lest some body might wonder why the Prophet should make such a stupendious businesse of it and demand a reason why all the world must thus take such notice of the building of Zion what is Zion and what is the work as he said of Abana and Parphar were they not better rivers then all the rivers of Samaria Are there not other Empires and States more pompous and powerfull and glorious and excellent then Zion what is Zion to Nineveh or Babylon that all must so stand amazed at the reparation of it To satisfie all the world about it that the work of building up of Zion is indeed admirable and wonderfull and deserves all the praises that the hearts and tongues of men can utter the Prophet in the 2 Verses which I have read doth setdown two remarkable Circumstances which perpetually accompany this work which if they but interpreted and rightly understood will satisfie all the World that this alone is the work deserving admiration and these they are The first is It is such a work that when ever the Lord goes about it Hee doth appeare in his glory when the Lord shall build up Zion he shall appear in his glory The second is when the Lord doth build up Zion He doth then return an answer to all the prayers of his afflicted people Whatsoever they had been begging from year to year from generation to generation now was the Jubilee now comes the return of all into their bosomes full measure thrust together shaken and running over When the Lord doth build up Zion he doth then regard the prayer of the afflicted and however before hee might seem to despise ehem now he doth no longer despise their cry The first of these is that which by the Lords assistance I shall this day clear unto you this remarkable circumstance which accompanies the building and reparation of Zion When the Lord shall build up Zion hee shall appear in his glory and in it observe handle these two lessons That the building of Zion is the Lords work and the Lords onely When the Lord shall build up Zion the second and main the which I shall insist upon is That when ever the Lord goes about this work hee doth appear in his glory The first I shall onely touch and that but to make way for the second That the building of Zion is the Lords own work There is nothing difficult Zion you know is in the Scripture taken sometimes in a literall but ordinarily in a mysticall and a spirituall sense Zion in a literall sense was that strong part of the City of Jerusalem which David did take from the Jebusites fortified it and beautified it with excellent buildings and called it the City of David the most beautifull part of Jerusalem this is Zion literall And this Zion may besaid to be built when it is furnished with stately houses with strong walls and replenished with people accomplished with Magistrates and good Civil laws But this Zion I have nothing at the present to doe with the Zion which my text means is spirituall Zion mysticall Zion the Zion whereof this City of David was a type as David himself was a type of Christ and that is the Church of God which in a hundred places at least in the Old and New Testament is called by the name of Zion he reason why Zion this part of Ierusalem was such a celebrated type is because all Davids time and untill Solomons Temple was built upon mount Moriah the Ark of God was placed in Zion where hee is therefore said to dwell this is the Zion that we are to speak of and this Zion this Church of God is then built when the doctrine of Jesus Christ is made known the new and living way to life by him is opened when Ministers and Ordinances are given the elect called in Churches gathered and established the worship and government of Christ set up for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministery for the edifying of the body of Christ till all the Saints come in the unity of the Faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man unto the measure of the stature of the fulnesse of Christ when the Curtains of the Church are thus enlarged and the Tents of it made firm when God doth thus prosper and blesse the Church of Christ then doth hee build up Zion This I say is first Gods own work and secondly a work which when ever hee goes about hee doth appear in his glory That the building up of the Church is a work peculiar to God onely I might easily prove out of many Scriptures aedificabo Ecclesiam I will build my Church is a speech to be uttered by none but by Jehovah himself and I know you will grant the truth of it by that time I have cleared unto you these two things First that the building of Zion is such a peace of work as no other workmen have any skill to do And secondly as they have no skill so they have no will to doe it and if no other have either power nor heart neither skill nor will it must needs bee done by God if ever it be done at all First I say no other workmen have any skill to build Zion but God alone there is not one piece of Timber belongs unto it not one Cord not one pin not one nail not any one thing from the foundation to the Cap-stone but it is beyond the understanding the value skill or artifice of any created Nature that what God said in the 49. Psalme concerning the keeping of a man from death is most true of this work great men can build houses and purchase Lands but there is not one of them can redeem his brothers soul from death no he must let that alone for ever that is too hard a task for him to keep a man that hee should not goe down to the grave Men may build Houses make Kingdoms erect Common-wealths Corporations c. But as for the building of the Church of God all mortall men must let that alone for ever In this work our help is onely from the Lord which made Heaven and Earth I looked said Christ but there was no help there was none to uphold therefore my own arm brought salvation neither could they were all their perfections joynd into one when man is dead in sins and trespasses sticks fast in the miry clay of ignorance and iniquity not able to think a good thought or speak a good word a voluntary bondslave of Satan under the power of Hell and the curse of God what men what Angels have any gifts or strength to help him out of this condition It is true indeed that in the building of it God doth make use of mortall men and other creatures visible and invisible hee calls Ministers Apostles Prophets Pastors and Teachers to bee the
