INTEREST that he is entitled KING OF SAINTS Rev. 15. 3. which title is there given him as in relation to the setting up his Worship so to the overthrowing and overcomming the Nations that doe oppose his Saints and this by the seven Vialls which their prayers have filled And at that time it is likewise there said he doth marvellous works being King of Saints In the Old Testament he is called the King of Nations though he was King of Saints also then so Jer. 10. 7. and he gave demonstration of it to purpose by setting up that one Nation of the Jews which he had chosen of all nations that that one nation should ruine all the nations round about them for he was peculiarly their King and the King of all those other nations also But now he hath scattered his Saints in and through all nations Thou hast redeemed us out of all Nations that is the language of the New Testament he is therefore therein called King of Saints he carrying on the same designe by those Saints which he did before and is as able to make it good he being no lesse King of Nations still or Lord Almighty as you have it in that fore-cited place And he being thus peculiarly their King his interest is to maintaine defend and take part with them against all those that doe maligne them as he did the nation of the Jews It is his title and his most royall title and the greatest title that he is King of Saints he preferreth it to his title of being King of Nations that vanisheth and is not mentioned in comparison This therefore answerably must be his greatest interest which of all other he now pursueth And therefore if all those Nations in which his Saints are doe not bow to it and comply with it he will shew himselfe that he is King of Saints and of Nations also by ruining of them As the greatest interest of the Devils Kingdome is to persecute those that keep the commandements of Jesus so it is the greatest interest of the Kingdome of Jesus Christ to preserve his Saints and to confound those that injure them for he is the King of Saints And further in the Old Testament when this his Kingdome was farther off and longer to come and yet you have seene how strongly he drove on this designe then but in the New Testament he is ascended and personally as Man invested into it We see Jesus crowned with glory and honour saith the Apostle Heb. 2. whose faith was as reall in this as our sight can be and he SITS there EXPECTING as thinking the time long till alll his enemies are subdued Heb. 10. 13. which the same Apostle elsewhere interpreteth and therein speaks home to the point in hand the putting downe all rule and dominion that are opposite to his Saints 1 Cor. 15. 24 25. verses compared And accordingly in all those Psalmes where ever his ascension and investiture into his Kingdome at Gods right hand is prophecyed of there the ruine or conversion of Kings and Kingdomes are also spoken and prophecyed of Reade Psalm 2. Psalm 68. Psal 110. And let me adde this to all That as the shorter time Satan hath the more is his rage so the shorter time Christ hath and the nearer he is to the possession of his Kingdome the more is his zeale for his Saints and indignation against his enemies His heart is set upon it and the more eager doth his desire become every day to attaine his long expected Kingdome and to throw donwe all that oppose it and therefore it is that we see in this latter age he hath made such changes in the world We have seen him doe that in a few yeeres that he hath not done in an hundred yeeres before for he being King of Nations and King of Saints he pursues his interest and being more neere his Kingdome he takes it with violence We are now within the whirle of it therefore his motions are rapt Hence therefore all States and Kingdoms had need now of all times else to be instructed and accordingly comply with this interest of Christ it is more especially now then ever their greatest interest It is well for us that Jesus Christ he is our King who is the King of Kings and King of Saints and withall that he is so neere the enjoyment of his Kingdome APPLICATION I Shall come now to a word of Application Application which I shall dispatch exceeding briefly In those fore-rehearsed instances I have carryed you over and given you a prospect of all Kingdomes throughout the story of the Bible and at last I brought you and set you downe and left you in the times of these Tenne Kingdomes of Europe of which the holy Ghost hath prophecyed Revelat. 17. 