had only the green blade of corne we have the plentifull increase as in the time of harvest they had the shadow wee the substance they had a glympse of the Sunne wee have him in the full strength they had the Paschall lambe to expiate sinnes typically wee have the lambe of God to take them away really Ioh. 1.29 Gal. 4. They were Alphabetarij and Abecedarij young beginners learning their A B C under the tutorship of the law but to us the Gospel is giveÌ„ wherin our saving health is spread before our beleeving eyes without any shadow cast over the beauty of it We behold as in a mirrour the glory of the Lord with open face 2 Cor. 3.18 we feed upon the true Manna and drinke of the water of life freely Oh let us thankefully imbrace our transcendent happinesse Plato was thankefull to nature as wee reade in Lactant. 1. For that he was borne a man Lactant. l. 3 divin Iust c. 19 not a beast 2. A man not a woman 3. A Greecian not a Barbarian 4. An Athenian not a Theban and finally that he was borne in the time of Socrates But much more thankefull should wee be to the God of nature for that we are borne not Pagans but Christians and in such a place as England where heaven stands open which to other parts is barred on the outside with ignorance or misbeliefe England is the place of Gods worship therefore the peculiar place of God so that we may say as it is in the Psalme Psal 46.7 The Lord of hosts is with us the God of Iacob is our refuge wee have his speciall presence his speciall protection his speciall blessing and that so long as ever wee continue to serve him in holinesse and righteousnesse not one minute longer 2. Observat For the holinesse of the place cannot protect a people except there be holinesse in the persons who inhabit that place which is the second point that falls next into our consideration Shiloh was a holy place glorious for sanctity and for the antiquity of that sanctity yet because the inhabitants of it were not holy both they and it were exposed to the fury of the enemy Ioan. Pappâ—… in Ier. 7.12 Though God in the old Testament would be worshipped oâ—â—ly in that place where himselfe had set the memory of his name yet did hee not so tye the memory of his name to any certaine place but that fot the impiety of the people he changed the place of his Tabernacle and Temple In the new Test because the Gospell was to be published through the whole world that distinction of places is taken away the time is now come when neither in the mountaine of Samaria nor yet at Ierusalem Iohn 4. men shall worship God by any such tye Now every place is so long no longer the Temple and habitation of God as there shall be found in it true faith and holynesse of life But where these cease where superstition and heresie doe corrupt faith and wickednesse succeeds in the roome of holinesse Matt. 21.43 there the like judgement is to be feared which befel Shiloh that God will remove his kingdome of grace from such a place or people and give it to a Nation that will bring forth the fruites of it Ierusalem might goe to Shiloh and England may goe to Ierusalem to learne this lesson that the holinesse of a place cannot protect a people except c. Consider Ierusalem the City of the great King the throne of God the place of holy worship and perfit joy tell her turrets and marke well her bulwarkes carry in your mindes the Idaea of her gloryes Ioseph de bello Iudaico l. 7. ca. 7 8 9 14 17. how shee was great among the provinces princesse among the nations the joy of the whole earth and then on a sodaine behold her Temple and houses burning the smoake of the fire waving in the ayre and hiding the light of the sunne the flame rising up to heaven as if they would ascend as high as their sinnes had erst done her old and young rich and poore high and low matrons virgins mothers infants Princes and Priests Prophets and Nazarites famished fettered scattered consumed Heer 's a maister peece of Gods justice for sinne Ierusalem once so glorious is now become a heap of stones that holy citie yea that whole country is now become a ploughed field layd wast under the feete of Pagans And the place of divine Oratory become a den of Dragons Ghiesler in Ier. 7.12 Go from Ierusalem to the Churches of Corinth Galatia Philippi Ephesus Smyrna Nice Laodicea Antiochia to all the Easterne and * African Churches sometime glorious Sanctuaries of the most high consecrated to his service when the inhabitants thereof became polluted they were rejected of the Lord who discarded their Idols and gave their land to be inhabited by Zijm and Ochim Turkes and Infidels The more gloriously the sun and summer have apparrelled a tree the more we admire the blasting but when God hath planted a people in his owne holy ground as he did Adam in Paradise Israel in Shiloh and Ierusalem watered it with the dewes of grace shined on it with the beames of mercy spent much care and cost