dwell in for ever and be as the signet upon my right hand yet seeing it now casteth me off and despiseth to heare my voyce any longer or to be reformed I will not spare it neither shall mine eye have pitie on it save onely of my remnant in it but I will leave it to be destroyed and desolate at least for seventie yeeres Whence the Lord would have all his people to learne That no priviledges promises mercies deliverances no nor any profession of religion can doe a people any good at all to secure them from his vengeance if once they begin to cast him off and his Covenant But when they fall to be stubborne against him and his word sent unto them in his mercy he will cast them off and leave them This also is a matter to be well thought of by us Because as they of Iudah were wont to secure themselves in their prerogatives even so doe we ordinarily First therefore to begin with them Were not these and the like the things whereby they were wont to think themselves safe and to make their boast of so that they could not repent Sometimes because they had the Lords Temple of which they so gloried saying The Temple of the Lord The Temple of the Lord. Sometimes they used to flatter themselves depraving Gods word thus The Law shall not depart from the Priest nor counsell from the wise nor the word from the Prophet And commonly all singing this song which their children learned of them We have Abraham to our father and by these and the like did they grow so extremely impenitent that they could not be moved by any warnings And is it not even so with us That whensoever we are admonished of the Lords anger either by his word or judgements on us or by any other signes or threatnings against us to move us to seeke to pacifie his wrath is not this usuall with us to harden our hearts and still to lull our selves asleepe in our securitie thinking that we are in no such danger and all for some speciall priviledges which we imagine that we have Although it be acknowledged by all that there are most grievous sinnes amongst us yea most horrible contempt of God and his word with dreadfull signes of his departing and that we have had many strange and terrible warnings yet the Lord must needs still continue with us and there is no such danger or cause of feare as some imagine and why so Because we have Gods true religion established by law maintayned by authoritie and sincerely professed by many The Lord hath also shewed us such manifest tokens of his favour and love in our sundry and most admirable deliverances He hath taken such vengeance on our enemies He still discovers and overthrowes their plots And which is above all other his blessings for that he hath given us such a worthy Head and Governour such a hopefull Issue so established the Scepter and concluded such a peace with other Nations on every side as hencforth we cannot have any such cause of feare as formerly we have had Are not these and the like the things whereby we are commonly waxen so strong and safe in our owne conceit And are we not hereupon become so secure from any dreadfull judgement as that no warnings from heaven nor earth words corrections threats nor yet any mercies can do the greatest part any more good but that they desperately proceed from evill to worse as though no hurt could come unto us Let us to this end consider a litle of the priviledges of this Citie and people and then if the Lord open our eyes we shall easily see what causes we have of this our confidence and securitie First for Ierusalem The Lord chose it to dwell in for ever and Sion to be an habitation for himselfe yea he after a peculiar manner tyed his residencie to that place whereas now it is no more tyed to any one place than unto another but one Country now being unthankfull he removes his Church and abode to another There Salomon by the appointment of the Lord himselfe built a house for his glorious Majestie as the place wherein he would be specially worshipped of all the places in the world Such promises also were made by him unto that place as never unto any other That the people praying there because the Temple was a speciall figure of Iesus Christ he would heare those their petitions made in that place Or when they could not come thither if they did but turne their faces towards Ierusalem in prayer that he would heare their supplications made in faith and obedience as he heard Daniel in the Captivitie It was so famous for visions and revelations of the Lord by meanes of the Arke of the Testimonie there the Priests with the Vrim and Thummim the Prophets and messengers of the Lord that it was called the valley of visions yea it was so far preferred before all other places as that all must pray for the peace of Ierusalem So that the Prophet David prayes for the prosperitie of all them who love Ierusalem It is called for the excellencie of it The perfection of beautie The ioy of the whole earth and by our Saviour it is named The holy Citie and at that time when it did grow towards the very worst It was then so deere unto him as that he wept over it to thinke of the sinnes of it with the miseries that were to come upon it for the same And to shut up this point when our Saviour will set out unto the Church the glory of the kingdome of heav'n in the first flourishing estate thereof in earth and fully in heav'n he finds no fitter resemblance to expresse it by than by Ierusalem calling it the new Ierusalem