Belshazzar who held them in Bondage and raising up Cyrus in his roome whom hee cals his Shepheard to performe all his pleasure in building Ierusalem and laying the foundation of the Temple Isa 44.28 Our Change as you all know was in like manner brought to passe by taking away Queen MARY who held us under the yoke of Antichrist and placing Queen ELIZABETH of blessed memory in her Throne to lay the foundation of his Temple and set on foot the work of Reformation amongst us Fifthly immediatly upon this glorious deliverance of the Iewes the foundation of the Temple was layd Ezra 3.16 And immediatly after the breaking and taking off the yoke of Antichrist from our necks howsoever other things needfull for the perfecting of the work were either Neglected or Deferred yet we must needs grant that the foundation of the Lords house was presently layd in the sound Doctrine of the Apostles and Prophets upon which the Church is built JESVS CHRIST himselfe being the chiefe Corner-stone Ephes 2.20 Sixthly that work of perfecting the building of the Temple of which the foundation was layd was a long time even for the space of 46 yeares interrupted so that the poore Iewes found no meanes to perfect the work which they had so happily begun Our work of this Churches Reformation hath bin interrupted now neere twise 46 yeares as the complaints of the faithfull servants of Christ manifested in their Bookes and Remonstrances from time to time and the severall Informations given in unto your selves since your Sitting here evidence to the whole world Yea so farre have our Master-builders bin from bringing forth the head stone of this Work that they have rather laboured to undermine and demolish the foundation of sound Doctrine already layd by broaching and countenancing dangerous Errours and Heresies contrary thereunto as you all know Seventhly those that hindered the Iewes in building their Temple were their Adversaries of the Nations that dwelt round about them and amongst them Rebum the Chancellor and Shimchai the Scribe with their Companions backed by a party at the Court which they hyred to hinder this work as they did during all the raigne of Cyrus Ezra 4.5.7 8.24 Now that the Nations round about us Priests and Jesuites with all the rest of the Romish Agents have been great hinderers of our work of Reformation the world knowes I am sure the Chancellors and Scribes with their companions have had a deepe hand in this mischievous designe supported as you all know by an hyred and engaged party in the Court of our Princes Eightly the policie used by the Iewes adversaries for the building of their Temple was the filling the Princes heads with jealousie that the Iewes were a dangerous people and if the Temple and Ciâ—ie were built apt to rise in Rebellion against the King which might turne to his great damage Ezra 4.13 15 16. And that Satan and his Instruments as in all former ages so at present have made use of the same policie to â—inder our work of a thorough Reformation is as cleere as the light And I wish that jealousie were at this time so throughly removed out of mens heads that they might no more feare that the Reformation of the Church according to the Patterre layd downe in Gods word will prove like Nchuchadnezzars stone Dan. 2.27 a meanes to breake all other Kingdomes that is as too many conceive all civill Power and Government in pieces Ninthly while the building of the Temple was thus hindered the poore Iewes were in great reproach and affliction Neh. 1.3 And we know during this long time of hindering our Reformation not onely such as pleaded for it but as many as were true Israelites and looked toward Zion had not only their soules filled with the scorning of those that were at ease and with the contempt of the Proud as the Psalmist speakes Psal 123.4 but were continually followed and vexed with sharpe Persecutions insomuch that whosoever abstained from evill made himself a prey as the Prophet complaines it was in his time Isa 59.15 Tenthly notwithstanding all the Malice Power Policie and restlesse endeavours of the Iewes adversaries yet the Temple was finished and the Walls and Streets of Ierusalem were built at last Now howsoever we are not yet fully Parallel to them in this Particular yet seeing the chiefest adversaries of this Reformation are already taken away and seeing the work by the mighty power of God hath bin thus farre caried on in your hand it gives us great ground of hope that the same God will in his owne time and way perfect the work which he hath begun and bring forth the head-stone thereof with shooting that wee may cry Grace Grace unto it as he promiseth Zach. 4 7. Lastly the building of the Wall of Ierusalem and the street thereof fell out in troublous times I may spare the labour of laying out the Parallel of our state to theirs in this Particular Res ipsa loquitur we as you see are forced to build with our Armes in our hands as they did Neh. 4.17 18. The consideration of these