may be made happy by him But now the day is so far spent the evening come and the time for repentance almost expired the voyce is altered as we see in the last Verse of the Psalme Kisse the Son least he be angry c. A hasty exhortation to repentance and submission to Christ from the consideration of his anger it 's but a little time he will waite for you if you come not in to him when his wrath is kindled but a little you will perish from the way then they will be onely blessed that have put their trust in him This Text holds a faire correspondencie with that in Rev. 22.11 12. He that is unjust let him be unjust still and he which is filthy let him be filthy still And he that is righteous let him be righteous still and he that is holy let him be holy still And behold I come quickly and my reward is with me to give every man according as his worke shall be And that other followes at the back of it Bring hither those mine enemies that would not that I should raigne over them and slay them before me 4 We have closely coucht in this Psalme some signes of the coming of Christ as The Apostacy and falling away of many as appears by what followes and the abounding of iniquity upon which the love of many shall wax cold for certainly iniquity must very much abound when such persons as these Rulers are who they be and what they are will be made manifest by and by shall take counsell together to break the bands of the Lord and his anointed and cast their cords from them Which manifests that the love they once made shew of is very cold indeed 5 Here 's a time spoken of wherein Christ shall deale with the Kings and Rulers of the earth concerning the matters of his Kingdome and provoke them to give place to him whose right it is All the day long he had been dealing with men promiscuously but now he is taking to himselfe his great power the father hath given him he deales in a speciall and more then ordinary manner with the Kings and Rulers of the earth Lastly This Psalme seems by the stile of it to present to us Gods coming to judge the world God coming downe to view the works of mens hands as he did to Sodome to see what men did there and beholding the abominable wickednesses of men he asks the reason of it why it is so and finding none to give an account no Advocate to plead their cause his Son not appearing for them he breaks forth into wrath and fury against the world resolves to delay no longer but to execute the Decree performe his Promise to his Son and powre downe his judgements upon the world Sitting on his Throne he laughs at them hath them in derision speaks to them in wrath and vexes them in his sore displeasure Whosoever doth seriously ponder and weigh these Reasons I conceive will see cause to believe it for a Truth That this Prophesie takes in all that space of time between Christs first and second coming But in the second place There is some speciall particle of time pointed out unto us by that significant THEN in the fifth verse THEN shall he speake unto them in his wrath and vex them in his sore displeasure THEN when The holy Ghost affords us by the favourable Aspect of this THEN many Characters to guide us into a competent knowledge of that dismall time THEN may have respect unto the heathenish rage and vaine imaginations of the first company of enemies and it signifies thus much that when the rage of the one and folly of the other came to the full THEN God would judge them and truly at that time God put the old Dragon to his shifts he had been quite extinct and put beside his Kingdome had he not evaded it by giving his power to the Beast Antichrist and being contented to raigne by his substitute the man of sin but in a speciall and peculiar manner this remarkable THEN hath respect unto the last of those counterfeits that would be esteemed Gods Deputies yet are in truth Satans Instruments against the Lord and his anointed So that 1 THEN when the RVLERS take counsell together RVLERS men that are neither of the number of the Heathen nor of the Kings of the earth but a more refined sort of men such as would be accounted Judges as at the first and counsellours as at the beginning RVLERS not of the earth no that is not exprest onely there are Kings of the earth but these counsellors are RVLERS of what surely it 's but genuine to say they would be accounted Rulers of the Lords people But Christ when he comes to deale with them in the tenth verse saith they are of the earth as well as the Kings Judges of the EARTH He discovers their hidden works of darknesse and makes them appear in their true colours Thus much I conceive is signified to us by this that though when Christ comes to speak to them he calls them as indeed they are Judges of the earth yet here they are termed onely Rulers and that in opposition to the Kings of the earth that is such as they termed themselves and would be esteemed RVLERS Counsellors No Heathenish Emperors nor Popish Kings but refined Rulers here 's Satan transformed into an Angel of light The Heathens cannot prevaile and the Kings of the earth doe not prosper thus Satan being put to his last shift turnes Saint in shew sets up his Rulers that have neither the violent rage of the Heathen nor the open prophanesse of the Kings but the soft hand of profession to become nursing fathers and nursing mothers to the Church of Christ as appears by what followes even while they are taking counsell together against the Lord and his anointed For They are RVLERS that having cut off some of the Kings of the earth Rule in their stead which is necessarily imply'd in the Text for we know that the Kings of the earth those that committed fornication with the Beast and gave their power to her Rev. 17.2.17 ruled over the whole world that part which is called the Christian world in which this contest is betweene Christ and his enemies yet at last steps up some Rulers and they get Dominion among the Kings for it 's clear by the Order of the words in the Text these Rule and take counsell while the rest of the Kings are setting themselves against the Lord and his anointed which could not be if these Rulers had not destroyed some of the Kings ruling in their stead otherwise there would be no place for them the Kings of the earth having all the Christian world under their Dominion it 's no way reasonable to conceive that those who love their Crownes so well would willingly give their glory to others And why may we not say that these Rulers get their Dominion by fighting the Lambs