full of Gods wisdome but never doth the wisdome of God so shine out as in the admirable contrivances that he hath for the building up for the repairing and restoring of his Church It is said that the spirit of wisdome doth rest upon Christ when he is given to be the Ruler of his Church carrying it in a way beyond all humane comprehension his way being in the sea his path in the great waters and his footsteps not knowne when yet he leads his people as a flock Conceive a little of it by this The Lord doth so contrive it that all the crosse and excentricall motions of all creatures doe all concurre to further this work though they work according to their severall principles and for their owne severall ends most of them intending mischiefe and ruine to the Church yet he orders them all to be as directly subservient to carry on the work of building the Church as if they all studied it and intended it with their whole might The plots of the enemies their strength their cunning their cruelty persecutions and the weaknesses faults corruptions and even divisions of his servants all contribute toward the building up of the Church though they seem all contrary to it God seemes to me to lay a taxe not onely upon Heaven but upon Hell it selfe and all the powers of darknesse and all their servants that every one of them should bring in their utmost power to carry on this work You have an excellent instance in the 60 chapter of Esay where God orders it that the Islands and Kingdomes the Princes and Nobles the Beasts and Birds the Forests and Rivers the Gold Silver Brasse and Iron all kind of creatures and things shall contribute their uttermost to raise up and beautifie this building yea though they intend it not though they intend the contrary to ruine and spoile it as is clearly expressed Many Nations gathered together against Zion that say let her be defiled and let our eye looke upon Zion when in the meane time the wisdome of God hath contrived it that they come but to be threshed out and to be made a crop for Zion to feed upon Never doth the Lord so magnifie his wisdome as in his excellent contrivances about the Churches welfare suiting all providences and occurrences of things and endevours of all people though they have a thousand severall ends yet every one to contribute their best as if one soule dwelt in them all which made Paul when he considered of this point to be even swallowed up with admiration O the depth of the riches both of the wisdome and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments and his wayes past finding out who hath knowne the minde of the Lord or who hath beene his Counsellour Another is his almighty power which is so eminently seen in this work that it is Gods ordinary expression to call it the creating of a new heaven and a new earth Behold I create a new heaven and a new earth he creates it And in the 59 of Isaiah where God speaks of the Church I create the fruit of the lips peace peace the fruit of the lips is the preaching of the Word but it is done in a way of creation he creates Ministers creates Ordinances creates meanes and helps creates deliverances creates graces comforts all done in an almighty way of creation Now creation you know first fit irresistibiliter there is no power able to stand against a Creation So it is here when God pleases to build the Church the Mountaines flow downe thus you have it Esay 64. 1 2 3. Oh that thou wouldest rent the heavens that thou wouldest come downe that the mountaines might flew downe at thy presence as when the melting fire burneth to cause the waters to boile when thou didst terrible things which we looked not for And the like hath the Prophet Zachary What art thou O great mountain before my servant Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plaine that is all oppositions all Kingdomes all Empires all the gates of Hell and whosoever stand against it they are all broke in peeces when once God is pleased to undertake the building of the Church I le build my Church and the gates of Hell shall not prevaile against it What are these gates of hell Christ speaks according to the manner of those Countries the gates of a City were the place where there was both the wisdome and the strength of a City In their gates sate their noble and wise Consellours there were their Courts kept in their gates lay their Ammunition out of their gates went all their Commanders All the wisdome and power of Hell that is of Satans kingdome must all be broken if God please to build his Church he speakes the word and it is done done irresistibly Secondly Creation sit ex nihilo it rises out of nothing though there be no preparative though you cannot imagine what shall be the materia ex qua the thing out of which the work should arise yet if Creation comes it doth it out of nothing Thus the Lord brings in the Church at one time wondering at her owne encrease when she