these it cannot be said that so the glory of the latter should excell the glory of the former It may be that Zacheus in some one coyne or other had some more money then Herod as happily a meane gold-smith in London may have in Crasadoes or Florrens or Duckets more than the Prince yet if Herods treasure farre passe the wealth of Zacheus and the Princes the substance of the gold-smith were not he absurd that would say the gold-smith were richer than the Prince In like sort sith the glory of the latter Temple was to excell the glory of the former and howsoever in continuance and bignes it passed the latter if in other points of greater glory it were behinde it how shall one truly say that this was performed wherefore if those things which they confesse be wanting in the latter nay if some one of them be more glorious than the continuance wherein they make this excellency the glory thereof must be placed in some other thing than they fancy Now how excellent was the Vrim and Thummin whereof Deut. 33 The mercy seat Arke fire from heaven glory of God visible in the cloud that filled the Temple presence of the holy Ghost succession of Prophets Whereof seeing some one how much more all farre exceed the ten yeares continuance it followeth that in this respect the glory of the latter house could not be greater Therefore since God promised that it should be greater and that cannot be but in respect that in this Christ taking flesh should personally teach during the same make attonement betweene God and man working our redemption which one thing farre excelleth all that were in the former Temple he being the truth and they but shadowes It is most manifest that the Jewes were possessed with a spirit of giddinesse as was threatned them their ears dulled their eyes darkened against the evident light of Gods truth But for us we are assured that this peace was performed in our Saviour as all circumstances noted by the Prophets agreeing to him of the time by Daniel mentioned the place by Michael his name his progeny his Mother so that in respect of us to whom God hath made this known we may use those words For I tell you that many prophets and Kings and righteous men have desired to see those things which you see and have not seene them and to heare those things which you heare and have not heard them To whom is this performed this promise of peace as the Angell said to the shepheards for Behold I bring you glad tidings of great joy which shal be to all people for unto you is borne this day in the City of David a saviour which is Christ the Lord. And this is the first point by reason of the celebration of the Lords Nativity in accomplishing the promise of God by giving peace above all blessings sending Christ a Saviour to take flesh upon him The next point in these words is that God taketh delight and will poure a blessing upon it on the temple onely in respect of Christ figured and holy exercises commanded by him therein practised how the Temple figured Christ and the exercises there the duties of Christians in perticular set down else we are not to stand on them But note the blockishnesse first of the Jewes then of the Papists for they in their Talmud thought that God tooke delight in the Temple that now for sorrow he hath destroyed it he spendeth many houres in bewayling the same the papists though the Temple be overthrowne yet thinke that that God tooke such delight in the place where it stood that they goe on Pilgrimages as though yet that prayer of Solomons were in force for them that pray more in that place then the other blinde men that consider not rudiments of the law while the Jewes as children were therby to be schooled to Christ our Saviour to the Samaritane so expounded it Woman beleeve me the hour cometh wherin ye shall neither in this mountaine nor yet in Jerusalem worship the Father But the houre cometh and now is when the true worshippers of the Father shall worship him in spirit and in truth meaning the time had been when the place of true worship appointed was Jerusalem but the truth being come all places are now sanctified as Jerusalem according to that 1 Tim. 2. 8. I will therefore that men pray very where lifting up pure hands without wrath doubting The Remish Jesuites upon Matthew 17. ver 9. say the mountaine is called holy by Saint Peter 2 Pet. ver 18. as that place by Moses Exod. 3. 5. was called holy ground whereby it is evident say they that by such a precious place they are sanctified and thereupon groweth a religion and devotion in the faithfull towards such places and that there was great pilgrimage in the Primitive Church to this mountain and unto all those places which our Saviour had sanctified with his presence and with his miracles and therefore to the whole land of promise also upon Iohn 12. 20. the gentiles say they came to adore the gentiles came of devotion Pilgrimage to the temple of Jerusalem and Acts 8. 27 Note that the Ethiopian came to Jerusalem to adore that is on Pilgrimage Out of all these places they would prove that yet we should goe to Jerusalem by vertue of which conclusion they may also prove that we should also offer bulls and Calves which were prescribed by the law as was this coming to Jerusalē for as they were bound to come up to appear before the Lord so were they also commanded not to come empty if bound to Jerusalem because of a speciall promise made to that place why not to all the ordinances prescribed by Moses Besides Pauls resort to Jerusalem at the feast was for the opportunity of preaching to them then assembled as on the Saboth Acts 13. 44. and so they may conclude that we are to keepe the Jewes sabboth which the Jesuites will deny Therefore of the example of Paul going up to Jerusalem it can no more be proved that we ought to go thither than that we should also yet offer for that we reade he did so in the temple Acts 21. 16. and it maketh as much for his offring as the other for the going thither The Remists note on the 17 of Mathew is more forcible in shew but as weake in substance That the mount was called holy because it was sanctified by that apparition we grant but was it then so sanctified that holinesse must then needs cleave unto it for ever and still abide therewith Peter called it the holy hill so likewise Mathew 27. 33. calleth Jerusalem the holy City and the 24 the holy place namely as other things are called holy because consecrated to holy uses so the City because of the holy assemblies to it because of the Church of God it signified and the temple more especially because of the glory of God which
dwell among us sanctifie us O Lord that we may remember that the gold is thine Sermon the Thirtenth Haggai 2. 11 12. In the fourth day came the word of the Lord saying Thus saith the Lord aske now the Priests concerning the law and say if one beare holy flesh in the skirt of his garment and with his skirt do touch bread or pottage or wine or eyle or any meat shall it be holy and the Priests answered and said No. AFter many and great promises of sundry blessings and benifits whereby the Lord had before incurraged these people of the Jewes to go forward in the building of the Temple wherein at this time they shewed themselves somewhat slacke Heare againe for the strengthening of their hands and the chearing of their hearts to stirre them up againe in these words the Prophet reneweth one of the former promises concerning the plenty of temporall blessings of wine and oyle so the comfort of which benifit is annexed and set out by the contrary to wit barrenesse blasting by which for their sinnes they were chastised in the former yeare and least being the only people chosen to serve the Lord they should flatter themselves in the multitude of their sacrifices and religious worshiping of the Lord and thinke therefore that they weare not so plagued for their sinnes they are advertized from the Lord that notwithstanding their daly offerings and services and not only their other actions weare displeasing to him but even their sacrifices abominable in his sight so long as they neglected his Commandements and left his Temple unbuilt The severall points to be observed are these First that their sinnes is opened and they by themselves convinced of it v. 12. to v. 16. Secondly the Prophet sheweth that therfore they were plagued with barrennesse from v. 16. to v. 19. Thirdly Vpon amendment of this fault and going constantly on in building plenty is promised v. 19. to v. 20. The first point is as much I shall be able to handle at this time though I did reade all because of the connection and coherance of one part with another For the first therefore to omit the other whereon this depends Their sinne the Prophet opens by two misticall Resemblances rawne from Moses Law v. 13 14. and declaring thence v. 15. that they being themselves uncleane so were all their workes and their sacrifices which they more effectually to perswade them the Lord v. 12. commandeth Haggai to aske the Priest concerning the Law as by the witnesses of them that were therein skilfull to convince them and perhaps to reprove the Priest which should before have taught the people according to the Law Now the Law of Moses laith open these two Types for 1 Levit. 6. 27. concerning the sinne offering the Lord by Moses pronounceth that it was most holy and whatsoever should touch the flesh should be holy and here is the former question made by the Prophet v. 12 13. if one beare holy flesh in the skirt of his garment and with the skirt doe touch the bread or the pottage whether the bread or the meate so touched shall be holy whereunto the Priest answered no And that eightly for though it be said there that whatsoever thing the flesh of the finne-offering toucheth shall be holy yet doth he not say that whatsoever toucheth that which toucheth the flesh shall be holy In like manner the Iewes in their sacrifice could not be said to be holy because they touched that onely which touched the thing that was holy and never touched that thing which was holy to witt the true flesh of sinne as he called Gal. 2. the body of those shaddowes Heb. 9. 9. who was sacrificed on the Crosse to take away sinne whom and whose garments as they only who touched by faith were healed Mar. 6. 56. Matth. 9. So onely as many as touched him in the sacrifices of the Iewes spiritually by a true and a lively faith first those that spiritually believed in him were saved and so consequently sanctified which spirituall touch is required Ioh. 3. Heb. 11. 6. wherefore as the Iewes by neglecting the building of the Temple and therein their obedience shewed their unbelief wanting that faith which worketh by love although they touched the outward shaddowes and cerimonies yet since they touched not Christ the substance and body of them by a true faith they remained yet unholy still Againe Numb 2. 19. it is written that whosoever toucheth the corps of a dead man shall be polluted and uncleane and whatsoever the uncleane person toucheth it shall be also uncleane And hence is the second question moved whether if a person sopolluted by touching a dead body as the word in the originall sheweth and is although not here yâ—t Levit. 22. 4. translated touch any thing uncleane by the dead whether the thing so touched should be unclean to this question the Prophet answers yes it shall be uncleane and that also agreeable to the law as before we have heard wherefore the touching of a dead body doth betoken the committing of sinne which is called â—â— dead â—ork Heb. 9. 14. As may appeare by Christs blood â—â—â—ging â—â—om us the uncleannesse of sinne to that clenâ—â—ng water which purged them from that uncleannesse of the dead Heb 10. 〈…〉 that the Ieweâ— howsoever by the sacrifices and ceremonies they were outwardly washed from such pollutioâ— yet being not washed by Christ blood they were dead in the 〈◊〉 and sinnes and so polluted with dead workes that all of them were unclean yea and their sacrifices defiled and all they did which is the maine point of reproofe inferred as from those former proofes by the testimony eveâ— of the Priests themselves concerned 〈◊〉 where the prophet answereth So iâ— this people 〈◊〉 which say it is not time to build the Lords house 〈…〉 cleane before me saith the Lord i in my judgment howsoever they thinke themselves cleane by their sacrificeâ— and so ar◠〈◊〉 but all the workes of their hands and that which theâ— effect here viz. as we may gather from their daâ—ly 〈◊〉 offering into uncleane Thâ—â— weare the Ieweâ— informed how they did 〈◊〉 against the law of God in not building aâ— they weare commanded the Temple of the Lord and therefore for all their sacrifices they were uncleanâ— â—nd all their 〈◊〉 ye and their own sacrifices an abominatioâ— unto him and that by the confeflida of the high Prieâ—â—â— their owne teacher of which 〈◊〉 â—â—ction given unto them wee may make 〈…〉 we may see 1. The sinne of these Iewes viâ— the neglect of the â—â—â—filling of the Lords commandement inbuilding as 〈…〉 2. The convicting of 〈…〉 3. By resemblances and 〈…〉 serve for opening the meaning of these words now see what heare we learne for instruction and our further use v. 12. thus saith the Lord aske the Priests de lege whence 1. We learne in generall that for convicting men of sinne instructing them in the way of God
the Lords house and after he had finished that his owne house for which God accordingly blessed them though neither of them wanted chastisements because also some times they faulted therein yet were great blessings bestowed on them both in this life vouchsafed out of the everlasting favour and blessing of God as by the monuments of them both is manifest By example of whom we are instructed to follow the Commandement of God in building his house in going at leastwise as farre as David in providing those things that were requiâ—â—te for perfecting thereof which worke was referred to Solomon let us be moved with the example of Gods mercies on them to look for the like blessing if we follow them in well doing remembring that which is written by the Prophet how that afterward he had espoused them to himselfe in kindnesse and mercy and had made a covenant with them by this that he promiseth that he will heare the heavens and the heavens shall heare the earth and the earth shall heare Israel nay they may assure themselves not onely of these blessings but of such as are inestimably to be preferred before them whereof mention is made in the Apocalips though represented also by such things as Manna the tree of life to conquerers to them that goe forward in the building of the Temple and of the Sanctuary This exhortation pertaineth more specially indeed to the principall builders of it But it doth also belong unto all the people of the land not to the ministery or spirituality as they tearme it but to all Christians who must all be spirituall if they will all be Christians they must as lively stones be built upon the foundation they must offer up themselves a living holy and acceptable sacrifice none is exempted from this labour all must be Kings to conquer their lusts and affections that rebell against Gods Commandements all Priests to offer up spirituall sacrifice yea they are each one to go further and not onely to build themselves but others also every one one another remembring that which the Apostle exhorteth the Thessalonians Exhort one another and edefie one another Therefore all must be builders all our speech must be to edefie poudred with salt our actions rules of Godlinesse that we may be patternes for others to behold for our Saviour spake to all his disciples Ye are the salt of the earth and the light of the world not onely the Bishops and the Deacons as Philippi but also the rest of them were as lights shining forth holding forth for others salt serveth for many useâ— to season other things light to light others also Therefore all are to edefie not themselves but others also This exhortation made to all we ought to call to remembrance that so we are for this cause termed salt light a princely priesthood a chosen nation whom God hath sanctified to shew forth the vertue of him that hath called them and the care which they are to have one of another It was Cains voice am I the keeper of my brother But we are rather to propose unto ourselves the example of Moses when he was not yet called to be delivered of his brethrenbut prepared thereunto he laboured to reconcile his brethren that were at discord yet this exhortation concerneth principally Zerubbabel and Joshua because they be the chiefest of the Lords servants and the graces of God are most eminent in them whose heart God hath so touched that they pitty the dust the stons the ruines of Jerusalem who as trees of righteousnes moistned by Gods spirit sanctified by Gods grace that was poured upon Christ Jesus are appointed to build the old waste places to raise up the former desolations and to repaire the Cities that were desolate and waste through many desolations which words of the Prophet must teach us who are called especially to the charge of building to take delight in the stones thereof to be carefull for the raising up of them to repaire the desolate Cities of Judah and Jerusalem wherby I am moved to beseech you fathers who are inabled with gifts to performe this duty to the whole houshold that you would not onely raise up others to do this holy worke but that you with more care diligence would performe the same your selves for though you are content to heare the young sort and sometimes Eliba may speak more wisely than his elders the youth of Timothy is not to be despised yet many have more regard of the gray head aged Paul is able to speake with great gravity and therefore is wont to be heard with great reverence and profit Gideon when he had taken the K. of Midian Zeba and Zalmanna he spake to Jether his first-born to rise up and slay them but the boy drew not his sword because he feared because he was yet young then the Kings said unto Gideon rise thou and fall upon us for as the man is so is his strength our carnall lusts and carnall concupiscence whereby we are led to wickednesse fight against the spirit of God and they are the enemies of the Lord and therefore we are willed of the Apostle to mortifie our members that are on earth fornication uncleannesse the inordinate affection coveteousnesse which is Idolatry the wicked affections are as the Apostle saith limbes of one body growing so fast unto us by the depravation of our nature as our armes or leggs do to our bodies therefore these limbs of our body must be slaine the sword wherewith we must doe it is the word of God as the Apostle teacheth why these lusts are for the most part so slowly slaine there are many reasons partly because Gideon speâ—keth to his first borne to slay them not boyes indeed as he was to whom Gideon spake but of riper yeares yet our sonnes though our first-borne and flower of our sonnes yet but our sons Zeba and Zalmanna knew well enough that Jether though Gideons first-borne yet he could not make so quicke dispatch in killing of them because they were to dye by his hand they were to dye a lingring death wherefore although your children are loth to say to you that you your selves are rather to rise up and performe this duty as nether Jether did to his Father Gideon give us leave as Zeba and Zalmunna to will you to rise up and runne upon your lusts and slay them for as the man is so is his strength God forbid you should be justly to be taxed with that reproof which is laid upon the great men and the Tekoils of whom when the Prophets had shewed the building of the walles of Jerusalem each sort fortified in their place but the great with he of the Tekoits put not their necks to the worke of the Lord the phrase here used noteth the kinde of labour they should have taken even to carry stones and morter a base worke that great men should be labourers in yet we see the Holy Ghost toucheth them with just