upon it if this people brings forth no fruit or bad fruit no marvaile if there goes out a curse Never fruit grow on thee more no marvaile if God bestow no more care nor cost upon it but suffers it to be laid wast as he sometimes threatned to do to his Vineyard Isay 5.5 I will take away the hedge thereof I will breake downe the wall thereof I will lay it waste I saith the Lord. For such alterations and subversions are not to be ascribed to fortune destinie starrs planets or the like but to God himselfe which is our next point 3. Observat It is God who inflicts judgement upon a place or people See saith he what I did Goe yee now c. It was he that forsooke the Tabernacle at Shiloh he that delivered his strength into captivity and his glory into the enemies hands hee gave his people over unto the sword and was wroth with his inheritance c. Psal 78.60.61 It was hee that gave the sword a charge against Ashkelon Ier 47 9 Ieâ—â—6 â—5 Ier. â—0 25 Ier. 19.3 that swept away the valiant men of Egypt that opened his Armorie and brought forth weapons of indignation to smite Babilon it is he that thus threatens Ierusalem Ièr. 18.11 I frame evill against you and devise a devise against you I will bring evill upon this place the which whosoever heareth his eares shall tingle Whatsoever calamities befall us publique or private they are from God Hee is the Authour of all our Tragedies and hath written out for us and appoynted to us the severall parts which we are to act in them The more to blame then are those impatient Spirits that in the case of
LONDONS LOOKING BACKE TO IERVSALEM OR GODS IVDGEMENTS VPON OTHERS ARE TO BE OBSERVED BY VS Jeremiah 44.2.3 vers 1. Thus saith the Lord of Hostes the God of Israël Yee have seene all the evill that I have brought upon Ierusalem and upon all the Cities of Iudah and behold this day they are desolate and no man dwelleth therein 2. Because of the wickednes which they have committed to provoke me to anger c. August 7. 1630. Preached at Pauls Crosse by IOHN IONES Mr. of Arts Curate and Lecturer at S. Michaels Basenshaw LONDON Printed by WILLIAM IONES dwelling in Red-crosse-streete 1633. TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE SIR NICOLAS RAYNTON KNIGHT LORD MAIOR of the Citie of LONDON Together with the Right Worshipfull his brethren the Sheriffes and Aldermen of the same Citty W. I. desireth all blessings spirituall and temporall to be powred upon you in this life and eternall blessednesse in the life to come RIGHT Honorable And Right worshipfull I am bould to present unto you this Sermon preached at Pauls Crosse because the Authour had so intended after that the importunity of some Christian friends had prevailed with him to have it published which Sermon is intituled Londons looking back to Ierusalem according as God send Ierusalē to looke to Shilo what he did unto it for the wickednes that was in it which was his text handled And what the sinnes of Ierusalem were this sermon doth plainely discover as pride fulnes of bread idlnes contempt of Gods Ordinances and ministery And hereby we may be admonished of that generall outward formality in Religion but where is the life and power in a holy walking with God where is the earnest contending for the faith once given unto the Saints God hath advanced your Honour to this place of dignity stand fast to that charge which God and his Maiestie hath put into your hands to cut off the cords of all prophanesses and Sabbath breaking c. And the Lord make you zealous for his glory to stand fast in that liberty wherein Christ hath sett you free Receive this Right Honorable and Right Worshipfull as a testimony of his for your loues to Gods Church in maintaining so many Preachers at home and abroad which drawes the great blessing of God upon you and the Cittie for the same as it was his speech on his death bed receive it Right Honorable and Right worshipfull Company of Haberdashers from whom he received some yearely stipend while he lived his Lectureship being but smale Reade it Right Honorable and Right worshipfull and the Lord writ it in the tables of every one of your hearts that you may avoid the iudgements of the wicked and inioy the blessings prepared for the righteous that for the Lord Iesus Christ his sake to whom be given all honor and glory now and for evermore Amen Your Honours and Worships daily Orator WILL. IONES This Psalme CXiX The sixt part he gave to be sung before his Sermon 41 THy mercyes great and manifolde let me obtaine O Lord Thy saving health let me enioy according to thy word So shall I stop the slanderous mouthes of lewd men and uniust For in thy faithfull promises standes my comfort and trust The word of truth within my mouth let ever still be prest For in thy judgementes wonderfull my hope doth stand and rest And whilst that breath within my breast doth naturall life preserue Yea till this world shall be dessolude thy