the edification of his Church and Kingdome Roote out good Lord we beseech thee all Iewish affections and Iewish opinions out of the hearts of thy people that so our prayers and supplications for the prosperity of thine inheritance and thine Anointed may be ever acceptable in thy sight O Lord our strength and our Redeemer AMEN THE SECOND SERMON VPON 2. CHRON. 6. 39. 40. COncerning the second generall proposed two points there be which require discussion or declaration The first whether this petition which Solomon here preferreth to the King of Kings were granted according to his desires The second how farre the grant made to him or how farre the practices or experiments answerable to his petition during the time that this temple stood may concerne us or the times wherein we live That Solomons petition was fully granted first the equity of the matter contained in it may perswade us for hee requests nothing at Gods hands which is for substance altogether new nothing but that which out of his free mercy and bounty he had granted unto his people before though not supplicated unto in such a solemne manner as Solomon now useth and prescribes as a patterne for others to use When Israel was in his infancy not able to speake the language of Canaan much lesse to frame his petitions according to the stile and forme of the Sanctuary the God of his father did understand his cry and was alwaies ready to give him a better answere then he could desire The cry of the children of Israel saith God is come unto me and I have also seene the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppresse them Exod. 3. 9. Might they have spoken for themselves the utmost of their request had beene only for some ease or mitigation of their present servitude and grievance but God so gracious is he sends them full deliverance and of slaves makes them a free state a royall nation Vpon the sight of Pharaohs hoste pursuing them after they had been set free the extremity of feare makes them desirous rather to returne unto their wonted thraldome then to hazard their lives for attaining that liberty whereunto God by Moses had called them Whilst thus affected they cry unto the Lord and he heares their cry although it were mingled with murmurings against Moses Exod. 14. v. 10. 11. True it is that Moses prayed whilst they murmured but God was more ready to heare then Moses to pray and therefore he saith v. 15. wherefore cryest thou unto me speak unto the children of Israel that they goe forward But for a master to redeeme his owne servants from foraigne oppression is not so strange or out of course Did God then at the prayer or instance of his servants heale his people whom he himselfe had wounded When the people complained it displeased the Lord and the Lord heard it and his anger was kindled and the fire of the Lord burnt amongst them and consumed them that were in the utmost parts of the campe Numb 11. 1. The disease was acute and made quicke dispatch the medicine was as swift and speedy Then the people cried unto Moses and when Moses prayed unto the Lord the fire was quenched v. 2. One branch of Solomons petition is that when Israel should goe forth to battaile against their enemies by the way which he should send them that he would then heare their prayers and supplications and iudge their cause A lively pledge of Gods favour answerable to this branch of the petition and of the immediate dependance which successe in battaile hath on faithfull prayers we have in that story Exod. 17. v. 9. 10. when Iosuah was sent by Moses appointment to fight with Amalek It came to passe when Moses held up his hand that Israel prevailed and when he let downe his hand Amalek prevailed Another branch of Solomons petition in this place is v. 24. That when Israel should be put to the worst before their enemies that God would be mercifull unto their sinne when they should turne againe and confesse his name and pray This was Israels case in the siege of Ai Iosuah 17. v. 7. 8. Iosuah upon the sight of this wound flies for succour to that medicine which Solomon happly from his practice prescribes For he rent his clothes and fell on his face to the earth before the Arke of the Lord and cried alas O Lord what shall I say when Israel turneth their backe before their enemies God heares his prayer before he was willing to make an end of praying Get thee up wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face and instructs him for restoring Israel to his wonted estate and condition by recompencing the way of the wicked upon his owne head First he makes Achan confesse his sinne and give glory unto God and so removes the sinne from Israel by execution of iustice which in like case is equivalent to prayer at least a necessary condition of successefull prayers for the publique weale and safety of kingdomes 2 If after Iosuahs death we were to give a generall title to the sacred history of ensuing times for almost foure hundred yeares or make an Epitome of the booke of Iudges it could not be more briefe then this Israel sinnes and is given up into the hands of the oppressor Israel cries unto the Lord and he sends him a Iudge and a deliverer And yet as the sacred pen-man of that story observes Israels repentance alwaies died with the Iudge which God did send them and could not be revived againe but by renewing of affliction One and the same affliction was commonly