let them goe forth Though these three men Noah Daniel and Job were in it they should deliver but their owne soules by their righteousnesse saith the Lord God And now it 's come into the same predicament againe the world hath run its round and is gotten into a like posture it was in when a flood of wrath overwhelmed it What a sad condition is this world now in It 's tottering and there 's none to underprop it it 's sinking and there 's none to uphold it The wrath of God is hovering over it ready to fall upon it and there 's none to plead to undertake for it Surely the world is beholding to the intercession of Christ for its standing and now that ceases the foundations thereof are out of course and it 's falling The day of the Lord is coming upon it as a Theef in the night wherein the Heavens shall flee away as a scrowle the Elements shall melt with fervent heat and the earth with the workes therein shall be burnt up The second part of our work is To search into the worke to be done in this remarkable time Here is the work of the father and of the Son 1 The work of the father which is two-fold A worke of wrath to his enemies which is amplified by a double expression speaking in wrath and vexing them in his sore displeasure And secondly A work of love and faithfullnesse to his Son Then shall he speake unto them in his wrath God speaks to men in divers manners by the voyce of his providences the voyce of his mercies the voyce of his rod and the voyce of his judgements and when God speaks by all in wrath his providences blinding their eyes his mercies hardening their hearts his rod driving them from him and as the fruit of the former his judgements cease upon them here 's a dreadfull day of wrath indeed now God speaks to them in wrath But his hath speciall relation to the voyce of his ward for what doth he peak to them in wrath The Text tells us Yet have I set my King upon my holy hill of Syon the Gospel of the Kingdome And that must needs be a day of wrath and terrors indeed when that word which was wont to be a word of salvation a word of love and good will shall now be a word of wrath in wrath O sad God speaks his word in wrath to a people 1 When it hath contrary effects upon them a savour of death unto death instead of a savour of life unto life As in Isa 6.9 10 11 12. This Evangelicall Prophet Esay must make the hearts of this people fat their eares heavy and shut their eyes and that by speaking such gracious words unto them as he doth throughout his whole Prophesie Certainly this is none other but the wrath of God upon a wanton and backsliding people 2 When God layes stumbling-blocks before a people that they receive not nor hearken to the word but stumble and fall upon it and perish according to that in Jer. 6.21 Therefore thus saith the Lord behold I will lay stumbling-blocks before this people and the fathers and the sons together shall fall upon them The neighbour and his friend shall perish This also is none other but the wrath of God upon a stubborne rebellious people They had said they would not heare and saith God let it be so they shall not heare he throwes stumbling-blocks in their way least they should follow the voyce of his word and he should blesse them Yet these stumbling-blocks are not such as in the least extenuate or lessen their iniquity by giving them good and right ground to plead a necessity for their doings but such as men make to themselves True God layes stumbling-blocks before them yet it's themselves that make those so to them they are not so to a sanctified heart he by the wing of faith can fly over them but to an earthy lump of clay whose eye is fixed upon no higher than a carnall and worldly glory As 1 Gods making use of obscure mean foolish instruments in the worlds eye to publish his word and Decree to the world He hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise the weake to confound those which are mighty and the base and despised things of the world and things that are not to bring to nought things that are that no flesh should glory in his presence This hath been his course all along since the world began none must deliver his people from a devouring famine but a despised Joseph The Message of rebuke and threatning judgement to a Prince in Israel good old Ely must be sent by Samuel a weak Child unskilfull in the word of Prophesie And as if none of the Princes and Royall blood could be moulded after Gods owne heart he must take David from the sheepfold and make him a mean shepheard Governour over and a deliverer of his chosen people And who are his Heralds to proclaime the Gospel of the Kingdome but a company of poore despicable Fishermen He leaves the wise and learned Rabbies Scribes and holy Pharisees of the times and chooseth the fooles of the world makes them prevalent to pull downe Principalities powers and strong holds and they shall one day prevaile to the trampling their enemies under their feet as the mire in the streets Thus out of the mouths of Babes and sucklings he ordaining strength perfecting his praise the spirituall man can discerne the glory of it his heart will admire and adore it But the men of this world they take offence stumble and fall to the perishing of their soules What! will God forsake our wise and holy men that excell in most excellent virtues and speak by such Idiots rash fooles vainebablers and mad men as they are No they cannot they will not believe it If Peter and his brethren be filled with the holy Ghost they are drunken If Paul speak of the true God he is a vaine-babler and reason of Temperance and Judgement to come much learning hath made him mad This is the sence and judgement of the world 2 The infirmities of his Messengers their not walking up fully to their profession of the glorious Gospel nor so exactly as they ought by the line of the word of truth in their mouth Now the men of this world drawing the line of their judgement from a wrong point they think those mens Principles nought and hypocrittically rotten the word of truth in their mouth an errour a delusion a lye not remembring the best of men must have their graines of allowance Here they take offence stumble and fall rising up with their backs towards the truth This God permits in judgement and wrath to the world that they may stumble and fall and perish 3 The manner of delivering the word of truth in this day of wrath is a great stumbling-block to the world God speaks to them in wrath he was wont to speak in
