in an afflicted condition He went mourning all the day long for the oppression of his enemies and the Lord hid his Face And his soul was dejected within him but yet he had hope in God For I shall yet praise him who is the health of my Countenance and my God The Saints do comfort themselves in their saddest condition with their Interest in things to come that the Lord will wait on them and be gratious and will not keep his anger for ever Consider these Eight thiâ—gs Secondly But how shall things to come become the Saints In respect of good and evil things to come 1. They are delivered from temptations to come A man shall be delivered from them and not left unto them and there is a great deal of mercy in the preventing grace of God this way in being freed from temptations The Lord will not lead his People through the Land of the Philistines Exod. though it was the neerest way to the Land of Canaan lest the people see it and their hearts turn back again into Egypt c. And indeed the Lord doth strangely order things in his Providence that temptations may be hid from his Peoples Eyes Satan desires continually to winnow the Saints but the Lord rebukes him and all his temptations 2. If Temptations sometimes assault them yet he doth make provision for them against Temptation Satan hath desired to winnow thee saith our Lord to Peter Luk. 23.31 but I have prayed for thee The Lord lays in consolation for the future tryals of the Saints and as the Temptation was fore-appointed so also is the Consolation Jer. 10.11 When the children of Israel were in Babylon and should have temptations to worship other Gods they were bid to make this Answer The Gods that have not made the Heavens and the Earth shall perish from the Earth and from under these Heavens And 't is very observable that one Answer God puts into their mouths is wrote in the Chaldee Tongue c. So the Saints shall be able to withstand them by vertue of the Intercession of Christ c. 3. Afflictions to come either they shall be delivered from them as Hezekiah thou shalt saith God be gathered into thy grave in peace God had an Ark for Noah and a Grave for Methusalah The Floud was appointed to come upon all the Earth well at the time appointed it comes But first Methusalah must be delivered for he lived until that very Year the Flood came and God provides him a Grave takes him away from the evil to come him does God deliver from it But Noah he must abide the tryal for him God provides an Ark and safely carries him through it Isa 4.5 Upon all the glory there shall be a defence The great water Floods shall not come nigh unto thee or else if they be afflicted they shall be gratiously supported under them The grace of God shall be sufficient for he hath promised When thou goest through the fire I will be with thee Isai 43.2 There is gratia perveniens assisteus in suffering as well as in sins and duties Psal 43.46 We will not fear though the earth be removed for there is a River the streams whereof shall make glad the City of God 4. Mercies to come to the Saints shall prove Mercies indeed Saul hath a Kingdom as wel as David but it was a mercy to David and therefore the Lord did qualifie him for it and gave him Kingly graces and weaned hii soul from the Mercy before he had Bernard Bern. Ecce paratum est cor meum vis me constituere pastorem ovium aut regem populorum My heart is as a weaned child Psal 131.2,3 And therefore it 's sayd Isa 30.18 that the Lord waits to be gracious he doth not defer because he is unwilling to bestow mercies upon us but because we are not prepared to receive Mercie for Mercies to unprepared soules are like unto Cordials unto foul stomacks the which do but increase the peccant humours and therefore the Lord never gives them till the season of them and till he hath prepared the soul to receive them There is a double right that the people of God have to Mercy First there is jus haereditarium a right of Inheritance and that they have as soon as they are converted but yet they are but then as a child in its nonage Secondly there is a jus aptitudinarium a right of fitness that is wanting and the Lord doth not give any Mercy in Mercy till both be found in the soul till there is a right of fitness as well as an hereditary right Fifthly Sins to come If God leaves under any temptation that we are foyled by it as that the best of Gods people may for I know no sin but may overtake such but final impenitency and the sin against the Holy Ghost yet all things shall work together for good to them that fear God Et si omnia qui ni etiam peccata Aug. Aug. If all things then sin it self is not excluded God makes a strange use of sin to his peoples good and benefit either to discover unto a man what is in his heart and so to abate his carnal confidence as the Lord did let Hezekiah fall to that end that the work of Mortification may be perfected and the Sword of Godly sorrow may go the wider and the Plough of Repentance the deeper and that shall be the fruit of it that the man may be more vile in his own sight or else to make him the more instrumental in that kind to do good unto others being able to comfort them with the same consolation with which he himself was comforted of God And being himself converted he may be the better able to convert and strengthen the brethren Luk. 22.32 And the Saints of God do see great Mercy even in their sins to come as well as in their suffering that as some of the Antients have blessed God for the Falls of the Saints those Horrenda naufragia by reason of the comfort and support and admonitions that they had from them So they do see cause many times to bless God for that Grace that brings so much good out of their sins also and so much they may promise themselves from a principle of Faith in regard of sinning as well as suffering Sixtly in respect of the happy and glorious condition of the Church that is promised in the latter daies there is a time coming when all the kingdoms of the earth shall become the kingdoms of the Lord and of his Christ Rev. 11.16,17 and unto the holy people of the most high Dan 17.27 And when the smoak out of the Temple shall vantsh and the Temple shall be opened in heaven and a man may see into the Court of the Testament which is within the vayl The darkness of the preâ—ent dispensation of God shall be done away and new Jerusalem shall come down from God out of heaven
