it as all those Worthies have done whom God hath thought fit to register in his Book as men accepted with him Beloved if you please to open your eyes and look abroad into the Kingdome into every corner of it you 'l see lamentable objects every where afflicted creatures of all kindes crying to you that you would reach out a helping and healing hand to them but in nothing so much is the Kingdome desolate this day as in the things that doe properly belong to the Kingdome of Heaven the Faith of Gods people I mean the doctrinall part is woefully overthrowne in many places by blasphemous and hereticall doctrines which are got in and sown through the cunning craftinesse of them that have lien in wait to beguil unstable sâ—â—les the Worship of God is woefully neglected and troden under foot Fast Dayes and Sabbath Dayes in most places not one whit regarded the Ministery not more contemned nor so much under reproach in the hottest persecutions that they have lien under heretofore the Glory of the Lord marvellously abused in point of Religion England is this day an amazement to the Nations round about it to the insulting and rejoycing of all the enemies of it and the mourning and sadding of heart unto all that love it Could you but as in a glasse behold the unsetled case of the Kingdome of Heaven in this Land you would quickly grant there is a great deal of work to be done by those that have any vigorous spirits any bowels in them to rowle towards the helping forward of this great work Now that you may administer a healing hand I shall endeavor to say somewhat that may quicken you up and I beseech you give me leave to lay before you these following considerations eight things I would have you all seriously to think upon to provoke you to be vigorous and violent in advancing the Kingdome of Christ First Certainly there is not onely such a thing as zeal for God but it is a grace of absolute necessity in all the services of God and so lovely that it is the lustre and the varnish the glosle and beauty of all performances unto God that which sets them off with glory in the eyes of God man Gods work requires it every cause which concernes the Kingdome of Heaven must either be done with zeal or meddle not at al with it a lukewarme spirit in the service of God is worse to God then a spirit that will doe nothing hee will spue it out of his Mouth as abominable meate Now then because Religion is a work for God the proper cause of God the cause wherein his glory is most interessed associated with God you must needs doe it with zeale with all vigor and best intention of your spirit Secondly Consider further you all have lifted up your hands to the most high God and that in the day of your distresle you have bound your selves by an Oath of God and you have brought the Kingdome into an Oath of God with you you have sworne that you will willingly cheerfully constantly to the utmost of your power within your callings beat down what is contrary to Religion that you will study the advancement of Reformation according to the Word of God and the pattern of the best reformed Churches this in the day of your distresse you have sworn you have since told the Kingdome you forget it not you have order'd the Ministers oftentimes to read it upon the Fast dayes that it might be in the eyes of all Now I beseech you know that the keeping Covenant with God is a matter of a high concernment and the breaking of your Covenant with man uses not to goe unrevenged but the breaking Covenant with God is a thing will never escape the wrath of God Thirdly Consider that this work of advancing the Kingdome of Heaven is a work that belongs to you I told you before you have sworn to doe it within the compasse of your calling now it is a work within the compasse of your calling it belongs to you the Lord hath not trusted you onely with Civill liberties and to beat down oppression and injustice and outward wickednesse against the second Table in which the Lord make you more zealous but besides this the things of Gods Kingdome are committed to you You shall read if you look into Gods Book all the Worrhies whom God hath taken notice of their Crown glory hath been that they did beat downe Idolatry opposed and suppressed what ever was contrary to Religion built up Gods house set up his Ordinances encouraged his Ministers and for the doing of these things they were approved commended rewarded and such as neglected them were by God blamed branded punished so many examples are extant in the Scripture of the Old Testament that I need not name them and the same is prophesied to be done by Magistrates under the New Testament Kings shall be Nursing Fathers to it and Queenes shall be Nursing Mothers to the Church they shall give it bread milk and provide for it and nourish it and for punishing the oppressors of it there is a Gospell Prophesie in the 13. of Zechariah When any shall prophesie falsly his Father and Mother that begat him shall thrust him through and say Thou shalt not live for thou speakest lies in the name of God Now then since this belongs to your place and work I beseech you for the Lords sake be zealous in it and Fourthly consider As it is for Christ and for his Kingdome so Iesus Christ hath very well deserved at your hands to have you vigorous in his cause hee hath earned it hee is before hand with every soule of you look upon the zeal hee shewed when hee came to doe your work for you how did he bow the heavens and come downe upon the earth and from the throne of glory came and lay first in the wombe of a Virgin and then in swadling bands in a Manger and afterwards lived a poore life and then pray'd and preached and wrought Miracles with indefatigable paines with burning zeal yea gave his life a ransome he gave his soule to the death that hee might be a ransome for you and thereby purchase you to be a people to himself zealous of good warkes hath he not deserved it I and he hath deserved it at your hands in this great work hee hath set you about in this great concussion and earth quake of the Kingdome wherein you have been so farre imployed What mischiefs hath he discover'd which have been contrived against you What seasonable Mercies hath he sent you What unexpected victories hath he given you How hath the Lord made Mountains plain before you and brought you into the condition wherein you are and made you enjoy that which many times I dare say you were past all hope of seeing the Lord then deserves his cause should be thought upon by you Fifthly consider That the setting up of