had sate long as a desolate widow a captive without children forsaken of her husband and an innumerable multitude of children suddenly saying in her eares The place is too narrow for us where shall we have room to dwell Who hath hegotten me these who hath brought up these these where have they been Unthought of means and mercies usually appear in this work to magnifie the power of God Thirdly Creatio fit in instanti as it is done out of nothing so it is done in a trice in the twinckling of an eye Who hath heard such a thing as this who hath seen such things saith the Prophet in the 66 of Isaiah What is that of a Nation that was borne in a day Shall the earth be made to bring forth in a day must there not be a space between seed-time and harvest or shall a child be begotten and born in a day yet Zion doth so brings forth before she travailes delivered of a man-child in an instant yea of a Nation and that before her paine came and elsewhere the sudden encrease of the Church is compared to whole flights of Doves and to the clouds flying swiftly and in abundance through the aire Who are these that flye like the clouds and as Doves to their windowes But most fully this is promised in the 110 Psalme where the Churches encrease is compared to the dew which in innumerable drops comes suddenly out of the womb of the morning there 's another glorious Attribute of God shining out his almighty power Then thirdly His Holinesse Never doth the Lord appeare so holy a God as he doth in this work of building the Church Holinesse is not onely a glorious Attribute but
Guides the Leaders the Instructors and the Shepheards of his people and hee calls Kings and Princes and Nobles to be nursing Fathers and nursing Mothers to it he gives Paul to plant Apollo to water but it s neither for his need nor their aptnesse for this employment no no when all is done hee that plants is nothing and hee that waters is nothing Clay and spittle did as much to the opening of the blind mans eyes Peters shadow did as much to the healing of Diseases Abana and Parphar did as much to the curing and cleansing of the Leper as all instruments whatsoever are able to doe towards the building of the Church of God all their very being and motions and operations and the successe of their whole endeavours depend wholly upon the Lord alone Secondly As all other builders have no skill so neither have any of them any will to the building of Zion if Zion once lie in the dust the common vote of them all is This is an outcast this is Zion whom no man cares for there it lies and there let it lie Aha aha our eye hath seen it so would we have it This stone how pretious soever is refused of all builders Indeed their will is so farre from building it that it 's ever bent to the utmost to ruine it the gates of hell doe alwayes oppose it and all the Princes and great men of the earth set themselves against it with all their strength and cunning There is an everlasting enmity in them all against it not onely because their principles laws and manners differ one from the other but also because Zions rearing is their spoyling their glory and beauty is blasted and withered before the beauty of this yea this stone cut out of the mountain without hands must one day and Satan who rules in them all knows it well enough break in pieces and consume them all and make them like the chaffe of the Summer threshing floores and the wind shall cary them away that no place shall bee found for them they will therefore doe all they can with the Samaritans to hinder the building of this City so prejudiciall to them if ever they shew themselves forward it is but with such a minde as they had when they offer'd to build with them purposely to betray and hinder them So then because none else have any power or will to doe it whenever this work is to be done it must bee the work of God alone Paul expresses it excellently to the Hebrews when he speaks of the building of the Church other houses are built by men every house must have a Carpenter but he that builds the Church is he that built all things no other hand can do it but onely he who laid the Foundation of the Heavens and the Earth that is Almighty God alone For Application of this It may serve for singular consolation unto all those who wish well unto Zion and may fortifie their Faith against that which to our carnall heart is the greatest stumbling-block and greatest discouragement that ever we meet with and that is when outward helps and means do fail for the carrying on of this work when the enemies are strong and many the Friends few and weak the instruments imployed in it fail some by death some possibly prove treacherous turning against it seeking to betray it then presently are wee ready to conclude all will come to nothing the work will faile it will never be carried on but Beloved remember this one Rule in all other things that are done in the world you may lawfully make such kinde of Prognostications as to foretell by the Instruments that are imployed and by the Preparations which are made what the fruit and the event of the worke is like to be If you see a poore man gather together a few Willow-sticks and set a bungerly Carpenter out of them to reare up a house you may conclude it must be nothing but a poore shed or cottage If you see poore men enterprize a warfare without counsell without any money against a wise Prince that is too mighty for them you may conclude that they must either be overthrowne or make shamefull conditions of peace and you judge aright when you judge so because in all these things God seldome puts out his power otherwise then according