God ariseth he hath abundance rise with him I say if the Lord old rise alone he is able to do it but whensoever he ariseth he hath aboundance rise with him When the Lyon roars all the Beasts of the forrest tremblâ— Observe I pray you when the Lord comes to Judgement against a people if he doth but say cause the instruments of vengeance to draw neer they come every man with a slaughter weapon in his hand immediately Ezek. 9.1 so when the Lord riseth up to execute vengeance upon an enemy I will give you but one place but it is a very glorious Scripture observe it I pray you Dan. 10.20 there is an Angel come to comfort Daniel and instruct him and he tells you now saith he I go forth against the King of Persia and when I am gone forth the Prince of Grecia shall come mark God riseth up as the Text tells you for it referrs to the same when God riseth up once then truly there is an Angel up and together with him all the power of the Grecian Monarchie When I am gone forth saith he then the Prince of Grecia shall come mighty wars there were between the Grecian and the Persian until the Persian were subdued before him Now how came it to pass the Angel went out first to fight against the King of Persia when God riseth up then I say there be abundance rise with him These are the grounds of the consolation that the people of God did take from the rising of God in his providential actings for them There is a word more that I would speak to A question will rise now in every one of your mouths Oh But how should a people know when by his spiritual eyes can he discern that God is raised up we see men rise an arm of flesh but how shall we be able to say God is raised up out of his holy habitation that were comfort indeed if we could conclude that but what if men rise without God Why now in answer to that I intreate you give me leave a little When God is raised up for a people he useth to cause magnam conjunctionem a great combination as it were and a joyning together of these five things observe them I beseech you and truly I think we may speak it with thankfulness to the glorious praise of our God they have very far concurred in the Lords rising among his people in England In the first place When the Lord is awakened by prayer that is the first thing prayer is Gods way by which he is raised up Iob 8.5,6 If thou make thy supplication to him he will surely awake for thee If thou make thy supplication to him what is the reason that God was raised up for his people here he was raised up by prayer look into Zach. 11.12,13 the Lord Christ he comes and prayeth how long will it be ere thou have compassion upon Ierusalem against whom thou hast had indignation these three-score and ten years why now what is the return The Lord answereth the Angel with good words with comfortable words I am jealous for Sion as soon as ever Christ prayeth my Brethren he prayes your prayers if ever prayer arise God ariseth I am jealous for my people That is the first You shall know when God ariseth if he be awakened by prayer and truly we had cause to hope in the beginning of our troubles that the Lord did pour a large measure a plentiful measure of the Spirit of prayer upon his people Secondly when the Lord defeateth the counsels of the enemy turns their plots upon their heads I beseech you observe the Lord is known by the judgements that he executeth when the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands when the Lord takes men and burns them like Bees in their own Hive truly that is an argument God is up men could not do that God brings mens waies eminently upon their own heads you have a Scripture very remarkable Micah 4. for I dare speak nothing to you but what I have a word for I the enemy say that they would come together and they would thresh Sion why now saith God they know not the thoughts of the Lord these are their thoughts I buâ— they do not know mine why what were 〈◊〉 thoughts Gods thoughts were to make their 〈◊〉 against the people of God to be the means of their own ruine their own counsels should destoy them for so he saith they shall be gaâ—hered togeâ—er as sheaves in a flore arise and thresh O daughter of Sonâ— they thought to come together to thresh the Church I but saith God they themselves shall be threshed they shall be gathered together as sheaves to be threshed it would be horrible ingratitude for any of us to overlook the manifold appearances of God in this kind in these latter daies and not confess the Truth That is a second ground how we may know whether God arise for his people In the third place when the Lord takes away the hearts of his enemies truly my Brethren the discipline of Spirits is not in men but in the Father of Spirits when it shall be truly said the men of might have not found their hands when that shall befall them that the Lord threatneth in Nahum 3.17 their Captains shall be like the great Grass hoppers in a Sunny day the Sun ariseth and they are gone when their strong holds shall be like ripe figgs falling into the mouthes of the Eaters when God shall make the very names of men terrible to the enemies certainly God hath the Discipline of Spirits when it shall be said the sword of the Lord and the sword of Gideon and that as it is said a Barley Cake shall overthrow the Tent this is the Lords doings Certainly God doth arise In the fourth place when the Lord acteth the Spirits of his people unto high and noble and invincible resolutions draws them out to resolutions more then men when he guides their strength when he girds up their spirits to the busineâ—s in Zach. 4 6. Not by power nor by might but by my Spirit how did the Spirit of God do it truly it is the Spirit of God working in the hearts of men raising up their hearts to encounter with the greatest difficulties to look a thousand deaths in the face with boldness and elevating the spirits of men beyond what or linarily is in men this is the Lord the Lord riseth when it is so And then in the last place when the Lord goes on in waies of mercy and draws out his loving kindness sometimes the Lord may step forth for his people and he may withdraw himself again and then the misgivings of their hearts will be ready to say it is the Lord is upon us but when the Lord holds on a continual tenor of mercies when it shall be said as it was to Ioshua there is no man shall stand before thee all the daies of thy life I am with
it by this if you hate your own iniquity if that be your great care Psal 18.23 Ezech. 7.19 they shall not satisfie their souls because it is the slumbling block of their iniquity c. 13. neither shall any strengthen himself in the iniquity of his life that is the whole comfort and delight of their lives doth come in by it it is all the pleasure and the joy they have men looking upon the vanity of the world every man hath his Treasure something that he doth chuse to himself either in his age Psal 119.9 or in his calling or in his acquaintance in his custom and if ever a man do meet with an opportunity of temptation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it is then he is to take heed to himself as the exhortation is in Luke 8.13 you have been Conquerers take heed now you be not overcome with the Devil and you have fought for liberty take heed you be not the worst of slaves as that man is that is a servant to his lust You have asserted the liberty of others maintain your own liberty also and be not the servants to sin Fifthly if you be holy you will have respect unto all the commandments Psal 119.6 he that doth despise any one Commandment makes conscience of none it is universality that is the great note of sincerity now to live in the willing neglect of any known duty and the Law of God comes in against a man and the man is afraid to hear of such a duty because his guilt arises and his trouble is renewed thereby and therefore the man would shift it off would disburden himself of the sens of it surely then that soul has cause to fear holiness is not his aim but now when the commandment comes and the man is a