the effect of Israels sinne and the meanes of Israels repentance his sinne was the efficient and repentance the finall cause of their oppression And so gratious was God towards them so ready alwaies to heare their prayers that he seemed not to punish them so much for sins past as to continue his punishment untill they repented Among other calamities of estate whose cure or remedy Solomon here seekes the plague of pestilence is one v. 28. with this the land was grievously smitten even from Dan to Beersheba in his Father Davids daies by the immediate hand of God and in particular for his Fathers sinne in numbring the people Yet when David confessed his sinne and thus prayed Behold I have sinned yea I have done wickedly but these sheepe what have they done Let thine hand I pray thee be against mee and against my Fathers house v. 17. the Lord was appeased towards the land and the Plague ceased from Israel So ready was God alwaies to heare the prayers of this people when they turned unto him before this Temple was built The sumâ—â—hen of Solomons petition is that rhe Lord would be pleased to give his people some particular or new assurance for continuing his wonted mercies or blessings unto them that this house which he had built might be as a publique Court of audience a place wherein it might be free for every man and for all
omnipotent power Whereas if he had said the invincible lawes of necessity did suffer Pompey not to lay these forewarnings to heart he had spoken like a Christian. For there can be no other invincible law of necessity besides the irresistible will of the one omnipotent God and that is a law absolutely invincible and most irresistible and yet a law which admits a liberty of choice in the parties subject to it or a law for the most part disiunctive It was the irresistible will of God that Pompey should have sufficient or as this Authour speakes abundant warning to correct his errour or to abate his high spirit or pride of heart and yet it was one and the same irresistible will of one and the same God that these forewarnings how prodigious soever should not necessitate his will or enforce relentance upon his present resolution No matter of fact or signes of the time can bee more infallible prognostickes of calamities foresignified by them then these signes of the time which it pleased our Saviour to interpret No prophecie or prediction though uttered by an Angell from heaven can induce a greater necessity or argue a more inevitable futurition of things so foretold then the expresse prediction or prophecie of the Sonne of God himselfe Though here or elsewhere he often foretold the destruction of Galilee and Ierasalem yet was not the destruction of either of them from the date of this prophefie absolutely necessary or inevitable but necessary only upon supposition or conditionally necessary unlesse yee repent yee shall all likewise perish Yea but this proposition might bee true if they did repent they should not perish But this doth not argue their repentance to have beene possible For Hypothetica propositio as they say nihil Ponit in esse this proposition would be true though in a beggers mouth If I had tenne thousand pound I should bee a rich man yet the truth of this proposition puts no money in his purse But he that would apply this Logicke rule unto our Saviours speech in my text doth either jeere our Saviour or make him to bee a jeerer of the sons of affliction which later of two evils is the worse for wheresoever the contract or covenant is serious or where the bond or grant is reall and legall the condition must be facible The Prince or Iudge that would grant or promise a malefactor suppose a man-slayer his life upon condition or provise that hee should restore the party whom he had slaine to life againe would be thought rather to mocke him than shew mercy to him and to do himselfe and his authority more wrong than the other good Solomon did not mocke Shimei when hee gave him life upon this condition that hee should keepe himselfe within the confines of Ierusalem This condition though not performed by Shimei was facible and the breach of it did bring death upon Shimei Every condition or promise if it bee serious praesupponit aliquid in esse presupposeth some estate in being As when our Saviour saith except yee repent yee shall all likewise perish This exception or condition presupposeth an estate in sinne yet an estate mutable It presupposeth these men were truly lyable to destruction threatned but it presupposeth withall that the doore of life and salvation though now but narrow was not utterly shut against them that as yet it was called to day with them yea that after this time there was a season wherein this sonne of God did call them to repentance when he beheld the city and wept over it Oh that thou hadst knowne this thy day c. After they had cast him off from being King over them and exempted themselves from his wonted speciall protection yet hee ceaseth not to pray for them Father forgive them for they know not what they do But here some who thinke it part of their office to send off Gods intended mercies from such as they have marked for reprobates will tell you that our Saviour did then pray not for the Iewes but for the Roman Souldiers yet Roman Souldiers they were not but Iewes of the worst condition which stoned the blessed Martyr Steven to death and yet he