it proposeth unto it self are chiefly two Policie and Power The greatnes of this world doth walk upon these two leggs Rabsakeh doth acknowledge that counsell and strength are for warre and all the states of Isa 36. 5. this world are states of warre for there is no peace to the wicked saith the Lord Isa 48. 22. By policy we understand all the contrivances of humane wit and reason to compasse self-ends and whether the contrivance be fair or foul if it but reach the end it will serve the turne of a naturall states-man Babylon doth boast of her wisdom Isa 47. 10 12 13. Thy wisdom and thy knowledge hath perverted thee saith the Prophet and immediately before Thou hast trusted in thy wickednes thou hast said None seeth me The men of this world lay their plots deep they seek deep to hide their counsell from the Lord their works are in the dark and they say Who seeth us who knoweth us Isa 29. 15. But the children of light delight to walk in the light and in the presence of their God to doe all things openly because they know that nothing is hid but it shall be revealed The counsells of Babylon are not only such as proceed from the principles of naturall truth honest and justice whereunto all pretend for their own ends but such as admit of all craft subtilty and deceit nay of witch-craft sorceries and inchantments Stand now with thine inchantments and the multitude of thy sorceries wherein thou hast laboured from thy youth saith the Prophet And this is the finall result of all humane deceits and policies which tend to wickednes Satan becomes their oracle The power of Babylon is all the riches the strength and the authority which it can purchase to make it self considerable whereby it doth exalt it self in comparison of others and what with allurements on the one side and with terrours on the other or with actuall violence it laboureth to bring all into subjection to it self But the means by which the City of God doth compasse the end of her government are also two namely the word and the spirit This is my Covenant with them saith the Lord my Spirit which is upon thee and my words which I have put in thy mouth shall not depart out of thy mouth nor out of the mouth of thy seed nor out of the mouth of thy seeds seed The Covenant on Gods part is to furnish his Church with the Word and Spirit these are the two guides of truth to lead all that come to God in all his truth by these two namely through the spirit according to the word the Church is setled in a way of government under Christ with diversities of offices and differences of gifts of administrations and of operations answerable thereunto the office of ministring the Word 1 Cor. 1â— and Sacraments the office of ruling and overseeing the flock the office of distributing unto the necessities of the Saints are the principall and ordinary means of bringing the Citizens of Jerusalem to have communion with God The administration of Instruction of Exhortation of Comfort of Reproof and of Correction in the way of government judgement and discipline by the use of the keys of the Kingdome of Heaven to shut it upon the refractory and to open it unto the penitent sinners are the duties of those to whom the offices are committed all which they must doe not in a Lordly way but according to the rule as stewards of the mysteries and manifold gifts and graces of God ordained for the edification of the Children of God in the household of Faith The manner of dealing which Babylon useth towards 4 4. In their opposite manner of dealing Revel 17. 3. her subjects is that which men use towards beasts she rideth upon the beast I understand this of the beastly part of humane nature for the corruption of our nature in that which is sensuall and carnall doth put us in the case and condition of beasts to be ruled and governed as they are this way of ruling men as beasts is practised when with absolute power she doth bring her subjects unto absolute obedience when they are bound to doe all by an implicite faith ignorantly only because she doth command it to be done even as a horse turneth this or that way only because he that rideth on him doth draw the bridle to the right or left hand When they are led by baits and sensuall allurements of pleasure or profit or imaginary greatnes and when they are over-awed with the whip and the spurre and driven to doe whatsoever she doth please without any respect to reason or conscience for their own good but only to exalt her greatnes in this world And this is the way of all humane government which is meerly naturall nay the use of naturall reason as it reflecteth upon outward things without respect unto God doth teach the great ones of this world none other way to deal with their subjects and herein the great Romish whore of Babylon the Mother of Fornication hath outstript all the rest of the Earth in policy and shewed to all the Kings of the earth the depth of the mystery of iniquity in this government so that they have drunk out of the cup of her fornications and their statesmen have committed adultery with her But the manner of dealing which is used in the City of God towards the inhabitants of Jerusalem is not at all Arbitrary it is altogether Legall there is but one Law-giver Jesus Christ and under him the government is to be administred even as he himself when he was in the flesh did behave himself in the administration thereof towards his subjects He was not as a Lord over them but as their servant in love to admit of them and to receive them to the glory of God His way of dealing was to inlighten their understandings to exhort them and to lead them forth in the way wherein they were to walk and to go before them By this rule all the officers of his Kingdom are to walk towards his servants all his true servants are his members and these have as great a right in him as those whom he hath made rulers over them in him they are all but fellow-servants and Brethren and the meanest of them in case of any offence may call the greatest nay though he were an Apostle yea and the chiefest of the Apostles as we see it fell out in Acts chap. 11. to an account to shew the grounds and reason of his proceeding in any matter and to this effect Thrones of judgement are set even Thrones of the house of Dâ—vid within Jerusalem By the means of these thrones all the liberties and priviledges of the Children of God are preserved and none for all are alike accountable to them is suffered to live and doe what he pleaseth in an Arbitrary way whether he be high or low to the throne of Christ he must stoop or be