and holy Ierusalem because Ierusalem was the type thereof These are some of the priviledges of the Citie For the prerogatiues of the people they are far more surpassing if we will beleeve the commendations which holy Paul gives of them in the 9. chapter to the Romanes vers 4. where he so highly esteemes of them that he could have wished himselfe accursed yea cast away utterly and seperate from Christ for evermore from eternall joy to perpetuall miserie even for his brethren that were his kinsmen according to the flesh if it had beene possible therby to turne away the Lords anger from them and to reconcile them unto his Majestie againe that so he might have beene glorified in saving of them These particular prerogatives are there moreover ascribed unto them 1. They were Israelites that is A people descended of the most noble stock of all the world Israels posteritie who prevailed with God discending lineally from faithfull Abraham the father of all the faithfull the freind of God and with
brought upon the world mentioned in his booke In all which he hath left this carefully recorded because he would have all his people to be well acquainted with it As first before the destruction of the old world besides the plaine evidence of Gods vengeance at hand being apparant and almost visible in the strange increase of the iniqvity many of them being become Gyants to set themselves impudently to fight against his Majestie and against all godlinesse contrary to the light of their owne consciences and for that all flesh had corrupted their wayes so as the earth was corrupted and filled with crueltie he also warned them himselfe in a speciall manner by the making of the Arke and by the preaching of Noah And this he did by the space of an hundred and twentie yeeres before which time he gave them to repent striving with them by his Spirit chiefly in the Ministerie of Noah to bring them to amendment Secondly before the Captivitie of the ten Tribes which were caried away by Salmanasar into Assyria from whence they never returned besides many other threatnings dangers warres overthrowes and plagues he also forewarned them long by sundry of his holy Prophets as Ahiah Iehu Eliah Michajâ— Elisha but more specially but even hard before by Obadiah Hosea Amos Ioel Ionah and others By all whom he foreshewed that judgement evidently unto them though they would not obey but hardned their necks and were worse and worse untill the vengeance caried them away Thirdly before this lamentable captivitie of Iudah besides this vision and many others he forewarned them likewise by sundry of his most worthy servants the Prophets raised up extraordinarily and sent unto them crying unto them early and late Prophet after Prophet and that for a long time togither But most plainely by the space of threescore yeeres and more by Esay Ieremie Mica Ezechiel Zephanie and others still proclayming this terrible desolation Although they likewise mocked his servants misused his messengers growing daily worse and worse untill there was no remedie Fourthly before that last and utter subversion of the Iewish nation he forewarned them sundry wayes but in a more speciall manner First by the preaching of Iohn the Baptist threatning them That the axe was then laid to the roote of the trees Afterwards by our Saviour himself over and over most evidently setting downe in plaine termes the manner of their destruction and the grievousnesse of it And to omit all other admonitions by the Disciples of our Saviour and his Apostles Iosâ—phus in his storie records That besides many terrible signes from heaven and earth strange lights in the nights a dreadfull blazing starre over the Temple fearefull sights of chariots and horsemen of fire and an Armie marching towards Ierusalem a hydeous voyce was also heard in the Temple at one of the Feasts saying Let us goe out of the Temple and depart hence There was moreover in a time of their greatest peace plenty foure yeeres before their warre began one of the ruder and meaner sort whose name was Iesus the sonne of Hanani who being come forth of the country to Ierusalem at the Feast of the Tabernacles and going into the Temple began of a sudden to cry out with a loud voyce in this manner A voyce from the East a voyce from the West a voyce from the foure windes a voyce against Ierusalem a voyce against the Temple a voyce against the bridegroome and the bride a voyce against all this people This he continued day and night going thorow all the streets of the Citie And although he was rated and cruelly beaten yet he never gave over going up and downe thâ— Citie thus woe to Ierusalem and the Sanâ—tuarie thereof woe woe to Ierusalem And thus he cryed out especially on their feast dayes and that for seven yeeres and five moneths togither neither was he ever thought to be hoarse or weary but went thus up and downe being taken as a mad man untill in the time of the siege going about upon the wall and crying out lowder than ever before woe woe to the Citie to the Temple and people and at last having added this voyce woe also to me he was smitten upon the head with a stone shot out of an engine that he dyed And last of all when they had suffred most grievous miseries by bloodie dissensions amongst themselves murthering one another and by most pitifull famine as ever was before that they were inforced to eat such things as their soules did abhorre and which bred a