A sermon preached to the Honourable House of Commons at their late solemne fast, Wednesday, Jan. 31, 1644 by Samuel Rutherfurd.

A sermon preached to the Honourable House of Commons at their late solemne fast, Wednesday, Jan. 31, 1644 by Samuel Rutherfurd.

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To the Christian Reader.

A SERMON, PREACHED Before the Honourable House of COMMONS, At their last solemne Fast, Wednesday, January 31. 1644.

A SERMON, PREACHED Before the Honourable House of COMMONS, At their last solemne Fast, Wednesday, January 31. 1644.

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DANIEL 6. 26.‘I make a Decree, that in every Dominion of my Kingdome, men tremble and feare before the face of the God of Daniel, for he is the living God, and indureth for ever, and his Kingdome that which shall not bee destroyed, and his dominion shall bee to the end.’

MEthod requireth, that first, the words bee expounded; secondly, that they bee taken up in a right order; thirdly, that such observations bee hence deduced as serve most for the present condition of the times.

The words are plaine: here first is a Statute of a great King, Sim, that the seventie interpreters render [...], a decretall letter; for sometimes, though seldome, the Lords cause findeth the grace of faire justice with [Page] men. The matter of the Decree is, that men tremble and feare.

Lehevon zognin vedachalin: The Seventie render it, [...], that is, that they be such as feare and tremble before the God of Daniel; feare is indeed put for the worship of the true God, so is God called, Gen. 31. 42. The feare of Isaac, but it is not the word used here; a devout man as Simeon is called, one taken up with a religious feare, [...], Luke 2. 25. Act. 8. 2. nor are the words used here, those which doe expresse Jobs fearing of God, Job 1. 1. though I know the words doe expresse trembling and feare, and also horrour and dread, such as was given to creatures and false Gods; and therefore from this none can inferre the conversion of this King to the true knowledge of Jehovah. God also is called kajam, an induring and standing God, from Kum surrexit, and well rendered to the sense by the Seventy, [...], the Eternall GOD, in opposition to all falling and fading time-gods, and Kings of clay; and so hee is a God to whom Daniel did with a great deale of reason, rather tender the honour of prayer, then to King Darius, or the supposed deities of Persia or Chaldea, who are not standing gods induring for ever, but come out of times wombe, and decay, and fall as creatures also doe.

Lastly, his Kingdome, that is, his People and Servants, (such as Daniel, and his Church) and his dominion shall endure to the end, Gnadsopha, which is not so to bee taken, as if Gnad did signifie a date or tearme-day, at which time the dominion of God should have an end; for 2. Samuel 6. last verse, it is said, Michol had no childe, Gnad jom mothach, even till the day of her death, that is, shee never had any Childe, for the sence cannot bee that shee had any Childe after the day of her death: so Psalme 48. 14. For this God is our God for ever and ever, hee will bee our guide, Gnadmuth, even till death: it is not intended that the Lord shall cease to bee their God and guide after death, which is contrary to expresse Scripture, Matth. 22. 32. Rev. 7. 16, 17. and Matthew 28. 20. I am with you, [...] to the end of the world; the sense is, I am with you for ever, for at the end of the world Christ doth not leave his owne servants, I know, Gnad [Page] otherwise doth often signifie a certaine definite time, as Psal. 132. I will not sleep untill I finde a place for Jehovah, Gnad emptsa makom: and 1 Sam. 14. 9. Psal. 73. 17. Psal. 105. 19.

2. The words containe this generall, a Proclamation royall of a great King: and for particulars,

1. Who giveth out the Proclamation, From my face a Decree goeth, I Darius make a Decree.

2. The parties to whom, to every dominion of my Kingdome.

3. The matter, that they feare and tremble.

4. The object, before the face of the God of Daniel.

5. The reasons of the Decree, for Law without reason is will, not Law; men goe to heaven or hell with reason.

1. He is the living God: and this is form his nature.

2. He is eternall: then from his government, his kingdome, such as, 1. time, 2. violence, 3. wisedome cannot destroy; but such a Church and Kingdome as shall endure for ever, and his dominion endureth to the end.

[I make a Decree.] This Darius the Mede, called Nabonithus, succeeded to Belshazzar the sonne of Evil-Merodach, about the yeare of the world 3393. others 3442. and did reigne 17. or 19. yeares. And having advanced Daniel to great honour, by force of a wicked law cast Daniel to the Lions, and God having miraculously delivered Daniel from the Lions, this King giveth out a Law, that all his Subjects fear and serve the God of Daniel. Whence observe,

1. All Princes are obliged to governe and rule for the Lord and his honour. 1. So Scripture speaketh, it shall be in the last dayes, Esay 49. 25. Kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and Queens thy nursing mothers. Psal. 72. 10. The Kings of Tarshish and of the Isles shall bring presents. (I would the King of this Island were in this Text) ver. 11. The Kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts, yea, all Kings shall fall downe before him.

2. Princes are Gods Standard-bearers, they beare his sword by office, Rom. 13. 4. and they hold Crowne and Scepter of him, as great Landlord of all powers.

3. In a speciall manner they are second Gods. Psal. 81. 6. Nor do rulers judge for men, the judgment is the Lords, 2 Chro. 19. 12. All rulers in the act of judging are Gods deputies, even though their [Page] second calling be to be sent by a King, and therefore see what judgment God himselfe would pronounce, if he were on the bench, that same must they decree, except they would make the deputed mouth to belie the minde of the great Lord who sent them.

4. The Lord hath entrusted Christian Rulers with the most precious thing he hath on earth, he hath given his Bride and Spouse to their tutory and faith.

5. What sweeter comfort can the Ruler have, either when his soule lodgeth in an house of groaning and sicke bones, and the image of death sitteth on his eye-lids; or in the day of his greatest calamity, then to looke backe and smile upon such an old friend, as a good conscience? and to say as Job doth, ch. 29. 13. The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me, and I caused the widowes heart to sing for joy, &c.

Vse 1. You are entrusted by God with an honourable Virgin, a Kings daughter, Psal. 45. 9. Now then for her Fathers sake, and for her Fathers blessing, deale kindely with her: As you love the Bridegroome take care of the Bride. You have now amongst your hands Christ, his Crowne, his Israel, his glory, Esay 46. 13. his Prerogative Royall: be faithfull Tuterers and active Factors for the Priviledges, Lawes, and Liberties of the high Court of heaven.

Vse 2. If this be the place and relation that Princes have to Christ and his Church, then can the Lord have given no power to any Ruler to waste and destroy the mountaine of the Lord.

For, 1. All royall power given of God, Deut. 17. 18, 19, 20. in the first moulding of royall highnesse, was a power to rule according to that which is written in the Booke of the Law, and so there can be no royall power to the contrary, truly royall.

2. That power cannot be from God as a lawfull power, the exercise and acts whereof are sinfull. I speake of a lawfull morall power.

3. If such an uncontrollable power as cannot be resisted, be of God, then are Princes given to the Churches and people of God, as judgements of God, then are all Christian States, actu primo, made slaves by God, in the very intention of God the giver, and of the gift, at what time hee giveth them a Nurse-father to feed and governe them; and so shall Gods gifts be snares, plagues, and no gifts. If God give a fatherly power to a father to kill all his children, [Page] and if a State give to their Generall a military power to fell and destroy all his Souldiers, so as neither Sonnes nor Souldiers may defend themselves; then the fatherly power should be of its owne nature a plague to the Sonnes. If any say, the Prince, the Father, because they feare God, will not put forth in acts such a power; I answer, thankes to the Princes goodnesse for that, but no thankes to his office and power. God gave him the Sword as a Prince, if he doe not draw that royall Sword to drink bloud, we cannot impute the cause to the nature of the royall gift or intention of God the giver, but to the goodnesse of a man; which must be bad divinite.

Doct. 2. So much as Darius hath of God, or any good Ruler, so far is his spirit for the publick.

He heareth something of the God of Daniel, now then he hath a publick spirit to send something of God to all nations, people, and languages, v. 25. Though there bee nothing to prove that the man had saving grace, yet the generall holdeth, so much of God as any hath, in so farre is he for the publick.

1. Because grace is a publicke beame of God, and a branch of Gods goodnesse, and so of a spreading nature; and the better things be, the more publicke they are: the Sunne is better then a Candle; God best of all; because every thing that hath beeing, hath something of God; and Christ best of all, because he is the Saviour of many, and Col. 1. 20. hath reconciled all things in heaven and earth to himselfe.

2. Graces end is the most publick end of the world, even Gods glory, for all things are for God, Rom. 11. 36. Prov. 16. 4. mens private ends are sinfull ends.

3. The more gracious men be, the more publick they are; David will not be David alone in praising God, but Psal. 148. he wil have a world in with him, even Angels, Sun, Moone, Stars, Heaven of Heavens, Dragons, deeps, fire, hail, snow, vapour, stormy winde, mountains, trees, beasts, creeping things, fowles, Kings, Judges, old and, young, to hold up the song. Moses & Paul would lay out in ransome their part of heaven to redeeme Gods glory, and salvation to the Lords Church; the Martyrs desired that their pain & torment might praise and exalt God. How broad, how catholicke and publicke was his spirit who said, 1 Cor. 9▪ 19. Though I be free from all men,[Page]yet have I made my selfe servant unto all, that I might gaine the more. 20. And unto the Iews I became as a Iew, that I might gain the Iewes; to them that are under the Law, as under the Law, that I might gaine them that are under the Law. 21. To them that are without the Law, as without Law, (being not without Law to God, but under the Law to Christ) that I might gain them that are without Law. 22. To the weake became I as weake; I am made all things to all men, that I might by all meanes save some. A publike spirit is not himselfe, he is made a Jew, a Gentile; a weake man, not a weak man; he is made Law and Gospel; he is made a bridge over a River, that the Church may goe over him drie; he complyeth with all who but lend out halfe a looke to Christ; and he is, in a complement of grace, a servant to all. 2 Corinth. 4. 5. We preach not our selves (except wee preach our owne sinnes, our owne condemnation by nature, and that wee under-preach all eminencie in our selves) but our selves your servants for Christs sake; yea, your servants servants for Christ. See the Complement of a publicke heart, of one who is willing to stoope, and put his head and haire under the feet of the Church, and of the poorest and most despised passenger who maketh out for heaven.

Vse. Then Grace maketh men rich Parliament men, and there is a wide difference betwixt a publicke man, and a publicke spirit; all Parliament men are publicke men, but they are not all publike spirits, else so many of them would not have deserted the publicke, and runne away from Christs Colours, to seeke their owne private Idols. Men void of grace make an Idol of themselves, every wicked man is wholly himselfe, and wholly his owne, Phil. 2. 21. They all seeke their owne, not the things of Jesus Christ. Hee who is for the Bridegroome, cannot bee against the Bride, nor against the Common-wealth; he who is a Statesman of heaven, and knoweth savingly the fundamentall Lawes of Jesus Christ, the power and prerogative roall of the King of Kings; he who is acquainted with the frame and constitution of the Kingdome of sinne, in his owne heart; he who feareth God, who feareth his owne light, and is awed with the Decrees and Lawes of an inlightened conscience, shall be fast for the publicke; and the man who selleth his Religion [Page] and his soule for his private ends, will soone sell his countrey, his Parlament, the Lawes and Liberties of the Kingdome. Will hee put the Law of God, and the Crowne and Scepter of that Princely Lord Jesus to the market, and will hee sticke for his Court and Honour, to sell the Lawes of England? and will hee forfeit Heaven, and will hee not forfeit you all, and your Parliament and Liberties? O then bee intreated now to bee for Heaven, and Christ, as his publicke State-wits, to convey Decrees for Christs honour, for Reformation (against Babylon and her sonnes) through this whole Kingdome. You have now power and opportunitie to send the Glory of Christ over Sea, to all Europe; the eyes of Nations are upon you, exalt the Sonne of God: thinke it not sweet policie to have peace with Babylon, and warre with God; consider if Church and State did ever prosper since the Queenes Idol of the Masse was set up amongst you: and what is your part when many Masses are now in the Kings Court at Oxford?

[I make a Decree] There was a wicked Law and a cursed Decree made by Darius, that for thirtie dayes, neither Daniel nor any of Gods people should pray to God, or to any god save to Darius: Daniels enemies prevaile thus farre, that Daniel, the Churches right eye now in the Court, should be decourted and cast out to bee meate to beasts; Behold the artifice and fathomlesse depth of Gods wisedome, who bringeth a contrary Decree out of this wicked Decree, even a Decree for adoring that God of Daniel, whom they had dishonoured.

Doct. It is the art of the deepe wisedome of divine providence to bring good out of the sinnes of his enemies and the sufferings of his owne.

Iosephs brethren moved with envie, sell their brother; Potiphar casteth him in prison: the wisedome of God commeth in, in the game, and hee exalteth Joseph, and keepeth alive people in famine. Herod, Pilate, Jewes and Gentiles, crucifie the Lord of glory, the Art of free grace, deepe wisedome in God must bee more then halfe play-maker here, and in this redeeme the lost world. The Chaldeans spoyle Job and plunder him; Satan maketh him an empty house, and a childelesse father; mercy commeth up in the Theater, and free Grace, maketh Job an illustrious [Page] and faire copy of patience and faith to all ages. Achitophel did, as many now with our King doth, hee gave wicked counsell against the Lords servant and a just cause, divine justice cometh in in the game, and Achitophel hangeth himselfe.

The use of this shall answer two questions.

1. Why doth God suffer sinne to be, and so much sinne in England and Ireland?

2. Why doth hee suffer his people in Covenant with him, to bee a land of bloud?

The former question is a generall, a wicked Marcion asketh, why the Lord, who foresaw the event, did suffer Evah and the Devill to conferre? and if he was able, why did hee not hinder sinne to bee, except he had been either envious, and would not, or weake, and could not hinder the enters of sinne in the world? Tertullian answereth, Because the Lord is free in his gifts. Augustine answereth, Epist. 59. ad Paulinum, Quia voluit, because it was his will. Prosper and Hilarius both with Augustine, say; The cause may be unknown, it cannot be unjust. Though it were in the Potters hand, to turne clay into brasse, yet his power should not destroy his liberty, to cause him to make a lame vessell such, as if it had reason and will to fall, it should not bee broken. Why should Daniels enemies prevaile so as to cast him to Lions? that these knees that bowed often to God, and these hands which was lifted up to him, should be eaten with Lions? O lame vessell beleeve, beleeve but dispute not. And the answer is cleare, sinne is the worst thing that is, but the existence of sinne is not ill: otherwayes (saith Augustine) God should never permit it to be. Yea sinnes being in the world, is (silva justiciae divinae, officina gratiae Christi) A field for the glory of revenging justice, and sinne is the work house of the pardoning grace of God. And therefore there bee good reasons why the Lord should permit sinne, and such sinnes.

1. That there may be roome in the play for pardoning grace; the colour and beauty of free grace had never beene made obvious in such a way, to the eye of Angels and Men, if sinne had not beene.

2. There had beene no employment for the mercy of a soule-redeeming Jesus.

3. Wee should not have had occasion in the eares of Angels, [Page] to hold up for ever and ever the new Psalme of the Praises of a Redeemer.

4. By this, nature, clay, and fraile nature, and selfe-dependence is cried downe, and God exalted.

5. By this, the humble love of the contrite and broken in heart is necessitated to kisse the bowels of him who bindeth up the broken hearted mourners in Sion, and furrowes of blood put to reall acknowledgement of everlasting compassion.

6. Hence also are minors and poore pupils put to improve their faith and dependence upon so Kingly a Tutor, as never enough loved and admired Jesus Christ.

7. Hence, to the praise of grace, Satan hath faire justice, and that (in foro contradictorio) in open patent Court, when clay triumpheth over Angels and Hell, through the strength of Jesus Christ.

The other question is also soone answered: Why should the cause of God be so oppressed, and his Churches garments rolled in blood?

But 1. God must bee knowne to bee God in his owne chaire of estate, and hee must be The Saviour of Israel in the time of trouble.

2. Satan, Prelates, Papists, Malignants, shall be vnder-workmen and kitchin-servants to him who hath his fire in Sion, and his furnace in Jerusalem, to purifie and refine the vessels of mercy in the Lords house.

3. Christs Bride must know that this is their Inne, not their home; their Pilgrimage, not their Countrey; otherwise our Lord knoweth how to lead his passengers to Heaven, not by Sea, but by dry land.

4. All must see that the losse of men is not the Lords losse, but the Gospels gaine.

5. His glorious grace must be commended who suiteth in marriage a spouse to himselfe, in no place rather then in the Furnace, Esay 48. 10.