lawes will I obserue So walke will I as set at large and made free from all dread Because I sought how for to keepe thy preceptes and thy reede Thy noble acts I will describe as things of most great fame Even before Kings I will them blase and shrinke no whit for shame I will reioyce then to obey thy worthy hestes and will Which evermore I have loved best and so will love them still My hands will I lift to thy lawes which I have dearely sought And practise thy commandements in will in deed and thought Master Iones his Prayer before his Sermon MOst great and glorious Lord God who by thy Almighty power hast created the Heaven and the Earth and by thy unsearchable wisdome governest and guidest the same we vile and base wretches that have defiled the Heavens by our sinnes and cursed the earth by our transgressions doe prostrate our selves in all humility before the throne of thy Divine Majesty beseeching thee to looke upon us not in justice but in mercy not as we are in our selves but in the face and coūtenance of thy Sonne Iesus Christ In our selves we are altogether unworthy to come into thy holy presence to tread upon holy ground or to meddle with holy things This day is holy set apart by thine owne selfe for thine owne holy worship this place is holy it is thy owne sanctuary thy ordinances are holy the service in which we are imployed is a holy service But we are most vnholy impure in our very beginnings impure in our proceedings all over polluted with sinne in all the faculties of our soules in all the members of our bodies in the notions imaginations of our minds in the motions inclinations of our wils in the affectiōs and desires of our hearts in the words of our mouthes in the workes of our handes wee are poore and wretched and blinde and naked high-minded vaine-minded worldly-minded false-hearted full of hypocrisie full of security full of infidelity wanting in charity wanting in knowledge in zeale intemperance in patience deficient in all grace abundant in all sinne wee have sinned against all the meanes of grace thy word thy Sacraments thy Sabbaths thy Christ thy Spirit we have sinned against all the times of grace we have sinned in the times of our childhood in the times of our youth and our riper yeares not onely in the times of ignorance but since wee have knowne thy will not onely through infirmity but presumptuously we have sinned against all thy attributes we have abused thy patience provoked thy anger we have sinned against thy Iudgements which should have enforced us to obedience against thy mercies which should haue allured us and led us to repentance wee haue sinned against all thy creatures against heaven and against earth against all thy workes against the worke of creation by defacing thy Image against the worke of thy preseruation by distrusting thy prouidence against the worke of redemption by our infidelity against thy law which is the rule of righteousnes against the Gospell of grace and saluation against our vow made unto thee in our baptisme we haue broken the first vow that ever we made and never since haue beene faithfull in our promises unto thee against our owne purposes and promises made unto thee in our prayers and that before our calling and since our calling in our generall calling and in our particuler callings we haue failed and sinned since it hath pleased thee of thy free mercy to translate us out of
calamity are sicke of the fret not looking up to the hand of God but fretting at the men and the meanes by which God doth afflict them like the Ethiopians who detest the Sunne because it scorcheth them with immoderate heate or like curst mastives that breake their teeth in gnawing those iron chaines wherewith their Master ties them and in biting the staffe with which he beates them as if a staffe could smite or a chaine bind without an hand to use it It will be more laudable for us to imitate the Saints Psal 44.9 Iob 1.21 Chrysost in 1. Ep. ad Thess who in every calamity did owne the hand of God The Lord hath given saith Iob the Lord hath taken away c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. What doest thou say the Lord hath taken away the theefe had taken away the Sabeans had taken away his oxen the Chaldeans had taken away his Camells true yet Iob complaines not of them but lookes up to the hand of God So should wee in the like case Doth the plague come looke up to God doth the sword come looke up to God doth dearth come poverty ignominie or any other calamity Act it upon God 2. Sam. 14 19. As David inquired of the woman of Tekoah if the hand of Ioab was not with her in the close plea and artificiall atonement which shee made for Absalom in all our distresses let us inquire if there bee not the hand of God in them and inquiring we shall finde it so which when we have done let us with patience resigne up our selves into his hands saying as the Church Mic. 7.9 I