to the virtue and power which he hath given to second causes and according to them he works though somtime to shew his soveraignty he disappoints them and causeth the race not to be alwayes to the swift nor the battell to the strong Sow a bad piece of ground God doth not use to give a strong crop there but it 's quite otherwise in the building of the Church whatsoever the tooles or instruments are it skills not one whit Great instruments doe not further it weak instruments cannot retard it If he will fight it 's indifferent whether his weapon be a sword or the jaw-bone of an Asse If he meane to take a City it 's all one whether the battering engines be great Guns or Trumpets made of Rams-horns any thing will serve the turne in the hand of this Work-man if he intend to thrash mountaines small and beat the hills to dusty chaffe a worme will serve to doe it as well as a great sharp threshing instrument having teeth And therefore because God hath begun this work of Reformation and manifested that he intends to bring out a new Edition of his Church and to set it out in a fairer Letter then ever it hath yet been seen among us and declared by wonderfull signes and tokens that his heart is set upon this work resolve you upon it that this work must proceed and when you heare any of our enemies despise it because it is a day of small things remember it 's God who works all for us and answer their scoffes as he did them who wondred that Saul the son of Kish should be found among the Prophets it seemes they had knowne him to have been a young Roister and when they saw him prophesie they cryed out it may be not without a scoffe What is befallen to the Son of Kish Is Saul amongst the Prophets But saith one Who is the Father of the Prophets remember but who undertakes to be the Master and Father of the Prophets and you need not wonder who is the Scholar so you may all conclude of this work never be afraid of the carrying on this worke feare not the instruments how weake soever resolve whatsoever God meanes to doe he will never want tooles or instruments who with the speaking of a word can lay the foundations of a new heaven and earth who needs no more then to say to Zion Be thou inhabited to Hierusalem Thou shalt be built and to the Temple Thy foundation shall be laid and it 's done who with one word speaking can create his Church a
the hands of Princes thus did Jehoshaphat thus did Hezekiah thus did Josiah thus did Ezra and Nehemiah all the good Kings of old they all made it their care to command the people to make them enter into an Oath and a Curse and none might live under their priviledge and protection who would not returne to the God of their Fathers I confesse I think it is not in the power of Magistrates to compell a people unto whom God can lay no claime by Covenant to alter from a heathenish Religion to be the Lords people yet they should be carefull to send Ministers to preach unto them and try if by any meanes they may be brought to receive the truth in love yea and to punish them severely if they blaspheme or seek to draw away Gods people to Idolatry c. When the Jewes David or Solomon or any of their Kings conquered the Nations round about them they never compelled any of them to forsake their false Gods and to turne Proselytes because those people never had chosen God to be their God but a people who once had in Covenant made themselves the Lords and so the Lord by virtue of the Covenant could lay claim to them and their posterity his Princes and servants have ever according to his will compelled these to stand to their Covenant or else they should not enjoy their protection and therefore Josiah and those good Kings put them all to death who followed Baal and returned not unto the Lord their God For our selves our Plantations ought never to endevour to convert Infidels by violence Christs people must be a willing people we leave such conversions to the Spaniards who worried the Indians to death with dogges and drove them into the river like cattell and compelled them to be baptized but for a people who have received Christianity and have been seduced to Anti-christianity to whom still the Lord continues his claime by the same right that Jehu destroyed Baal and other good Kings Jeroboams Calves and the rest of their Idols and compelled them to stand to the Lords Covenant and Oath by the same warrant and rule may you root out Popery and Heresie and proceed against incorrigible Papists Hereticks Blasphemers and such as have apostatized from the Lord and refuse to returne This power the Lord hath given you for the purgation of Religion to remove and cast out the things that are abominable You have power also and it is your duty to set up all Gods Ordinances Ordinances for Worship Ordinances for Government thus did all the good Kings you shall read of You are also to finde out fit Ministers for the house of God to see that they be regularly called tried and ordained and sent forth in the way of the Gospel all this the Lord hath put into your hands This for the Reformation and when you have set the house of God in a good state the Lord calls you further to take care for the preservation of it by providing Seminaries of learning and piety that the Sons of the Prophets may be bred that there may never want a seed to furnish the house of God with able faithfull and skilfull Work-men and to provide and continue sufficient maintenance to them And so likewise to convocate Synods Assemblies and to encourage Ministers with putting them upon their duties quickning them up to it c. providing that the mouth of the Oxe be not muzled that treads