be uncloath'd of this Mortal Body before they can enter into that Region of Light to put on the Robes of Immortal Glory For Induci in Nubes penetrare in plenitudinem Luminis irrumpere claritatis Abyssos lucem habitare inaccessibilem nec temporis est hujus nec corporis * To be taken up into the Clouds to pass into the fulnesse of light to break into the Abysses of Claritude and to dwell in the Light which is inaccessible †Bern. sup Cant. Ser. 38. is neither consistent with this state of Body nor competible to this present Time But why should we not be wiling that God should cast down our * 2 Cor. 5.1 Tabernacle of Clay when we are assur'd he will raise us up a †1 Cor. 15 43 glorious Temple in the roome of it a fit Mansion for an immortal soul ally'd to God array'd with Glory We are indeed incompast with Mercies on Earth but we shall be surrounded with Glories in heaven Mercy speaks a state of Imperfection and Misery but Glory speaks a state of perfect Felicity Ah Christians Your Enemies will pursue you till you are entred into the Sanctuary of God The Avenger of blood will pursue you untill you have taken the City of Refuge Who are these Enemies but your Sins with those Troops of Miseries which they lead up against you to destroy you Who is the Avenger of blood but Satan who seeks the Life of your souls to destroy it Now what is this Sanctuary What is this City of Refuge 'T is Heaven the place of the Saints Rest and Peace Joy and Glory Ah Christians Why are your affections like ravenous Vultures seeking their Prey upon Earth when with the Royal Eaglâ— they should be mounting up to Heaven to seek their Rest in Glory Ah Christians What amiable Objects can you behold upon Earth which make you so loth to be going hence at least to long so little to leave this World that you might live for ever in the Contemplation of the Glorious Beauties of Heaven Surely it grieves your Hearts here to see Christ in his Blood as he is daily * Heb. 6.6 crucifi'd afresh by the sinnes of men but then oh how will it joy your soules to behold the †Is 33.17 King in his Beauty Christ at his Fathers right hand in glory where he shall sit till all his Foes are made his Footstoole * Ps 110.1 Heb. 1.13 Oh me thinks if Christ be indeed the dearly beloved of your souls and infinitely more precious in your esteeme then all these earthly enjoyments you should extreamly long to be dissolved that you may live with him for ever in Heavenly Glory Ah Christians What can you find or expect but Troubles and Miseries on Earth What then should your desires and longings be but to be at †Heb. 4.9 Rest with Christ in Heaven Why does it please the Lord who by his powerful Providence and Government orders all things that come to pass in the World to suffer these stormes and tempests to arise and so sorely shake the * Isa 61.3 Trees of Righteousnesse of his own planting but to loosen their Roots from the Earth and so to prepare them to be transplanted into Paradise It s the Priviledge of the Saints of God that * Rom. 8.28 all things work together for their good And it 's a considerable advantage that the people of God have by perillous Times that thereby they are weaned from the world made willing to be dissolv'd and desirous to leave the Earth to live for ever in Heaven Oh labour Christians to fetch this honey out of the Carkass of the Lion to make this good use of bad Times Let your hearts sit loose to all your earthly Contentments and let your souls daily long more and more to be uncloath'd of your mortal Bodies and to live in immediate communion with Christ in heavenly Glory Oh long and labour to get out of this Wilderness of Thornes and to enter into that Flowry Paradise of everlasting Delights which God hath prepared for his children when this life is ended O long to see an end of these evil Dayes that those glorious Dayes whereof the Pious Father speaks may at length begin which never shall have an end 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 †Basil in Psal 33. Now sayes he indeed our Dayes are evil but there are other Dayes that are good Dayes whose light shall never be cut off by darknesse Dayes that shall never be severed by the dark Curtaines of Night For God himself shall be their eternal Light crowning them with the resplendent Raies of his own glory O the difference betwixt our Dayes on Earth and these Days of Heaven Here we have often cloudy stormy Dayes but there 's an everlasting Calm an everlasting Sunshine of Love and Glory These are oftimes days of Trouble and Torment but those above are alwayes Dayes of Triumph and Joy These are Dayes of Sin and Labour of suffering and sorrow but those are all holy Sabbaths of Rest and sacred Festivals of Divine Delights So the same Father stiles them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Delicious Holy Everlasting Sabbaths Dayes of eternal Delight So sayes the Apostle also 