is it our chiefest dignitie to be true limmes of that societie Hence was Dauids desire to haue the Lord to lift vp the light of his countenance vpon him t Psal 4.6 and to be though but a Doore-keeper in Gods house u Psal 84.10 Out of the Church there is no saluation and What shall it profit a man to winne the world if hee should lose his soule x Matt. 16.26 The Vse Many are wont to say Who will shew vs any good y Psal 4.6 To those which so demaund I answer Behold heere the chiefest good the best and most absolute preferment Seeke the kingdome of God z Matth. 6.33 labour to be one of Gods people thou canst not haue a greater dignitie THE SECOND SERMON Because he hath visited and redeemed his people WE haue heard of the Proposition that the Lord God of Israel is to be praised Now followeth the proofe thereof For he hath visited and redeemed his people c. The summe of the proofe is that God is therefore to be praised because of that great worke which he hath wrought for the good and saluation of his Church Heere we haue two things to speake of 1. The parties to whom the benefit of this great worke appertaines and for whose sake it is wrought 2. The worke it selfe Touching the first they are Gods people that is those which belong vnto the election of grace and which are in Gods eternall counsell ordained vnto life Hence we are taught That the blessings which doe directly immediately concerne life eternall onely those are interessed in them The 1. Doctrine which are Gods people This is plaine in this place For if the question be whom the Lord did visit and redeeme It is answered by the spirit of God speaking in Zacharie that he visited and redeemed his people so speaketh the Scripture It was the saying of the Angell He shall saue his people from their sinnes a Matth. 1.21 there the benefit of saluation is restrained onely to Gods people So againe I bring you tydings of great ioy which shall be to all the people The birth of Christ is a message of ioy but to whom not to all for all doe not reioyce therein but onely to the chosen of God The people The is a word of speciall distinction b Luk 2 10. Peace shall be vpon them and vpon the Israel of God c Gal. 6.16 Who be the Israel of God but only those which are here termed his people Aske then to whom belongs Peace and mercy what to all without distinction No but to the Israel of God Consider the course of the Apostles words Tit. 2.14 For whom did Christ giue himselfe whom hath hee redeemed from iniquitie whom hath he purged onely those whom he hath chosen out to be a peculiar people to himselfe Christ speaking of his death tieth it to his sheepe I lay downe my life for my sheepe d Ioh. 10.15 but who be his sheepe euen those which are giuen to him of his Father e vers 29. It is a speciall speech of limitation which Christ vsed in his prayer I pray for them I pray not for the world f Ioh. 17 9. Many such places might bee gathered together We heard how God is the God of Israel the God of his Church Hee is so the God of his Church as that none els can haue anie interest in his loue The Vse We heare much of saluation of life eternall of the glorie to be reuealed heereafter These things are great and onely they are happie which shall enioy them All men almost promise these things vnto themselues there is not amongst vs the veriest drunkard or swearer or vicious person or Vsurer or despiser of good things but if you talke with him he will make shew of a hope and expectation to bee saued of all other things he maketh himselfe beleeue that he is surest of that But let vs learne this one thing and meditate wel of it That eternal mercy the benefit of redemption by Christ the deliuerance from the bondage of spirituall enemies these things belong not to all Many euen of those which professe Christ and which say Lord Lord g Matt 7.21 yea and which preach Christ shall be thrust out at the day of separation They be Gods peculiar people onely to whom these things appertaine Looke to it bee sure thou art one of Gods people otherwise when mention is made of the things which concerne eternall life I say to thee as Peter did to Simon Magus Thou hast neither part nor fellowship in this businesse h Act. 8.21 But how shall I know wilt thou say that I am one of Gods people I will tell thee plainly How is a man knowne to be one of the Kings subiects one as we say of the Kings liege people Euen by this his obedience to the holesome lawes of the kingdome So in this holie obedience is the marke and badge of Gods people My sheepe heare my voice i Ioh. 10.27 Yee are my friends if you doe whatsoeuer I command you k Ioh. 15.14 It is not the twanging of religion vpon the toong but the practise of holines in the life which sheweth