co-worker with God as it were and is willing it should be set on upon his soul and is not willing to give himself a dispensation from it but he saith I must walk up to the extremity of the rule and observe it to the uttermost extent of it for I must be Judged by it God will lay Judgement to the line c. this is the sense of a holy heart Sixthly if you are holy your holiness will answer the Law of God for it is the Law written in the heart that you must come up to you have obeyed from the heart that forme of Doctrine which was delivered to you we are cast into it as into a mold and therefore it must be a perfect form there are the great things of the Law Rom. 11.17 Heb. 13.8,9 and it was the sin of the Pharisees that they only regarded lesser things and left the great things of the Law undone and it s the great sin of hypocrites whether it be in point of sin or in point of duty to be only zealous against lesser things therefore trie your selves by these rules for it is a matter of the greatest concernment of your lives c. By these may you know if you are in the way to the Beatifical vision by these may you judge of your holiness without which no man shall see the Lord. Babylons utter ruine THE SAINTS Triumph At a Thanksgiving for the victory of Ireland against the Irish Aug. 29. 1649. REVEL 18.2 Babylon the great is fallen is fallen c. THE great works of the Saints in this life are to believe Gods promises and to serve his providence and reflect his praises and it is the great thing that God doth expect as the fruit of all his marvellous works that when his works do praise him that is give matter of praise his Saints should bless him Psal 145.10 and for this cause there are three titles given unto the Saints in the Scripture First they are said to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 those that take delight in the works of the Lord they being all of them wonderful and glorious and only to be admired whereas other men only study the works of men and be taken with them but they only take pleasure in studying the works of God Secondly they are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 taking pleasure in them they study them and search into them that they may find out all the excellency and glory that is in them which at first sight no man is able to find out Psalm 111.2 Thirdly they are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Lords Recorders Isa 62.6 they received the promises of God and their accomplishment of these things the hearts of the Saints are a faithful Register his mercies are written in their hearts as well as his Laws the one that they may serve him and the other that they may rejoyce in him Now you that have pleasure in the works of God ye are come before the Lord this day to enter an eminent National mercy upon publike record and if ye search into it after a diligent scrutiny ye will find there are these six things specially to be observed therein First it is a return not only of late but of antient prayers It is one of the great Questions that the Saints of God have as matter to dispute in all the mercies that they receive whether they have them as effects of providence or as the heirs of the promise whether they have of them only a jus Politicum or Evangelicum the one indeed non fundatur in Gratiâ but the other is now if it be given in answer to prayers it is a birth of the promise which the prayers of the Saints help to deliver Isa 37.3 but specially when mercies have been long delayed and the answers of prayers have been long deserr'd wheâ— Abraham had prayed for a child twenty years then to have the promise speak and when thechildren of Israel had prayed 70. year then when they were even out of hopes and gave their prayers for lost now to be answered in them made them to be like them that dream to recover an old debt and to receive a ship safe home and richly laden that hath been long at Sea and we know not what was become of it it comes home with the greater joy Why doth the Lord delay the answers of the prayers of his people not that he doth not intend to grant them for Bernard Bernard Priusquam engrâ—ssa est oratto ex ore tuo ipse scribi jubet in libro suo But he doth wait to be gracious Now delaying of the mercy doth raise the price of it now ye come to reap of the harvest of many of your prayers that are past and gone that you even now gave for lost there is a twofold joy that the Scripture speaks of as transcendent the joy of harvest and the joy of souldiers when they divide the spoil and truly there is matter of both these joyes in this mercy administred to you for you divide the spoil of the enemie and with all you reap to your selves the harvest of all your former prayers and petitions Oh how did
the pulpits in times past sound with such words as these Lord remember bleeding and dying Ireland Lord this is Ireland that is a cast-out peoplâ— hat none cares for but when thou makest inquisition for blood remember them c. and those prayers which were put up from many a gracious heart which are now answered though now many of them haply are displeased and discontented with the return of their own prayers Secondly it is a mercy given in when all things were desperate and even all hope of a deliverance was gone Now is God a help found in the needful time of trouble when the enemies power and confidence was high and they said Ireland is our own we will pursue them even take them and satisfie our lusts upon them we will surely root out the English name from amongst us and we will try if they can swim into England it may be their faith will bear them up as that partie hath alwayes scoffed at godliness in all their successes but be no more mockers least your bonds increase Now when you had not an Armie in the field the whole Kingdom was their own and not a Garrison left in the whole Kingdom but one and that brought to the very brink of destruction also and must have been surrendred speedily after they made their approaches to it Now God gives in the mercy now doth the Lord judge his people and repent him concerning his servants when he sees that their power is gone and that there is none shut up or left Deut 32.36 when there is no Army in the field no souldiers in garrison now is the time that the Lord doth appear and take to himself his great power and raign Thirdly when the Lord doth therein exceed the expectations of his servants a deliverance they hoped for but not so great not so sudden so that when it came they seemed as men that dream and they can scarce believe that God would do so great things for them when the Lord is come to do them when the son of man comes shall he find faith upon earth its a faith in reference to the coming of Christ for to take vengeance on the Churches adversaries Isa 64.3 thou didst great things for us which we looked not for for God doth not answer prayers according unto our hopes but according to his own mercies as he doth not reward our services according to the measure of our duty but in the mouth of mercy Hos 10.12 a man doth sow in duty but he doth reap in ore misericordiae Fourthly when it is by the hand of those whom they have oppressed when the witnesses that were slain shall rise again