will beare the indignatâ—on of the Lord because I have sinned against him 4. Observ For it is our sinne which kindleth the indignation of God and provokes him to judgement which is our next poynt See what I did unto it for the wickednesse of my people Israel Wickednesse was that cloud in which all the stormes that fell on Shiloh were ingendred It lyes in the power of sinne and wickednesse to make the most fruitfull land barren and the most blessed place accursed A truth that may well passe for current and being coyned in the mint of Gods word Psal 107.34 God turnes a fruitfull land into barrennesse for the wickednesse of the inhabitants that dwell therein Aug. Civitatis eversio morum non murorum casus The ruine of a city is not so soone wrought by the weaknesse of the walls as by the lewdnesse of their lives that are the inhabitants Were the walls of a city stronger then those of Babylon the sinnes within would hurle downe the walls without Hos 13.9 Intra muros hostis thy perdition is of thy selfe ô Israel The Heathen Historian * Abundant voluptates desiderium per luxum atque libidinem pereundi perdendique omnia invexere Liv. Heylin observed that Rome began to loose all when sinne abounded most amongst all Romes vtter overthrowing was nothing else but their vices abounding and sinnes overflowing An English Gentlemen at their expulsion out of France was demanded by a French Cavalier when they would returne againe his answer was feeling and pithie When your sinnes quoth he are greater than ours He knew well that for sins Kingdomes are translated from one people to another and that a land spues out her inhabitants for the iniquity of them that dwell therein * A. Gell. Noct. Attic. l. 3. â—9 In A Gellius mention is made of the horse of Sejanus called Sejus this horse a goodly horse to looke on but whosoever owned it was stil unfortunate Such a thing is sinne unfortunate to all whatsover person or nation doth harbour it can never prosper S. Cyprian writes thus to Demetrian and others who imputed to Christian religion pestilence sword famine and all the evills which then fell out in the world Yee are discontented to see God displeased yee are angry that God is thus angry as if yee could deserve from him any good by living ill as if all these evills of punishment were not lesse than the evills of your sinnes * Hos 2.14 God of himselfe is gracious mercifull slow to anger and of great kindnesse not willing to punish except he be provoked but if we provoke him by sinne we are sure to feele the punishment Looke into Paradise looke into hell looke into heaven looke upon earth and every where yee shall meete examples to confirme this 1. Look into Paradise Gen. 3. where God placed our first parents and inriched them with all sorts of blessings so soone as they fell into disobedience and did eate of the forbidden fruit they were cast out and as the sentence was gone out of Gods mouth so the sword of justice 2 Esâ—â— 7. â—â— followes to execute they must die and all their posterity All must die in them since all have sinned in them Secondly looke into hell see the unmercifulnesse of Dives punished according to the rule of justice Desideravit guttam qui non dedit micam Aug. Luk. 16. He begg'd a drop of water and could not have it because he denied a crumme of bread before when Lazarus begg'd it Thirdly 2. Pet. 2.4 Looke into heaven and see sinne punished there God spared not the Angels that sinned not those glorious inhabitants of heaven but cast them downe to hell And art thou better or dearer than the Angels Fourthly looke upon earth and see there innumerable punishments both personall and nationall inflicted for sinne Every story is a Chronicle of this truth and the whole world but the practise Gen. 7.11 For sinne God sluced out flouds from the sea and opened the windowes of heaven taking away the retentive power from the clouds that they might powre downe unmeasurably to drowne the old world for sinne he rained down fire from heaven to consume Sodom and opened the jawes of the earth to swallow Corah Num. 16.31 for sin he sent Ierusalem into captivity Ier. 40.2 Ier. 33.15 Ier. 30.15 and suffered Shiloh to be msde desolate Goe yee now c. See what I did unto it consider how I deprived it of my mercies and made it a spectacle of my justice So true is that Ier. 2.3 Evill shall come upon sinners The evill of sinne is but an earnest laid downe for the evill of punishment If sinne be the herald going before punishment will bee the attendant and follow after When disobedience hath playd her part then vengeance comes upon the stage Should I turne over every leafe of sacred writ and search all Fathers and all writers divine and humane by innumerable testimonies I should evince this truth that sinne hales on punishment It is so sure a concomitant of sinne that oftentimes the word which signifies sinne is translated punishment * Zach. 14.19 as if sinne and punishment were termini convertibiles Raro antecedentem scelestum Descruit pede poena claudo in a manner all one Haply
