaine Germanie and France as they are from Britaine the Pope can no more stand thereafter then a head can without its body or limbs the maxime is certaine and demonstrable no Bishop no Pope The third part of the first verse contains the opposition made to Ioshua The third part of the verse expounded while he stands before the Lord to advance the interrupted work of Sions reparation Satan is at his right hand to crosse all his designes Three words here are to be expounded who is this Satan what is his standing on Ioshua his right hand and how he resists him Satan is one of the names of that great Angel who left his first habitation Iude 6. by sinning against his Creator and therefore with other Angels his followers was cast down from the heaven to the lower world to be reserved in chaines of darknesse to the day of judgement 2 Pet. 2.4 Mat. 25.71 when he is to be bound straiter and to be cast into the fire prepared for him and his Angels In the meane while he has some libertie in his chaine and prison he goes alwayes to and fro and walkes in the earth Ioh 1.7 1 Pet. 5.8 seeking whom he may devoure he flies in the aire spying his prey ever intent to assault mankind and above all the most godly for his opposition and hatred which gives him the name of Satan is most against God and for his cause against his children especially Christ whose heele he bruised in his temptations and crosse this is he who in the Revel 12.8 is called the Dragon the old Serpent the devill and Satan who with his Angels did fight against Michael and his Angels this was the wicked spirit who tempted Evah who vexed Iob who stirred up David to number the people who entred into Iudas and here sets upon Ioshua The next point is his standing upon Joshua's right hand I will passe a number of Allegories which sundry of the Ancients bring upon this phrase it seems without any Mistery to imply an opposition open but cautelous I say open for Satan lurks not he standeth not behinde Joshua his back but comes up to his side and there appears a professed and avowed enemy yet cautelous for he chooses the place of advantage the right hand is the instrument of Action it manages the Sword and every Weapon so who stands upon the right hand hath the place of advantage The third word is to resist him This was the end why Satan stood in such a place the more easily to crosse and resist all the good designs of Joshua that what ever he did or said to God or man for advancing the work of the Temple or any part of the Churches welfare he by his