bottome Every private Christian is upon the same termes in point of stability with Sion it self They that trust in the Lord shall be as Mount Sion And they not only collectively taken but likewise distributively When it is said here that God will establish Sion we are to understand it especially of Sion Mystically rather then of Sion Locally Particular Churches may fail but not the Church in General And again general Churches may fail but not particular Christians yea the whole world may fail when yet a Beleever stands impregnable Cadit mundus stat Christianus quia non codit Christus Augustine There is not the poorest Christian that is but he is upon surer termes with God then any one visible Church Gods Covenant is but temporary with a Nation but it is perpetual with a Person as being founded in Christ Himself whom he is rooted into As here in the City such a Company or Corporation may fail when as the particular Members or Brethren of it may subsist and hold up their Heads We see those famous Churches of Asia which are made mention of in the Revelation how they are all now come to nothing And other Churches have no better an hold then they had Quam diu bene se gesserint durante bene placito That so we may not be high-minded but fear Indeed it should be All our Cares and endevours that God would establish not only that but this not only Sion in general but also our Sion in particular not only Christendome but England nor only England but London and we are answerably to demean our selves in order and reference hereunto which may be very much obtained and procured by our behaviour we should every one so deport our selves as that God may delight still to dwell amongst us and not remove the Candlestick from us We which are set watchmen upon the wals we should never hold our peace day nor night And we which make mention of the Lord or are the Lords Remembrancers we should not keep silence till he has establisht and made our Jerusalem even a praise in all the Earth Esai 62.6,7 So much for that And so I have done with this celebration of the Priviledge on Mans part by way of Report in the 5. verse And of Sion it shall be said c. The second is on Gods part by way of Record The Lord shall count c. vers 6. 2. The Divine Celebration This has a double preheminence both of the Person and of the Conveyance First of the person that it is God As for men to take notice of such a businesse there 's it may be no such matter in it They may be carried perhaps by fondnesse and partiality and self-love have some respect to themselves in it Yea but for the honour of the Natives of Sion the Lord Himself shall take an account of them and observe who they are Secondly For the Conveyance That other it is only of Report Of Sion it shall be said that 's but a transient observation Vox audita perit But this here it is by way of Record The Lord when he writes up the people c. Litera scripta manet This is more abiding and permanent And here again two things more First somewhat Implyed And secondly somewhat Exprest That which is implyed is this That God does write up the people That which is exprest is this that when God does write up the people he shall count in this with it That this Man was born there 1. That which is implyed First For the thing implyed it is this That God does write up the people He does conscribere Populos It is a Metaphor taken from the affairs of this present life and the offices of it From a shepherd taking account of his sheep From a Commander numbring of his Souldiers From a Magistrate or Chamberlain of a City registring and inrolling those which are made free of such a City and Corporation Thus does the Lord do in his Church in Ezek. 13.9 we read of Kethab Beth Iisrael The writing of the house of Israel And Exod. 30.12 of Rosh Bene Iisrael The sum of the children of Israel And Numb 11.26 Of Eldad and Medad that they were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 among them that were written In Mal. 3.17 There 's Sepher Zikkaron A Book of Remembrance which was written for them that feared the Lord and that thought upon his Name And God hath divers Books of this nature First The book of Election and Predestination which is calld in Scripture language The Book of Life 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Phil. 4.3 whose names are in the Book of Life that is the Heavenly Roul Luk. 10.22 Rejoyce in this because your names are written in Heaven Secondly The Book of Scriptures wherein there are the Records of all the famous and eminent Saints both of the Old and New Testament and in them vertually of all the rest In Scriptura populorum so Hierom renders it In the Scripture of the people and he gives this reason for it ut quae ab omni populo legatur which may be read of all people indifferently The third is The Book of Providence and preservation which Moses understands by Thy Book Exod. 32.32 When as rather then Israel should be utterly destroyed he makes this Petition to God Blot me I pray thee out of thy Book which thou hast written i. e. Not out of the Book of Election as it is commonly and ordinarily taken but out of the Book of Providence According to that also in Esai 4.3 Every one that is written amongst the living in Jerusalem or appointed and designed to life and preservation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Take it which way you will There is a Register and record which is made God writes up the people and the foundation of the Lord standeth sure having this seal THE LORD KNOWETH THEM THAT ARE HIS 2 Tim. 2.19 That 's that which is here imply'd 2. That which is Exprest The second is that which is Exprest And that is this That when God does write up the people He shall count in this with it That this man was born there God takes a special notice of such and such particular persons which were born in such and such places and how they are qualified He does not only Censum agere make a Taxation of the people which I noted before but he does also Censuram agere set his mark of Remembrance upon them and gives his verdict and judgement of them He takes notice not only of persons but of conditions Thus and thus Able Thus and thus Usefull Thus and thus Serviceable And he esteems of his Church so much the better as such as these are Members of it and born in it Vse This is much for the honour and comfort of the servants of God and may serve as an incouragement to us in the service of Him That however men may esteem of us we shall