hath been already proved God will not permit them to act their Counsells but while they are in Counsell he will speak to them in his wrath Now Counsell being a close-cabinet act though day may be discerned through a little cranny yet it 's a hard work at present to prove it clearly to the understandings of others but when they come to this height have brought their Counsells as they think ready to put in execution crying out for action LET VS c. then this will appear to be a truth to those that will not believe it now and those who now are counted the fooles uncharitable rash spirits of the Times will be found guided by a spirit of wisedome and truth 2 That these Rulers not being tyed up by Satan or their owne consciences and principles to any Rules of practice all is left to their wisedome and counsell they will act suitable to the present interest of their state and condition Their bounds in that respect are larger to range in then ever any of the worlds Rulers had given them before they will turne themselves into any shape or form to please men to keep them within the bounds of their Rule and Dominion all this and much more is couched under that significant COVNSELL in the first Verse of the Psalme they are well skill'd in the turnings and windings of the wylie Serpent which practice of theirs makes things so dubious and hardly discernable by the understandings of men 3 The present actings of these Rulers against some of the most endeared servants of our Lord Jesus signifies not a little to us concerning this matter Consider seriously for it concernes us not a little â—o to doe the true ground and reason of their so unworthy dealings with and rough sinfull handling of them It weighs nothing that these Rulers put an ugly Vizzard on their face representing them to the world as cloven-footed Devils evill doers for this hath been the course of Sarans instruments ever since the world began thereby to deprâ—sse the truth that their falshood and error might take place Herein these Rulers resemble their predecessors the Heathens and Kings of the earth for which they shall together with them and their Companions be called to account ere long when things will appear as indeed and in truth they are not as these Rulers would now have them I say let our hearts ponder the true reason of present actings and we shall be sensible of the truth of the Assertion 4 Let us consider daily and make a narrow and thorow search into the actions of these Rulers with the naturall tendency of them and get a Serpents wisedome with the innoceny of the Dove and we shall not need that any man should teach us in this matter I shall close up this discourse with one word to the Saints the followers of the Lamb in these evill dayes To you the followers of your dear Lord Jesus in this evill day of Apostacy You have here something set before you of your work God the father hath commanded you to doe and your Lord the Son expects should be done by you for him in this your day also the Qualifications hinted at that will enable you to performe this work according to the will and mind of your God and father Further you have it also hinted to you that you are already entred into the confines of the work of this day the Lord hath drawne over you to the view of the world if they shut their eyes and will not see the greater will their condemnation be an Emblem of that strange and glorious work he is now about to performe and bring to passe in the world The waters of this Sanctuary are risen almost to your ankles Now give me leave to exhort you the bosome friends of our Lord Jesus Follow your Leader the spirit of your Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ passe through and through the waters of the Sanctuary that they may not onely wash you to your ankles and knees but to your loynes all over stay not your course till you come to the unpassable overflowings of the spirit that you cannot passe till you are taught to swim in that River of God or after the example of your Lord to walk upon those holy waters doing the will of your God and father and keep in the way of the promise and these things also shall be given you Consider your worke and get an exact and distinct knowledge of that work your Lord and Master hath cut out for you to doe in this day of his Controversie with the world and its professing Rulers and mind the Qualifications ordained to be bestowed upon you to enable you to performe that great work to the praise and glory of grace Let me who am lesse then the least of all Saints yet let me beg of you these few things 1 Flee all flashinesse and flagings of spirit let not the predominancy of such infirmities over you give the world occasion to conceit the sword of the Lord in your mouths and hands signifies but a vaine flourish is grounded on nothing but the airey fancies of men but by a holy and steady perseverance in taking up your Crosse dayly and following your Lord give the world good ground to fear that it 's the sword of the great God wherewith he will plead with all flesh and the rod of his mouth wherewith he will smite the earth and the breath of his lips wherewith he will slay the wicked Isa 11.4 Having put your hand to the Plow look not back having entred into the work make not the least retreat now you are running out of her over whom the Lords judgements and wrath are impending which he will put in execution ere long let not your hearts backslide Remember Lots wife least you also be turned into pillars of salt made a savoury example of the judgement and wrath of the great and jealous God to work in those that shall come after you a savoury spirit fit for the work you perish from 2 Get clear of this world make a seasonable and timely retreat into your Chambers Gods hiding place into the clefts of the Rock that you may be hid from the wrath of God which is coming upon the world Behold the spirit of God himselfe makes this Exhortation to you Isa 26.20 21. Come my people enter thou into thy Chambers and shut thy doores about thee hide thy selfe as it were for a little moment untill the indignation be overpast For behold the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity the earth also shall disclose her blood and shall no more cover her slaine The Lord having told us what great changes and destructions he will bring upon the earth gives us in these two verses a loving invitation with prevalent Motives to hide our selves while that his great wrath be over-past I say Get clear of this world our Lord tells us It 's