Particulars setting before us in the state of the Iewes briefly pointed at in these words our own Condition every way answerable thereunto as face answers face in the water as Salomon speakes Prov. 27.9 is of great use unto us both to raise up our hearts to more heedfull attention to those things which in this portion of Scripture seeme to be spoken to us in their persons and withall to move us to a more narrow search into the particulars in these words layd before us as neerely concerning our selves The truth is both upon that ground and much more for the Wonders of that great Work to the performance whereof God ingageth himself in this Promise which wee have before us it concernes us in duty to enquire throughly and observe and search into every circumstance of this way of God which when we have all done is yet farre above our reach It is one end why God hath made his Workes wonderfull that they may be both Remembred and sought out of all that have pleasure therein Psal 111.2.4 And that this work set before us in this Prophecy may be worthily accompted amongst Gods greatest wonders is evident by the accompt that himself makes of it first by representing it the Prophet Ezechiel in a vision of a Field full of dryed bones scattered all about every bone out of his place and sodainly by a Word of the Prophets mouth comming together with a noise and shaking every bone to his bone and cloathed as sodainly with Sinewes flesh and skin and by another word of his mouth receiving breath and life so that they stood on their feet an exceeding great army which God himself calls a resurrection out of the Grave Ezech. 37.7 8 10 13. And secondly by advancing it above the wonders which he wrought in bringing his people out of Egypt as himself in expresse termes affiâ—mes Jer. 16.15 It
liberall things Isa 32.8 And yet these are not the words of men but the Promises of the God of truth more firme then the earth it self The Apostle tels us that Godlinesse hath the promises of this life and of that which is to come 1 Tim. 4.8 Now seeing wee are so greedy of gaine why doe we not follow after this gainfull way of godlinesse which brings so large and lasting a reward assured by the word of God himself Nay why upon the same assurance doewe not lay hold of Eternall life What doe we grasping after the world when we have assurance of heaven a Kingdome that cannot be moved by the firmest of all Gods promises in which it is impossible for him to lye Consider I beseech you and let us weigh well what we doe and take notice First of the great wrong and dishonour wee offer to God himself Secondly of the evils that we bring and that deservedly upon our own soules We dishonour God 1. In that we receive not his Testimony for what we beleeve not that in effect we deny and by consequence make him a lyar 1 Ioh. 5.10 He that beleeveth not God hath made him a lyar as he that beleeves on the contrary sets to his seale that God is true Ioh. 13.33 Herein we doe in effect crosse the maine end for which we came into the world and for which God hath indued us with wisdome and understanding above the beasts of the field that being true of every man which our Saviour affirmes of himself for this cause came I into the world that I should beare witnesse to the Truth Ioh. 18.36 Men will indeed beapt to beguile themselves and others too in professing that they receive Gods testimony in all that he speakes but the Apostle tels us that there is a deniall in Workes as well as in Words Tit. 1.16 And to speake truth deniall in Deeds is the strongest deniall and manifests our affirming in words to be meere Hypocrisie as the Psalmist justifies it against the Israelites in the Wildernesse that though they remembred that God was their rock and the high God their Redeemer yet they flattered him with their mouth and lyed unto him with their tongue Psal 78.35 36. and proves by their workes because they still went on in tempting and provoking God and limiting the Holy one of Israel ver 40.41 2. It is the greater wrong and dishonour to God not to receive his Testimony First because God hath so farre condescended to our weaknesse as to engage himselfe unto us so many wayes being notwithstanding debtor to no man bestowing whatsoever he gives freely out of meere Grace We accompt it a wrong to a friend to require a bond of him for the assuring of a free gift But God hath bin content to abase himselfe so farre to us as to engage himselfe unto us by his Word to confirme his Word by an Oath and to ratify both by the seales of his Covenant That after the manifesting of so much tender respect to us and condiscending so farre to our weakenesse and affording such firme footing for our Faith God should not have so much credit with us as to bee beleeved upon his Word his Oath his Seale is such a dishonour to the God of Truth as we would be ashamed to offer to a mortall man Especially if we consider in the next place that God hath never given us cause to distrust him he never