The LORD of HOSTS Adored.

TIs probable that the Text now Read, may seem Remote from the Occa­sion upon which we are now assembled. But before the Sermon is done, you will see that the Preacher seeks out Agreeable Words, & the Occasion will be abundantly suited in it. But I am first of all, to do the office of an Heral [...] [Page 2] unto the Lord of Hosts among you. Give Attention, O People of God, Give Attention. Your Glorious KING is now to be Proclaimed among you; One of His most Illustrious Titles, is to be more particularly Asserted and Publish­ed C▪ Congregation while the Sermon is going on, The Lord thy God is with thee, and the shout of a King is in the midst of thee.

For the PSALM that is now to yield us a Text for our Intention, may we not find some Occasion in the Removal of the A [...]k, and its Translation up to Zion at which the People appeared in a g [...]eat Confluence, and with much Solemnity? The People are Exhorted hereupon, to practice the most Substan­tial, [...]gether with their Ceremonial PIETY. But might not the Ascension of our SAVIOUR into the Heavenly World, be represented in that Solemni­ty, and be here described and predict­ed? We are credibly informed, That the Psalm now before us, was that which it was the ancient Custome of the Hebrews to Sing still on, The First Day of the Week. Doubtless, Their Wise [Page 3] Men discerned here, a Prophecy of a CHRIST, who on the First Day of the Week, began to Ascend the Throne of his Glory. Yea, Why should not the Coming of our SAVIOUR in His Kingdom, have the Spirit of Prophecy here pointng at it? The Period, when the King of Glory, shall make His Entry, and His Church here is to give him a Reception due to such a King of Glory.

It is most certainly, our SAVIOUR, who is here celebrated as the King of Glory. That co [...]t [...]mptible creature, who lately assumed this Denomination, ought forever to have his memory treated no otherwise than that of a Prophane and Wicked Prince, and the most Vain glorious worm in the World. No. It shall be Thy Glory, O our SAVI­OƲR, to be, The King of Glory! A Glory tis, which Thou wilt not give to another.

Here is a Demand, Lift up your Heads, ye Gates, and be ye Lift up, ye Everla [...]g Doors, and the King of Glory shall [...] in. The Gates of Zion, were dou [...], of the Portcullis fashion, and were to be opened by Lifting up. At the Execution [Page 4] of this Demand, for the Entry of the A [...]k into Zion, there is a Dialogue. It is both Enquired, and Answered Who is this King of Glory? Twas provided, I suppose, to be Alternately Sung, by the Officers placed at the Gates. I allow a Type of our SAVIOUR's being Re­ceived up to Glory, in this Transaction. But I behold, a Repetition of the matter. This inclines me to an Apprehension; That here is demanded for our SAVI­OUR, a Reception with his People: at His Two several Comings into the World. Whatever may be meant, by the Gates and the Everlasting Doors, which are to be Opened for His Recep­tion, besure, O People of God, our Hearts are intended; The Gates and the Everlasting Doors of our Souls, are to be Opened unto Him. The Dialogue here managed on this Occasion, Enquir­ing and Answering, Who is this King of Glory? between whomsoever tis carried on, we may well apprehend, the Angels of God concerned in it; The Angels who are the admiring Spectators of his Glory. Tis Remarkable, That in the first Account of this Glorious King, He [Page 5] is mighty in Battel. In the Second, there is nothing of any Battle. Because, at the Second Appearance o [...] our SAVI­OUR, the Conflicts about His Kingdom are over; nor do they Learn War any more. However, in the Second Account of this Glorious King, He is called, The Lord of Hosts: which is in a more Ex­tensive Sense, than that wherein Hosts Armed for War, are spoken of.

And of this, my DOCTRINE, is to introduce a brief Treatise for your Entertainment.

When we behold our SAVIOUR, we behold, The King of Glory: we Behold the King in His Beauty, and see the most Glorious thing in the Land that is afar off. But with Souls full of won­derments, we cannot but raise the Question, Who is this King of Glory? There is but one part of the Reply to be made unto the Question, in this Ac­Account, [Page 6] that is now given of Him; The Lord of Hosts He is the King of Glory. When we have had, The Lord of Hosts, in the best Veiw, that we can give or get of Him, it may be said, How little a portion is heard of Him! This Title, The LORD of HOSTS, I find many more then Threescore Times given to our SAVIOUR in this Word of CHRIST. What Precious Thoughts of Him will it afford unto us!

I. When our SAVIOUR is called The LORD of Hosts, you are aware, that the Name of JEHOVAH, is ascrib­ed unto Him. The Denomination in the O [...]iginal is, JEHOVAH Zabaoth. Yea, Even, in the Greek of our New-Testament so much of the Hebrew Ap­pellation is retained, that we read J [...]m. V.4. concerning, The Lord of Sabaoth. It is most certain, That the Name, JEHOVAH, does belong unto our SA­VIOUR. That Appellation, Which is, and which was, and which is to come, is but the Translation of the Name JEHO­VAH. The Prophet was an Eye-wit­ness to the Seraphim; Isa. VI.3. who Cried One to Another, and said, Holy, [Page 7] Holy, Holy, is the Lord of Host; or JE­HOVAH Sabaoth. Now, a very sure Interpeter has assured us; Joh. XII.41. These things said Esaias, when He saw His Glory, and spake of Him. Yea, Dont we find in the Ancient Prophecies, the crucifixion of the Messiah foretold in those Terms, JEHOVAH Sais, They pierced me? And [...]is not the Messiah Styled, JEHOVAH our Righteousness! It is most certain, That JEHOVAH the God of Israel, was the Supreme God, And it is most Certain, That our SA­VIOUR was the very same with JE­HOVAH, the God of Israel JEHO­VAH is an Incommunicable Name. The Name is peculiar to the most High God. It is among the Songs, which God our Maker has given unto us; Psal. VII.17. I will Sing praise unto the Name of JE­HOVAH, the most High. And Psal. LXXXIII.18. Thou whose Name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most High. It fol­lows then, that our SAVIOUR is not Inferiour to the most High God. I de­mand it, on the behalf of my Glorious King, that when you Acknowledge Him to be, The Son of God, you consider [Page 8] Him as, Equal with GOD. It is no Robbery, to make such a Claim for Him. Christians, Adore your SAVIOUR, as very JEHOVAH, the Same in substance, and Equal in Power, with His Eternal Father. I cannot say, you are worthy to be called Christians, if you do not so. But this I will say, you are Idolaters, and will Dy in your Sins, if you do not so.