other things but I speak to men of understanding Sermon the Seventh Haggai Chap. 1. verse 12 13. Vers 12. Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Joshua the sonne of Josedech the high priest with all the remnant of the people obeyed the voice of the Lord their God and the words of Haggai the prophet as the Lord their God had sent him and the people did feare before the Lord. Vers 13. Then spake Haggai the Lords messenger in the Lords message unto the people saying I am with you saith the Lord. WHen the Prophet Haggai had delivered his message from the Lord of Hosts unto Zerubbabel Joshua and the remnant of the people the fruit of this message from the Lord is here set downe what effect it wrought in the hearts of the hearers not only of Zerubbabel and Joshua but even of the people also The principall effects that followed upon the Prophets Sermon are here noted to be two one of Obedience They all obeyed the voice of the Lord Another of reverence And the people did feare before the Lord. The word of the Lord by the messenger of the Lord had brought some feare and reverence upon them to cause them to stoope unto the will of God and this feare had wrought some desire in their hearts to yeeld themselves in obedience to do the worke of the Lord in the building of the Temple also It is said of Christ Isai 11 Chapter That the feare of the Lord should rest upon him and so it may be likewise of all true Christians that the feare of the Lord is before them not that fear which John speaks of which is a feare that hath painfulnesse wherewith the wicked are vexed dreading punishment that being a slavish and a servile feare but such a feare as Abraham had when he would have offered his deare sonne for a sacrifice to the Lord feare arising from faith and love and drawing us on to obedience That fear of the Lord which Joh. saith continueth with love for ever herein is love perfect that we should have boldnes in the day of judgement This feare is a token of grace in the children of God that they tremble and feare at the word of the Lord so saith the Lord by the Prophet Isai Is 66. c. v. 2. To this man I looked even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit and trembleth at my word and againe v. 5 hear the word of the Lord ye that tremble at his word Such aâ—â—are did the Lord himselfe approve and commend in the heart of goo◠〈◊〉 fiah 2 Kings 22. chap. 19. ver Because thine heart was tender and thou hast humbled thy selfe before the Lord when thou heardest what I spake against this place and against the inhabitants thereof that they should become a desolation and a curse and hast rent thy clothes and wept before me I also have heard thee saith the Lord. And such a feare joyned with obedience the Lord requireth in all his servants Who is among you that feareth the Lord that obeyeth the voice of his servant that walketh in darkenesse and hate no light let him trust in the name of the Lord and stay upon his God Thus did Zerubbabel Joshua with the remnant of the people they obeyed the voice of the Lord their God and the words of Haggai the Prophet as the Lord their God had sent him and the people did before feare the Lord. A lesson of no small importance both to us that preach the word and to you that heare it also For us that preach that we do the worke and preach the word of the Lord not onely faithfully but plainely also that the people that heare us may be effectually moved to reverence and obedience there withall To you that heare that you receive the message not as from men but as from God as did the Thessalonians to whom the Apostle gives testimony with thanksgiving and that without ceasing for that when they receaved the word which they heard of him and others of Gods Ministers they receaved it not as the word of men but as it is in truth the word of God which effectually worketh in them that beleeve And let us here consider what the Apostle saith follow after charity and desire spirituall gifts but rather that yee may prophecy All preachers of the word after a sort are Prophets not because they foretell things to come but because they open and reveale the word of the Lord and apply it also unto Gods people For he that prophecieth speaketh from God unto men to edefication exhortation and comfort and so is he said to edefie the Church of God according to that of the Apostle he that speaketh a strange language edefieth himselfe but he that prophesieth edefieth the Church The Church is said to be edefied by a Metaphor when they that are believers are layd as living stones one upâ—â— another being edefied that is built as a spirituall 〈◊〉 is by Gods Ministers who are therefore called Gods buildâ—â—s as the people are Gods building 1 Cor. 3. 9. and so it it is said Acts 9. 31. That the Church had rest throughout all Judea and Galile and Samaria and were edefied and walking in the feare of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost were multiplyed To preach or prophecy therefore is not to speake strange language if we will ever have the people edefied but we must Prophecy as the Prophets and Apostles did in plaine evidence of spirit and speech rather to profit than to please either our selves or those whom we speake unto which if either we would follow the Apostles judgement or did minde so much the peoples profit as he did we would be much more willing to do so our selves also For though he could speake as many and more languages than any of them all yet had he rather said he speake five words plainly and profitably to instruct others than ten thousand in a strange tongue And it is well worth the observing that which the Apostle hath noted already that when God spake in a strange language he did it because of the peoples infidelity 1 Cor 14. 22. and it was no mercy but a judgment that the Lord would speake with other tongues to that people Isai 28 11. For all that will they not heare me saith the Lo The Fathers of the Greek Church never preached in the learned Hebrew but in their vulgar tongue neither any Church till Papistry came in The Apostles themselves being filled with the Holy Ghost began to speake with other tongues as the spirit gave them utterance and although the multitude which heard them were of divers languages yet did they heare what the Apostles spake every man in their owne tongue wherein they were borne They spake not in Greeke to the Arabians nor in Latine to the Egyptians nor in the Parthian tongue to the Phrygians nor in the
nought that Solomon prayed Proverbs 30. Give me neither poverty nor riches And Deut. 23. we see that when the people waxed full they spurned against the Lord. But alwaies with sufficiency and with a spirituall glory greater yet in this liâ—e and an immortall weight of glory in the life io come Therefore to those that lead a religious christian and a godly life that indeavour to build upon themselves and others in an holy building to the Lord is this promise made that this later house shall be more glorious than the former They before Christ having but a taste in comparison of that whereof we have the full fruition this is it that Solomon hath Proverb 8. exalt wisedome and it will exalt thee and he learned it from his Father who taught that God would give both grace and glory Psal 84. 11. and no good thing will I with hould from those that walke uprightly no good thing nothing that if indeed good for them with that moderation 1 Cor. 14. the Apostle saith of himselfe and such as he was that they were a gasing stock unto Angels and men hungry and thirsty naked and buffeted but 2 Cor. 4. he addeth that those small afflictions should worke in them a farre more excellent and eternall weight of glory so that God workes alwayes that which is most of al for our good therefore in respect of those other greater good things these lesser are denyed whosoever saith Christ shall loose Father and Mother or Friends for my name sake he shall even in this life receive a hundred fould but with persecutions in the world to come life eternall He that hath given us his sonne how should he not give us all things together with him the Lord can deny nothing that is good to them that walk uprightly but then we must walke uprightly and in so doing our glory shall be the greater For if we build the Lords house then wee glorifie and honour him and their it is written them that honour me I will honour saith the Lord. 1 Sam. 2. 30. Now the last promise and in this house will I give peace is made of a seed of peace c. not onely that discention shall cease but that the heavens shall heare the earth to give her dew and the earth shall heare the corne to give her fruit c. and they shall heare Israel so travel in the building of the house of the Lord and the service of him as they ought which may put us in mind that we may feare that we have not laboured so as we ought in the building of the house of the Lord forasmuch as there be so many breaches and vents among us and in the seventh chapter the Prophet tells them that before when they built not the Lords house but every one his owne that the heaven staid it selfe from dew and the earth her selfe from her fruite there was no peace nay saith Zach. 8. 10. Before those dayes there was no hire for man nor beast neither was there any peace to him that went out nor to him that came in because of the affliction for saith God I set every one against his neighbour and that by the just judgement and vengeance of God because they travelled not in the building of the house of the Lord. From whence are wars and contentions saith James are they not hence even from your owne lusts and pleasures that fight in your members And are not our contentions to maintaine our lusts and our pleasures also I would to God we did consider aright the roote of them It s an old Proverb to fish in troubled waters Cleon in Aristophanes was told that he dealt like them that fished for Eles for as they when the lake is calme and cleare can take nothing and therefore do they trouble it and stirre up the mud and slime so when the City was quiet he could get nothing and therefore he sought to make strife in the City if any such Cleons be amongst us I would they would remember that they are called not to be fishers of Eles but to be fishers of Men not of such slimy stuffe which Hab. 2. is called thicke clay but for the soules of men which are most pretious and which they must seeke for as for the wisdom of such as fish for Eles it descendeth not from above as St. James saith but is earthly sensuall carnall devilish such as do not consider that the Lord saith Silver is mine and Gold is mine and I will give peace in this house But if St. James cannot serve to perswade then let them yet remember what a heathen man worthy their remembrance saith Varro by name whom Austin so commends Distractione civium saith he languescit praecipium civitatis bonum est incipit aegrotare deflorescere out of all controversie the Prophet having promised peace unto them when the Temple and house of the Lord was built doth shew plainely that we doe not build the Lords house because we are not at peace But is by the example and promise wee hope to have peace let us looke to be fishers of Men and not of Ecles then shall we bee sure to have prosperous successe and to bee inriched as the Jewes were afterward wo be to him saith God to Jehocakim that buildeth his house with unrighteousnesse and his chambers by wrong Did not thy father Josiah eate and drinke and prosper when he executeted Judgement and Justice If men could be content with moderation as Josiah was and not seeke to justifie their inordinate lusts and affections as many doe then might they eate and drinke and prosper as Josiah did But when they begin with Jehoiakim to follow after their owne wicked lusts then it s not moderate eating and drinking that will serve their turne They thinke they must shift for more by other meanes the sentence that St. Iames addeth upon his exhortation and reprofe of their contentions Iam. 3. 15. is worthy our remembrance viâ—le the fruit of righteousnesse iâ— sownâ— in pence to them that exercise peace wherein the former place peace is taken for Gods love and favor accumpanied with temporall and spirituall blessings and in the latter for peace and concord and so doubtlesse Gods eternall peace which passeth all understanding is sowne to them that make peace yet they must waite as the husbandman doth for fruit and not thinke to have it straightway but certainely they may expect it for the Lord hath promised that as many as sow righteousnesse shal have the fruite of peace in this life and in the life to come life everlasting But I beseech you to remember that which is prophesied to come to passe in the time of the Gospel To breake our swords into mattocks and our speares into sithes let us lay aside the instruments of war and take unto us the instruments of Gods husbandmen and labourers and so build the house of God that the Lord may
infection may we feare then that which Martha feared in a deady body foure dayes dead for what if the worke have beene foure years dead and the more should we fear these because being spirituall they bring unto us a far greater destruction then the former Howbeit if any have not this spirituall sence of feeling let him consider the two motives following In that the Lord pronounceth all our actions touched by the unfaithfull and disobedient to be uncleane in his sight and not only swearing lying slandering c. and those that are simply evill in themselves which should teach us how we ought to have imperfect detestation that which God seeing our hearts who must also be himselfe judge and revenge of all pronounceth in his sight to be uncleane a thing the more of us to be considered because otherwise men not seeing our faults but looking on our better actions may happely account us very holy nay many deceive themselves as the pharisee Luk. 18. and they that justifie themselves Luk. 16 thinking that they are holy when they are not Mans knowledge is defective and often seeth not many things nay wee our selves many times see not all and go in that Rev. 3. to stirre up the Angell to this consideration it is added for the workes are not full before God for many are accounted free from fault before men which yet are detestable before God yea and Eph. 5. 4. the Apostle we see joynes with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Also as things unseemly which Latine Phisosophers account a vertue rather and in it selfe we used as a thing indifferent yet is censured as a dead worke because it is by men commonly abused And therefore in the same place vers 11. he addeth this exhortation that they should not be partakers with the unfruitfull workes of darknesse but even reprove them rather for it is a shame to speake of those things that are done of them in secret and how men flatter themselves in their sine so they may conceale them from men Gehazo's example 2 Kings 5. may sufficiently instruct us when once the talents were conveyed into a secret place then he comes and stands before his Master and all he thought was well he had beene no where but God saw where he had bin and revealed it unto the Prophet and so many if they can for schollers places c. which should be given freely take bribes so cunningly that neither state of Prince or Parliament shall take hold of them they thinke all well and safe enough but yet how soever in mans sight they can cover it in Gods eyes their works are abominable and hee will discover it wherefore good for us it is betime to begin to set before our eyes that consideration which David had Psalme 139. viz. that whether soever we go we cannot hide our selves from his presence Seneca Epl. 11. ad lucillum saith that it would be a great incitement to vertue and restraint from sinne if wee could alwayes imagine some reverent grave man in our presence if Cato were too grave yet Laelius supposing that a great occasion to sinne would be taken away cum peccaturis testis adsit but in Epistle 25. he telleth us that he had yet profited more that had learned so much as to reverence himselfe and indeed if none else be present with a man yet his conscience which is as a 1000 witnesses at present ought sufficiently to move a man herein and so it was Isocrates his counsell that none should venture to do any thing in hope to conclude it when as himselfe yet at least should thereof be conscious to himselfe but this witnesse also is far too short from that which is here commended to us by the prophet that the Lord sees and censureth our actions for our consciences may for sometime winke and many consciences are seared as it were and past feeling but if one will be affraide to commit evill before a grave person how should vve feare to commit any in secret alone since we are alway in the sight of God who is the searcher of the heart much more for this that others can be but witnesse only but God is judge also and avenger as the spirit saith to the Angell of Sardys Rev. 3. that if he should not be awake he vvould come on him as a theif in the night the phrase taken from Thess 5. 2. threatning suddain destruction as Gehazi leprous and those that were uncleane in the shaddow shut out of the City and those that are unclean in truth not to enter into Heaven Rev. 21. Therefore since it so that God sees and judges all our actions let us do as David did who setting also before his eyes that other consideration Psame 62. 12. that the Lord recompenceth every man according to his Works When he had defiled himselfe with Adultery and Murther and was once made sensible of it he sought to the Lord to be clensed and after still endeavoured to keepe himselfe clean but if we be not both carefull of Repentance for the present and after still to keepe our selves cleane for the time to come what may we expect but what is threatned Prov. 15. that the sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord Now Eccles 4. 17. wisheth us to look to our feete the instruments of motion first to have a carefull regard to all our carriage even in these things whereby we are to be instructed when we enter into the house of God and be nearer to heare that is to obey as the same word is used likewise 1. Sam. 15. 22. to obey is better then sacâ—ifice then to offer the sacrifice of fooles as otherwise we shall if we onely outwardly heare or frequent prayers c. The summe of all is comprised in the Covenant of God with Abraham Gen. 17. 1. walk before me and be upright and this beloved is the covenant that is made with us who are by faith in Christ the Sons of Abraham that we being redeemed out of the Church from all our enemies should serve him in holinesse and righteousnesse all the dayes of our life before him Luke 1. 15. Let us therefore know that having our consciences by the bloud of Christ purged from dead works to serve the living God Heb. 9. 14. We must labour to have grace so alway to serve him that wee may please him with reverence and fear Heb. 12. that we may finally be with those that serve him day and night in his Temple as it is Rev. 15. The English of the Latine in page fifth THat thing is commendable amongst those of Geneva if any where which makes a common Wealth flourish if not inriches and extent of Empire yet certainly in virtue and piety viz. the censure of these of chiefe authority in the Church then which nothing can bee thought of greater or more divine to restraine the irregular appetites of men and such of their vices which by humane Lawes and