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * Heb. 4.9 There remaineth therefore a Rest an everlasting glorious Sabbatisme for the People of God Oh how should the Saints long and labour to enter into this glorious Râ—st Happy are you Saints if all the Waves of afflictions and rolling Billows upon which you are tost in the troublesome Sea of this World set you daily hourely nearer to the faire Havens of everlasting Happinesse But O then be sure you steer your Course by the sacred Compass of the Word of God Oh be daily preparing your selves by a holy Life for a happy Death if you desire to enter into a glorious eternity In vaine shall you long for Heaven if you still live in sinne which is but to walk in the way that leads to Hell Unlesse the Image of God be renew'd upon your soules in the Beauties of holinesse while you are yet on Earth never shall you see the Face of God in Heaven For †Heb. 12.14 without holinesse no man shall see the Lord. Oh then be daily crucifying your Corruptions exercising your Graces * 2 Cor. 7.1 perfecting holinesse in the Feare of God and so preparing your selves for heaven that you may be †Col. 1.12 meet to be partakers of the Inheritance of the Saints in Light Then may you with comfort look for Christs coming who will receive you up into his Kingdom and Glory True believers are such as * 2 Tim. 4.8 love the appearing of Christ such as may with confidence †2 Pet. 3.12 look for and hasten unto the coming of the Day of God But then consider * 2 Pet. 3.11 What manner of Persons ought you to be in all holy Conversation and
Communication be Yea yea Nay nay For whatsoever is more then these cometh of evil The Apostle James * Chap. 5. ver 12. further backs this Injunction and earnestly presses this Prohibition But above all things saith he my Brethren Sweare not neither by Heaven neither by the Earth neither by any other Oath but let your Yea be yea and your Nay nay lest ye fall into Condemnation How strange it is that men should delight to pollute their own soules and pull down judgement on the Land by the Customary Commission of a sin so strictly prohibited under the Pain of Damnation This is a sin which hath in it no Profit no pleasure no not sensual sweetnesse enough to bait a temptation How does this argue a Devilish Disposition in men that they will do a thing so much abhord of God so strictly forbidden in the Word so certainly Destructive to their souls when they cannot tast so much as a seeming sweetnesse nor see so much as an appearing Goodnesse in it to be any ground of their Allurement thereunto or occasion of their frequent Commission thereof when such a fin abounds must not God needs be provokt to plague and punish such a desperately wicked People So for the sin of cursing a sin of the same Hellish nature a fruit of the same root of bitternesse how hath the Lord manifested his Displeasure against it by the punishment which he ordained to be inflicted on such as were guilty of it in his holy Word We reade †Lev. 24 10-16 of the Son of an Israelitish woman whose Father was an Egyptian that went out among the Children of Israel in the Camp And this Son of the Israelitish woman blasphemed the Name of the LORD and cursed And they brought him unto Moses And they put him in Ward that the mind of the LORD might be shew'd them And the LORD spake unto Moses saying Bring forth him that hath Cursed without the Camp let all that heard him lay their hands upon his Head and let all the Congregation stone him And hereupon the LORD made it a Statute in Israel that whosoever should be found guilty of this sin whether Israelite or Stranger he should surely be put to Death And therefore however amongst men this sin may go unpunished yet seeing the Name of God is hereby profan'd the LORD will not hold them guiltlesse * Exo. 20.7 that are guilty of it nor suffer them to escape his Righteous judgement That Imprecation of the Psalmist is Prophetical and hath the force of a Commination †Psal 59.12 13. For the sin of their Mouth and the words of their Lips let them even be taken in their Pride and for Cursing and Lying which they speak Consume them in wrath consume them that they may not be and let them know that God ruleth in Jacob unto the Ends of the Earth Doubtlesse the Curse of God hangs over the Heads of those that are given to Cursing Dreadful is that Jmprecation of David of the same Nature with the former * Psal 109 17 18 19. As he loved Cursing so let it come unto him as he delighted not in Blessing so let it be far from him As he cloathed himself with Cursing like as with his Garment so let it come into his Bowels like Water and like Oyle into his Bones Let it be unto him as the Garment which covereth him and for a Girdle where with he is girded continually Woe be to him whose Body Belly Bones are thus cloath'd fill'd consum'd with Cursing This is doubtlesse worse then the most deadly