II. How Worthy is He to be Adored as, The Lord of Hosts, who has under His Command, the Whole World, and Every Creature in it? But so has our SAVI­OUR. When our SAVIOUR is cal­led, The Lord of Hosts, 'tis the same that is asserted of Him, and for Him; Acts X.36. He is the Lord of All. The Hosts, whereof our SAVIOUR is the LORD, are all the Works of GOD; Every One of which are under His Command We read, Gen. II.1. The Heaven and the Earth were Finished, & all the Hosts of them. These, These are the Hosts whereof our SAVIOUR is the Lord; And it may be said, Is there any Number of His Armies. Our SA­VIOUR is the Creator of all Things; And shall He not be the Governour of [Page 9] them all? We have [...]o Learned Christ [...] ▪ Col. I.16. All things were Created by Him, and for Him. As we may from hence in [...]er His Eternal G [...]dhead, so may we His Power. If all things were Created by Him, we may be sure, they are [...]lso Governed by Him. Our SAVI­OUR, as He is GOD, or a Person [...]n the Essence of GOD, He has what we may call, the Essential Government of all things. He is Essentially, Necess [...]rily, Everlastingly Vested with the Govern­ment of the World. But then also, there is a Glorious Mystery of the Gospel, which our Faith is to take a further Notice of. The Son of GOD, assuming a Man into One Person with Himself, upon a Mediatorial Design, this God-man becomes The Lord of Hosts with a sort of Delegation from His Eternal Father. He has the Government of the World so Committed into His Hands, that the Blessed Man, who he has Chosen to bring so near unto Him, has his In­fluence upon the Administration. It is the Son of GOD, Incarnate and En­throned in our JESUS; Or shall I say? Tis our JESUS Personally United unto [Page 10] the Son of GOD, who now [...]s; Mat. XXVIII.18. All power is given unto me, in Heaven and in Earth. In ou [...] SA­VIOUR so Circumstanced, we now be­hold, The Lord of Hosts, who is the Ʋni­versal Monarch. This is, The Lord of Hosts, of whom a poor Wo [...] that pretended unto an Ʋniversal Monarchy, found himself compelled once to Con­fess; Dan. IV.34, 35. His Dominion is an Everlasting Dominion; And He doth according to His Wall [...] in the Armies of Heaven, and among the Inhabitants of the Earth, and none can [...] ▪ His Hand, or say unto Him, what doest Thou [...] Shall our Lord of Hosts Challenge, [...] Dominion, Extending as far as the Sun, whereof the Divine Poet Sings, There is nothing [...]id from the Heat thereof? Yea, the Sun it self is under His Dominion, and i [...], and all the Worlds, that move above it, and are not hid from th [...] Heat thereof, are but a little part of it. The Sun it self is under the Command of our JESUS. He Commands the Sun and it riseth not! What inexpressible Numbers are the Hosts of those Various Creatures, which fill the Several Globes of our Solar System! The Species cannot be Numbered: [Page 11] What then the Individuals? But if it should be so, that Every Fixed Star in all the Host of Heaven be a Sun, and the Center of a System not unequal to ours, to what Inconceivable Numbers do the Hosts arise? Humane Understanding tires, faints, is even Swallowed up. Well, but our SAVIOUR is that Lord of Hosts, who has all there at His Dis­posal Of all these it must be owned; Psal. CXIX.91. They continue this day according to thine Ordinances; for all are thy Servants. Oh! What Cause have we to fall down before our SAVIOUR, with the devoutest Adoration! How can they Expect any Blessings to fall from Heaven upon them, who do not Wor­ship the King, The Lord of Hos [...]? What punishment may not be Expected, or can be Terrible enough to be in­flicted on them, who shall affront such a LORD of HOSTS; One of So Incomprehensible a Dignity! At the Head of so many mighty Beings! What will become of them who shall persist in Disobedience to [...]uch a Lord of Hosts? One who has made all things, and who does Rule them all? How does all Hu­mane Greatness Vanish into nothing be­fore [Page 12] such a Lord of Hosts, and all the Grandeur of meer Creatures▪ dwingle into Nothing and less than Nothing! O [...]! Dont Sin against such a Glorious Lord. S [...]rs▪ Consider this; Least the Lord of Hosts do tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver you!