6. Prayers and praises must bee the rent paid to him to whom belongeth the issues from death. The Lord hath a great worke now on the wheeles in Britain▪ Be very charitable of our Lords dispensation, though the slaine of the Lord bee many in England and Ireland, looke not on the darke side of Gods providence, or on the [Page] blacke and weeping side of his dispensation; widdowes are multiplied almost as the sand of the Sea; children weepe and cry, Alas my father! mothers in Ireland die twice, when they see their children slaine before their eyes, and then are killed themselves. Oh! (say men) why doth the Lord this? Behold, the faire and smiling side of Gods providence; contrary windes from Rome, from hell, by the art of omnipotency, promove the sailing and course of Christs ship.

1. God is now drawing an excellent portract of a refined Church, but with the inke of the innocent blood of his people; say not, What is the Lord doing? or, Is there knowledge in the Almightie? who hath given the Lord counsell? better wee be his courtiers, then his counsellors.

2. If we love the dust and the stones of Sion, Psalme 102. 14. Christ is ravished with one of his Churches eyes, and with a chaine of her neck, Cant. 4. 9. God loveth his owne glory more ardently then I can love it.

3. The Church is dearer bought to Jesus then to me or you; hee hath given too great a price for her, to lose her.

4. Rather when wee cannot see to the bottome of providence, beleeve upon plain trust, and say as Esay 8. 17. I will wait upon the Lord that hideth his face from the house of Jacob, and I will looke for him.

Part. 2. [In every dominion of my kingdome.] This is the second part, wherein the parties to whom this Law is given, are expressed in their universalitie, as they are, v. 25. To all people, nations, and languages that dwell on all the earth, peace: Whence observe; That Nations without the visible Church never wanted means, either ordinary or extraordinary, to know God; though we cannot in reason say that the Decree or Law of a heathen King is the Arminian universall grace, yet some means all have: And God hath laid open foure bookes to all nations. 1. That booke of creation of the Heavens and his workes, Psalme 19. 1. The Heavens, Mesappe-rajim cevodel, doe booke, and register the glory of God, Romanes, 1. 20.

2. The booke of ordinary providence is a Chronicle or Diurnall [Page] of a God-head, and a Testimony that there is a God, Acts 14. 17. Acts 17. 27.

3. There is a booke of the extraordinary workes of God, and some report of the true God, upon occasion carried to Nations without the borders of the visible Church; As our text saith: And Rachab saith, Josh. 2. 10. We have heard how the Lord dryed up the red Sea, &c. But as children sport themselves and play with the pictures in a booke, and with the gold on the covering of the booke, and the ribbins, not knowing the sense and meaning of this book; so doe we sport our selves in looking on the outside of these three bookes, not searching it to reade and understand the invisible things of God, his eternall power and God-head, Rom. 1. 20.

4. The booke of mans conscience, Rom. 2. 14, 15. doth speake of God to all Nations, though now by reason of our sinfull blindnesse and dulnesse, that book be uncorrected, and dimme-printed, written with white and watery Ink, so that we see not God distinctly in it; yet all these foure serve to make men without excuse, because, when they know God, they glorifie him not as God, neither are thankefull, Rom. 1. 20. But this condemneth us to whom there is laid open a better, and fairer, and learneder piece, Psal. 19. 7.

Use. The Law of the Lord is perfect, converting the Soule.

Yea, if Christ in the Gospel had not come to us, we should have had no sinne (no evangelick guilt of unbeleefe) but now wee have ( [...]) no shift of Law, no cloake for our sinne. Hence, though this Island be in a more blessed condition, by reason that the Sunne shineth in his strength and light in our Meridian, (God hath not done so to every Nation, Psal. 147. 19, 20.) yet by reason of despising salvation in this day-light of the Gospel, we are in a most dangerous condition.

1. Because Sodomy is not so hainous a sinne as unbeleefe, and the despising of the Gospel, Matth. 10. 15. For Evangelick unbeleefe is against the flower and garland (to speake so) of the excellency of God; not onely against a Creator, but against a Saviour, and against those most lovely and soul-ravishing attributes of God, his mercy, goodnesse, free-grace, longanimity, patience, bowels of compassion: and therefore an unbeleeving Covenanter with [Page] God in England and Scotland, is to looke for a hotter furnace in the lake of fire and brimstone, then one of Sodome and Gomarrah.

2. Because there is some exception against the Law-vengeance, for the Gospel is a cleare exception against those who are under the Law-curse, John 3. 16. But there is no exception against the Gospel-vengeance: this is a year and age, and Eternity-vengeance, for the finall rejecter of the Gospel hath not a Sacrifice for sinne to looke to, as the Law-breaker hath, Heb. 2. 1, 2. Heb. 10. 26, 27.

3. The rejecting of the Gospel is a fighting against the Spirit of the Gospel, whereas the Law is but a letter: and unbeliefe is a sinne against the Holy Ghost, though it be not alwayes the sinne against the Holy Ghost; therefore are the despisers of the Gospel kept, as desperate robbers are, to the judgement of the great Court day, and chained up and fettered to the last and terrible vengeance, 2 Thes. 1. 8, 9. Deut. 32. 22. Heb. 10. 26.

O tremble and stand in awe of this high treason, for your sinne is not like Sodomes, nor like the despising of the religious decree of such an heathen King as Darius. But ere I proceed, it may be asked, Is unbeliefe a greater sinne then Sodomy, which hath a cry up to Heaven? unbeliefe soundeth no such cry to Heaven?

I answer: Hainous sinnes against the second Table are borne with a shout and a cry in their mouth, and are very broad-faced and bloudy, and have more of a naturall conscience in them, because the duties of the second Table are written in our heart in fairer print, and in a bigger Character then the duties of the first Table. Therefore naturall men can heare the cry of these sinnes; and that is our corruption, that a man is more wounded in minde if he offend his earthly Father, then if he blaspheme his heavenly Father, the great and eternall Jehovah. But the duties of the first Table are written in our heart by nature, in a more dimme and obscure way, and hath lesse of naturall conscience; and the principles of the Gospel are not written in our heart at all, at least as they are Evangelicke, we know them not but by revelation, Gal. 1. 15, 16. Mat. 16. 17. and therefore sinnes against the Gospel are borne dumb, and being more cleanely and spirituall sinnes, they have no [Page] shout or cry against the conscience, except in so farre as they are enlightened supernaturally, in whom unbeliefe hath a stirring and a paine of Conscience. Hence observe a considerable difference by the way, betwixt the naturall and renewed soule: A naturall man may be pained in conscience with parricide, robberies, acts of cruelty, but never shall you heare him troubled in minde with unbeliefe, and doubting of a God-head, and the soules immortality, as Judas was wakened in conscience for bloud and treachery against his innocent Master, but not for unbeliefe and blasphemy, whereof he was guilty in an high measure. But the renewed are troubled with spirituall sinnes, which are onely discerned by a spirituall and supernaturall light, as with unbeliefe, ignorance, security, wandring of heart in Prayer, doubtings of a providence that ruleth all.

Also it may be questioned, How it commeth to passe that God sendeth not sufficient helps to all Nations, that they may come to the knowledge of the truth and be saved?

I answer shortly: It is enough that he giveth sufficient meanes in this sense, That Gods justice is cleared, and men are without all excuse, in that they wilfully lose themselves. 1. Men are not formally guilty because they are not saved. 2. Nor are all men guilty because the Gospel commeth not to them. 3. Nor are they all guilty because they beleeve not; For how shall they beleeve in him, of whom they have not heard? Romans 10. 14. But they are guilty because they doe not use that which is given them for God.

Object. 1. But God gave me no more grace, and what can I doe without grace?

Answ. This argument toucheth those who heare the Gospel, as well as those who never heard of it: And it is a chiding with the soveraigne Lord, because he gave not efficacious grace to all: And Patrons of nature, and Arminians, are no lesse straited with this incomprehensible dispensation of God then we are.

Object. 2. But if I had had such grace as God gave to Peter, I should have beleeved.

Answ. It is the carnall mans argument, Rom. 9. 18, 19. If he have mercy on whom he will; He cannot be angry against me, who do not beleeve, for no man resisteth his will. Yea, but as the clay [Page] should not dispute with the Potter, so the clay having a corrupted will, doth wilfully refuse to beleeve, and the creatures willing disobedience, and Gods free decree of denying grace, doth meet in one, for which cause the creature is justly condemned.

Object. 3. But more grace should make me beleeve, and more grace God denieth to me.

Answ. It is easier to complaine for what we have not, then thankfully to use what we have. If the creditor crave the payment of ten thousand pounds from a Land-waster, it is bad payment to say, You are to be blamed that I pay not, because you lent me not twenty thousand pound.

Object. 4. But I have a strong inclination, and cannot resist when I am tempted.

Answ. O lame vessel, tremble, but dispute not. 2. It is lawfull to complaine and sigh under those fetters, Rom. 7. 24. but unlawfull to childe and excuse sinfull rebellion.

Part. 3. That men tremble and feare before the face of the God of Daniel.

In this third Part we have to consider these two:

First, Who commandeth trembling and feare.

Secondly, The thing commanded, trembling, and feare.

1. The Commander is Darius, but whether converted, or not, is a question. I thinke there is no ground to hold that he was a converted man: 1 Because all that he commandeth, is trembling, and feare of God; upon the occasion of a miracle, the positive worship of God is not commanded. 2. He calleth not God, his God, but the God of Daniel. 3. He acknowledgeth Daniels God to be the living God, but doth not command that he onely shall be served, and all dead gods cast off. 4. The Babilonish History sheweth he still kept his idol-gods. 5. The rise of this Proclamation is a miracle, and such as breedeth rather a servile feare then a filiall adoring of God. 6. There is nothing here of the meanes to instruct his people in the knowledge of the true God: And to command Religion without information of the minds, is rather Tyranny over the conscience, then true zeal: Hence unrenewed men may out of the dominion of a convincing light, be forced to acknowledge the Lord, when yet the will and affections are not subdued to the knowledge of [Page]God. Hence I expresse my thoughts in this point, in these assertions.

1. Assertion. The naturall conscience is not its owne Lord in knowing, bleeving, and confessing something of God. For, first, Devils believe there is a God, but they tremble, Iames 2. 19. They beleeve against their will, as a man condemned to death for a crime, beleeveth he must die, but his will is opposite to his faith. Iudas awaked cannot chuse but beleeve a vengeance. Light is a King, and a conquerour sometime. 2. You seldome finde but enemies have given a testimony, now or then, for God. Exod. 14. 25. Let us flee, (say the Egyptians) for the Lord fighteth for them, against the Egyptians: Pharaoh being mastered in conscience with the plague of haile mingled with fire, saith, Exod. 9. 27. I have sinned [this] time: The Lord is righteous, and I and my people are wicked: Deut. 32. 31. For their rocke is not as our rock, our enemies being Iudges: Psal. 126. 2. Then said they amongst the heathen, the Lord hath done great things for them. Sauls conscience speaketh truth, in a dreame, through his sleepe, though he went to bed again, 1 Sam. 24. 17. Thou art more righteous then I, so speaketh he to David. The Devill can say no otherwayes, Luke 4. 34. I know thee who thou art, the holy one of God. Pilate must say of Christ, I finde no fault in him. Caligula his feare must make his faith a lyar, and when he heareth a thunder, say, Mine eares heare the God which my heart denieth to have any being. Nero cannot say but hell is begunne in his soule before the time. The Apostate Iulian said, Vicisti tandem Galilaee, At length, O Iesus, thou art victorious. Paul the third, a monster of men, said dying, I shall now be resolved of three things: 1. If the soule be immortall: 2. If there be a God: 3. If there be a hell. Plinius the second wrote to the Emperour, that Jesus Christ was a great Prophet, and a holy man. Many Papists of old gave testimony that the Waldenses were holy men. Many at Rome, said Luther, was for the truth, and counselled that Leo the tenth would reforme the Church, as Guiciard. hist. l. 3. saith. Malignants on their death-bed have said, the Parliament of England is for justice and religion, and Scotland contend for the purity of the Gospel; and let but adversaries aske at their conscience in cold blood, whether the world, and their own ease, or the truth of God bottomed their conscience in following the wayes of Cavaliers; and aske, on whose side are lies, perjury, blaspheming, mocking of godlinesse, the idolatrie of the masse.

[Page] Assertion 2. The will and affections have a dominion over conscience in many things; in that,

1. There is a Covenant betwixt conscience and concupiscence, while (as Chrysostome saith) Men beleeve not what they know, but what they will, and will is halfe play-maker in their faith, 2 Pet. 3. 5. Of this they are willingly ignorant: excellently is it said, Ier. 9. 6. Bemirmah, In deceit they refuse to know me, saith the Lord. The will hath a pack-pull on the minde: Light and malice, minde and will are vowen through other, the wills malice soureth and leaveneth the minds light, as rotten matter mixed with good wine overmastereth it, and taketh taste and colour from it.

2. The will and affection hath power to suspend the acts of, Considering of Christs excellency: 2. Sinnes horrour: 3. Truths beauty: 4. The sweet peace of obedience to God: 5. The eternitie of heaven and hell. Hos. 7. 1. The theefe cometh in, and the troopes of robbers spoile without, and they say not in heart, that I remember all their wickednesse. The will and affections should ingage and take the minde suretie and oblieged to consider of God and his wayes: But it is here as when a merchant cometh in, and overbiddeth the customer, and causeth the seller and the customer part company. When the minde is upon this or the like: What shall the wrath or the smiles of a King doe to mee, when my eye-strings shall bee broken? What thoughts can I have of gaine, lust, pleasure, court, when wormes shall make their nests in my eye-holes? In these, affections come in and divert the minde from such precious thoughts; and here bee two errours in the will: First, a sort of wicked diverting of the minde from necessary truths. Secondly, a will-heresie, when faith and divinity is swallowed up in the will and affections.

3. The will and affections resist truth in the minde, as Act. 6. 10. The adversaries could not resist the wisedome and spirit by which Stephen spake: then their minde was convinced, Act. 7. 51. You doe alwayes (saith Stephen) resist the holy Spirit. Behold, they could not resist light, yet they doe of malice, resist light.

4. The will and affections can imprison and cast in fetters Truth, Rom. 1. 18. They keep the truth of God captive, or in bonds: though Truth sometime break the fetters, and bolts, and escape, and come out to a confession, yet they apprehend Truth againe, and lay it in fetters.

[Page] Assertion 3. The onely saving grace of God, infused in the mind, will, and affections, doth subdue the conscience to truth, and obedience of the truth. Grace is the greatest conquerour of all. Jer. 20. 9. I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay. Act. 4. 20. We cannot but speake the things which we have seen and heard. New wine must have vent.

Vse 1. We would beware of sinnes against light, these are under water in the ship, and are sinking sins; a Reformation hath beene calling on you, and offering it selfe to you these fourescore yeares, and men have beene saying, It is not time to build the house of the Lord: and consider I pray you, how fearefull it is, for men not to stoup and fall downe, as taken captives to the truth of God, for every thought should bee brought as an apprehended souldier and a captive, to the obedience of Christ, 2 Cor. 10. 5. And specially the land is to be humbled for such sins as by the light of the Gospel hath been cried against, as luxury, vanity, pride, and fulnesse of bread, uncleannesse, swearing, lying, unjustice, oppression, but especially multiplied Altars, Idolatry, superstition, wil-worship.

Vse 2. The honourable Houses are to beware of the halfe reformation of Darius; nothing more odious to God then▪

1. A negative devotion: Nebuchadnezzar thinketh hee hath done all if nothing bee spoken amisse of the true God, Dan. 3. 29.

2. Agrippa his almost a Christian, is not a Christian at all, Ier. 3. 10. Yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned to me with her whole heart.

3. God detesteth lukewarmnes, and coldnes in his matters.

4. Hee hateth a mixture, it is a marke put on Samaria, 2 King. 17. 33. They feared the Lord, and served their owne Gods; this is that which bringeth the stretched-out arm of the Lords fury on the land, Zeph. 1. 5. because they sweare by the Lord, and by Malcom, and because the people halteth betwixt the Lord and Baal, 1 King. 18. 21. And it is Johu his reproachfull reformation, 2 King. 10. 28. Thus Jehu destroyed Baal out of Israel. 29. Neverthelesse he departed not from the sinnes of Jeroboam the sonne of Nobat; O how fearfull to be under this? [Page] he is for the good cause, neverthelesse he knoweth nothing of the power of Religion, so hee is right in the house, neverthelesse, he complaineth much with Malignants. It is knowne to you all when the Whore of Babylon was cast out of the Church, that shee left behinde her a gold ring, and some love tokens, I meane Episcopacie, and humane Ceremonies; this was the whores policy to leave a token behinde her, that she might finde an errand in the house againe: and shee was indeed returning to the house to demand her love-token again, but it shall bee Heavenly wisedome to make a perfect Reformation: keep nothing that belongeth to Babylon, and let not a stone, to be a corner-stone or a foundation, bee taken out of Babylon for the building of the Lords house, for they are cursed stones.

[That they tremble and feare] In Part 2. of the third member of our Text we are to consider, that Iehovah is to bee looked and served with feare and trembling; upon these sixe grounds all applicable to the present condition of times.