See heer th ' effigies louely lively face Of reverend Rainolds full of fayth Grace Oxfords renowned Doctor of the Chaire Acute mellifluos Oratour most rare T. Cross sculp THE PROPHESIE OF HAGGAI Interpreted and applyed in sundry SERMONS By that Famous and Judicious Divine JOHN RAINOLDS D. D. Never before printed Beeing very usefull for these Times HAGGAI Chap. 1. verse 7 8 9. Thus saith the Lord of Hosts Consider your wayes Goe up to the mountaine and bring wood and build the house and I will take pleasure in it and I will bee glorified saith the Lord. Ye looked for much and loe it came to little and when ye brought it home I did blow upon it Why saith the Lord of Hosts because of mine house that is wast and ye run every man unto his own house LONDON Printed by W. W. for William Lee and are to be sold at the Turkes-head neere the Miter Taverne in Fleetstreet 1649. TO THE CHRISTIAN READER Reader I Shall promise a few words concerning both the Authour and worke For the Authour of it it was Doctor JOHN RAINOLDS a man eminent both for learning and piety No man mee thinkes saith one is happy on Earth to him that hath grace for substance and Learning for ornament This verse is written about Dr. Rainolds Air picture Inâ—ertum est fuerit doctior an melior It is doubtfull whether He were more learned or pious When Bellarmine came out first both the Vniversities chose one in each Academy to confute him Oxford for I must ever give that the preheminence chose Doctor Rainolds for their Champion Cambridge Doctor Whitaker for theirs Whitaker was more nimble for hee went over a great part of Bellarmines Controversies and so solidly consuted him that it is credibly related by some English-men that travelled into Italy that Bellarmine himselfe procured his Picture out of England placed it in his study secretly admiring him for his great learning and when hee was asked by another Jesuite his friend and companion why hee would have the Picture of that Heretick hee was wont to answer that although hee was an Heretick and an adversary yet hee was a learned Adversary Whitaker that Honour of our Schooles and Angell of our Church Learned Whitaker then whom our age saw nothing more memorable what clearnesse of judgment what sweetnesse of stile what gravity of person what grace of carriage was in that man who ever saw him without reverence or heard him without wonder Doctor Rainolds whom a very reverend Divine compares to a pen too full of inke thought at the first that in two or three yeares he should have been able to have gone over all Bellarminâ— Controversies but he was 7 yeares about the very firâ—â— of 〈◊〉 de â—bris Apocryphis which yet he finished not neither insomuch that one Mr. Walter Travers jested with him and told him he was so long in reading the Apocrypha here that he would read the Canonâ—cals in Heaven Yet his conference with Hart that worke together doe amply discover his great abilities and he is justly stiled by one of our owne writers Pontificiorum malleus patriae suae dulcissimum decus the hammer of the Papists and most sweet ornament of his owne Country Doctor Rainolds alone was a well furnisht Library full of all faculties of all studies of all learning the memory the reading of this man were neare to a miracle For this worke of his it was reviewed and perfected by that Reverend Divine Master William Hinde sometimes Preacher of Gods word at Bunbury in Cheshire whose intention was to have printed it in his life time hee having set forth some other of the same Authors workes as that on Obadiah these Sermons immediately following thereupon to bee handled in the Doctors ordinary course of Preaching as appeares in the first page of these Sermons This Copy therefore being left with mee by Master Nathaniel Hinde a Minister in Staffordshire and Sonne to the forementioned Master William Hinde with a desire also of the publication of it I thought good to preface thus much in the behalfe both of the Author and worke It is I suppose the best Copy that is extant and though he wholly finished not the second Chapter of Haggai yet because the maine subject of that Booke is the building of the Temple it will not seeme unseasonable for these times wherein Reformation should bee the aime of all and in another respect also this worke may bee suitable to the present season because this learned and religious Author in this Book seemes to favour the Presbiterian way What ever it bee I commend it and thee to Gods blessing and rest Thy hearty well-wisher EDVVARD LEIGH AN EXPOSITION Upon HAGGAI Sermon the First CHAP. 1. vers 1. In the second yeare of Darius the King in the sixt moneth the first day of the moneth came the word of the Lord by the hand of the Prophet Haggai unto Zerubbabel the sonne of Shealtiel a Prince of Judah and to Jehosuah the sonne of Jehozadak the high Priest saying Thus hath the Lord of hoasts charged me to say This people say the time is not yet come the time that the Lords house shall be builded Then came the word of the Lord by the hand of the Prophet Haggai saying Is it time for you Sirs to sit downe in your seiled houses whiles this house lyes waste YOU have heard in the conclusion of the Prophesie of Obadiah the promise of deliverance made by God unto the Jewes and in them to all his chosen that their enemies should be overthrown and they restored to their ancient inheritance which should be performed by Saviours which should come up to mount Sion to judge the mount of Esau and that the kingdome should bee the Lords which that you might see how it was in shaddow performed to the Jewes and in truth to all the chosen of God I thought good to entreat of this Prophesie of Haggai wherein the same is delivered unto us In which we are taught that the Temple having been begun to be built long before and the worke intermitted was with much adoe continued by Zerubbabel and Jehosua who were thereunto moved by the ministery of Haggai prospered by the assistance of the godly encouraged by Gods word and grace of his spirit which representeth un o us the frame of the spirituall house the Church which Christ built by his Apostles which were sent from Sion as was prophesied of them The doctrine shall come from Sion Next if we consider the circumstances of the times letts helps the persons people Princes Preists dealings it may be an example unto us and to such as are to deale any way in the building of the church how to behave themselves therein Moreover by the consequence that once more he would shake the heavens and the earth bring the desire of all nations and fill that house with glory he comprehendeth the fulfilling
Looke saith Bristow on the names of Shrovetide Candlemas Christmas c. speake they Lutheranisme Which argument if it bee good against us what is it against the Prophets For the names not onely of one day but of whole months the names of Elul Shepat c. Looke what religion they speake whether Judaisme or Paganisme or what if the heathenish Romans should so speake to the popish Romans Looke on the names of your owne months do they not speake our Religion January of Janus the two-faced God February of Februo which signifieth to purge for that twelve dayes of this month the people was exercised in kindling tapers and candles and offering sacrifices for the rest of the soules departed March of Mars May of Majâ— Jupiters whore Iuly and August of Divus Iul. and D. August What speake these names Christianity or Idolatry And what can the use of the name of Candlemas make more against us than the name of February against them save that it very well fitteth them agreeing in their ceremonies then used merveâ—lous well with the Gentiles For as they use candles and tapers so did the heathen As they offer for the rest and quietnesse of the dead so did the heathen As they did indeed agree with them in many other of their Rites as if you compare the carrying about of their Idols with the papists carrying about their bread or breaden God on Corpus Christi day c. Wherefore let us rather when wee heare or remember any of these names consider the goodnesse of God and his great mercy towards us which hath delivered us from the superstition which these names signifie And as the Jewes by the name of Nisan EElul c. which they used having received them from the Chaldeans were brought in minde of that slavery and captivity under which they were held and so occasioned the more to praise the mercy of God in their deliverance So likewise should wee by these names consider that great captivity wherein wee were held much more greater grievouser than that of Babylon and thus much we may marke considering the circumstance of the time The Second Sermon Apr. 19. 1586. THis parcell opening an entrance to the Exhortation to hold on the building of the Temple begun containeth many speciall points which being therein comprised have beene heretofore laid downe and out of the first such necessary lessons delivered as made for our understanding concerning the time yeare month and day of this Prophesie The rest of the points convenient and fit to be noted concerning this message as yet remaine and are these 1. From whom this message commeth The Lord of Hoasts 2. By whom it is sent By the hand or ministery of Haggeus 3. To whom To Zerubbabel the sonne of Shealtiel Prince of Iudah and to Jehosua the sonne of Jehosadac the high Priest 4. In what sort by noting the peoples fault and reproving it This people say the time is not yet come that the Lord c. In the first appeareth the singular favour of God and his goodnesse towards his children who by the ministery of his word calleth them to life and thereby stirreth up their mindes to bee carefull of it as hee dealt with Abraham whom hee called out of Ur of the Chaldeans with whom afterwards hee made his covenant and even so hath hee dealt with the the children of Abraham according to that promise I will bee thy God and the God of thy seed which how hee hath performed I need not by the severall examples of the Prophets Patriarkes and Apostles to make manifest unto you when Elipbaz and Elibu note even among the Gentiles that God speaketh by dreames and visions revealing 〈◊〉 the eare of man and sealing his correction that man may remove his worke and that hee may hide the pride of man which he also used before the severing of the Jewes and Gentiles as in his dealing with our first parents to whom by his word hee opened his will So that whosoever is or hath beene of his Church to him hath hee revealed his will by one meanes or other of what age state or condition soever for God is and alwayes hath been to his people a Pastor Master Father and Teacher In the second wee learne of the heavenly ministers who they are by whom this message is sent it is sent not to them in elder time by voice dreame or sight in trance but by the hand that is the ministery of Haggeus Which manifestation though it may seeme lesse in that men are the messengers yet if wee consider the matter wee shall find it farre greater for when as their ancestors at the giving of the Law heard the Lord speake unto them from mount Sinai they were so dismayed that they said unto Moses talke thou with us and let not the Lord talke with us lest wee dye upon which speech God approved their words and said they had spoken well whereupon hee promised them that hee would raise up a prophet like unto Mâ—ses into whose mouth hee would put his words Wherefore to relieve our weaknesse and deliver us from this feare wherewith we understand how greatly Daniel and Iohn were stricken and astonished it pleased God of his abundant mercy and favour to raise up of our owne flesh of our brethren and of our sonnes men like unto our selves as more familiar teachers for hee hath ordained and given to his Church Prophets and them either ordinary or extraordinary Ordinary such as were then before the comming of Christ the Priests and Levites since Pastors and Doctors Extraordinary such as then and since have beene sent by especiall authority from God to teach his Church Of which sort Aggeus was I cannot certainly pronounce for the Scripture telleth us not of what Tribe hee was but wee know that God had given him an extraordinary gift to foresee and foretell the comming of Christ Hence we may learne how much they are bound to Gods gracious mercy who sent unto them his word by so fit a messenger by nature a man by affinity their brother in quality like unto Moses Which benefit though it be great yet behold a greater where it is declared to whom this message was sent namely To Zerubbabel Prince of Iudah and to Jehoshua the sonne of Jehosadac the high Priest where wee may see how it pleased God not onely to make the Prophet Aggeus but the Prince and Priest also messengers of this errand which was sent to the people to the end that if it should bee the lesse regarded because of the person of the Prophet the authority of the Ecclesiasticall and civill governour giving it countenance they might the sooner bee moved to heare it more reverently and obey it more readily For although it were partly sent to them to stirre them up as the godly are slow inough yet because the fault is noted especially to bee in the people as their reproofe argueth it
called to be the Physitians and Chyrurgeons of your soules after we have lanced your wounds daily also put in new tents that at length they may be healed The Lord by Ezekiel reproveth such Prophets as rose not up in the gappes and stood not in the breaches where he useth a Metaphor drawne from the manner of Warriors who are wont to joyne their force together and to make a head against their enemies in such places as they had made a breach this fault of the negligent pastour is one of the greatest breaches whereunto if we runne not and stand not up in it what may our Generall and Captaine thinke of us When Coesar besieged Avaritium in France his souldiers raised a Bulwarke against it the Citizens set it on fire which when Caesars souldiers laboured to quench one stood in the gate to whom was brought such matter as might be cast into the Fort to continue the flame he that first was there placed was shot through with a Scorpions bone and so was slaine in whose place came the second who being so served there followed the third and the fourth neither was that place left without a man while there remained any hope to do good there hath been a fire kindled to consume this hold of sinne God forbid it should be quenched nay it cannot indeed for it is nourished by Gods spirit The Papists themselves at their councell of Trent after they had long debated the matter they were enforced by the clearnesse of the truth to conclude That the Pastor by the law of God is bound to be resident on his charge what the law of man permits it is for the heardnes of mens hearts whereunto that may be replyed that from the beginning it was not so wherefore although we be shot through with speeches as sharpe as arrowes yet let us shew ourselves no lesse valiant than did the Citizens of Avaricum chiefly seing they fought but for a corruptible City for the safguard of the body and that with uncertaine hope but we fight for an incorruptible crowne of glory for the eternall salvation of the soule and that under undoubted hope But we perswade our selves better things of you brethren whom we desire to remember that the wounds of a freind is better than the kisses of an enemy Of my selfe I know and I conceive the the like of others that I onely reprove this sinne for the salvation of your soules and of them that are committed to your charge and why the same is done so often we have example and warrant of the Prophet using so many iterations of the same thing and of the good Chyrurgeons who cease not to apply their medicines till such time as they have cured the wound Now to proceed the exhortation is laid down in the 8 verse Goe up to the mountaine and bring wood and build this house the reasons hereof are because the Lord had already corrected them ver 6 9. 10 11 Where as he threatneth them punishment if they do it not so on the other side he promiseth that he will take pleasure in them c. vers 8 and bestow his blessing on them if they do his commandement but for that you have heard sufficiently already in the exhortation I will come to the reasons Jt is first set downe for them to consider that because of the neglect of Gods commandment he had chastised them with dearth famine scarcity wherein the first point to be observed is that the Lord did send these punishments on them for it is said I blowed on it I called for a drought For as God hath by his power created all things so doth he continually by his providence governe dispose of them So that it is verified that our Saviour saith my Father worketh hetherto and I also worke For all things are his worke and come from his power though it be true that he worketh most by secundary causes even as it is here said that to cause a famine among this people he called for a drought upon the land and upon the mountaines c. for the heavens are appointed to water the earth to make it fruitfull that it may yeeld seed to the sower but neither can the raine make the earth fruitfull nor can the earth bring forth her fruit without his blessing and providing which the Prophet by occasion of the mention of Gods blessing to his Church doth lay open In that day I will heare saith the Lord I will hear even the heavens and they shall hear the earth and the earth shall hear the Corn and the wine and the oyle and they shall heare Israel By which is signified that all creatures shall labour with common consent for Israel for such as feare and serve God that as they wish to have necessaries from the earth so the earth shall look for rain from the heavens c But all this the Lord saith he will heare that we may learn to lift up our eyes from these second causes to him For men that regard not this would goe no further than to say this dearth came from want of rain c. as though it were not the Lord that ruleth these things which Seneca might teach us when he saith what thou callest nature is God for nature created the heavens earth and corne may say to us as John and Peter said to the people Why looke you on us as though by our power and strength we had done this A sparrow falleth not to the ground without his providence There is no evill in the City .i. no punishment of evill which the Lord hath not wrought The want and need in goods the weakenesse of the body the punishments here mentioned are said to come from him for sometimes he withdraweth the things themselves from them sometimes the power and faculty of them though they remaine For sometimes he worketh by these meanes and second causes sometimes without them yea also against them as he teacheth us when signifying how wonderfully he preserved them in the wildernes and fed them he yeeldeth this as the reason that he might teach them That men liveth not by bread onely but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord that is whatsoever he enforceth or commandeth to feed us Yea by the same power he caused their raiment to endure and not to wax old and kept their feet that they swelled not Daniel appointed to be fed with the Kings ordinary fearing lest thereby he should be defiled therwith besought his governour that he and his fellowes might feed on pulse instead thereof but the governour feared least so they should be in worse taking than the rest who fared on finer meats but through Gods blessing they looked better with their diet than the other with the Kings ordinary Pulse is but a homely meate and by the Physitians judgement but of a bad Juyce yet with Gods blessing it is better than a