is lifted up is to morrow trodden down who is now accounted cloquent is presently esteem'd a babe rude or barbarous and all from their ficklenesse the Word and Ministers are the same but the people are changed like sick peoples palate who long for that meat one day which they nauseate the next day or as children who delight in those toyes one day which the next they throw out of the doores The second part of Christs discourse concerning Iohn is A high commendation of Iohn and of his Ministery from three notable arguments First That Iohn was the Prophet that was foretold long before by two emminent Prophets Isaiah Malachi both of them shewing that the Lord would send his messenger before his face and saith Christ if you 'l beleeve it this is he The second is taken from the eminencie of Iohns worke hee did immediatly goe before Jesus Christ as a Noble man that should lead the Prince by the hand and shew him to every one This is he he did not as the other Prophets hold him out in types and shadows and spake of a Messiah that was to come a long time after but as another Christopher did carry Christ upon his shoulders and held him out in his armes that every one that came neer Iohn might see him pointed out to the Lambe of God that took away the sinnes of the world and the clearer any Ministery is in the discovery of Christ the more excellent it is but yet that Christ might set the true bounds to the honour of Iohns Ministery he adds that though of all the Prophets that ever were before him there was none like him yet the least Minister after Christ should have done his worke the meanest Minister of the Gospel had a more excellent Ministery then Iohn the Baptist because the excellencie of a Ministery is in the light that it carries Now Iohns light did farre goe beyond all that went before him but the least Minister of the Kingdome of Heaven after Christs work was done on earth should be able so cleerly to shew forth the life death passion resurrection ascension intercession of Christ sending of the holy Ghost and all those glorious mysteries that children might bee able to understand them and this goes far beyond the Ministery of Iohn the Baptist This is the second Argument whereby Christ magnifies the Ministery of Iohn the third is that that I have chosen for my Text That from the dayes of Iohn the Baptist the Kingdome of Heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force the summe whereof is that from Iohns time there was raised up in all who truely embrac'd the Gospel a servent spirit to pursue and advance the Kingdome of Heaven with all eagernesse no Souldiers are more violent in assaulting and taking astrong hold then Iohns Disciples were in prosecuting the Kingdome of Heaven with all their might when once it was discover'd to them Now all these arguments whereby Christ doth extoll the Ministery of Iohn are intended not onely as so many testimonies of honour to Iohn but are also so many Arguments to prove Jesus Christ to be the true Messiah for whatever proves Iohn to be the Elias that should make his way ready for him the same proves Jesus Christ to be the Saviour that should come unto Gods people and this of my Text as strong and cleare as any other because it was foretold of him that the people should be willing in the day of his power should come in as plentifully as the dew out of the wombe of the morning should flie after him as the Doves to their windowes This is the commendation of Iohn if you would know the fruit of all this what this high encomium of Iohn did work upon the hearers you may read in the 7. of Luke where Vers 29. 30. this same story is recorded and the effect of it is there added which our Evangelist doth omit viz. that when Christ had said these things of Iohn the Publicans and the rest of the people who had before been baptized by Iohn Baptist glorified God were awaken'd and brought to sorrow for their neglect of Iohn and so encouraged to imbrace Jesus Christ whom Iohn pointed out but the Scribes and Pharisees the learned Doctors and others that had despised the Ministery of Iohn did no whit regard the honour that Christ did give to Iohns Ministery and so neither accepted Iohn the forerunner nor Christ the Saviour but rejected the counsell of God against themselves This is the sum of the whole context Our generall observation from this commendation which our Saviour gives to Iohn is that the Lord Iesus is most ready to honour them who abase themselves for his sake Iohn had exceedingly abased himself declaring himself to be but the voyce of a cryer unworthy to unloose the latchet of Christs shooe making himself a footstoole to exalt Christ willing to decrease that Christ might increase and now Christ heaps honour upon Iohn abundantly so that wee may see that such as honour Christ shall be honoured of him and that although honour flie from them who vainely seek it yet it followes them who flie from it But I come to my Text which as you have heard is one branch of that honorable testimony which our Saviour gave to Iohn the Baptist which I shall desire you with me to look upon under a twofold consideration First As they are intended to bee a Crown and an honour to Iohn the Baptist From the dayes of Iohn the Baptist untill now the Kingdome of Heaven suffers violence Secondly and principally Wee will consider these words as they doe containe a description of men who are rightly affected with the kingdome of heaven The Kingdome of Heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force Of the first of these very briefly the meaning I take to bee this This eagernesse and fervency of Spirit in the people is to bee looked upon partly as a fruit of that cleere light which Iohn Baptists Ministery did hold out never any discovered the kingdome of heaven so cleerly as Iohn did and therefore never was there such zeal to presse into the Kingdome of heaven as was in Iohns time Secondly and partly as a conformity to Iohns Spirit Iohn came in the power and Spirit of Elias a man of mettle and zeal that did the work of the Lord with all his might and therefore the people whom his Ministery wrought upon were moulded into Iohns Spirit they were made like unto their Teacher and both these are by our Lord intended as a Crowne to Iohn From the dayes of Iohn the Kingdome of Heaven suffers violence A word or two of each of these Take the zeal and eagernesse of the people after heaven as a fruit of that clear discovery of the Kingdome of heaven by Iohns Ministery and it affords us this excellent lesson That the clearer light any people doe receive