1. He is a great God, Ier. 30. 6. For as much as there is none like unto thee O Lord, thou art great, and thy Name is great; who would not feare thee, O King of Nations? Ier. 5. 22. Feare ye not me, saith the Lord; will ye not tremble at my presence, which have placed the sand for the bound of the Sea, &c. Alas we fancy to our selves a little God, and a great mortall King, therefore we tremble at the one, and feare not the other; so when we have to doe with an earthly power, the soule is servilely timorous; when we have to doe with God, the conscience is all made of stoutnesse.

2. The sinnes of the Land should make us tremble, Esa. 24. 16. But I said, my leannesse, my leannesse, woe unto me, for the treacherous dealers dealeth treacherously, Ier. 23. 9. My heart within me is broken, all my bones shake, &c. Psal. 119. 53. Horrour hath taken hold of me, because of the wicked that keep not thy law: What should the sins of Court, of Prelates, make me tremble? are they my sins? Yea 1. every sin that I am not grieved for is mine. 2. He never mourned for his own sins, who is not humbled for the sins of the land. 3. A gracious Samuel will own the sins of Saul.

[Page] 3. Gods great workes call for trembling, Habak. 3. The Prophet considering Gods walking through the red Sea with his horses, maketh him say, though it was a worke of mercy, verse 16. When I heard it, my belly trembled, my lips quivered, rottennesse entred into my bones, and I trembled in my selfe. O tremble at this Lord, who hath, 1. Wrought State miracles, if not miracles in nature; hee hath commanded the Sunne of righteousnesse to stand still in the Meridian of Brittain. 2. He hath divided our red Sea. 3. He hath brought us backe from the bordell-house, and renewed a Covenant with us. 4. Our enemies are fallen, and those are inlarged who were banished, imprisoned, vexed by Prelates for the haynous crime (as they thought) of pietie, holines, and orthodoxie. Tremble at his goodnesse, Feare the Lord and his goodnesse, Hos. 3. 5. Rejoyce in trembling, Psal. 2. 11. An ingenuous minde feareth debt, mercies tendered to us are debts lying on us; O how shall we repay him? what shall we render to him? Are wee not banckrupts to mercy and the goodnesse of God.

4. Tremble at Gods judgements, Psal. 119. 120. My flesh trembleth for feare of thee, and I am affraid of thy judgements, Jer. 4. 19. My bowels, my bowels, I am pained at the very heart, my heart maketh a noise within mee, I cannot hold my peace, because thou hast heard, O my soule, the sound of the trumpet, the alarme of warre. Here is a waste field of trembling: God in Germany is God to be feared in all places, for in these lands the wife could scarce have the halfe of her husband to bury, the best halfe hath beene blowne up in the aire with fire-work. 2. Horse hath beene esteemed good meat. 3. In Ireland the mothers have heard their young children aske mercy at the rebell with his Skainzer cutting the throat of her sonne; and hath not the Sword multiplyed Widdowes, and multiplyed Orphans in this land? It is fearfull to man to bide it out, as a warre, whether Gods displeasure will or no.

5. We are exceedingly to tremble at his anger, Amos 3. 8. The Lyon hath roared, who would not feare? When God doth [Page] but seeme to be angry. The children of God have beene distracted, and almost besides their wits with Gods terrours, Psal. 88. 15. and they were scarce in the suburbs of hell. Is there not cause to feare, if any of the land breake the oath of God, that the flying roll and book of vengeance, twentie cubits long, and ten cubits broad, shall enter into such a mans house, and remain in the midst thereof, and shall consume it, both timber & stones? Zac. 5. 4. When God declareth himself angry, mountains and hils do tremble, Psal. 114. 3. The sea saw it, and fled, Jordan was driven back. 4. The mountaines skipped like Rammes, and the little hils like Lambs. 5. What ailed thee, O thou Sea, that thou fleddest? thou Jordan, that thou wast driven back? ver. 7. Tremble thou earth at tho presence of the Lord. Hab. 3. 10. The mountains saw thee, and they trembled. That God is now angry, it may appeare, 1. Because your adversaries never prospered in any warres before, and now the Lord hath girded them with strength. 2. The godly man is taken away, it is cleare then there is evill comming, Esay 57. 1. Mich. 7 1. When an old sheep fleeth into an hedge, it is like a storme is comming. 3. There be more bloud shed then would have recovered the Palatinate.

6. We are to tremble when the Lord is like to depart; and that Christ and the Gospel shall depart from this Kingdome, is intended by Papists and Prelates, for the extirpation of Protestants and Protestant Religion, is the designe of Babylon, and of those in whom is any of her spirit: and consider what this is, Hos. 9. 12. Though Ephraim bring np children, yet wil I bereave her of them, that not a man shall be left; that is a sad condition: but this is a sadder case comming, also wo be to them when I depart from them, Zach. 11. 9. Then said I, I wil feed you no more. Nay, but (say some) we are not to tremble at that, if the Gospel be removed, and Popery come in, we shall have the good old world, and plenty of all things: Take heed of that good old world; in these same words, I will feed you no more, that which perisheth, let it perish, and that which is cut off, let it be cut off, and let the rest eate the flesh one of another: woe, woe to the Land if the Lord depart [Page] from us, and remove his Kingdome: this is worse then the Sword, therefore let Christ have welcome in the land, and his Throne be exalted, and his Temple builded, that hee may delight to come and fill the Temple with the Cloud of his Glory.

[That they tremble and feare.] Darius requireth outward subjection to the God of Daniel, even trembling and inward subjection, feare; and both being put together, he then would teach, that the true God should have the highest bensill and outmost pitch of the strength of the affections of feare, desire, joy, love, &c. Hence it may bee questioned, whether or no, affections in their highest pitch are conducible in Gods Service.

I answer in these Assertions.

1. Assertion. Those affections which goe before the deliberate acts of understanding, doe overcloud and mist reason, and marre the acts of beleeving in God, and serving and obeying God, Luke 24. 41. The disciples beleeved not for joy, and wondered: So hungring for Christs presence doth sometime hinder faith, and this is seene here, tam misere cupio ut vix credam, I so eagerly long for Christ, that I beleeve never to enjoy him.

2. Assertion. The more grace, the lesse passion; I meane the lesse inordinate affection; this is cleare in Christ Jesus, in whom was the fulnesse of grace, and therefore affections in him were rather actions, then passions, Iohn 11. 3. Jesus groaned in spirit and was troubled, [...], he troubled himselfe, Christ did call upon sorrow to rise, and sorrow in him did not arise uncalled; affections in Christ were servants, in us they are masters. There is mud in our bottome, even when our affections are liquid and cleare in the brimme, especially the sensitive part is clayie and drimmely water. 2. Grace is a good stirseman, and overmastereth passion; and reason, in the renewed man, is made a masse of Grace; and the most mortified have most reason, and strongest light, Romans 8. 7. The carnall minde (that is, the unmortified minde) is enmitie with God, Philippians 3. 8. [Page]Yea doubtlesse, and I count all things losse for the super-excellent knowledge of God in Christ Iesus my Lord. Then he was dead to all his priviledges, that hee might excell in the knowledge of Christ; and where there is little or no mortification, there is little or no heavenly light: therefore, 2 Pet. 3. 5. walkers after their lusts, and mockers and scoffers at the day of Christs second comming, are willingly ignorant, and brutish in that which they should know, and so there is as much Clay in the Fountaine as Water.

3. Assertion. The more faith, the lesse passion; for as some say of the Sunne, that light is not an accident of the Sun, but the essence thereof, so as the Sunne is but a masse and body of pure light; so is faith a Globe of heavenly light of reason. The beleever is the most reasonable man in the world, hee who doth all by faith, doth all by the light of sound reason, and Paul, 2 Thess. 3. prayeth to be delivered from unreasonable men; but how unreasonable? because verse 2. they have no faith: faith is a beame of Heavens light; Idolaters are farre from faith, and so they are cruell and superlative in passions of anger, hatred, envie: for this cause Babylon is fat with drinking much blood. When mortification is commanded, Rom. 12. 1. it hath the name to be called reasonable service to God.

4. Assertion. If the action bee done in faith, the more affection in the action, the better: But if it bee not done in the light of faith, the action is the worse. Jehu casteth downe Altars from anger and fury, not from faith: Hezekiah casteth Altars from the light of faith and zeale. If a strong ship bee faire before the winde, if all other things bee right, the more winde the better: so two principles of grace in Hezekiah, are better then one carnall principle in Iehu. In reformers of the Lords house, and in those who purge the Temple, and cast out the buyers and the sellers, there should bee strong affections of love, anger, zeale; but all these are bad principles, if there bee not much light of sound faith in reformers, yet a caution is here needfull. In actions of the [Page] second table, where our selfe, or our neighbour, and not God or Religion hath place, the higher bent the affection bee, the action is the worse; duties to Prince, parents, husband, wife, children, Parliament, require not all the love, all the feare, all the joy; halfe love is best here, and it is good that love, feare, joy, desire, anger, goe by ounce weights; but Reformation, God, Religion calleth for all the heart, all the soule, all the strength, Psalme 42. 2. Davids soule and his flesh are allowed in seeking after the living God, to long, to faint, to cry out with a shout for the living God; so more affection should bee for Christs fundamentall Lawes, for Religion, then for the fundamentall Lawes of a Kingdome, or for the power and priviledges of Parliament. And it is cleare in ill actions, the lesse affection the better; Pilates slaying of Christ, had lesse hatred and envie, then the Scribes and Pharisees killing of him; and the more innocent that the affection bee, the bad action is the lesse evill: feare is a more innocent affection then hatred. Those who out of feare desert the Lords cause, are not to be punished in that degree with those who out of malice and hatred to the truth joyned to the Malignant faction. How ever, God challengeth the floure of our affections, and it is a sweet thing to spend the vigour and floure of the affection upon God, and if you had ten tongues to speake for God, a hundred hands to fight for him, many lives to lose for him, Achitophels wisedome to imploy in his services, except you engage the heart and affections in his service, you doe nothing to him. If Prelates, Papists and Malignants bee hated onely as hurtfull to your State, to the gaine and externall peace of the Common-wealth, and not as Gods enemies, as Idolaters, as they are under the King of the bottomlesse pit, the Antichrist, and Comets who borrow light from that fallen Starre, and not as servants to our King; the warre is shedding of innocent blood; heart reduplications in the affections doe mightily invert the nature of actions; Jehu 2 Kings 10. 30. 31. did right in the sight of the eyes of God, and did to the house of Ahab according [Page]to all that was in Gods heart; yet because hee did it with a crooked and bastard intention, for his owne honour and Idol ends, his obedience is, Hosea, 1. 4. murther before God.

art. 4. [The God of Daniel.] This is the fourth point considerable here. Darius speaketh of the living God, as naturall men doe, with a note of estrangement of affection, he applyeth him to Daniel, as the God of Daniel, but applyeth him not to himselfe, as making him his owne God, but rather doth insinuate that hee had another God then Daniels God: So doe naturall spirits destitute of faith stand afarre off from God, and bide at a distance with God, whereas onely faith can claim interest in God, and father it selfe upon the Lord. Laban speaketh thus to Jacob, Gen. 31. 29. The God of your father spake to mee yesterday, Exod. 8. 25. Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, Goe yee sacrifice to your God in the land, 1 King. 13. 6. Jeroboam saith to the Prophet. Entreat now the face of the Lord thy God, and pray for me: and Rachab speaking in the name of the people of Jericho saith, Iosh. 2. 11. For the Lord your God hee is God in the Heaven above, and in the earth beneath; unbelief maketh the unbeleever that which he is, even a bastard and stranger, not a sonne nor an heire; whereas faith challengeth right and heritage in God, Psalme 5. 2. Hearken unto the voyce of my cry, my King and my God, Psalme 7. 1. O Lord my God, in thee doe I put my trust. Psalme 18. 1, 2. The Lord is my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortresse, and my deliverer: my God, my strength in whom I will trust, my Buckler, and the horne of my salvation, my high tower; here bee nine relations, nine My'es. 2 Chr. 20. 12. Our God, wilt thou not judge them? Ezra, 9. 6. O my God, I am ashamed, &c. Dan. 9. 4. And I prayed unto the Lord my God: the three children say, Daniel 3. 17. Our God is able to deliver us, Ioh. 20. 28. Thomas said, my Lord, my God. Daniel here is made proprietor and heritor of the true and living God; and Darius and all his people have their owne Gods, called the gods of nations, and Darius puteth it as a ground, That the God which any man serveth, and [Page] trusteth in, hee hath a relation to him, as to his owne God: every man may by Law claime what is his owne. Hence are these two questions to be discussed.

1. Quest. Whether Application bee essentiall to Faith or not?

2. What ground have those who heare of God, and those within the visible Church, to call God their God.

For the discussion of the first, these following assertions may resolve us.

1. Assertion. Faith is more then a naked, hungry, and poore assent to the truth, there is in it a fiduciall acquiescence and a leaning upon JEHOVAH, expressed by divers expressions full of marrow, as Psalme 22. 8. He trusted, the Hebrewes say, He rolled himselfe on JEHOVAH; which is, when a wearied man sweating under a burden casteth himself and his burden both upon a place or a bed of rest Gol El-Jehovah as that Psal. 55. 22. Cast thy burden on JEHOVAH, and 1 Pet. 5. 7. Roll all your care on him, Psalme 37. the Chaldee Paraphrase saith on the place, for [he rolled himselfe on God] I spake prayses to God, which holdeth forth, that Faith is a worke of the heart and affection, rather then of the minde; So Psalme 37. 5. Resigne, and give over, or roll over thy wayes to the Lord, as Jerom doth well turne it; Bibl. Complutense, flee in to Jehovah. Psalme 18. 18. They prevented me in the day of my calamitie, but Jehovah was my stay; referring this to the Lord his bearing up of Davids heart in his trouble (which in reason cannot be denied) Mis [...]gnan is, (as Arias Montanus turneth it) fulcrum; Junius, scipio, or baculus; the seventy Interpreters [...], the Lord was Davids stay and his staffe: so is the word used, Esay 3. 1. The Lord taketh from Judah the stay and the staffe; and it is not evill that Christ is the sinners stay, and the lamed mans staffe, Esay, 26. 3. Thou wilt keepe him in perfect peace, whose minde is stayed (as a house holden up by a proppe) on thee, Psalme 112. He that feareth the Lord, is not afraid of ill tidings because his heart is fixed: Samuch Libbo, leaning [Page]on the Lord; and beleeving is not simply in the word, a giving credit to God, in what hee saith; but it is when men put their weight on God, as Esay, 10 20. The residue of Israel shall leane upon the Lord, the Holy one of Israel: and so is the word, Micah. 3. 11. They leane upon the Lord, saying, Is not the Lord amongst us? and faith is termed, Hebrewes 11. 1. [...] the substance of things hoped for: some doe not ill expound it to bee the pillar and ground-stone of the soule, in expecting good from God; and so is it the buckler of faith, Ephes. 6. 16. and these two words say, that Faith is a most valiant Souldier, which yeeldeth not to that which commeth against it, but that the beleever, when hee is killed and fallen, doth still stand and live. Doeg is thus made a wicked man, Psalme 52. 7. Loe this is the man that made not God his strength; Mahhuzzo, his fortitude, saith Jerome; and in the matter of giving assent to truthes. Consider in this comparison, how Faith layeth it selfe upon God: There bee six men condemned to die for treason; the King sendeth a sealed pardon to one, all the sixe reade the pardon, and all believe it is the true deed of the Prince, but five of them doe beleeve it with sorrow, and no love to the Prince, because their names are not in the pardon; but the pardoned man beleeveth it, not onely as true, but his heart cleaveth to it with a heate and warmenesse of soule resting upon the grace of the Prince: So doth the believer thrust his heart upon Christ, and his free grace, and hath a soule-kindenesse to the promises, when hee heareth them, which is not in these, who onely take the word as true, Canticles, 8. 5. Who is she that cometh upout of the Wildernesse associating, or neighboureth her selfe upon her well-beloved? Faith maketh Christ a neighbour and a companion to the soule, and therefore here must bee an Application of the heart to God in Christ.

2. Assertion. Some even deserted and missing the Lord to their feeling, may, and doe apply him to themselves, [Page] as their owne Lord. Psalme 22. 1. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Canticles 5. 6. I opened to my well-beloved, and my well-beloved had withdrawne himselfe; then a God hiding himselfe, and withdrawing his felt love to my faith, may be my God. Esay 49. 14. Zion saith, My Lord hath forgotten me: so Mary Magdalen saith, Iohn 20. 13. They have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him: then hee may be a forgetting and taken away Lord to my feeling, and yet to my faith also my Lord; as though I were in Hell and Christ in Heaven, I may beleeve and apprehend the relation standing to mee, as the wife may beleeve that the angry and the forsaking husband is still her husband; Gods glooming sometimes doth not breake the relation of a Lord or Saviour to mee, no not in my apprehension and feeling.