and they shall destroy their persecutors by the sword that comes out of their mouthes then it is the greater mercy and far the greater confusion unto the enemy Isa 41.15 When the worm Jacob shall thresh the mountains and when the arm of the Lord should be made bare in it and his hand more immediately seen beyond the purpose courage and intention of men they are engaged before they are aware and victorie is won before they know they are engaged in a Battle when the Lord shall bend Judah for him and fill his bow with Ephraim and they shall have the honour of the conquest that have had their great share in their Torments and were by the enemies designed for destruction and they shall fall by their hand it makes the mercy far the greater Fifthly when it is such a mercy as lets us see still that God owns the same cause and however men warp and turn too and fro yet the good old cause in which the people of God were engaged against the Antichristian party the Lord owns that cause still and gives unto his people hereby hopes of a settlement For the Lord Christ when he rides forth in the conquest of the Gospel he doth ride forth conquering and to conquer not all at once but by degrees and doth give to his people yet a ground of their faith to see if they be of the seed of the Jews before whom they have begun to fall they shall surely fall God hath given us therein Hos 2.15 the vally of Achor for a door of hope it is true that Achor was a pleasant vally and it was sweet in it self therefore it was joyned with Carmel and Bashan but yet it was much more sweet in reference to the hope for it was at the first entrance into the Land of Canaan and as the first fruits gives them possession of the whole Sixthly it is still a carrying on of the grand design that the Lord Christ hath to do in the world in the latter daies for Christ in glory hath not only Saints to gather home to himself and to bind them all up in a bundle of life and he doth raign for their sakes for he is the head over all things for the Churches sake but the Lord hath also enemies to be subdued he must raign till he hath put all his enemies under his feet and he will be faithful as the Fathers servant in the one as well as in the other therefore Rev. 14. there is a harvest of all the Saints to be reaped and there is a wine press of wicked men at the same time to be trodden c. Now the great enemy unto Christ in the latter daies of the world is that wicked one 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that Baylon the great the Mother of Harlots Now so far as this tends to the promoting of that great design as it doth exceedingly so far should the Saints of God rejoyce therein for they must by degrees go into pâ—rdition and though all the former subjects would be fit matter for our meditation throughout this day and might have given us several Considerations of very publike concernment in reference to the mercy of the day yet at present I have chosen this rather to draw out your praises thereby concerning which I shall present you but with these three considerations First the least return that you can make of a mercy is praise to God for it and it is all that the Lord doth expect of you Hos 14. and we will give thee the calves of our lips it is all the promise that the Lord would have his people make to him in the time of their straits Afflictions they are stupefactive and of a confounding nature and they close the mouth Jâ—r 8.14 let us enter into our fenced Cities and let us be silent there for the Lord our God hath put us to silence but mercies they are of an expansive and dilating nature and they open the mouth as Hannah not only her heart 1 Sam. 2.1 was filled but her mouth was enlarged also Secondly if you do not return praises for mercies God will surely add Judgements unto mercies and will turn his hand against you do you evil after he hath done you good Hezekiah received a mercy but he did not render according to
is a woe for Ariel the City where David dwelt which Mr. Calvin renders the Altar of God because the Sacrifices and Ordinances of God were there but others and so in the Margent it is rendred the Lyon of God quia tanquam Leo Gentes alienas subjugasset None could stand before them There is a wo for them because they had in the greatness of their strength and power and victories forsaken the Lord and therefore the Lord saith he would bring distresses upon them that he had formerly been with and they had conquered by his power and presence and they that in their pride did speak loftily as if they had spoken from Heaven the Lord saith they should be brought down to the ground and their speech should be low as out of the dust Thirdly Former duties nor former mercies shall not serve men but if they do forsake the Lord they shall be forsaken of him first former duties will not secure men here is a gracious Prince that had laboured ten yeers in the Reformation of Religion and that with great success and had met with great opposition and yet with resolution gone through all yet the Lord tells them that for all this if after this they did forsake the Lord he would forsake them There was in the days of Josiah the most glorious Reformation of Religion that ever we read of in Iudah he was such a King as like unto him was none before him nor after him should arise the like the people entring into a solemn Covenant before God that they would be the Lords people and the Reformation went farther for it was the taking away of the High places also which other Reformers left standing and they kept the Passover unto the Lord such a one as had not been since the time of the Iudges and yet 2 King 23.26,27 notwithstanding the Lord turned not from the fierceness of his wrath Here is a sad and unexpected close of this famous story and that not onely for old sins but Zeph. 1. the Land continued in the same evils still and therefore the Lords controversie continued against them there were the remnants of Baal in the hearts of the people still and there were those that did swear by God by Malchom that did endeavor so to keep up a mixture in Religion and those that were Apostates and were turn'd back from the Lord and men that were setled upon their lees that did say the Lord will neither do good nor evil and for this cause will the Lord search Ierusalem with Candles c. 2 Former mercies will not secure you if you forsake the Lord. It s true that former mercies are of a great engagement unto us to keep close to God the cords of love lay upon men the strongest bonds but yet if they do not oblige us they are not binding unto God It s true that faith may make use of former mercies as an argument to a repenting and returning people as Num. 14.19 Pardon the iniquity of this people according unto the greatness of thy mercy as thou hast forgiven this people from Egypt even until now but it is no prevailing Argument for a back-sliding people but the Lord wil say how long shall I bear this evil Congregation and therefore the word is gone out of his mouth and judgement shall the sooner and with the greater fury plead the cause of abused mercy in former deliverances Deut. 28.63 It shall come to pass that as the Lord hath rejoyced over you to