any as means to advance the Kingdome of Heaven hee never conferres a greater glory upon any of his creatures Daniel faith in the 12. of Daniel whether they bee Magistrates or Ministers or private men They that turne many to righteousnesse shall shine like the Stars you know the Stars are the brightest part of the whole Creation they that are meanes to win people to righteousnesse shall shine like Stars Observe also what an honorable name the Lord gives to such in the 58. of the Prophesie of Isaiah Thou shalt be called the repairer of the breach the restorer of paths to walk in the raiser up of the foundations for many Generations intimating that a greater name of glory cannot bee given them There is an excellent story in the sixth Chapter of the Prophesie of Zechariah the Lord appointed that Ioshua the high Priest who was a type of Christ and was then building the Temple and setting up the worship of God should have crownes of Gold and Silver set upon his head typifying thereby the glory that shall bee set upon the head of the Lord Jesus that is the great builder of his Church but in the same Chapter the Lord commanded the Prophet to take of them that are of the captivitic and names Helem and Tobijah and Hen and some others who as some Interpreters think were Ambassadors sent by the rest of the scattered Jewes to bring their oblations active men that came to helpe forward the work of God others thinke they came as private men enflamed with zeale to set a good example unto others and brought their Silver and Gold that they might further the work that was in hand implying thus much that these excellent men to whom God had given a spirit to helpe forward that work and had brought their Silver and Gold and other gifts the Lord would have their gifts turn'd into Crowns and have their names written upon their Crownes and these should be hung up in the Temple of God as an everlasting memoriall of the glory that God put upon these forward men Truly thus doth the Lord deale with all his servants if he give the talents of authority of Magistracy of Ministery of wisedome of wealth or whatever may be usefull to any and they obtaine a heart to employ these to advance the Kingdome of Christ the Lord turnes their talents into crownes and engraves their names upon their crownes and hangs them up as a memoriall before the Lord and this I could shew you out of 100. examples in the Scripture especially of those two sorts of great instruments Magistrates and Ministers that it hath been the greatest glory that ever God put upon any of them that they have bent themselves to advance the Kingdome of Heaven What is the great glory of Moses but that he brought Israel out of bondage and brought them into a covenant with God and gave them statutes and oracles and ordinances What is the glory of Ioshua but that hee did plant Israel in their owne possession and brought them into a covenant and there set them into a way that they served God all his dayes What was the glory of David but that being raised from being a Shepheards boy to bee a King hee did doe good unto Gods people and provided beyond all measure whatsoever might build a Temple for God and set the orders to the Priests and enabled the servants of God to serve him with liberty and cheerfulnesse And what was Solomons but the building Gods house c And so I might go on with Asa and Iehosaphat and Iosiah and Ezrah and Nehemiah all these great Worthies their glory hath been that the Kingdome of God was advanced by them the like of Ministers Iehojada the Priest buried among the Kings because hee had done good to Israel and honored God and his house hee had helped Religion wonderfully forward and Iohn the Bap ist here in my Text it was prophesied of him by the Angel He shall be great in the sight of God Iohn shall be a very great man Alas what was Iohns greatnesse hee was a Priests sonne lived in a kind of Hermits life and went in a leather girdle and eate countrey fare and went in course apparell wherein was his greatnesse It was this many of the hearts of the childen of Israel shall hee turne unto the Lord his God and so Samaria it is Philips crowne and all the countries and cities that Paul wonne to Jesus Christ are so many crownes to him and you shall reade of the Church the woman in the twelfth of the Revelations when she was cloathed with the Sunne that is Christ Jesus her Lord his rightcousnesse was her glorious rayment yet shee had a crowne of 12. Stars upon her head that is the 12. Apostles of Christ that had laboured to bring her to that light and grace these were set upon the Churches head and shee wore them as a crowne Many more instances might bee given but to cleare it a little further consider but these two grounds for it First Who ever are instrumentall in advancing and building up and furthering the Kingdome of Heaven the Lord gives them to partake with himself in that which is his own greatest glory and the greatest glory of his Son the Lord Jesus Christ when Satan had ruin'd mankind and himself become the God upon earth and drawn all men off from God to worship Devils the great designe of God was to set up another Kingdome that should bee called the Kingdome of God the Kingdome of his Christ the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus the Kingdome of Heaven and for the erecting of this Christ did all his work came from Heaven became a man died rose again sent out his Spirit it is the great designe of Heaven that this Kingdome should bee erected and advanced Now when any are found to help forward this they are associated with the Lord Jesus in this great Work and therefore you shall read in the Prophesie of Obadiah the last verse of it where the Lord speakes of winning both the Jews and other Nations home to Christ Saviours shall come upon Mount Zion Saviours shall be there Who are they the Jewish Interpreters say that the Saviours there meant are Rex Messias ejus socii these Saviours are King Messiah and his Companions that should work with him and most interpreters do agree that the Saviours are the Apostles and the Apostolicall men and others that should bring the people homeagain to God and help to convert the Nations the Lord calls them by the name of Saviours and many are said to be fellow-workers with Christ and the Apostle saith of Timothy See that Timoty bee without any molestation with you in the â— of the Cor. 16 for he works the Worke of God as I doe and of Epaphroditus it is said of him that for the Work of Iesus Christ hee was sick unto death the work then that they are imployed in