III. The Angels, of GOD, make a very Considerable Figure among the Hosts, which our SAVIOUR has under His Command▪ And well worthy to be called The Lord of Hosts, must He be, w [...] h [...]s These to attend upon Him. We are now coming into Mic [...]jahs Vi­sion; I saw the Lord Sitting on His Throne, and all the Host of Heaven Standing by Him. The Lord of Hosts is He that is the Lord unto those who are called, Luk. II.13. The Multitude of the Heavenly Host. It is our SAVIOUR who is the Lord of These. Our SA­VIOUR is that Lord of Hosts, to whom we may say, what is in Neh. IX.6. Thou hast made the Heaven of Heavens, with all their Host, and the Host of Heaven Worshipeth thee. There are Spiritual Substances, whose Dwelling is not in such Flesh as our Spirits are. They are Spirits which don't inhabit such gross Bodies [Page 13] as ours; and are E [...]dued with Faculties of Reason and Wisdom, wherein we are made Lower than They. All these Noble Spirits, what and whose are They! Are they not all ministring Spirits? And is not our SAVIOUR, He of whom we may Say unto them. O Bless the Lord, All Ye His Hosts; Ye Ministers of His, who do His Pleasure? We read concerning our SAVIOUR, 1. Pet. I [...]I.22. He is on the Right-hand of God, and Angels are made Subject unto Him. The Angels of the Heavenly World, are so often, so many Hundreds of times, mentioned in the Book of God, and have so much of a share in the Things done here below, that they deserve an High Rank amongst the Hosts of GOD. Let us now com [...] to Mah [...]naim, and En [...]o [...] a Vision of A [...]s ▪ Paying their Homage unto our SAVIOUR, Accord­ing to the Injunction of His Father unto them, All Ye Angels Worship Him. How Large, How [...]rge, How beyond all Comprehension Copious, are the Hosts of Angels which our Lord of Hosts is a Commander to! In His Lowest Humiliation ▪ He spoke of having, Twelve Legions of Angels, ready to wait upon [Page 14] Him. He might speak of no more, be­cause there were then only He and His Eleven Disciples to be defended; And a Legion of such Succours afforded, might be well thought Sufficient for their De­fence, against the Roman Legions. But [...]hen, I find a Time, when there are not only Thousands of Thousands that mi­nister unto this Lord of Hosts, but there are also Ten Thousand times Ten thou­sand, which amount unto at Least one hundred millions, that Stand before Him. Yea, we read, Heb. XII.23. It is an Innumerable Company of Angels. Now all of these Angels, Every one of which are mighty Angels, do all fall down be­fore our SAVIOUR; And say, Thou art our Lord, and we worship Thee! Their Dox­ology is, Worthy is the Lamb that was Slain, to receive Power and Riches, and Wisdom, and Strength, and Honour, and Glory, and Blessing. The Glories of their Lord, are what they Desire to Look into. Upon every fresh Discovery thereof, these Morning Stars do Sing together, and the Sons of God shout for Joy: There is an Hallelujah repeated, Hallelujah, Hallelu­jah! runs thro' the Hosts of GOD; The [Page 15] Lord of Hosts has new Praises from them. With such Reverence, with such Prostration, they keep waiting for Orders from this Lord of Hosts; And they are upon the Wing to Execute them, to do as He shall Order them. They are Intendants over Nations, and Provinces, and Cities; and when they are ordered by our SAVIOUR, Go and Relieve such a People! or, Go and Chas­ten such a People ▪ They do it Immedi­ately, Irresistibl [...]. The particular Chil­dren of God, have them for their Guar­dians, and our SAVIOUR Ordering of them, Go and Supply the wants of my Servant! or, Go and incline the Thoughts of my Servant! or, Go to Rescue my Ser­vant, out of such and such Distresses, and Strike those who seek to hurt him! Tis done without any more ado. There are Wonderful Things done, which do thus come to pass; Rev. XXII.16. I JESƲS have sent mine Angel, for the doing of them.

O the Magnificence of our SAVI­OUR! Was ever any Emperour so at­tended, as this Lord of Hosts! The Least of whose Attendents is Greater [Page 16] than the greatest Emperour or Tamer­lane that ever was upon the Face of the Earth! And shall not we become, the Obedient Servants of such a Lord? what? when in Serving that, Lord of Hosts, we shall have such Fellow-Servants! Verily, To Serve the Lord of Hosts, tis to be a King, as well as a Priest unto GOD!

IV Our SAVIOUR is, The Lord of Hosts, in regard of His Authority over those Assemblies of His People, which are, The Hosts of the Lord. I remem­ber, The J [...]ws on this Name, The Lord of Hosts, reckon up Three Hosts where­in our GOD eminently appeareth so. O [...] is, [...]zeb [...] Le [...]almidin, or, The Hosts of Disciples. And unto this they apply the words in Job, instead of, My Appointed Time, saying, I will wait all the Days of my being a Disciple, till my Change come. This I will now say, and my main Intention I now confess to you, has been to [...]ay this, O you Dis­ciples of our SAVIOUR, Gathering to­gether to Worship Him; You are on some Singular Accounts, the Hosts, whom He is a Lord [...]o It [...]s [...]en the Opinion of some Learned Men, that [Page 17] our GOD has been called, The Lord of Host [...], with a Special E [...]e to [...]e Office which He bore of a Captain General & Governour in Chief, to the Armies of Israel. Our GOD established Theo­cracy over His Peculiar People. When that People came out of Egypt, We read, Exo XII.41 The Hosts of the Lord went out from the Land of Egypt. While they were in the Wilder [...]ess, they were di­stributed into Four Hosts, and tho' the Tradition we have about their Four Banners be but a Fiction, [...]e [...] they Pitched and Marched, in the Order of Regular Squadrons. It is Remark'd, That no Prophet uses the Name of, The Lord of Hosts, with such Frequency, as it is done in Zechariah's Prophecies; And one Cause Conjectured for it, may be, because a Time like that of the Co­ming out from the Captivity in Egypt, was now referr'd unto. The Armies of Israel, were to have their Faith now strengthened, in, The Lord of Hosts, to do for them, what He did for their Fathers in the Wilderness. Those Hosts of the Lord are now all Scat­tered, all ruined; Thro' the Wrath of [Page 18] the Lord of Hosts, there is a Darkness come upon them, and they are no more to be seen in that Land. But now we have, we are, a Surrogate Israel. The Assemblies of our Zion, are now the Hosts of the Lord. Particular Congre­gations which Assemble for the Wor­ship of GOD, these are the Hosts, for the sake of which, very particu­larly, our SAVIOUR is called, The Lord of Hosts. He is Their Lord, and the [...] Worship Him. We read, Psal. LXXXIV.1. How amiable are thy Ta­bernacles, O Lord of Hosts! 'Tis at the Tabernacles whe [...] [...] His People As­semble, that there are the Hosts, which He is eminently a Lord unto.