should seek it with teares they shall find no place for it they shall hear this voyce no more but another Depart from me yee workers of iniquity I know you not after this voyce ceases there remaines nothing but a fearfull looking for of Judgement Therefore it highly concernes the whole world with their Kings and Rulers to be cautious how they stop their eares against this wise Charmers charming surely if they doe what horrors what terrors what a massie weight of wrath of the Almighty God! what unexpressible misery will be our portion for ever How unconceivably unsufferably tormenting all our long day of eternity will the recounting over all those opportunities and especially this we have had to make our peace with the jealous God and to get Christ to be our friend by an easie submision to him upon his owne tearms be This will be no small Worme gnawing our consciences to all eternity 12 It 's worthy our Observation That notwithstanding those symptomes of wrath and displeasure that appear here and there throughout the Exhortation Yet our Lord will have it end full of grace and love with a Promise full of blessednesse Though this Exhortation be made in a day of wrath and accompanied with wrath yet at evening time it shall be light the close of this day shall be with a very clear Gospel demonstration of the good will of God unto the soules of men so that if they hearken not unto him now they shall for ever after hold their peace be left without the least excuse not have a piece of a word to say for themselves although the wrath of God break forth upon them perishing and destroying their soules with eternall death The great Correspondency this Interpretation holds with other Scriptures that have relation to our times Now it remaines that I should doe these two things 1 Shew that great correspondency this Scripture with the Interpretation given of it holdeth with other Propheticall Scriptures that have speciall relation to these last dayes 2 Give my opinion and judgement according to the light the father of lights hath given to me where abouts we in this our day are that we may consider and know our work God expects at our hands For the first This Psalme according to the following comparison is contemporary with the 14th of the Revelation Psalme 2. From Vers 6. to the end Revelation 14. From Vers 1. to Vers 8. YEt have I set mine anointed upon Sion the hill of my holinesse as the Margent hath it I will declare the Decree the Lord hath said unto me Thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee Aske of me and I shall give thee the Heathen for thy inheritance and the utmost parts of the earth for thy possession Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potters vessell ANd I looked and loe a Lamb stood on the Mount Sion and with an hundred forty-foure thousand having his fathers name written in their foreheads And I heard a voyce from heaven as the voyce of many waters and as the voyce of a great thunder And I heard the voyce of Harpers harping with their Harps And they sung as it were a new song before the Throne and before the foure Beasts and the Elders and no man could learne that song but the one hundred forty-foure thousand which were redeemed from the earth these are they which were not defiled with women for they are Virgins These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth These were redeemed from among men being the first fruits unto God and to the Lamb and in their mouth was found no guile for they are without fault before the Throne of God Be wise now therefore O yee Kings be instructed yee Judges of the earth serve the Lord with feare and rejoyce with trembling Kisse the Son least he be angry and yee perish from the way when his wrath is kindled but a little blessed are all they that put their trust in him And I saw another Angel fly in the midst of heaven having the everlasting Gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth and to every Nation and Kindred and Tongue and People Saying with a loud voyce Feare God and give glory to him for the houre of his judgement is come and worship him that made heaven and earth and the Sea and the fountaines of waters In the Psalme the Holy Ghost shewes us the spetiall and peculiar posture the Son of God shall stand in at that Time upon Sion the hill of Gods Holinesse with the work he will then doe in his Sion Declare the Decree to them In the Revelation the same Spirit tells us the particular qualifications of this hill of Holinesse on which the father hath set his Son with the work the one hundred forty-foure thousand being so qualified fall to among themselves after the example of their Lord they sing a new song Againe In the Psalme the spirit of God describes the Preaching of the Gospel of the Kingdome in a speciall and peculiar manner to the Kings and Rulers of the earth In the Revelation the Holy Ghost deciphers to us the Preaching of the same Gospel in relation to the whole world in generall The Exhortation to the Kings and Rulers and the Gospel Preached to them that dwell on the earth is one and the same These two Scriptures thus compared together are an exact Comment upon each other The Psalme closes with an Exhortation the preaching this Everlasting Gospel This 14th of the Revelation goes on she wes us the work the Son doth being seated on Syon having his 144000 about him after he hath declared his fathers Decree after the everlasting Gospel is preached he destroyes Babilon layes that proud and lofty one in the dust pronounces them cursed and subjects of his fathers eternall wrath that worship the Beast and his Image and receive his Mark in their forehead and hand blesses them according to the last clause in the Psalme that dye in the Lord Yea proceeds to shew us his compleating Acts his Reaping the harvest and Treading the Wine-presse of his fathers wrath Now if any should be desirous to know further of the Time when God will set his King upon Sion the hill of his holinesse and when the Lamb will stand on Mount Sion with his 144000 about him I judge the father will doe that for his Son in that space of Time between the powring out of the third and fourth Vialls and the declaration of the Decree with the Exhortation annexed and the preaching the Everlasting Gospel will end if not before yet with the finishing Time of the fourth Viall My Reason is Because The declaration of the Decree with the Exhortation to the Kings and Judges of the earth is the product of the Sons being set on Sion as King and the preaching the Everlasting Gospel is the fruit of the Lambs standing on Mount Sion with his
