14. â— Jer. 32.39 2 Cor. 12.18 Unity in observing the duties of the Morall Law contained in the Ten Commandements so is there also Unity in the most holy d Jude 10. Tit. 1.1 faith of Gods elect The Apostle saith There is e Eph. 4.5 one faith And he hath these words f Eph. 4.13 Till we all come into the Unity of faith and of the knowledge of the Sonne of God unto a perfect man unto the measure of the stature of the fulnesse of Christ And as all which truly endeavour to make preparation of the way of the Lord within them according as it is prescribed by the aforesaid heavenly crying voice shall see more and more the g 1 Tim. 3.9 mysterie of the Christian faith and what the true Christian h Joh. 8.12 Mal. 4.2 See wisd 5.6 life and conversation is unto the increase of godly Unity so such as are i Eph. 4.3 studious of all holy Unity shall partake of the greatest measure of heavenly light which God now communicateth unto his servants It is said in the Booke of Chronicles k 2 Chron. 5.13 14. It came to passe as the trumpetters and singers were as one to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord and when they lift up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of musick and praised the Lord saying For he is good for his mercy endureth for ever that then the house was filled with a cloud even the house of the Lord. So that the Priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of God So it is said in the Acts of the Apostles l Acts 2.1 3 4 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come they were all with one accord or with one mind in one place And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire and it sate upon each of them and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost Then did God m Acts 2.16 17 18. powre out of his Spirit upon all flesh namely on all ages and states as on old persons and young persons on sonnes and daughters on servants and hand-maids and in great abundance on his Apostles who had n Acts. 1.4 waited for the promise and had kept in Jerusalem Which saith David is builded as a City that is o Psal 22.3 compact together or as some translate which is at unity in it self For where brethren dwell together in unity p Psal 133.3 Where there is such concord us saith the Geneva note The Ratification of this oracle there saith he the Lord commandeth the blessing even life for evermore There remaineth also that something be said concerning the Ratification of this Oracle which is contained in these words For the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it The which words are added for to assure us That our labour in the work of the Lord shall not now be in q 1 Cor. 15.51 vain our true endeavouring for to performe the aforesaid preparation shall not be unconsidered For God saith the Apostle is not unrighteous to r Heb. 6.10 11 12 13 14 15. Mat. 10.41 42. Ps 19.11 Heb. 11.26 forget your work and labour of love which ye have shewed toward His name c. And we desire that every one of you doe shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end That ye be not sloathfull but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises For when God made promise to Abraham because he could sweare by no greater He sware by Himself saying Surely blessing I will blesse thee and multiplying I will multiply thee And after he had patiently endured he obtained the promise Whereas it is said For the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it it giveth us to consider that a mouth hath uttered it which Å¿ Tit. 1.2 cannot lye and that the Almighty holy righteous eternall Spirit hath promised it which is t Eph. 3.20 able to performe it Who hath promised many spirituall blessings to be inherited in the life that u 1. Tim. 4.8 now is according as His Divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godlinesse through the knowledge of him as S. Peter * 2. Pet. 1.3 4. saith that hath called us to glory and vertue whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises that by these ye might be partakers of the Divine Nature having escaped the corruption which is in the world through lust That as the Apostle writeth unto the x Eph. 1.12 13 14. Ephesians We should be unto the praise of his glory who first trusted in Christ in whom ye also trusted after that ye heard the word of truth the Gospel of your Salvation in whom also after that ye believed ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise which is the earnest of our inheritance untill the redemption of the purchased possession unto the praise of his glory And as the Lord Jesus Christ saith y Mar. 10.29 30. There is no man that hath left house or brethren or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands for my sake and the Gospels but he shall receive an hundred fold now in this time houses and brethren and sisters and mothers and children and lands with persecutions and in the world to come eternall life Moreover it is to be observed that these words for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it being so often used in holy Scripture What the mouth of the Lord signifieth do in speciall manner note forth unto us the power and truth of God upon which we may build and ground our selves and be secure or z See of Heb. 11.1 the marginall reading confident that what duties we for our parts are to endeavour are a Ps 19.7 8. Deut. 4.6 7 8. perfect wisdome to be done and that the benefit signified to be received in the doing of them is most sure and certain It is said in Ezechiel * Ezech. 37.13 14. And ye shall know that I am the Lord when I have opened your graves O my people and brought you up out of your graves And shall have put my Spirit in you and ye shall live and I shall place you in your own land then shall ye know that I the Lord have spoken it and performed it saith the Lord. And to conclude this point there is observed to be understood by these words The mouth of the Lord hath spoken Such a more inward manifesting and communicating of the Divine will as whereby matters were made knowne unto Moses as it is written With him will I speak b Num. 12.8 mouth to mouth apparently For so Isaiah framed not out of his own mind this crying voice as Jeremiah saith That the false Prophets doe speak a vision of their own heart