14. These saith he shall make war with the Lambe and the Lambe shall overcome them for he is Lord of Hosts and King of Kings and they that are with him are called and chosen and faithfull And it is certaine we are in the last times of these kingdoms and we all here live in one of them But a word of Encouragement and Direction to those of this kingdome You have heard in those words I last read 1. Encouragement the greatest security that any kingdoms can have in these times for first in the generall this Text holds forth plainly that Jesus Christ by vertue of his being King of Kings and being King of Saints as you heard even now he will overcome and subdue these kingdomes to himselfe and yet for our encouragement not so as to destroy them why Because these kingdoms as such shall destroy the whore and therefore shall not be overcome by way of desolation but by way of a more happy conquest of Reformation and Conversion Thus the Text seems cleerly to speak for the ten horns which are these ten kingdomes shall hate the whore and make her desolate and burne her with fire ver 16. As I have therefore thought this Text to be a barre to the projected Spanish Monarchy over them even then when it was in the greatest height and in most probability to have carryed it so the greatest security for continuance and preservation of these Kingdomes because they must remaine tenne Kings or supreame States and kingdomes untill the whore is burnt for they must destroy her And first for their number Ten t is true they have indeed been more yet never fewer since the breaking of the Romane Empire And when it is said ten KINGS it is not necessarily to be understood there should be so many Monarchs alwayes in a strict sense as we use the phrase for in the language of this Book Kings is put for Supreame States Thus Rome is said to have had seven Kings and yet five of those Governments were not Monarchicall These kingdomes may fall one upon another there may be civill broyles and divisions and distractions and thereby they may be sorely punisht as wee have beene for dealing
ill with the Saints Likewise two may be joyned into one and one may be broken into two so they have varied in severall times and ages yet still they have stood and at the least the number of Ten hath beene kept up and though they have made warre against the Lambe and have been punisht for so doing yet the Lambe shall overcome them another way then by destroying them even by winning ground upon them so as where you see Jesus Christ hath took footing in any one of these kingdomes by such a way of conquest as in ours he hath done a second time for double security stand that Kingdome shall till you see Rome downe Now the next thing I desire you to take notice of in the words is the Reason why that Christ will thus overcome them and preserve them FOR sayes sayes the holy Ghost those that are with him namely in these ten kingdomes and so members thereof are called and faithfull and chosen Therefore it is that the Lambe shall work these kingdomes about and win ground upon them and shall cause them at length to hate the whore and therefore they shall stand till the whore be ruined and how long after he onely knowes that hath set them up It hath been one great outward evidence to my faith of the truth of the New Testament that what was in this particular foretold in this Book so distinctly should so come to passe as we see it hath done When John wrote this Prophesie there were none of all these kingdomes set up the Empire was not broken You see the Empire hath been broken into these kingdomes and they have given their power to the beast and we know how rooted the power of the beast once was in all these Kingdomes so as who could make war with the beast yet we have likewise seene the Lamb hath overcome many of them especially these Northern Kingdomes where he hath set up his Temple He hath overcome them and he wins ground upon us every day and works us up age after age to a farther Reformation to more light and holinesse and so he will doe till he hath perfectly overcome every Popish principle out of them Wee see all this done we see likewise all these Kingdomes stand and not subdued to any one Civill Monarchie over them all We see Rome prophesied of in this Book * Revel 17. 18. yet standing and possessing some of these kingdomes We see likewise multitudes of faithfull called and chosen whom God hath raised up in these kingdomes to oppose the Whore All these things we have seen fulfilled therefore I beleve this shall be fulfilled too that these kingdoms shall still continue where God hath faithfull called and chosen and that they shall be the ruine of the whore in the end Having seen and beleeved so far we may very well trust him for the rest This for the generall More particularly to you of this Kingdome wee live in If you would yet know and be confirmed in what is your greatest interest this Text speaks more punctually to the point and it holds forth by way of Prophesie thus much to you that your interest lyes as you are one of these ten Kindomes in what I have hitherto told you even in YOUR faithfull called and chosen And let me speak this for your peculiar encouragement farther That look as where God doth give a command with a reason upon whom