Our SAVIOUR is, The Lord of Hosts, in the Congregations of His Peo­ple, inasmuch as first He is the Lord that has Appointed them. 'Tis what our SAVIOUR has Appointed; as [...]n J [...]el II.15.▪ Call a Solemn Assembly. Our SAVIOUR speaks of His Disci­ples, as Gathering together in His Name; 'Tis then His Will, that they should gather together. Man is natu­rally Sociable. Our SAVIOUR will be [Page 19] Owned in and [...]y Societies of His People. He issues [...]ut His Edicts, for His People to Associate, for the Carry­ing on of His Worship in the World.

Again, Our SAVIOUR is, The Lord of Ho [...]ts, i [...] the Congregations of His People, inasmuch as He will have no­thing to be Observed, but wh [...]t as a Lord, He has Appointed in them. 'Tis that unto which we are Limited by our SAVIOUR, Mat. XXVIII.20. Observe all things▪ whatsoever I have commanded you. Our SAVIOUR will not allow us to introduce our own [...]ries, Notions, Will-worship, into His Religion. He will have to keep close to His Praescriptions. He will not have His Worship to be taught or form'd, by the Precepts of Men. He is a Jealous Lord; And in His House, none but He is to be Owned as a Lord.

In the Book of Numbers, the same word, which we render, An Host, is used for the Service to be performed at the Sanctuary. Our Translators are so pressed with it, that in the Margin, they again render it a Warfare. Our Lord is, The Lord of Hosts, in this re­gard, [Page 20] [...] He is the Lord of all the Services to be performed among His People. There are no Services to be done, but what there shall be His Or­der for. If there be any thing, of which you can't find a, Thus saith- the Lord of Hosts, it must not be re­ceived here; A Quo Warranto, is to be Served upon it. And if the He­brew Ter [...] used here, signify Times al­so; Truly, Our Lord will be Owned as, Temporum Ordinator, Even, The Lord of Time: He not only Orders the Times that are to pass over His Peo­ple, but also Ordains the Times in which His People shall bring their Services un­to Him. One Day in Seven, are the Times. If you impose any other Stated Times, the Lord of Hosts is imposed up­on.

Furthermore; Our SAVIOUR, is, The Lord of Hosts, in the Congregations of His People, inasmuch as His Provi­dence is at Work about them; His Providence is very conspicuous in dispo­sing of them. Whatever happens in the Congregations, 'tis the Lord of Hosts, who is the Doer of it. The Condition of our Congregations tis what, The Lord of [Page 21] Host, has determined. One Congregati­on shall be Bigger, another shall be Smaller. One Congregation shall be Growing, another shall be Waning. One Congregation shall be Richer, another shall be Poorer. Tis all, as the Lord of Hosts would have it; all as our SAVI­OUR determines it. The Masters of the Assemblies, must Glorifie the Lord of Hosts, in the whole condition of the Auditories which tend upon them; and of the Congregations which they are Servants to. They must have an Entire Satisfaction, in the Congregations that are assigned unto them; & this Tho't is to Quiet their minds. All is just as my SAVIOUR will have it; Just as my dear, Wise, Kind, and Soveregin SAVIOƲR has ordered it. There is none brought into our Congregations, but it is our SA­VIOUR who brings them in. There are none taken out of our Congregations, but it is our SAVIOUR who takes them out. What Instructors are be­stowed on our Congregations, it is our SAVIOUR who bestows them▪ They are the Gifts of our Ascended SAVI­OUR. Tis the Lord of Hosts, who [Page 22] does Commission them, Enable them, incline the People to affect them and invite them. They are His Officers. When our Congregations are Bereaved of the Men that Led them in the Paths of Righteousness, tis The Lord of Hosts who Sends the Berevements; who de­prives the Hosts of their worthy Leaders. This gives me occasion, without any Digression, to say; The Masters of the Assemblies, or, if you will, the Pastors of them, if they be Men full of a CHRIST, when they see the Lord of H [...]sts, it may be Scattering their Flocks, and bringing them to little or nothing; these can bravely & nobly and with an easy mind, say upon it, O Glorious Lord of Hosts, Thy Will be done on Earth as tis done in Heaven. I don't ask to minister unto one more, than thou shalt order for me. All my Opportunities to do Good, tho' they are the most precious things I have in the World, yet I can Cheerfully Resign them all unto thee. While I have a CHRIST for mine, & I can have the Comforter that Rieleves my Soul near unto me, the withdraw of all Creatures, will give small Affliction to me, [Page 23] will raise no Anxiety in me, So Sing the Birds of Paradise ▪ These are Notes for them that would indeed be, The An­gels of the Churches.

Let us now make some Improvement of these Things.

But we will Improve them, [...]st with Some DEMANDS upon the Con­science of every Hearer in this Host of GOD.

Demand. I. An Interest in the great SAVIOUR, and His Favour, how greatly should it be Esteemed of? Surely, O Needy-Man, To have this Lord of Hosts for thy Friend: This is the best Thing that can be wished for. Was not that a aery Reasonable Tri­umph? Ps. XLVI.2, 7. We will not fear tho' the Earth be Removed, & the Moun­tains be carried into the midst of the Sea. The Lord of Hosts is with us! My Friends, If the Lord of Hosts be your Friend, have you not the Friendship of One, who can employ all the Creatures in the World, for your Welfare at His pleasure? Have you not the Friendship of One, who can give His Angels Charge concerning you, and [Page 24] send you such Helpers as can remove Mountains? Have you not the Friend­ship of one who, if you had no created Comforters, which of themselves are but miserable ones, is Able of Himself, by His own Immediate Hand, sufficiently to relieve you? Can you ask for more than The Lord of Hosts can do for you! Yea, cannot such a Friend as He, do for you, far above all that you can Ask or Think? They that are assured of having the Great GOD our SAVIOUR, [for indeed, no less an one is or can be our SAVIOUR!] for their Friend, may not they well make their Boast in Him, and say, My Spirit has Rejoyced in GOD my SAVIOƲR! Were not they in the Right of it, who said, O God of Hosts, Cause thy Face to Shine, and we shall be Saved. But then, Will you not all now, with all possible Importunity, seek an Interest in the Friendship of such a SAVIOUR? Was there ever made, a Wiser, and Better Proposal than that? Zech. VIII.21. Let us go speedi­ly to Seek the Lord of Hosts. Will you not make it your Prayer and your Cry unto your SAVIOUR; O Lord, Look [Page 25] upon me, and be Merciful unto me! Won't you Mourn for that you have Offended Him, and Beg for the Smiles and Shines of His Face upon you, and Entreat His Face with your whole Heart, Saying, O be Merciful unto me, according to thy Word; and most Hear­tily, Thankfully, Joyfully Embrace Him as your Offered SAVIOUR; and approve your selves His Friends, by doing what He has Commanded you? Certainly Here is nothing proposed, but what is infinitely to be complyed withal.