edisie the Church of Christ which that you may the better do consider with me the points noted in the things whereunto they are exhorted and the reasons although the time will not suffer me indeed to stand on th reasons howbeit I must request that in the meane while you have an eye unto the reasons that are drawne from the rewards proposed to them that performe the commandment that so you may be stirred up with a fervent zeale to performe that to which so glorious a reward is promised And first let us consider who they are that be exhorted It is before said Zerubbabel and Ioshua the Prince and the Priest as they whose helpe and endeavour is most necessary to the building of the Church because they were as guides to direct others yet as it is manifest in the 13 and 14 verses the Prophet was sent to the remnant of the people and the Promise as well made unto them and their hearts likewise stirred up that they came and did the worke of the house of the Lord. They therefore who are to build by Gods Commandment are Zerubbabel and Ioshua with all the remnant of the people principally Zerubbabel and Joshua who are best able for speciall graces and gifts bestowed on them or because of the ministery of the word and authority committed unto them but next all the people likewise not the Prince and high Priest only now for the Princes how the Temple is to be built by them I shewed you when I spake of the former verse at which time I shewed for the generall building that the foundation hereof is as the Apostle to the Hebrewes declareth the doctrine of the beginning of Christ taught and contained in the catachisme the building of the wall the laying of the roof is the perfection of doctrine and encrease of Godlines till it be built in all respectts perfect even such aone pleaseth God himselfe to pourtray out in Scripture Therefore touching the generall building I then spake which must be done by them that are in principall place the Queenes highnesse and the states in Parliament and declared how it was to be done for the increase of true godlinesse by preaching of whol some doctrine and establishing godly discipline through all Churches in the Realme according to the prescription of the Lord revealed in his word A thing though hardly hoped for in these dayes in which so small care is had in Universities to make sufficient persons to furnish the ministery and of Patrons abroad to call them that are sufficient finally so small will in the people to submit themselves to the yoake of Christ yet it is to be prayed for of Gods people according to the example of Daniel who when the temple of God lay waste more then ours did make earnest prayer to God to cause his face toshine on his sanctuary that did lye waste for the Lords sake but leaving this to them that have amongst us the place of Zerubbabel and Ioshua and of whom we are to hope in due time they will have a care that the Church of God in all places be perfectly built up in the wisdome and spirit of Joshua let us remember the next branch namely that this commandment reacheth also to all the rest of the people for that this charge concerneth also all us likewise Saint Jude the Apostle and brother of Iames expresly teacheth when he saith but ye beloved edefie your selves in your most holy faith praying in the Holy Ghost and keeping your selves in the love of God looking for the mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ unto eternall life and have compassion of some in putting difference and others save some with feare pulling them out of the fiâ—e and hate even the garment spotted with the flesh For whom are they that Jude giveth this charge even they who are called and sanctified of God the Father and saved by Iesus Christ even as the title of the Epistle sheweth in which respect it is also called Generall as written to all faithfull Christians now the foundation that we are to build upon is as the Apostle here saith the most holy Faith For that Iude signifieth when he saith edefie or build up your selves on your most holy Faith the walls and roofe of the house are the exercise of the workes of faith namely the love of God and man breeking out into fruits of righteousnesse so that we hate even the garment spotted by flesh In which speech there is an allusion to the law of Moses wherein the clothes and garments that had touched any unclean things were likewise accounted uncleane as if he would thereby teach them that they were to grow on continually from faith to faith in practise of Godlinesse with such a fervent zeale that they detest all contagion of sin and shew themselves perfect according as the weakenes of men will suffer as their heavenly Father is perfect but alas may I make this exhortation to all that are assembled in this place I may make it to all but would to God there were not in some even a want of the foundation For what is the foundation it is as Iude saith a most holy faith Now S. Paul to the Thessalontans writeth that all have not faith doubtlesse these words were true not onely in his dayes but in ours wherein sure all men have not faith and though all had faith yet have they not this faith which Jude nameth a most holy faith for many have faith which yet have not a most holy faith which is the Essentiall difference whereby the faith of hypocrites and wicked men is distinguished from the faith of Gods true servants For there is a beliefe which is without holinesse whereof Saint James speaketh when he saith The Devils beleeve and tremble But as for you my brethren who by the testimony of your consciences know that Iude speaketh to you who are called and sanctified Remember you that this exhortation is in speciall sort made to you namely that you build up your selves upon your most holy faith keeping your selves in the love of God and man c the exhortation is made to all God grant that all may imbrace it but it shall be imbraced of all to whom S. Iude writeth let us all then that make a profession of this faith Joyne vertue with your faith with vertue knowledg with knowledg temperance with temperance patience with patience godlines with godlines brotherly kindnes and with brotherly kindnes love In which words as it were Saint Peter doth interpret the other making faith the foundation as it were of all other vertues willing the rest to be built upon it not as though these were distinct but mentioning so oft the same by divers names as if he would shew he could not satisfie himselfe with any words when he was earnest to exhort such as called upon the name of the Lord to depart from iniquity and to lay the walls of a holy and
Cor 6. was made manifest Now concerning the use of the Temple we know it was called the house of prayer in regard of the holy exercises and rites prescribed by God which were therein performed which ceasing to be used in such sort as were by Gods commandment appointed it was according to the threatnings of the Prophets as before destroyed by the Babylonians so after it was renewed was it made desolate by Antiochus and in the end of all as our Saviour foretold quite overthrowne by the Romans wherefore it was the regard of the Mystery thereby figured for the vaile as it is shewed by the Evangilist signified Christ the holy of holyest c. and the exercises by God prescribed for which he saith that he would delight therein From the delight which he promiseth to take in it to stirre them up yet the rather he proceedeth and addeth the latter reason he will also be glorified whereby is meant that he will also poure his blessings upon them in such sort that they should have occasion hereby to praise and magnifie his mercy For that this is the meaning of the Prophet it is manifest by the Antithesis which is here used for setting downe how for their negligence they had been afflicted eating and not being satisfied putting on clâ—thes and not being warmed c. so contrariwise he promiseth that doing his commandment these evills should be removed and good things bestowed on them whereby they should have cause to glorifie his holy name for his mercy In these reasons proposed to them to move them to the building of the Temple Let us first consider how the truth was first performed to the Jewes the Lord promiseth his favour and likeing of them and his blessings proceeding from his favour how this was to be performed the Prophet expoundeth in the 2 Chapter in the words of the Lord himselfe v. 16. 17. 18 19. where willing them 1 to consider how they had been afflicted he bids them to reckon from that day signifying that from that day forth he would blesse them Neither promiseth he onely temporall blessings and corporall for which they should glorifie and praise his Name but eternall and spirituall also which is likewise sheweth in the 2 Chapter in the words of the Lord ver 6 7 8 9. Yet once againe saith the Lord and I will shake all nations and the desire of all nations shall come and I will fill this house with glory silver is mine and gold is mine the glory of this house shall be greater than the former I will give peace in it In which promise the Lord of Hosts so often repeated he noteth the greatnesse and power of him that maketh this promise this peace glory signifieth not worldly prosperity or earthly peace in which respect this Temple exceeded not that of Solâ—mons but hereby is signified another peace even a peace of peaces the peace of God which passeth all understanding Which the Apostle wisheth the faithfull grace and peace peace betwixt God and us in the Covenant of grace of which I say he saith unto us a sonne is given the prince of peace Ephes 2 he is our peace he came and preached the gospel of peace a covenant betwixt God and man That this is the meaning is most evident by Heb. 12. 18. Akingdome that cannot be moved and Luke 2. 1. 13 14. peace on earth In this second temple the Prince of peace was to sitt here the Jewes have on their heartes the vaile aske them how this was performed seeing the Temple was destroyed how the glory of the latter Temple was greater than the former some of them will say in regard of the building for that albeit it were at the first lesser than Solomons yet was it after amplyfied by Herod others in respect of the continuance for that as they account this stood ten yeares longer than the former which is laid down by the author of their ordinary glosse but the promise of glory is made to this temple which in the 3 of Ezra was nothing in comparison of the former so that although it be true that afterwards it was inlarged by Herod as Josephus sheweth yet the promise is of glory not greatnesse onely which stretcheth further Saul had a greater body yet was he moved with anger thinking that a greater glory was given to 〈◊〉 in the womens song and when the Lord saith silver is miâ—â— he could if he had pleased have made it in that respect more glorious than Solomons yet as the Rabbins confesse themselves in respect of the gold the latter was nothing to the former which as the Scripture sheweth was all covered with gold walles beames floores posts and that with the fine gold of Opher read Josephus lib. car 8. and lib. 15. ult for the comparison of the two Temples in respect then of the glory by greatnesse and beauty joyned together especially of the riches of gold and silver c. the latter was nothing As for the continuance that is nothing for what if it stood ten years longer could it therfore be more glorious amongst all the Kings of Judah Solomon excelled in glory yet reigned but forth yeares Manasses 55. did he therefore excell him for it be said that he was in thraldome part of that time so may it be said of the dishonoring of this temple by Pompey and Cassiuâ— but Vriah reigned 52 yeares as much longer then Solomon as this Temple stood longer than the former wherfore if it be repugnant to scripture to say ste excelleth therefore in glory Solomon so it is for this cause to say that this Temple did excell the former Nay they are convinced of madnesse by the same Rabine for on the same word because the Hebrew word wanteth the letter which in number standeth with them for 5th he saith it is a note a mystery for that this latter temple wanted 5 things which the former had 1 Vrim and Thummin 2 the Arke of the Covenant 3 fire from heaven 4 the signe of Gods glory 5. presence of the Holy Ghost and this iâ— proved alledging a place of Talmud which is among the the Jewes as the decretall among the Papists the Author thereof would no more erre than can the Pope a Talmudicall fancie for although were wanting as it is not in those copies which are received without points but if it were by their fault that copied out the booke what reason that there should want 5 things because signifieth 5 in numbring which is nothing but a sottish and Cabalistine toy for even this temple wanted more than these five things as they also confesse even in the same booke for there was not the cup of Manna and therefore not onely 5 but 8 or 9 more were were wanting But to take that which they grant seing these five things were not in the latter Temple which were in the former unlesse the thinges of latter which were not in the former may match and excell
appeared therein But those holy actions when they were omitted and the contrary practised howsoever they were holy in respect of the things they prefigured yet doubtlesse they were profane nd unholy insomuch that Christ said even of the temple that it was made a den of theeves and the faithfull City was become a Harlot and the pollutions thereof were such and the profanations so many that Christ threatned and it came to passe that not a stone therein should be left upon a stone in the 87 Psalme the Mountaines whereon Jerusalem was founded were called holy but were they accounted so any longer than were the holy exercises by God appointed therein practised In the 8. 9. of Ezekiel their abominations are described and the punishments of the same in the 10 and 11 how the Lord for the same left and forsooke them yea how he departed from the temple first and then quite from the City whereby is taught us that there is no place never so holy which God detesteth not when his commandements therein are broken and his Majesty profained The Jesuites themselves will confesse that Churches although sanctifyed by the Pope yet that the holinesse of them ceaseth if murther be committed in them whereby they might see that such things might be committed in places otherwise holy that the places may become so prophane that God will not only not delight in them but detest and abhorre them as it was manifest by Jerusalem for else what meant our Saviour by that threat against it O Jerusalem Jerusalem thou that stonest the Prophets See what Greg. Naz. saiâ—h in a Sermon touching them that run about to such places a Pilgrimages were made to such places say the Jesuites not long after Christs time but yet they were reproved by that Fathers judgement because Jerusalem is called the holy City and is it not also called spiritually Sodom and Gomorah because of the wickednesse therein committed and what shall we say of Rome sith that it is likewise called spiritually Babylon in the Revelation But such is the blindnesse of that man of sin that albeit it be the place where the Saints of Christ in the Revelation are said to be slain as Christ in Jerusalem yet commend they it as the place wherein above others God will delight most as the Jewes fancie of Jerusalem hereupon Boniface the 8 ordained that whosoever would come up to Rome Anno 1300 at which time he lived should have most full remission of all sinnes Extranag com lib. 5. de peniten et remission cap. 1. et cap. 2. in Bulla Clem. 6. The very circumstances of which places deriving their Jubile from Moses law and building it on the merits of Peter and Paul and binding all the solemnity thereof to their Church of Rome do sufficiently shew the superstition of it This same Boniface ordained at the first that every 100 yeares they should injoy the same pardons which after by another was abridged to 50 and then to 25 for their yeare of Jubilee Now we know the yeare of Jubilee as Joseph de antiquitat liber 3. chap. 14. was ceremonious that every fifty yeares liberty should be proclamed to the bond freedome to their servants lands restored Now this was a figure of Christ as Isai he sent to proclaime spirituall liberty to the captives the opening of the prison the acceptable year of the Lord which in the 49 Chapter and the 8 and 9 verses he had called the acceptable time and day of salvation and the Apostle 2. Cor. 6. 2. expoundeth it of the time whensoever the gospell is preached behold now is the acceptable day and the Pope as though Christ were not yet come or had not put an end to these things applyed this to his yeare of Jubile And Bristow in his motives doth exhort all Catholicks to prepare themselves against this most acceptable yeare of grace Jeroboams charge to his calves But all this must be to Rome whereby you may note the originall of all this superstition which indeed is the coveteousnesse of the Pope For it is not Jerusalem that he careth for nor the Temple of Peter and Paul These are onely faire pretences the holy place the holy land the temples of the Apostle the yeare of Jubile the year 1575. But the thing to which all serveth was the commodity which thereby cometh to the Popes coffer For that law out of Deuteronomy must be kept inviolable that none appeare here empty which mystery bewrayeth the knavery for in the yeare 1000 because the offerings came not to such abundance as was looked and hoped for the Pope sent abroade to such as had not been there his plenary pardons offring to them that would buy for mony the same grace and favour which they should have been partakers of had they come that yeare 1517 which he might well and truly promise whereby it pleased God to awaken Christians by the ministery of Master Luther to see the sinke of that iniquity which appeared manifestly in this abuse in tiâ—ulo de clericis peregrinantibus So in effect for the place he hath brought it from Jerusalem to Rome for the yeare of Jubile by mincing it in parts for his greater advantages So the end of their pilgrimage is the Popes commodity Saint Peters Church is the Popes Court there offring to him purchaseth their pardons but to whom doth this indulgence good to all that pay nay they will not say so but vere penitentibus they who truly repent shall have forgivenesse of all their sinnes most true indeed Therefore if Christians know that they would little trust to themselves for his pardon or the year of Jubile for I can assure them out of the word of God that whensoever they repent though they never see Rome or Jerusalem yet shall they be forgiven and their sinnes done away though the Pope receive not a penny of them yea even this day and in this house and in this place freely and without mony I assure all such as unfaignedly repent and turne to God assurance of the forgivenesse and remission of all their sins though the Popes pardon never come amongst us nor we once thinke on this yeare of Jubile Sermon 6. February 8. 1589. Haggai 1. ver 9 Yee looked for much and it came to little and when ye brought it home I did blow upon it and why saith the Lord of Hosts because of mine house that lay waste and yee ranne every man to his owne house Verse 10 Therefore against you the heavens stayed it selfe from dew and the earth stayed from fruit Ver. 11 And I have called for drought upon the land and upon the mountaines and upon the Corne and upon the wine and upon the oyle and upon that which the earth bringeth forth both upon men and upon cattel and upon all the labours of their hands THe Prophet Haggai having exhorted the Jewes to go forward with the Temple and sanctuary and having moved them thereunto by laying before them