to build up the Kingdome of Heaven is the same work that God and the Lord Iesus Christ work and can there be a greater glory communicated unto any creature then to bee tooke into association with God in a service that is for his highest glory Secondly as they are associated with God so They make the people to whom they are instrumentall beholding to them for the greatest benefits that people are capable of receiving Seneca saith Nihil in rebus humanis praeclarius quam de republica bene mereri There is nothing in all the affaires of mankinde more honorable then to deserve well of the Common-wealth to be instrumentall of good to others it is the glory of man in all humane societies and you shall find that Tubal-Cain and others that did invent instruments of Brasse and Musick are numbred among those that have done good to the world and Hezekiah hath a Crowne of praise that hee did build a poole and brought water to the Citie of Ierusalem But for a man to be instrumentall to helpe forward the Kingdome of Heaven to advance it to draw people out of the snares of Satan unto God to help them with the pardon of sin and right to everlasting life these are mercies with a witnesse no wonder though the Galatians could have pull'd out their eyes and have given them to Paul when he had been a means to help them to the knowledge of Christ and so to Heaven so that whether you regard the glory of being associated with God or the good that they convey unto others there can be no such honour as to be instrumentall in helping forward the Kingdome of Heaven This Lesson is of excellent use especially to two sorts of men that are or may be publikely instrumentall in it I mean Magistrates and Ministers I am called at the present to speak onely to the first therefore I 'le say nothing of the latter but for you Honourable and beloved that are the Patriots of the Kingdome is it not in your heart to do all the good that is possible to poor England I dare say you are deeply affected with the distresses of it and would not count your lives deare so you might but promote the good of it shall I tell you what that thing is which above all things in the world will be advantagious to England and glorious to your selves lay the cause of the Kingdome of Heaven to your hearts more then ever you have done endeavour to be instrumentall to make Religion thrive and prosper that the Kingdome of Heaven may suffer violence under your service so shall your names bee ingraven with the name of God and numbred among the Saviours of this Land Let me speak freely to you you have contended long and vehemently for rescuing the Kingdome of England from the bondage and pressures that it lay under and that England might be a free people herein you have wrought in the fire and because the cure hath been hard costly woe and alas I must speak it the Patients are weary of it and could rather wish to bee under their old Soares then under such Physitians and are ready to say with the murmuring Israelites Let us make us a Captain and return againe unto Egypt would be againe at their flesh pots and onyons though under bondage your selves doe know how much ingratitude is shewed and all because there is not that event and successe that hath been hoped for but would the Lord make you instrumentall to advance the Kingdome of Heaven really there should never bee found one among those that should partake the benefit of it that would be weary of you but would for ever blesse the Lord for you If the generations to come and future Chronicles may but be able to say From the dayes of such a Parliament the hearts of the people of England were turned to God from the dayes of such a Parliament the Ministery was reformed setled encouraged with countenance with maintenance Vniversities were reformed heresies blasphemies every thing contrary to Christs truth was discountenanced suppressed beaten down and the glory of the Lord Christ was laid to heart might but this bee said of you after all your toyle and blood and after all your being cast down and laden with reproach and scorne your names should revive your glory should be eternall this and the everlasting world would number you among the repairers of the breaches of Gods people and you shall bee called Saviours of the Kingdome of England if the Lord doe but direct you to doe this worke but in the meane time should the Lord leave you that it should bee otherwise that the affaires of Christ should prove retroomnia that the Kingdome being overspread with blasphemies and heresies and the poysoning of the soules of people c. should bee concurrent with your worke and you not endevour to administer the best helping hand you can to it it would bee said of you as Ecclesiasticall writers do of one age since Christ that was overspread with heresies and destitute of worthy men to oppose them it was called Infoelix seculum an unhappy age so would you be accounted Infoelix Parliamentum an unhappy Parliament if this should happen under you and you not indevour to the utmost to redresse it I pray the Lord and it is my prayer when ever I can pray that God would give that glory to you and set that crowne upon your heads that with Ioshua and Zerubbabel and and the rest of those whom God hath counted fit to bee numbred among his Worthies you might make this the great designe that from the dayes of this Parliament the Kingdome Heaven might bee set up and flourish in England and so I have done with the words in the first consideration of them as they are a crowne set upon the head of Iohn the Baptist From the dayes of Iohn the Kingdome of Heaven suffers violence I now proceed to the words as they containe a description of a people really converted and brought home to Christ The Kingdome of Heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force take but the Rhetorick off from these words they signifie no more then that which is said in the 1 of Luke 16. Many of the children of Israel he shall turne to the Lord their God many shall bee converted by him but the holy Ghost expresses it in these Metaphoricall termes because they doe fully set out the true Genius of every soule who is aright instructed of the Kingdome of Heaven In the words there are two things First what the frame of spirit is which possessed the people under Iohns Ministery in these words the Kingdome of Heaven suffers violence Secondly The successe of this frame of spirit the violent take it by force For the first the Kingdome of Heaven suffers violence wherein there are two things to bee interpreted First What is meant by the Kingdome of Heaven Secondly