A BRIEF EXPOSITION VPON THE SECOND PSALME Wherein wee have That Time Modestly pointed at by the favourable direction of that significant THEN in the 5th v. in which the Father will in Wrath to the professing refined RULERS of the World Set His SONNE on SION AND A Description of the work the Son then performeth both by his Spirit and his Mysticall Body With usefull Observations thereupon Tending to clear up the scope of the whole Psalme With Application to our Times By WILLAM LLANVAEDONON of P. H. C. Repent yee for the Kingdome of Henven is at hand Mat. 3.2 But the Saints of the most High shall TAKE the Kingdome and POSESSE the Kingdome for ever even for ever and ever Dan. 7.18 LONDON Printed for Livewell Chapman at the Crowne in Popes-head-Alley 1655. THE AUTHOR TO THE READER THERE is a Time wherein God will speak to the Rulers of the World the professing Rulers the Rulers in Jerusalem by a vers 11. A STAMMERING LIPP a stuttering tongue in the 28th of Esay in such a manner as though this stammering lipp tell them b vers 12. This is the Rest wherewith yee may cause the weary to rest and this is the refreshing though it shew them the way to attaine a sure and certaine Rest to settle themselves upon an everlasting foundation yet c vers 12. They will not heare God withdrawes from them that notwithstanding his word hath been d vers 13. Precept upon precept and line upon line it 's now but here a little and there a little among them But although the word of God come forth into the world at this time in such a stammering weak posture that it 's despised and set at nought by the Rulers of the world those e vers 14. Scornfull men yet it 's the Power of God the breath of this STAMMERING LIPP smites these Scorners to the earth Behold what a Sermon of Terrors this stuttering tongue preacheth to these Rulers in Jerusalem from the 14 to the 23 Verse These Rulers are pleasing and hugging themselves in their owne wayes with their Covenants and Agreements Associations of Peace as the most safe and unerring way to their settlement Say they f vers 15. We have made a Covenant with death our strongest enemies and with hell the torment of a conquered condition are we at agreement that shall never befall us When the overflowing scourge shall passe through it shall not come unto us for we have made lyes high pretences for God and his glory for the welfare and peace of Jerusalem our refuge and under falshood have we hid our selves As confident as these Rulers seem to be yet this weak stammering lipp overcomes them conquers them g vers 18 19 20. Your Covenant with death shall be disanull'd and your agreement with hell shall not stand the overflowing scourge shall overftow and tread you downe it shall be a vexation to you to understand the report the bed is shorter than that a man can stretch himselfe in it and the covering narrower than he can rap himselfe in it And the Lord shall doe this by laying in h vers 16. Sion for a foundation a stone a tryed stone a pretious corner stone a sure foundation Laying i vers 17. Judgement to the line and righteousnesse to the plumet Sending a showre of haile to sweep away the refuge of lyes and causing the waters to overflow the hiding place All your fine pretences and curious slights of wisedome those garnisht coverings under which you hide your evill intentions from the eyes of men are now too narrow to hide you you are discovered thus your bed is become too short for you those faire and spetious designs of yours which you thought would prove as a bed of Downe whereon you might rest your weary bones are become too short that it 's a become a sufficient vexation to you to understand the report the wisedome of God in this STAMMERING LIPP is got beyond you to your great regret and misery and least these men should in their hearts make it an impossibility these things should be brought to passe saith the same stammering lipp k vers 21 22. The Lord stall rise up as in Mount Perazim he shall be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon that he may doe his work his strange worke and bring to passe his act his strange act And now therefore be ye not Mockers lest your bands be made strong for I have heard from the Lord of Hosts a consumption even determined upon the whole earth This Message God sends to these Rulers by a stammering lipp here a little and there a little l vers 13. that they may goe and fall backward and be broken and snared and taken There 's no way to avoyd this judgement of the wrath of God but by listening to these stammerings of the lipp spelling the mind of God out of them bending our hearts to a conformity to it And now Courteous Reader all my ambition is that these few Meditations I here present thee with may prove a piece of that stammering lipp by which God speaks to the world Surely I can promse thee no more than a company of stammerings O that our Lord Jesus would cause something of his fathers mind to be spell'd out of them that some glory may redound to his holy name then shall I have my aime and I shall possesse a dram of that joy which none can be able to deprive me of Neither despise nor reject them because they are but stammerings for you see by the fore-mentioned Scripture the Lord in wrath to the worlds pretending Rulers chooseth a stammering lipp to speak forth his mind to the world so that if we would in such a day as the Prophet makes mention of be acquainted with the will of our God we must sit downe under the Oratory of that stuttering tongue therefore how greatly doth it concern us to search and try every thing and hold fast that which is good I might have enlarged abundantly throughout the whole of this work but upon severall considerations I have chosen rather to hint and point at things as well as I could than to dilate upon them The good Lord water what hath been done with his rich blessing and then a fruitfull crop of honour to our dear Lord King Jesus will spring forth The God and Father of our Lord grant it Farewell MEDITATIONS On the SECOND PSALME THE Psalmist David that sweet Singer of Israel was a man after Gods owne heart as is elswhere testified of him and God knowing that he would make such an improvement of the discoveries of what he would doe in the world as would be very suitable to the heart of God according as he dealt with his Father Abraham of old and to his Promise he keeps not his secrets from him but reveales to him things to come what he would doe in the last dayes a Conference between the