Dem. II. If you are the Despisers of the Great SAVIOUR, and will go on in Sinning against Him, What can re­main for you, but a certain fearful Ex­pectation of the Fiery Indignation that is to Devour the Adversaries? [...]s there no Terror in that Word? Zech. VII.12. There came a Great Wrath from the Lord of Hosts. Ought you not Effec­tually to be disswaded from all Con­tempt of your SAVIOUR, and all Neglect of His Great Salvation, Know­ing this Terror of the Lord? If the Lord of Hosts be your Enemy, will not the [Page 26] Hosts of the Lord all be so too? But will not the Least of all the Creatures be too hard for you, if they come against you A [...]ed from th [...]ir Lord? When you find such Little, Sorry, and scare Visible Insects, inexpressibly Trouble­some; a poor Moschito enough insup­portably to Trouble you; Nothing so small but what may be big enough to plague an Egyptian! Is here not this Lesson from the Lord of Hosts unto you; How easily could I ease my self of my Enemie▪ and Avenge me of my Ad­versaries! Yea, 'Tis from Later Dis­coveries very much Conjectured, That the Mortal Diseases which do the part of Destroyers on the Sinful Children of Men, are commonly produced by amazing Hosts of Living Things, where­of many Myriads together, would not Occupy the Space of a small Grain of Sand! Amazing Hosts of these very Little Things, are sent among the Sin­ful Children of Men, and, Lo, we can­not [...]tand before them. Our Blood is verm [...]culated, and our Life Extinguish­ed! How then would [...] Stand be­fore the Angels, that E [...]l in Strength? [Page 27] One of whom ca [...] at once thunderstrike to Death more than one hundred and fourscore Assyrians? Don't you ima­gine that they stand ready, full of bur­ning Displeasure against those who are Disaffected unto their Lord, and say­ing▪ Shall I Smite them, O Lord, Shall I Smite them! Yea, But then, What will you do, When the Lord of Hosts Him­self shall appear, and make b [...]e His Own Arm, to take Vengeance on [...]ou?

Will you go into the Clifts of the Rocks, and into the Tops of the Ragged Rocks, for fear of the Lord, and for the Glory of His Majesty? Or can any thing shelter you from the Lord of Hosts, when that Word shall be fulfilled; Zech. XIV.17. A punishment for them that will not Worship the Lord of Hosts? Truly, 'Twill be a Fearful thing to fall into the Hands of that Living GOD, the Lord of Hosts. O Sinners, Will you not humble your selves before Him, & say▪ O Lord of Hosts, I will not offend any more?

Dem. III. Since our SAVIOUR is the Lord of Hosts, ought you not seri­ously to consider the Providence of [Page 28] your SAVIOUR, in all that befa [...]s you? Have you to do with any Crea­tures, which don't belong to His Hosts? Or can Creatures do any thing to you, but what is Commanded by the Lord of Hosts? Of a very common Occur­rence in Humane Life, we read; Isa. XXVIII 29. This also cometh from the Lord of Hosts. Would it be any thing but what ought to be, if upon what­ever Occurs, you may say, This also cometh from the Lord of Hosts; These Creatures come to me on Errands from my SAVIOƲR.

Dem. IV. Since our SAVIOUR is the Lord of Hosts, ought you not pre­sently to give the best Entertainment that you can unto such a SAVIOUR? It is required, Lift up your Heads ye Gates, and be ye Lifted up, ye Ever­lasting Doors, that the King of Glory may come in ▪ When it is declared, This King of Glory is the Lord of Hosts, 'tis taken for granted, that He will not be Refus [...]d; How can such an one be Refused? O [...] our Gospel­lized People, your SAVIOUR would make you Temples of GOD. For that [Page 29] purpose, He now s [...]e, Rev. [...]I.20. Behold, I Stand at the Door, & Knock, if any one will open to me. He says, O Give me thy Heart. Consent that thy SAVIOƲR [...]ake p [...]ssession of thee, and make thee feel all His Gracious Influen­ces. Well; O ye Gates, O ye Ever­lasting Doors, Will you remain Shut upon your SAVIOUR? What? Upon the Lord of Hosts? Oh! No, Say, Come in thou Blessed Lord; why standest thou without? How justly may a Re­fusal bring this upon you; that the Lord of Hosts will Shut His Heavenly Mansions on you? Yea, Be it known unto you! Your SAVIOUR now waits for an Admission into your Souls. The Lord of Hosts would be Entertained there. If the Earth with its Bars a­bout you, make you deny Him an En­trance there, the Hour is not far off, when you will with the Groans of a deadly wounded Man, Cry unto Him, Lord, Lord, Open to me, Oh! Set open to me the Gates of the Righteous Nation. But by your Hard Hearts you now bespeak from Him that Repulse; As I call'd and you would not hear, so you shall [Page 30] now Cry, and I will not hearken to you.

D [...]m. V. If you con [...]i [...] in Rebel­lion against your SAVIOUR; I shall no [...] Speak unadvisedly, when I say unto you. Hear ye Rebels against the Lord of Hosts! Whom will you have to bear you Company in it? Look round about you throughout the Universe. You see nothing any where, but the Hosts of the Lord; Hosts ready to O­bey their Lord; Concerning the most Boisterous, and Irregular and Exorbi­tant, and Ungovernable of them all, you are told, Psal. CXLVIII.8. They fulfil His Word, O you that Rebel against your SAVIOUR, where, where will you find any Companions in your Disobedience? Alas, you must go down to Hell for them; you have none but the Devils for your Compa­nions. What? Are you willing to take your portion with the Devil and his Angels? O Children of Disobedi­ence, Come to a better Mind, Go not on still in your Trespasses. Come and Li [...]t under the Banner of your SAVIOUR.