most terrible pestilence amongst them immediately before the taking and sacking of the Citie and putting them to the sword a voyce was heard among the Christians which spake to them thus Goe forth to Pella which so soone as the Christians had done the enemie brake in upon them and slaughtered the rest with a most lamentable destruction Fiftly before the last and finall destruction to come upon the world by fire the Lord hath foretold sundry signes and tokens which shall come to passe that none can plead ignorance or have any more excuse Thus the Lord hath bin wont to deale with the wickedest places of all other especially if any of his owne deere servants have bin amongst them As before the destruction of Sodome because his servant Lot was there he will doe nothing untill he hath revealed it to his faithfull servant Abraham Lots uncle that he may intreat for them Afterwards he makes it knowne to Lot himselfe who forewarnes his sonnes in law and daughters to have gotten them all forth of the burning if it had bin possible This he did to Ninivie that proud Citie before he would destroy it for he pittying the great multitude of poore ignorant and simple people which were amongst them in the bowels of his compassion he sends his servant Ionah first to proclaime thorow their Citie Yet fortie dayes and Ninive shall be destroyed And to conclude this point as he forewarned Babylon and other the cruell enemies of his Church of their destructions so he hath as plainely proclaymed his vengeance to come upon the spirituall Babylon which now holding so great a part of his Church in captivitie strives to captivate all the rest that all his owne people may by all means get out of her the rest be left utterly inexcusable This may sufficiently manifest his truth to every conscience that we may boldly conclude this point with the Prophet Amos That the Lord will do nothing in his Church in bringing in any destruction or terrible plague but he will first reveale it to his servants the Prophets He will make his owne faithfull ones to foresee it by one meanes or other so far as shall be for his glory and their good The reasons of it also are most cleare why he will doe it 1. For his chosen sake
we shall finde it thus That these and all other signes mentioned are in great measure come upon us let us answer unfaynedly whether the Lord doth not sensibly threaten and proclaime to depart and leave us altogither unlesse we repent having thus far already withdrawne himselfe from us And to conclude this point whether it be not full time to seeke to pacifie and stay him amongst us if we be not weary of his abode with us and of our happinesse thereby But of this more in the next Chapter where we shall have cause to inquire of the outward tokens of the Lords glorious presence and what a removall he hath made thereof as likewise we see that he hath of this inward Thus much therefore shall suffice to have spoken of this second cause which we have all to watch pray yea even to weepe and cry after him to returne unto us againe in shewing amongst us the power of his Spirit as ever in former time and to abide with us for ever that he never leave us to our bloodie enemies CHAP. V. How the Lord is most unwilling to depart from his Church so long as there is any other remedie which he manifesteth in his oft threatning to take his leave before he goe indeed And of the outward tokens both of his glorious presence in his Church and of his departure from it And what cause we have thereupon to watch and pray continually ANd the Glory of the God of Israel was removed c. A third point specially to be observed is this That the Glory of God removed not once onely but five severall times in this vision before it departed and that it removed not all at once but so oft going away by degrees and that most sensibly By which he would cause the Prophet most clearely to behold his holinesse and justice that he must needs depart from them for their iniquities wherewith they grieved him and that he was now taking his farewell and yet withall also to see his mercy and tender compassion and how he was as we may so speake most unwilling to depart and leave his people to so many miseries even Ierusalem his owne Citie to such a desolation if any remedie would have bin found This he makes knowne unto them to see if it would worke to stir them up to seeke to retaine his presence amongst them For the evident manifestation hereof First the Glory removes from the Cherub and stands upon the threshold as ready to depart Secondly it removes higher and stands over the dore of the house Thirdly it removing from above the dore and standing againe upon the Cherubims the Cherubims mounted upward from the earth towards heaven as ready to take their flight and leave the Temple altogither Fourthly after this the Glory removes to the midst of the Citie thereby seeming to warne the Citie of the Lords departure Lastly from thence it removes out of the Citie unto the Mount of Olives as utterly taking leave of them and giving them a last farewell untill their Captivitie was accomplished and his anger appeased These were the removes Here we are all againe to inquire yet more carefully whether he hath not made as many and as sensible removes of his glory amongst us of this our Nation and thereby given us as many plaine evidences of his departure not now in a vision but so as all men must needs see and confesse