Disease and will prove more intolerable then the torturing Wracks of the terriblest Tyrants in the World Cursing will surely fill the awaken'd Conscience of the guilty sinner with tormenting Agonies which shall last to Eternity Oaths and Curses are as Arrows shot up against heaven which at length fall down upon the Heads of them that shot them Yea they are sparks of Hell-fire or rather Firebrands of Hell which are thrown into the Aire and may if timely Repentance with speedy Reformation and infinite mercy prevent not kindle a deadly burning in that City or Nation wherein they abound unpunished And yet is not this the sinne not onely of the basest sort but of many of the great Gallants of the Times Oathes are the Sause of their Mirth and Curses are the Stings of their Anger Oathes are in Fashion amongst them and to rap them out roundly is a piece of their Gallantry Curses still wart upon their commands and whosoever or whatsoever doth but a little crosse them they wish all the Plagues of hell to light upon them Surely the Devil himself cannot speak more desperate language and utter more damnable speeches then these horribly Profane Gallants If any where there be a Hell upon Earth 't is where these Children of Hell these first-born sonnes of the Devil that have Damnation written in their Foreheads are met together and sit the Devil being doubtlesse in the Head of the Company Bowzing Swearing Storming Cursing Blaspheming as if they would tear Heaven to let down flaming Vengeance and rend the earth to the Bottom of Hell that they might go down quick into that fiery Prison fall down headlong into the burning-Lake A wonder it is of the Divine Patience that when they are rending the Sacred Name of God with Oathes Blasphemies Cursings God doth not give them up into the hands of the Devil to tear them instantly in pieces as we read he hath dealt with some and carry them Body and Soul into Hell But God in Justice lets them live for the Aggravation of their sins and the encrease of their Torments in Hell-fire to Eternity For how can they hope for any salvation by Christ or benefit by his Blood who desperately wrap up his wounds and blood in their Oathes and Curses and so as it were throw them in God Almighty's Face whence is it he doth not with some dreadful Thunderbolt instantly smite them into Hell How should they expect that God should save them in the Day of their Death who disperately bid God damne them every day How can they escape Hell and Damnation who are still bidding the Devil take them upon every slight occasion O desperately Profane Wretches O Devilish wicked Creatures Is it possible there are such to be found under the Sunne Is it possible there should be such Monsters found within the Pale of the Church such Incarnate Devils in a Land enlightned with the Gospel of Christ and honoured with the glorious Profession of Christianity O that the tingling Ears and trembling Hearts of many of Gods children who have occasionally heard this Language of Hell though never privy to the thousandth Part of these Hellish Impieties were not too sad an evidence of these Abominations abounding in the Land Now shall not the Lord visit for these things Shall not his soul be avenged on such a Nation as this Is it not a wonder Heaven
bands they snap them in two like * Judg. 16.9 threads of Flax when they touch the Fire As the Demoniack which was bound with Chaines and Fetters but he brake all the bands wherewith he was bound †Luk. 8.22 You may call such LEGION for many Devils are surely entred into them to try their strength in them The Laws of men are chaines of Iron the commands of God are chaines of Gold Oaths and Covenants added thereunto are chaines of Adamant If Satan once be so strong in men as that they break all these chaines we may well expect perillous Times For what desperate wickednesse will not such men attempt What horrid and unheard of Villanies will not such men commit as bid defiance to God in the breach of the most sacred bands of Duty and solemne Obligations to obeObedience Woe be to the Inhabitants of the Earth when such Furies of Hell shall be let loose upon them This sin of Perjury and Perfidiousnesse of false-hood and lying unto God in the violation of Vowes and Covenants is a sinne which exceedingly incenses Heaven and provokes the Lord of Hosts the King of glory whose sacred name is hereby profan'd to execute his fiercest judgements upon such a People and therefore is a sad Symptome of perillous Times and fearfull Presage of following Judgements Thus when Saul out of his zeal for the children of Israel and Judah as the Scripture tells us sought to destroy the Gibeonites as being strangers to the Common-wealth of Israel God punisht the Violation of that League which Joshuah had * About four hundred years long before made with them †Josh 9.3 16 17. by bringing a Famine upon the Land for three years