and his anointed shall have their due and their right And to CAST AWAY THEIR CORDS what though these cords be the most righteous holy and wholesome Lawes of the great Jehovah that will blesse those with the greatest happinesse that live in unfeigned obedience to them that the Lord and his anointed would impose on them for their owne good and salvation they will none of them but take counsell to cast them away scorning and deriding them as a burden too heavy for man to bear a yoke not fit for the neck of such a free Creature as man is Breake their bands and cast away their cords that they may have no power over them that they may be their subjects and not their Lords that they may not intrench upon their Dominion nor deprive them of their worldly enjoyments 6 THEN when they TAKE COVNCELL Before they proceed to act when upon consultation they are ready to goe forth in all their might crying LET VS breake their bands c. Then God will arise and shew himselfe he will not suffer them to act their counsels least they prevaile but while they are in counsell he will take them to task and let them find he can in wrath tumble them into those pits and snares they have digged for others 7 THEN when the Kings of the earth set themselves and the Rulers take counsell together against the Lord and his anointed The order of the words in that the Holy Ghost brings in the Kings setting themselves and the Rulers taking counsell together before he tells us against whom seems to me to be of sufficient force to perswade us that here is a hint given us by the Holy Ghost of another confederacy that there shall be some agreement between the remaining Kings of the earth or at least some of them and these Rulers against the Lord and his anointed and then will God arise bear with them no longer but speak to them in his wrath Lastly THEN when their Counsells shall be guilty of such a degree of Apostacy as moves God to laugh at them when they set at naught the counsell and reproof of God which surely is contain'd in those bands and cords they reject then will God deale with them in that dreadfull manner mentioned Prov. 1.24 ult Because I have called and ye refused I have stretched out my hand and no man regardded But ye have set at nought all my counsell and would none of my reproof I also will laugh at your calamity I will mock when your feare cometh When your feare cometh as desolation and your destruction cometh as a whirlewind when distresse and anguish cometh upon you Then shall they call upon me but I will not answer they shall seeke me early but they shall not find me For that they hated knowledge and did not chuse the feare of the Lord they would none of my counsell they despised all my reproofe Therefore shall they eate of the fruit of their owne way and be filled with their owne devises for the turning away of the simple shall slay them and the prosperity of fooles shall destroy them And when the abomination of their counsells come to that height that God shall have them in derision which is somewhat more then to laugh It may possibly be that a man may laugh at one and that in anger too whom he yet loves but to laugh with derision argues perfect hatred When their counsells and doings against the Lord thus provoke the eyes of his glory THEN shall be speake to them in his wrath and vex them in his sore displeasure And if we would know when God will thus laugh at them and have them in derision The answer is plaine in the Text he will doe it upon their taking counsel to break their bands asunder and to cast away their cords from them when the cry is Let us breake their bands asunder and cast away their cords from us He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh the Lord shall have them in derision Thus we see what a multitude of plaine Characters the Holy Ghost hath given of that time wherein God will come upon the world and doe such great things for his Son who he hath made Lord and set at his right hand and his anointed ones When we see these Characters written on the foreheads of the high ones of the earth then we may safely say without haesitation That God will suddenly come in wrath and fury take their Dominion away and give it to that rejected corner stone whose right it is to raigne Let us now make a stand and by a serious review see what may be observed as a beneficiall Lesson for us to learne 1 That in these latter dispensations men may fill up the measure of their iniquity and bring judgement upon their Generation by a bare taking counsell against the Lord and his anointed When the Rulers take counsell together then God will speake unto them in wrath 2 How Great matter of Comfort is it to the people of God the followers of the Lamb that their father is so far from suffering their enemies to prevaile against them in these last dayes that All that ever they can doe cannot prevaile to breake one band asunder that is so as to free themselves from it to settle themselves upon another foundation but while they are taking counsell together God comes and gives them the rout let 's them heare his mighty voyce in wrath that they run to the holes of the rock and cry to the mountaines and to the hills to hide them from the tempest of his fury He will take the crafty in their owne snares though they take counsell to draw the Lords people into their snares and to throw them into the pits they have digged yet shall they not be able to bring it to passe but they themselves shall be taken with and fall into them then the scourge shall teach them Nebuchadnezzar's lesson That the most high rules in the Kingdomes of men In former times his long-sufferance was much he lets them goe on to rage and madnesse to open and bold yea and prevalent acting setting themselves against them but now his patience will waite no longer he will deale with them before they are well warme in their counsells He will cut the worke short in righteousnesse because a short worke will the Lord make upon the earth those dayes shall be shortned for the Elect's sake 3 What a darke and distracting day is this day When such men as these Rulers have appear'd to be having followed the Lamb so far to the cutting off some of the Kings of the earth and proclaiming the Lord to be King made his cords his Lawes to become their bands binding themselves with them as hath been open'd at large when such men shall now turne head and deale subtilly with the Lord and his anointed taking counsell against them What a darke day of Apostacy is this day The Dragon is able to