it and also whether withall he hath not as clearely and tenderly manifested as I may so say his unwillingnesse to depart from us if any thing can serve to reforme us This is a point of most serious consideration and such a one as it were an exceeding mercy of the Lord and a token of his gratious purpose toward us if he would but vouchsafe us hearts generally to consider of aright as in his presence and as we must all know it one day To the end we may conceive it the better we are first to consider wherein the glory of the Lord appeareth outwardly in his Church so as it may be beholden of all round about it even of the very enemies As for the former evidence it being more inward is to be perceived chiefly of the inward man the soule and conscience when God so speaks unto them This outward Glory consists in three things principally as was said whereby not only the Lord himselfe is magnified amongst his owne people yea to be seene acknowledged of others but also by which he makes his people to be glorious in the eies of others and to be honoured and feared of their enemies The first is when he bestoweth upon his people such aboundance of heavenly and sanctified knowledge of his worde with an hungring after the same as that the earth seemeth to be filled with the knowledg of the Lord like the waters that cover the Sea as the Prophet Esay speaketh This he promiseth to doe in his Church when he will shew his glory in it in the dayes of the Gospell At what time the Church being exalted as upon the topps of the mountaines there shal be such a hungring and thirsting after the word of the Lord that men shal incite and provoke one another saying Come let us goe up to the house of the Lord for he will teach us his waies and we will walke in his pathes Where he thus puts his lawes into the mindes of his people at least in a vehement desire of it That they all seeme to know him from the least to the greatest of them this is a visible token of Gods covenant with such a people and the pardon of their sinnes that he is their God and this is his glory upon them A second visible token is this when this knowledge is accompanied with obedience and holinesse of life when he thus writes his law in their hearts creating in them new hearts and new spirits Thus the Lord promiseth to be sanctified in his owne people before the eyes of their enemies when he shall clense them from all their filthy sinnes as with pure water when he puts his spirit so upon them as to cause them to walke in his statutes to keepe his judgments and to do them when he puts his feare so generally into their hearts as to cause them not to depart from him Then he makes this covenant for himselfe that he wil not depart from them And chiefly when togither heerewith he gives peace unity amongst them that they have one heart and one way That the Lambe may lodge with the Wolfe without danger the poore harmelesse Christian with them who have beene by nature as bloudy as Wolues when the little child may lead the Lion even a child bringing the word of the Lord may perswade and lead them who were otherwise as proude and fierce as Lyons And when the sucking childe may play upon the hole of the Aspe when the poore seruants of
Thus he shewred his displeasure against good Iosiah for thrusting himselfe into battell without warrant And against Moses for not sanctifying the Lord at the waters of strife Among the Corinthians also for their unreverent receiving the Lords supper And thus may he suffer his owne deerest servants to endure the common calamities with the rest at such times either for a just correction of their former sinnes as hath beene shewed or only for the tryall of their faith and constancy or for an exercise of their faith and repentance and to make them more fervent in praier or to further their sanctification to conforme them more more to Christ or it may be to increase the vengeance against the enemies through their cruelty against them or some other like cause as we shall see more after Yet neverthelesse The marking teacheth us thus much That though such goe into Captivity yet there the Lord will be with them his holy hand will there be over them as a buckler There he will so protect them that he will turne all the evils that come unto them still to doe them good He will thereby further their salvation and increase their glory in the heavens And when they are killed all the day long and accounted as sheepe for the slaughter yet in all that which they indure they are more then conquerours thorough him who hath loved them He chastiseth them thereby to make them to walke more holily and more humbly in his presence and so teacheth them more sound obedience by the things which they suffer then ever they learned in all their lives before that they shall in time acknowledge that to have beene the best schoole that ever they came into By this fire he fineth them from much of the drosse of their sinnes and corruptions and specially of their unbeleife to make them to come forth more pure then the gold For First he at such times taking from them the meanes and staies that they were wont to leane upon in their prosperitie maketh them to see their carnall and vaine confidence upon what propts they formerly relied and what unbeleife is in their hearts And then raysing up for them such meanes as they never knew as he did for his people Israel in the wildernesse and in other their distresses