have not alwayes the same or the like gracious effect and fruit ye shall it alwayes more or lesse accomplish the worke and will of him that sends it It shall not only shake and move the weake and slender reed but cause also the stoutest and strongest Caedar to quake and tremble so did it prevaile with Faelix when he heard Paul preaching and disputing of righteousnesse and temperance and of the judgement to come for the text saith he trembled and answered go thy way for this time when I have a convenient season I will call for thee It hath been ever and is yet still the use and custome of froward and profane people when either their ministers or their friends did rebuke and reprove them not so much to be grieved that they had offended as to be angry and moved that their faults were tould them It was an affection of an naughty Tyrant to cast Iohn Baptist into prison for reproving his incest in retaining and maintaining his brother Phillips wife When Alippins a young man of great hope and of Austines acquaintance was too much transported with an inordinate desire and delight in and after the games and spectacles at Carthage especially those which they called the Circences ludi Austine much desired and endeavoured out of the love he bare unto him by the best meanes he could to reclame him but could not for the thife prevaile with him Not long after the same Alppins hearing Austin in his Rhethoricke lector at Carthage drawing a similitude from the same playes to make the matter he had in hand more plaine and pleasing with a kinde of biting derision of those who were captivated too much with the madnesse of those sports Alippins tooke the whole matter unto himselfe and was perswaded saith Austin that I had not spoken so much but even for his sake and that which another would have taken as an occasion to be angry with me the honest young man made an occasion to be angry with himself and to love me more fervently For thou hast said it O Lord and set downe in thy writings Rebuke the wise man and he will love thee Thus was Alipins both healed of his error and reclaimed from his vaine sports by the good providence and power of God in the hand of Austine never thinking of Alippins nor intending his curing or healing as he himselfe saith at that time For after those words the filthinesse of all those sports and delights did so recoyle and vanish from his mind and heart that he never after came amongst them any more Now let us well consider my brethren that if Alippins profited so well in hearing a rhethorick lecture both for the informing of his judgement and reformation of his life and all by the blessing of God as Austine himselfe doth acknowledge in that place why may not why ought not we to looke for the like good fruit and effect of our desires and labours in hearing of divine lectures and godly sermons such as may be more able having a better promise to convince the judgement convert a sinner save a soule and cover a multitude of finnes And this we shall yet the more effectually finde and feele if we reverently and obediently as it now followeth in this scripture hearken to the messenger of the Lord in the Lords message Then spake Haggai the Lords messenger in the Lords message unto the people saying I am with you saith the Lord. These words comprehend another sermon of the Prophet Haggai and do signify thus much in effect unto us that after the people were moved a little at the first sermon to reverence and obey the word of the Lord sent unto them yet notwitstanding they stayed a little and then the Prophet came againe unto them both to take some feare out of their hearts which was upon them and also to make them a promise of Gods gratious presence and assistance in this great businesse feare not I am with you saith the Lord of hosts By the words of the Prophet it doth evidently appeare that in this worke of the building of the Temple they much feared the Persian King lest he should molest or hinder them in the same therfore the Lord sendeth them this word that they should not feare for he would be with them to incourage and strenthen them and cause the worke to prosper in their hands and least they should think he spake this of himself and not from the Lord the Prophet addeth thus Then spake Haggai the Lords messenger in the Lords message unto the people saying I am with you saith the Lord shewing therby that he came unto them not only as the messenger of the Lord but that the thing which he brought was the Lords message also When David being troubled in his minde that he should dwel in a house of Caedar trees the Ark of God remain under curtaines he purposed in his thoughts to build a house unto the Lord Nathan the Prophet spake unto him saying Go do all that is in thy heart for the Lord is with thee Nathan that spake this was the messenger of the Lord because he was a holy Prophet of the Lord but that which he spake was his own and not any message from the Lord for the fame night the word of the Lord came unto Nathan to let David understand that not he but his son that should proceed out of his loynes should build a house unto the Lord. A good lesson for such as preach or prophecy unto Gods people to hold nothing backe from them which the Lord by them hath sent unto them but to open unto them the whole councell of God as Saint Paul did that they may say with more comfort even as he sayed that which we have received deliver we unto you as the Message of the Lord and the Lords messenger Which also justly condemneth such of our Prophets and Preachers as refusing to stand in the councell of the Lord and to deliver his word unto his people do utter the dreames and deceipt of their owne hearts and put upon them the fancies and visions of their owne heads of whom the Lord may justly say now as he said of some such Prophets in Jeremiahs time I have not sent these Prophets yet they ran I have not spoken unto them yet they prophesied and this may well serve also for a christian admonition unto all such as are hearers of the Lords Prophets to looke as carefully to the Message as to the messenger to the matter as to the man and to try the spirits and proving all things take hold of that which is good like the men of Berea who are said to be more noble than they of Thessalonica in that they received the word with all readinesse of minde and searched the scriptures dayly whether those things which Paul had taught them were so We may heare also well and worthily observe how necessary often preaching is to Gods people if ever we will
draw them to walke in his feare the spirit may be willing but the flesh is weake as our Saviour saith and when we are at the best our best dutyes are full of many wants and mingled with much imperfection insomuch that we have need continually to be stirred up quickned and strengthened unto every good worke by the preaching of the word It is not enough for Paul to plant unlesse Apollos doth water also there must be precept upon precept line upon line here a little and there a little neither must the Philippians be weary of hearing the same things often seing it is not grievous unto Paul to write them and for them it is a safe thing when Moses and the Prophets spake of preaching they called it a dropping My doctrine shall droppe as the raine and my speech shall distill as the dew Sonne of man set thy face toward the South and drop thy word toward the South and prophecy against the forrest of the South-field for as the raine by often dropping and falling upon the earth doth soften it and make it fruitfull so doth the word by often preaching make the hearts of men like good ground to bring forth their good fruit in due season It was the councell and charge of Paul to Timothy to preach the word in season and out of season not only ordinarily in a constant course but extraordinary also if any just occasion should so require and if we well consider the good successe which Haggais often preaching found with this people it may be an incouragement unto us to take the like course to procure the like blessing his first Sermon was delivered in the first day of the sixt month and therein their finnes discovered and reproved Gods judgements opened and applyed for their neglect in building the Lords house and themselves exhorted to go up to the mountaine to bring timber to undertake the worke and to build the house had not this been thus spoken the worke had not beene so thought upon nor taken into due consideration His second sermon was preached unto them in the foure and twentieth day of the same month somewhat about three weekes afterwards and had not this been added unto the former the worke in all likelihood had been neglected still this made the Prophet to strike once and againe while the iron was hot least the sparks which were kindled by the first Sermon should have beene either quenched or cooled for want of another to second and abett the same unto this the Lord himselfe giveth testimony when he telleth us Ezra 6. 14 that the elders of the Jews having now taken the work in hand builded the house of the Lord and prospered through the prophecying of Haggai the Prophet and of Zachary the sonne of Iddo and thus doth the Lord make his owne word by faithfull and frequent preaching either as a hammer to bruse us or a fire to melt us that so he may accomplish his owne worke which he requireth at our hands The Eight Sermon Haggai Chap. 1 verse 14. And the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the sonne of Shealtie a Prince of Judah and the spirit of Joshua the sonne of Jehosideck the High-Priest IT hath been heretofore declared in the explication of the former part of this Chapter how the Jewes having begunne to lay the foundation of the Temple of the Lord did afterward surcease from proceeding in the Lords worke wherefore they were first sharpely reprehended and reproved by the Prophet of the Lord for their sinne and afterwards he did incovrage them to go on forward in the building of the Temple In these words he sheweth how the Lord unto the words of the Prophet did adde the inward operation of his spirit 1 The Lord did stirre up the spirit c. 2 The obedience of the Prince and people thereunto in the words following and they came and did the worke The first needeth no exposition saving that whereas it is said that the Lord did stirre them up we may conceive their drowsle sluggishnesse was like unto a sleepe and sleepe is nothing but a similitude of death wherefore the Apostle saith Ephes 5. 14. Awake thou that sleepest and stand up from the dead and Christ shall give thee light The same admonion the Jewes did receive by God at the time when by stirring them up he awoke them out of sleep The next point is the circumstance of time v. 15. In the 24 day of the sixt moneth in the second year of Darius the King which doth shew that the part doth not belong to the second Chapter but to the first for the scriptures were delivered into chapters a little before our age but the scripture it selfe sheweth this division is more probable seeing that the second verse of the next Charter should begin with another circumstance of time so Saint Jerome and others have divided the same a matter wherein I would not have spent so many words but that the councell of Trent and some of the antient Fathers have joyned the same to the second Chapter according to the translation of the old latins Sextus the 5 doth not joyn this to the former but to the latter circumstance in the second Chapter Paulius de Palatio one of the popish writers would have this part according to the Hebrewes to be joyned to the circumstance of time and Rebera also a man of the papists and of greater judgment affirmeth that this circumstance of time in the first verse of the second Chapter appertaineth to the first Charter So cleare and undoubted it is that the circumstance of time and the course of the scripture doth shew that as soone as the spirit of the Lord did stirre them up they made no delay but went and built the house of the Lord so that they did not then deferre so many dayes as before they had done yeares but went and did worke in the Lords house we may also further here observe that this house is called The House of the Lord of Hosts To shew his power over all creatures a thing which might stand much for their incouragement for whenas they had began to build the house of the Lord. Ezdras 1 2. by the permission of Cyras then their adversaries procured a commission from Artaxerxes to hinder and molest them in the building of the roofe and afterwards they obtained liberty to reedifie the same in the dayes of Darius as appeareth Ezdras 4. 24 so that they might have beene discouraged if they had not considered that the hearts of princes are in the hands of God as the rivers of waters 2 as his power so his fatherly goodnesse is shewed in this in that he is called their God as he made promise to Abraham to be a God unto him and to his seed for ever so now he sheweth himselfe to be their God being Abrahams seed The consideration whereof must needs breed a child-like affection
in them to obey so good a Father for when he might have justly punished them for their daily sinnes yet as a loving father he raised them out of the same which must needs incourage them and make them thankefull for it and the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel The spirit of God teaceth us that what soever is written a fore time is written for our instruction so that in this place we may learne divers lessons for our learning First where the Lord is said to have stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel with this connexion and the Lord c. The connexion sheweth that it dependeth on the words which went before whence we may observe that the orninary meanes which the Lord useth to stirre us up and to convert us unto himselfe is the ministry of the word so that it pleaseth him to send his messengers not only to the meaner sort of men but to Kings and Princes also for the same purpose A thing the more to be marked because there are some as tradsmen schollers and Divines which may happily thinke themselves not to be charged with these things or els not to have need thereof whereby they may seeme to be exempted from them but let such men consider that this is the meanes whereby they must be stirred up Lydia a seller of purple had her heart opened thereby even at the preaching of Saint Paul And as for others although they have never so much learning yet I hope they neither may nor will preferre themselves before David a man after Gods own heart and indued with a principall and singular spirit who did not arise out of the dead sleepe of sinne untill the prophet Nathan came unto him to stirre him up and them he cryed as it is Psalm 51 Have mercy upon me O God cast me not away from thy presence nor take thy holy spirit from me and this the same spirit of God doth manifest unto us that which our Saviour Christ said to Nicodemus that we must be borne anew except a man be borne againe be cannot see the Kingdome of God and borne againe we cannot be unlesse we be first begotten by the word and though it be true that God begetts us by the inward operation of his holy spirit yet he useth the outward meanes of the ministry to the perfecting an laccomplishing of the same and therefore Paul is said to beget the Corinthians and Onesimus by the word so unlesse we receive the messengers which bring this word unto us and apply the same unto our hearts we can have no regeneration of the spirit God the creator of all things might have begotten us without Fathers or Mothers or any other meanes as he did in Adam and Eve and he might of stones have raised up Children unto Abraham but he ordained and used the meanes of naturall generation and so must we in our new birth that so we may be-gotten not of mortall seed but of immortall by the word of God which liveth and endureth for ever Rachel said give me children or else I die unto whom Jacob answered am I in Gods steed who hath withholden from thee the fruit of thy wombe so that as in naturall generation the fruit of the body cometh by the blessing of God so is it in our spirituall regeneration also if Rachel had not asked of God God had not remembred her and if she had not used the meanes she had not beene the mother of Joseph and Benjamin which teacheth us that we must use the meanes of the ministery that we may be begotten and borne again as many as will be the children of God they must receive the word which is brought unto them by the Lords messengers that they may be begotten anew by the same and being thus begotten and borne anew we must not stay here but be nursed up further and brought up with the pure milke of the word that as new borne Babes we may grow thereby and when we be growne to be of riper age in Christ then this word will afford us strong meat also for this is not onely the sincere milke of the soule which as new borne babes we must desire that we may grow thereby as 1 Pet. 2. 2. but as it is also strong meat for strong men and belongeth also to them of riper age which through long custome have their witts exercised to discerne both good and evill As Heb. 5. 14. Let us not therefore neglect the means of our so great salvation for if he which despiseth Moses law died without mercy under two or three witnesses how much more sore punishment shall he be worthy of that neglecteth the worke of reconciliation whereby we grow up in Christ Jesus Remember the word of the Lord spoken by the Prophet Amos 8. Behold the dayes come saith the Lord that I will send a famine in the land not a famine of bread nor a thirst for water but for hearing of the word of the Lord and they shall wander from sea to sea and from the North even unto the East shall they runne and seeke the word of the Lord and shall not finde it And this plague shall not onely be upon the ancient and Elders of Israel but he addeth further that even the faire virgins and young men shall perish for thirst a most evident proofe that as our bodyes would quickly perish unlesse they should be strengthened with materiall food and nourishment even so our soules unlesse they be fedd and nourished with the heavenly food of the word brought unto us by the ministers and preachers thereof would quickly dye and perish whereby we are to acknowledge the singular goodnesse of God and his great mercy shewed unto us above the Jewes in sending us so great plenty of this food and therefore the more wretched and ungratefull are we if we contemne so great a grace and mercy when it is offered unto us It is said Jer. 29. that the Lord had sent them Prophets rising up early and instructing them yet they were not obedient to receive doctrine The word of rising early should put the ministers in minde of their industry and diligence in their vocation and delivering the message of the Lord and if this early rising do seem to be to early to some Let them remember the saying of the wise man in the Proverbs which may helpe to awake them How long wilt thou sleep O sluggard when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep yet a little sleep a little slumber a little foulding of the hands to sleep therefore thy poverty cometh as one that travaileth by the way and thy necessity as an armed man wherefore let every one awaken and strengthen the things that remaine least if we do not watch he come upon us as a theife in the night at unawares If we say with the Church of the Laodiceans that we are rich and increase with goods and have
need of nothing then it is to be feared least indeed we be wretched and miserable and poore blinde and naked or if we thinke it enough for us to be present onely where the word is preached though we take it not home to our owne hearts let us consider that the high Priests did frequent those places where the messengers of the Lord did deliver their message but it was not sufficient unlesse they did apply the message to themselves which was brought unto them unto that end Moreover where it is said that the Lord did stirre up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel we are taught that neither the chastisements of the Lord nor yet the preaching of the word can bring us out of the sleepe of sinne unlesse it please God to adde thereunto the inward operation of the spirit to awake us for though affliction do cause us to cry and call unto the Lord as Isai saith Lord in trouble they have visited thee they poured out a prayer when thy chastisements was upon them yet oftentimes afflictions doe worke no such effect in the hearts of men else would not the Lord have said why do I correct you in vaine Nay many times the very griefe of affliction doth estrange men from God cause them to blaspheme the name of the Lord and breed hardnesse of heart in many of the wicked as is manifest Revel 16 when the angell did plague the wicked they boyled in great heat and then they blasphemed the name of God which had power over plagues and they repented not to give him glory and if they breake not out to these extremities yet they will continue still in their wickednesse and not turne unto the Lord that he may have mercy upon them so that neither afflictions nor yet the preaching of the word can stirre us up unlesse God do adde the secret operation of his holy spirit thereunto A resemblance herereof the Romans do afford us by the fact of Camillus who when he had besieged the City of Phalisci with ten yeares warre and attempted by the sword and famine to cause them to yeeld unto him yet all was in vaine till at length by his clemency and lenity he prevailed with them for when the Schoolmaster of the City who had the charge of the noblemens sonnes did bring them and betray them to Camillus that thereby they might be enforced to yeeld up themselves and the City for the ransoming and redeeming of their children Camillus considering that the falshood and treachery of the School-Master could bring him neither comfort nor credit commanded his officers to stripp him naked and binde his hands behinde his backe and to cause the children his Schollers each of them having rod in his hand to whip him backe into the City againe At which Noble action the Citizens were so moved that they presently delivered up their City unto him acknowledging Camillus as their Saviour and God and father even so oftentimes the Lord doth plague us with Famine and sword but yet we will not turne unto him untill by his Holy Spirit he gently move our hearts to yeeld unto him and then we beginne to acknowledge him our Saviour our Father our God in Christ Jesus We indeed are oftentimes overcome with such a dead sleep of security that affliction doth not awake us nor worke our amendment that we might turn unto God nay rather the greife of a son as hath beene said doth many times more withdraw and estrange our hearts from the Lord. It is recorded that the men of Canas after they were overcome by the Carthaginians alledged that they prospered better so long as they burnt their children unto their idols but what should I speake of the heathen seeing the people of God the Jewes blush not to tell the prophet Jeremy that whilest they burnt incense to the Queene of heaven and poured out drinke offerings unto her they had plenty of victualls and saw no evill but since they left off say they to burne incense to the Queene of Heaven and to poure out drinke offerings unto her we have wanted all things and have been consumed by the sword and by famine The word of God I confesse is a very forceable meanes to stirre them up and to prevaile for obedience but yet of it selfe insufficient unlesse by the power of Gods spirit it be put upon our minds and written upon our hearts and therfore our Saviour Christ and his Apostles dealing with the unbeleving stifnecked Jews said unto them as was prophecied of them Hearing ye shall heare and shall not understand and seing ye shall see and shall not perceive for the hart of this people is waxed fat and their eares are dull of hearing they have eyes and see not eares and heare not and all because as the Prophet speaketh they are a rebellious house wherefore we may say with Elihu Job 32. Surely there is a spirit in man but the inspiration of the Almighty giveth understanding and this is not true only in the first operation of the spirit but in going on forward in the grace bâ—gunne and not therein only but in the perfecting of the same So that we may well acknowledge that of our Saviour That no man cometh unto the father except the father draw him and the Spouse in the Canticles saith wisely draw me and I will run after thee And the Apostle to the Philippians sheweth that it is God that worketh in us both to will and to do And when the Apostle had preached the Gospell from Jerusalem and round about to Illericum he ascribeth nothing unto himselfe but all to the power of the spirit and grace of God which was with him But some may object that if God do onely worke in us all good motives and actions by the secret and inward operation of his holy spirit and that we can do nothing of our selves why then doth God punish us for not doing these things seeing that he himself is the cause why we do them not To this I answer that God doth justly punish us for that we have lost that knowledge that was given us in our first creation and then we had free will to do good our selves but now we are ignorant thereof and therefore are justly punished For as Laertius reporteth of Piltacus who made lawes whosoever were drunke should be double punished if he committed any offence according as Aristole also witnesseth Tertio Ethicorum cap. 5. First for his drunkennesse and secondly for his fault committed in his drinke so we are justly punished not onely for the fault or sinne it selfe but because of our originall corruption and ignorance which is incident into us by reason of that generall curse which fell upon all mankinde at the beginning but as for us that have better learned Christ and can cut of all objections with the word we know that it is not in him that willeth nor