3. Assertion. To beleeve that God is my Lord, who from eternitie did chuse mee, and of intention sent Christ to die for mee, is not essentiall to saving faith; for the doubtings of many beleevers who dare not say (hee is my God) and yet dare not renounce God, or give over their claime and interest in Christ, doth evidence manifestly that such doubting ones doe also beleeve, though they cannot beleeve so much as appropriation of Christ as proper possession. Hence two cases they be in, who thus doubt.

1. They beleeve but in the darke; They stay on Jehovah, and yet see no light, Esay 50. 10. as children say their lesson sometimes without their booke, and as those who are in the darke make their hands serve for their eyes, and grope with their hands stretched out, when they cannot see with their eyes.

2. They be ready to halfe the Covenant, and to divide it betwixt God and their soules, and beleeve God to bee a father, and yet dare not say they are Gods sonnes: so the Prodigall divideth, as it were, the relation of a father, from the relation of a sonne, which is the bad Logicke [Page] of unbeleefe, Luke 15. 18. I will arise and go to my Father, and say, Father, I have sinned against thee; then hee beleeved him with a broken and halting faith to bee his Father, yet his petition, saith hee, did not fully beleeve himselfe to bee a sonne, and therefore hee craveth a place in the house inferiour to a sonne, ver. 19. Make me as one of thy hired servants.

The other question is, What warrant hath any weake doubter to beleeve that God is his God in Christ? And there bee two grounds on which the doubt is bottomed.

1. No man knoweth whether he be elected or reprobated, when he is first charged to beleeve.

2. The Lord is not really (a parte rei) the God and the Lord of the thousand part, who heareth the Gospel, and are condemned, because they beleeve not on the onely begotten Sonne of God: I set downe these Assertions for an Answer.

1. Assertion. The question is often, not so much whether a poore soule would have Christ or no, (for there is no question of that) as if hee would have Christ to bee his God, in his owne legall way, that is, if hee would first be holy and worthy, and then take Christ for his Saviour.

2. Assertion. Gods Decree of Election, or his intention to save me, is not the proper object of my Faith, but rather of my sense and feeling: wee goe mightily beside the line, in the method of beleeving, when we goe to beleeve at first Gods intention to save me: The order is, being humbled for sinne, wee are to adhere to the goodnesse of the promise, not to looke to his intention to persons, but to his complacencie and tendernesse of heart to all humble sinners: So Paul, 1 Tim. 1. 15. embraceth by all meanes that good and faithfull saying, Iesus Christ came to save sinners; before he put himselfe in as the first of these sinners, as the condemned man beleeveth first the Kings grace and clemencie to all humbled supplicants, [Page] who sueth for grace, before hee beleeve grace to himselfe; and if this were not, the method of applying Christ were unreasonable. The woman diseased with the bloudy issue, heard of Jesus, and therefore came and touched the hemme of his garment: What had she heard? nothing of his exorable kindnesse and tender mercy towards her selfe, but towards others, and upon this beleeved; so a Rope is cast downe in the Sea to a multitude of drowned men, and all are bidden, for their life, lay hold on the Rope, that they may be saved; it were unseasonable and foolish curiositie for any of these poore men, now upon death and life, commanded to hold fast the Rope, to dispute whether did the man, who cast downe the Rope, intend and purpose to save me, or not, and while my minde be at a point in that, I will not put out one finger to touch the Rope: but foole, dispute with hands and armes, and lay hold on the remedy, and doe not thou begin a plea with Christ, and leave that question to another time. A Prince proclaimeth a free market of gold, moneyes, fine linnen, rich garments, and all precious Jewels, to a number of poore men, upon a purpose to enrich some few men, whom of grace he purposeth to make honourable Courtiers and Officers of Estate; all these men are now not to dispute the Kings secret purpose, but to repaire to the market, and to improve their Princes grace, and buy without money. Christ holdeth forth his Rope to drowned and lost sinners, and layeth out an open market of the rich treasures of heaven; doe thou take it for granted, without any further dispute, as a principle after to be made good, that Christ hath thoughts of grace and peace concerning thee, and doe but now husband well the grace offered, lay hold on Christ aye while he put thee away from him, and if there be any question concerning Gods intention of saving thee, let Christ first move the doubt, but doe not thou be the first mover.

3. Assertion. It is true, your Christian name, John, Peter, Anne, Mary, are not in the New Testament, but here is as [Page] good and better, and a more individuall designation then your Christian name, if thou bring sinne with thee to Christ, and there be no man but hee hath this name, bring a lost soule with thee. Luke 19. 10. The sonne of man came to seeke and to save that which was lost. Matthew 9. 13. Christ saith, I am not come to call the righteous, but the sinners to repentance. Then if it be said, What is thy name, who layest hold on Christ? there is an answer, My name is a sinner. 2. Leave, behinde thee, righteousnesse when thou commest to Christ, thou mayest easily leave true righteousnesse behinde thee, and come without it, because true righteousnesse of thy owne is a non-ens, and just nothing, and nothing is the proper heritage of the poore; bring want and povertie with thee, and there is another name, say, Lord Jesus, my name is not in the royall promise of grace made to Traitours and Rebels against the Crowne of Heaven, but my name is povertie, they call me want and necessitie; and all men hitherto hath these two names, sinners, poore and unrighteous; but three bring some feeling and sense; come wearied and laden, and then thou hast a third name. This is harder, yet it is amongst the most easie things required of thee; the Law which worketh (if it were felt and heard) will worke this in thee, and though then thou want it, thou hast that which is nearest to it, even sinne; for these two be of one bloud almost, to wit, want of cloathing, and nakednesse, a heavie load, and a wearied body; and nakednesse is a neare friend to shame and cold, and povertie is very neare of kindred to hunger; hunger is come of that same stocke and house; and if thou canst say, O Physician Iesus, my right name is sicknesse; O rich Iesus, they call me want; O bread of life, they call me hunger; it is enough.

Object. 1. But it is not faith, but presumption, for mee, without a warrant, and without law or right, to beleeve in a God, who was indeed Daniels God, but not mine.

Answ. 1. Presumption is a sister to Pride; if thou be wearied and laden, thou cannot readily be proud. 2. Thou askest a warrant of Law to beleeve in Christ. I answer by [Page] another question: What Law or Warrant have countrey beggers to cry for Almes at the hands of the rich? often Acts of Parliament and Lawes are against begging. What Warrant or Law have they to begge? Let the begger answer it himselfe. I have no Law (hee can answer) but I am poore, I have nothing, and I cannot steale, I cannot starve; so by the Law of want thou restest upon Jesus Christ; I want all things, Christ hath all things, and wanteth nothing; and this is as good as any act of Parliament in the world.

Object. 2. Daniel was one of the righteous men on earth; Noah, Iob, and Daniel, were none-suches, Ezek. 14. 14.

Answ. The Cart wheele moveth, because it is round, not that it may bee round, but the sinner doth not beleeve, because he is righteous, but that hee may bee righteous; it were a wicked faith, and it were to beleeve treacherously, to beleeve, because you are holy, or as holy as Daniel; faiths bottome is want, sinne, damnation; and the Kingdome of beleevers is but (as we say) a nest of beggers.

Object. 3. But if I were worthy to believe and rely upon Christ, I should then come to him with some boldnesse.

Answ. This is the Papists merit of congruitie, that wee will not come to Christ while wee have an hire, and it is seeming humilitie, but reall pride: I will not come to Christs Market, without money; you will not come to the fountaine, while your thirst bee quenched, nor to him who can give you fine gold, and fine linnin, while first you bee rich and well cloathed, and that is cursed righteousnesse, and unholy holinesse, that any soule getteth out of another then Jesus Christ.

Object. 4. But if I cannot come to Christ without sense of sinne and povertie, then is my coming and my act of beleeving founded and bottomed upon something that I have before I come to Christ.

Answ. This is the question betwixt us and Antinomians, like the very question betwixt us and Papists concerning the authority of the Scripture: but I say, as the Churches [Page] authoritie is not the formall reason why I believe Scripture to bee the Word of God, yet the Churches authority is not excluded from being a meane and motive; for, Romanes Chapter 10. verse 17. Faith commeth by hearing, so Christ himselfe is the formall reason of my Faith, I rest on Christ, because hee is Christ: sense of poverty is a strong motive, for except I bee driven and compelled to come to Christ, I shall never come; sense of povertie is not the foundation of the wall, yet it may bee a pinning in the wall.

Antinomians teach, D. Tobias Crisp. Christ exalted, Serm. 15. Serm. 16. Serm. 17. that inherent qualifications and all workes of sanctification are but doubtfull evidences to us of our interest in Christ, or that wee are in the state of grace. What then maketh mee, Iohn, Anne, by name, sure in my conscience that I am in Christ, even to the full removall of all heart-questions?

That which revealeth (say they) my evidence of assurance, that I am my well-beloveds, and that he is mine, is the Spirit speaking personally and particularly to my heart with a voyce, Sonne, be of good cheare, thy sinnes are forgiven thee; and this is that broad Seale of the Spirit making an immediate impression on my heart, without any begged testimony of workes of sanctification, which is the revealing evidence of my interest in Christ; and the receiving evidence is Faith, believing this testimony of the Spirit, onely because Gods Spirit saith so, not because I have evidences, by particular works of sanctification, such as are universall obedience, sinceritie of heart, and love of the brethren.

But to speake a little of this for the times; The Papist is the blacke Devill, taking away all certainty of assurance that wee are in Christ, or that any man can know this. The Antinomian is the Golden white Devill; a spirit of Hell cloathed with all Heaven, and the notions of Free Grace: and first, the Well-head of all is, Free Grace in us is a dreame, Sanctification inherent is a fiction, Christ is all, there is no Grace existent in the crearure, Grace is all in Christ, and nothing but imputed righteousnesse, for if [Page] works of sanctification be not marks intelligible, or which can come in under the capacity of received light, to be known with any certainty or assurance. 1. The joy and rejoycing that wee have in the the testimony of a good conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisedome, but by the grace of God, we have our conversation in the World, 2 Cor. 1. 12. must be a dream. David, Job, Moses, Samuel, the Prophets and Apostles, their joying in a good conscience, arise from doubtfull and conjecturall evidences: yea, no man can say in any assurance, (I beleeve in Christ,) (in the inner man, I delight in the Law of the Lord,) (I am crucified to the world,) (my conversation is in Heaven) for all these are inherent qualifications in the childe of God, but they are doubtfull and uncertain. How then hath God promised to love the righteous, to reward beleeving with life eternall, to give the prize to him that runneth? &c. 2. The testimony of the Spirit bearing witnesse to our spirit, that we are the children of God, Rom. 8. 16. is in this sence an immediate act of the Spirit, because reflex acts of the soul are performed without any other medium or means, but that whereby the direct acts are performed: I know that I know; I know that I beleeve; my sence by that same immediate operation of the Spirit, by the which I know God without any other light, teacheth me to know that I know God: even as by light I see colours, but my common sense needeth not another Sun, or another light, to make me know that I see colours. The Lambe when it seeth a Wolfe, though it never did see a Wolfe before, knoweth it to be an enemy, and fleeth: but to make it know that it knoweth the Wolfe, there is nothing required but the internall and common instinct of nature: So when I beleeve in Christ, that habituall instinct of the grace of God, actuated and stirred up by the Spirit of God, maketh me know that I know God; and that I beleeve, and so that I am in Christ to my own certain feeling and apprehension; but this doth not hinder, but the assurance of my interest in Christ is made evident to me by other inferiour evidences, 1 Joh. 2. 3 And hereby we know, that we know him, if we keep his Commandements. By the keeping of Gods Commandements we doe not know simply that we know God by certainty of faith: But wee know that we know God these two wayes: 1. We know (the instinct of the new man being stirred up to action by that winde which bloweth when and where it listeth) our knowing of God to bee sound [Page] saving, and true. Wee doe not so much know our knowing of God, by this supernaturall sense, as we know the supernaturall qualification and sincerity of our knowing of God. So that we rather know the qualification of the act, that the worke is done according to God, then the act according to its substance, though wee doe also know it in this relation, 1 Ioh. 3. 14. We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren: that is, our love to the brethren doth evidence to us, both that wee are translated to the Kingdome of grace, and also it doth evidence that that translation is reall, true, sincere, sound and effectuall by love, and all the fruits of the Spirit. 2. By these works of sanctification we have evidence that we have interest in Christ, not as by former light, suggesting to us that the immediate impression of this great and broad Seale of the King of glory, and his personall and particular testimony is true; (for Gods Spirit needeth not another witnesse to adde authority to what hee saith,) but because this conclusion, (Thou Iohn, Anna, hast interest to Christ to thy owne feeling) must be proved by Scripture (except with Enthusiasts and fanatick Spiritualists wee separate the Word and the Spirit) therefore these workes of sanctification prove the conclusion consequenter by Scripture and sence, and so lead us to the word of promise, thus to prove this conclusion, (I Iohn, Peter, Anna, have interest in Christ, to my owne reflect, and private assurance;) the major proposition is made good by Scripture; the Assumption by sense; and the conclusion leadeth us to the certainty of faith in the promises: as,

He that beleeveth, and maketh sure his beliefe, by walking not after the flesh, but after the Spirit, hath a cleare evidence to his owne feeling, that he hath interest in Christ.

But I Iohn, Peter, Anna, doe believe, and doe make sure my beliefe, by walking not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Therefore I Iohn, Peter, Anna have a cleare evidence to my owne feeling, that I have interest in Christ.

The proposition is Scripture, Iohn 3. 36. Ioh. 5. 24. Ioh. 11. 25, 26. Rom. 8. 1, 2. 1 Ioh. 1. 4. 1 Ioh. 2. 3. The Assumption is made sure by sense, not at all times, but when the wind is fair, and the Spirit is breathing upon the soul; for though I do believe and walk after the Spirit, yet to my owne feeling I have onely evidence of my interest [...]n Christ, when the Spirit stirreth up my sense to compare my [Page] saith, and walking with the promises of God in Christ: But saith the Antinomians, Alas, all the certainty then, and the whole personal evidence that I have to know that I have interest in Christ, is ultimately and principally resolved on this weak & rotten foundation, to wit, On my own good works, which being examined by the law of God, will be found so sinful as they shal involve me under the curse of God, & so the debate of conscience shal stand in ful vigor, & I shal never be satisfactorily resolved of my interest in Christ: for you lead me from the impression of the immediate seal of the spirit to my good works; & this is to drive me off Christ, and put me back again to my old Jaylor and my old keeper the law. But I answer, this consequence is just nothing: for if my good works of sanctification were causes of my peace of conscience, this connexion had some colour of truth; but though those works be sinfull by concomitance, because sin cleaveth to them, yet because my supernaturall sense of the Spirit suggesteth that these works are the fruits of faith, and are done in some measure of sincerity, and flow not from the spirit of the Law, but from the Spirit of the Gospel: therefore they lead me to Christ, and drive me upon a cleare Evangelick promise, That 1. the adhering sinfulnesse of my workes are purged in Christs bloud. 2. That this promise is a shoare before mine eyes. He that fighteth the good fight of faith, a Crown of righteousnesse is laid up for him, 2 Tim. 4, 7, 8. He that runneth, shall obtain, 1 Cor. 9. 24. And here is an Evangelick word, Revel. 22. 14. Blessed are they that do his Commandements, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates to the City. So that the right of your peace and clear evidence, in assurance of your right to the Tree of life, is not laid upon your works, but upon the promises of the Gospel: onely your inherent qualification leadeth you as a morall motive to looke to the promises of God, which is the bottome and the foundation of your peace; even as my walking, eating, drinking, may assure me I am a living man; and from the knowledge that I live, I come to know what I stand in relation to the King, as a sonne and an heire of a Crowne; yet my right to the Crowne (suppose I were the eldest sonne of a King) standeth not on this pillar, that I eat and drink and live, but upon my birth and my relation to such a father. All my inherent qualifications doe well prove that the tree and stock they grow on, is faith; but is it hence proved that the Tree is bottomed upon the [Page] branches? nay, but by the contrary, the branches are stocked upon the Tree.

3. If workes of sanctification be no sure markes of my interest in Christ, because sinne adhereth to them, and the sinne adhering to them, involveth me in condemnation; then neither can faith in Christ be a sure marke of my interest in Christ, because faith is alwayes mixed with sinfull doubting: for I do not thinke that Antinomians do beleeve with all their heart; and sinne of unbeleefe adhering to our faith no lesse involveth the sinner in a curse, being commited against the Gospel, then sinnes against the Law. And therefore as faith justifieth, not because great and perfect, but because lively & true, as the palsie hand of a man may receive a summe of gold, no lesse then a strong and healthy arme; so also doe our inherent workes of sanctification give us evidences that we are in Christ, and so lead us to the promises of the Gospel, as signes, not causes of our interest in Christ, and that under this notion; because they are sincerely performed, not because they are perfect and without all contagion of sin cleaving to them.

