That as there is authoritas Scripturae the authority of Scripture which is the ground of faith so there must be testimoniuâ—â— Ecclesiae the witnesse of the Church as Vincent Lirinensis well adviseth Cap. 2. Quia Scripturam Sacram non uno eodumque sensu universi accepterunt And in this case not having Antiquitatem ministrantem universall consent and we are put to it to search out what the most learned most sincere Divines in all ages have taught concerning this point here there is a necessity of consulting and declaring the constant judgement of the Church for the Testimony to the Truth 2. In all points of doctrine it giveth a great assurance to our hearers of our faithfulnesse if we declare our selves to be such as feed our hearers with the same Bread of Life which our fathers before us did break to their children 3. Whereas it is surmised that these citations of fathers be but a pride of our feeding and a vain boast of our learning It were more charitable to think 1. That our humility is such that we are not ashamed to professe by whom we learn any thing 2. That we have so unworthy an opinion of our own judgements that we chuse rather to apply the learned judgements of those that have gone before us then our own And who can deny but that our Preaching out of them is with the warrant of our Text. Sic dicit Dominus Thus saith the Lord if the Lord spake by them to his Church For the use of Heathen writers I onely say with S. Aug. Omnis scientia in gâ—nere bonorum est In arundine sterili potest una pendere Truth is the language of God and if ignorant men wicked men Devils do speak truth we may quote and write them and we may say truly Sic dicit Dominus Thus saith the Lord. The prophecie of wicked Balaam and of Caiaphas was the word of the Lord and the confession of devils testifying of Christ is a good confession there is no wrong done to the word Qui non est contra me mecum est He that is not against me is with me 2. The hearers lesson You are all taught to receive this wholesome doctrine which the Minister preacheth from the mouth of the Lord. It is not you that speak saith Christ he that hath ears to hear must hear Quod Spiritus dicit what the spirit speaketh When we tell the house of Jacob of their sins this is the word of the Lord. When we say unto you going in an evil way as Lot to the Sodomites Do not so wickedly Do not say Duruâ— est hic sermo he rayled to day against swearing or against drunkennesse c. I will tell you how you shall receive both comfort and great profit by our Ministery and the word is given to profit withall Mich. 2.7 Do not my words do good to him that walketh uprightly recto judicio rectis moribus I will give you a fair example Israel said to Moses Go thou now neer Deu. 5 27.28 and hear all that the Lord our God shall say and speak thou unto us all that the Lord our God shall speak unto thee and we will hear it and do it God took it well and said to Moses I have heard the voice of this people they have well said all that they have spoken We must tell you that the Word of the Lord which he sendeth forth in our Ministery shall not return to him empty it shall finish the thing for which it was sent Therefore take you heed how you hear and consider what we say hide the Word that we Preach in your hearts that you sin not against God If we do our duty he that heareth us and receiveth us receiveth Jesus Christ that sent us and in these earthen vessels rich treasures are brought unto him He that refuseth us our Ministery refuseth him that sent us and the Word of the Lord which we bring to them will prove a rod correction to chastise them and although they feel not the pain presently it will be owing to them till affliction or Death assault them and then they will remember the Word of the Lord with much horrour Obadiah v. 1. We have heard a rumour from the Lord and an Embassadour is sent among the Heathen Arise ye and let us arise against her in battell We are now come to the Prophecie it self which holdeth to the end of the sixteenth verse The parts whereof are four 1. The judgement intended against Edom v. 1.2 2. All the hopes of Edom despaired v. 3.4.5.6.7.8.9 3. The cause provoking God to this severe processe against them v. 10.11.12.13.14 4. Gods revenge upon them v. 15.16 1. In the judgement intended observe 1. The discovery thereof 2. The effect of it 1. In the discovery observe 1. By whom it was discovered 2. How two wayes 1. By a rumour from the Lord. 2. By Embassadours 1. To whom this threatened judgement was discovered we have heard We that is the prophets of the Lord for although Obadiah writ this present Prophesie yet was not this judgement onely revealed to him but to many more of the Holy Prophets for so saith the Prophet Amos Surely the Lord will do nothing but he revealeth his secret to his servants the prophets not unto one onely but to more And so fully was this revealed to Jeremiah Amos 3.7 that he doth prophesie even in the same words against Edom but under the name of Bozrah which was the name of a Principall city in Edom as appeareth Gen 36.33 the words of the Prophecie are these I have sworn by my self saith the Lord that Bozrah shall