¶ But it is time for me to let you [Page 31] know, that I [...]m [...]w Armed with Considerations, which will be of the greatest Importance to a New Host, that are this Da [...] Marshalling with a Profession to be an Host of GOD. A Considerable Number of our Neigh­bours, Even an Host of them, appear this Day in a Distinct Body, Professing their Desire to be reckoned among those Hosts, which have a Dependence on the Great GOD our SAVIOUR, as their Lord, and their GOD. And some Words of Command from the Lord of Hosts, are to be brought unto them.

We will not this Day Fast for, or with Strife & Debate: And therefore I will make no Remarks on the Dispu­ted Occasion of their Coalition: I will not go to Dig up any Matters, that I wish, may be buried in perpetual Ob­livion: buried with an Hope of never having any Resurrection. I will only Remark This; That they have been a People, not so well dealt withal as they might have been: And how far they might themselves have dealt better in the Days of Massah, and of Meribah, that have passed over them, I hope, [Page 32] they will th [...]s Day Search and Judge themselves before the Lord. The sad and wrong Things that have Occurred in the Clash that has produced what we now have before us, and in what Intro­duced it, tho' Strangers, even they that are afar off, have been Scandalized at them, yet they should not b [...] construed as the Blemish of all our Churches; in which the Order of the Gospel has ge­nerally been Maintained, with some Decency and Cogency, from the Be­ginning to this Day. The Lord of Hosts has Hitherto, even Hitherto, Stept in for the Help of His Churches, & they have generally Walked in the Fear of GOD, & Comfort of the Holy Spirit; & with a due Regard unto mutual Edification and Satisfaction to this Day. One may say, Generally, tho' there should be some Exception, 'Tis true, there appears now in several parts of the Country, a fearful Tendency to break in upon the Order of the Gospel, which has been As­serted and Enjoyed in these American Churches; And it has a Melancholly Aspect upon us, that the Corrputions of Men are grown so Head-strong, as [Page 33] to render it not Easy to propose a Method for Cur [...], in which the Remedy may not anon prove worse than the Malady. Alas, Thro' the Wrath of the Lord of Hosts, how fast the Land is Darkning! However, if People will go on to deal unjustly in what should be a Land of Ʋprightness, and will not be­hold, or believe, the Majesty of the Lord, and the Churches are so little in Frame, that they cannot or will not attend their Duty, it is not unlikely, that the Glorious Lord of Hosts may Interpose with Immediate and Astonish­ing Operations of His Providence, and be Terrible in His Holy Places, and make all the Churches to know, that He takes notice of what is done among them▪ His Churches will still be Terrible as Armies with Banners, when the Lord of Hosts, will please to come down among them, and His Works, and the Operations of His Hands, make them feel, that for their offences, instead of Building them up, He will Distress them, and Humble them, and multiply the Tokens of His Burning Indignation upon them. Ah, my poor Neighbour­hood, [Page 34] what, what, wilt thou See the Lord of Hosts do unto thee: what wilt thou see when the Day of thy Watchmen cometh upon thee! But from the Ex­perience of this Unhappy Neighour­hood, I am Sure, there is one Thing, which they that have Ears to hear, should hear as a Thing Spoken by the Spirit unto all the Churches. Tis this; A Day of Temptation will prove a Day of Confusion to them that have it brought upon them. A Dark and an Hot Strife, But, Oh! what will those Two Qualites make an Emblem of! Such a Strife; with all the Cursed off-spring of it, will cause the Sun to go down at Noon in such a Day. Most Wisely our Glorious LORD has taught us to make that Petition, O Our Father, Lead us not into Temptation. With much Wisdom has He Charg'd us, Watch and Pray, that ye Enter not into Temptation. If you are so Watchful as to discern a Day of Temptation begun, O Stop, Stay, make a Pause; desist for a while from any further proceeding; and with a Prayer­ful Patience, wait for an Issue which the Lord of Hosts, will Guide the Meek unto.

[Page 35]But, you my Neighbours, that are this da [...] Coming into the Shape of an Host for the GOD of Armies, are now to suffer a Word of Exhortation.

This Day will be a Testimony for the Ministers of the Gospel, who with heavy Cares, and many Tears, and much Trembling are Labouring among you. Tho' the Malignities & Indignities & Scurrilities with which the Tongues & Pens of so many in the Town, are continually Mal-treating of them, are what they are, and our God knows what they are! which tis well, if they do not help to ripen the Town for a Wrath to the Ʋttermost: Yea, & tho' the highest Professors of Religion, do Practically seem to cast off the Sense of much Re­lation to them: Yet their Conduct, this Day, as well as at all times will testifie for them, that they have no­thing at Heart So much as This nay, nothing But This! That Religion may flourish among You, and the Lord of Hosts have His due Acknowledgments. Tho' their Advice be never so Little Regarded, tho' their Interest be never so much Impaired. Yet, they can Chear­fully [Page 36] over [...]ook all Discouragements, and if a Glorious CHRIST may be duly adhe [...]r'd unto, this is All that they are concerned for. Certainly, They de­serve that their Exhortation should have some Attention given to it. Or, if they do not, I am Sure, He that Em­ploys them, does; The Lord of Hosts, by whom they are Employ'd, is worthy to have His Word, which they bring unto you, very Seriously attend­ed unto.