4. In exalting Christs righteousnesse one way, by making Christ all, they make Christ nothing another way, by vilifying the glory of sanctifying grace; for we are not by good workes to make our calling and election sure to our selves, and in the evidence of our owne consciences, if our good workes be no signes of our interest in Christ.

5. The spirit which these men make the onely witnesse, must be knowne to us by Scripture, not to be a deluding spirit: for if this spirit cannot be knowne by these things which are called, Galat. 5. 22. the fruits of the spirit, to wit, by love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentlenesse, goodnesse, faith, meeknesse, temperance: as the fruits are evidences of the life of the tree, men are to labour for faith, and the raptures, impressions, and immediate and personall influence of a Spirit from Heaven, without any conscience of holy living; and this is the path-way for men void of all sanctification and inherent qualifications to beleeve they are in Christ. So the Divell putteth upon holinesse, inherent and constant walking with God, the foule scandall of faire white civility, and market morality, that so men may walk after the flesh, and beleeve the testimony of the broad Seale of an immediate working Spirit.

[Page] Object. 5. But what be these which goe before faith in Christ?

Answ. 1. Sense of sinne. 2. Halfe an hope, &c. What if I venture out upon Jesus Christ for my life? he is called a Saviour, a Prince of much tendernesse of grace. 3. The soule is first put to What shall I doe? Luke 16. 3. 4. It is put to an halfe prising of Christ, and to some raw wishes to have Jesus Christ, but otherwise no man can prize Christ, but he who hath him already. However, we have in all this an advantage of our adversaries the Papists now in Armes, they call faith and resting on God as our God, Pride: as if it were pride for the drowned man to flee to the rocke, and pride for the Physician to cry, O my Physician help. Yet doe Papists really cry, O my Idol, awake; O my god of bread, heare; O my intercessour Mary, answer me: But be not afraid of their gods: Nor are we to feare their prayers to Saints, or the Cavailiers Fridayes fasting. But we are to learne how in time of need to make use of faith; and let Israel trust in the Lord, he is an hiding place and a covering in the ill day: and let the weake soule that findeth nothing but darknesse, wants, feares, from that flee to Christ: bleeding of wounds is here preparatory to beleeving: Want is beginning of motion; let it be made a motive of beleeving: the lesse evidence, let adherence be the stronger.

The God of Daniel.] The History maketh it most evident, that Daniels God, and his Honour and Court, both were aimed at, to be laid on the dust by his enemies. Here Daniels name goeth through, verse 25. all people, nations, languages, that dwell on all the earth, and the God of Daniel is exalted. Hence observe, first, how God blesseth right precisenesse and strictnesse in his way. Moses standeth by this (not an hoofe) and he obtaineth his end, God bringeth him and Israel out of Egypt. Mordecai not halfe a legge to Haman, and hee is promoted to great honour. What lost they ever, who stood upon the latitude of an haire for Christ? either they gained both life and Gods Cause, as Daniel did here, and Jesus Christ, who died, but put his life in pawne three dayes, and tooke it up againe and gained the Cause; or if they lost their lives, they gained the Cause, as the Martyrs of Christ: and therefore let not the Saints beare the name of Precisians, except in an heavenly sense, because they walke precisely, Ephes. 5. 15. These be the right Precisians who contend for substance, for God, for Heaven, for the [Page] purity of the Gospel. And certainly God is not a thing indifferent, and excellent Jesus Christ is no circumstance; but those be damnable Precisians who contend for feathers, and things indifferent. Now Court-favour of Princes, this clay-world, honour, ease, are really in their nature things indifferent, and being compared with Christ (and Christ is no trifle, but all substance) are lesse then things indifferent, even toyes, shadows, losse, dung; therefore the Malignants who make this choice, are the Precisians.

2. Obser. How God disappointeth all the purposes of his enemies, and honoureth those who feare him, and maketh Daniel evidently known to be the true Royalist: and observe how the enemies must be disappointed: how can it be otherwayes? for first, they take two crosse wayes to compasse their end: First, sinfull meanes; there is no way for the Princes of Zoan to come by their ends but idolatry: surely they are fooles, and drunken men staggering in their vomit, Isa. 19. 11, 14. and the adversaries now finde no better means to set up their Idol-god in Brittaine, and their abominable Masse, then after they have made the Prince glad with their lies, to kill and destroy the innocent, and devour and eat up the Lords people as bread. Secondly, they set the policie of hell against the wisedome of God: hence so many plots, first to divide, then to seduce; so many lies and perjuries in print, and all with this profession, To defend the true Protestant Religion: But surely hee hath a strong Metaphysicall faith, more subtill then solid, who beleeveth that an army of Papists, led on by the rules of Jesuits, and helped by the forces of the Irish Rebels, have a minde to defend the true Protestant Religion: I hope never to beleeve it. Yet as God disappointed Daniels enemies, so are they mis-led in all their purposes: God hath alwayes done this. The enemy of God and a good Cause, Psal. 7. 14. is with childe, but the Justice of God is Godfather, and giveth the name of the childe, it is named, A lie: behold, he travelleth with iniquity, and hath conceived mischief: and the birth, when it is borne, is no King, no God, hee bringeth forth a lie: Esay 33. 11. Ye shall conceive chaffe: and the childe is a monstrous bastard, a childe of straw and stubble: and ye shall bring forth stubble: Iob 15. 35. They conceive mischiefe, and bring forth vanity. There is a long web now in weaving in England, and many hands spin threds to the web, as England, Scotland, Ireland, Rome, Italy, France, Spaine, Denmarke, Papists, Jesuits, Cardinals, [Page] Princes, Pope, Prelates, Politicians: and Jehovah the Lord hath an hand eminently in the contexture; and almost all (except the Lord and his Church) have sundry ends, therefore they weave in threeds of sundry colours, Babylon, Rome, and Papists are for their idolatry set up in Britaine: God hath broken that threed once, twice, but they cast new knots, and doe still spinne and weave Prelates ends with shouting, and garments rolled in blood (let our great Diana stand) the honour, the bellies of fourteen, and twenty and sixe must bee defended by the sword, and the blood of the Church of Christ. God hath often broken their threed: Ireland hath no end but that their Babel shall be built again with blood, and their hearts like a piece of the nether milstone are grinding blood and revenge; this end must fall. The Politician and Malignants end is the world, and the glory of Court, and their glory is very lean: Princes weave in their threed, to set up their absolute and independent soveraignty, and if any more be intended, God knoweth; but by the wooll wee may judge of the web. But when all is done in this long and great web, though the enemies black policy bee transparent and sevved vvith vvhite threed: heare the conclusion of all, Psal. 33. 10. The Lord bringeth the counsell of the heathen to nought, he maketh the devices of the people of none effect. 11. (But) the counsell of the Lord standeth for ever.

For he is the living God] Darius saith in this verse, and in the follovving, much of God and of his Nature, Greatnesse, Povver, and Soveraignty. Hence learn vve, that how much of God is revealed to us, so far are we to have high & noble thoughts, and suteable expressions of God; hence are vve Christians far more to think and speak of God; and that upon these grounds, Because he is

1. God.

2. Great.

3. Gracious.

4. Glorious.

5. Beautifull.

6. Omnipotent.

1. The notion; and that great thing God is admirable. God wil say no more to put Abraham upon a course of contentment, when he had the spoil of the Kings of Sodome, and to set him in a way of obedience, but Gen. 17. 1. I am God all-sufficient, and goodnes & mercy are included in the very essence of God, Hos. 11. 9. I will not execute the [Page]fiercenesse of my wrath against Ephraim: for I am God, and not man. And he saith no more in the Covenant, and it is much and all. I will be your God; for if you say God, you say all that can be said.

2. For greatnes any way, he is above all; heare what Zophar saith, Job. 11. 7. Canst thou by searching finde out God? canst thou finde out the Almighty unto perfection? 8. It is high as Heaven, what canst thou doe? deeper then hell, what canst thou know? 9. The measure thereof longer then the Earth, and broader then the Sea. 2. Consider the supreame absolute Soveraignty that hee hath over Heaven and Earth; what created royalty is in the pieces of Clay, who carry diadems of clay on their heads, is eminently in him, Artaxerxes is but King of some Kings; but God is absolutely the supreame Monarch, Superiour, Landlord and King of Kings, and of all Kings and Lord of Lords, Ahashuerosh sent his royall mandates through an hundred and twenty seven Provinces: hee sendeth his Officers of the state of Heaven, his Angels, through his Monarchy of Heaven and Earth, and they fulfill his will, Psal. 103. 20. He sendeth his Sea-posts, stormy winds to destroy Armado's, and to breake the ships of Tarshish, Psal. 30. verse 4. The Lord is great, and greatly to be praysed, he is to be feared above all Gods. And wee put him out of his Throne, when we appoint Peeres to sit and give Counsell, and make Lawes with this highest Lord; make a Throne of glory the height of thousand thousand millions of Heaven of Heavens, and set that Throne above the circumference of all these Heavens; set Worlds of Angels and millions of Seraphims, or if there be created Arch-Angells, and thousand thousands of Dominions, Thrones, and Principalities, as servants under the foot-stoole of his Throne, yet hee were set too low; hee deserveth a Throne above that Throne.

3. Consider his gracious nature. 1. How tender hearted to his afflicted people, Jud. 10. 16. The Lords soul was grieved for the misery of Israel, Jer. 31. 20. Is Ephraim my dear son? is he a pleasant childe? for since I did speake against him, I doe earnestly remember him, my bowels are troubled for him, I will surely have mercy on him, saith the Lord? What tendernesse! O what compassion in the heart of an infinite God! Psal. 147. 3. The Lord healeth the broken in heart, he bindeth up their wounds. O how softly and compassionately doth his heavenly hand put in joynt the bones of a broken heart? his Son [Page]Christ hath a roome in his heart for the Lambes which are not able to go there alone, Esai. 40. 11. He shall gather the Lambs with his arms, he shall carry them in his bosome.

4. He is (Psal. 13. 1. Clothed with glory, Psal. 104. 1. Clothed with honour and majesty. 2. Covered with light (uncreated light) as with a garment. How dear must every yard of that garment be? poor earthly Kings ride upon horses of flesh; He rode upon a Cherub, and did flie upon the wings of the winde, Psal. 18. 10. Nor is he then upon his highest horse, he can ride higher then on the wings of the winde, Psal. 104. 3. Psal. 18. 10. Kings of Clay have their Tents on the cold Earth: He maketh dark Clouds his pavilion: It should kill the holiest on earth to see one glimpse of his glory.

5. What beauty must be in this Lord? Angels and glorified soules are not able to look off his Face for all eternity, Mat. 18. 10. Revel. 22. 3. Esai. 24. 23. The Moone shall be confounded, and the Sun ashamed, when the Lord of Hosts shall reigne in Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem before his ancients gloriously. He must be a fair Lord when the fair Sun blusheth, and is ashamed to appeare and shine before him. Nothing David desired in this side of time, but to dwell all the dayes of his life in the house of the Lord, and behold the beauty, (the heavenly increated beauty) of the Lord, Psal. 27. 3. Put all the imaginable colours of the Firmament, Of the morning skie, Of all the Lillies and Roses of the Earth, which surpasse Salomons royalty, in one; Imagine a Rose to bee of the quantity of the Earth, all these should be but created shadowes to him, Zach. 9. 17. How great is his goodnesse? how great is his beauty? he is both good and fair.

6. Who can speak of omnipotence and boundlesse power in God, Esai. 40. 12. Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out Heaven with a span, and comprehended the dust of the Earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in Scales, and the hils in Ballance? there is but one in all the World, and from eternity to eternity never was there any save one who can do all this. What fingers be those, which at one time are in the furthest borders of the Eastern Heaven, and of the Western Heaven? ver. 15. Behold the Nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are compted as the small dust of the ballance, behold he takes up the Iles as a very little thing. And he can take up the whole Ile of Brittain in his hand, & can hang the weight [Page] of the massie body of Heaven and Earth on the top of his finger, who is he who hangeth the Earth, yea, the whole world upon nothing? what hindreth, (seeing there be such Broyles, Tumults, Motions in Heaven, Earth, and Hell) but this great huge vessel of the great All, this whole world should fall to the one side and break? but omnipotence holdeth it up: who hath Arms to spread a web of black darknesse from the East to the West? Esai. 50. 3. I cloath the Heavens with blacknesse, and I make sackcloth their covering; and alas, all that I say here is nothing; it must be true here, praestat tacere quam pauca discere; better be silent in so great a matter, as speak little.

Vse is, To teach us not to be in love with the creature, or with men. What is man, but a weeping, groning, dying, nothing? Esai. 40. 17. All Nations are before God as nothing and lesse then nothing, and vanity. VVhat is nothing? it is the least thing that can be, but (I pray you) what is lesse then nothing? nothing can be lesse then nothing, but all Nations being compared with God evanish infinite miles, out of the world of some things: and if one man be nothing, nations of men, and nations of nations are nothing: multiply Cyphers to millions of millions, they cannot make a number, because every Cypher is nothing, and therefore the product must be nothing; so multiply infinitely Nations, let Spaine, France, Italy, Ireland, Denmark, and what the power of men can make, the product shall be nothing. Millions and Hosts of men are millions and Hosts of vanities, God is all, and in infinite all, and what can we do to make him lovely and desirable. We may preach this admirable Lord, but we shall never out-preach him; and praise him, but shall never outpraise him, his favour is more to be sought then favour of Kings, he is more to be feared then Kings, Esai. 5 12. I, even I, am the Lord, the Lord that comforteth you: Who art thou that shouldest be afraid of a man, that shall die, and of the Son of man that shall be made as grasse? Hence are you to see to the prerogative royall of the King, but more to the prerogative royal of the Prince of the Kings of the Earth: And therefore, O Judges be wise: O all you who carry on your heads, Diadems, and royall Crowns of yellow dust, and glistering clay, I meane of gold and precious stones, stoope, stoope before this Monarch, cast down your Crownes and Scepters at the feet of the King of Kings: Know your Superiour the highest Land-lord of dying Monarchies, Zach. 2. 12. It is said, The Lord shall inherit Judah, and [Page]shall chuse Jerusalem: O but Kings and Dominions who keep Judah captive, cry out with a shout, Judah shall serve us, and our King, and Jesus Christ shall not raigne over us: but there is a royal Proclamation given with an, ô yes, from his palace of glory, who inhabiteth Eternity, v. 13. Be silent, O all flesh, before the Lord. So Psal. 2. 2. Jew and Gentile are upon foot raging, and consulting with all, Let us break his bands and cast his cords from us; nay v. 6. one who is not on foot, but sitteth in Heaven, laughing, not troubling himselfe with the Tumults of clay-nothings, sent out a princely mandate! I have set my King upon my holy Hill of Zion: I have put the Crown on Christs head, what men of dust and ashes shall pull it off his head? Psal. 46. 9. He breaketh the Bow, and cutteth the Spear, he burneth the Chariots in the fire. The heathen cannot endure this, they flie on armies, and cry with a shout, He shal not break our Bowes, He shal not burne our Chariots with fire; therefore a royal Commandment and Decree cometh out, v. 10. Be still, and know that I am God, I will be exalted above the heathen, I will be exalted on Earth. He is crying, O Rome: O Spaine: O Ireland: O Kings, and powers of the world, O Babylon, Lady of Nations: O Pope and Cardinals hold your peace, speak no more, Esai. 46. 13. I bring near my Righteousnesse, it shall not be far off, and my salvation shall not tarry, and I will place salvation in Zion, for Israel, (for Brittain) my glory.