out the Corne that the Levites be not compelled to leave their Cities All these things for the preservation of Religion hath the Lord put into your hands and these things God requires at your hands yea I say further the Lord would have you look to it that as none shall rob Gods people of the liberties Christ hath given them nor take away any of their priviledges from them yea and that the weak both in knowledge faith and practice be born with so far as the Apostles Canons doe require so on the other side to provide that Hereticks and false Teachers who would withdraw the people from their God who would steale them away from the knowledge and worship and service of God to licenciousnesse to profanesse to ungodlinesse to idolatry to blasphemy and to such things as overthrow Religion the Lord requires it at your hands not to permit such Wolves to live amongst them surely such are no more to be born with who thus murther soules then they who murther mens bodies Now my Lords these are admirable duties and dignities these are such things to be employed in that there is not an Angel in heaven not an Apostle now with God nor a Minister on earth but would as willingly be employed in this work as to be in the glory of heaven it selfe and seeing God himselfe appears in his glory when he builds up Zion my humble suit is that your Lordships would count it your glory and think with David you never are so gallant and glorious as when you are dancing before the Ark of God And to stirre you up to it I shall use two sorts of Motives one taken from your selves from your owne present standing and condition the other from the consequence and benefit of the work it self First your owne standing and condition affords you many notable arguments such as might even compell you to make it your glory to help forward this great building of the Church of God You are great men lifted up above your Brethren God hath done that for you which he hath denied to millions in the Kingdome you know your states bloud birth dignities priviledges so well that I need not reckon them Now God having made you greater then others he expects and certainly it would be a very comely thing that you should be the forwardest of all to help forward this work that God is so well pleased with And secondly God hath also put into your hands more talents and abilities and opportunities to doe this work then into the hands of others many willing men who would lay downe all would doe all and give all they have to further it yet are not able to doe so much as one Vote of yours may doe one I or one No given by you may more forward the building of this work then the lives and states of many thousands Now when such an opportunity is in your hands when you are so furnished and enabled to doe it how sad a thing would it prove if you should not improve it Nay thirdly my Lords you are Noble-men and therefore you cannot out of true Nobility but desire to have your hands in noble and honourable imploiments sure I am since you were borne or since this generation begun never was it in the hand or opportunity of men to be laid out more honourably then you may in cordially helping forward this great work never can you be so glorious in the eyes of God
rejoicing and her people a joy But all this will be more cleare in the second Doctrine to which I now proceed and to which this is onely a Porch or Preface That when the Lord doth build up Zion he doth appeare in glory They are the words of the Text and therefore need no other proofe In handling whereof I shall endevour these two things First to make a full and cleare demonstration of the truth of it that God doth appeare in his glory when he comes to build his Church Secondly I shall make application of it And for the clearing the truth of it there are foure things to be opened First what it is to appeare in glory Secondly To prove the truth of it out of the Scripture Thirdly and which is that that I most aime at How God doth appeare in his glory when he comes to build up Zion And fourthly why he is pleased thus to appeare in his glory when he undertakes this work For the first First what it is to appeare in Glory Glory and Excellency doe thus differ one from another Excellency is the intrinsecall worth or value of any thing Glory is the manifestation of this Excellency Glory is nothing but the irradiation or shining out of Excellency Take a true Diamond stone when it is first found and lookes but like a common stone there is even then all the excellency of a Diamond in it but when it is filed and the curious Artist hath done his part to set it off in its lustre then appeares the glory of the Diamond or amongst men it may be a man hath admirable abilities of wisedome learning power strength activity or whatsoever else might argue him to be eminent so long as all these are hidden this man is really an excellent man but when by some worke worthy of all these inward excellencies the world comes to know him to be such a one as indeed he is then doth the man appeare in his glory So that to appeare in glory is nothing but to appeare to be as excellent as indeed one is Therefore for God to appeare in glory is his manifesting himselfe to be such a God as he is when all those eminent excellent attributes and perfections which are in him come to irradiate shine forth that others must necessarily acknowledge God to be that which he is when he appears like himself then doth God appeare in his glory Now secondly it 's cleare in the Scripture that God doth so that he doth manifest himselfe to be such a God as he is when he undertakes the work of building his Church many