do you good so also the Lord will rejoyce over you to destroy you and to bring you to naught the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth signifie to rejoyce summo gaudio incredibili laetitia Answerable unto the joy and delight which the Lord seemâ—d to take in blessing a people and in building them up such will the delight be which he will seem to take in ruining that people and destroying them If you be not bound by the cords of his law let me tell you he himself will never look upon himself as bound by the cords of his law if they be no ingagement upon you they will be found none upon him in the end Psal 120.4 it is by some understood of the slanders of men but it is by others understood of the judgements of God there shall be mighty and sharp Arrows with coals of juniper that is such as burn with greatest fierceness and longest lasting and such as yield a sweet savor in the burning there is no destruction like unto that when God shall delight to destroy a people he shall laugh at their destruction and mock when their fear comes Fourthly The Lord delights to deal with sinners in a way of proportion and retaliation according to their dealing with him and there shall be the Image of the sin in the judgement that shall be executed upon them that the Lord will but deal with them so as they deal with him if they forsake him this shall be their judgement he will also forsake them If men be invited to the marriage feast of the Kings son and they make excuses they will not come their judgement is they that were â—idden shall not taste of my supper If the people of Israel will not at the command of God go up unto the land of Canaan to take possession they will not enter into Gods rest the Lord saith nay he doth swear in his wrath that they shall not enter and if in the days of their prosperity men will say to the Almighty depart from us in the same proportion will the Lord say unto them in the day of their judgement Depart from me I know you not In those things wherein the sons of men are and their lusts acted and more drawn forth in those the Lord doth delight that their judgement should be The people of Israel were formerly weary of the Prophets as we now are of Ordinances and they did say to them prophesie not and cause the holy one of Israel to cease from us therefore the Lord saith he will cause the Sun to go down upon the Prophets and he makes the day to be dark about them that there should be none that should understand or be able to tell them how long and when they desired Teachers according to their lust and did say Speak to us smooth things and prophesie deceit these rough-spirited men we cannot away with them The Lord saith if any man will prophesie of wine or strong drink he shall be a Prophet unto this people yea even in hell the sins of men shall be their torment and the Lord delights to make them so t is true sin ceases there as it is paenae demeritum for judgement passes onely on men for what is the flesh but not paenae damnatio for damnati blasphemant Deum in hoc peccant sed peccata pertinent ad damnationis poenam c. for what the Lord doth he doth in high displeasure and indignation
of the world Now if men be under the hand of God in wrath and one judgement doth make way for another God will punish them seven times more surely they must be utterly destroyed at the last so it was with Rome one Judgement makes way for another and one vial doth prepare and fit the subject for another So that as unto the Saints one mercy doth but prepare the subject and open the door unto another so also to ungodly men one judgement makes way for another and their hearts are hardned unto their own destruction Fifthly it is the expectation of Christ and all the Saints and all their prayers have been poured out this way First it is the expectation of Christ he is sate down at the right hand of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 expecting the rest which God hath promised him that all his enemies shall be made his footstool and Christs prayers shall be heard and his expectation shall not be frustrated nor made void and all the Saints have laid up prayers for it for Rev. 16.1 the vials come out of the Temple there is a double voice in this book a voice from the throne quod immediate a deo prosiciscitur and out of the Temple cum precibus sanctorum Impetratur Brightman Brightman Therefore all the degrees of wrath that Rome hath had upon her hath been from the prayers of the Saints and not by their Power and it hath been their expectation long ago that Rome should be utterly ruined Lactantius Horreo dicere dicam tamen quia futurum est Romanum nomen de terra amovebitur Now God that hath raised this expectation in the hearts of his people and drawn out this supplication he will not frustrate their expectations he will fulfill their petitions Doct. 2. All the Roman Power shall utterly fall they shall be destroyed with double destruction Jer. 17.18 and the sword shall be double upon them Ezek. 21.14 Babylon is fallen is fallen First the destruction of Babylon as from God it shall be pure wrath without mixture Rev. 14.10 they had a cup of fornication with which they made all Nations to drink Now God hath a cup of indignation also that which they must all drink and it is poured out without mixture if water be mixed with wine it breaks the force of the wine so that it doth not so soon bring a man to drunkenness as pure wine does this notes summum poenae severitatem judgement without mercy Here the judgements of God that he executes upon men have mercy mixed with them there is a mixture of light with all their darkness non dantur puraetenebrae but in Hell there shall be judgement without mercy and fury without compassion and truly the judgement that shall come upon Rome shall have a great resemblance of the Torments of Hell with it and therefore their judgement is very terrible Secondly it shall be an utter destruction which shall be the more Tormenting because it shall be in the height of their hopes Rev. 18.7 when she shall say I set as a Queen and am no widdâ—w and shall see no sorrow the thoughts of Babylon have been and still are high and are eminently confident of victories and successes and yet ver 8. her plagues come in one day as Sodoms with fire and brimstone Rev. 14.10 they shall be tormented with fire and brimstone God will as it were rain Hell out of Heaven upon them he hath fire and brimstone for this spiritual Sodom that they shall not know it till it comes upon them when they think themselves safe then shall judgement come and Babylon shall fall into the Sea like a mill-stone suddenly and irrecoverably Thirdly the judgement shall come upon all parties and upon all degrees and conditions of men that joyn with them all those that do partake of their sins shall have a share of the plagues there is a vial upon the earth that is upon the common people Secondly upon the Sea also there is a vial the jurisdiction of Rome Thirdly upon the rivers their ministers and Instruments that advance this authority all the ministerie of Rome that carry abroad this power over the world Fourthly upon the Sun all Princes and Magistrates and all powers so far as they hold of Rome