2. Vse is, To bring hearts in a fervour and sicknes of love with God, and make us mould higher and more Majestick thoughts and conceptions of this most high Lord, then ordinarily we do; and therefore consider, how inconsiderable & incomprehensible he is. 2. Summon all created glory before him, by way of comparison. 3. Look at him as the last end. First then consider two words that Paul hath, Eph. 3. 18, 19. That you may be able (it is his prayer) with all the Saints to comprehend, what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height, 19. And to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge. Now from the love of Christ you may take the measure, in some proportion, of this great Lord himself: Then conceive a love higher then the Heaven of Heavens, deeper then the Earth, broader then the Sea, yea broader and longer then the circumference of the outmost shel, or orbe of the Heaven of Heavens, that love should not passe knowledge; but seeing I am warranted to speak of love according to dimensiones of Height, Breadth, Depth, Length; But imagine, in the capacity of knowledge [Page] and understanding, ten thousand millions of new created Heavens and Worlds at the East end of this Heaven that now is, and ten thousand millions of new Worlds created at the West end of this Heaven that now is, and let your knowledge run along to the North and the South, and to the thirty two points of the foure Cardinall arches, here would be great Height, Length, Breadth, and Depth of love; yet, I am sure, this love should not passe all knowledge, for the understanding of man will go along through all these, to multiply and multiply againe and againe, and yet all love within knowledge, What then must himself be? if we could separate God and Gods Love. Again, conceive so many multiplyed new Worlds, new Heavens, new Earths, new Seas, new Forrests, Woods, Trees, Reeds, Herbs, Grasse, Stones, and all the rest multiplyed; and conceive so many worlds of men and new created Angels, and let all these millions of VVoods, Trees, Forrests, Herbs, Grasse, be all made pens, and let all these thousands millions of new created Seas, Fountaines, Rivers, be all Ink; and all these thousands millions of Heavens, yea of Heavens, Aire, Earth be paper, and let these thousands of millions of men and Angels write Books and Psalms of praise of this infinite and incomprehensible Lord, and let their wits be enlarged in the capacity of so many thousand millions of degrees of understanding, above what they now have, according to the former multiplied numbers, and let their wits for all eternity, conceive new expressions and most heavenly conceptions of the infinite excellency, transcendent glory, incomparable goodnesse, and matchlesse and boundlesse highnesse, greatnesse, omnipotence of this never enough admired and adored Lord, of this high and loftie one who inhabiteth eternity, and yet all these should not passe knowledge; for you and I, and any ordinary understanding of no great capacity may know all this, and therefore all these should not say any thing to expresse this Love and this Lord who passeth all knowledge. O if we could be drawn to a higher measure of Love, and to put a greater price on this Lord then we do. 2. From this we may easily see the comparison betwixt this Lord and Peers of created nothings: And if all Nations be before him as nothing, & as lesse then nothing, as it is said by himself Es. 40. 17. Then say, O smal, base nothing of a Creature: O highest: O excellency of all things in the Creator: O little and really small creature: O great and surpassing great, and incomparable Creator: O [Page] man, poor man, that living lie; and that dying and expiring nothing: but O infinite all: O unspeakable and infinite glory of uncreated being! O man, a breathing fable, a living and a laughing vanity: O self-sufficient and al sufficient life of solid happinesse: O creature: a dying vanity, and a weeping nothing, a nothing rejoycing, eating, drinking, sighing, dying: O highest Creator: O eternity of ever-living and ever-joying life: O self-living immortality of endlesse and uncreated joy: O created sparkes, and poore drops of creature-goodnesse, and creature-mercy: O Sea: O boundlesse world of worlds of infinite goodnesse, and bottom-lesse mercy in the Creator of all things: O shamed and despised royaltie of Princes of Earth and Clay: O never enough admired glory of uncreated royaltie in the incomprehensible God! O fair Sun! O beautifull Moone! but rather, O confounded and shamed Sunne and Moon, Esa. 24. 23. and, O infinitely fair and glorious Lord who made Sun and Moon: O pleasant Roses and Lillies: but, O pleasanter Lord the Creator of Roses and Lillies: O mighty and powerfull Kings and Emperours, but most mighty and matchlesse King of Kings: O foolish and unwise men: O unstedfast and changeable Angels: O Lord there is no searching out of thy understanding: O unchangeable and unmoveable mover of all things: O peeces of Breathing, Laughing, and then dying Clay: O creature of yesterday, of the last by-past hour, for the world is not of one weeks standing to him; seeing a thousand yeers are to him as one day. But, O Lord, The ancient of dayes, Daniel 7. 13. O Father of eternity, Esai. 9. 6. O King of ages, 1. Tim. 1. 17. And King of time: O weak men: O mightlesse and infirme Heavens which shall wax old as a garment: O eternall Lord: O what an Arme of omnipotency is in him, who shall with a shake of his right Arme move the Heavens and loose all the fixed Stars, and cause them to fall out of the Heaven, as Figs fall off a Fig-Tree shaken with a mighty Winde, Revel. 6. 13. O all you created Gardens and Orchards and Paradises, be ashamed, blush and hide your selves beside the Tree of life, which beareth twelve manner of fruit every moneth: Every Apple growing on this Lord who is the Tree of life, is life eternall: O Gold: O Silver: O Rubies: O precious Stones, much desired by Adams sonnes! What are you to him whose City is fairer, Revel. 21. 18. And the building of the Wall was of Jasper, and the City was pure gold like unto clear glasse. He saith not [Page] there was abundance of gold in the City, and multitudes of precious stones, but the City was all gold, and precious stones; a City like Rome, Venetia, or Constantinople; in which, Timber, Wals, Stones, Streets, & all the buildings were nothing but precious stones and gold, were admirable; O all fair Rivers and Seas, what are you but pooles of dead water, being compared with a pure River of water of life, proceeding out of the Throne of God, and of the Lamb? Rev. 22. 1. Every drop of that water is an heaven. O created welbeloveds you are black, and the Sun hath looked on you, when you come out and stand beside the Standard bearer amongst ten thousand, Cant. 5. 10. Oh, who are sick of love for this Lord: O for eternities leasure to look on him, to feast upon a sight of his Face: O for the long summer-Day of endlesse ages to stand beside him and to enjoy him! O time: O sin be removed out of the way: O Day: O fairest of Dayes dawne: O morning of eternity break out, and arise, that we may enjoy this incomprehensible Lord. And therefore, O come out of the Creature. 3. Make not Clay and the Creature whose mother is purum nihil, pure meere nothing, your last end; Alas, make not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus a post-horse to ride your own errands, or a Covenant with the most high Lord a Chariot and Stirrop to mount upon the height of your carnall and Clay-projects: this is, as if one should stop the entry of an Oven with a Kings roberoyall. Let God, onely God, be your last end.

1. He is the living God] The words Chajah and Havah, to be, and to live, are neere of kindred together, for living is the most excellent being, and it is most agreeable to reason that JEHOVAH, who is the first being, and hath being of himself, should be the living God. And you do not finde man called living man, though man have a life, as God is called the living God; he is the living God, because all life is originally in him, Psal. 36. 9. With thee is the well of life, Joh. 1. 4. In him was life; all heat is orignally in fire, and in other things at the second hand: all light originally in the Sun; and other things have light by loane onely; and light in other things is from the Sun by a sort of grace. 2. He is the living God, in opposition to dead Idols, who, Psal. 115. want life. 3. And have mouthes and speak not, eyes they have, but see not: you need not be afraid of the Pa [...]ists, gods of wood, and silver, and gold. But because I haste to an [...]nd▪ The use is. 1. If all things that live, and we mortall men [Page] borrow our life from God, we are to correct three errours. 1. We take this borrowed breath for our proper heritage, and we make this lif [...] our Idol and our last end: hence all is done for this life, men betray the cause of God for their life, men desert the cause of God, Parliament, Countrey and Religion, for a life to them and theirs; men kill and destroy for life; men rise early in the morning, and go late to bed at night, and eat the bread of sorrow for life: but oh! little do wee for the living God, and a communion with the living God in the best life, the life of grace. Our second error is, that as our life is but a borrowed thing, we do not think on two things; 1. The paying of the annuall of this borrowed sum, even the dedication of our life, actions, wayes, and purposes to God, and his honour: Secondly, we doe not think of paying back again the principall sum, and who hath the sum in his hand, and his soul in readinesse to render to God? 2. But like bankrupts we minde not to pay except we be arrested, and then the soul is taken from money, but if we do not render it, the ghuest is pulled out, but doth not come out, anima ejicitur, non egreditur. Who liveth as having no morrow? who walketh as if death were alwayes at his right side? 3. We love best the worst of our life, we are much for the time-accidents, and the clay-accidents of this life, such as are court, honour, riches, pleasure, ease: some sell Religion to be free from plundering, others to keep a whole skin, and to go to heaven, as they imagine without losse of bloud, comply with Papists, Prelates, Court, and the Times. And for that which scarce deserveth the name of Life; men give, (as the Lyer saith, Job. 2. 4.) skinne for skinne, and all that they have for life: but oh! that noble accident of life, eternity of life, or rather that excellent substance, eternall life, is much neglected; the life hidden up with Christ in God, Col 3. 3. is regarded.

2. How sweet is it to make God a friend sure and induring to thy soule, who cannot die? is it sure to trust in the Prince who returneth to his Earth, the Earth whereof he is a landed heritor, when he dieth? Psal. 146. 3. Is it not surer to trust in the Lord who made the Heaven and the Earth? vers. 6. Is it sure to trust, 1. Tim. 6. 17. [...], in riches which deale not plainly and fairly with us, nor go out the high way, but are uncertain, like a friend, and you know not when to have him, and when to want him? Is it not better to trust in that living God? that God who liveth for [Page] ever, whereas riches is a dead and a dying God; David speaking of his owne greatnesse, valour in war through Gods strength, and of Nations, People, and Kingdomes, who served him, yet looketh on one above all, Psal. 18. 46. The Lord liveth and blessed bee my Rock: this putteth me in minde of a Prince, who heard of the death of many of great and noble friends in war, and that this Duke and this Prince, and this and this worthy friend was killed in war, yet comforted himself with this, vivit imperator, sat habeo; the Emperour liveth, and I am happy enough. But is not this better, to a soule that knoweth God, my father is killed, my brother lost, my Prince dead, my deare friend buried, but God liveth, and blessed be my Rock; yea, but say thy God the King of Brittaine liveth, yet his favour to thee may die before he die himself, and then what hast thou? Court, Court is made of glasse, and can glister, and be broken in one houre, the pavement of the chamber of presence is Icy and slidy, and thou maist fall: It is known to many, the Courtier is as a compter laid downe in the compting Table to day for a thousand pound, and taken up and laid downe in the next accompt for a farthing: O but these two be sweetly combined; The ever-living God, and The ever-loving God: how comfortable that I beleeve Gods love toward me is as old as God, and that as God did never begin to be God, so he never began to love me, but as he is eternall, so his love is eternall, and I know the Court shall not change upon me.

And abiding, or stedfast for ever.] This is another attribute of Gods blessed nature that Darius ascribeth to God; He is a God eternall, Daniel 7. 13. He is the ancient of dayes, Psal. 102. 26. The Heavens shall perish, but thou shalt endure, yea all of them wax old as a garment: as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed. 27. But thou art the same, and thy yeers shall have no end. I know now that the whole created masse of heaven and earth, and all therein, is but as a web of cloth, and as a Sute of clothes, and the best end of the web is old and moth-eaten, and shall bee laid by, as an old threed-bare Cloak, ragged and holed, when God shall endure for ever and ever. 2. Time goeth not about God, as it goeth about creatures, there is not with him yesterday and to morrow, and this yeere, and the last yeere; but his duration is an instant standing alwayes still; you and I slide through moneths and yeeres, and at length wee are over ears in time, and under the water by death: but he [Page] standeth still, his being is in no flux or motion from first and last, from time past to time to come, because he is Revel. 1. 17. The first and the last, and v. 8. The Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord: he which is, and which was, and which is to come. Imagine there were a verbe that doth involve an action done and ended yesterday, and in doing to day, and to be done to morrow, and yet a compleatly perfected action that should expresse Gods duration best; whereas our being taketh three verbs to expresse it, this man was, and continueth yet, and to morrow shall be, but may not bee, 2 Pet. 3. 8. One day is with the Lord as a thousand yeares, and a thousand yeeres as one day. And therefore he is the King of ages, 1 Tim. 1. 17. as if generations and centuries of yeares were his subjects and servants. His Sonne Christ is, Esay 9. 6. The Father of Eternitie: And Esay 57. 15. He inhabiteth Eternitie. Men do not inhabite Eternitie, For, in this, we do but take by the curtains of time, and looke into the borders of Eternitie, and in the life to come we shall bee beside Eternity, and not inhabite Eternity, so as if non-existence and our glorified natures should involve a contradiction; whereas existence is as essentiall to the glorious Majesty of God as his blessed essence, and his blessed essence involveth a contradiction not to bee. And all time-gods are no gods: for if you say God, you say an eternall necessity of an eternall and ever living God: And this maketh God free from change, and from ups and downes, from falling and rising, that are incident to all created natures, even to men and Angels.

Vse 1. If God be eternall and Lord of time, we must be carefull that wee say not as the people doth, Jer. 8. 20. The harvest is past, and the summer is ended, and we are not saved. Wee are inclined to weepe upon time as being too long, especially when wee our selves, and the Lords Church have sad and bloody dayes. But the children of God have three advantages, which are as many motives to cause us to submit to Gods dispensation of time. 1. Wait on, for Psal. 9. 18. The hope of the poore shall not perish for ever, Psal. 40. 1. I waited patiently on the Lord; and what was the issue? and he inclined his eare and heard my cry. 2. He brought me also out of the horrible pit, out of the mirie clayes, and set my feet on a rock, and established my goings. Hence, as while the bellows blow, the fire casteth heat and light, so doth the heat and fervour of our long lodging under the crosse make broad aimes of praising and walking thankefully; and when the [Page] breathing of the Bellowes ceaseth, the fire goeth out again; so when we are delivered, and are cooled, wee turn cold in performing reall thankfulnesse to God; but let faith in long troubles wait on, and sow seed in Heaven and on Christ (and that is excellent soyle) and wee shall reape in due time, if we faint not. 2. Gods delayes are the seeds of greater mercies; we are (to borrow that expression) to pardon the long delayed salvation of God, and to forgive times leaden wheeles which move slowly, because God recompenseth want of present deliverance with a superplus of grace; Was it not best that Jacob was not blessed at the first? his faith was lengthned to continue with this; I will not let thee goe while thou blesse me. The woman of Canaans daughters body is not freed of the divell at the first or second cry, but her owne soule is inriched with faith, great faith, and fervour of spirit, to continue in praying and humble submission to bee willing to be a dogge to Christ; and here the Lord often recompenseth the want of Brasse with the presence of Gold. For faith here intrusteth a stocke in Gods hand, and doth forbeare and suspend both principall and annuall till Gods time come. Therefore wee are to take heed that while we fret and challenge our Lord, that hee loseth time, that we be not in the mean time losing time our selves; if he hold his Church long in the furnace, if his Church doe not joyn with God actively, to melt her selfe, and to humble her selfe under Gods mighty hand, then the Church loseth her time, but God doth not lose a moment. The Gold-smith should hold his vessell in the fire till it be melted and refined. Here also wee are to consider, that to deliver out of some crosse, as it is Gods mercy, so it is my duetie. I lose a father, a childe, a deare friend in warre; I can never in this life be delivered from this crosse, according to the reality of it: for my father, my childe, my deare friend, once being dead, cannot returne to mee againe: but though I cannot bee delivered from the reall losse, yet may I by Gods grace deliver my selfe from the impatient fretting and distrustfull apprehension of that losse, by doing that for conscience to the God of patience, (who commandeth mee to submit) which for length of time I shall doe; but here wee obey time rather then God.

3. Gods time is better then ours, for hee knoweth when wee are ripe for deliverance, and when the drosse cometh away from the mett [...]ll, and when we cast our scumme. Here before we glorifie him, [Page] we would binde him to deliver us; and we desire here to be served before God, that he should deliver before we be mortified and dead to our lusts. But it is better that our paine continue praising and beleeving, as both paine and faith be removed. How excellent is that of the Church crying out of the deep, Psal. 130. 5. I wait for the Lord. But many lie stil under the load, rather then wait, because they cannot help the businesse; therefore he addeth, My soule doth wait. 2. Many wait, and they know not whereon; it is a fooles nest they seeke; therefore he addeth, And in his Word doe I trust. A soule is not bottomed on a dreame in his on-waiting, when he hath the Word of God for his warrant. 3. Many doe wait, but it is deliverance that they wait for, and not for God himselfe; therefore saith he, ver. 6. My soul waiteth for the Lord. It is as much for God and a communion with him that faith waiteth for, as for deliverance. 4. But many wait, but very lazily, and with great deadnesse; the Prophet expresseth more of himselfe, My soule waiteth for the Lord, more then they that watch for the morning, I say, more then they that watch for the morning. Such a waiter with these foure qualifications can never be delivered out of time. Here then are newes; Awake, O Sion, sit no longer in ashes, put on thy beautifull garments, O people really in Covenant with God; England, Brittain, be not weary, the King is comming, Christ is in his journey posting, deliverance is at hand. O beleever make no haste; O prisoner of hope, die not in the prison. Oh! we want faith. It is the art and cunning of faith to beleeve and not see, and to have memory for eyes and sense; but we would both sow and reap in one day, and would have physicke and health both in one houre; we would alwayes be at miracles.

Vse 2. If God be eternall, his love and decrees must be necessary and irresistable; nothing is so necessary as that which is eternall. Then I could easily yeeld, (considering who are this day against us) we should be sunk and overwhelmed, if those three hold good which Papists and Arminians hold. 1. Our salvation were in danger, if free-will, which hath its rise and working in time, were the Axeltree upon which are rolled the wheeles of eternall election and reprobation. But there is as good reason to say, that a sucking childe may reach up his arme above the Sunne and Starres, and roll about the wheele of the first Heaven from East to West, and turne the wheele again from West to East, as to say that time-free-will can turn about [Page] the eternall counsel of God, and that our acts of believing are not believing; and our good and evil works which have their rise from yesterday and to day, and are like Jonahs gourd, up and down in one night, doe roll about the eternall will and decree of God, from favour and love to hatred and rejecting of men. Better make the former of all things supreame and soveraigne, then give the Prerogative Royall of all to naughty and sinfull clay.