uncessantly in the dayes of David * 2 Sam. 21 1 2 Though the Gibeonites deceit was the foundation of this Covenant and Sauls Zeal the principle of the prosecution of them contrary to it yet is the violation hereof severely punisht by the plague of Famine Though it be the Fire of Zeal that burns in two these sacred bands yet will the Fire of Gods wrath be kindled against them that shall voluntarily violate them So the LORD threatned Captivity and very sore Judgements against the Princes and People of Israel for their violation of their Covenant of granting a Manumission to their Hebrew servants and the Punishment answer'd the Prognostick Observe the Lords Charge and Commination the sting of that Prophecy wherewith Jeremiah was sent unto them †Jer. 34 13-22 Thus saith the LORD the God of Israel I made a COVENANT with your Fathers in the day that I brought them forth out of the Land of Egypt out of the House of Bondmen saying At the end of seven yeares let ye go every man his Brother an Hebrew which hath been sold unto thee and when he hath served thee six years thou shalt let him go free from thee But your fathers hearkened not unto me neither inclined their eare And ye were now turned and had done Right in my sight in proclaiming every man Liberty to his Neighbour and ye had made a COVENANT before me in the House which is called by my Name But ye turned and polluted MY NAME and caused every man his servant and every man his Hand-maid whom he had set at Liberty at their pleasure to returne and brought them into subjection to be unto you for Servants and for Handmaids Therefore thus saith the LORD Ye have not hearkened unto me in proclaiming Liberty every one to his Brother every man to his Neighbour behold I proclaime a Liberty for you saith the LORD to the Sword to the Pestilence and to the Famine and I will make you to be removed into all the Kingdoms of the Earth And I will give the men that have transgressed my COVENANT which have not performed the words of the COVENANT which they had made before me when they cut the Calfe in twaine a Rite signifying so let it be done to him that shall violate his Covenant and passed between the Parts thereof the Princes of Judah and the Princes of Jerusalem the Eunuchs and the Priests and all the People of the Land which passed between the Parts of the Calfe I will even give them into the hand of their Enemies and into the hand of them that seek their Life and their dead Bodies shall be for meat unto the Fowles of the Heaven and to the Beasts of the Earth And Zedekiah King of Judah and his Princes will I give into the hand of their Enemies and into the Hand of them that seek their Life and into the Hand of the King of Babylons Army which are gone up from you Behold I will command saith the LORD and cause them to return to this City and they shall fight against it and take it and burne it with Fire and I will make the Cities of Judah a Desolation without an inhabitant Thus for this sinne of Covenant-breaking may God break in pieces a perfidious People with the Iron Rod of War and lay a flourishing land desolate For this sinne does the Lord by the Prophet Amos draw up a Charge likewise against Tyrus * Am. 1.9 10 Thus saith the LORD For three transgressions of Tyrus and for four I will not turn away the punishment thereof because they delivered up the whole Captivity to Edom and remembred not the BROTHERLY COVENANT which was formerly made between David and Solomon Kings of Judah and Hiram King of Tyre who being Brethren by identity of Office as Kings and mutual Amity as Friends did hereby knit the Bands of Brotherhood with a faster knot †2 Sam. 5.11 1 King 5.1 and 9.13 But I will send a Fire on the Wall of Tyrus which shall devoure the Palaces thereof God himself takes an Oath and solemnly swears by his Life that he will punish the King of Judah with Death and his People with Destruction for his violation of his Oath and Covenant with the King of Babylon See how severely the Lord proceeds against him for this Sin Say now to the Rebellious House sayes the LORD to the Prophet Ezekiel * Chap. 17 12-21 Know ye not what these things mean Tell them Behold the King of Babylon is come to Jerusalem and hath taken the King thereof and the Princes thereof and led them with him to Babylon And hath taken of the Kings seed and made a COVENANT with him and hath taken an OATH of him he hath also taken the Mighty of the Land that the Kingdome might be base that it might not lift it self up but that by keeping of his COVENANT it might stand But he rebelled against him in sending his Ambassadours into Egypt that they might give him Horses and much People Shall he prosper shall he escape that doth such things Or shall he BREAK THE COVENANT and be delivered As I live saith the Lord GOD surely in the place where the King dwelleth that made him King whose OATH he