I Remember a passage, in Psal. CX.3. thus to [...]e translated; In the Day of thy Marshalling thy Forces for thy Work, thy People shall [...]hen appear with Free-will Offerings, in the Beautie, of Holiness. My Neighbours, This is the Day, in which we See Marshalling those Forces, which make a Profession for the Work, which the Lord of Hosts would have to be done in His Churches among us. O [...]! may it be a Day, wherein you shall all prove your selves the willing People of the Lord; a People wherein you shall pre­sent your selves, and your All, as well as This House unto the Lord. All Free-will Offerings! And from this Day, may [Page 37] the Beautie [...] of Holiness always be found upon you. I Supose, there is not in all the Land a more Beautifull House Built for the Worship of GOD, than This, whereof you now appear to make a Dedication to the Lord. But what will it Signify, if the Beauties of Holiness be wanting? The Holiness which become the House of God forever ▪ Oh! That all the Persons which are to meet here, and all the Performances that are to be made here, may al­ways have the Beauties of Holiness adorning of them

Wherefore, From the Lord of Hosts, and in His Name, there are Some orders to be more briefly Served upon you.

In the First Place, You cannot be In­sensible, that the First thing you have to Look to, i [...], That you approve your selves, even your very Hearts as Ʋp­right before the Lord of Hosts, in what you do, when you Say, That you are Building for Him. Verily, The Lord of Hosts ▪ He is [...] God of Knowledge, and by Him Actions are Weigh'd; He walks in the midst of His Churches▪ His Eyes penetrate Like the Lightning; and He [Page 38] will make all the Churches to know, that He Searches the Hearts. Beware, Oh! Beware, of being acted by Corrupt Principles, when you seem to have the Zeal of the House of God acting of you. You have Lived, where you have heard those Maxims, Pride goeth before Destruction; And, The wrath of Man works not the Righteousness of God. Guard well against such and all Corrupt Principles; For, if these are the Secret Springs of your Motions, Doth not He that ponders the Heart, Consider it? And He that preserves thy Soul, does He not know it? And will not He render to every Man according to his works?

GOD has from a Flaming Mountain, with a Voice of Thunder declared, That He will not hold them Guiltless who take His Name in vain. When His Name is put upon Vain Ʋnderta­kings, and is used meerly to gratify Va­nity, then do men Egregiously take His Name in Vain. Wherefore I repeat the Counsel, Take heed unto your Spirit. The Jews have a saying, Every Church that is built for the Glory of GOD shall be Established▪ Christians may accept [Page 39] & improve the Saying. Oh! See to it, that an Aim at the Glory of GOD, and the Service of His CHRIST, and of His Kingdom, Ly at the Bottom of your Proceedings. This is a Thing to be inculcated with the more of Sollici­tude, Because people must have a Rege­nerating, Rectifying, Sanctifying Work of GOD upon their Minds, before they will come really to act upon such Holy Principles. A Carnal Mind will not get above Corrupt Principles! The Jet d'eau's of a Carnal Mind can rise no higher. There is a Marvellous Recipro­cation in the Matter. If the Glory of GOD be your End, You Live to GOD. You will not make the Glory of GOD your End, until you come into the Life of GOD. First come sincerely to say, The Lord▪ is my GOD; Then you will come suitably to say, I will prepare Him an Habitation! Where­fore, Thus saith the Lord of Hosts, Con­sider your Ways.

As a further Expression of Godliness, and of Godly Sincerity, in your Under­taking, you must always keep up a Lively Remembrance of This, That [Page 40] the Lord of Hosts has his Eye upon you, in all that is done among you. The Awe of that Glorious Eye, must keep a powerful and perpetual Re­straint upon you, and prevent all Dis­orders among you. The Lord of Hosts Looking on; This must cause you to March Regularly, make every one keep his Rank, and Suppress all Approaches to Mutinies.

But I cannot be a Faithful Messenger, if I do not put you in mind of This, That the Lord of Hosts will Expect it from you, that you keep Close to His Word, in all the Administrations of His House among you. If Humane In­ventions, or any parts or means of Wor­ship not Instituted by the Lord of Hosts, are brought in, to the prejudice of the Divine Institutions among you, the Temple of GOD will be defiled. A Jealous GOD so provok'd, will be gone, will go far away, from the polluted Sanctuary. Upon your Loyal­ty to the Lord of Hosts in this point, will turn your Enjoyment of His Gracious Presence among you. The Second as well as the Third Command­ment [Page 41] stands as a flaming Sword in the Hand of the Lord of Hosts, to terrify you from all Sinful Deviations.

And while you pay just Regards to the Word of your SAVIOUR, how comfortably may you Look up to the Lord of Hosts, to give you such a Dis­penser of His Word, as may be a Pastor after His own Heart, that shall feed you with Knowledge and Ʋnderstanding. Such an one must be among the Gifts of that Ascended Lord, who has the Chariots of GOD in His Holy Place a­bout Him. And He will bestow Good Gifts upon them that Ask Him for them: Yea, for the Rebellious also!

In fine; We can press nothing so much as This upon you, That you do all that you can, to obtain it, and se­cure it, That the Lord of Hosts may afford you His Gracious Presence, and that you Shun Every Thing that may forfeit it. Happy, Happy are you, if you may have that Word from Hea­ven to you; Be Strong, and Work; For I am with you, saith the Lord of Hosts.

Now that you may be so, Think ve­ry much on that Word, 2 Chron. XV. [Page 42] 2. The Lord is with you, while you are with Him