Fifthly there will be a vial also upon Rome it self the throne of the Beast in the Lords time all this will be accomplished and the day hastens apace and there is no degree from the highest to the lowest that shall escape no place shall protect a man for the vial is poured out by the Lord and there is no escaping Fourthly there is an utter desolation described it shall become an habitationfor Devils which love to be in solitary and desolate places and it shall be a cage for every unclean and hateful bird as Sodom was it shall be a monument of wrath unto all the world Isa 13.19,20 Rev. 18.22,23 The voice of Harpers and Trumpeters shall be heard no more in thee c. and the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee c. Fifthly God will stir up the Instruments of vengeance to do their utmost to destroy them as he had before put it in the hearts of the 10. Kings to set her up so shal he also put it into their hearts to cast her down they shall make her desolate and naked and eat her flesh and burn her with fire Rev. 17.16 and Rev. 18.6 reward her as she rewarded you double upon her double and if the Lord put a principle of vengeance into the hearts of men and command them to do it surely the destruction may be exceeding fearful when the Lord does bid and command men to be cruel Lastly it shall make way for their eternal destruction For a man to undergo Temporal afflictions though they be grievous yet it were not so much so his soul might be saved in the day of the Lord but when death goes before and Hell follows after this is the greatest misery Now this is the condition of all that follow the Beast and receive his mark whose names are not written in the Book of the Lamb and therefore Rev. 19.20 the Beast was taken and the false Prophet and they were cast alive into a Lake that did burn with fire and brimstone Truly then it is terrible when judgements do make way for a mans everlasting destruction and eternal ruine Doct. 3. The destruction of Rome and every degree of it the Saints of God do look upon as matter of joy and triumph the righteous shall be glad when he sees the vengeance that shall come upon Rome and shall with a holy scorn say as they do upon the fall of litteral Babylon Isa 14. How art thou fallen from Heaven O Lucifer son of the morning Rev. 19.1 There is a voice of much people in Heaven Heaven that is put for the Church saying Amen Hallelujah because the Lord had judged the great whore c.
c. Fifthly God hath subjected things to come unto the prayers of his people and thereby joyn'd them as it were in the same commission with his Son the Lord Christ in the government of the world Isa 45.11 Ask me concerning things to come concerning my sons and concerning the workes of my hands command you me c. There are two things that the providence of God is extended to and they are either matters of common providence and they are concerning the works of his hands And also matters Ecclesiastical which concern his Church and all things to come concerning both he hath subjected unto the prayers of his people and therefore ye that are the Lords remembrancers keep not silence And therefore Revel 4.5 it 's said out of the Throne proceeded thunder and lightning and voices Out of the prayers of his people are the great Mercies and Judgements the great turnes of the world are brought about and accomplished by this the Saints working together with God and therefore at the last day when the causes of all things shall be layd open it will appear all these great things that are dispenst either in a way of Mercy or in a way of Judgement were attain'd by Prayer Vse of exhortation Exercise Faith about things to come for this promise that things to come are the Saints as it is a ground of Faith so also it should be a ground of Hope and a rule of Prayer Therefore let me exhort you in the name of the Lord be not sinfully dejected about things to come I would not have you ignorant of the signs of the times nor secure I would have you know the Judgement of your God for he that is wise shall know times and judgement but yet I would not have you distrust and walk dejectedly for what if the Witnesses be not yet slain that ultima clades ad huc metuenda What if the Enemyes of God prevaile once more to ripen them for their greatest and final ruin What if such a temptation should befall a poor soul that he thinks he should not be able to withstand What if I be left by God unto such a sin What if such a miscry and calamity should befall mee that GOD should take away my Friend which is as my own soul and such a Relation that I took comfort in c. What will become of the Church of GOD What will become of the Ordinances of GOD What will become of my Posterity when I am gone now the Enemy is sowing Tares amongst the Wheat I have Friends few where can a man find a faithfull man Let these be the Queries of ungodly men whose enjoyments are onely present and have no ground of hope for time to come I should have given you a few directions I can now only name two or three First Rowle thy self upon the promise Psalm 10.14 Jerem. 49.11 Leave thy fatherless children with me Secondly the same Fountain of Love and Goodnes that was extended to the Saints of old is extended also to thee There 's Mercy for the future as well as at present As Faith will purifie the heart so also it will pacifie it that it shall not be afraid of evill tidings But the consideration of the great Goodness of God will support the spirit of a man in any calamity whatsoever THE GREAT DAY At a private Fast JER 30.7 Alass for that day is great c. GOD hath subjected all the works of his Providence unto the Prayers of the Saints â—sa 45.11 and therefore though we are met hereupon a particular occasion and that private yet I hope it is with general intentions to seek God for the Publick also Which perswasion put me upon the choice of this Scripture at this time I shall not detain you in the Context though there may be many weighty observations drawn from thence The words are the words of the Lord Verse 5. we have heard a voyce of trembling and not of peace and is there a voyce of trembling unto Jehovah at whose presence the earth trembles and before whom the everlasting hills do bow There is a double apprehension of the speech First that the Lord speaks it in the person of his people as taking part with them being affected after the manner of men as it 's said Isaiah In all their afslictions he was afflicted So in their trembling he may be said to travel also to shew that he was like affected towards them 2. The Lord speaks in the Person of his People reproving them and instructing them reproving them that though the Lord saith we heard a voice of trembling socordiam exprobrat It was in it self a voice of trembling but the people trembled not I and the people that foresaw the calamity yet they were so unwise as not to tremble A wise man foresees the evil and he trembles all that were wise hearted did tremble but the generality of the people did not tremble and to instruct them the Lord directs them what they should say and how they should be affected with the calamities that were coming upon them We have heard a voice of trembling and the Lord