failed us in any one Promise wherein he hath ingaged himselfe unto us Thirdly it is yet the greater wrong to God if we consider by whom it is offered Nothing so farre kindled Gods wrath as the provoking of his sonnes and daughters Deut. 32.19 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 What thou my sonne said Iulius Cesar to Brutus when he saw him amongst the rest of the conspirators come to stabbe him There cannot be a greater wrong to a master then not to be trusted by his owne servants much greater is the injury when a Father can have no credit from his owne children How is it possible then that God should beare it at the hands of those that call him Father and desire to be known by the name of his children that great dishonour of slighting his Promises and in their lives and conversations declaring to the world that they make more accompt of mens assurance then they doe of them Secondly as the Lord for whose glory we are created is wronged by our unbeliefe in not resting upon his Promises so it fals out as usually it doth in all like cases that we infinitely thereby prejudice our selves many wayes 1. By this meanes we deprive our selves of all true grounds of comfort which might support us in time of tryall It was Gods Word which quickened David in time of his affliction Psal 119.50 It was Gods Word on which he depended Psal 130.5 When he powred out his complaint before God out of the depths that is in floods of distresses that overwhelmed him For as for any other meanes to establish our hearts and beare up our spirits in times of inward distresses or outward afflictions wee shall find our selves forced to take up Davids complaint I looked for comforters but J found none Psal 69.20 and Psal 142.4 I looked on my right hand and there was no man would know me refuge failed me And as for Gods promises whence only the ground of true comfort ariseth with what cold hearts must we needs either apply them to our own soules or urge them and presse them upon God in our prayers when our own consciences tell us that these are the truths of God which we have cast by as matters of which we never made any great accompt Surely God can returne us no other answer to such suits then he gives his people Iudg. 10.14 Go cry unto the gods whom you have chosen let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation Cry to your Lands to your Treasures to your Friends in whom you have confided what have you to doe with my promises which you never beleeved nor regarded This is and will be a sad condition into which our unbelief will cast us when it will be too late to help it 2. ly This want of staying on Gods promises wonderfully deads our hearts unto all duties of Gods service unto which we are in an especiall manner encouraged because we know that our labour is not in vaine in the Lord 1 Cor. 15.58 And the Psalmist professeth the hope of Salvation from God was it that encouraged him to doe Gods commandments Psal 119.166 As on the other-side those that exported nothing from God desire to have nothing to doe with his service Iob 21.15 3. ly The want of this Faith by which we embrace Gods promises utterly cuts off all hope of eternall life which nothing but Faith in Gods promises can lay hold off And to be shut of that hope leaves unto a man nothing but a certaine looking for of judgement and fiery indignation
which shall devoure the adversaries Heb. 10.27 4. Lastly in the meane time this want of Faith in the promises leaves the heart of a man full of distractions and unquietnesse thereby so that one becomes uneven in all his wayes unsettled in all his thoughts raised up and cast down with contrary hopes and feares as the outward things of this life subject to continuall changes ebbe and flow from day to day whereof we have too many evidences in these times of trouble wherein men fall on and off as their vaine hopes and feares carry them on to one party or drive to the other to the shipwrack of their owne consciences and as much as in them lyes the betraying of the cause of Christ and of his Church and to their shame discovering to the world that they were never yet setled upon any firme foundation whereas one that hath built his Faith upon Gods promise is like a Ship moared by her anchors in a safe harbour from whence the ebbs and flouds of the sea cannot remove her 2. Vse Let me therefore earnestly beseech you right honourable and beloved by the mercies of God to labour above all things to strengthen Faith having such a firme foundation to build it on not cunningly devised fables as the Apostle cals them 2 Pet. 12.16 not the word of men who may deceive and be deceived but a faithfull word Tit. 1.29 A sure word 2. Pet. 1.29 The word of the God of truth who cannot lye a word more firme then the foundation of the earth setled for ever in heaven Psal 119.89 We have great reason to be earnest and serious in labouring with all our power to attain to this firmnesse of Faith not only because otherwise we despise