he teacheth them to looke up higher then to earthly meanes even to his owne heavenly hand to depend upon him for all and to give him all the glory making him their only stay and comfort At such times in the very greatest extremities he hath ever beene wont to reveale himselfe far more familiarly to his in the gratious works of his fatherly providence and extraordinary favours then ever in former time and that even outwardly in things belonging to the necessity comforts of this life But above all for the inward comforts of his Spirit supporting and chearing up the hearts of all his elect they ordinarily finde them more true and heavenly joy with certaine assurance of Gods favour and love in Christ then ever they felt before And heereby doth he most fully manifest to the very enimies their faith in his promises their patiēce hope obedience love to his Majestie and what they are ready to suffer for his name Heereby he is wont also to kindle in his people a greater fervency in prayer smitting them to the end to prepare their hearts thereby that he may incline his eare unto their cries To make them able in all things to give thanks and to rejoyce in their most grievous afflictions and so to be able to sing with a holy melody when the fetters are about their feet He waines them from the earth and makes them long after the heavens to be ever in his presence where all teares being wiped away is fulnesse of joy for ever more He then also useth these his poore servants as a special meanes of the conversion saving of the rest of his elect and in these to reserve a holy seed by which to renew and in large his Church againe And which is well worthy our carefull observation Some who could never attaine to any grace at all under the best meanes in the daies of their prosperity but did run riot as the prodigall sonne being most rebellious against the Lord and his word yet when he hath brought them into the fetters and chaines of afflictions then have they set themselves to seeke him and then the word which before they despised hath begun to worke in them to life A notable president of his mercy herein he hath caused to be registred in his Booke for all posteritie even in Manasseh who though he had so good a father as that worthy Ezechiah and was so vertuously brought up yea and had seene his fathers reformation yet as the Holy Ghost saith he went backe and builded up that iniquitie which his father had destroyed He never had grace to bethinke himselfe nor to hearken to the word of the Lord untill he brought upon him the Captaines of the hoast of the King of Asshur who put him in fetters bound him in chaines and caried him to Babel But when he was in tribulation he began to seeke unto the Lord his God and humbled himselfe greatly before the God of his fathers and so God was intreated of him heard his prayer and brought him againe into Ierusalem into his Kingdome Then saith the Holy Ghost Manasseh knew that the Lord was God and then he destroyed all the Idolatry and abhominations which he had bin the cause of and restored that religion which he had before defaced And to shut up all By these the Lord doth exceedingly advance his owne glory in the midst of his enemies as here he did by Daniel and his companions and makes himselfe and his truth evidently knowne by their constancie and leaves the wicked enemies the more without excuse As for those whom he takes away by death in such times their death is unto them but as the gate of life It is a finall deliverance from all their sinnes and from all feare of every kinde of enemie and miserie It is unto them a more speedie entrance into the full possession of their fathers joy and of their glorious inheritance than otherwise nature would have afforded them And thus much for the godly which goe into Captivitie or fall by the sword or endure any calamitie with the rest what the marking avayleth them how happy their estate is whatsoever come to passe But on the other side for the wicked who in such generall calamities escape the sword or the like cruell death it is cleane contrary with them For the Lords anger revenging hand ever followeth them whithersoever they goe untill they be destroyed from off the face of the earth All these miseries are but the beginnings of the powring out of the viols of Gods wrath upon them to the increase
him through the Citie and smite let your eye spare none c. IN this next place we are to observe how the Lord bids the destroyers to goe after the marking Angell following him as it were hard at the heeles that so soone as ever the servants of God are marked and safe they should stay no longer but presently execute their charge which was Kill kill and spare none for so the words doe plainely import Herein the Lord would have us all to know yet further that so soone as ever he hath gathered forth those that bewaile the sinnes of the times that is his faithfull ones from among the rest or made sure provision for them then he will stay no longer but presently begin the execution of his vengeance on the rest which remaine This truth the Lord hath left unto us as cleare as any of the former that when we see him taking the godly away all may learne to prepare for themselves to escape or else be left more without excuse To shew this in order out of the former destructions as being in my understanding most fit as so set downe to this purpose and also most plainely for the