would at the last extort that acknowledgment and confession from them how secure and senceless so ever they were under his present hand and when they were brought into the sence of it they should cry out Alass for the day is great c. Here is first Jacobs Affliction It 's the time of Jacobs trouble Secondly His Consolation But he shall be saved out of it Here first we are to consider what is meant by Jacob Jacob is commonly put for all the Tribes they being all called by their Fathers Name sometimes Jacob and sometimes Israel We see it put so Mich. 1.5 For the Transgression of Jacob is all this and for the sin of Israel Deut. 32.9 What is the Transgression of Jacob Is it not Samaria c The Lords portion is his People Jacob is the Lot of his Inheritance But Israel was before these times carryed into Captivity and God had by Salmanasar removed them out of his sight only Judah did yet rule with God and was faithful with the Saints There was a Remnant of the faithful of Israel that rather then they would joyn in worship with Jeroboam some of the Levites and the people 2 Chron 11.14,16 they left their possessions and in the desolation of the ten Tribes they were preserved but when they had peace what the Lord had done they were neither moved by his Mercy unto themselves nor by his Judgments upon their brethren But They provoked the Lord they justified their Sister by their evil doings Therefore those that were preserved in the former calamity there 's a Judgment also remains for them there 's a rime of tryal that yet is reserved for Jacob and these were the people amongst whom the Prophet lived For he was in the Court of the Prison when Jerusalem was taken and this is called
laid down these things in the general I hope it will ingage others to look further into them The first by way of Doctrin on this time There shal be a great and a national conversion of the Jews unto the Lord not here and there a man but even multitudes of them a whole Nation all Israel the whole house of Israel shal live they that went before were but as the first fruits Rom. 11.16 if the first fruit be holy so is the lump the harvest therefore all that have been converted is but as the first fruits in comparison of the lump the harvest of that people are yet to come into God Is 66.8 the Earth brings forth in a day and a Nation born at once Esay 49.21 I was desolate and left alone who hath begotten me all these where have they been c. And the grounds are First they do many of them belong to the election of grace God will not cast off his People whom hee knew before and though we can see none yet the Lord looks not as men look he hath 7000 in Israel c. when a man cannot see one and the Elect shall attain mercy for electing love wil follow a man til it overcome him and prevail with him and wil overcome 2dly Austrium Predestinatio electos ad gloriam usque producit By reason of the covenant made with their fathers they are beloved for their fathers sake its true God doth take children into their Parents covenant but they first in the outward priviledges of the covenant then God breaks them off from this also but the Lord hath a time when the covenant shal take place again and it is by vertue of this covenant that they do attain mercy the Lord remembring the covenant made with Abraham and with his seed and therefore he wil not cast away the whole society in the latter dayes he will return unto them again and a redeemer shal come unto them there is a seed of election runs through their fathers loyns and when this seed is brought forth then for their fathers sake they shal be called Vse Such a conversion we should help forward by faith and prayer and so much the rather because the time approaches the promises are even come unto the birth and they do draw on apace Consider these six things first how sweet wil the presence of God then be 2. The Sun shal be ashamed and the Moon confounded when the Lord shal reign in Mount Sion and in Jerusalem and before his ancients gloriously Esay 24. last Then shal it be said the Tabernacle of God is with men 2dly How glorious wil it be to see aboundance of Souls converted every one bearing twins and not one barren amongst them Rev. 15.8 No man was able to enter into the Temple during the time of the Vials now the smoke being gene many enter in 3dly To see Grace acted in the life and in the glory of it which is but little in the Christian Church to see men walk in the povver of the holy Ghost being as Justin Martyr calls them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 how lovely and amiable would the lives of Christians be it shal be as life from the dead as they that have known nay had experience in themselves of another resurrection c. 4thly To see so many lie as dead withered branches upon whom the heart of God was set and were dear unto him they pitied you how much more should you pity them that through your mercy they might attain mercy Rom. 11.31 that is by the sight and the apprehension of the mercy that God hath shewed unto you they may be provoked for to look out for a part in the same mercy that was shevved tovvards you when you were lost the same wil the Lord extend unto them also c. 5thly Consider that their comming in shal be without your loss your comming in was with their rejection the natural branches were broken off that tho◠mightst be grafted in we can knovv no reason for it but admire the Wisdom of God as Christs spirit was not given because Christs spirit was not glorified c. but novv you may be of the same Olive Tree and you may be in the same fold c. 6thly You have great benefits by it you have much profit by their rejection you shal have more by their restoration even life from the dead to you an inriching of the Gentiles with greater riches then the Gentiles can inrich them for the Lord Jesus will in a special manner exalt the Kings of the East Some Objections are to be answered when God gives another opportunity As then suffer them to live among us that they may have the Gospel preached to them that 's the way to their conversion to bring them into our land Ans First if they be here in providence we should not cast them out 2. If the Jews did live among you they were to have by the Law of God no other liberty among Christians then the Jevvish Magistrates were to give the Heathens among the Jews if they were here as they were not to suffer the Gentiles amongst them upon the account of aiming at their good neither might we suffer these among us not to abuse their worship or set up a false worship prophane their Sabboth or blaspheme their God This the Jews permitted not to the Gentiles nor should the Gentiles now permit the Jews 3. The stage place of their conversion shal not be in the Western parts of the world where few of thē are but in the East and North c. Dan. 11.44 it s said tydings out of the East and North shal trouble them as indeed their main residence is in those parts 4. It shal not be by the preaching of the Gospel vvhich is the ordinary way for the Gentiles but the Lord will do it in an extraordinary way A Nation shal be born at once therfore these are but the weak plots or charitable mis-apprehensions of men in this ignorant of the Scripture and all Labours this way will be to no purpose but let thy compassion run out in faith and prayer to bring the promise to the birth c. FINIS Heedless SERVICE Vnacceptable 2 KINGS 10.31 But Jehu took no heed to walk in the way of the Lord God of Israel with his heart for he departed not from the sins of Ieroboam which made Israel to sin IN the Text are three things principally contained First a great service performed by Iehu both against the house of Ahab and the house of Baal with the Lords commendation of the same ver 30. that he had done well in executing that which was right in his eyes and had done according to all that was in his heart Secondly a great reward promised by God in Recompence of this service not ex precio operis but ex largitate donantis thy children to the fourth Generation shall sit upon the throne of Israel whoever is