Gentiles shall come unto thee And so Esai 54.1,2,3 Sing O barren thou that didst not bear break forth into singing and cry aloud thou that didst not travel with childe for more are the children of the desolate then the children of the marryed wife saith the Lord Enlarge the place of thy Tents and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations spare not c. Thus now Elijahs fear is at an end of being left alone in the service of God as sometimes he thought he was There 's no danger of that at all though indeed there be not such multitudes and flocks as there are of the other party of those which are wicked and impious yet great multitudes and varieties there are for our comfort and incouragement as we have it exprest by the Angel in Revel 7.9 And after this I beheld and loe a great Multitude which no man could number of all Nations and kindreds and people and tongues stood before the Throne and before the Lamb cloathed with white robes and palms in their hands that 's the first intimation Variety This and that c. 2. Indifferency The second is Indifferency This and that Man i. e. That man as well as this taking it promiscuously There 's no condition either of person or nation which excludes from Grace but it is very well agreeable to all to high and low rich and poor learned and unlearned as we which are Ministers are debtors to all to the Greeks and to the Barbarians to the wise and to the un-wise so is our Ministery belonging to all for the comfort and efficacy of it to all particular conditions though not to all Individual persons There 's no rank or order of men whatsoever which in it self is uncapable of salvation nay even that which in the eyes of the world seems to be farthest from it is indeed nearest to it The meaner that any are in outward respects the likelier they are in spirituals and the respects of Religion To the poor the Gospel is preached And God hath chosen the poor in this world rich in Faith and heirs of the Kingdome that so we may learn not to despise the meanest Christians If we be such as are born of God the poorest Saints are our Brethren as well as the richest And if we be such as are born in Sion the meanest Christians are our Countreymen as well as the Greatest This and that man that is This man as well as that That 's the second thing Indifferency 3. Succession The third thing here intimated is Succession This and that man i. e. That man after this The children of Sion they are not only for one Generation but likewise for many following one upon another This is that which God has ordined for his Church that it shall have an Holy seed and posterity and continuance to the worlds end As long as the world lasts the Church shall last because the world does last but for the Church If this and that man were but born that is the Jewes call'd and the fulnesse of the Gentiles come in and the number of the Elect accomplisht the world might then shift for it self and the date and period of it would then soon be expired All Gods care is for his people and for his Elect to preserve them that none of them might perish but that they might all come to repentance by being made partakers of the means of Grace as the Apostle Peter intimates 2 Pet. 3.9 for which cause he keeps up the world yea and will keep it up still till this be effected The fulnesse of the Church it is the fulnesse of Christ Himself who filleth all in all as the Apostle Paul also signifies in Ephes 1.23 And God will be sure to look to that that Christ may be a compleat Head with all his Members united unto him Now Succession it makes for this which accordingly is here exhibited to us in this present expression as it is also in some other Scriptures Their seed shall be known among the Gentiles and their off-spring c. Esai 62.9 Now in order hereunto does God proportion every thing else As 1. The Gifts of the Ministers First In the Gifts of his Ministers and his gracious assistance of them from time to time Loe I am with you alway even to the end of the world sayes Christ to his Disciples when he was now going away from them This could not be understood of their persons it must be understood of their Office and Work and Ministery I am now with your selves by my presence so long as I continue with you and will be with you also by my Spirit so long as you your selves shall continue and when you are once gone out of the world I will not then leave or forsake my Church but I will be with you in those that come after you and that stand up in your room so Ephes 4.12 for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministery for the edifying of the Body of Christ 2. Continuation of Ordinances Secondly In the continuation of the Ordinances and the means of Grace themselves There shall be Successively some born in Sion because there shall be from time to time a Dispensation of the Word and Sacraments for the furtherance of this spiritual birth in us The Word of God it must have effect in some consciences or other and shall not return to him in vain as the Prophet Esay speaks Esai 55.10,11 Though to some it be no more then as the savour of death unto death yet to others it shall prove really the savour of life unto life And there shall some good or other be wrought by it some converted and brought home unto God Look as whiles the earth remains seed-time and harvest and cold and heat and summer and winter and day and night shall not cease as was promised by God to Noah Gen. 8.22 The same shall be observed likewise proportionably as to spirituals and the seasons of Grace there shall be no failing or intermission of them in any Time or Age of the world 3. Perpetuity of Graces Thirdly This Succession is further made up from the continued gracious influences of the Spirit of Christ not only in his common gifts of the Ministery which we spake of before but also in his saving and sanctifying Graces which he does daily pour forth in his Church for the inlargement and increase of it thus Ephes 4.7 Unto every one of us is given Grace according to the measure of the Gift of Christ And Joh. 1.16 Of his fulnesse have we all received and Grace for Grace Answerable to the Grace in Christ himself is there dispens'd Grace to all his Elect Use 1. Comfort These things thus laid together make much for our comfort and incouragement To consider that the Church is not confined to a few persons or number of years but does abide to all succeeding Generations Which