prayed Lord lay not this sinne unto their charge And it will be no sinne in us to thinke that the dying disciple did learne this extraordinary charity from his dying 〈◊〉 Now if either master or disciple had knowne the destruction which hanged over this peoples head to have beene at that time altogether inevitable neither of them would or might have prayed for them or against the plague which in the issue fell upon them for it was never lawfull for the Prophets nor is it for any man living this day to pray for any people or person in case they infallibly know that they are utterly cast off by God or left in a state impennible As for the destruction here threatned against Galilee and Ierusalem though at this time truly evitable yet it became Iesse evitable every day than other for almost forcy yeares by their continuall perseverance 〈◊〉 speciall sinnes and their progression in sinne without relentance was occasioned by the neglect of the signes of the time or the forewarnings which God had given them for their good No publique plagues or calamities whether fore-signified by such signes as these in my text or punctually foretold by Gods Prophets or by his Sonne the Prince of Prophets become inevitable unlesse it bee by contempt or neglect of forewarnings given or by deeming all events to be inevitable because they are foresignified or foretold by God himselfe or by his embassadours It is true sometimes that the very inevitability of ensueing calamities is either expressely foretold or foresignified but such presignifications or predictions can bee no forewarnings but rather peremptory denunciations of some irreversible sentence or doome after warnings given be they more or fewer To scorne or neglect forewarnings given is a Symptome of hardnesse of heart and contempt of Gods word To thinke all calamities are inevitable which are foretold or foresignified or of which God himselfe hath given forewarnings is a branch of false Doctrine or an heresie sometimes adludged by the lawmakers of this land so capitall that they did exempt the maintainers of it which were then the sect of the Anabaptists from all benefit of the Kings royall pardon as is apparent from the generall pardon of the thirty 2 yeare of King Henry the eight but by what cōstitutions of the visible Church of England which then was the errour of such men as thought nothing could fall out otherwise then it doth was condēned for an heresie or by what parliamentary law it was adjudged to be a capitall heresie uncapable of pardon or whether such Ecclesiasticall constitutions or municipall lawes as were then in force have beene since by like authority repeald or antiquated by disuse or discontinuance of practise are points without the limits of my profession and besides my intention either to
grievous punishment than wee or others are but before this day it is not Christian-like it is not safe to say or thinke that this man is a more grievous sinner than wee our selves are for than this man deserves to be more grievously plagued than wee our selves or others whom wee thinke well of so long as either they or wee have one houres space left for repentance To judge of the measure of any mans sinnes by the manner of his punishments here on earth or to determine of his future estate by his present death or disaster is to usurpe or trench upon Christ Iesus his royall prerogative which to prejudice by word or sentence interlocutory which to preoccupate by any peremptory or censorious thought is more than a praemunire a branch of high treason or rebellion against him Besides this exception which cleerely infringes the former allegations for judging of the cause by the effect or measuring mens sinnes by the manner of their visible punishments many positive reasons there be which might perswade us that our most good and gracious God without impeachment unto his unchangeable mercy and justice may and often doth in this life shew extraordinary mercy to extraordinary sinners and recompence ordinary sinners men not so sinfull as the best of us account our selves to be with extraordinary punishments in this life Both parts of this allegation may bee proved by instance and by rule by examples of Scripture and by reason grounded on Scripture First because such as have beene extraordinary sinners have obtained extraordinary mercy There was not an honest matron or unmarried woman in in the land of Iudea or Galilee but would have taken it for a defamation to have beene compared to Mary Magdalen Shee was a notorious sinner in that notorious sinne of wantonnesse and uncleanenesse and yet obtained greater mercy than any woman of her time besides the blessed Virgin Mary for shee was endowed with an extraordinary measure of that excellent gift of love and charity Our Saviour gives her this testimony that shee loved much And the reason why shee loved much was because many sinnes and those of the worst kind of sinnes were forgiven her Here was mercy two wayes extraordinary First in that shee had many such sinnes foregiven her Secondly in that shee loved much For this extraordinary measure of love through the same goodnesse of God by which it was given her was to have an extraordinary reward Againe what disciple or Apostle of our Saviour was there which might not have upbraided Peter with extraordinary ingratitude which is the height of sinne for denying his Lord and master