apprehend and be sensible what our estate is you heare that all who are rightly affected to Heaven doe offer violence to it in all the wayes I have open'd Brethren doe you so say every one for your owne soules doth your conscience witnesse that you offer violence to the Kingdome of Heaven Compare a little what violence you use for other things and what you use to obtaine a part in the Kingdom of Heaven Can you not watch and work and toyle and spend and be spent for some earthly thing or other For your wealth or your pleasure or your honour Doe you not drive like Iehu furiously as if you would break your Chariot wheeles into peeces doe you not thus for the world And doe you thus also for your immortast soules Are you not like David in his old age when no cloths could make him warm are you not like the Egyptians when their Chariet wheeles were taken off when they drove slowly and heavily are you not like Snailes in the pursuit of the things of Gods Kingdom my heart could bleed in the serious thoughts of these things O wretched creatures that wee are that we should thus deceive our selves There is a notable story of a poore wretched woman whose house was on a fire and shee seeing her house would bee burn'd down bestir'd herselfe to the utmost to save what shee could gets out her linnen gets out her pewter and what ever else shee was able and all this while this poore creature had a Babe lying in a Cradle which shee never thought of indeed some others did see it and carry it out but when all was consumed it came into the womans mind O Lord saith shee I have forgot my child I have saved my brasse and my pewter and my child is burnt and fell mad immediately at the apprehension of her desperate neglect of her Babe O beloved we are the Lord knowes no lesse mad here is a poore Tabernacle of ours it is of a light fire here is a World on a fire and a Kingdom on a fire and we have somewhat that wee would all save and one man saith I must have this Money and the other I must save so much Land and another I must save such an Office and saith another I must get such a preferment and in the mean time there is a poore immortall Soule like a Babe in a Cradle and a Kingdome of Heaven that is onely a suitable portion to it this we wholly neglect we doe nothing for it it may be come to Church and hear Sermons and joyne in Prayer and attend upon Duties but with such dull spirits that if a man would aske his soul the question his Conscience would say this is not to strive as for masterie this is not to run in a race this is not to strive as if a man would obtain Miserable that we are the Kingdomes of the Earth suffer violence our Farmes suffer violence our Trade suffers violence but Heaven suffers no violence the Lord forgive us and help us to lay these things to our hearts and to be humbled for them this day and Thirdly yet one thing more What great cause have wee to be humbled when wee look upon that other branch of it the little vigor ánd fervency of Spirit that men have to advance the Kingdome of Heaven in reference to the good of others in other things every good Common-wealths-man is diligent some would advance Trade to the utmost and others would advance Liberty to the utmost indeed all other things men seek to improve them to the utmost but O the little care is found among men to advance the Kingdome of the Lord Iesus Christ to the utmost Many opposing it as a dangerous thing they say of it as Haman of the Jewes It is not for the Kings profit to suffer it and others as Herod seek to strangle it in the Cradle others who will not appeare enemies to it yet O how little will they now doe for it Is it nothing to them that passe by the way to see godliness trod under foot to see Ministers trod down to see Heresies and Blasphemies spread to see all goe backward in the things of Heaven it takes not the hearts of a great many God grant that many of your selves who are our Reformers have not great cause to put your mouths in the dust for these things this day when you are before the Lord our God you know how zealous you have been in your own work if you have had the like affections in advancing the Kingdome of Christ lift up your heads and take the comfort of it this day but if you like that cold Worshipper of Baal Gideons Father who had an Altar for Baal yet when one had it broken down and hee perswaded to punish him that had done that deed answered Let Baal plead for himselfe let him revenge his own quarrell so if you deal for the Kingdom of Christ let it shift for it self If any of you have such a cold heart for Religion and let it goe at six and sevens bee permitted to lie in the dust and be deeply humbled if not I must tel you from the Lord that lie will not onely not delight to use you but hee will spew you out of his mouth for hee had as willingly have a dead Asse offer'd in a Sacrifice to him as a dull Spirit to set upon his work for these things let our soules be humbled this day and that is the first use the second is a use of exhortation in two branches Is the Kingdome of Heaven a businesse of that nature that all who are rightly informed about it will seek it violently eagerly with all their strength O that the Lord would leave that impression upon every one of our soules this day I desire that for the time to come we might make it our onely worke for our selves to worke out our salvation with feare and trembling Would I knew what to say to inflame your hearts about it would the Lord did please to open your eyes and shew you how little the World is worth and how little good is to be found in it and how far below your soules and how much your immorall soules are worth and how excellent a thing the Kingdome of Heaven is that you might be contented with Paul for time to come to make it your work to pursue after it to account all losse to win Iesus Christ doe any thing or be any thing so it bee in the pursuit of the Kingdome of Heaven Much I might say to stir you up but I am afraid I should be burthensome to you and would not be straightned in the last branch of all and therefore I come to An exhortation to this honorable Assembly by whom I am called to be helpefull to this day that in that part of their work which concernes the Kingdome of Heaven they would doe it with all their might labouring to advance