thee Is it so my Brethren then all men must conclude surely the Lord is raised up out of his holy habitation And this is the first point The second I shall speak a little to but very briefly that I may come to the second general in the Text I am loth to trespass or to straighten him that succeeds in the service The second Doctrine that I propounded to you was this Dostrine That the experiments that the Saints have of the rising of God for them in some Providential actings are a sure pledge to their faith that he will go on the will not leave the work till he hath brought it to perfection so observe I will give you but one Scripture Psal 74.14 he smote the head of Leviathan in the water and he gave him to be meat to the people inhabiting the wilderness the Lord here doth encourage them against those great difficulties that they were to meet withal in the wilderness after they came out of Egypt why now what is the use that they must make of the affliction of Pharoah and his Army called the head of Leviathan there his power his policy his strength the Lord brake the enemy Why the text saith he gave it to be meat to the people Why did the people of Israel in the wilderness feed upon the dead bodies of the Egyptians No that is not the meaning of it but this he gave it to be food to their faith not to their bodies for their faith to feed upon in all those ensuing difficulties that they were to meet withal in a howling wilderness in decretis sapientium nulla est Litura Wise men make no blots when the Lord hath begun he useth to go on if he open the first seal against Rome Pagan he never leaves till he comes to the seventh seal If he sounds the first Trumpet against Rome Christian he goes on to the seventh So having begun to pour out some of the Vials against Antichristian Rome surely the Lord will never leave till the last vial be poured out So it is a great encouragement to the Saints the great experiments they have had of the Lords rising for them in his providential actings that the Lord certainly will go on Oh but will you say to me If we could be assured of that but what if the times should turn there are changes in the right hand of the most high what if we should see a new face upon things I know these are the suppositions of every heart here Now I intreate you consider I confess there is an ultima clades adhuc metuenda there is a great cloud that yet hangs over all the European Churches pray observe what I say the killing of the witnesses I cannot look upon as past because I cannot find the time of the prophecying in sackcloth and ashes to be expired and Rome Antichristian as well as Rome Pagan under Iulian shall have its three years and a half but yet for your comfort let me tell you the experiments that you have had of Gods providential actings may secure your hearts that they shall never prevail so as to put out that lâ—ght of the glorious Gospel that God hath set up among you they shall never prevail so far Rome hath a time of seduction and a time of persecution the time of Romes seduction is over though it is true the grand persecution is to come Angustine I remember tells us that there is a threefold persecution that the Church of God should undergo August The first is violenta by force The second is fraudulenta that is in a way of heresie A third should be violenta fraudulenta there should be a deceit mixt with force Now I intreate you be pleased to consider there be these three arguments that I have looked upon as a great stay to my own thoughts in this respect I shall crave leave to propose them to you In the first place the Apostle Heb. 12.27 tels us that the Lord doth shake the things that are made that the things that cannot be shaken may remain he shaketh the things that are made that they may be removed that the things that cannot be shaken may remain then the end why the Lord hath shaken in Church and State whatsoever is of man what the Lord will not have to continue it is that he may remove it Why now this is the great end then that the Lord hath that things that cannot be shaken should remain Whatsoever Jesus Christ hath removed all the power of men shall never exalt for he did shake it to that very end that he might remove it I say what the Lord hath removed as a thing made moveable all the powers of men shall never be able to establish again Jesus Christ will maintain the ground he hath won That is the first Argument Yea In the second place when Christ rides forth for to Conquer he conquers not at once but he will go on to conquer that is another argument you may see him going forth Rev. 6.1,2 he rideth forth conquering and to conquer he did not conquer all at once but he carries on the victory Luther I remember said when he began Luther brevi efficiam ut Anathema sit esse Papistam it shall not be long saith he but by the grace of Christ I shall bring it about that it shall be looked upon as a cursed thing to be a Papist God hath carried on the work still and I remember it was the speech of Latimer one of our Martyrs when he came to be burnt I hope I shall kindle a fire this day in England shall never be put out Romanum nomen de terra tolletur Certainly the Lord Christ will carry on his work for he conquers not all at once he goes on conquering and to conquer In the third place Consider I beseech you the ten Kingdoms shall destroy the whore that is my third argument the ten Kingdoms are the Instruments God will use Antichrist riseth in a double beast Rev. 13. in his civil power so he makes up one beast with the ten Kingdoms In his Ecclesiastical he makes up his ten Kingdoms in the Clergy that is the Beast that hath two horns like a Lamb he speaks like a Dragon Now observe I beseech you these ten Kingdoms the Lord will make use of to destroy the Whore therefore he must reserve a considerable party Nay a major party that shall hate the Whore who shall become chosen and faithful the Lord hath been pleased to make this one of the ten Kingdoms certainly the Lord will uphold a major party here those that shall keep themselves that be Virgins not defile themselves with the fornications of Antichrist and the Lord will raise them up for this great service and they shall stand with the Lamb upon Mount Sion Consider I beseech you this and then when you look about upon those glorious providential acts of God for you truly you may