become a desolation Jer. 49.13 a reproach a waste and a curse and all the cities thereof shall be perpetuall wastes I have heard a rumour from the Lord an Embassadour is sent to the Heathen saying Gather ye together and come against her c. The margents of the Bibles refer you to that place The Lord gave great charge to Israel concerning Edom Deut. 23.7 Thou shalt not abhor an Edomite for he is thy brother Yet because the Edomite was ever an enemy to Israel God revealed his judgement against them to many of his Prophets Balainâ— foretold their subjection to Israel And Edom shall be a possession Seir also shall be a possession for his enemies and Israel shall do valiantly Num 24.18.19 Out of Jacob shall be come that shall have Dominion and shall destroy him that remaineth of that city The Psalmist prayeth for their punishment Psa 137.7 Remember O Lord the children of Edom. It had not been lawfull for the Prophet to have provoked the justice of God against Edom unlesse God had revealed his purpose of judgement intended against them to him For Davids imprecations be all Prophecies The burden of Dumah that is of Idumaea Isa 21.11 He calleth unto me out of Seir Watchman what was in the night c.
of his countenance shineth on us let us walke worthy of this light 2. Let us serve the Lord in fear and pray to God that the thoughts of our heart which are only evill continually may be forgiven us 3. Let us receive with meeknesse the word of truth and suffer it to be graffed in us that we may bring forth no longer our owne sins with the fruits of evill works but the fruits of the word 4. Let us pray that God would passe by our offences and establish us with grace and pluck up sin within us that root of bitternesse which bringeth forth corrupt fruits of disobedience that God would continue upon us the light of his countenance 5. Let us not flatter our selves and say none of these things shall come upon us because we have so long enjoyed the favours of God for Iudah where God put his Sanctuary and Sion where he made himself a dwelling was not spared The righteous Judge of the world is not such a one as we though he hold his peace a while our provocations may make him whet his sword and prepare against us instruments of death Observe the cruelty of the Edomite he not only joyneth in open hostility but in secret insidiation to cut off all root and branch all in a day he is implacable Such is the hatred of the Romish Church to ours did we not see it in the attempt in 88 for Invasion and possession did we not see the heart of Antichrist in the Powder Treason plotted to a perfect and full destruction Surely David had cause to pray to God let me not fall into the hands of man This is further declared in the next circumstance Neither shouldest thou have delivered those of his that remained in the day of distresse 4 Depopulation For if any remained whom neither the Invasion had met with in the City nor the insidiation without those the Edomite found out and delivered into the hands of their enemies Of those some fell off to the enemy others were carried away captives others of the poorer sort were left in the Land to serve the enemy there to be Vine-dressers and Husbandmen This is called sweeping with a Besome and wiping as one wipeth a dish Two things do aggravate this cruelty of Edom 1. against thy brother Iacob For a Turke to oppresse a Christian an Infidell a Believer is but a trespasse against humanity for Hebrews to strive and one Christian to afflict another woundeth Religion also The Papist calleth himself a Christian and pretendeth great love to Christ he is our unnaturall brother and he casteth us out by excommunication he hateth us in our affliction yet he saith let the Lord be glorified But for us to wound and smite one another of us Protestant against Protestant this is seven spirits worse then the former Brethren by Nation brethren by Religion should live as brethren by nature live as brethren and our father will be angry if we do not and the God of peace will fight against us 2. Another circumstance of time is much urged and it maketh weight for when was Edom so bloudy you shall see that in the time and you will say with Solomon that the mercies of the wicked are cruell Verse 11. In the day that strangers carried away captive his forces and forreiners entred into his gates and cast lots upon Jerusalem Ver. 12. In the day that thy brother became a stranger in the day of their destruction in the day of distresse Verse 13. Thrice named in the day of their calamity Verse 14. In the day of distresse 1. Observe in this how their cruelty is aggravated by the time the wofullest time that ever Ierusalem had called therefore the day of Ierusalem when all things conspired to make their sorrow full then in the anguish and fit of their mortall disease then did Edom arme his eye his tongue his heart his hand and joyne all those with the enemy against his brother 2. Observe that God taketh notice not only what we do one against another but when for he will set these things in order before thee for the God of mercie cannot abide cruelty To strengthen the hand of affliction and to put more weight to