a man to be a Christian Gods peculiar people are zealous of good works l Tit. 2.14 To this therefore we are now come Wouldest thou bee sure that the treasures of happinesse which are stored vp in Christ belong to thee enquire into thy selfe whether thou be one of Gods people Remember how Gods people are discerned They heare my voice saith our Sauior If Christs voice in his word be not euen musicke in thy eares yea sweeter than honie and the honie combe m Psal 19.10 dearer than thousands of gold and siluer n Psal 119.72 the ioy and reioycing of thy heart o Ier. 15.16 If the fruits of holinesse appeare not in thy life but rather the vnfruitfull works of darknesse p Eph. 5.11 those works of the flesh which S. Paul speaketh of q Gal. 5.19 thou art none of Gods people no subiect to his kingdome but a very rebell traitor to his Maiesty and when thou thinkest to thrust in among Saints to enioy the felicitie of his chosen r Psal 106.5 thou shalt heare that heauy sentence passe vpon thee and such as thou art Those mine enemies which would not that I should raigne ouer them bring hither and slay them before me Å¿ Luk. 19.27 Now wee are come to the worke it selfe where manie things come in order to be touched 1. The fountain beginning therof He hath visited 2. The generall nature of the worke it selfe Redeemed 3. The meanes of it And hath raised vp the horne c. 4. The euidence of it the testimonie of the Prophets in whom the couenant of grace and the oath of God to Abraham are at large recorded As he spake by the mouth c. 5.
determined In heauen the word and Sacraments shall cease but the Blessing of God shall neuer cease being the peculiar exercise of the Angels and Saints of the Lord The more wee practise this dutie now the more we haue our Conuersation in heauen r Phil. 3.20 If it bee a seruice tedious vnto vs heauen it selfe will bee a burden When this dutie is named with the particulars of it many will be ready to step forth and say with him in the Gospel All these haue I kept from my youth Å¿ Luk. 18.21 we thanke God say we for all but when it commeth to triall the case will be like that of the ten lepers Tenne were clensed but one onely returned to giue God praise t Lu. 17.17.18 Many enioiers of Gods blessings few which returne backe to shew their thankfulnesse And this appeareth by three things First by our generall carelesnesse in the duties of Christian holinesse True thankfulnesse stands not in words and shewes but in the practise of obedience The sonne in the Gospell who said I go sir yet wont not u Matt. 21.30 was he dutifull so he who saith I thanke God and Blessed be God c. and yet careth not to dishonor God is he thankfull Offering prayse and disposing ones way aright are coupled together as companions x Psal 50.23 where the latter is wanting the first is but a ceremonie He that hauing receiued a kindnesse from me shall come to me and say he thanks me and when he hath turned his backe shall doe me a displeasure I will neuer thinke him to be thankefull He that commeth to God like the Pharisee with Lord I thanke thee y Luk. 18.11 in his mouth and yet maketh no conscience of sinne is but a dissembler Hee hath Iacobs voice but Esaus hands z Gen. 27.22 His words are the words of blessing but his deeds are full of cursednesse Sith then men generally liue in grosse sinnes to the dishonor of God and to the discredit of religion let their words be as they will yet they shall be cast off as men guiltie of vnthankfulnesse The second signe of our vnthankfulnesse is our passing ouer daily fauours without respect Health libertie rest food successe in our affaires these things are daily bestowed yet wee vse them as swine who eat the mast but neuer looke vp to the tree from whence it falleth we goe to our meat to our rest to our labour without any signification of our acknowledgement from whom these things come or of our opinion that nothing can do vs good without Gods blessing The third signe is the cursednesse of many of our language Saint Iames maketh it a matter of impossibilitie that God should be blessed by a cursed toong Doeth a fountaine at one place send out sweet water and bitter a Iam. 3.11 Swearers raylers slanderers vicious speakers as holinesse cannot dwell in their hearts so neither can their toongs bee messengers of any true thankefulnesse vnto God To conclude this point then if we will be thought truly to worship God let vs make conscience of the dutie of thankfulnesse if we will be thought truly thankfull let vs declare our thankfulnesse by obedience let vs take all occasions to blesse God for blessing vs and let vs beware how we defile our tongues with cursednesse Thus much of the dutie to be performed Now followeth the description