in him that runneth but in God that sheweth mercy And therefore we may say with the Apostle O man who art thou that pleadest with God shall the thing formed say unto him that formed it why hast thou made me thus It may therefore suffice us to know that our corruption is such that we falling into the sleep of sinne cannot of our selves arise unlesse Gods spirit awake us For although the Prophet Zac. saith turn unto me saith the Lord and I will turne unto you yet it may not so be understood as though man had power as in himselfe to turne unto the Lord but it must be God that must first convert and therefore we must say with the Prophet Jeremy Convert thou me and I shall be converted for thou art my Lord and my God and as it is in the Lamentations turne thou us unto thee O Lord and we shall be turned renew our dayes as of old So that it appeareth manifestly that the grace of God must worke in our hearts before we can doe any thing it is of his grace both to will and to do Awake therefore thou that sleepest and stand up from the dead and Christ shall give thee light Let us remember that although we be exhorted often to renew and repaire our building and to return unto the Lord yet it must be by grace and this grace must be wrought in us by the secret operation of the Spirit of God But if any man will say that he can awake of himself let him consider the saying of the Lord by the Prophet Zachariah to Zerubbabel that the Lord doth preserve his chosen Church and chosen people neither by an army nor by strength but by his holy Spirit and he shall bring forth the head stone thereof with shouting and with crying grace grace unto it and they came and did the worke of the Lord in the house of the Lord of Hostes their God in the foure and twentieth day of the moneth in the second yeare of Darius the King The next point is their example of obedience whereby wee are taught that we must worke in Gods house that is in Gods Church whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and and rejoycing of the hope unto the end Heb. 3. whereby he sheweth that the mysticall members of Christ are his Church as also he saith 2 Cor. 6. Ye are the temple of the living God yet all this is but one house and as the Saints of God are but one spouse of Christ in generall so are they but one house also the building wherof although it depend upon the ministery cheifly whom are by an excellency termed builders yet all must worke and build his house and this duty belongeth to all as Saint Jude speaketh Edifie your selves in your most holy faith praying in the holy Ghost for as in the materiall building of the Tabernacle or Temple they did not bring gold silver or brasse blew silke purple scarlet and fine linnen but those which were lesse able brought Goats hair and Rams-skinns dyed red and Badgers skinns with Shittim wood so in the spirituall building all must build but not all in like manner the ministers they must be the cheife they must build with silver and with gold and precious stones and the inferious they must build with goats haire and ramms skins and so all must be workemen in the building As many as are of Christ they must be Christians not Cretians not idle slow bellies even in paradice Adam must worke and dresse the garden Therefore how more must we and ought we to labour in this estate of earthly corruption Paul must plant and Apollos must water and not they onely as the cheife but every man in his severall estate must labour every mans faith must worke by love The noble example of these principall persons who did themselves worke in this building may put us in mind that we should not post off this building unto others but put to our owne hands and be builders our selves of the Lords house Cyrus as Xenephon reporteth of him was so greatly delighted with the workes of husbandry that amidst his royallity his goodly aparell his golden chaines his rings and his precious stones he would neither eat nor drinke untill he had been planting or some other painfull action procured sweat If Cyrus being a noble Prince thought it no disgrace to his Majesty to labour in husbandry much lesse ought the ministers of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords either because of this great calling or at least because of his small ability and weakenesse abstaine from doing of the Lords husbandry Paul must plant and Apollos must water that God giving the increase his Church may be edefied and his name be glorified Macrobius reporteth that a Captaine of Augustus having sustained many dangers and suffered many wounds in his defence in the end being accused wrongfully and much distressed desired Augustus himselfe to worke his liberty The Captaine then seing he went not himselfe but would have sent one of his servants about it presently baring his brest and body shewed the wounds he had received for his sake and told Agustus very boldly that he had not sustained those wounds by any Vicar but by his own person for him and therefore had well deserved that not his servant but he himselfe should deliver him Augustus blushed and being moved thereat became his advocate himselfe ut qui vereretur non superbus tantum sed et ingratus videri As one fearing least he should be thought to be both proud and unthankefull Our Saviour Christ as our good Captaine hath suffered many things for our sakes he hath troden the wine-presse of the wrath of God and therefore ought we not to send others as our deputies or vicars but with our owne hands and in our owne hands and inour owne persons to doe this worke and 〈…〉 his holy temple especially if we have the blush that Augustus had and beare the like mind toward Christ that he bore toward the Captaine even to feare the suspition of pride or unthankefulnesse seeing he hath wrought so great things for us I confesse that weakenesse and sicknesse may hinder some and also old age which is a kinde of sicknesse may hinder and let others from building yet such as cannot themselves they must assist and also encourage others by all meanes to the building of the Temple Plutarch in the life of Caâ—o the elder reports that in the building of Minervais Temple when one of the old mules could not carry such things as were necessary he would not withstanding according to his former custome go with the rest empty wherby the rest were drawne to worke and labour more cheerfully If any of our elders be by reason of old age and weakenesse of boby unable themselves to build yet let them accompany those that are young and by all good meanes provoke them to the
building of the Temple but if being able to do little or nothing themselves they will not favour nor cherish others then it is to be feared they be but deceitfull workemen pretending to build the house of the Lord when indeed they do but build a Temple for Idolls The two reasons follow drawne from the two circumstances one of person whose house they were to build viz. the house of the Lord of Hostes their God And the other of the time without delay in the foure and twentieth day of the sixt moneth so soone as the Lord had stirred up their spirits they began to build the house of the Lord the former circumstance of the person containeth a double reason to move them to all speedy and due regard of building of the Temple one saw the power and all sufficiency of him whose worke it is viz. the Lord of Hosts â—o called because he is the chiefe commander and possessor of heaven and earth and useth all creatures as his armies and souldiers to execute his will both for his freinds and against his enemies The due consideration whereof might greatly incourage them against all the power of the Persian Kings and all other their adversaries that should attempt to hinder their worke and the other from his goodnesse and mercy in that he was by covenant the Lord their God and therefore considering that the building of the Temple was the worke of God their Father th◠〈◊〉 â—â—ght and ought to encourage themselves in going forward 〈◊〉 being well assured that he would both blesse them in their labour and take it in good part at their hands In regard wherereof it were no lesse than their bounden duty to bestowe not onely their labour but their lives also in the building of their Fathers house the Temple of the Lord their God The summe and substance of both which reasons drawne from Gods power that he was able and from his mercy that he was willing to blesse and prosper them in their worke I do further commend unto you in the example of the three children mentioned Daniel 3 who being in danger of the fiery furnace resolved to cast and repose themselves upon Gods power and mercy and so to be constant in their profession both in doing and suffering his good pleasure whatsoever should befall them Our God is able to deliver us Dan. 3 if it be so say they our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace and he will deliver us out of thy hands O King but if not be it knowne to thee that we will not serve thy Gods nor worship thy golden image which thou hast set up As also in that example of S. Paul what do you weeping and breaking my heart for I am ready not only to be bound but also to dye at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus If this were so ingraven in our hearts that the Lord of hosts is our God able and willing to defend us it would teach us to have a good conscience and to shew forth a good profession knowing that in all this the Lord of hosts both can and will be our guide unto death He that regardeth the wind as the Wiseman saith shall never sow therefore let us casting from us all things which might presse down go forth in the strength of the Lord onely and so build in his Temple assuring our selves with the Prophet David that the Lord is our strength and stony rock and defence and Saviour and our God and our might in wham we will trust our Buckler the horne of our salvation and our refuge The last reason to move us hereunto is the shortnesse of time wherein we are to build we must apply our selves to that which is in hand we must remember that this is our day and it may be but a day let us therefore as children of the day walke in the light and worke in the day the night of death may come we know not how soone whereof we may be put in minde every night when we lye downe to rest our sleepe being and image of death our beds a resemblace of our graves our sheets of our winding sheets the putting off our cloathes the putting of our mortality wherwith we are clothed the putting them on our rising up a figure of our resurrection from our graves and the putting on of mortality let us therefore remember that the Lord may say unto us as he said to the rich man in the Gospell This night shall they take thy soule from thee The consideration whereof might cause us to go on forward in the building of our temple And other reason is effectuall might move us hereunto the unreasonablenesse of the weather whereby the judgement of the Lord do light upon us therefore if now we will begin to build this house then he will be mercifull unto us and we shall see great plenty and if he will not deliver us from these plagues yet let us assure our selves with the thee children that he is able if he will to take these plagues from us but if he will not let us resolve to worship none but him and confesse with Saint Paul that we are not onely ready to suffer these punishments but even to dye at Jerusalem being alwayes prepared to build his temple seeing he is the Lord of Hosts and therefore able mightily to defend us and our God therefore kind and loving unto us his children that call upon him Therefore to this our God together with the Son and Holy-Ghost be rendred all praise power might and dominion both now and for evermore Amen Sermon the Ninth Haggai 2. 1 2 3 4. In the seventh moneth and in the one and twentieth day of the moneth came the word of the Lord by the Prophet Haggai saying speake now to Zerubbabel the sonne of Shealtiel governour of Judah and to Joshua the sonne of Josedech the high Priest c. to the end of the fourth verse WHen as the Jewes had eftsoones beene exhorted by the word and after stirred up by the quickning power of the spirit to build the Temple of the Lord whose foundation long before was laid the Lord here least they should be hindred in their worke stirs them up with a new message enjoyning them to goe forward Ezra 3. we read that when the foundation of this house was laid in the dayes of Cyrus many of the antient men which had seen the former temple built by Salomon wept with a loud voice conjecturing by these beginnings as well they might that this latter temple would be nothing so beautifull and magnificent as the former was The cause wherof some interpretors thinke was the decree of Cyrus Ezra 6. who commanded that the height should be sixty cubits and the breadth 60 cubits and that it should be made ex lapidibus impolitis as the vulgar latin hath it of rough and vnhewed
stones whereas the former as we may rather gather from 1 Kings 5. 17. and 62. and 2 Chron. 3. 35. was in breadth 20 cubits in height an hundred and twenty cubits and in lenght sixty cubits after the cubit of the sanctuary which was as long againe as the common cubit and all made of broad and faire hewed stones others not perswaded that Cyrus herein differed so much from the former attributed this to thir poverty and meane estate that built it who coming farre short of Solomon in riches and magnificence we are not able to bestow so much on this as he did on the other And indeed it agreeth with that Caldee word used in that place that it was not rough stones as the vulgar Latin hath it but faire and great stones as the septuagint agree whereof this house was built wherefore though Ribera a papists upon this place in his commentaries give this decree of Cyrus as a reason thereof yet in his second booke de Templo etijs quae ad templum pertinent he denieth the same adding for the credit of their latine text that where it is written ex impolitie it should be ex politus lapidibus whatsoever was the cause the thing is cleare that the ancient men had marked that this temple was no way compararable to the magnificence of the former temple now seeing hope deferred maketh the heart faint as it is in the Proverb to faile in our desire in any thing hindreth our resolution to go forward with it The Jewes whose cheife honour was in the glory of their temple and therefore they would faine have seen it as fair as ever it was before could not but be thereat dismaid and discouraged And therefore the Lord here by his Prophet with this thought laid before them encourageth them to goe forward in the building of the temple adding to stirre them up hereunto three most gracious promises first of his assistance with his word and spirt in the building of the temple ver 4 5. Be strong and worke and I am with you secondly of honouring it with Christs presence in it verse 6 7. Thirdly of enriching it more then the former setling in it peace and all felicity ver 8 9. This message he commands his servants to carry ver 1. 2. In the seventh moneth in the one and twentieth day c. The thought and cogitation that hindred them he layes before them ver 3. who might be left c. And then he exhorts them with courage to goe forward verse 5. yet now be of good courage After which he adderh the promises verse 4 5 6 7 8 9. I will be with you my spirit shall be with you I will fill this house with glory c. Concerning the charge given to the Prophet we must call to minde that in the first day of the sixth moneth he was sent unto them from the Lord to exhort them to build and after in the foure and twentieth day of the same moneth he was sent with a new message to cause them to goe forward in building with one of these promises concerning the Lords assistance when they stirred up with things being considered and compared with that which followeth that notwithstanding both the former sermons of the Prophet and the working grace of the Spirit to meet wit this temptation hindring them they were to be stirred up yet with a new message to be encouraged with more promises as they instruct us on the one side that Gods grace must be both prevenient to go before and subsequent to follow after us in all things First to worke in us and then together with us first to stir us up after to help us forward so do they on the one side teach us that the good graces of God even in the best of us will be quickly extinguished and put out if so be they be not quickned and repaired in us by hearing the word of life whereupon it is that Christ Jesus when he ascended into heaven gave gifts unto men Besides those which were to remaine for a time even which should continue for ever for the repairing of the Saints for the work of the ministery for the edefying of the body 1 the Church whereon was built this temple a type of those pastours which he hath given Paul writing to Timothy commands that they preach the word and be instant in season and out of season which though they seeme yet it is not disagreeing with that of Christ Luke 12 where he commendeth the faithfull Seward which giveth to each servant his portion of meat in due season for men are so backward to come where this meat is to be received and so many excuses they make as trying of Oxen seeing a farme marrying a wife that the importunity which may seeme to them and perhaps also sometime to the Minister to be unseasonable is hereby the Apostle commanded to be practised so that the Ministers are to teach instantly and as some thinke unseasonably and common sense will teach us this if we will consider the parable of our Saviour Christ whereas he compareth the minister to the Steward the people to the servants the word to the food so that as food sustaines the body so doth this word mainetaine the soule spiritually for the word he useth in the Greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or signifieth a measure of corne so many pecks as was wont to be given unto servants for their monethly allowance which if they should not receive havingno more to live one common sense would teach us that they could not but be pined and what may we looke for if we regard not to receive this our allowance when it is distributed but to be pined with that famine threatned Amos 8. Not a famine to bread nor thirst for water but of hearing of the word of God when men shall wander even from sea to sea and from the north to the east and shall runne to an fro and shall seeke the word of the Lord and shall not finde it which I would to God they would consider better of and for small causes absent themselves from Ecclesiasticall exercises where the servants of the Lord destribute these portions light of nature should as I thinke so much teach them that herein they so much injury themselves as he did his servants of whom the Poet Juvinall speakes Servorem ventres modio castigat iniquo And this should make them herein more carefull Socrat. lib. 4. cap. 10. writes of an unlearned monke who living in the wildernesse of Egypt called Pambo who coming to one and requesting to be taught he reading that in the Psalme I said that I will take heed to my wayes that I offend not in my tongue Pambo would heare no more but requested him to stay there till he had learned that and so departed from the man who meeting him six monethes after and asked him why he had not come unto him againe why