I have done, when I have said; When those Words were spoken by the Prophet of GOD, it seems, he had his Father then Living and present in the Assembly with Him. 'Tis [...]y Fae­licity, that you see Mine this Day in this Assembly. And now inasmuch as your Society does very much consist of such as have Lived, Oh! that we could say, Lived unto God! under our Ministry, and we are now so parting with you, that we shall never have a­nother Opportunity of speaking to you as we have done, in the Name of our GOD; I will take this Opportu­nity on his behalf as well as my own, to take a Final and a proper Farewel of you. When our dear SAVIOUR was within a Few Minutes of His Death, we read, Many of them, who attended on His Ministry, Went away and walked no more with Him. A very Great Withdraw from our Ministry many may think it will be a Trouble to us; and if we were not used unto higher Sentiments, than the People who [Page 43] offer i [...] [...] be so. But we have Learn [...]d CHRIST better than tha [...] ▪ I do assure you. My Friend [...], I hope you will find it more of a Triumph than of a Trouble to us 'Tis a Circumstance, that carries a Strong and a Strange Consola [...]on in it; That our [...] to the Royal Priesthood is just [...] in this Addi [...]ion to the many Sacrifices, which our Lives have been fill'd with­al▪ That we have now done with a World, that has nothing in it worth Sta [...]ng for; That we are just Entring into the Joy of our Lord, and are with­in a Few Weeks of seeing the Best Hour that ever we saw; & a Glorious CHRIST will become All in All unto us But we Lay hold on this Oppor­tunity, To Call Heaven and Earth un­to Record, that we have Endeavoured Faithfully to Discharge our Duty unto you in the Days when we have Gone with you unto the House of GOD. Heaven and Earth are Witnesses, How Studious we have been to Watch for your Souls, and to declare unto you the Whole Counsel of GOD: How Careful we have been to describe unto you the [Page 44] Things that accompany Salvation, and so invite you into them, that the Hearty Speaking of One Word would have Saved you; How Earnest we have been, and in what an Agony, when we have besought you to be Reconciled unto GOD. The [...]ord of Hosts has also in His Book of Remem­brance kept a Catalogue of the Books, even those many Hundreds, Yea, Thousands, which with no small Ex­pence, we have Lodged in your Houses, as Instruments of Piety, to Converse with you, out of our Visits, as well as in them. For the Pardon of what has been Defective in our Dis­charging of our Ministry, we fly to the Great SACRIFICE; But yet, O Glorious Lord of Hosts, Thou knowest, for thou gavest it! —the Fidelity which we have Endeavoured. But, my Friends, If any of you have not, and I Freely tell you, We see much cause to Fear, and we tell you weeping, that many have not, been all this while brought home to GOD by our Ministry; If any of you are yet in your Sins, and must be so miserable after all as to Dy in your [Page 45] Sins; If any of you must be dropt out of that Number, which will be our Crown of Rejoycing in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His Coming; We Call Heaven and Earth to Record; It is [...]ot because you have not been faithfully Warned by the Servants of GOD, who are now parting with [...] Children, what could we have done more, to have done you Good, and gat [...] you under the Wings of our Lovely SAVIOUR? Certainly, We shall give up our Account with Joy.

Our Desire and Prayer shall be That you may do so too.

We Can Say no more!

THE LORD JESUS Walking in the midst of the CHURCHES.

THe First Man Adam was made Holy and Upright, but thro' the Instigation of the Devil, (that Murderer & L [...]r from the Beginning. Joh. 8.44.) he soon Sinned against GOD: He Apostatiz'd from, and Rebell'd against his Glorious [Page 2] Maker; and thereby laid himself open to his Wrath; for the Wages of Sin is Death. Rom. 6.23. Yea, all his Poste­rity were Involv'd in the sin and guilt of this first and grand Apostasie. By one mans disobedience, many were made sinners. Rom. 12.19. In Adam all die (1 Cor. 15.21) they're Children of wrath by Nature. Eph. 2.3. The only begot­ten eternal Son of God, our blessed Lord Jesus Christ, was manifested to destroy the works of the Devil. 1 John 3.8. He came to Save his people from their Sins; from all Iniquity, to purifie 'em, and make 'em zealous of good works, (Mat. 1.21. Tit. 2.14.) to re­deem 'em from the Curse, (Gal. 3.3) to deliver 'em from the wrath to come, (1 Thes. 1.10.) and to bring them to God, (1 Pet. 3.18.) in whose pre­sence is fulness of Joy, and Pleasures for evermore. Psal. 16.11. It is the will of this glorious Saviour, (who is King in Sion, and whom we should [...]ear in all things (Ps. 2.6. Acts 3.22.) that his Disciples, Subjects, Followers should be Baptized, and taught to observe all things whatsoever he has [Page 3] commanded, Mat. 28.19, 20. And his will and command is, that they should assemble together in a stated way, to worship God according to the rules of his Word; walking in all the Or­dinances and Commandments of the Lord blameless. Heb. 10.35. Luk. 1.6. By reason of the greatness of their num­ber, and distance of their Habitati­ons, they can't all assemble for Reli­gious Worship in one and the same place. It is necessary therefore, that they should meet in many distinct Companies or Assemblies, to attend that Religious Worship which is pre­scribed to them. Such distinct Com­panies or Assemblies of Worshipping Christians, are sundry times in the New Testament, called Churches. Thus we read of the Churches of Judea (Gal. 1.21.) Galatia (1 Cor. 16.1.) and of the Churches throughout all Judea, Gali­lee, and Samaria. Acts 9.31. There were Seven such Churches in Asia, they are mentioned by name. Rev. 1.11. When the Apostle John was banished into the Isle of Patmos for the Word of God, and Testimony of Jesus; he [Page 4] had a very glorious, dazling, amazing Vision of the Son of God, the Lord Christ, who directed him to write his mind and will to those Seven Churches of Asia. An Account of this glorious Vision, we have in the first Chapter of this Book, containing our Text. In this Vision John saw seven Golden Candlesticks, and in the midst of them one like the Son of M [...]n (ch. 1.v.12, 13.) it was the Lord Jesus, who thus appeared in the midst of those Candle­sticks, and those Candlesticks are Inter­preted to mean or signifie, the Seven Churches. v. 20. The Lord Jesus is set forth in our Text, as sending a Mes­sage to the Angel of the Church of Ephesus; and the Lord is here descri­bed, 1 As holding the Seven Stars, (that is, the Angels or M [...]nisters of the Churches, Rev. 1.20.) in his right hand. 2. As walking in the midst of the seven Golden Candlesticks, that is, the several Churches: It is the latter part of the description, that is to be the Subject of our present Discourse, viz. Christ's walking in the midst of the Seven Golden Candlesticks.