this great mercy and compassion of God towards us in condescending to our weaknesse and abasing himselfe to be ingaged to us by his word his oath and his seales but more especially upon these sore weighty and important considerations 1. Of all other graces Faith is most necessary and usefull unto us every way 1. We thereby bring unto God the greatest glory by it setting to our seale that God is true Ioh. 3.33 As Abraham is said to give glory to God when he staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief but was strong in Faith Rom. 4.20 Indeed there is no more mentioned in that place but that he beleeved and thereby Sealed to the power of God being fully perswaded that he which had promised was able to doe it ver 21. But without beleeving his faithfulnesse and truth with all neither had hee any sound comfort nor God his due honour by beleeving wherefore it expresly testified of Sarah that she beleeved that he was faithfull that had promised Heb. 11.11 2. ly To us is Faith of such necessity that without it wee were dead spiritually it is that which unites us unto Christ the fountaine of life in whom we live as the Apostle testifieth of himself I live saith he yet not I but Christ liveth in me and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by Faith of the Sonne of God Gal. 2.20 So that without Faith we are without Christ who is our life Col. 3.4 Again it is Faith that quickens all our endeavours and sweetens all our labours in Gods service knowing that in due season we shall reape if we faint not Gal 6.9 Thirdly it is Faith by which both our persons and services are accepted By Faith Abel offered a more acceptable sacrifice then Cain by which he obtained witnesse that he was righteous Heb. 12.4 Fourthly it is Faith that holds up our spirits in afflictions I had fainted saith David unlesse I had beleeved to see the goodnesse of God in the land of the living Psal 27.13 Whence he professeth that Gods word the ground of our Faith was all the comfort which he had in his afflictions Psal 119.50 Fifthly Faith only enables us to withstand all terrours By Faith Moses his parents feared not the Kings commandement Heb. 11.23 And by the same power of Faith the three Children feared neither King Nebuchadnezzars angry countenance nor his threatning words nor his preparations of the flames of fire to torment them no not so farre as to take time to consider what to answer in so dangerous a case Dan. 3.17 Lastly it is Faith that supplies us with strong consolations Heb. 6.18 So that the Apostle tels us that being justified by Faith as we have peace with God so we not only bear tribulations patiently but in the midst of them rejoyce in the hope of the glory of God Rom. 5.3 Secondly as Faith of all Graces is most necessary and usefull so is it of all others the hardest to be obtained and that in divers respects For first there is nothing in Nature that can help us to the attaining of Faith Sense cannot help us for the objects of Faith are things that are not seene Heb. 11.1 That is things that are above Sense things that are in the nature of them spirituall 2. Cor. 4.18 Whereas Sense apprehends only things that are grosse and earthly and things whereof many have no present being but are in hope and expectation only Much lesse can Reason help Faith seeing that takes all her grounds from Sense Wherefore Abraham that he might waxe strong in Faith silenced Reason which would have furnished him with arguments against the promise of having a sonne by Sarah for the Apostle tels us that he considered not that is did not so much admit into debate reasons drawn from the deadnesse of his own body and of Sarah's wombe Rom. 4.19 No Sense and Reason are so farre from helping Faith that they are the most dangerous of all other meares to hinder it or overthrow it where it is When David judged by Sense of Gods wayes and dispensations which represented unto him the prosperous condition of the wicked and his owne afflictions every morning it so shooke his Faith that he had almost slipt and was upon the point of condemning his owne wayes and the state of the Godly too as himself acknowledgeth Psal 73.2.13.15 And when Sarah began by Reason to examine the promise of having a Child at 90. yeers old she was so farre from beleeving it that she laughed at it Gen. 18.11 And as long as Moses makes use of his reason to weigh Gods promise of feeding six hundred thousand men besides women and children with flesh in the Wildernesse for a moneth together we see how hardly he is brought to beleeve it Num. 11.21 22 23. It must therefore be concluded that seeing neither Sense nor Reason nor consequently any thing in Nature can bring any help to Faith nay rather are the strongest meanes to oppose and hinder it it must needs be a difficult worke as being both above and contrary to Nature to obtain it A second difficulty in obtaining Faith is the consideration of those great and wonderfull things which it apprehends and beleeves