the reason falls most strongly there is the greatest obligation so where God gives a promise and gives it with a reason where most of the reason is found true there certainly the promise will take place most in the fulfilling of it Now upon what hath hee put the standing of these kingdomes and their being thus overcome by the Lambe and that they shall hate the whore so as to destroy her in the end It lyeth you see in this that they that are with the Lambe are faithfull called and chosen Hee puts the very reason of it upon this The Lambe shall overcome them FOR saith he they that are with him are called and chosen and faithfull Now look upon this Isle in which we live and it is the richest Ship that hath the most of the precious jewels of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in it and the greatest treasure of any kingdome in the world I had well-nigh said as all the world besides Now where there are most of called chosen and faithfull certainly there towards the time of Romes ruine the Promise will take the most effect Here then lyes your INTEREST You have it not onely confirmed from the generall truth of that great point I have all this while been giving demonstrations of but further you have it confirmed by a more speciall charter of promise and prophesie which you may well beleeve having seen so much of it fulfilled granted forth to these kingdoms long before their erection And as for this Kingdome give mee leave upon this so just and solemne an occasion to take the boldnesse to utter this in the same expression which now well-nigh twenty yeeres agoe I used in publique That if we had stood at Gods elbow when he bounded out the Nations and appointed the times and seasons that men should live in as the Apostle speaks we should not have known unlesse when Christ himselfe was alive and the Apostles in those Primitive times unlesse in Judea it selfe where all the Apostles were together in what age or in what place in what nation or kingdome we would have chosen to have lived in in respect of the enjoyment of the Gospel and the communion of Saints more then in this kingdome wherein we live Other Churches they have had the glory of Reformation and have had the honour in the first age of Reformation but we though in that respect have been like to bleare-ey'd Leah yet have since beene abundantly the more fruitfull of Saints faithfull called and chosen This is therefore our great security and it is the more speciall interest of this Kingdome in which we live the Magna Charta of it And therefore that which I shall make further bold with your leave and patience is but onely this 2. Direction to adde a word of Exhortation and Direction to MAINTAINE THIS INTEREST and to preserve it To this end consider it is not simply having Saints and multitudes of Saints called faithfull and chosen but it is the using them kindly and dealing well with them that is the interest of a Nation Judea it selfe had the best of Saints it had Christ and his Apostles and multitudes of others also in that Countrey which were afterwards disperst into all Nations yet though they had these multitudes because they dealt unkindly with them it was their ruine and God provided a safety for those his Saints by dispersing them into all Nations through their persecution of them That worthy Duke of Rohan that writ that Book of the CIVILL INTEREST OF THE STATES OF EUROPE in
THE GREAT INTEREST OF States Kingdomes A SERMON Preached before the Honorable House of COMMONS At their Late Solemne FAST Feb. 25. 1645. By THO GOODWIN B. D. One of the Assembly of Divines REVEL 17. 14. These shall make war with the Lamb and the Lamb shall overcome them For he is the Lord of Lords and King of Kings and they that are with him are called and chosen and faithfull LONDON Printed for R. DAWLMAN M DC XLVI To the Honourable House of COMMONS Assembled in PARLIAMENT I Here present you with one piece of the Counsels of God next those of his disposing the eternall conditions of persons of all other the greatest as which concerneth the temporall salvation or destruction of Kingdomes and Nations which next to his Saints therein are dearest to God as his patience towards them shews A subject which had it been set out according to the merit of it would of it self have faln at your feet who are the Representative Body of this Nation and Kingdom and entitled it selfe to no other Dedication then to you But Providence having brought it forth in the way of an ordinance of God preaching in your eares though rudely and you having beene pleased to owne it it is become yours by all sorts of Interest It is certaine that God did not bring that last and fatall desolation upon the Iews untill all states and ranks of men amongst them had conspired against the Lord and his Anointed and his followers nor did he bring upon them that their first captivity untill