three severall times expressely and in a manner judicially And yet for all this Gods mercy and gratious favour towards him was extraordinary even in respect of other disciples and Apostles the disciple whom Iesus loved only excepted Paul for a long time was a blaspheamer of the evangelicall truth a more furious persecutor of such as followed the waies of life then the Prince of his tribe King Saul had beene of righteous David And yet this man from a notorious sinner from a persecuting Saul was changed into a zealous Paul became a valiant champion for the faith more zealous in maintaining it than hee had beene furious in persecuting such as professed it And this suddaine and extraordinary change was wrought by the extraordinary mercy of God But doe not these and the like instances or examples of Gods extraordinary mercy favour and bounty towards extraordinary and notorious sinners no way prejudice or impeach the unchangeable mercy of God or his impartiall dealing with men No for the extraordinary mercy which hee shewed did not extend to them only but to all extraordinary sinners in the like kind unto the worlds end His extraordinary mercy and favour unto Mary Magdalen was as a pledge of his mercy and favour to all like sinners of her sexe so they would by true repentance accept and embrace his mercy and favour manifested unto her If any which heare or read of his mercy exhibited to her doe finally perish their perdition is from themselues If any truely repent their salvation and repentance by which they become immediatly capable of salvation is from the Lord. Gods extraordinary mercy unro Peter who had in a manner made shipwrack of his faith was as secunda tabula post naufragium as a planck or mast cast out after shipwrack not only for his succour but for the succour of all the Iewish nation which had denied the Lord that bought them As many of this nation as after Peters conversion were converted and saved their conversion and salvation was meerely from the Lord as many of them as perished did therefore perish because they did not repent as Peter did and they did therefore not repent because they did not lay Gods mercies towards him and to their country-men converted by him to their hearts That extraordinary mercy againe which God exhibited unto Paul yeelds the assurance of faith a sure anchor of hope to all persecutors of the Church whether Heathens Turkes or Infidels that there is plenteous redemption with God in Christ mercy plenteous to worke repentance in them and by repentance compleat redemption of body and soule As many of Turkes or other infidels as doe not repent and by their not repentance perish their perdition or not repentance is from themselues Not the saluation only but the repentance of such as doe repent is meerely from God and this God our Lord who is rich in mercy towards all did worke repentance in Mary Magdalene in Saint Peter and Saint Paul by meanes and motiues extraordinary that all such sinners as they were might belieue and knowe that no sinners are excluded from possibility of repentance in this life but that the mercy which he shewed to them by meanes extraordinary is daily exhibited by meanes ordinary that is by the administration of the word and sacraments vnto all that doe not wilfully exclude themselues The second point proposed was that God doth award extraordinary visible punishments vnto ordinary sinners without impeachment to his vnchangeable justice or to that ingraffed notion which all Christians haue of his unpartiall dealing with the sonnes of men It was an extraordinary visitation wherewith he visited the inhabitants of Bethshemesh and their territories 1. Sam. 6. 19. for he smote of the people fiftie thousand threescore and tenne men because they had looked into the Arke of the Lord. It was likewise an extraordinary punishment upon Vzzah who being but a Leuite did touch the Arke of the Lord. 2. Sam. 6. 6. For he was smitten with suddaine death from which kinde of punishment all of us doe pray or ought to pray that the Lord would deliuer us But may wee therefore conclude that these men of Bethshemesh were sinners above all the men of Iudah or that Vzzah was a more grievous sinner than any Levite of his age on whom the Lord did not shew like punishments God
DIVERSE SERMONS WITH A SHORT TREATISE BEFITTING THESE PRESENT TIMES Now first published BY THOMAS IACKSON Dr in Divinity Chaplaine in ordinary to his Majestie and President of Corpus Christi Colledge in Oxford For the contents with the severall places of Scriptures expounded or illustrated in them see page following the Epistle OXFORD Printed by LEONARD LICHFIELD An. Dom. 1637. TO THE MOST ILLVSTRIOVS PRINCE CHARLES PRINCE OF WALES DVKE OF CORNWALL c. All the blessings of this life and of the life to come WOuld your Excellence vouchsafe if not at your best conveniences to read yet for the present to accept these Treatises following with the like favourable patience as your royall Father and my most gracious Soveraigne Lord and master did heare the most of them I should thinke my paines in publishing and offering this mite as well bestowed and as well recompenced as any other part of my labours in the ministry That you may long exhibite to this present and future ages a live expression of your most royall Fathers Princely vertues especially of his devotion in Gods service and his zeale to his house the Church that by continuance in thus doing you may continue in like favour with the King of kings and Lord of lords as Iehosephat Ezekiah and other best Princes of Iudah were is and shall be the daily prayer of Your highnesse most humbly devoted Servant THOMAS IACKSON TWO Sermons vpon 2. Chron. Cap. 6. vers 39. 