glorious things are spoken of this City of God and of God in his building of this City it 's ordinarily called his glory his throne of glory his glorious work his glorious rest Consider seriously these few Texts The whole 93 Psalme it 's a short Psalme yet a large proofe and full interpretation of my Text Interpretors doe generally agree that it is a Prophesie of Christs kingdome his ruling and building up the Church and marke how the expressions run The Lord reignes he is cloathed with Majesty the Lord is cloathed with strength he hath girded himselfe his throne is established the Lord is mightier then the mighty waves of the sea all these glorious expressions set forth the Lords manifestation of himself in his edifying and building his Church as may appeare in the last verse Holinesse becommeth thine house O Lord for ever this holy house of God is that Throne which is thus established upon which he sits in this glory and majesty where he girds himselfe as being ever in a readinesse to goe on with his worke and this is such glory or manifestation of his excellency that it causeth not onely his Church and People to acknowledge it but you shall finde verse 3 that the flouds the flouds lift up their voice the flouds lift up their waves What is that Sometimes flouds and waves signifie the tumultuous people that make a noise of sedition mutiny trouble and violence but here the flouds which signifie People and Nations lift up their voice of wonderment and acknowledgment of that which was set downe before viz. that God was cloathed with Majesty and glory when hee comes to establish his Throne and adorne his house with holinesse there is one evidence Another you shall see in the 68. Psalme The whole Psalme is a most stately straine of divine Rhetorique the beginning of it is very high and lofty Let God arise let him shew himselfe let his enemies be scattered them that hate him fly before him as smoake is driven away as wax melteth before the fire so must wicked men perish at this presence of God and every where throughout the Psalme you may observe such a glorious presence of God as made the earth shake the heavens drop the hills leap the mountains moved the Saints rejoyce and sing Armies to bee routed Kings and Princes to flee all this is nothing but a description of Gods manner of appearing when he builds up Zion when hee redeems his Church out of bondage and subdues people unto him by the Scepter of Christ the Preaching of the word which is the rod of his power as is most manifest by one place in the midst of the Psalme which is as a key to open all Thou hast ascended up on high thou hast led captivity captive thou hast received gifts for men even for the rebellious also that the Lord God might dwell among them This is meant of Christs ascending to the right hand of God to take possession of the rule and government of the Church when he thus ascended up on high hee led captivity captive led all the enemies of the Church as captives at his Chariot wheeles and gave gifts to men such gifts as should build his Church which Paul interprets in the fourth of the Ephesians to be the offices and gifts which the Lord Christ gave when he ascended up to heaven for the gathering and building up of the Church hee then gave some Apostles and some Evangelists some Prophets some Pastors and Teachers for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministery for the edifying of the body of Christ Another notable passage is in the 63 of Isaiah Marke how rhetorically and elegantly the Spirit of God sets it down The Prophet stands amazed at the sight of one that drew nigh unto him Who is this saith hee that comes from Edom with dyed Garments from Bozrah that is thus glorious in his apparell travelling in the greatnesse of his strength who is this what is hee that appeares in thus much glory the answer is made in the name and person of Christ It is I the Lord mighty to save And what was the work that hee did there what was the glory why truely Jesus Christ then came to rescue his Church from thraldome from Egypt Babylon from Idumea
in truth it is glory it selfe it is the very face of God and therefore holy men are said to beare the image of God because they are like his very face when Holy Holy Holy is the Lord of Hosts may be sung unto him the whole earth is full of his glory with that work which causeth his holinesse to appeare then like the Sun he shewes his glorious face when he appears in his holinesse Now this excellent Attribute is celebrated to the height in the Churches building This is cleare in that solemne and glorious representation of Christ ruling in and beautifying of his Church Revel. 4. the foure Beasts representing the Catholike Church in the foure quarters of the world when night and day they give glory to Christ the head and King the Builder and Ruler of his Church their Song is onely this Holy Holy Holy Lord God Almighty and that triumphant Song of the Church recorded Revel. 