the Kingdome of Heaven the advancing of it is a matter of the greatest concernment unto the whole Kingdome of any thing that ever you can be employed in when you have thought all that lies within your compasse there is nothing of that concernment to the Kingdome as the Kingdome of Heaven is for why you know the greatest part of our well being here upon earth lies in the things of Gods Kingdome and the whole sum of our everlasting well being in Heaven to eternity is wholly to be taken from the Kingdome of Heaven not from any outward things that you can helpe us with and as the things concerne us for our well being so these are the things will bring other things with them set up the Kingdome of Heaven throughly in the Kingdom of England and you shall say of it as Nabals servants said of Davids men when they lay with them all the while the men were with us they were a wall about us that we lost nothing none could hurt us nay it wil be a wal of fire to England Salvation will God provide for wals and Bulwarks to you I fear not to speak it to wise men that the four Seas of England and if to them were added wals of brasse of 20. cubits high thick about England and all your Souldiers as the sons of Anak they could not give that security to the Land which the Kingdome of Jesus Christ would be to it Let the Gospell flourish let Religion prosper let that goe on and salva omnia that will secure all other things to you the very Heathens saw this by the light of nature you cannot read of one Lawgiver amongst them but ever counted the matters of the worship of their Gods and of Religion to be of greatest advantage to their states and therefore counted Religionso sacred a thing that they made their Kings Princes alwaies their chief Priests that the care of the Gods might not be neglected it is true these poore blind wretches knew not God and worshipped Devils and therefore miscarried but yet thus much we may learn from them that even in their judgments nothing so secures a Nation as Religion Now when wee have the cleer light of the Gospel and so many examples before us and so many promises from Heaven can we expect the like succor and help from any thing else as from the advancement of that Sixthly Know ye for certain you never shall bee able to breake through your difficulties and to settle this poor Land in Peace unlesse your whole heart be sincerely set to advance the Kingdome of Heaven you shall not prosper in other work I know it grieves your hearts and it grieves those that love England to see how you labour in the fire and what pains you take and still the end of one trouble is the beginning of another our clouds return after the rain and when wee think we are going to moore our ship wee are instantly ready to dash against new rocks up and down we are and England appeares to our eyes as a dying fading plant certainly the Lords anger is not yet turn'd away from England there is somewhat provokes him God grant that we may search whether it be not somewhat like that in the 1. of Haggai that the house of God was not regarded as it should be I doe acknowledge here before you my heart is overwhelmed with grief oftentimes when I look upon our unsetled condition but could I once see and might it appear that the Lord had let it so really into the hearts of our Parliament that they could with all their might buckle to the work of God sincerely and faithfully to enquire what God would have them doe in the cause of Religion and doe it to the utmost I think all my feares would vanish I should say we went forward when wee seemed to goe backward wee prospered when we seemed to be overthrown I could say to my own melancholy spirit as Luther said to Melancthon Ego miserrimas istas curas quibus te consumi scribis vehementer odi c. I doe extreemly hate saith he those cares that thou sayest doe consume and tear thee it is not the greatnesse of our danger but the greatnesse of thy infidelity that is the cause of it it is the cause of God that we are ingaged in So mee thinks I could resolve that the enemies of England of the Church of God would quickly bee where they should bee that is made the Lords footstoole and we should triumph over them break through all if the Lord would but incline the hearts of those hee hath called to it to goe through-stitch with the things of the Kingdome of Heaven and therefore I most humbly beseech you fall to it and in it doe as Baruch did of whom you may read in the 3. of Nehem. 20. that he did build the wal earnestly and Tremelius reades it accendit se he sets himself a fire to it he stirred up himself he did not stay till others stirr'd him up but hee provok'd himselself to it doe it with all your might and doe it throughly too do not make a patch'd businesse of it the Lord made that once a curse to the Ministers of Israel that they healed the wounds of the people slightly therefore that I may speak plain English search Gods Word and find not what may be agreeable to humane policy but search what God would have you own and set up what he would have you oppose and what hee would have you beat down what hee would have you indulge how far hee would have you indulge it by what rules it should be done get a clear light in these things for the Scripture is able to make every man of God perfect in all his workes get this and fall to it throughly and God Almighty will be with you the Lord will yet blow over the clouds you are afraid of and will prosper your work in your hand but truly if you doe neglect it and shall not bee faithfull to the Lord in it beleeve it though our misery and ruine may be protracted and beaten off and kept off for a time it wil return upon us and come in like the huge breaking in of waters and like a great breach in a high wall whose mine comes suddenly therefore because you cannot do the rest of your work without it let this be the main Seventhly I 'le but name the two other and lay this to heart likewise That a great part of those miseries that the Kingdom of Heaven lies under at this day in England have broke out since the cure of it was committed to your hands I doe not say through your fault the root of these humors was in the sick bodie before and in such confused times as hath appear'd in Germany and other places abundance of disorders doe come in especially in times of War but because God hath blessed you and inabled