onely as it nourishes a secret Prejudice against the Divine Providence as suffering things to go out of Order but also as it unbridles unruly lusts and emboldens to walk in forbidden wayes while it banishes the fear of punishment and flatters the soul with promises of security in sinne This then must needs make the Times perillous Concerning this therefore does the Prophet expostulate with the Lord as the cause of many Calamities to the Land Righteous art thou O LORD sayes he * Jer. 12 1-4 when I plead with thee yet let me talk with thee of thy Judgements Or as the Margin reads it Let me reason the Case with thee concerning thy judgements Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper Wherefore are all they happy that deale very treacherously Thou hast planted them yea they have taken too t they grow yea they bring forth Fruit thou art near in their mouth and far from their reins But thou O LORD knowest me thou hast seen me and tryed mine heart towards thee pull them out like sheep for the slaughter and prepare them for the Day of slaughter How long shall the Land mourn and the Herbs of every Field wither for the wickednesse of them that dwell therein q. d. Wilt thou O Lord for ever suffer these wicked ones who are the cause that the whole countrey is ruin'd through thy just wrath †Diod. in loc The Beasts are consum'd and the Birds viz. by the drought and Famine brought upon the whole land for the punishment of the excesses of these wicked ones and their Atheistical contempt of the Divine Providence because they said he shall not see our last end q. d. We are so firmly rooted in our places of Power that notwithstanding the Judgements of God threatned against us we shall flourish for ever True * Engl. Annot. in loc this Jeremy telleth us what at length will befal us and that all our present prosperity shall end in extreame misery but his words are but winde he will never live to see any such matter befall us we shall sooner see an end of him then he any such end of us Thus do the worlds proud Potentates under pretences of Piety securely proceed in their wayes of wickednesse secretly slighting the Lords threatnings and contemning his Providence because they are not presently overtaken with their oft deserved punishments And does not this Prosperity and Immunity of such profane Politicians presumptuous Atheists speak the times evil and perillous But now it pleases God in his most holy and righteous providence to permit it thus to be that wicked men being hereby judicially hardened in their sinnes might more securely passe on and be punished and so at length be suddenly swallow'd up into an inevitable Destruction Thus there is a time wherein one man ruleth over another to his own hurt †Eccl. 8.9 For wickednesse shall not deliver those that are given to it * Eccl. 8.8 Yet because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily therefore the heart of the sonnes of men is fully set in them to do evil †Eccl. 8.11 But at length God bringeth the wheele of his Providence over them and stretching forth his hand of Power arm'd with Justice against them he suddenly thrusts them down from the top of their earthly pomp and glory into a dreadful destruction This was the resolution which David received of his difficult question in this case which so much perplexed his spirit when he had sought the Lord in his Sanctuary When I thought to know this sayes he * Psal 73 16-20 it was too painful for me Vntil I went into the SANCTUARY of God then understood I their END Surely thou didst set them in slippery places thou castedst them down into Destruction How are they brought into Desolation as in a moment they are utterly consumed with terrors As a dreame when one awaketh so O Lord when thou awakest thou shalt despise their Image That is when thy PROVIDENCE which seemeth to sleep during the time of their Impunity shall awake to their just punishment then shall their earthly prosperity and all their worldly greatnesse and glory which is but an IMAGE of happinesse vanish away and give place to those afflicting miseries that everlasting igâ—ominy and contempt which shall suddenly and irresistibly come upon them So likewise does JOB excellently describe the flourishing state of these wicked men and fully resolves the Question and cleares the case of their present impunity by setting before us the triumphs of the Divine Justice in their future Punishment their final destruction The Tabernacles of the Robbers saith he †Job 12.6 prosper and they that provoke God are secure into whose hand God bringeth abundantly But * Job 21.7 20 Wherefore do the wicked live become old yea are MIGHTY IN POWER Their seed is established in their sight with them and their off-spring before their eyes Their houses are safe from Fear neither is the Rod of God upon them Their Bull gendreth and faileth not their Cow calveth and casteth not her Calfe They send forth their little