if hee would doe his best many disorders might be repressed The unhappy Cynicke Diogenes when he saw the boy play the idle packe went and beat his master So when we see the forenamed sinnes fly about as fiery serpents we must blame the Magistrate and say with the Prophet Psal 58.1 Is it true do yee judge the thing that is right and execute with an upright hart Do not our lawes strike at many disorders that are common amōgst us Have we no law against rash swearing God bee thanked we have but wher 's the execution Have we no law against Sabbath breaking yes against that too Yet is it openly prophaned The reformation of these two to omit many others I would commend to this Honorable Bench but that mee thinkes I heare my friends telling me what Sadolet said to Erasmus Erasmus would proove that worshipping of images might well be abolished I grant quoth Sadolet thy opinion is good but this should not be handled because it will not bee granted Sir Francis Bacon Apotheg 29. When Lycurgus was to reforme and alter the state of Sparta in the consultation one advised that it should be reduced to an absolute popular equality But Lycurgus said to him Sir begin it in your owne house If the Magistrate would begin to reforme things amisse in his owne house there were hope of amendement It is not my practise to scan Magistrates nor to rake into their actions but this I have heard from some of your owne Bench that by reason of your solemne meetings and feastings this day at the house of the Magistrate the day is scarcely so well sanctified there as it ought to be I know not whether it be so or not let them looke to it whom it doth concerne Howsoever the counsell of a reverend Bishop of our Church Babington on exod c. 1◠in such a case is not to be misliked So ought we to dresse meate upon holy dayes that ever we have a care of the salvation of them that dresse it who being created and redeemed as we our selves be ought not so evermore to be kept at this service as that never they may heare the word receive the Sacrament and praise God in the cōgregation with his people For that should bee to eate the flesh of them and to drinke the blood of them most cruelly yea to bury them in our bellies 2 Sam. 23.16 and for our bodies to destroy their souls for ever Rather remember Davids refusall to drinke the water that was bought so deare and provide so that the one being done the other may not be left undone I know well that Magistrats are called Gods because they represent his Majesty and magnificence on earth in which respect much is to be granted them but yet by your leave such should remember that the neerer they are to heaven in greatnesse the neerer they should be unto it in goodnesse that as God hath honored them so they should honor him I take not upon me to prescribe in this case yet me thinkes some other day as well as this might serve the turne for solemne feasts if custome were not more prevalent than conscience * Magis nos docere debet judicium veritatis quā prae ◠iudicium consuetudinis Aug. in psal 105 Therefore among your manifold consultations I beseech you to thinke upon the redresse of this and withall of the publicque and grosse prophanation of this day But I must crave pardon for I feare that through prolixity I have transgressed whilst the zeale of Gods glory hath inlarged my discourse against the transgressions of the time Yet may I with leave straine my discourse one pegge higher and I will promise not to be over-bold with your patience There is a sinne too much practised in this City Deut. 25.15 Pro. 11.1 which the Scripture saith is an abomination to the Lord and it should be so to his Vicegerent the Magistrate I meane fraud in selling by false balance unjusts weights and measures and in cunning conveyances in weighing or meating such as cheat the buyer They say there are som who in stead of Troy weights use Venice weights which are very deceitful not warranted by law Silk-men they say that amongst * Grocers Bakers Colemeaters Victuallers and divers others there is much fraud used in this kind and to the great detriment of his majesties subjects I am not a shamed to name these things in this place when they require reformation There are laws no doubt enacted against this injustice but these laws without execution are but a dead letter It is in you Right Honorable to put life into these laws as Elisha did into the Shunamites sonne and to set them upon their feet it is in you to take away these exactions from Gods people and to maintaine the true weight and balance There is another disorder which had almost slipt my memory they say that the provision which the Country brings in to serve the City cannot be bought by housholders but at a deere rate and at the second hand the hands I