of the partie to whom it must be performed The Lord God of Israel He is the Lord of the whole earth according to that in the Psalme The Earth is the Lords and all that therein is b Psal 24.1 How then is he the God of Israel By Israel is meant the church chosen people of God and therefore the elect are called The Israel of God c Gal. 6.16 the true seruants of God Israelites indeed d Ioh. 1.47 The state and Church of Israel was a type of the Church of God selected and culled out from the rest of the world to be a peculiar people to himselfe e Tit. 2.14 so then The God of Israel is the God of his Church This is his especiall dignitie as when a great man carieth the name of his Baronry Hence we are taught two things the one is this The 5. Doctrine The absolute and impregnable safetie of Gods Church The Lord is the God thereof God would haue euen the very situation of Ierusalem to be a signe of his protection As the mountaines are about Ierusalem so is the Lord about his people f Psal 125.2 God is in the middest of it therefore shall it not bee mooued g Psal 46.5 He will couer thee saith the Psalmist to the whole bodie of Gods people vnder his wings thou shalt bee sure vnder his feathers c. h Psal 91.4 Beholde he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleepe i Psal 121.4 The Church of God is shadowed out by Solomons bed threescore strong men are round about it of the valiant men of Israel they all handle the sword and are expert in warre euery one hath his sword vpon his thigh for the feare by night k Can. 3.7.8 Deseruedly therefore said Dauid Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord l Psal 144 15. The Vse This doeth teach vs a good lesson All kingdomes haue their periods all states are subiect to innouation onely the Church of God is of perpetuitie I will giue saluation in Zion saith God m Isay 46.13 there shall be a place of refuge and a couer for the storme and for the raine n Isay 4.6 Naturall men can see the vncertaintie of all outward things and the vanitie of the greatest assurances yet they take not the right course for safegard some vse the policie of the vniust Steward o Luke 16.4 c. some verifie the saying of Salomon The rich mans riches are his strong citie and as an hie wall in his imagination p Prou. 18.11 some put all desperately to an aduenture The onely way is to cleaue to the Church of God there the Lord will create a defence q Isay 4.5 They which labour to keepe the fellowship of Gods people by the vnitie of the spirit in the bond of peace r Eph. 4.3 the Lord is their God they shall be sure of the surest protection The 6. Doctrine The other thing taught hence is That to bee one of Gods people a true liuely member of his Church is a mans greatest honour It is we see Gods greatest honor and his highest title to be called the God of Israel the God of his Church He is saith Paul the Sauiour of all men specially of them that beleeue Å¿ 1. Tim. 4.10 In the Church God is knowen there hee is worshipped there he bestoweth the greatest prerogatiues and thence he receiueth the greatest honour It is his chiefe honour to bee the God of his Church so
of it and to the reproch of the profession thereof thou art an enemie to his Maiestie and one of those whom he will consume with the breath of his mouth and whom with the rod of his wrath he will breake in peeces like a potters vessell We are now come to the second point the place where this Horne of saluation is raised vp In the house of his seruant Dauid That we may make the best vse of this place wee must consider in what state Dauids house was then when Zacharie endited this Hymne The House of Dauid was the stocke royall and to his lawfull heires belonged the crowne of Iudah but at this time Dauids kingdome was decaied the glorie of it was dimmed and defaced the gouernment and soueraigntie was fallen to strangers the next heire as the right of his succession was not ordinarily and vniuersally knowne so he liued in poore estate Ioseph was become a Carpenter Out of this decaied familie of Dauid was this Horne of saluation raised It did bud z Psal 132.17 out of this dead stocke euen as a roote out of a dry ground a Isay 53.2 Thus at once were ioyned in Christs person Nobilitie and Pouertie Nobilitie in regard of his birth hee was of Dauids stocke Pouertie in respect of his present estate the glorie and pompe of the kingdome being quite ouerthrowne Out of this foure profitable points are to be obserued The 3. Doctrine The first is That that Christ in whom we beleeue is the verie same which was to come into the world and besides whom 〈…〉 is to be looked for The Scripture had foretold that it should be the sonne of Dauid and rise out of his stocke The Lord hath sworne in trueth vnto Dauid and hee will not shrinke from it saying Of the fruit of thy body will I set vpon thy throne b Psal 132.11 He shall sit vpon the throne of Dauid c Isay 9.7 I will raise vnto Dauid a righteous branch d Ier. 23.5 As it is cleere in the old Testament that the Messias should be made of the seed of Dauid according to the flesh so the new Testament euidently sheweth how the same was fulfilled in Christ for this cause the Euangelists doe labour to make manifest the descent of Ioseph and Marie from Dauid Matthew e Matth. 