ones like a flock and their children dance They take the Timbrel and Harp and rejoyce at the sound of the Organ They spend their dayes in Wealth and Mirth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 †and in a moment go down into the Grave Therefore they say unto God Depart from us for we desire not the knowledge of thy wayes What is the Almighty that we should serve him And what profit should we have if we pray unto him Loe their good is not in their hand the counsel of the wicked is far from me How oft is the Candle of the wicked put out And how oft cometh their destruction upon them God distributeth sorrows in his Anger They are as stubble before the winde and as chaff that the storme carrieth away God layeth up his Iniquity or the punishment of his iniquity * See the Marg. for his children he rewardeth him and HE SHALL KNOW IT His eyes shall see his destruction and he shall drink of the wrath of the Almighty Now what can be more pleasant and desirable then the Beginning of these wicked worldlings and what can be more dreadfull and formidable then their latter End And further sayes he †Job 24.1 Why seeing times are not hidden from the Almighty do they that know him not see his Dayes i. e. The time by him appointed for the punishment of the wicked * v. 2. Some remove the Land-marks They violently take away Flocks and feed thereof †v. 4. They turn the needy out of the way the poore of the earth hide themselves together * v. 7. They cause the naked to lodge without clothing that they have no covering in the cold †v. 12 13 Men groane from out of the City and the soul of the wounded cryeth out yet God layeth not Folly to them They are of
extreamly evil and perillous Yea when a wicked Generation of men shall be suffer'd with Impunity to cast Contempt upon all the Ordinances of Gods Worship to vilifie and reproach the Assemblies of the Saints calling them the Synagogues of Satan with many more vile reproaches which I think not meet to mention what shall we think are not the Dayes evil the Times perillous When those shall be countenanc't honour'd advanc't in the State being set in Places of Power and Trust who do what they can to cast an Odium upon the Ordinances of the Gospel are not the dayes evil the Times perillous These sacred Ordinances are the paths of Christ wherein he walks amongst his People and hereby do men * Ps 79.51 reproach the footsteps of Gods anointed Hereby do vile persons cast dirt at the Chariots of the King of glory Hereby is the Lord continually provoked to depart from such a people and therefore the dayes which are defil'd with these Abominations must needs be perillous Times The fift Case Sinners Sedulity and Sloth in Saints VVHen the spirit of Errour and Profanesse prevailes more and more in the World and the Spirit of Prayer and Zeale for truth and holinesse decayes more and more in the Church the Dayes are evil the Times perillous When false Fires appear and the Fire of the Altar goes out sure God is departing from his Temple When the Locusts and Caterpillars swarme in the Fields and the Frogs croak in every corner of the House the Judgement of God is already upon the Land When †2 Tim. 3.6 7 silly women are led captive in Troops by subtile Deceivers and soul-deluding Seducers * 2 Pet. 2.2 draw many Disciples after them the last Dayes which we are told shall be perillous Times are come upon us Activity of bad men in carrying on their wicked Designes and Lukewarmnesse in good men in promoting the Cause and Interest of Christ is a sad Symptome of some sore evil at hand When few are zealous for Truth and Righteousness multitudes are zealous for Errour and Impunity in the contempt of Gods holy worship we may justly feare God will shortly bring some fearful judgement on the Land When †Mat. 24.12 Iniquity abounds and the love of many waxes cold the Winter is come and stormes must be expected When the Spirit of Prayer departs the Spirit of Judgement comes in the roome of it When the Winde ceases presently the Rain falls When the hands of Moses fall down in Prayer and Amalek prevailes in battel we must needs expect it should go ill with Israel When Christians are fallen from their * Rev. 2.4 first Love and Professors are grow'n †Rev. 3.16 Lukewarm in Religion yea and many are become Key-cold in the Cause of Christ whilest others are very forward and zealous to promote the Honour and Adoration of the Deified IMAGES of their own Fancies they must needs be perillous Times ZEALE is the Pulse of the Church as JUSTICE is of the Common-wealth Now a wise Physician by feeling the Pulse may judge of the state of the Patient If it be violent and irregular the body is inflam'd and in a great distemper if it be very weak slow remiss and much interrupted it is a sad Symptome of approaching Death Apostacy in Religion is a fore-runner of Ruine and Destruction to such a particular Church and People * Jer. 8.5 15 Lukewarmnesse in Religion is a loathed temper I know thy Works sayes the Lord of the Church of Laodicea †Rev. 3.15 16. too true a Patterne of the Church of England that thou art neither cold nor hot I would thou wert cold or hot So then because thou art Lukewarme and neither cold nor hot I will spew thee out of my mouth In these cases all good Christians have cause to bewaile the sad condition of the Church of Christ The ninth Symptome Divisions in the Church and Union of her Adversaries THe children of the Church have experience of perillous Times When the Professors of the true Religion are divided and the profest enemies thereof are united When the Canaanites are combin'd against the Israelites and the Israelites are divided amongst themselves needs must they be distressed by their Enemies When Idolatrous Nations joyne in Confederacy against the People that professe the true Religion their State must needs be dangerous Of this does the Psalmist complain as speaking the sad state of the People of God and therefore he makes his earnest suit to God for redresse saying * Psal 83 1-8 Keep not thou silence O God hold not thy Peace and be not still O God For loe thine Enemies make a tumult and they that hate thee have lift up the head They have taken crafty COUNSEL against thy People and consulted against thy hidden ones They have said Come and let us cut them off from being a Nation that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance For they have consulted together with one CONSENT they are CONFEDERATE against thee The Tabernacles of Edom and the Ishmaelites of Moab and the Hagarens Gebal and Ammon and Amalek the Philistines with the Inhabitants of Tyre Ashur also is joyned with them they have holpen the children of Lot Needs must those be perillous Times with the People of Israel when as a small Flock of sheep they were surrounded with so many troops of Wolves Lions and Bears thirsting after their blood and ready to teare them in pieces and devoure them When in the Dayes of Jehoshaphat †2 Chr. 20 Moab and Ammon and mount Seir conspired against Israel and came up against Jehoshaphat to battel both he and all the people of the Land were struck with feare in the apprehensions of their great danger And well might they fear when three Nations had arm'd themselves against that People that had provoked the Lord by their sinnes to give them up into their Enemies hands But behold a strange turne of Providence which affords a further illustration to the matter in hand These three great Armies by a wonderful stratagem of the Divine Providence were divided one against another and so now their great strength became the cause of their weaknesse and destruction for even without any stroke struck by Israel they themselves destroy'd one another insomuch that when Israel came against them they had none to encounter with but the * v. 24. dead Bodies of the slaine which were fallen to the earth and none escaped Thus as their Conjunction was their strength their Division became their overthrow Sad Divisions and bitter Contentions amongst Christians do not onely make them a scorn and Derision to their enemies but also expose them to the danger of an utter Destruction Such Christians as like Cranes fight amongst themselves do easily become a prey to others Their enemies like Eagles and Vultures will hasten to their Overthrow Thus did the Romane EAGLES prey upon the miserable Jews conflicting together in
that thus fears his Name believes his Word trusts in his Power and waits for his Mercy according to his Promise shall be priviledg'd with a comfortable Security on Earth or which is much better admitted into the inviolable Sanctuary of Heaven For to such do the Promises of Divine Protection pertain They may be for a time afflicted and distressed through the Pride and prevalency of the wicked †Psal 37.39 40. But the salvation of the Righteous is of the LORD He is their strength in the Time of Trouble And the LORD shall help them and deliver them He shall deliver them from the wicked and save them because they trust in him And therefore he is said to be a * Pro. 30.5 Shield and †Ps 18.30 Buckler to them that trust in Him He is their * Psal 71.3 strong Habitation whereunto they may continually resort He is their Rock and Fortress for their Defence against all the Assaults of their Enemies And therefore †Ps 125.1 They that trust in the LORD shall be as Mount Zion which cannot be removed but abideth for ever For * Nah. 1.7 The LORD is good a strong hold in the day of Trouble and he knoweth them that trust in him The third Work BE much in Communion with God The Lord is the Preserver of his Saints in Perillous Times And who are they that are interested in this special protection but those that are raised into this spiritual Communion Communion with God is a Saints sweetest and safest Sanctuary in Times of Danger