the burthens of them that be over-charged this is bloody cruelty as To oppresse the poor is alwayes abominable to God but to oppresse him in his tender and orphane infancie or in his feeble and decrepid age doubleth the offence To hinder the willing labourer from his labour at all times it is a crying sin and they are men of bloud that do so but in times of dearth or in times of his greatest expense to deprive him of his labour or his pay this God considereth for he knoweth wherof we are al made and he observeth our carriage towards one another of us VERSE 15 16. For the day of the Lord is neere upon all the heathen as thou hast done it shall be done to thee thy reward shall return upon thine own head 16. For as ye have drunk upon my holy mountain so shall all the heathen drink continually yea they shall drinke and they shall swallow down and they shall be as though they had not been This is the fourth part of this Section containing Gods revenge upon Edom which is before threatned particularly against Edom. Ver. 2. Behold I have made thee small among the heathen thou art greatly despised And after further declared it despeiring all the hopes of Edom. 1. The pride of their heart 2. The strength of their confederacie 3. The strength of their situation 4. The hope of their wise men 5. They hope in their own strong men Yet further Ver. 10. He saith Shame shall cover thee and thou shalt be cut off for ever But now as Edom was not alone in that sin but joyned with others so are they all joyned together in the punishment The words are somewhat obscure For the day of the Lord he meaneth the day of vengeance to repay the violence done to his own people called the day of the Lord because God will shew himself who hath lyen concealed as it were all this while and been a looker on whilest his people did suffer punishment for their sins The time of Ierusalems chastisement was called the day of Ierusalem because their sins deserved that day to come upon them but the day of the heathen is here called the day of the Lord because now God doth awake as one out of sleepe and sheweth himselfe cleerly to his enemies This day the Prophet telleth them is now at hand and neere to them This is neere upon all the heathen Not only upon Edom but upon all those with whom Edom joyned himselfe against the people of God The Prophet Ieremie foretelling this day Jer. 25. nameth the heathen upon whom the wrath of the Lord was to come And the judgement is eye for eye tooth for tooth Lex talionis wherein he telleth her As thou hast done it
shall be done to thee c. And after Metaphorically he expresseth the retaliation As thou hast drunk upon my holy mountain hereof we observe the change of the manner of speech that is here used we shall cleere the Text from that difficulty that hath distracted interpreters so that they have failed in the right meaning of these words For whereas before the Prophet speaketh to Edom here he bringeth in God himselfe speaking to Ierusalem comforting them in the declaration of his just judgement against her enemies for he saith to Iacob As thou hast drunk upon my holy mountains so shall all the heathen drink continually By the Metaphor of drinking which is referred to that which is called the cup of the Lords indignation of which David saith In the hand of the Lord there is a cup the Wine is red c. By this figure then the cup of affliction is understood the phrase was used after by our Saviour Let this cup passe from me again If thou wilt not let it passe but that I must drink thereof thy will be done We use that phrase to drink of the cup of God So the threatning runneth in this sense that as the people of God upon Gods holy mountaine have drunk of the cup of Gods wrath and have had their draught thereof which was but for a time So shall all the heathen drinke and their judgement shall not have end they shall drink continually there shall be no end of their affliction they shall swallow down the wrath of the Lord untill they be utterly destroyed for they shall be as though they had not been In which words is contained 1. A judgement against the Heathen 2. A consolation to the Church In the judgement observe 1. The certainty thereof the day is set 2. The propinquity of it it is neere 3. The extent of it to all the heathen 4. The equity of it as thou hast done 5. The certainty of it they shall drinke c. 6. The duration of it continually In the comfort note 1. He speaketh of it as of a judgement past and gone at ye have drunk thereof 2. He calleth their dwelling though thus punished My Holy Mountain 3. He revealeth to them his severe vengeance against their enemies 1. Of the judgement 2. Of the certainty The Lord hath set down and decreed a day for vengeance threatnings of woe at large do move but little but when the punishment is denounced and the day set for the execution thereof this cannot but pierce and draw blood And being here called the day of the Lord that is a day designed by the Lord for this execution it is more quick and penetrating There is no sin which is committed on earth but God hath both made a Law against it to forbid the doing of it and he hath declared his judgement