all sorts had corrupted themselves the great men had broken the yoke Jer. 5. the Prophet prophecyed falsly the Priests did bear rule by their means and the people loved to have it so and then as the Prophet addes What will you do in the end thereof And yet therein God did not regard so much what the People as what their Rulers did I said speaking of the people Surely these are poore ver 4 these are foolish I will get me to the GREAT men but THESE have ALL TOGETHER broke the yoke 5. and burst the bands Our comfort therefore is we cannot be undone without you nor you without failing in this which is our GREATEST INTEREST An Errour which if this Kingdome should after so much bleeding erre a second time is like hereafter never to be mended Your preservation and guidance in this is above all other the constant and daily prayer of Your most humble servant THO GOODWIN THE INTEREST OF ENGLAND A Sermon preached at the late Fast before the Commons House of PARLIAMENT PSAL. 105. 14 14. He suffered no man to doe them wrong yea he reproved Kings for their sakes Saying Touch not mine anointed THe words I have read and those from the 10. verse as they hold forth the first rearing of the Church of the Jews in Abraham and the Patriarchs so they are intended as the first Primitive Instance and Originall patterne of Gods care and protection over his people in all Ages and likewise of his proceedings with all States and Kingdomes according unto their dealings with his people where ever cast among them to the end of the world exemplified in what was done for their sakes and towards them and their Families The Storie it selfe of Abraham Isaac and Jacob which these words refer to and how God reproved Abimelech King of Gerar and Pharaoh King of Egypt and others for their sakes you may reade in the 12 20 and 26. Chapters of Genesis and of commands given forth concerning them to doe them no wrong yea not to touch them Gen. 20. 7. declaring also of Abraham that he was a Prophet and so not to be injured Onely what in the Story is uttered scatteredly and in severall places is by the Prophet David summarily put together Touch not mine anointed and doe my Prophets no harme There is a Controversie upon these words Touch not mine anointed that they should be intended principally of Kings and of these Patriarchs as under the notion of Kings I shall but clear it in a word Whether these Patriarchs were Kings or no I will not now dispute Abraham is called a mighty Prince by the children of Heth Gen. 23. 6. yet however here the holy Ghost speaks of Abraham Isaac and Jacob as representing the people of Israel and his scope is to shew Gods care and protection of his people by their example which is cleare 1. by all the current and streame of the whole Psalme all that goes before and which followes after is wholly to shew his care of the people of Israel from first to last But as for Kings or Gods care over them as such we may say as Paul in another case Heb. 7. 14. Of that Tribe the holy Ghost speaks nothing that is in this Psa nothing as touching Monarchie as he there sayes nothing as concerning the Priesthood And 2. then the words in the 12. verse which speak of the persons of these Patriarchs when they were but a few men in number yea very few refer not to Kings nor unto these Patriarchs as such for he speaks of their whole families their wives children and servants Yea these three Patriarchs Abraham Isaac and Jacob they were all alive at once Isaac was above 70. years old afore Abraham dyed and Jacob 15. and but one of these could have been King at once and yet you see he speaks of them all complexedly and as making a company together when they were few and very few he said Touch not mine anointed Yea 3. It is so farre from being meant of them as Kings that it is expresly said in the words of the Text He reproved Kings for their sakes therein speaking of them as of a sort of people distinct from Kings and yet of a higher and dearer value with God then those Kings reproved for them But it will be said that if it should not be meant of them under the relation of Kings yet however as of persons extraordinary and therefore this charge and instance cannot be drawne into a pattern of Gods care and protection over all Saints and the people of God which is the scope which I have put upon the words I answer that though indeed their persons were extraordinary yet here they are withall set forth as representing the people of God whom they were the fathers of It is cleare by the eighth verso He hath remembred his Covenant for ever the word which he commanded to a thousand generations The performance of which Covenant to confirme the truth of it he exemplifies by the story of Gods providence over these What therefore he saith of these anointed ones here it extendeth to a thousand generations to come and as Abraham in other things was a Common person in faith justifying he is made such Rom. 3. In faith as sanctifying Jam. 2. In being heire of the world Rom. 4. 13. so is he here also and Isaac and Jacob with him in their anointing