2. We could easily grant that it were in mens power to destroy the Church of God, and that the King of the bottomlesse pit, and his Lady and Queen Babylon the great whore, and their sonnes, Papists and Prelates, might cut off the name of the Lords Israel, if upon the supposall of their dream of N. media scientia, the new eyes which Jesuits (with all humble submission and glory to the glorious God bee it spoken) have given to the Almighty, contingency did rule all: for upon the nod and dominion of causes, without all determination of Gods righteous providence and eternall counsel, all revolutions of Church and Kingdomes depend, say they, and all hang upon these two poles, may be, may not be; what hindereth then that Christ have no Spouse, no redeemed people, and that he be a husband without a wife, a King without Subjects, a Saviour without a ransomed people, as they expresly teach, who with Arminians are advocates for nature, and pleaders against the grace of God; but wee believe God to bee eternall, and his counsel eternall, and his eternall decree to have a strong influence in the safety of his Church, against which the gates of hell shall not prevail, and that Divels, Men, Babylon, Rome, Spain, Irish rebels, powers on earth in their plots, machinations, counsels, endeavours, battels, victories, all which, come from free causes, are yet chained and fast linked to the high dominion and independent soveraignty of an eternall God. And we believe that this differenceth Jehovah from all other Gods, who, as Esay saith, Can neither do good nor evil. Therefore there is not an arrow steepd in hell and shot against the Church, but it cometh out of Gods bow, and he saith it, Esay 43. 13. Yea, before the day was, I am he, and there is none that can deliver out of my hand. I wil worke, and who shall let it? The Churches victories and deliverance depend upon an eternall hand, and therefore the sonnes of Belial prevail not, and the sons of Jacob are not consumed. 3. It were a desperate matter for the elect to be saved, if the first Adam were our surety; but our Tutor Jesus Christ is [Page] old and wise, the ancient of dayes, Daniel 7. 13. and he hath seven eies; they cannot chuse but hold the apostasie of the Saints, who make free-will our tutor: And therefore if I were halfe in heaven, and my one foot in eternity, and my other in time, if such a sinfull principle as free-will should tutour and guide me, I should come back again out of heaven, and be damned eternally. If any weak soule apprehending wrath, and under a fervour of desertion should complain, What hindreth me to be eternally condemned? for I am not distracted, I am privie to my selfe, that I have sold my birth-right, and sinned against the grace of God hainously: Let me answer, That the selling of your birth-right dependeth upon the consent of your tutor Jesus Christ, who is the King of ages, as no minor can sell his inheritance without the consent of his tutor, and if he should doe it, it cannot stand in Law, but may be revoked. Christ is first heire, and all the elect joynt heires with him, Rom. 8. 17. and joynt heires in Law, though many persons, yet they make but one heire: consider then, if he who is your eternall King of ages, and so unchangeable, hath not given his consent to the bargaine, that you should sell his birth-right and inheritance, and under him, your own birth-right, you had no power to doe it; Christ because he is God eternall cannot subscribe, nor signe with his hand the writs wherein you have sold your inheritance, therefore the bargaine in Law is a meere nullity.

Thirdly, if he be God enduring for ever, What fooles are we to place our hope in a King that shall die? Surely they cast their anchor in ill ground, who trust in the creature; thou puttest thy heaven betwixt the browes of a King and in the light of his countenance; he is but a man, and may change, and though his favour were constant, yet when his eye-strings shall be broken, with one breath he shall breathe out his own soule, and thy heaven: And what canst thou then say or do? because sence and the flesh leadeth us, and time goeth about us from the cradle to the grave; we are all for time, we are for a time-Court, a time-Glory, a time-Prince, a time-Friend, a time-Husband, a time-Brother, a time-Heaven and happinesse, a time-deliverance in trouble, time-Riches, time-joy and time-pleasure, time-triumphing, a time-life, &c. But we may finde in this King of ages, who indureth for ever, these same good things of another nature, as we finde in God, eternall Court, eternall Glory, an eternall King, an eternall Friend, an eternall Husband, an eternall [Page] Brother, an eternall Happinesse, an eternall Salvation, eternall riches, eternall victory and triumph, and in summe, life eternall.

His Kingdome such as cannot be destroyed] The other classe of arguments to prove Daniels God to be the true God, is from his government; His Kingdome; that is, The people of his kingdome cannot be destroyed: and now the King doth say, though there be variety and choyce of gods in Chaldea and Persia, yet Daniels God is incomparably above them all; and Daniel and his fellowes are blessed and more happy in their God, then all that serve other gods. The Lord when he is tried, will be found the onely excellent and matchlesse God above all gods, and none like to him and his people, the onely happy people; that mans portion is fallen in pleasant lines who hath the Lord for his portion; but I must go on to make good this doctrine, That the Kingdome and Church of God is the most permanent and induring society on earth, and a Kingdome which cannot fail; and I go upon these grounds, There is a most firm and sure Covenant made betwixt the Lord and his people, Jer. 31. 35. Thus saith the Lord that giveth the Sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the Moon and Stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roare, the Lord of hosts is his name, vers. 36. If these ordinances depart from before mee, saith the Lord, then the seed of Israel shall cease from being a Nation before me for ever. I might alledge other Scriptures also, as Jer. 32. 39, 40. Ezech. 36. 26, 27, 28, 29. Esai. 54. 10, 11, 12. Esai. 59. 21. Heb. 8. 7, 8, 9, 10, 11. Now then because God hath bottomed the eternity of his Church upon his own unchangeable counsell, they must raze the acts of Heaven who can take away the Church of God. I leave it to the thoughts of the judicious, if the rooting out of the Protestant Religion bee a rationall purpose of intelligent men. What if we should imagine a society of transported men should convene in Parliament, and make Statutes thus, We ordain as a Law and Statute, that from the 22. of January the Sunne shall shine no more by day, and the Moone and Starres shall give no more light by night; also we inhibite and discharge, under the highest pain of treason, from this time forth the Sea shall never ebbe or flow again. These or the like, should be but the notions of sick imiginations; acts of night counsels have been these; first, fire the City of London; secondly, cut off the Parliament; thirdly, leave not alive in Ireland a Protestant or their seed; fourthly, roote them all out of France, [Page] and Germany; fifthly, destroy Scotland and their Covenant; sixthly, undoe all reformation of Religion in Brittain.

Secondly, Consider the strength of the Church of God, Numb. 24. 8. He hath, as it were, the strength of an Vnicorn; he shall eat up the nations his enemies, he shall break his bones, and pierce them thorow with his arrowes. Why? and the Church is but a feeble worme: let it be so, yet he saith, Esay 41. 14. Feare not, worm Jacob, and yee men of Israel, I will helpe thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer, the holy One of Israel in the midst of thee. vers. 15. Behold, I will make thee (worme as thou art) a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth; thou shalt thresh the mountains and beat them small, and shalt make the hils as chaffe. vers. 16. Thou shalt fanne them, and the winde shall carry them away, and the whirle winde shall scatter them. You have not seen such a miracle, that a worme shall destroy a great mountain, and blow it away as chaffe; But it is Gods way, that Omnipotence rides on a straw, on a worme, and triumph. And how can it be but thus? The Church is the weakest thing in the earth, but in God incomparably the strongest, Psalme 46. 1. God is our refuge and strength: Gods strength is the absolute greatest strength, and so overcome God and overcome the Church, for a greater strength must overcome the lesse. Where dwelleth hee? in earth, in Hell, or in Heaven? who hath strength above the strength of God? they doe not flie to the strongest side, who desert the Parliament and flie to Oxford; they run but downe to Egypt, but Esay 30. 7. Their strength is to sit still.

Thirdly, the destroying of the Church is not a worke of reason or deep policie, as men suppose; they will but swallow downe and drinke the Protestants, let them be doing and goe on: Put the Church of Christ in a cup and drink her, but you will be sick when shee is in your belly, and had better drinke many quarts of lead or brasse melted and coming hot out of the furnace, for Zach 12. 2, There is poison and death in the cup. I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about: The gall, the wormwood, the poyson of the vengeance of the Lord, and the vengeance of his Temple is in the cup; Drink who will, they shall be sick, and drunken, and vomit, and fall, and die in their vomit, and never rise again. Pharaoh dranke of this cup, but he was killed with it, and made fishes meat. Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazar dranke, but they swelled hand and foot▪ [Page] and died. Herod Acts 12. had the cup at his head, and tooke a draught of this wine, but he was stricken with wormes: Papists, Prelates, the Irish good Catholique subjects, the Emperour, Spaine, Rome, the Antichrist, the powers of the earth are now drinking one to another, and the cup of trembling goeth in a round to them all; but consider how sick they shall be, Zach. 14. 12. And this shall bee the plague wherewith the Lord shall smite all the people that have fought against Ierusalem: their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their eyeholes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouths. Babylons cup-bearers, and Atheists, and Malignants, to whom the morning of a sound reformation is as the shadow of death, would then know how deadly a cup is now at their head.

Fourthly, consider Gods promises to his Church. There is a true Diurnall written from Heaven, that God is to make a glorious Church in the end of the world, Esa. 30. 26. Moreover, the light of the Moone shall be as the light of the Sun, and the light of the Sun sevenfold, as the light of seven dayes. And when the new resurrection shall bee, I mean the in-coming of that elder sister, the Church of the Jewes, Rom. 11. 15. and when all Israel shall be saved, What a glorious house shall he build for the Lord, when that shall be fulfilled! Esay 60. 13. And the glory of Lebanon shall come unto theee; the fir-tree, the pinetree, and the boxe together, to beautifie the place of my sanctuary, and I will make the place of my feet glorious. v. 14. The sons also of them that afflicted thee shall come bending to thee; and all they that despised thee shal bow themselves down at the soals of thy feet, and they shal cal thee The City of the Lord, The Zion of the holy One of Israel. v. 19. The sunne shal no more be thy light by day, neither for brightnesse shal the moon give light unto thee: but the Lord shal be thine everlasting light, and the dayes of thy mourning shal be ended. All which, with many other places, do make God say, That the Church shall stand, and never be prevailed against by the very gates of hell.

Fifthly, Christ cannot leave off to be a King, therefore his Kingdome must stand: there is a seed and a reward promised to Christ for his labours, Esay 53. 10. There bee Articles of grace concluded betwixt the Father and his Sonne, which cannot be broken.

Sixthly, there are in all the sufferings of the Church two things most considerable: first, a turn; secondly, a contexture: a turne or [Page]returne, Gen. 39. 21, 22. Joseph was cast in prison; But the Lord was with Joseph. Gen. 49. 23. The archers have sorely grieved Joseph, and shot at him, and hated him: but consider the returne, vers. 24. But his bowe abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob. Psal. 3. 2. Many say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. See so sweet a (But) vers. 3. But thou O Lord, art a shield for me, my glory, and the lifter up of my head. So is the childe of Gods condition made up of two haltes, Psal. 18. 18. Hence the fall; They prevented me in the day of my calamity: Then the rise; But the Lord was my stay. Psal. 22. 7. All that see me laugh me to scorn, &c. Hence faiths rise, vers. 9. But thou art he that took me out of the wombe, &c. Psal. 30. 5. Weeping may endure for a night; then the returne, But joy cometh in the morning. Psal. 34. 19. Many are the troubles of the righteous; this is their down, but they lie not; But the Lord delivereth them out of all. Psal. 71. 7. I am a wonder to many; that is dark night; but the day dawneth againe; But thou art my strong hold. So doth the servant of God fall, Psal. 109. 4. For my love they were mine adversaries; but faith riseth again, But I give my self to prayer, Psal. 118. 13. Thou hast thrust sore at me that I might fall: see the escape, But the Lord helped me, vers. 18. The Lord hath chastised me sore; shall he lie in that condition? No, But he hath not delivered me to death. Esay 54. 7. For a smal moment I have forsaken thee; behold the returne, But with great mercies wil I gather thee. Esay 63. 6. For we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnes as filthy rags, & we all do fade as a leafe; our iniquities like the winde have taken us away: this is death; and look to life again, vers. 8. But thou, O Lord, art our Father, &c. Jer. 1. 19. They shall fight against thee; there were but a whole Parliament, all the estates of the Land, Kings, Princes, Priests, and People against Jeremiah, but he must not lie on the dust; But they shall not prevaile against thee, for I am with thee to deliver thee. Joh. 16. 22. Ye now therefore have sorrow; that is a sad case, yet it hath a turne, But I will see you againe, and ye shall rejoyce, and your joy shall no man take from you; so are these two at once in the Lords witnesses his Apostles. 2. Cor. 4. 9. persecuted, But not forsaken; cast down, But not destroyed. 2. Tim. 4 16. At my first appearing no man stood with me, but all men forsook me; yet is he lifted up, vers. 17. But the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me. Secondly, There is a contexture of contraries, as black and white, [Page]sweet and sowre woven through other, as day-light and night in a morning twy-light: as contraries in one subject. 2. Cor. 6. 9. As dying, and behold we live; as chastened, yet not killed, verse 10. Or, as sorrowfull, yet alwayes rejoycing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing all things. How can these two be in one? They kill us, but we die not; they bury us, but we live againe in the grave; we have nothing, and we have all things; we have, we want not. Rom. 8 36. Killed all the day long, and counted as sleep for the slaughter. 37. Neverthelesse in all these more than Conquerours, &c. Hence they are killed all the day long, and they live all the day long. I know not how it is, but the Churches death is a living and a breathing death, their poverty a rich poverty, their shame glorious shame, their sadnesse joyfull sadnesse, their foyles victorious foyles, their paine an health, and an easie paine, their weaknesse strong and mighty weaknesse.

I desire to make some use of this, And 1. There be no worldly States and Monarchies of whom this can be said, Their Kingdome such as cannot be destroyed. Where is there a worldly Kingdome that cannot be shaken? Moab was a Kingdome, and yet Moab shall die in his own vomit. Jer. 48. 26. Aegypt is a great Kingdome, and yet it is broken like an old Clay-pot or a lame Vessell. The foure great Monarchies are become like foure May-flowres, withered, and their rosie blossoms are fallen off them in their moneth. Did they mean no truth who said of earthly Kingdomes? Omnis faelicitas ad culmen perducta, retrogreditur; and, Magna suo pondere ruunt. VVorldly felicity when it is at the height of the Stairs, sitteth downe and slippeth back againe; And great things of this Earth are a burden to themselves; summisque negatum stare diu. It is denied to great things to stand long. Alas, how long did one of the Kings of Gods People raigne, even Zachariah? poore six moneths. Shallum came not to this, he raigned in Samaria one moneth. And Zimri who came to the Crowne by blood, had a shorter raigne; He did walk with a Crowne seven dayes; If Pope Victor the fifth had a longer time of a golden chaire, it was but five years; and Clemens the third ruled but three yeers; and Alexander the eleventh only two yeers. And though it be but a fiction that Kingdomes have their fatall yeers, and Monarnarchies are under Planetary houres, yet some truth must be in this; Kingdomes have their infancy, and come to a greater strength, till [Page] they come to their flowre, and then they begin to turn: and it is congruous to their experienced truth, That Kingdomes finde old age; And gray hairs are here and there upon Ephraim, and he knoweth not. 7. 9. It is much better to bee a subject, or one of the States of the Kingdome of grace; for grace knoweth no old age, nor hath grace an internall principle of corruption, for it is the seed of eternall glory; and though the Powers of the Earth may subvert the foundation and Fundamentall Laws of earthly Kingdoms, yet cannot Christs Kingdome or the constitution of it be broken. But that which doth loose the Pillars of a Kingdome is sinne. Amos. 1. For three transgressions of Edom and for foure, I will not turne away the punishment thereof, So Ammon, Moab, Judah, are under the same punishment. There is no way to secure England from wrath, but turning to the Lord: And especially two sinnes in the State are to be seriously taken to heart. 1. You suffered many worthy servants of God who pleaded the Lords cause for a Reformation against the Prelates, to be silenced, deprived, imprisoned, banished. Both in the reigne of Queene Elizabeth, and of King James, Prelates oppressed the servants of Christ, and did tyrannize over the conscience of the Lords people in this Land: former Parliaments did not give Christ and his servants faire Justice, and now hath the Lord stirred up these oppressors to oppresse your Parliament, and to raise bloody wars against the Land. 2. It is said, Hos. 5. 11. Ephraim is oppressed and broken in judgement, because he willingly followed the Commandement. It hath been the sinne of this Land, that when Episcopacy, Antichristian Ceremonies, Superstition, and Will-worship were injoyned by Law, to pleasure an earthly King, you willingly followed after the command, against the direction of the King of Kings: and now hath the Lord delivered the people of the Land into the hand of their KING. And for this the Sword of the Lord hath gone through the Land.