40. Containing a Paraphrase on Solomons petition vnto God at the Consecration of the first Temple with the grant and successe of it ERRATA Pag. 9. line 21. her read his p. 10. l. 2. him r. them and l. 3. of r. or p. 16. l. vlt. that r. then that p. 40. l. 1. certaine r. certainty THREE Sermons vpon IER 26. vers 29. MICAH 3. v. 10. 11. 12. Errata Pag. 26. l. 11. dele their p. 30. l. 24. time r. our times p. 31. l. 30 labour r. labourer p. 30. l. 11. af r. after p. 32. l. 8. dele that p. 41. l. 8. or r and p. 70. l. 13. his r. its A Treatise concerning the signes of the times containing a Paraphrase or exposition vpon LVKE 13. vers 1. to the 11. and from vers 23. to 27. Errata Pag. 18. l. 1. tradii r. tradidi p. 37. l. 3. now r. nor p. 53. l. 8. for then r. or that A Sermon vpon the second Sunday in Advent containing a Paraphrase or Comment vpon LVKE 21. vers 1. to the 28. MATT. 24. vers 1. to 32. MARKE 13. vers 1. to 27. 2. CHRON. 6. 39. 40. 39. Then heare thou from Heavens even from thy dwelling place their prayer and their supplications and maintaine their cause and forgive thy people which have sinned against thee 40. Now my God let I beseech thee thine eyes be open and let thine eares be attent unto the prayer that is made in this place 1 IT was the saying of a Roman Senator who thought himselfe well seene in matters of State Parvi sunt arma foris nisi sit consilium domi Armes are of little availe abroad without a wise Councell at home to give them instructions but the wise King part of whose words these of my text are saw a great way farther and layes his foundation much deeper parvi sunt arma foris parvi consilium domi nisi sint preces in Templo Councell of State or Councell of warre armes at home or armies sent abroad by their directions with their best instructions adde little to the security and safety of State and Kingdome without prayers in the Church or house of God And for this reason although he had now erected a goodly Temple with as Princely and cheerfull a heart as his Father David had built an Altar unto the name and honour of the God of Israel yet he thought it no Sacrilege no robbery at all to intend a publique and perpetuall benifite to the State and Kingdome from this glorious worke So compatible are Royall intentions of Gods honour with desires of Gods blessings temporall upon the people committed to their charge that this wise King even whilst he dedicates this great house unto his God for a peculiar habitation wherein he would be pleased to place his name yet consecrated withall as a Sanctuary for every afflicted soule to be more then an Arsenall for warre as a Magazine of medicines and remedies for all manner of wounds or diseases incident to the body publique 2 God had given this young King a large talent of Princely wisdome and the spirit of government in an extraordinarie manner and of this extraordinarie wisdome and spirit one speciall part it was to know that it was not in the power of man not within the compasse of any wisdome though participated from aboue to direct his owne wayes much lesse the wayes of others aright least of all to give successe to their best directions As the skill of Pylots is best knowne in a storme or dangerous passage so is the wisdome of Rulers best tried in perplexity or distresse The best proofe or triall which Solomon could give of his wisdome in this case was the knowledge to frame his petitions aright to the God of wisdome and Lord of Hosts This whole Chapter is no other then an Anatomy Lecture of the diseases and wounds of Kingdomes and Common-weales publiquely read by Solomon for the instruction of Princes and Rulers that should come after him It is the glory of a King as this King elsewhere obserues to finde out a secret and to punish iniquity when it is found out though committed in secret and to render to every man according to the equity of his cause being made knowne is the duty of a Iudge but in as much as many controversies of right and wrong must be determined by oath if men will be so destitute of the feare of God as to sweare falsly or to contrive their owne gaine and others harmes by perjury what Iudge can help what Prince can remedy men by this meanes distressed Yet Solomon begins at this inward sore or secret corruption the remedy he seekes from the searcher of mens thoughts and hearts So he prayes 2. Chron. 6. 22. 23. If a man Sinne against his Neighbour and an oath be layed upon him to make him sweare and the oath come before thine Altar in this house Then heare thou from Heaven and doe and Iudge thy servants by requiting the wicked by recompensing his way upon his owne head and by iustifying the righteous by giving him according to his righteousnes To recompense the wayes of this wicked man upon his owne head is one of the mercies which in conclusion he beseeches the Lord to shew unto his people for crudele est hîc misericordem esse Though mercy be alwaies good yet the better it is the worse it is placed upon such pestilent members As great a cruelty to shew pitty upon the perjur'd as to pamper or cherish any