What by the Kingdome of Heavens suffering violence By the Kingdome of Heaven in one word both here and at least in 100. other places of the New Testament is meant the administration of the Covenant of grace after Jesus Christ was exhibited in the flesh the last best administration of the covenant of Grace The Kingdome of Heaven is come to you The Kingdome of Heaven is like a Merchant man The Kingdome of Heaven shall be taken from you c. all these expressions are nothing but the administration of the Covenant of Grace under Messiah and this is called the Kingdome of Heaven not onely in opposition to the kingdomes of the world other politique Commonwealths but principally I thinke in opposition to the spirituall kingdome of the Devill which is the kingdome of darknesse and leads people to destruction and this administration is called the Kingdome of Heaven partly because the Prince and Soveraigne Lord of it is the Lord from Heaven and hath his throne in Heaven and partly because all the subjects of it are made Heavenly in their conversations partly because all the good things communicated to them doe come from Heaven and principally because the Kingdome of glory that is to be injoyed in Heaven and the administration of the Covenant of Grace here upon earth are all but one and the same thing onely that is the upper Region this the inferior there is the Metropoliticall Citie and these are as it were the Suburbs and the Countrey Villages but all is one Kingdome there is nothing there but what is enjoy'd here only with these two differences that here the Kingdome of Heaven is mix'd and imperfect mix'd with corruption mix'd with affliction and the graces of it not perfectly communicated and there it is simple and pure and entire without any defect or mixture and here it is administred in ordinances and received by faith there it is administred immediatly and enjoyed by sight but otherwise I know no difference Heaven there and Heaven here to the Saints is all but one Kingdome therefore it is called the Kingdome of Heaven Secondly and what is meant by the Kingdome of heaven suffering violence I confesse some Interpreters say that Heaven suffers violence that is suffers persecution adversaries doe rush upon it but so it cannot be said that the violent take it for these violent men doe not take but lose the Kingdome of Heaven who persecute it but my Text speakes of such violent men as take and enjoy it The Arminans say that by the suffering violence is meant the persecuting of it to the taking of it away not the taking of it to themselves but the taking of it away from others and will not let people lay hold upon it nor enter into it but our Lord himself interprets the meaning in the 16. of Luke 16. where that of this story is related There Christ saith and from the dayes of Iohn the Kingdome of God is preached and every one presseth into it So that the suffering of violence here is that the Kingdome of Heaven is assaulted by violence of those that will have it what ever it cost them all who are rightly informed and instructed in the Kingdome of Heaven doe with contention and earnestnesse of spirit break through all difficulties use all diligence that they may enjoy the Kingdome of Heaven as their portion what ever it cost them In a word what Paul saith of his own practice Philip 3. is a cleere interpretation of this Text I do count all drosse and dung that I might gaine Christ I make shipwrack of all I looke at nothing that I have already got but I still looke for that which is before me I presse forward if by any meanes I may attaine to the resurrection of the dead Now you have the meaning since Iohn hath cleerly discover'd the Kingdome of Heaven the spirits of men are so fired that there is no taking of them off but with all the violence possible they all labour and endeavour to advance it and to get into it and from this there are two excellent lessons to be handled I 'le onely name one of them and handle the other The first is That the administration of the Covenant of grace in the Gospel of Christ is no other thing then the very Kingdome of Heaven nothing lesse then the very Kingdome of Heaven let the men of the world slight it esteeme it a bondage a drudgery yet it 's no lesse then a Kingdome yea a Kingdome of Heaven which doth transcend all the Kingdomes of this world as far as Heaven is above the earth that is one I dare say nothing of that lest I bee prevented the other is That all who are rightly affected to the Kingdome of Heaven offer violence to it Violence it is a motion above the meane beyond mediocrity it is a motion with greatest intention and indeavour this is the lesson I would Preach to you that whoever are rightly affected to the Kingdome of Heaven doe use their utmost endeavour and offer violence to it let mee first make it cleer to you that it is so and then I 'le hasten to the Application That it is so if you please but to weigh these three or foure things it will bee beyond all question That every where in the Booke of God where the endeavours of men are described who look after Heaven these endeavours I say are expressed by all the indefatigable paines that are laid out about any thing in the world the most laborious trade of a Husbandman of a Traveller of a Warfaring man of a Merchant are usually brought to expresse the labours of men that look after heaven yea such exercises which are too violent for any to make a trade or ordinary practise of are used to set out the violence of their labour who strive for the Kingdome of heaven as running a race striving for masteries or victories in the Olympick games 1 Cor. 9. 24. c. Know yee not that they who run in a race ran all but one receiveth the Garland so run that yee may obtain c. The affections with which they are carried to it are ordinarily so expressed that all the love they beare to any thing else is hatred if compar'd with the love they beare to this Christ saith in the 14. of Luke If any man will bee my disciple and hate not father and mother and wife and children and life and all that he hath and himselfe also hee cannot be my Disciple Now certainly the Lord doth not meane positively the Gospel doth not teach any man to hate his father or his mother or his wife or children it is against nature and against the Gospel but the Lord meanes comparatively that take all the love that they bear to their own lives or to what ever is deare to them as Iacobs love to Leah was hatred when compar'd with his affection to Rachel so all