And therefore did David so much desire of God that he might * Psal 27.4 Dwell in the house of the LORD all the dayes of his Life to behold the beauty of the LORD and to enquire in his Temple that is that he might live in Communion with the true Church in the Use of holy Ordinances to enjoy a constant Communion with God all the Time of his continuance in the world For saith he †v. 5. giving you the Reason of this his Request In the Time of Trouble he shall hide me in his Pavilion in the secret of his Tabernacle shall he hide me he shall set me up upon a Rock As if he should say He shall keep me in Secresie preserve me in Security advance me to Dignity and Glory As he saies elswhere * Psal 3.3 Thou O LORD art a Shield for me my Glory and the Lifter up of my head A Saint never rests so securely as when he dwels in the same Pavilion with God when God himself hides him under the Ark in the most secret Place of his holy Sanctuary The further from God the nearer to danger as a sheep that is gone astray from the Fold But the nearer to God the further from Danger As a Child under the Arm of the Father Gods special preserving Providence is as a Pavilion to that Saint that lives in Communion with God There 's no such place of safety for a Subject in times of Peace as in the Presence-Chamber of the King nor in Times of War as in the Royal Tent. Noah was safe in the Ark though tost with the Waves and Billows of an universal deluge when all the World besides was drown'd with water A Saint in communion with God is kept safe in the Ark of his holy Covenant Upon this account it s more safe for a Saint to dwell in Gods House in Times of Danger then to flie to the strongest Fortresse for safety I had rather sayes David †Ps 84.10 be a Door-keeper in the House of my God then to dwell in the Tents of Wickednesse Why so He gives you the Reason * v. 11. For the Lord God is a Sun and Shield He is a Help at hand a strong Defence to his Saints in time of Danger †Psal 91.1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most high shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty He that dwells in the secret of communion with God shall be safe under the shadow of the Protection of his power In communion with God a Saint * Isa 40.31 mounts up as with the wings of an Eagle and so sores above the Difficulties and Dangers of the lower world Communion with God is a garden enclosed As no stranger can enter into it so a Saint hath most safety while he dwells in it Communion with God is a Saints peculiar Priviledge heighten'd with this that it interests him in a special Protection O then Christians be much in communion with God Be much in those Duties of Religion wherein gracious souls do maintaine this holy Communion Be much in †Mat. 6.6 Closet-Prayer much in * Gen. 24..63 Heb. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dâ—vout-Meditation much in †Psal 4.4 Communing with your own Heart as an excellent help to communion with God Stir up your graces and set all the Powers of your soule on work in these spiritual Duties for otherwise you may spend much Time daily in Reading Praying Meditating and yet enjoy no communion with God Leave not a Duty till you can get your heart warm'd by it till you can feel it melting burning within your breast melting with * Psal 119 136 sorrow for sin and Joy in God burning with a holy Anger and an ardent †Psal 119 139 Zeal for Gods Glory suffering by the sinnes of the Times Cease not till you can finde your very soul going out to God and God by the powerful Influences and Operations of his holy Spirit coming in to your heart in holy Duties This is to maintain communion with God and this is to live in Heaven on Earth This will be to you a Spring of living Comforts in a dry and barren Wildernesse You shall have no cause to be disconsolate in your Desert-condition while the Manna of spiritual Mercies drops down from Heaven upon your soule in Communion with God Hereby you shall be able to fetch Waters of Comfort out of the Flinâ—y Rocks of Affliction and Persecution And which may be sufficient to revive your drooping Spirit in the greatest dangers from this Holy Mount of Communion with God you may take a faire Prospect of the Heavenly Canaan Yea he that lives in communion with God on earth does already dwell in the Suburbs of Heaven The fift Duty Longing to leave the Earth and live in Heaven IS it your lot to live in the last Dayes and to experiment the evil of perillous Times Then take off your hearts from things on earth and long to live in heaven O Christians here are Perils below but there 's Peace above you finde troubles on earth but you have Treasures in heaven It 's time for you to be dead to the world if you are indeed risen with Christ †Col. 3.1 2 3 4. If ye then be risen with Christ seek those things which are above where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God Set your