which begins with a Kingdome given to be won by conquest * Revel 6. 8. When the seals begin to be opened Christ goes forth conquering and to conquer and ends with the Coronation of a King and the marriage of his Bride and all between is but the removing of all such lets and impediments namely of the Romane Monarchie and all other Kingdoms which that was broken into so far as they stand in his way and possesse the roome of that Kingdome which he is to set up That this is one main argument of that Book I refer you to what that great and learned Interpreter Master Mede hath largely opened And herein Christ when he first began the whole world then worshipping Idols had work enough to doe He sets first upon conquering the whole Romane Empire as it was Heathenish and the worship of Satan and Idols in it and in three hundred yeeres he dispatcheth that and throwes downe all both Idoll-worship and Princes Chap. 6. that did uphold it This the first six seales doe shew And then when the whole Empire was turned Christian yet as one well said the devill did not turne Christian But under the name and profession of Christ he stirreth up the Arrian Christian world to persecute the Orthodox Christians as much as Heathenish Rome had done But Christ takes farther vengeance for this persecution under both these Heathenish and Arrian Rome * It was the cry of the blood of the Saints slain underboth that brought on them the vengeance that followed See Cha. 6. 10 11. The Empire having been divided afore into two parts the Eastern all which now the Turk possesseth and the Western this in Europe He falls first upon the Westerne European part breaking that by the incursion of those barbarous Nations the Goths and Vandalls and this the foure first trumpets doe sound forth Chap. 8. Then for the Eastern part of the Empire although his revenge was slower yet he reserved them to the sorest vengeance that could befall the Christian world Chap 9. the conquest and tyrannie of the Saracens first and afterwards the Turks and these the fift and sixt Trumpets successively held forth Thus here is an end of the Roman Monarchie under the Emperours in the whole and in the parts of it Chap. 12. The Westerne part in Europe was by occasion of the Goths invasion broken into ten Kingdomes which though helping the woman against the flood of Arrian persecution yet through Satans seducing of them they set up the Beast or Antichristian Rome and these all together did joyn together to make as great a warre against the Saints in the 13. Chap. 13. Chapter as the Heathens and Arrians had done And so Christ was in a manner as farre off his Kingdome as at the first What then is the next great counter-plot of Jesus Christ It is to overcome these ten Kingdomes so you find Revel 17. 14. They shall saith he make war with the Lambe and the Lambe SHALL OVERCOME THEM for he is Lord of Lords and King of Kings and they that are with him are called and chosen and faithfull The world though turned Christian yet in all the variations of it goes on still to persecute the Saints For why the world wil be the world still and the Devill who is the Prince of the world is the same still and so he still followes that trade he had formerly practiced the same which you read of Chap. 12. ver 17. even to make war with the remnant of the womans seed which keep the commandements of God and have the testimony of Jesus This is his designe and let the world turn never so much and refine as much as it will Satan endeavours still to forme a party up amongst them whom he turns against the Saints or some of the Saints for that is the great interest of his Kingdome as that place shews it is more to persecute the Saints then to carry men on to sinne And he will be content to fall but upon a few sometimes rather then be put out of this his trade And therefore now besides plain Popery which is prophecyed of in 1 Tim. 4. to arise in the latter dayes You have in 2 Tim. 3. 