1. maketh it plaine how notwithstanding the meane estate which Ioseph was fallen into yet the right of the kingdome rested in him Luke f Cap. 3. sheweth how Marie was naturally descended out of Dauids loines Both Matthew and Luke ioine in Zorobabel and from him deriue the line both of Ioseph and Marie of Ioseph by Abiud g Math. 1.13 of Marie by Rhesa h Luk. 3.27 So that our Sauiour by Marie was borne of Dauid by Ioseph was next heire to the crowne For although he came not of Ioseph according to the flesh yet being the next of his kinne and Ioseph being childlesse hee was by the law of force among the Iewes to succeed him as his lawfull heire This right of Christs was apparent the Starre i Mat. 2.2 shewed it Herod k Vers 7. perceiued it Christ acknowledged it l Ioh. 18.37 Pilate granted it m Ioh. 19.15 and the Iewes when that matter was questioned before Pilate could not tell whom to name against Christ but Caesar n In the same verse This serueth notably for the confirmation and setling of our faith in a point of the greatest moment The Vse and in which it is dangerous to be mistaken For what reason haue wee to relie vpon Christ for saluation vnlesse wee bee assured that he is the anointed of God euen that very Sauior vpon whom we may boldly depend Our Sauiour told vs that there shall arise false Christs o Mat. 24.23 how shall we be able to discouer them and auoid deceit by them if wee be not setled in this point It is good for vs therefore to 〈◊〉 how the old and new Testament doe heerein agree 〈◊〉 out of the harmonie of both we may for the grounding 〈◊〉 our faith deriue a comfortable conclusion The 4. Doctrine The second point obserued from hence is That our Sauiour Christ is a person of great nobilitie euen the noblest that euer was For one way he was the eternall Son of the most high another way as man lineally descended from the Patriarks renowmed kings of Iudah It is a very Honorable stile which is giuen him in Scripture far surpassing the royall stile of any earthly monarch Wonderfull Counseller The mighty God the Euerlasting Father The Prince of Peace p Isay 9.6 I will make said the Lord my first borne higher than the kings of the earth q Psal 89.27 And therefore both kings and Iudges are willed to kisse r Psa 2.10.12 him and to doe homage to him and the verie Angels also are commanded to worship him ſ Heb. 1.6 And whereas all kingdomes haue their ends and the greatest Princes die as men and fall as others t Psal 82.7 his Throne is for euer and euer u Heb. 1.8 The Vse This teacheth men of birth and blood not to stand too much vpon their Pedegrees and Ancestors as though Nobilitie stood principally in this that man is borne of man If they affect the true nobilitie they must labour to be the children of God by regeneration in Christ This is the best ornament of blood Noble birth without new birth in Christ is but an earthly vanitie Though a man bee able to shew neuer so glorious a line of progenitors yet if hee bee not a repentant sinner hee is but base and vile in the sight of God To be by faith ingraffed into Christ is the true Honor this doeth inuest a man into that royaltie which is in the Person of Christ and maketh him both to bee an heire of the Earth and to haue a title of inheritance into heauen The 5. Doctrine The third obseruation hence standeth thus That wheras Christ albeit of Dauids stocke and heire apparant to the crowne came notwithstanding when the outward glorie of the kingdome was vtterly gone therefore The kingdome of Christ is no earthly kingdome My kingdome said he himselfe to Pilate is not of this world x Ioh. 18.36 Heereupon was his withdrawing when the people sought him to make him king y Ioh. 6.15 and his refusal when he was requested to determine a case of inheritance betwixt two brethren a Luk. 12.13 and his charge to his Apostles not to bee as the Lords of the Gentiles b Math. 20.25.26 It is one of the Iewes errors to thinke otherwise and his Disciples were long caried away with that conceit for euen at the point of his ascension they propounded him a question that way Lord wilt thou at this time restore the kingdome to Israel c Act. 1.6 But Christ came purposely when the