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
of free grace deepe wisedome in God must bee more then halfe play-maker here and in this redeeme the lost world The Chaldeans spoyle Job and plunder him Satan maketh him an empty house and a childelesse father mercy commeth up in the Theater and free Grace maketh Job an illustrious and faire copy of patience and faith to all ages Achitophel did as many now with our King doth hee gave wicked counsell against the Lords servant and a just cause divine justice cometh in in the game and Achitophel hangeth himselfe The use of this shall answer two questions 1. Why doth God suffer sinne to be and so much sinne in England and Ireland 2. Why doth hee suffer his people in Covenant with him to bee a land of bloud The former question is a generall a wicked Marcion asketh why the Lord who foresaw the event did suffer Evah and the Devill to conferre and if he was able why did hee not hinder sinne to bee except he had been either envious and would not or weake and could not hinder the enters of sinne in the world Tertullian answereth Because the Lord is free in his gifts Augustine answereth Epist. 59. ad Paulinum Quia voluit because it was his will Prosper and Hilarius both with Augustine say The cause may be unknown it cannot be unjust Though it were in the Potters hand to turne clay into brasse yet his power should not destroy his liberty to cause him to make a lame vessell such as if it had reason and will to fall it should not bee broken Why should Daniels enemies prevaile so as to cast him to Lions that these knees that bowed often to God and these hands which was lifted up to him should be eaten with Lions O lame vessell beleeve beleeve but dispute not And the answer is cleare sinne is the worst thing that is but the existence of sinne is not ill otherwayes saith Augustine God should never permit it to be Yea sinnes being in the world is silva justiciae divinae officina gratiae Christi A field for the glory of revenging justice and sinne is the work house of the pardoning grace of God And therefore there bee good reasons why the Lord should permit sinne and such sinnes 1. That there may be roome in the play for pardoning grace the colour and beauty of free grace had never beene made obvious in such a way to the eye of Angels and Men if sinne had not beene 2. There had beene no employment for the mercy of a soule-redeeming Jesus 3. Wee should not have had occasion in the eares of Angels to hold up for ever and ever the new Psalme of the Praises of a Redeemer 4. By this nature clay and fraile nature and selfe-dependence is cried downe and God exalted 5. By this the humble love of the contrite and broken in heart is necessitated to kisse the bowels of him who bindeth up the broken hearted mourners in Sion and furrowes of blood put to reall acknowledgement of everlasting compassion 6. Hence also are minors and poore pupils put to improve their faith and dependence upon so Kingly a Tutor as never enough loved and admired Jesus Christ 7. Hence to the praise of grace Satan hath faire justice and that in foro contradictorio in open patent Court when clay triumpheth over Angels and Hell through the strength of Jesus Christ The other question is also soone answered Why should the cause of God be so oppressed and his Churches garments rolled in blood But 1. God must bee knowne to bee God in his owne chaire of estate and hee must be The Saviour of Israel in the time of trouble 2. Satan Prelates Papists Malignants shall be vnder-workmen and kitchin-servants to him who hath his fire in Sion and his furnace in Jerusalem to purifie and refine the vessels of mercy in the Lords house 3. Christs Bride must know that this is their Inne not their home their Pilgrimage not their Countrey otherwise our Lord knoweth how to lead his passengers to Heaven not by Sea but by dry land 4. All must see that the losse of men is not the Lords losse but the Gospels gaine 5. His glorious grace must be commended who suiteth in marriage a spouse to himselfe in no place rather then in the Furnace Esay 48. 10. 6. Prayers and praises must bee the rent paid to him to whom belongeth the issues from death The Lord hath a great worke now on the wheeles in Britain Be very charitable of our Lords dispensation though the slaine of the Lord bee many in England and Ireland looke not on the darke side of Gods providence or on the blacke and weeping side of his dispensation widdowes are multiplied almost as the sand of the Sea children weepe and cry Alas my father mothers in Ireland die twice when they see their children slaine before their eyes and then are killed themselves Oh! say men why doth the Lord this Behold the faire and smiling side of Gods providence contrary windes from Rome from hell by the art of omnipotency promove the sailing and course of Christs ship 1. God is now drawing an excellent portract of a refined Church but with the inke of the innocent blood of his people say not What is the Lord doing or Is there knowledge in the Almightie who hath given the Lord counsell better wee be his courtiers then his counsellors 2. If we love the dust and the stones of Sion Psalme 102. 14. Christ is ravished with one of his Churches eyes and with a chaine of her neck Cant. 4. 9. God loveth his owne glory more ardently then I can love it 3. The Church is dearer bought to Jesus then to me or you hee hath given too great a price for her to lose her 4. Rather when wee cannot see to the bottome of providence beleeve upon plain trust and say as Esay 8. 17. I will wait upon the Lord that hideth his face from the house of Jacob and I will looke for him Part. 2. In every dominion of my kingdome This is the second part wherein the parties to whom this Law is given are expressed in their universalitie as they are v. 25. To all people nations and languages that dwell on all the earth peace Whence observe That Nations without the visible Church never wanted means either ordinary or extraordinary to know God though we cannot in reason say that the Decree or Law of a heathen King is the Arminian universall grace yet some means all have And God hath laid open foure bookes to all nations 1. That booke of creation of the Heavens and his workes Psalme 19. 1. The Heavens Mesappe-rajim cevodel doe booke and register the glory of God Romanes 1. 20. 2. The booke of ordinary providence is a Chronicle or Diurnall of a God-head and a Testimony that there is a God Acts 14. 17. Acts 17. 27. 3. There is a booke of the extraordinary workes of God and some report of the true God upon occasion
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