ISRAELS CALL TO MARCH OVT OF BABYLON UNTO JERVSALEM OPENED IN A SERMON BEFORE The Honourable House of Commons assembled in PARLIAMENT Novemb. 26. 1645. being the day of Publique Humiliation By John Durye a Member of the Assembly of Divines Published by Order of the House of COMMONS LONDON Printed by G. M. for Tho. Vnderhill at the signe of the Bible in Wood-street 1646. Die Mercurij 26o. Novemb. 1645. ORdered by the Commons assembled in PARLIAMENT that Sir Gilbert Pickering and Sir John Clotworthy do give thanks from this House to M. Durye for the great pains 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 it is ordered that none shall print this Sermon without being authorized under his hand-writing H. Elsynge Cler. Parl. D. Com. I Appoint Thomas Vnderhill to print my Sermon John Durye TO THE HONOVRABLE HOVSE of Commons assembled in PARLIAMENT THe great work of Reformation which is put into your hand hath many and great advantages That it is undoubtedly a work which God alone can bring to passe That he will in his own time accomplish it That it cannot be wrought any other way then by the advancement of the Gospel of Christ That none can be instrumentall in it but such is are the trees of Isa 6â— 3. 4. Righteousnes the planting of the Lord by whom he may be glorified That to such the Lord hath promised that they shall build the old wasts and raise up the former desolations That none can oppose the work but such as hate to be reformed and know not the joyfull sound of his truth That all such as wait for God in the way of his judgements can be helpers in it That the decree is gone forth against Babylon that she shall be laid waste That these are pronounced blessed who shall take and dash her little ones against the stones and that you are so deeply engaged in this work that you can have no temporall safety nor subsistance but so farre as you proceed in it so that now you must either fall utterly and draw with you into ruine the other reformed Churches or else secure them and your selves by the building up of Zion all these are exceeding great advantages which I am perswaded you doe understand and can truly value Therefore when I spoke unto you I found a freedom of spirit in love to the cause and to you which opened my mouth as without fear so with an assurance of acceptance and although the shortnes of the time would not suffer me to proceed and come to a full application yet I hope that if the thing which hath been delivered which in obedience to your Honourable command I have here published so neer as I can remember both in sense and words be laid to heart and rightly apprehended the main matter of my message will be in due time effected by the grace of God in your spirits which is to know the true relation wherein you stand towards the Church of God what the mystery of Babylon is and what you ought to aim at in raising up the walls of Jerusalem within your selves If time would have given leave I should have added something concerning the extent of your building that you must not make the walls of your Ierusalem too narrow in compasse but be mindefull that they ought to receive all those that are going out of Babylon with you I mean both your own and forreign Protestants whose eyes are upon you and whose peace and safety is wrapt up in your prosperity and how farre soever you shall think good in due time to look with an eye of brotherly correspondency towards them whereof to put you in minde is a part of my duty and therefore I now desire to crave leave that at a convenient season I may be permitted to offer the means thereof unto you yet in the mean time I may have confidence and rejoyce in this that the engagement which God hath put upon you by your Covenant is such that you cannot possibly be reconciled unto Babylon if you be faithfull to it And in your faithfull resolutions I dare promise unto my self that the Prophecie of Ieremy the Prophet shall be accomplished by your proceedings namely that they shall Ier. 5. 26. not take of Babylon any one stone for a corner nor a stone for a foundation but that it shall be desolate for ever If thus you are resolved to depart and goe out from her and answer effectually the call which is given to touch none of her uncleannes you may be sure that the work of the Lord and his good pleasure shall prosper in your hand You shall be exalted in his truth and beautified with his holines when he filleth Sion with judgement and Righteousnes And you may make sure of the promise which followeth the words of my Text that you shall not need to proceed in haste nor goe out by slight because the Lord will go before you and the God of Israel will be your rereward And that this may be so I shall never cease to make mention of you before the Lord at the Throne of Grace as it becommeth Your Honours Most humble and affectionate Servant in Christ Iohn Durye ISRAELS CALL TO MARCH OVT OF BABYLON UNTO JERVSALEM ISAIAH 52. 11. Depart ye depart ye goe ye out from thence touch no unclean thing go ye out of the midst of her be ye clean that beare the vessels of the Lord. THe Prophet Isaiah is truly called the Evangelicall Prophet because his scope is to shew two things First how the warfare of the The sâ—ope summe and parts of the Prophet Isaiah Church of God under the Law should be accomplished Secondly what the comforts are which under the Gospel should be conferred upon her and these are the two parts of this Prophecie the first concerning the warfare under the Law and the dispensation of severall judgements depending thereon is from chap. 1. to 40. The second concerning the comforts of the Gospel which at the accomplishment of this warfare the Church was to receive is from chap. 40. to the end His second part subâ—ivided in to foure promises 1. Of deliverance from Babylon 2. Of the comming of Christ In this second part four chief heads of comfort are promised unto the Church by the Prophet of which The first is That the Church should be delivered from the captivity of Babylon from chap. 40. to 53. The second chief comfort is That the Messias should come and by his suffering save his people chap. 53. Erect a new Covenant with his Church under the Gospel chap. 54 55. upon which true felicity is effected to all that keep it chap. 56. and from which are rejected Idolaters chap. 57. Hypocrites chap. 58. and obstinate Sinners chap. 59. The third chief comfort is That the bounds