meane of regrators and hucksters that forestall the market Shall these things passe uncontrolled unpunished unreformed God forbid The mentioning of these particulars some may thinke not so fit in a sermon But the care is taken let them thinke what they please I am sure this exaction and injustice doth displease God The poore people already smart for it and if it be not punished the whole land may smart for it No question you know many other particulars in this and other kinds which require speedy reformation therefore set your selves to the worke Let it be your care Right Honorable to punish these and all others sinnes doe something this yeere that may cause you to be had in remembrance hereafter Be not unmercifull to your Country whilst you are over-mercifull to offenders but punish offenders and strike at the root of sin for sinne striketh at the root shaketh the foundation of our land In briefe let inferiours as well as superiours every one in his severall place put his hand to this worke Every one that loves his nation that favours religion that wisheth the continuance of the Gospell desires speace and prosperity unto our kingdom let him cōsecrat his hāds to pull down the kingdome of sin Downe wih it downe with it even to the ground So long as sinne reigneth our kingdome cannot flourish but the sinewes of our state will shrinke our policy will be no better than lunacy and our glory bee turned into ignominy It is not our profession of the Gospel nor any other prerogative that can in this case defend us Did not God punish Shiloh his owne place and Israel his owne people Did hee not permit the Chaldeans to destroy the Temple built by Salomon the Romans to overthrow the second Temple the Turks to overthrow the Christian Churches in Asia and Europe Sir Walter Raleigh Hist of the world l. 2. c. 15 § 1. when the people became wicked The Trojans beleeved that while their Palladium or the Image of Minerva was kept in Troy the City should never bee overturned the Christians in the last fatall battell against Saladine did carry into the field as they were made beleeve the very crosse wheron Christ died and yet they lost the battell their bodies and the wood as the Israelites did the Arke when they fetched it into the camp from Shiloh Therfore trust not to the signe but to the substance of Gods worship it is not the professiō but the practise of religion Eccl. 7.10 that can gard us Look we therfore to that and this wee cannot doe except we abandon our sinnes Therefore abandon your sinnes cast away from you all your transgressions whereby yee have transgressed pull those Scorpions out of your bosomes weed these nettles out of the garden of your hearts spue out this gall of bitternesse break off these bonds of iniquity Say not thou if thou wouldest chop Logicke with God what is the cause that the former dayes were better than these Theophrastus makes it the character of a pratler * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Theophrast Charact. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to find fault with the present times and to say men are now worse than before We all cry out the dayes are evill while wee helpe to make them worse All complaine all censure none amend The Scribe points to the Publican the proud gallant points to the miserable churle the well conceited hypocrite blames the dissolute the dissolute layes the fault on the hypocrite that the dayes are evill But if every one would mend one the times would then be better Therefore let every one begin at home It was the proud Pharisee that broke his neighbours head the poore Publican smote his owne bosome Luk. 18.11 To conclude all God hath highly advanced us into his favour he hath honored this nation of ours above all the nations in the world for shame let not us out-sinne all the nations in the world for if we out-act them in sinne we must out-suffer them in punishment For our sins past let us seriously humble our selves and by faith lay hold on Christ that they may be pardoned and for time to come let vs implore the assistance of Gods Spirit that we may be able by his power to mortifie our sinnes So shall that cloud of judgement be dissolved which hangs over our heads so shall that fire of wrath bee quenched which is already kindled so shall that sword of vengeance be put againe into his sheath which is already drawne out but hath not striken home so shall Gods blessings fall downe upon us like gracious showers spirituall temporall eternall blessings personall and nationall blessings whole miriads of blessings Happy ô happy are the people that are in such a case blessed ò blessed is that people that have the Lord for their God This blessednesse we begge at thy hands ô blessed Father and that for the sake of our blessed Saviour Iesus Christ to whō with thine owne Majesty and blessed Spirit bee ascribed all honor and glory now and evermore FJNJS