for looking to the profits and fruits which may arise from them how much better were it for them to have that cogitation that David had 1 Chro. 11. who when he had desired to drinke of the water of the well of Bethlem and three of his valiant men had broken through the Host of the Philistimes and had drawne of the water and brought it to him would not drinke if it but poured it out for an oblation unto the Lord and said let not my God suffer me to doe this should I drinke the bloud of these mens lives and is not this the blood of these mens lives which we drinke when we are cloathed and fedd with that which they allow us and yet leave them in that case that they pine away for want of feeding and as the Prophet saith they dye in this blindnesse and ignorance for want of teaching Therefore I beseech you in Jesus Christ though perhaps you have had a longing desire to drinke of this water yet thinke better on it and take Davids affection and resolution and say let not my God suffer me to do this and rather bate of that you spend of your raiment and faire then take such dead pay and keep backe other faithfull watchmen which else they might have The Lord for his mercy so sanctifie our harts that by the often hearing of his holy word we may consider and acknowledg our wants and imperfections and hereby be stirred up to redresse what we find amisse in our selves to the building of his Church to the comfort of our owne soules to the glory of his blessed Name through the grace of his holy Spirit in Christ Jesus our Lord and Saviour to whom with the Father and the same holy Spirit be all praise for evermore Amen Amen Sermon the Tenth 1599. Haggai 2. 5 6. For I am with you saith the Lord of Hosts according to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came forth of Egypt so my spirit shall remaine among you feare not HOw the Lord by the ministry of the Prophet Haggai did often and earnestly exhort and stirre forward the Jewes after their returne from the captivity of Babylon to the building up of the Temple hath beene hitherto declared unto you now of the promises or causes of encouragement whereby it pleased God to harten them least the conceit which they had that this house should not be so famous and so execellent as the former should discourage them and hinder them from that businesse this is the first which I have read unto you which containeth in it a most gracious promise of his aid and assistance by his spirit because that flesh and blood is ready to suggest into the minde of a man that which is in the Proverbs It is better to be idle than to be occupied in vaine and to make folke measure things by the event so that unlesse they see present meanes to effect that which they undertake they cast off all hope of accomplishing their purpose and so cease from medling any further whereon it was that Moses Exod. 4. 10. when he should be sent to Pharaoh excused himself that he was not eloquent that he had a stammering tongue but the Lord raised him up from that thought telling him that he should trust in the grace of the Almighty saying who hath given the mouth to man or who maketh the dumbe to speake c. do not I the Lord now therefore go and I will teach thee what to say to the like effect is the message sent to Haggai because that Zerubbabel and Jehoshua and the rest which should have been the chief in the worke having laid the foundation of the Temple despaired of finishing it and so despaired before he began it The Lord therefore stirred them up to go forward by these words which I have now read unto you a reason very forcible and motive very pregnant to move them forward I am with you saith the Lord of Hostes which words the Prophet often useth there by putting them in minde both of his power that sets them forward whose will all creatures as souldiers are ready to performe and meaning thereby also that by his favourable assistance he will blesse them and that by his spirit he will give them grace to accomplish that which they had undertaken In the second place the doubtfull understanding of the word word hath caused interpretors diversly to expound it for by word in scripture is sometimes signified the second person in the Trinity the Saviour of the world the Essentiall and eternall word of God of which John speaketh John 1. In the beginning was the word by whom all things were made and through whom all things are now preserved and so here should be three things which the Lord should novv promise 1 His owne presence 2 The presence of his Son 3 The presence of the holy Ghost which sense the Hebrewe would beare as may be translated and then it should be translated thus I am with you by my word that I covenanted with you c. whereto also the Argument agreeth because he was the Angell mentioned Exo. 23. 20. that spake unto Moses in Mount Sinai that gave the law unto the Israelites and promised them his favour if they kept his covenant as Stephen sheweth Act. 7. 38 sometimes it signifieth a promise made unto any insomuch that David Psal 105. ver 8 mentioning the covenant that the Lord made with Abraham saith thus he hath alwayes remembred his covenant and presently addeth this word of promise made to a thousand generations and thus othersome do thinke it to be taken in this place and this indeed the text will best beare and so much the more sith the Lord on the like occasion saith Deut. 31. ver 8. that he himselfe would goe before them and therefore encourageth them not to feare or be discouraged for himselfe would be with them and would not faile them nor forsake them and this the ordinary construction of the Hebrewes doth include as they know that are skilled that way especially I say if these words be compared with the 8 9. verses of the 105 Psal before mentioned besides there is a more pregnant motive to induce me hereunto even the authority of the Apostle himselfe who Heb. 12. 27. declareth that those words which are in the next place set downe by Hag. were spoken by Christ himselfe yet once more I will shake the heavens so by the word in this place cannot be meant Christ seeing Christ is said to have spoken this It followeth therefore that his word was not the Essentiall word of God but some externall word not the eternall word of God but some word that had a beginning namely when this promise and covenant was made when the Lord brought the Israelites out of Egypt and delivered them by his Angel God the Father by his son promised his favour assistance if we follow this interpretation the
sense will well agree with the former namely this word this promise was made by Christ considering that in him all promises are yea and Amen 2 Cor. 1. 20 and considering that Christ saith Joh. 14 15 16. that if we love him and keep his commandements he will pray the Father and he will give us another comforter that he may abide with us for ever whence the latter place in the Text of the Holy Ghost receiveth also light our Saviour there calling him the comforter and promising his abiding with us not for a season but for ever And this for the meaning of the words whereby the Lord encouraged Zerubbabel and the rest to go about the building of the Temple assuring them that he will be with them and that he will be mercifull unto them and prosper them in their endeavours that he will send them his spirit to guide and direct them and to releive them in all wants and doth not the Lord here likewise stirre up and exhort us to go forward with the building of the spirituall house not only such as have the place of Zerubbabel or the office of Jehosua but all the faithfull also that every one in his vocation should doe what in him liâ—th to the building up of the body of Christ no doubt as we have the like command so to us likewise is given the like encouragement according to the rule of the Apostles Ro. 15. ver 4. Whatsoever is written is written for our learning For why have not we Temples to build as well as they are not our bodyes called temples of the Holy Ghost Ephe. 1. 1 Cor. 3. 1 Cor 6. 19. and therefore not onely the Church that is the Church universall assemâ—ly of the faithfull is to do this but also every man and woman in particular and albeit the Ministers of the Word and Sacraments Pastors and Teachers are to be principal labourers herein because they were cheifely given to this end Eph. 4. 12. yet all the faithfull are appointed as under-workemen for as much as the Lord exhorteth them that they exhort and edifie one another 1 Thes 5. 11. and Iude commandeth them to have care to edifie one another in their most holy faith verse 10. the commandement therefore that was given to them is given to us which is so much the more to be regarded of us how much more neere to God and more precious the spirituall house that is built on Christ and is to last for ever is above the materiall temple built on earth which was not to continue but to be laid waste insomuch that one stone should not be left one upon another so that thus you see that in respect of the like commandment we also are to build up our spiritual tabernacle and temple to the Lord which also we must do in respect of the like promises that they had which the Lord most graciously hath made unto us as he did unto them to the end that we should cast away all feare and distrustfulnes nay rather we have greater promises made unto us than ever they had to them at lest in measure greater howsoever in substance they be the same for what saith Christ Mat. 28. 16. the last ver Behold I am with you to the end of the world what promise can be more gracious what more comfortable which cannot be understood of the Disciples and Apostles only because of that circumstance till the end of the world and though they did belong chiefly to the ministers who were to observe and teach all that the Lord had commanded them yet in command they also respect all other as many as beleeve in the Lord by their ministery as Christ well sheweth in his praise Iob. 17. 20. where he addeth the enâ— also that they might be all one they in him and he in them as the Father is in him yea the promise is more graciously given to us then to them insomuch that Heb. 8. 8. the words of Jeremy that the Lord spake unto the Jewes are cited I will be their God and they shall be my people saith c. are appointed unto us promising us that he will prosper us he will not leave nor forsake us that he will blesse us not onely with heavenly blessings but also with temporall and with earthly treasures according to the meaning of the very same promise made to Abraham Gen. 15. 1. I will be thy God and renewed to us Jer. 31. and yet with more kinde words 2 Cor. 6. 18. I will be a father unto you and you shall be my sons and daughters 2ly In respect of like or greater promises we must build up our spirituall Temple 3. We must do it respect of the like continuance of the spirit which we have amongst us as they had for Christ promiseth us Iohn 14. 16. That he will pray the Father and he will give us a comfortor and he shall abide with us for ever which least any should thinke to be spoken in respect of the disciples onely the Apostle 1 Cor. 16. telleth us that the spirit of God dwelleth in us also thereby the Metaphor of abiding in us as it may be explained by that which Cato in Tully saith of the soule namely that nature hath given it an abiding place in the body not a dwelling place therefore it must go out of the body as out of an Inne and not out of a dwelling house yea this is so to be understood of all Christians that the Apostle saith Rom. 8. after he had used the same phrase of the soule dwelling in us that he that hath not the spirit of God dwelling in him is none of Gods avouching that there is no Christian to whom this promise is not made good or verified it is true indeed that the spirit being God filleth full all places taking in it that generality but when we shall talke of this dwelling amoung the faithfull we take it after a more particular manner that he dwelleth in them by his gifts and graces as the Apostle signifyeth Ephes 3. 17 when he saith that he would pray that Christ might dwell in their hearts by faith for so Christ dwelleth in us by communicating his spirit The Spirit I say shedding in our hearts faith and love and then Christ cometh and dwelleth in them which Augustine implyeth when he applyed those words to the widdow that wept for her husband why saith he dost thou weepe for thy husband thou hast by faith a better husband in thy heart for thou hast Christ himselfe for thy husband A sentence beloved most comfortable to the faithfull and which may serve well to assure them of their salvation by Christ and therefore the Papists desiring to impair it where Cyril useth the same words they willed them to be put out least any of their Schollers reading them in Cyrill not so corrected should conceive that Christ dwelleth in our hearts by faith but blessed be God that our students may
worldly things were not the blessings which God bestowes seeke them by unjust and unlawfull meanes belike thinking they are none of Gods at all otherwise as Jacob said hee would serve Laban seven yeares for his daughter Rachel so they would also serve God for his blessings But with many as the wise man saith stolne waters are sweet and his bread is pleasant The sonnes of Eli robbed the people that came to sacrifice and tooke by force that which was not theirs And I would to God that not only the sons of Eli but that also our Elies themselves for I would be loath to judge any did they not I will not say rob but did they take more then their owne from the portion of the Lords Sacrifices c. Sure if any so doe they consider not with David Psalme 15. that preferment comes not neither from the East nor from the West but that it is the Lord that doth give it else they would be of Davids mind I hope who would not doe any thing that hee should not against Saul a wicked-King no not for a Kingdome God forbid that I should doe this and sinne egainst God c. They that pray to God as their heavenly Father Give as this day our daily bread and yet delight in stolne waters shew that they doe the lusts of another Father God forbid that I should say they are of another Father but sure herein they serve him by serving another then the Lord in good duties they should get that they desire by good meanes For silver is mine and gold is mine c. Secondly in using we are but Stewards to the Lord in using and disposing those blessings which wee enjoy and therefore must remember that wee must give an account thereof unto the Lord. Nabal when Davids messengers came to him for some provision to refresh himselfe and his followers 1 Sam. 25. Shall I take my bread and my wine and my flesh c. And give it to strangers All was mine and mine and mine with him he did not consider that he had received them from God to be at his will disposed not all for himselfe but some for others also It is said Proverbs 3. Withold not the goods from the owner thereof neither say to thy neighbour goe and come againe too morrow c. The owners are called them that has need of any good we have and we are but as stewards to dispose it to them according to that rule in the Epistle to the Corinthians He that soweth bountifully shall also reape bountifully for the Lord loves a cheerefull giver and he gives twice that gives quickly The Israelites in Hosea had forgotten that it was the Lord that gave them silver and gold flax and oyle which they gave to Baal and therefore hee threatens to take it away So if wee bestow those blessings that he gives us amisse let us know that he yet retaines an interest in them to take away What if his silver and his gold bee bestowed upon Papists Images Idolatry c. what if men make their bellies their Gods as Phil. 3. and serve them with their riches like Polixhemus in Euripides who said he never sacrificed to any God but to his belly and he thought that wise men would thinke that it 's a mans God to eate and drinke yet for all this the right of these blessings thus abused by wicked men belongs unto God and hee will at his pleasure both take them away from them and call them to an account for the abuse of them Alas if it were not so with us also we should be more ready to come to these assemblies when as we are so ready to fill our owne bellies but let us know that we have now but the disposing of these things and the Lord will require an account of us Thirdly what if we loose them yet let us comfort our selves with Job remembring that the Lord gives and the Lord takes away and therefore blessed be the name of the Lord. Fourthly if we want them yet remember they are the Lords who if he please can give them â— But say that we want them and the Lord bestowes them upon the wicked that worse deserves them This is a greaâ— temptation I confesse to the godly as we may see in David and Jeremy yet consider he is the Saviour of all though especially of the godly and he makes his Sun to shine and his raine to fall on all sorts that so by his long suffering and goodnesse he may call them to repentance or at last as Acts 14. Filling their hearts with food and gladnesse he may not leave himselfe without witnesse But to come from this point which is set downe to strengthen their faith in the power of God to the promise it selfe of greater glory The glory of this house shall be greater then the former which ministers greater comfort to the Church as comprehended with Judah in this promise under the name of Israel Zach. 8. 13. whereby Israel is meant the same as in that speech Gallat 6. As many as walke according to this rule peace shall be upon them and upon the Israels of God c. Israel not according to the flesh but according to the spirit Even the Gentiles which are joyned in the building of this latter house as the Peophet Isa speaks Isa 6. 13. alluding to the Temple The glory of Lebanon shall come to thee the Firre tree the Elme tree and the Boxtree together i. the Gentiles to beautifie the place of my Sanctuary and then shewing he meanes hereby the Church to be gathered out of all Nations he saith The sons of them that hated thee shall bow to thee c. And I will make thee an eternall glory and joy noting thereby that before the Gospell was preached the Jewes were hated by all who then being converted shall submit themselves to that religion which before they detested so that there should be a perpetuall joy made for all the Church And verse 9. he saith that the Isles shall come and the ships of Tarshish c. Even they that grow by merchandise unto greater wealth as Isa 23. speaks of Tyrus that came with their silver and their gold unto the Lord to beautifie therewith his spirituall Temple the Church This is that then which here is promised that God will provide for the merchandise of his Church those things that may be sufficient as for food and raiment for so the Apostle interpreting the promise limits it 2 Tim. 6. When we have food and raiment let us therewith bee content Howbeit to this is added a greater glory due in this life that prerogative to bee called the sonnes of God and fellow heires with Christ Rom. the 8. And after this life to enjoy an exceeding weight of glory So that the Church shall be blessed though not with abundance and superfluitie of earthly goods it may be for it was not for