of honour and not have an eye unto them to see that they walk worthy and agreeable to the place wherein he puts them no by no means his honour is too much engaged in them not to regard them and look after them This then being a cleer and undeniable truth That God hath a speciall eye to those that are honoured to be neerest unto him Let me offer a word of application unto The Application of the point you concerning your present condition Consider I pray you in what case you stand towards God with this whole nation whereof you are a body representative Consider I say what our relations and engagements First to the whole nations of great Brittain are We are all entrusted to bear the vessels of the Lord in our distinct charges and places in a more eminent way then any other people of the world for the Nations of great Britain have made a new thing in the world a thing which hath not been done by any Nation in the world since the preaching of the Gospel in it a thing which since the Jewish Nation in the daies of Nehemiah was never heard of in any Nation that not only the Rulers but the whole multitude of the people should enter into a Covenant with their God and one with another and that two Nations should be leagued with an Oath together man by man to walk in the waies of his Word to maintain the Cause of Religion and to reform themselves according to his will This is a new thing in the Christian Church therefore there is a speciall engagement lying upon us all more then upon other men to bear every one our own vessels to bear the vessels of each other and to bear joyntly the Church and Cause of God in our hearts hands and shoulders In all the world there is not a Magistracy so eminently entrusted with such a charge over a people so neerly united unto God as you and the Parliament Then to the leaders thereof in the cause of Reformation of Scotland are Your charge is not only the outward safety of three Kingdomes to settle them in such a way as you have covenanted but the care of the Protestant Religion and Cause wherein the vessels of the Lord which are in forraign parts are concluded is committed unto you that you together with them may be brought out of Babylon I beseech you mark this our engagement unto God and let us lay it to heart Mark Gods intention and our obligation to fulfill it God hath since the beginning of the Reformation of his Church from Popery and Antichristian superstition intended to bring his vessels out of Babylon unto Sion the way hath been opened by the preaching of the Gospel a long while ago the Nations of Europe some more some lesse frequently have begun their marches in severall troops and the spirits of many Magistrates and of many Ministers have been stirred up and called upon to bear the vessels of the Lord and by their care power authority assistance and vigilancy to bring them to Sion there to be fully setled in the right use of the Ordinances of God But none of all the Magistrates or Ministers of other Nations have ever given such an answer to this call as you and we of the Ministery and this people hath done for we all have undertaken the cause in the full extent thereof therefore we are in this employment neerer unto God then any others and he is more interessed in you and in Scotland then in any Nation whatsoever And if this be so doe not you think that God will have a neerer respect unto you then unto others and that he doth expect a more exact performance of this charge from you then from others You and we all have fastened the cause we have in hand upon him and for this cause we have no foundation to build on but upon him and he hath none other employment for us but that we all should carry his vessells carefully out of Babylon if you doe this faithfully according to your promise and make it your aim to fulfill your Covenant to this effect with him you may be sure that he will bear you up and bear you out in all your difficulties but if you have any other aim and doe not make this your glory that the vessells of the Lord are committed to your trust if you cast them off in your heart and think them a wearisom burden and heavy to be borne If I say any doth but in his heart quit the charge committed unto him will not God require it at his hand doth not he trye the secrets of all hearts and although man may cast dishonour and contempt upon his vessells of honour and neglect them in his thought yet he will not utterly forsake them but will be found faithfull unto them although all men should prove lyars Take heed therefore every one to his spirit that yee deal not falsely with your God in this great employment you may be sure that he will not suffer himself by the contempt of his vessells to be reproached and vilified he hath borne even from the dayes of old his own from the belly from the womb he hath carryed them as a nursing father and he doth promise to be the same unto them even Isa 46 3 4. unto their old age and even unto hoar haires to carry them The only way then for you to be supported by him is this that you be sure to support with all your heart and might his vessells for you must know that it is only for their sake that you are and shall be a sure nail fastened in the wall of this Kingdome only I say for this end that the vessells of your Lords house and the glory thereof may be hung upon you but if you cannot be made use of by him to this effect though the nail be never so strong and fastened in a place never so sure it shall be broken and pulled down for the Lord hath spoken it Let us then all fear lest we come short of our duty in the charge committed unto us in our severall places Let us look to one another and exhort one another daily lest our hearts be hardened through the deceitfulnes of sinfull and humane counsells and lest the eagernes of pursuing these cause us forget the main thing committed unto us which is to behave our selves as servants only and as such servants who bear the vessels of the Lord and upon whom the eyes of the Lord are continually open And as this on the one hand is an object of exceeding great fear to make us carefull that we may not be found faulty in so great a trust so on the other hand it is an unspeakable matter of joy comfort and encouragement to those who have their consciences cleer in this matter telling them that they aim at nothing else but at the dutifull performance of this very thing namely that the