15. for the victory obtained over the Beast wherein they celebrate his greatnesse truth and justice the Church sets this as the rise of all For thou onely art holy and in truth the usuall name he takes to himselfe and by which his people call him in reference to this work is The Holy One of Israel and it is fit it should be so for then he shewes how little he can endure iniquity then he purges away the sin of his people then he makes them a peculiar people zealous of good workes then he separates their drosse and their rubbish from them then he makes them like unto himselfe never doth God beautifie his holinesse so as he doth when he builds the Church That is the third Fourthly and that which is one of the sweetest the Lord never magnifies nor glorifies his free grace and his love so as he doth in this work of building the Church all the treasures of love and favour which before lay hid in his breast do gloriously shine out then he marries her or keeps his Wedding-feast and makes all the world to know how deare she is unto him there and then and no where else doth he bestow his choice favours When he gives Kingdomes and Empires he gives nothing but a peece of clay what he cares not for but when he builds the Church there he layes out his Treasure The time would faile me to number the gifts which he then gives Great Princes ordinarily have their Almoners with them wheresoever they goe and they give this or that peece of silver or gold to ordinary Petitioners but when they will appeare in their glory and give such gifts as shall magnifie them then it may be they create Earles and Lords and great Officers of State which are peculiar and discriminating pledges of their love So doth God when he builds up other Nations with outward mercies with fruitfull seasons health wealth and pompe c. he esteemes them as nothing he cares not a shoo-latchet for these common gifts they are his common almes but when he builds his Church then he gives his Ordinances then he gives his Ministers then he gives them the Graces of his Spirit these are his Chrysolites his Emeralds his Pearles and Diamonds then he makes all the world stand amazed as my Text saith and all the Kings to wonder at the love and beauty which he shewes to his people in the day he builds up Zion then they who despised her shall wonder at her Who is this that comes out of the wildernesse leaning upon her beloved and bow downe at her feet and confesse that she is now to be called Heph-zibab and Beulah because her God delighteth in her And lastly The Lord useth more then at any other time to glorifie that excellent Attribute of his Justice because then he takes vengeance upon his Churches enemies You shall finde in the Scripture that these two things ever goe together the Lambes marrying and the Whores burning Zions building and Babels ruine his Servants exalting his enemies falling his People raised up his adversaries spoiled then doth the Lord call them to account and pay them eye for eye tooth for tooth breach for breach the day of Zions deliverance and redemption and fury and recompence to her adversaries ever goe together Behold saith the Lord in that day I will undoe all that afflict thee and will save and gather thee in one and the same day the spoiled Church shall be rescued and they who oppressed her shall be fed with their own flesh and made drunk with their own bloud The Church militant and malignant are as a pair of ballances or Buckets at a Well when the one goeth up the other still goeth down And by this time I hope you see how the Lord appeares in his glory when he builds up Zion I have but the fourth question to answer and this will be fit for Application and that is Why the Lord appeares thus glorious in this work rather then in any other There are these two reasons of it First because it is a worke that infinitely pleaseth him Men chuse to appeare in their cloaths and behaviour suitable to the work that they are to be employed in the woman of Tekoah must feigne her selfe to be a mourner when she goes on a mournfull message and David when he goes on a dolefull journey covers his face and puts on mourning apparell but when Solomon is to be crowned he goes in all his royalty and a Bride adorns her self gloriously when she is to be married Verily so doth the Lord when he goes about a worke he takes no pleasure in he puts on his mourning apparell he covers himself with a cloud and the heavens with blacknesse when he is to doe his strange work of judgment then he mournes How shall I give thee up Ephraim how shall I make thee as Sodom my bowels rowled within me my compassions are turned but the building of Zion doth infinitely please him because Zion is as the apple of his eye to him he bought Zion at a dear rate with his owne bloud he layes Zion in his bosome he is ravished with Zion Zion is his Love his Dove his faire one he hath chosen Zion and loves the gates of it better then all the Palaces of Jacob and being so pleasing to him no marvell if he put on all his glorious apparell when he is to adorn and build up Zion And seâ—ondly it is Because all the glory that he looks for to eternity must arise out of this one work of building Zion this one work shall be the onely monument of his glory to eternity this goodly world this heaven and earth that you see and enjoy the use of is set up onely as a shop as a Work-shop to stand onely for a week for six or 7000 years a thousand yeeres is with the Lord but as a day and when his worke is done he will throw this peece of clay downe againe