simplest to conceive of 1. Noah is no sooner in the Arke fast lockt in by the Lord himselfe and so out of the danger but presently the sloud-gates of heaven are set open the fountaines of the great depths broken up destruction rusheth upon them that 〈◊〉 they or climbe they whithersoever they will the vengeance of God still followeth them at the heeles untill they be utterly swept away from the face of the earth without any more pitie and compassion 2. Lot is no sooner out of Sodom and gotten safe into Zoar past all the danger but though it was a goodly morning to see to the Sunne rising gloriously upon the earth as it was wont yet the fire and brimstone came powring downe The Holy Ghost saith that The Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrha brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven and overthrew all He turned all those filthy Cities into ashes making them most loathsome pits and a terrible monument of his most severe vengeance to all such beastly livers to the end of the world All perish togither in an instant as they were partakers togither in the same filthy sinnes Howling and crying then will do no more good no place is now lest to repentance nor to mercy any longer 3. The Christians are no sooner gotten out of Ierusalem to Pella according to the warning but presently Ierusalem is taken as Iosephus reports and then as great cruelties are exercised as ever upon any Citie or people before and as great miseries followed them according as our Saviour had foretold 4. And lastly that same holy Iosiah hath his eyes no sooner closed that he might not see the vengeance and himselfe taken to his rest as the Lord had promised him because his heart so melted at the hearing of the abominations and the judgements denounced for them but straight-way even within three moneths begins this wofull tragedie of Iudah and Ierusalem As the flying away of the Swallow is a signe of winter at hand so the departing and taking away of these mourners forth of any Church must needs be a fearefull threatning of some terrible winter if not a desolation to come upon that people especially when we consider what such are for the preservation of the place where they are And so much first for the evidence of this truth Now that we may againe returne home unto our selves Let us see whether hereby we have not just cause to be awakened ech to betake our sâ—â—ves to watching and prayer to stay the vengeance of God before it be come upon us and it be too late Have not many of our Noahs I meane many of Gods faithfull servants most famous both in Church and Common-wealth for helping to build and prepare the Arke bin taken away from us not many yeeres ago long before their time And amongst others Did not the Lord specially pluck unto himselfe in a short space togither sundry of our most worthily renowmed and victorious champions so approved against that proud Goliah of Rome Hath he not thus caried up these into the Arke not made with hands as accounting us thereby unworthy that they should remaine any longer amongst us upon the earth to helpe to stand betweene the Lords wrath and us What heart was so flintie which dissolved not into teares for sundry of them or which was not astonished at the apprehension of his manifest displeasure therein and in a fearefull consideration of that which he saith That the righteous are taken away from the evils to come This yet is some comfort That we have still some Noaâ—s carefully preparing and finishing the Arke and warning the secure and unthankfull world All our Lots are not yet pluckt from amongst us The Lord of hoasts hath as yet in mercy reserved us a remnant who unfeignedly feare the tokens of his wrath He hath some that stil lift up their voyces like trumpers to tel his people of their sins Some that lift up their hearts with their hands with Moses against Amaleck Some that made continuall intercession with faithful Abraham Some that mourne in secret who wrastle and weepe with Iacob and who will not let the Lord goe untill he shew us mercy and save us from the scourge which we have justly deserved Some I say for what are they compared with the rest or in regard of our time and meanes or that they have beene in sundry parts of the Land otherwise we had bin made long agoe as Sodome and like unto Gomorrha And we may further say by the infinite mercy of God That the Lords annointed is still preserved for our shelter and the breath of our nostrils by whom alone under the highest we hitherto enjoy our safety in the midst of the greatest furies of our implacable and bloud-thirsty enemies If the Lord had ever or yet should never so little take away his hand for all our provocations which evill of all other he ever turne from us like as hitherto he hath done sith the enemies hunt after his life and the lives of us all continually and our sinnes doe cry for it what then could we looke for Or if he should any way suffer the mouthes of all his faithfull messengers to be shut that there might be none to reprove much more if he once take from amongst us those that sigh and cry out for all the abominations and restrayn utterly that spirit of mourning and prayer what may we expect then And is not this the thing which the Atheist and belly-God with all the company of the wicked and ungodly do desire so much and which the I do latrous murthering enemies doe conspire continually And why Because these are they