1. another Prophesie of a sort of men that shall arise in the LAST DAYES Popery is Prophecyed of to be in the latter dayes who shall have a forme of godlinesse and be despisers of them that are good Thus the Devil hath carryed on his design Age after Age and Jesus Christ pursues more closely his great designe also and will never leave till he hath overcome And HE SHALL OVERCOME for He is the King of Kings and those that are with him are called chosen and faithfull And all this if it were not the scope of that Booke of the Revelation yet story would make good Why should I instance in more you know the little stone Christ and his Saints shall dash all in pieces Dan. 2. But enough You have heard the truth of this point exemplified by all these instances As for Reasons of it the Scripture affords a farre greater plenty then of Instances and in many of the instances given you may finde Reasons adjoyned by God himselfe as here in the Text they are Gods anointed in that example of Egypts overthrow Gods first-borne in that of Babels 't was the vengeance of Gods Temple and so on The time will give me leave to single out but a very few of many The Doctrine was this That the greatest interest of all States and Princes lyes in their usage of the Saints to deale ill or well with them is that whereon their misery or welfare doth depend One reason of it is 1. Reason that which should indeed have been my first Observation out of the Text viz. The neerenesse and dearnesse of the Saints to God You see how tender he is of them TOUCH them not If you would understand the tendernesse of Gods heart expressed in that word parallel it with that He that TOUCHETH them toucheth the APPLE OF MINE EYE and you have the expression twice Ps 17. 8. and Zech. 2. 8. there is nothing more deare then the eye you would have pulled out your eyes sayes Paul and of the eye the pupa the black of the eye most When the Ammonites required of the men of Jabesh Gilead that they should thrust out all their right eyes 1 Sam. 11. 2. the Text saith ver 6. that when Saul heard of it the Spirit of God came upon him and his anger was greatly kindled and he went and cut them off and scattered them so that not two of them were left together If Saul their King a tyrannicall King was thus moved for this offer of an injury to the eyes of his Subjects much more God for those who are to him as his own eye yea as the apple of it Or if you will have this Reason in an expression more neerely akin to the
doctrine it selfe they are dearer to God then Nations simply considered the reason is strong That therefore the Interest of all Nations must needs lye in these Saints Esay 43. 3 4. I gave Egypt for thy ransome Ethiopia and Seba for thee since thou wast precious in my sight thou hast been honourable and I have loved thee therefore will I give men for thee and people for thy life Thus he valued them under the Old Testament But did he give Nations for them then They have cost him more since they have cost him the blood of his Sonne He that spared not his owne Sonne but delivered him up for us how shall he not with him freely give us ALL THINGS Rom. 8. 32. All things are theirs the world c. because they are Christs Look what reasons the Old Testament gives of this point in hand from their neerenesse to God the New Testament useth the same They are my first borne said God to the Kingdome of Egypt and therefore I will take away thy first-borne The New Testament speaks the same they are the Church of the first-borne written in heaven Heb. 12. 23. Was it the vengeance of the Temple was Babels overthrow the New Testament utters the same and to the same purpose If any man destroyes the Temple of God him shall God destroy FOR THE TEMPLE OF GOD IS HOLY which Temple are YE 1 Cor. 3. 17. Againe Israel is Holinesse to the Lord the first fruits of his encrease and therefore all that devoure him shall offend offend greatly and evill shall come upon them saith the Lord Jer. 2. 3. Thus speaks the Old Testament The same reason and expressions are given you see in the New The Temple of God IS HOLY and they are the FIRST FRUITS of all his creatures Jam. 1. 18. These are the redeemed from among men and the FIRST FRUITS to God and the Lambe and therefore prevaile Revel 14. 4. And as because they are thus deare to God therefore if they be dealt ill withall it is the cause of the ruine of a Nation so on the contrary likewise if a Nation deale well with them it is a cause of his blessing upon them Yea he doth give Nations and States their being for their sakes They are a blessing in the midst of the land Esay 19. 24. In so much as God spareth the tree for a small bunch of grapes so he compareth his people in respect of the rest of a Nation Destroy it not for there is a blessing in it Esay 65. 8. or rather as the same Esay they are to the whole tree the Nation they live in what the pith the heart the substance is As an oke whose substance is in them when they cast their leaves so the HOLY SEED the Saints shall be the SUBSTANCE OF IT Esay 6. ult That preserves life in a Nation when the branches of it are hewne or it cast its leaves These things are spoken in relation to their being the cause of the preservation of a nation in both these places Saints that are as strangers to a Nation and onely make it their refuge yet their presence is in such a case a preservation to them Moab sayes God Let mine out-casts dwell with thee and be thou a covert to them Esay 16. 