and his Angels no such glorie or Nobilitie as to be emploied in this work had you all Acts of Parliament to entaile all your Lands Honours Names and Fortunes all that you are and all else that you wish for would never make you so honourable as to be numbred amongst these that built up the Church of God that when the Lord shall reckon up the people who were by him emploied in the work as he saith once of Zion This and that man was borne there so for God to say for the Registers of his acts and worthy deeds to say Such a Noble-man such an Earle such a Lord stood out in my cause and worke when the Nobles of Tekoah would not put their hands to it When some of the Nobles of Judah kept intelligence with Sanballat and Tobiah when some others discouraged the well-affected such a man like another Nehemiah wrought for me night and day and never put off his cloaths except it were to wash them never could such an honour be put upon you look not while you live in this world though you might live an hundred yeares ever to have the like opportunitie O that it might sink deep into your hearts that you did understand what an honour it is to be a helper of God in laying the foundation of a new heaven and earth Nay my Lords consider in the fourth place God hath called you to it as expresly as he did call Bezaleel and Aholiab as he called Hiram when Solomon sent for him to help him build the Temple he could have cast your lot to be meane men or in his providence have left you among them who have deserted him and his cause who shall therfore one day be cloathed in confusion but he hath kept you here while these great matters of Religion are in hand things which I hope will prove the foundations of many gnerations This work he hath called you unto and hath said to you as once he said to Cyrus Build my house and when God calls you may be bold to follow him rely upon him for wisdome counsell strength successe c. according to that promise Esa. 45. 2. I will go before thee I will break in peeces gates of brasse and barres of iron I am the Lord who calls thee and will blesse thee Yea fifthly the Lord hath already blessed you in it Remember I beseech you at what a miserable low ebbe we were when your Lordships and the Honourable House of Commons entred into an Oath and Covenant with God Almighty and sware unto him with your hands lifted up to heaven that you would endevour the reformation of Religion what our state was then and how this work was derided and scorned yet ever since though you have been building in a very troublesome time and have for our sinnes met with many a stop many a Perez-Vzzah in bringing-in the Ark of God a blessed alteration hath God made in our affaires since we have owned his cause how hath he owned us what deep conspiracies hath he detected what victories hath he bestowed how many waies hath he blessed us and carried the work on notwithstanding our weaknesses our follies our not taking advantage of the opportunities yet the Lord hath carried it on because he doth owne it Nay give me leave to adde your forwardnesse and hearty affection to it may make the work easie to all others if you as so many Gedeons goe before them and say to the people Doe what you see us doe Look on us and doe likewise in this cause of God you are like the first sheet of an Impression when that is printed it is a patterne for thousands to be wrought off afterwards with ease Nay lastly know it for certaine that in this point of the purgation and reformation of Religion all the well-affected of England will live and die with you what David said to Solomon My Son up and build all the Nobles and Princes and the courses of the Priests will be at thy command I may boldly apply to you Go on in this work and you shall find England will never desert you the State of England the well-affected the Gentry the People the Ministers will live and die with you while you will live and die cordiall to Gods cause It is an old observation when Princes and great men leave God they lose their Names Friends Glorie while Joash was for Religion they all stuck to him when he listened to the Princes who drew him off from God he lost his life and glorie all at once even famous Solomon himselfe who built the Temple when he forsook God he lost ten of his twelve Tribes and it 's as true here at home among them whose hearts remaine faithfull to God and his cause either in the house of Lords or Commons although some clouds doe sometimes rise over them some jealousies and surmises which soon blow over againe few of them are forsaken but let any tacke about and forsake God and they are blasted presently they are irrecoverably lost My Lords consider of these things seriously and let these arguments taken from your owne condition and standing provoke you to goe on resolutely in this glorious work There is one Motive more and that is taken from The fruit and the gaine that will come of this great work of your building up the Church of God Take it in two branches in two things both which I am assured are very deare to you the one concernes your selves the other the State For your selves your Honours and Families and Posterities are certainly very deare to you men of great bloud and birth and estate make the preservation and establishing of their Familie ordinarily next to the salvation of their soules Now my Lords you may take this for a certaine Rule Build you Gods house God will build yours Jehu though not sound at heart entailed the Crowne of Israel to the fourth generation upon his posteritie for sticking to God in the cause of Baal in rooting Baal out of Israel and God promised concerning Solomon he shall build my house and I will establish his Throne mark it those two go together he shall build my house and I will establish his Throne and God said to David in the same chapter because he had but a purpose to build a house for the Lord because it was in thy heart to doe it I will build thy house for ever and even the very Midwives in Egypt who loved Gods people God built them houses So that if ever you would eternize your names and bring Gods blessing upon your families know certainly this is the onely way other projects will not doe it he can cut off families and houses in their greatest glory Shebna thought by pride and pomp and state to carry it out but shalt thou reigne saith God because thou hast built thee a brave house I le kick thee