2. Vse. From the perpetuity of the Lords Kingdome, we may infer, That this Cause of God shall prevail, and that the Church, though in the burning Bush, cannot be consumed; for JEHOVAH is in the Bush. There be three grounds that there is hope that God will build his own Jerusalem. 1. God never laid the foundation of so fair a building, and then deserted the VVorke: when he hath put it into the hearts of the Parliament and Land to enter into a Covenant with [Page] the Lord, the Cause doth now in formall and direct termes become the Lords Cause: And so the Lord is become surety for England. 2. When did the Lord ever finally prosper his bloody-hearted enemies? Babylons Womb and Bowels are swelled with blood, they intend to root out the Protestant Religion. Can God say Amen to this in Brittaine? No, he will not, this end was sworne at the councell of Trent; It was aimed at by Charles the fifth, by Leo the tenth against Luther, and the designe of the Actors of that bloody massacre of Paris; yet hitherto all hath failed them. 3. Gods Noble and stately acts of disappointing and discovering so many Plots, give us hope; for in them all God maketh true of England what is said, Esai. 66. 7. Before she travelled, shee brought forth, and before her paine came, she was delivered of a man-Childe. When she was sleeping, ere the blow came, the Childe was borne, and the Woman delivered.

His Dominion shall be to the end] Dominion is a power to use a thing, as you please, for such ends as you think good; in the Creature, our pleasure is supposed to be regulated by Law and Reason; but men or Angels will or pleasure is not the rule of the use or lawfull exercise of Dominion, but in God; whose blessed will, not being differenced from his holy reason, and infinite wisedome, its the rule of the use of his Dominion, and none may say to him, What doest thou? that but standeth still to the Creature as a binding Law. Illud tantum possumus quod jure possumus, we have no more lawfull morall power given to us of God, then we can, or do lawfully exercise according to the morall rule: But Gods Dominion is to be discussed thus, as it standeth in those following heads. First, in the manner of it, its compleat. Deus Dominatur in totum ens, & in totum entis; God hath Dominion over every being of the Creature, and over every part of the being. God hath Dominion over his Creatures soule, and his soules faculties, his will, minde, conscience, affections, faith, hope, feare, love, joy; over the body, and all the powers and motions therof. So God hath a compleat Lordship over the Creature: One Creature hath not a compleat Lordship or Dominion over another, yea a free reasonable Creature hath not a compleat Dominion over himself. The reason is, God made the Creature, he made all and every being and part of the Creature; He made the soule, the body, the faculties of both, the actions and purposes of both: [Page] Therefore he hath an absolute Dominion over both. The potter hath a Dominion of art, not a Dominion by creation over the Lame-pot: he made the Lame-pot, but he created not the Clay: He hath therefore but a Dominion of art over the Clay, not to annihilate the Clay as god can do. His Dominion is of Art to frame of the Clay a Vessell of honour, for a Kings Table, or a Vessell of dishonour for the receiving of Urine. The Master amongst the Jews might sell his man-servant, and put him in his purse; but the truth is, when he sold him, he sold but his bodily-service, as hee was usefull to labour and work; but he could not sell his servants soule, nor his understanding, nor his will, nor his love, nor his faith or Religion, nor any of these: Courtiers then and Cavaliers, Prelates, Atheists who professe they are of the Kings Religion, and will dispose of their soules at the Kings pleasure, to kill the innocent, they make their soules bastards and unlawfull broods, and they make the King the Creator of their soules, and the absolute Lord of their Religion: O foole, the King did not make thy Soule, there is an other Soule-Lord then the King! Ezek. 18. 4. Behold all Soules are mine, saith the Lord; and there is another Soule-former, then the King of Brittaine: hear God speak himself, Esai. 57. 16. If I should contend for ever, the spirits should faile before me, and the soules that I have made! O finde me an Earthly King that can forme Soules, and then let the Cavaliers sweare that which many now practice, I am the Kings wholly, both soule and body, faith and conscience. But I pray you, are not all in England the Kings Subjects? yea trùly and all in Scotland also, but not one soule, not one conscience in all the three Kingdomes is the Kings Subject.

2. Gods Dominion: for the matter is universall, he can presse an Army in the Clouds, and in the Firmament, Judg. 5. 20. The Stars in their course fought against Sisera: he hath an host in Hell, and raised an Army against the first-borne of Egypt, Psal. 78. 49. Hee troubled them by sending, Malokim ragnim, evill Angels, or Devils amongst them. He can blow a Trumpet, and cry to the dust of the Earth, Arms, Arms, and there ariseth an host of Catter-pillers, or Canker-wormes, Joel 2. and vers. 6. before the faces of these Wormes the people is much pained, and all faces gather blacknesse; that is, strange to see valient men of Warre tremble before a Worme, and one man with a tramp of his foot may kill [Page] hundreds of them, but this is the Dominion of JEHOVAH the Lord. He hath an host of VVaters, every wave of the Sea being a Souldier, every fish receiving pay from JEHOVAH, first to drown Pharoah, and then to eat him and his Princes.

3▪ He hath a Soveraigne Dominion over the salvation and damnation of men, as Rom. 9. 21. The potter hath power over the Clay. Arminians and Papists will have Freewil Lord and Carver of the white roll of election to glory, but Gods own Pen from eternity did write in the Lambs Book of life so many, and did book those from eternity, whom he was, of free grace, to make Senators of heaven, to walk with the Lamb in white: nor doth freewill pen its own doome: But God hateth Esau, before he doth good or ill.

4. God hath an absolute Dominion in all the operations of second Causes. The Stars these five thousand yeers have marched so orderly, and kept their Orbes, Distance, Line, that not one of them ever transgressed the borders of another. And Gods Dominion herein is so eminent, that in necessary causes the Lord worketh a sort of contingency, and in contingent causes, a sort of necessity; as he saith to the fire, Burn, Burn not; Burn those who cast into the Furnace the three Children; Burn not the three Children, Daniel 3. 22, 24. He commandeth the Sun to move, and it moveth, Psal. 104. 19. He commandeth it to stand still, and it doth so, in the dayes of Ioshua. He saith! O sea, ebbe and flow, Ier. 5. 22. and it doth so. He saith! O sea, stand still, as a VVall, or as an heap of Ice, do not ebbe, nor flow, while my people go through dry; and it doth so. And what he hath decreed must be, though it fall out in a contingent way; Iosephs Brethren must fell him, Potipher must cast him in prison, King Pharaoh must exalt him to honour.

5. VVhen causes seeme confused in their operations, God exerciseth his Dominion. Why should an Arrow smite Achab betwixt the joynts of the harnesse, and kill him? many thousands may bee killed as soone as he: But God shot the Arrow; the Bow and the Arrow of JEHOVAHS Dominion was here, when two Armies of many thousands on every side joyne battell: What confusion is there, when thousands are rolled in bloud? who marshalleth bullets through the Aire? God ranketh Bullets, Arrows, and Fire-works as his Souldiers, flying in the Air, and will have a good man killed in a good cause, and a wicked man in an evil cause: to come faire and safe off here, must be the Dominion of God.

[Page] 6. How is it that Satan and wicked men in their blackest works of hell are as Chariots and Horsemen, carrying on the counsels of Heaven, and serving Gods eternall counsell, when they are not serving God himself? we are to draw this into our selves, for God communicateth an inferiour Dominion to his Church and people, for the which he is to be adored.

1. God is conquering mens judgement, that they yeeld to truth.

2. He hath given a Dominion to his saints, and given them to bee above all things, and put all Creatures under the childe of God, and hath put the world, life, death, court, glory, riches, under the fear, faith, love, and joy of his own children: nothing is great to a believer, but Christ; nothing high but the most high, nothing fair but he who is white and ruddy, and the fairest of the sonnes of men, Cant. 5. 10. Psal. 45. 2. Nothing ancient; as the ancient of dayes. Nothing honourable as the King of ages. Nothing desireable as the Lord, the desire of all Nations, when creatures have Dominion over us, and are above us, and too great in our affections, we be then under their power, and our hearts are mastered and over-loaded by clay and shadows; especially if death, torture, the sword, losse of the sweet pleasures of this life have a Dominion over us, our life is a bondage to us. The people of God are Rom. 8. 36, 37. killed, and yet conquerors and victors.

3 We are to effect a Dominion over sin. How can this be? for the children of God for the most are foyled in their combat betwixt the spirit and the flesh; Paul was led captive: I answer, This may be, and yet the Dominion is on the childe of Gods side. 1. Because victory must not be measured by one blow, but by the issue of the battell; Christ at length in all his Saints shall bring forth Esai. 42. 3. judgement unto truth, Mat. 12. 20. into victory; The Gospel at length is victorious in the heart of the childe of God. 2. That the spirit keepeth the fields in that same soule with the flesh, is a great Dominion; in carnall men the spirit is not in the Fields at all; and therefore he is a servant not a captive; and when the childe of God sinneth, it is but with the half of the will, and so the flesh hath but half a vote; and there is a protestation made on the contrary by that supernatural instinct. A morgaging, or a woodsetting is not a buying, the soul giveth half consent, but with reversion, and a power to take back again at another time. [Page] what is now given. A man is legall proprietor, and Lord of Lands morgaged, though he want the present use of them. 3. The foyles of the childe of God are the seed of humility, of hunger for a fuller measure of grace, of cautelous and more strict walking; and often here falling one way is rising another way; and this fall is a vertuall Dominion over pride. Sinne helpeth, by Gods grace, to mortifie it self.

4. We are to pray, that the Gospel may have a Dominion! O that we might be witnesses to see him who rideth on the white horse go forth through the habitable world with his Bow, and his Crowne conquering, and to conquer, and that he would cause his servants alwayes to triumph in Christ, and make manifest the savour of his knowledge in every place! Revel. 6. 2. 2. Cor. 2. 14. Pray, exalted be the glory of Jesus; high, high for evermore be his Throne! O that the Pearles and Diadems of his royall Crowne may glister as farre as the beames of the Sun in the Firmament shine. Let the wheeles of his Chariot be as the wings of an Eagle. Let his enemies bow before him, and those brazen knees, which will not bow to Jesus Christ, let them be broken! O Lord let thy Kingdome come.

FINIS.

[Page]

§

[Page]

[Page]

A SERMON PREACHED To the Honourable HOVSE OF COMMONS: At their late Solemne Fast, Wednesday, Jan. 31. 1644.

BY SAMUEL RUTHERFURD, Professor of Divinitie in the University of S. Andrews.

EXOD. 3. 2.

And hee looked, and behold, the Bush burned with fire, and the Bush was not consumed.

Published by Order of the House of Commons.

EDINBURGH, Printed by Evan Tyler, Printer to the Kings most Excellent Majestie. 1644.

§

[Page]

Die Mercurii 31. Ianuar. 1644.

IT is this day ordered by the Commons assembled in Parliament, That Mr. Rous do from this House give thanks unto Mr. Rutherfurd, for the great paines he took in the Sermon he preached this day (at the intreaty of the said Commons) at S. Margarets Westminster, it being the day of publike Humiliation, and to desire him to print his Sermon. And it is ordered that none presume to print his Sermon without authority under the hand-writing of the said Mr. Rutherfurd.

H. Elsynge Cler. Parl. D. Com.

§

I appoint Richard Whittaker, and Andrew Crooke, to print my Sermon.

Samuel Rutherfurd.

To the Christian Reader.

[Page]

WHether time or the fashion hath obtained of me (worthy Reader) that this Sermon should come under the providence of your favourable judgement and Candor, I can hardly determine: But you have it as it is, onely I shall heartily desire, in reviewing of it, your serious thoughts in these insuing considerations.

1. What I speak here of God and his excellency, is but a shadow to the expressions of others; and what others can say, men or Angels, is but a short and rude shadow of that infinite All, the High Jehovah, Creator of Heaven and Earth: so my thoughts come forth as shadows of shadows, for there behoved to be much honey in the Inke, much of Heaven in the breast, much of God in the Pen of any who speaketh of such a transcendent subject; yet if these do affect you, it is possible I say more, if not, I shall desire not to spill the Lords highest praises with my low-creeping under-expressions. 2. Concerning Gods dispensation now in Brittaine, and his Churches condition; I shall be your debter, in all humble modesty, to beg these thoughts to go along with God. As 1. Let the Lord have a charitable sense and good construction of his most wise dispensation,1 and beleeve that he who hath his fire in Zion, Esa▪ 31. 9. and his furnace in Jerusalem, seeth good that Christs Crosse should be the Church of Christs birth-right, and that a life-rent of afflictions, is a surer way for Zion, then Summer-dayes. 2. You are not to stumble that God 2 will not fit his times to mens apprehensions, when to raine, and when to shine fair, neither is clay to usurp the chair, and dispute the matter, to make the All-wise providence a School-Probleme,Jer. 9. 21. nor asks, Why is our Zion builded, with carcasses of men, in two kingdomes, fallen, as dung in the open field, and as the handfull after the harvest man? Why is the wall of the daughter of Zion sprinkled with blood? One thing▪ I know, It is better to beleeve, then to dispute; and to adore, then to plead with him who giveth not account of his matters. 3. Innocencie 3 in these times, is better then court with princes, and the condition of the heirs of Heaven, yea, their tears, better then the joy of the hypocrite. 4. Christs Church can neither shift nor adjourne such a 4 [Page] share of affliction, as is written in Gods book. It is a standing and a current court which hath decreed what graines of Gall and Wormewood England must drink; what a cup is prepared for Scotland; and the Ballance of wisedome hath weighed by ounce weights, how much 5 wrath shall be mixed in the cup of wasted Ireland. 5. You know it is generally the condition of the Church, if she have any Summer, that it is but a good day betwixt two Feavers; Heaven, heaven is the home 6 and the desired day of the Bride, the Lambs wife. 6. It is much better to be afflicted, then to be guilty; and that the Church may have pardon, 7 and want peace. 7. That the faith which is more precious then gold, can bid the devil do his worst, and that the patience of the Saints can out-weary the malice of Babylon or Babel, on whose skirts is found 8 the blood of the Saints. 8 That it is now and ever true, as when a hungry man dreameth, Esa. 29. 8. and behold he eateth, but he awaketh and his soul is empty; or, as when a thirsty man drinketh, but he awaketh, and behold he (is) faint, so shall the multitude of all nations be that 9 fight against mount Zion. 9. Vengeance is gone out from the Lord against those who feast upon Zions teares,Ezech. 28. 9. and they must die the death of the uncircumcised, Ezech. 25 6. who clapped their hands, and stamped with the feet, and rejoyced in heart with all their despight against the land of 10 Israel. 10. They are in no better condition who refuse to help the Lord against the mighty, and whose heart is as a stone and a piece of dead flesh, at all the revolutions and tossings of Christs Kingdome, who daunce, eat, and laugh within their own orbe; and if their desires bee concentrick to the world and themselves, care not whether Joseph die in the stocks or not, or whether Zion sink or swim, because whatever they had of Religion, it was never their minde both to summer and 11 winter Jesus Christ. 11. The rise of the Gospel-sun, is like the prodigious appearance of a new Comet, to the woman that sitteth on many waters, to that mother Rome-planted, as a Vine in blood, the Lionesse, whose Whelps, Papists and Prelates in Ireland and England, have learned to catch the prey, and this Comet prophesieth, Wo to the Pope, King of the bottemlesse pit, and his bloody Lady Babel, if Christ shall arise, 12 and shine in the power of his Gospel. 12. God hath now as great a work on the wheels, as concerneth the race of the Chariots of Jesus Christ through the habitable world; pray, O let his Kingdome come, and farewell.

Yours in the Lord Jesus, S. R.

Information about this book

Title statement

A sermon preached to the Honourable House of Commons at their late solemne fast, Wednesday, Jan. 31, 1644 by Samuel Rutherfurd.

Rutherford, Samuel, 1600?-1661.

Edition statement

1644

Publication

Publisher

Text Creation Partnership,

Place of publication

Ann Arbor, MI ; Oxford (UK) :

Date

2004-08 (EEBO-TCP Phase 1).

ID [DLPS]

A57979

ID [STC]

Wing R2392

ID [STC]

ESTC R25109

ID [EEBO-CITATION]

08762138

ID [OCLC]

ocm 08762138

ID [VID]

41754

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Early English books online.

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(EEBO-TCP ; phase 1, no. A57979)

Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 41754)

Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English books, 1641-1700 ; 1268:13)

Source

— A sermon preached to the Honourable House of Commons at their late solemne fast, Wednesday, Jan. 31, 1644 by Samuel Rutherfurd., Rutherford, Samuel, 1600?-1661..

Extent

[2], 64 p.

Printed by Evan Tyler,. Edinburgh :: 1644.. ("Published by order of the House of Commons.") (Reproduction of original in the Harvard University Library.)

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