4. And ver 5. And in mercy shall the throne be established But much more NATIVE Saints procure this blessing their relation being nearer and dearer Of Sion it shall be said This and that man was BORN in her And what followes The highest himselfe shall establish her Psal 87. 3. Secondly 2. Reason another reason is taken from the great interest the Saints have in God the Governour and the priviledge which themselves have vouchsafed them by God in ruling and governing this world and the providences of God therein They are Privy Counsellors to the great King of Kings who governs all the States and Kingdomes in the world and God doth give these his Saints a Commission to set up and pull down by their prayers and intercessions The Old Testament speakes in a high language in Esay 45. 11. I might have quoted it before for it comes in as the reason of Gods setting up Cyrus for his peoples sake Aske me of things to come concerning my sonnes and concerning the WORK OF MY HANDS COMMAND YE ME. Who speaks this The words afore are Thus SAITH the Lord the holy One of Israel and his Maker It would have been blasphemie for us to have said it but that the Lord himselfe first hath said it and given them this priviledge Concerning the work of my hands command ye me And which makes it the more observable before he doth in this place mentioned confer this honour and priviledge upon them he first as on purpose minds them of that infinite distance and disproportion betwixt himself and them so to put the more wonder upon it he tells them ver 9 10. that they were but the clay he the Potter that could not therefore of right say so much unto him about his matters as Why madest thou me thus Yet behold I that am thus your Maker give you leave to dispose by your prayers the great works of my hands which concerne my children my sonnes the affaires of Kingdoms even so far as they relate to their good And he speaks it upon this occasion that for their sakes he had raised up Cyrus and pulled downe the Babylonian Monarchy because they by their prayers had sought this They are said elsewhere to decree a thing Job 22. 28. so Job and to bring it to passe and God is said to fulfill their counsels Psal 20. And this interest they have either for good or evill to the nations they live in First for evill Thus Revel 11. 6. the two Witnesses have power to smite the earth with plagues as oft as they will And if any man WILL hurt them in THIS MANNER he shall be killed that is with the highest and sorest vengeance and God avengeth them speedily Luke 18. 8. And so for blessing The innocent delivers the Island through the purenesse of his hands Job 22. 30. Thus one righteous Lot was for the present the cause of the rescue of the Sodomites the wickedest people in the world and afterwards ordained to the greatest judgement A third reason 3. Reason is the INTEREST of Jesus Christ himselfe And to shew that he is King even King of Kings and hath a Kingdom ordained to him and his Saints supreame to all theirs in the meane while his design and practice is and hath been to break all Kingdoms that do oppose him or oppresse his Saints This reason I might enlarge out of Daniel The God of heaven shall set up a Kingdome which shall break in pieces and consume all these Kingdomes but it shall stand for ever Cha. 2. 44. and Chap. 7. but I shall insist in this Head of Reasons onely upon that eminent title of Christs which holds forth this his
his Preface to it sayes That according as the proper INTEREST of each hath been well or ill followed it hath caused the ruine of some the greatnesse of others That which that worthy Duke thus speaketh of the Civill Interest give me leave from all the grounds forementioned to presse upon you concerning that which is your greatest interest an interest most divine most generall and fundamentall The Saints of England are the Interest of England look to and keep to this your interest namely maintaine and preserve the Saints among you and make provision for them as you would preserve the Kingdome When afterwards the same Author particularly comes to speak of the proper interest of England he hath a saying and he seems to speak it as if it had been an Aphroisme of the late Queens that England is a mighty Animal which can never die except it kill it selfe To follow his Maxime in that also wee may apply it to this interest in hand There is a mighty body and company of Saints in this Kingdome Now if they could all be united in one and their divisions and animosities allayed and all reconciled and made one I am confident we need not feare if all the Nations of the world were gathered together round about us But if ye bite and devoure one another take heed ye be not consumed one of another It is a State Maxime as well as a Church rule there is nothing else can destroy us If any man think I am a pleading for a liberty of all opinions of what nature and how grosse soever I humbly desire them to remember that I onely plead for Saints and I answer plainly The Saints they need it not The Apostle tels us that there are damnable heresies so 2 Pet. 2. 