against it yet hath he given us the light of his word or the light of the Law which his finger wrote in our hearts to declare it to us and he hath given us time also to repent and amend it and he is patient and long-suffering in his expectation of our amendment But where it is not amended he doth set down a day for the execution of his just judgement for he will not he cannot suffer his truth to faile His patience and mercy will take their day first and his justice will also have her day Saint Iames advertizeth us Let patience have her perfect work Jer. 1. â— We have a faire example of God for this For he will not let the work of his patience be unperfect he will forbear us till the very day of his justice designed for punishment Though all the masters of Assemblies all the Ministers of the word be continually striking at this naile we cannot drive it into the head to make men beleeve that God hath set a day for punishment of all our sins The promise of grace to the penitent doth so comfort us generally that we hope we shall have time enough to put off that day by our repentance and then again we often take that for repentance which is not it For it is not enough to remember our sins with a God forgive me Repentance is a putting off of sinne an hatred of it and a change of life and manners every sorrow is not such But were it that this day were thought upon with that feare and trembling that is due to it it would put sin out of countenance and the sinner out of hope The sinner that beleeves not this doth make God a lyar whose word of truth hath revealed the certainty of this day to us 2. It armeth the lusts of the flesh against the soule for who is he that liveth without fear that will bridle his affections or stop the swift current of nature in himself but runneth into sinne as an horse rusheth into the battaile But when we do consider upon every sin that we commit that the day of the Lord shall declare it the day of the Lord shall punish it this maketh us afraid of our secret sins for feare of shame and of all sins for feare of punishment The certainty that this day will come the uncertainty when it will come is the greatest motive to hasten repentance that may be 2. The Propinquity it is neere If our Consciences be convinced of the certainty of this day and the judgement thereof Sathans next allusion is to flatter us that it is afarre off and shall not come yet and there will be time enough to repent us of our sin If we tell you indefinitely that it is neere yet you may hope not so neere but that we may prevent it For the Apostle hath told his brethren long-agoe of the last day The end of all things is at hand But it is 1600 yeers since 1 Pet. 4.7 and where is the promise of his coming But let not that comfort thee in sin for even that day is neer seeing time is nothing to eternity but thy day wherein God shall visit thy sinnes with his judgements may be much sooner If we had Commission to tell you it is but forty dayes and the next day is the day of the Lord as Jonah did peradventure it would warn you but we have no Commission to say it is so it is a good proofe that it is neere when none can promise that this very day shall not be it Yet we see there were some that took the day of their death neere themselves cras moriemur yet they made evil use of it Edamus bibamus as the Epicure Dum vivimus â—rvamus For the sensuall and carnall man maketh that evil use of his neere end to live more sensually Post mortem nulla voluptas In every particular mans case St. John doth admonish us all well Now also is the Axe layed to the root of the Tree I learn a parable of Christ Do but consider thine own field and see the Com that grows upon it and observe
in summa pericula misit Venturi timor ipse mali fortissinâ—â—â— ille est Qui promptus metunda pati The feare of evil to come hath endangered many he is the most valiant that is ready to suffer what is feared 2. It tryeth our faith Christ said to Peter Cur times exiguâ fide praedites when he so felt himselfe sinking in the waters God promised I will not leave thee nor forsake thee Do we beleeve him Dare we trust him as Christ Do you beleeve in God beleeve also in me 2 My brethren count it all joy when you fall into divers temptations Jam. 2. 3. Knowing this that the trying of your Faith worketh patience 4. But let patience have her perfect work that ye may be perfect and entire wanting nothing 1 Pet. 1 7. That the tryall of your Faith being much more precious then of gold which perisheth though it be tryed with fire might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Iesus Christ c. 3. This setteth before our eyes the great appearance that our enemies shall make before us either in this world when our eye shall have our desire on them that hate us or in the last day when the Saints shall judge the world which serveth to admonish us with the Prophet To commit our wayes to the Lord and to trust in him for he shall bring it to passe Excellent is the story of Elisha whom the King of Syriâ— sent an Army to take and they beset Dothan where he lodged but Elisha prayed and God smote the whole Army with blindnesse and he whom they sought