their love to these things is hatred if compared with the love that they beare to the Kingdome of Heaven and this Chrysostome expresses very elegantly when he saith in his pursuit of banishment or martyrdome for Christ if his father should meet him and stand in his way he would throw his father upon the ground if his mother lay in his way he would tread upon his mothers belly meaning whatever it was that should be an obstacle to him they should be all scorn'd and hated by him if their interest in him should offer to stand in competition with the affection hee bore to the Kingdome of Heaven It is ordinary with Christ to expresse it thus that whoever mindes the Kingdome of Heaven and embraces it aright will forsake all for it they sell all for it in the 13. of Matthew the man that found the Treasure sold all with joy the man that found the pearle of great price sold all and the Disciples were able to speak it Master we have forsaken all to follow thee How is that how doe they sell all the meaning is they forsake all First In their judgments and estimation of all other things they are nothing in their thoughts when compared with this I account all losse and dung for Christ Secondly fell and forsake all In their affections that they care not for them they doe not love them nor delight in them when compar'd with this Thirdly sell all In their resolution and purpose of their spirit they being prepar'd to part with all either by degrees or all at a clap according as their interest in the Kingdome of Heaven doth call for any of them And as the Scripture is plain that it must be so so if you look but into the examples of all that have imbrac'd it you shall see de facto that it hath been so look upon the examples read those Holy men of God of old that saw not the Kingdome of Heaven so cleerly as now it is discover'd Abraham assoon as ever this City and Kingdome was discover'd to him left Mesopotamia left his Father his kindred the Land of his Nativity his estate went hee knew not whither onely to follow a word that directed him to this Kingdome Moses whose practice is epitomized in the 11. of the Heb. 24. that he did count the honour of being Pharaohs daughters Son hee counted the pleasures of the Court of Egypt hee esteemed the wealth of Egypt the treasures of it he counted them all as nothing in comparison of this there is the Worlds Trinity honour pleasure wealth troden under foot by a man that had but set his heart to the Kingdom of Heaven The time would fail me to relate unto you what all the Worthies have done But look a little into Christs time that wch my Text doth more immediately intimate what violence they used how the people trod one upon another to attend upon the Ordinances how they would tarry sometimes 3. dayes together without eating a bit of bread or drinking any thing but a cup of water only that they might get some acquaintance with Christ and the way to life how his Disciples forsook their Callings and Nets to follow Christ and doe what hee would have them doe how Paul made shipwracke of whatsoever was dear unto him and pressed forward onely that this might bee made good to their soules that Heaven was theirs how the Virgin company who follow Christs loved not their lives to the death huge clouds of witnesses there are whose examples prove clearly that who ever are rightly affected to the Kingdome of Heaven will doe what ever they can in this worke with all their hearts and all their might and all their strength Furthermore this violence and eagernesse of affection towards the Kingdome of Heaven in all into whose hearts the knowledg of the Kingdom of Heaven doth come Expresses it self in two things First In labouring by all meanes possible to make it sure to their own soules to work out their salvation with seare and with trembling to make their interest in the Kingdome of God the unum necessarium the one thing that is necessary to part with all other things that this may be their absolute portion that is one and the other Wherein they are equally set with eagernesse of spirit in endeavouring within their power and calling is that all Mountains may be made plain al obstacles removed al furtherances added which may advance the Kingdome of Heaven that other Flesh as well as their selves may see the Salvation of God Read your Bibles I affirme it confidently you shall finde that all that have been eager for themselves so far as it hath lien in their lot and way have express'd at least the same eagernesse to advance it and set it up for others Abraham that all his children might know the Lord Moses though hee minded his own interest in Heaven far beyond all the world as I shew'd you yet preferd the salvation of Israel before it Lord rather rase me out of the Book thou hast written then for sake thy people hee was more for Israel then for himself And so all those other Worthies David never did that for himself nor for all his children in providing for them as hee did for advancing Religion the zeal of Gods house eat him up and so did Asa Iehosophat Hezekiah Iosiah Ezra Nehemiah and many others of the old and those of the New Testament with what violence did the Disciples of Iesus Christ all of them goe up and downe that they might gaine others to the Lord Christ to winne them to him how did they goe about preaching and doing good every where being contented to be thought vile to be in their wits or out of their wits to bee made a gazing stock to men and Angels to be made the refuse and offscowring of the world to bee anything so they might promote and advance the Kingdome of Heaven I know you are able to prove these things yourselves and therefore I doe not insist upon them the ground of all this is Because the Kingdome of Heaven to all who are rightly informed in it doth appeare not onely to bee a matter of absolute necessity but so absolute good such superlative excellency in such ravishing sweetnesse such in expressible consolation that the soule that hath but once discover'd it cannot forbeare but fly upon it as the Eagle flyes to the prey and if with Sampson they find this Hony combe they must eate themselves and give to their Father or their Mother or their children and all that are about them If you would know what they are truely a little time will not so much as name them but they are such as these to bee delivered out of the power of darknesse and dominion of the Devill to be reconciled to God to have the pardon of their sinnes and the imputation of Christs righteousnesse to bee made Gods adopted sonnes and daughters