say unto you I know ye not whence ye are Then shall ye begin to say Wee have eaten and drunken in thy presence and thou hast taught in our streets But hee shall say I tell you I know you not whence you are depart from me all ye workers of iniquitie Hosea saith i Hos 5.6 They shall go with their flocks and with their heards to seeke the Lord but they shall not finde him hee hath withdrawne himselfe from them Wherefore the counsell written by Ieremiah is still to be considered to wit k Ier. 6.8 Bee thou instructed O Jerusalem lest my soule depart from thee lest I make thee desolate a land not inhabited The fift use is unto patience A fift Use is unto patience which as S. James saith l Jam. 1.4 ought to have her perfect work that we may be perfect and entire wanting nothing The Apostle saith unto the Hebrewes m Heb. 10.36 37. Ye have need of patience that after ye have done the will of God ye might receive the promise For yet a little while and he that shall come will come and will not tarry S. James also saith n Jam. 5. 7,8 Be patient therefore brethren unto the comming of the Lord behold the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth and hath long patience for it untill he receive the early and the latter raine Be ye also patient stablish your hearts for the comming of the Lord draweth nigh S. Paul saith unto Timothy o 2 Tim. 2.3 11 12 Thou therefore endure hardnesse as a good souldier of Jesus Christ It is a faithfull saying If we be dead with him we shall also live with him If we suffer we shall also reign with him There must be a time of p Ier. 4.3 4. Hos 10.12 Micah 4.3 2. Tim. 2.6 See the marginall reading there plowing sowing and weeding afore there can be a time of reaping and mowing He saith unto the Hebrewes Let vs q Heb. 12.1 2. lay aside every weight and the sinne which doth so easily beset us and let us runne with patience the race that is set before us looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith who for the joy that was set before him endured the crosse despising the shame and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God Who also saith To him that r Rev. 3.21 overcommeth will I grant to sit with me in my throne even as I also overcame and am set down with my Father in his Throne A sixt use is unto Comfort The sixt use is unto consolation If we lay to heart that whole crying voice and faithfully endeavour to performe the foure prescribed works of preparation though presently from wildernesses and desarts we become not such gardens and paradises as we ought to be yet let us remember the counsell of the Apostle Å¿ 2 Joh. 8 Heb. 10.35 Looke to your selves that we loose not those things which we have wrought but that we receive a full reward God Almighty will stretch forth his t Ps 118.14 15 16. and 17.7 1 Pet. 5.10 right hand over us hee will stay us up and strengthen us I will saith the Lord u Ps 32.8 instruct and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go I will guide thee with mine eye For saith Isaiah the Lord shall comfort Sion He will comfort all her waste places and he will make her * Isa 51.3 and 31.15 16 17 18. The Seventh use of the heavenly crying voice is to shew the way unto true Christian unitie among all rightly fearing God Concordia sustinemur discordia pessum imus Anonymus wildernesse like Eden and her desart like the garden of the Lord joy and gladnesse shall be found therein thankesgiving and the voice of melody The prophet hath written even a whole chapter namely the five and thirtieth for the consolation of such as do prepare the way of the Lord into them The seventh use of the said Oracle is to shew the way unto Christian Unity among all that truly feare God But among some of mankind Unity cannot be for saith the Apostle x 2 Cor. 6.14 15. What fellowship hath righteousnesse with unrighteousnesse and what communion hath light with darknesse And what concord hath Christ with Belial Or what part hath he that believeth with an unbeliever Solomon saith An unjust man is an abomination to the just and he that is y Prov. 29.27 See Sirach 13.15 16 17 18 19 20. Prov. 13.10 upright in his way is abomination to the wicked He also saith * Prov. 28.4 Who bee the true fearers of God They that forsake the Law praise the wicked but such as keep the Law contend with them Moreover all are not true fearers of God which say that they are right fearers of Him And therefore it is to be mentioned whom only the Scripture signifieth to feare God rightly and truly David saith z Psa 119.1 See the ancient Translation of the Church as also the Hebrew Text. See Sirach 2 15 16 17. Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord he delighteth greatly in his commandements That is the sure and certain marke whereby every true fearer of God may be discerned from all other persons Also Solomon declareth what is the feare which God accepteth where he saith a Prov. 8.13 The feare of the Lord is to hate evill pride and arrogancie and the evill way and the froward mouth do I hate Now among all such endued with such feare of God there is possibilitie of b 1 Joh. 5.1 2 3. 2 Joh. 1.2 Ps 119.63 74. Luke 15.7 10. Christian Unitie and that they will c Isa 11.12 13. and 25.7 embrace whatsoever may further them unto agreeing in the truth of the Lords holy word and unto the living in all godly love And although among many which in a d 1 Cor. 3.1 3. What is promised by God shall bee ought not to bee accounted unpossible Zech. 14.9 good measure make conscience of their wayes there is so great difference in understanding and affection as that it is by some conceived impossible that they may by any meanes come into an holy concord yet a saying of Christ may be thought on which is e Luke 18.27 The things which are unpossible with men are possible with God It is f Ezech. 37.1 c. written that Ezechiel was set in the midst of a valley full of dry bones and it was said unto him can these bones live And hee answered O Lord God thou knowest But he prophecying as he was commanded there was a noise and behold a shaking and the bones came g verse 7. In the aforementioned ancient Translation of the church in Ps 68.6 There is read Hee is the God that maketh men to bee of one minde in an house together bone to his bone There was then a great beginning of Unitie Let us