against him and shall you prosper in your Apostacies and rebellions against him I would not bear with their superstition and shall I now connive at your hypocrisies Shall I suffer and permit you to keep the Kingdome from him and to interrupt the performance of my Promises No know I speak it to you in my wrath Yet have I set my King upon my holy hill of Sion 3 Because it will destroy all their Idols deprive them of all their dear enjoyments their powers with their pomp and glory to which their heart cleaves so close this sword of Christs mouth will smite them all their Idols of gold and their Idols of silver and their Idols of honour c. all these will it consume And their Kingdomes must become the Kg domes of the Lords Christ and all their Dominion and the greatnesse the glory of it shall be given to the Saints of the most high those whom they have trampled upon and to whom they have been so barbarously ungratefull These things trouble and vex these Rulers that they gnaw their tongues for anguish and paine And surely this is a day of great wrath indeed as when two Kings and both strong are striving for a Crowne it 's likely to be a day of great wrath a bloody day So this day for behold what a feast will God make on this day For the Fowles that flye in the midst of heaven the flesh of Kings the flesh of Captaines and mighty men the flesh of Horses and of them that sit on them the flesh of all men both free and bond both small and great We may conclude from these things 1 It 's not unsuitable to a Gospel spirit to denounce the wrath of God against Rulers for their Apostacies and abhominable hypocrisies yea and to deale particularly with them laying the finger on the sore pointing out the Abominations by name denouncing the vengeance of God upon them For we see here how particularly God characteriseth these Rulers laying open all their abominations speaking to them in wrath And surely this also as the rest of the Scripture is written for our instruction 2 It 's no wonder that the Rulers of the world are troubled at and moved against the Gospel of the Kingdome for here God saith He will speak it to them in wrath and vex them with it in his sore displeasure 3 It 's not so much the infirmities of the Saints accompanying the delivery of their message to the world or any other circumstance about it that troubles and vexes the Rulers let them pretend what they will as the doctrine it selfe when it 's rightly asserted and thorowly opened as that which is at hand and ought to be submitted to without delay O! how doth it trouble and vex them to heare of the coming of King Jesus to depose them of their usurpations and take the Kingdome to himselfe If it troubled Herod and all Jerusalem with him when they heard of this Kings first coming meek and lowly how then think we will it not much more trouble the Kings and Rulers of the earth to hear of his second coming in power and the glory of his Sion It cannot be otherwise for God saith he will trouble and vex them with an I have set my King upon my holy hill of Sion 4 When the Rulers come to this height of ungratefull wickednesse to take counsell against the Lord and his anointed to break their bands asunder and cast away their cords from them THEN is the time of Gdos wrath come to that Generation he will speake to them in wrath and vex them in his sore displeasure 5 That before such time as God enters into judgement with the rest of the Kings of the earth and that Whore mystery Babylon the great whom they uphold God Judges these Rulers he speaks to them in wrath to them in particular to them that Take counsell against the Lord and his anointed For the Lord shall rise up as in mount Perazim he shall be wroth as in the Valley of Gibeon that he may doe his worke his strange worke and bring to passe his act his strange act Awake awake put on strength O arme of the Lord awake as in the ancient dayes in the Generations of old 2 Here 's the work of Gods love and faithfulnesse to his Son in these words Yet have I set my King upon Sion the hill of my holinesse as it is in the margent of the Bible YET have I c. As if God had said Notwithstanding your taking counsell against him and his anointed and that you have so far proceeded managing your businesse so wisely to the very heighth and depth of wisedome as to make your selves formidable in your owne eyes thinking you have gotten strength and power sufficient to put your counsels in practice crying Let us breake their bands asunder and cast away their cords from us yet have I set my King upon Sion the hill of my holinesse Though you take counsell against him to make the way to his Kingdome as thorny difficult and perillous as you can though you be so ungratefull and unfaithfull to forsake and take counsell against him and his yet will not I be so to my beloved Son YET have I set my King upon Sion the hill of my holinesse Yet have I set MY KING Though these Rulers will not make him a King yet God will My King though they reject him would breake his bands and cast away his cords that he might not raigne over them yet God hath made him a King and given him a Kingdome He it is who must goe forth conquering and to conquer destroying all his enemies breaking them to pieces like a Potters vessel plucking up every plant that his father hath not planted throwing downe all those superstructures that are not of his owne building creating new Heavens and a new Earth A New Creation making it a suitable purchase to the unvaluable price of his blood clothing it with his glory that it may be a fit present for his father at the appointed time Yet have I set my King upon SION That is the Church of Christ by Sion is meant the Church throughout the whole Scripture that I suppose is granted by all therefore I need not enlarge upon it Yet have I set my King upon Sion the HILL of my holinesse Why a hill A hill is a place of great advantage on which if an Army be encamped it may be an impossible thing for the enemy to dislodge them So God here sets his King upon his Hill his Church a place of such advantage that God doth if I may so expresse it even vaunt it over these Rulers that he hath notwithstanding their oppositions policies stratagems and wisedome set his King upon his hill where he is a naile fastened in a sure place on which all the vessels may hang secure and safe such a place as his being fixt there frustrates all their designes undoes all their contrivements and