they all that come thither shall be killed yes I do replied she and therefore I go the rather that I may be martered among the rest and why said he dost thou leade with thee that little child that he also answered shee may be partaker of the reward I am loth to say that which the example of this godly woman moveth me unto but I will onely speake in Latin out of the Poet Vos etenim juvenes animum geritis muliebrem illaque virgo virum But Secondly put case we were without exception in this behalfe yet let them know that are most diligent in the outward service of the Lord that this sanctifieth none in whom there is not a faithfull and an obedient heart the Prophet Isay 1. speaketh of much prayer which yet because it was done without faith The Lord accounted no better then abomination And Ezek. 33. 31. tells us of some that would come and stand before the Prophet as if they would learne the will of the Lord and yet are reproved we see that the Scribes and Pharises for frequenting Sermons and using long prayers Mat. 23. could not be reproved and yet our blessed Saviour telleth us that except our righteousnesse exceed the righteousnesse of them wee cannot enter into the Kingdome of Heaven Mat. 5. But one place Micah 6. May serve to seale up all that I have taught How doth the Lord expostulate with his people My people what have I done unto thee or wherein have I grieved thee testifie against me How we may apply all this unto our selves consider we what God hath done for us and how hath he greeved us hath hee not brought us out of Egypt yea from papistry 10000 times a viler slavery then that of Egypt hath hee not by a mighty hand redeemed us when in Queene Maries time many suffered banishment and others lost their lives and sent before us Moses even our gracious Queen Elizabeth whose memory is for ever blessed and for our preservation under her hath raised up unto us many Aarons and Miriams endewed with prophets spirits to instruct us can we be forgetfull what Balack of Spaine devised against us or what Balaam of Rome answered him from Shittim under Moses whither the Moabite sent their daughters to corrupt the people a lively representation of the sending forth of the Priests and Jesuits to seduce us unto Gilgall under Ioshua where by circumciâ—ion the shame of Egypt was taken away from them as of late one branch thereof hath bin from us by our Joshua His Majesties Proclamation against the profanation of the Sabboth and all this that wee may know the righteousnesse of the Lord with what then shall we come before the Lord shall we offer 10000 of prayers or 10000 of Sermons c no he hath shewed us what is good and what he delighteth in more then all these that wee do justly and love mercy and humble our selves to walke with our God that we behave our selves religiously as they that are indewed with an holy spirit and are heires of life remembring what is said Esay 66. 2. That God regards him that is of a contrite spirit and that trembleth at his Word needfull it is for us to know the Word of God and to use all meanes thereto but if we do no more we do but draw neare to God with our lips and not with our hearts Sermon the Fifteenth Haggai 2. 14 15. c. Then saith Haggai if a polluted person touch any of these shall it be unclean c then answered Haggai so is this people c. IF those two types brought to convince the Jowes of error who thought they were by their sacrifices sanctified howsoever they continued disobedient and did not build the Temple as they were commanded by the Lord the former hath already taught us that the outward service of God doth sanctifie none but onely him that hath a faithfull and obedient hart And by the latter now further wee are to learne that who so hath not a faithfull and obedient heart hee is not onely not sanctified by any outward service but on the contrary both himselfe and all his actions yea even his outward service of God is impure defiled and detestable in the sight of God For the word in the originall which wee translate a polluted person doth properly signifie such an one as is uncleane and polluted by touching of a dead corps the phrase being to bee supplied from Numb 9 6. compared with Levit. 22. 4. the Law concerning whom Numb 19. is that whatsoever such an one toucheth should be unclean as here the priests confesse Wherein after the manner of the mysteries of faith expressed as by shaddowes and portractures in a darke manner by legall rites and ceremones as heretofore hath beene shewed the touching of a dead man who came unto the state of mortality by sinne Genes 3. doth import the committing of sinne which is called by the Apostle a dead worke Hebr. 9. 14. and that ceremoniall uncleannesse which did exclude out of the campe Numb 5. 1. doth imply that morall uncleannesse which doth indeed defile the man Mat. 15. and that none so uncleane shall enter into the Kingdome of Heaven Reve. 21. ult and lastly in that all by the Law was defiled which was touched by hand arme or legge of any such polluted person being all instruments of action Romans 6. imployeth that all whatsoever is done by the unfaithfull and disobedient is infected through the corruption of their unbelieving heart Titus 1. hence therefore it followed that the Jewes committing dead workes of impenitency security unbelief and disobedience by not building the temple according to the Lords command and so being defiled all their workes togetheor with themselves were uncleene as verse 15 the Prophet concludeth hereupon So is this people and so is this Nation before mee saith the Lord where the tearme before me is significantly added to note that although in the sight of men they were accounted holy by reason of their sacrifices yea and themselves thought so of themselves as their predecessors did for another kinde of service of fasting Isay 58. 1. yet in the sight of God who beholds all their hearts and works a farre of and not onely those that were of greatest lustre but others also whatsoever their holinesse was but hypocrisy and themselves and all they did abhominable no otherwise then the Pharises after them who did weare brasse Phylacteries and used long prayers c. and yet because they were hypocrits covetous and ambitious they had the like judgement denounced by our Saviour Luke 16. 15. â—ee are they that justifie your selves before Men but God knowes your hearts for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God and to the same effect the Lord concluding this sentence by adding and that which they offer here is uncleane doth seem to refute as by name that wherein the Iewes hoped to be
that you would also receive the message with such equity as it was delivered I should come to the Exhortation but that somwhat is to be first said of the repetition namely why so often this is added Thus saith the Lord no doubt to give this lesson to Teachers not to be grieved to teach the self-same things oftentimes if they be necessary to the hearers not to think it loathsome to be taught the same matter if it be profitable and expedient for them If Paul said that it grieved safe there caused them to cast off the word of the Lord as it had been a lye devised against them by the malice of man and that which increased the mischiefe they said it was done to the end that the Caldeans might destroy them whereas it was indeed only for their good we are therefore diligently to beware of these enchanting Sirens flesh and bloud not to hearken unto them and howbeit the message delivered us by Gods Ministers serve not our humour of pleasure and ease yet to receive the same not as the words of man but as they are indeed the words of God for although we speake not by revelation as the Prophet did yet we speak by knowledge and the very same which they saw by extraordinary doe we know by ordinary The godly Ministers are called to the same office that were the Priests of the Law as Malachy saith to be the messengers of the Lord of Hosts and Paul speaketh not onely of himselfe but of others also such as Apollos and Sosthenes were Let a man so thinke of us as the Ministers of Christ c. Whatsoever therefore the man be so long as he preacheth the truth let us account thereof as of the doctrine of God himselfe and so oft as the word of God is alledged so oft let us thinke that this soundeth in our eares The Lord of Hosts Upon this riseth another point to be likewise observed that the preachers and dispensers of Gods word in all their office behave themselves faithfully according to the function wherewith they are put in charge and so Paul having taught rhe Corinthians their duties towards Gods Messengers straitly addeth the duty of the Ministers now saith he It is required of the stewards that they be found faithfull which faithfulnesse concerneth not onelâ— the matter which they are to handle but the manner also 〈…〉 they deliver the truth of God with all reverence discreâ—◠〈…〉 sobernesse which Peter teacheth also when he saith 〈…〉 let him speaks as the words of God wherefore he 〈…〉 but what he may warrant by this which the 〈…〉 Thus saith the Lord. But if hereunto the 〈…〉 Christ and his Apostles move nothing le◠〈…〉 against the breakers of this Commander 〈…〉 Prophecy of Ezekiel mention is made 〈…〉 breake this commandment prophesy 〈…〉 following their owne spirit when 〈…〉 one of such men as saw lyes 〈…〉 Lord hath not sent them one saith the Prophet built up a wall and the others daubed it up with untempered morter and because thereof the Lord saith his hand shall be upon them they shall not he in the assemblies of his people c. the other sort were of the Prophets that sowed pillowes under all arme-holes c soothing up the wicked with promises of all happinesse telling them of peace peace as if all things were well when as the Lord had threatned heavy plagues against them for which cause there is a woe threatned them which judgement is therefore said to be pronounced against them because they spake and prophesied when the Lord commanded them not whereby we are put in minde to be carefull in behaving our selves faithfully as Moses did in all his house not to sooth up men in their sins nor to flatter the breakers of his commandements In which point I was desirous to satisfie them who have a care how the Church may be builded which causeth me to call to minde a point mistaken by some wherein I have been thought to have sowen Cushions under the elbowes and pillowes under the arm-holes of some non-Residents when by occasion heretofore I spake against that sinne whereas I indeed if my words had been generally of them who multiply living upon living and have no care to discharge any of them that I had justified the incomparison of the meer non-residents who stay here having no charge at all or calling in this place I might have been justly condemned of this fault but speaking in respect of some that were present who have a good care to build the Church of God though they do it not in every place with that diligence and assiduity they ought comparing them with others that having no charge in this place â—llow only their pleasure not doing so much on any of their 〈…〉 as these do on all I trust I shall be cleared from this sus 〈…〉 â—herefore I would you did consider that when I put a di 〈…〉 â—he degrees of this sin I meant not to deny that all of 〈…〉 to be condemned that you would also receive 〈…〉 such equity as it was delivered I should come to 〈…〉 that somewhat is to be first said of the repe 〈…〉 often this is added thus saith the Lord no 〈…〉 to teachers not to be grieved to teach 〈…〉 times if they be necessary to the hea 〈…〉 to be caught the same matter if it 〈…〉 if Paul said that it grieved not not him to write the same things and that it was for them to whom he wrote a safe thing how much lesse ought it to grieve us how much more safe is it for you being a warrant by the example of the Prophet in this place who repeateth the same words in his exhortation in the 5 and 7 verses and the reason of his exhortation to the same effect and in the 6 and 9 verses which considering the Prophets set down their sermons in fewer words than they preached confirmeth more that which hath been said for if the Holy Ghost thought it necessary in so breif a rehearsall to set so oft in the same words the exhortation and reason of it we may well know that it is also needful for us often to keep the selfe same things how oft is this one speech repeated in the Prophets shew the house of Israel their sinnes how often doth S. Iohn iterate that commandment Love one another this is that old Commandement c. this is that new Commandement c. How often doth our Saviour by divers similitudes teach one and the very same thing the seven Epistles in the Apocalips are all shut up with one Court answer Let him that hath eares heare what the spirit saith c Which point I would they did consider who are greived that we speake so much of that sinne of the negligence of carelesse pastors For if skilfull Chirurgeons after they have lanced imposthumes put in new tents day by day should not we also whom God hath
sanctified and which they most esteemed holy both in respect of the thing viz. their offering on the Altar Exod. 29. 30. wherof all were holy and some most holy so that their service of God in this kinde was by an excellency called the service of God witnesse the Apostle to the Hebrewes and Romans and also in regard of the place where they offered them here in Jerusalem the place chosen of purpose to that end called therefore the holy City in Matthew and greatly praysed in sundry of the Psalmes for that respect Seeing then the people and whole Nations of the Jewes yea all their workes even their very sacrifices offered in Jerusalem were unclean and detestable in the sight of God because they had not faithfull and obedient hearts but did neglect the building of the Temple commanded by the Lord the lesson hence to bee gathered is plaine which in the beginning wee mentioned viz. that whosoever hath not a faithfull and an obedient heart himselfe and all his workes even his divine Service of God is impure and uncleane in the sight of God This in the carnall sacrifices as in the shaddow doth Isay teach Isay 66. 3. declaring that who so is not of a contrite spirit as onely the faithfull are to tremble at Gods Word If hee kill a bullock hee was as if hee flew a man c. for in these words expresly noting all the severall sacrifices that the Jewes did offer as greater beastes and lesser meate offerings and incense and comparing them wiâ—h dogs flesh and swines blood things forbidden by the Law nay to the murthering of a man or the blessing of an Idole which his soule abhorrâ— hee plainly shewes how detestuble the Lord holds all these where was wanting a faithfull and an obedient heart in them that offer the same also concerning spirituall sacrifices of Prayers and of Sermons preached or heard doth the spirit else where witnesse as of Prayers Prov. 28. 9. hee that turneth away his eare from hearing the Law even his prayer shall bee abominable of Sermons preached Psalme 50. but unto the wicked saith God what hast thou to doe to take my words in thy mouth and hatest to be reformed of Sermons heard likewise Ezek. 20. and also Ezek. 33. 31. where first the Elders and then the people are reproved because they came and sate before the Prophet as if they would learne the will of the Lord and yet their hearts went after their covetousnesse and they did not that they were injoyned finally all the actions of the unfaithfull whatsoever are censured by two rules of the Apostle 1. In respect of the things themselves that are done Rom. 14. ult whatsoever is not of faith is sinne and the 2. In regard of the persons that do them Heb. 11. 6. without faith it is impossible to please God c. so undoubted an axium proved by the Scripture is this which here our Prophet teacheth that the best workes of men are of themselves uncleane in Gods sight without a faithfull heart c. Whence may be confuted anâ—er or of the Prophets who howsoever the ancient Fathers Ierome Gregory Prosper and especially Austin proving the point not onely by those two places last alleadged out of St. Paul but also by that of our Saviour Matth. 7. a corrupt Tree cannot but bring forth bad fruit do hold that all the workes of the unregenerate done before faith are sinne and deserve Gods Wrath yet the Papists I say in their authenticall counsell of Trent Sescion 6. cano 7. Pelagian-like stick not to pronounce That if any man shall say that all the workes done before institution are to be accounted properly sinnes or do deserve the hatred and wrath of God let him be accursed A curse heretically and blasphemously uttered by Antichristian impes whose faces are set against Heaven and their tongues walke through the Earth for all works done without faith are uncleane in Gods sight as here Haggi teacheth us but before in justification no workes are done with faith for then we are justified and made the Sonnes of God when we believe Iohn 1. therefore whatsoever workes are done before in justification are properly uncleane and do defile but whatsoever is uncleane and doth defile is properly sinne Mark 7. 10. and 1 Cor. 8 now God hateth all sinne Zach. 8 13. he being just in all his wayes Psalme 145. yee all workes done before in justification are properly sinne and deserve Gods wrath nor can they be pure whiles the heart the roote or fountaine whence they proceed is impure and corrupt now the heart is only purified by faith Act. 15. 9. and all unbelievers even in their minde and conscience are defiled Titus 1. 15. the Papists therfore herein curse the Prophets nay the Lord of life who here himselfe spake by the Ministery of his Prophet And shamelesse is that shift which Ribera the Jesuit maketh writing one this place â— 76. first saying that the Prophet doth not speake of all the Works of the unregenerate but only of their sacrifices from the which glosse if the Text it self did not refute it yet where it is plainly added and all whatsoever they do yet St. Ieroms authority which in other places he vvould seem to esteem Should have at least occasioned him to have forborn and to have rather passed it over in silence then so to have gainsayd him and the Text for omnia cuncta quae agit saith Ierom nam de cunctis loquitur profanantur Nay Ierome not so content in generall only to avouch it applies it in particular to the works of both Iewes Heretichs and Gentiles and sayth that whatsoever they do not only vvhatsoever they offer their vowes their prayers their charity and Almes-deeds c. all are unclean for although thâ—se actions seem in shew to be good are so indeed in their own nature yet because they are touched by him that is polluted they are unclean But as for us beloved vvho are taught for his sake to bear reproaches and to endure curses patiently that vve may become conformable unto him according to that of the Prophet the rebuks of them that rebuked thee are fallen on me let us I say against all Pelagian spirits hold constantly vvhat here the Prophet teacheth us c. and let the princely Prophet David joyn vvith Haggai in interpreting this ceremoniall type of Moses vvhere Psame 51. having confessed sins actuall and originall vers 7. he prayeth purge mee with hysope and I shall bee clean No vvay to be made clean but by Hysop novv vvhat that purging vvith Hysop meant vve may understand by the ceremony Num. 19. of the red Kovv burnt vvithout the hoste the figure of our Saviours sacrifice as the Apostle interprets it Hebrewes 13 vvho to sanctifie us suffered vvithout the City And St. Iohn plainly setteth dovvn that vvith by allusion only vvas signified in the figure vvhere 1 John 1. 7. he saith that it is the blood of Christ