offered himselfe to them to be their guide and he brought them into Samaria and then God opened their eyes and they saw themselves in the hand and power of their enemies Thus doth God blind the eyes of the enemies of his Church and when ther malice is at the height they find themselves set at the Barre to be judged by his Saints then Iacob shall judge the Mount of Esau Methinkes I see the great appearance of the boisterous Tyrants of the earth whose eyes did sparkle fire in the faces of Gods servants whole tongue spake proud words whose foot trode upon Gods Saints whose hand spared them not whose countenance darted against them scorne and disdaine and whose swords were made drunke in the bloud of Gods Holy ones With what a feareful trembling and horrible dread they come to this judgement against their wils where they shall see the Saints all in long white robes like a flock of sheep that come from the washing in whose glorified faces they shall behold their owne shame and dishonour in whose place and joy they shall behold the bloudy persecution wherewith they have oppressed them in their life and in whose setled happinesse they shall read their doom of eternall woe And as Saint Peter saith How shall the wicked and ungodly appeare there needs no more evidence against them bring them to judgement and that sight shall convince them 3. The issue and effect of all And the Kingdome shall be the Lords This is the proper fruite of our deliverance from the hands of our enemies that the Kingdome of God may be established on earth in Gods Church 1. For so long as the enemies of God do tyrannize and fill all with their grosse actions the face of the Church is covered the Temples of God are defiled and demolished the worship of God seeketh private corners and sheweth not it selfe the Saints of God fly from the Sword of Persecution wandring here and there from one Nation to another people and it is hard to say where the Church of God is During the persecution under the cruell Emperours till Constantine aross and restored the Kingdome to God the Kingdome of God on earth was not abolished quite but it was in some sort invisible not that it was then hidden from all the faithfull as it was from the world therefore concerning the invisiblenesse of this Kingdome we do affirme 1. That though this Kingdome of God be so established on earth that the gaâ—â—â— of hell shall not prevails against it because God gave to his son that asked him the heâ—â—hen for his inheritance and the utmost part of the earth for his possession And Christ promised to give the Holy Ghost to his Church to abide with it for ever 〈◊〉 yeâ—at sometimes the faithfull may be so few in number and they so separated one from another in the pursuit of their owâ—â— sâ—â—â—ty that the world cannot easily discome the face of a Church This some of the Church of Rome have confessed affirming that about the time of Christs passion and the dispersion of his Disciples theâ—â— true faith remained onely in the blessed Virgin Mary But untruly◠〈◊〉 the Disciples though they fled from the persecution of that time they fled not froâ—â— the â—aith of Christ But was it not so in Eliahs time when he knew of no more but himselfe alone that served the true God yet God had knees that had never bowed to Baal even then 2. We affirme that Satans Kingdome may so farre dilate it selfe in power and spreading that the externall government of the Church may cease the succession of Bishops and Pastors may be interrupted the Discipline of the Church hindered and the outward exercise of Gods Worship suspended the sunne of righteousnes may suffer ecclipse and thus much the Rhemists do confesse in their notes upon 2 Thes 2.2 3. That which the common opinion doth embrace for the Kingdome of God may be Satans Kingdome whose doctrine is poison whose pastors are wolves in sheeps cloathing whose children are bastards of the Strumpet of Babylon This appeares in the Church story for when Româ— forsook her first Love and began to turne saith into faction and religion into carnall policy to establish a tâ—anscendent greatnesse on the face of the earth and to tyrannize over all that stood for the truth revealed in the word then was the candle of the Church put out so farre as they could prevaile and the word of God the light of our steps was taken away from the people Then did the faithfull subjects of Gods Kingdome hide themselves from the sword and the fire and the sundry persecutions which Rome devised to oppresse them then their heresy past for truth commonly their usurpers for lawfull Bishops their mercenaries for Pastors their legendes for Gospel and they boasted themselves the only true Church of God and Spouse of Iesus Christ And when by the ministry of Dr. Lurher the Church began to lift up the head againe and that one single man opposed the Pope and was a burning and shining Lampe to whose light many dayly resorted we see that ever since that time the Church hath come more and more in sight and growne both in number and strength Kings have been nursing Fathers and Queens have been Nurses and the Kingdom of God hath been gloriously advaanced on earth Then did England