not be numbred among the Kings of the earth but present your selves to the world as Rulers your Authority and Government to be of my fathers appointment and according to his will yet be instructed in this know this that you and your inventions are of the earth earthy though you will not be Kings of the earth yet you are Judges of the earth though the most refined yet still but earth you your wayes and inventions are not of nor from heaven but of and from the earth Be instructed ye Judges of the earth in the wisedome of God in the service worship and out-goings of God in this your day you have been cunning and wise Counsellors for your selves and in your own wayes and concernments be ye now instructed become as wise and knowing in the ways and concernments of God and his Son in this your day Be wise ye Kings and be instructed ye Judges of the earth hearken unto me or you perish from the way of life and blessednesse and goe into eternall death and misery 2. To worship the true God and him onely Serve the Lord with fear and rejoyce with trembling Here 's both service done to God and rejoycing in God and they are exhorted to mix the one with fear and to mingle trembling with the other and then they will be in the way of the Promise Isa 66.2 To this man will I looke even to him that is poore and of a contrite spirit and trembleth at my word And Psal 112.1 145.191 Mal. 4.2 Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord that delighteth greatly in his Commandements He will full fill the desire of them that feare him he also will heare their cry and will save them But unto you that fear my name shall the Son of righteousnesse arise with healing in his wings and ye shall goe forth and grow up as the Calves of the stall 3 To a hearty submission to the Son in this way the father hath set him giving him that honour and those dues the father hath decreed he shall have KISSE THE SON this kisse gives us to understand the most absolute subjection that is possible not that which is onely of the outward man through fear and inability to resist but that which is from the heart and the fruit of the strongest love grounded upon the best and surest Basis of the highest reason 2 The Lord gives the world severall Motives to provoke them to hearken to his advice and Counsell And they are 1 The Consideration of the Sons anger Kisse the Son least he be angry All the day long hitherto we were exhorted to repentance and submission to the Son from the consideration of his love and tender-heartednesse to sinners but now we are call'd upon with a Least he be angry The day of Gods judging this Generation and putting the Decree in execution the time for the full performance of his Promises to his chosen ones is come and now Christs heart is so full of love to his suffering ones that have been so long trampled upon by the world that he is so intense upon giving out the gifts of his father their Crowne to them that he will not tarry nor waite long but his anger will be kindled and then there followes nothing but woe perishing death And least he be angry it strongly implies that he will be angry and angry to the purpose with all those that will not readily and quickly hearken to him inflicting no lesse punishment upon them than perishing eternall death 2 The Consideration of the sad condition we shall be in if his wrath be kindled but a little and ye perish from the way When his wrath is kindled but a little Here 's a perishing woe now his wrath is kindled and kindled but a little there 's no way but death how dangerous is it to provoke the Son in this day when a little kindling of his wrath will perish our soules How strongly ought this to work upon us to move us to make hast and meet him in the way least his wrath be kindled but a little and he accuse us to the Judge not owning us before his father and our portion be to perish with the hypocrite and unbeliever And perish from the way another piece of the Motive and an aggravation of our sin if we hearken not to it While this Exhortation sounds in our eares we are in the way to happinesse the day of Salvation is not quite spent and gone the night hath not yet totally ceazed upon us but if our dull and stubborne hearts by not closing with his gratious motions kindle his wrath but a little we perish the day of salvation is cut off from us the night of judgement and wrath ceazes upon us and we are undone for eternity 3 A Promise of Blessednesse Blessed are all they that put their trust in him Here 's love indeed Come submit to me put your trust in me and I will blesse you if the consideration of my aptnesse to be angry in this day and how dangerous it is to have my wrath kindled but a little if this will not move you but you rather though unworthily and irrationally count me a hard Master yet let this prevaile with you that you shall get no lesse than blessednesse by trusting in me yea none shall goe without it but all they that trust in me shall be blessed yea and be blessed with the highest blessings with all spirituall blessings in heavenly places yea with blessednesse in the abstract BLESSED are all they that put their trust in me blessednesse it selfe the Fountaine of blessednesse shall be their Portion And now come come and be blessed made really happy if you will not hearken to this I have nothing more to say Blessed are all they that put their trust in him With these words the blessed Lamb of God closes up his mouth and goeth about his fathers work From hence we may Observe 1 That although this Decree be concerning the total Amotion of all the Kingdomes of this world and their being given to the Lord Christ yet it must be declared with abundance of love to the soules of men exhorting all to repentance and submission to the Son that they may be blessed 2 That None are exempted no not the greatest of sinners from the benefit of this Exhortation For our Lord directs his speech chiefly and in the first place to his greatest enemies the Kings and Judges of the earth that set themselves and take counsell together against him and his Be wise O ye Kings be instructed ye Judges of the earth What encouragement is here to all and the greatest of sinners to hearken unto this voyce and come under his healings and they shall be blessed 3 We may here behold The abundant riches of free grace and the immense greatnesse of the love of Christ to sinners That notwithstanding the great and unheard of aggravations of the sins of the Rulers of the world at this