1 2. and they will soone unsaint men there are errors that are capitall not holding the head so Col. 2. Do but distinguish these from others let this be one foundation laid for this union And when I say Saints I mean no one party of men Doe we not know that the new creature is found in circumcision and in uncircumcision and as eminent in the one as in the other and it were the highest sacriledge in the world to ingrosse that title of Saints and the godly party to any one Characters of Saints I need not give you it hath been the main subject of the preaching in this Kingdome for these forty yeeres and upwards to describe them to you and distinguish men from men As there are multitudes of faithfull called and chosen ones in this Kingdome so you Honourable and worthy Senatours are the called and chosen out of all these to this great work and have obtained mercy from our God to be in a great measure faithfull Consider the trust God hath committed to you You have the richest treasury that I know God hath above ground elsewhere on earth THE SAINTS OF ENGLAND ARE THE INTEREST OF ENGLAND Write this upon your walls to have it in your eye in all your consultations never to swerve from it for any other interest whatsoever And have respect to the Saints and to the whole lump of them if you will maintaine your interest whole and intire have regard to the Saints SMALL and GREAT You shall often finde that expression as in Revel 11. 18. When the Kingdomes of the world became the Kingdomes of Christ and Revel 19. when the whore is judged ver 2. it is said that all the Saints SMALL and GREAT rejoyced ver 5. 7. What vow doth David make when he should obtaine the Kingdome Psal 101 6. Mine eyes shall be upon THE FAITHFULL OF THE LAND that they may dwell with me Let yours be so You are the shields of the earth under God and for his Saints as in Psal 47. The shield should defend the whole body and all the parts and members of it You are covering Cherubims unto the Arke of God so the Prince of Tyre is called Ezech. 28. 16. stretch your wings from one end of the holy of holies to the other so as to cover all You are the nailes of the Temple and for the vessels thereof as Eliakim Isa 22. 24. is called a naile on which ALL the vessels should be hung and by whom alike supported the vessels of SMALL quantity as well as great from the vessels of cups even to all the vessels of flagons so the Prophet there speaks comparing the people of God to the vessels of the Sanctuary and small weak Saints to the vessels of smaller quantity and the stronger to the greater and Eliakim to a nayle and a like support to all Shebna his Predecessour had been an oppressor of the Saints and therefore God sayes of him that he should be driven from his station and cut or sawn off from the wall so as the wall should stand and he would put Eliakim in his roome and hang all the Saints upon him You are Mordecai's and it is said of him in Hest 10. 3. that He was accepted of the multitude of his brethren seeking the wealth of his people and speaking peace to ALL his seed You are likewise called Shepherds now the Shepherds are to take care of all the sheep Oh see that all the sheep be folded and have pastures to lie down in not only a staffe and a rod but folds pastures for them take care not of the strong only but of the sick and the diseased so the expression is Ezek. 34. 21. those that are sick and diseased that men did push with their hornes till they were scattered abroad not onely reduce them from their scatterings in a darke and a cloudy day as Ezek. 34. 13 14. but feed them in a good fold and judge betwixt them and those that would push them You are Fathers and you should see provision made for all the children and though they through way wardnesse will not eate together yet let them not starve And to conclude let me use your own word to you UNITE or if you will the Apostles Reconcile all the Saints in this Kingdome together Providence hath disposed it so that they doe and will differ in judgement The Apostles who were Oracles infallible could not in their times wholly prevent it And differing thus in judgement they will hardly ever of themselves agree But it is your work and will be your honour to make them and to cause them so to doe and to finde out wayes whereby this may be done notwithstanding these their differences Thus Constantine dealt as a Reconciler amongst his Divines and he did it with successe It is of all works the happyest and most glorious Lege Eusebium in vita Constantini lib. 3. c. 13. Ipse consilio interfuit reconciliavit eos qui dissidebant ad concordiam persuasit Eos qui paulo insolentiores ferociores fuerunt mitigavit nec antea desi it quà m omnes ad concordiam revecaverit tum hanc quasi SECUNDAM VICTORIAM nactu◠〈◊〉