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 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 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 Misâ—gnan is as Arias Montanus turneth it fulcrum Junius scipio or baculus the seventy Interpreters {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} 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 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. {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} 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
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 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 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 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 I le of Brittain in his hand can hang the weight 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 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
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 Paâ—ists gods of wood and silver and gold But because I haste to an â—nd The use is 1. If all things that live and we mortall men 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 lifâ— 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. {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} 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 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 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
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. 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 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 and beleeve that he who hath his fire in Zion 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 the blood of the Saints 8 That it is now and ever true as when a hungry man dreameth 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 fight against mount Zion 9. Vengeance is gone out from the Lord against those who feast upon Zions teares and they must die the death of the uncircumcised who clapped their hands and stamped with the feet and rejoyced in heart with all their despight against the land of 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 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 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. A SERMON PREACHED Before the Honourable House of COMMONS At their last solemne Fast Wednesday January 31. 1644. 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 {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} a decretall letter for sometimes though seldome the Lords cause findeth the grace of faire justice with men The matter of the Decree is that men tremble and feare Lehevon zognin vedachalin The Seventie render
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 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 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 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
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 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 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 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