holinesse none can see his face such of our selves we are not we are like to our Father old Adam till we become ingraffed in a new stock till Christ become to us a head it is he that sends down into us as living members the influence of his Spirit which begins continues and increaseth in us that life that light that love which makes us like our heavenly Father partakers of the divine nature 2. Pet. 1.4 Phil. 2.14 Iohn 15.5 Of our selves we cannot think a good thought It is he that works in us to will and to do without him we can do nothing out of him we are but lifelesse saplesse withered branches fit for nothing but the fire but in him we are the trees of righteousnesse bringing forth all manner of fruit in due season The use of this doctrine is The first use first for our information of the true cause why much of our devotion is fruitles oft times we draw neer to God but have no accesse we cry and call at the door of heaven but there is no hearing no opening no answer The reason is we have mistaken our way we have gone to the wrong door we have run ever alone in the vehemencie of our owne spirit in the fervour of our naturall desires we have forgotten our Mediator and gone to the Father without the Son or if we have begun to take him with us at once as foolish children we have run before our guide No wonder then we be disciplined for that error that Christ permitting us to assay how much we can do of our selves without him we feel our labours lost our prayers in vain no marvell there commeth no voice no message no fire from heaven on our sacrifice to give us any assurance of our acceptation Matth. 3.17 God will not shew himself well pleased with us for any thing we do when we come without the Son in whom alone he is well pleased A second use A second Use is for direction Hold fast to Christ in all thy wayes especially in thy approaches to God most of all in thy solemne Prayers on such a day as this Set Christ betwixt thee and God let all be offered up by his hand he is thy only Priest no man was permitted under the Law to offer his own sacrifice all was put in the Priests hand who laid all upon the Altar Christ is the true Altar which sanctifieth and maketh acceptable all that is laid on him When we draw neere to God by him he covereth all our infirmities he supplyeth all our defects he enableth all who seek their life in him to do every duty in such a way as is well-pleasing in the sight of God he taketh all our desires and prayers in his hand put teth them in his golden censer he kindleth them with his own fire Revel 8.3 and perfumeth them with the incense of his own merits that so dressed they may have a sweet savour in the nostrils of the Father A third use is for caution in our magnifying of Christ A third use for caution against the Antinomians beware of an old trick of the devill which of late he hath resumed and by it done more mischiefe then ever Grace and wantounesse in themselvs are most opposite yet Satan striveth to conjoyn them To turn the grace of God into wantonnesse Iude 4. Mat. 27.29 It is no new thing to adore Christ in shew while you buffet him in truth There is a generation of people who under the colour of magnifying the free grace of God of setting Christ in his Throne of advancing a Gospel way of crying down nature and legall righteousnesse with these glorious shows and pleasant words they are misled by a spirit of delusion to patronize profanity to grieve and extinguish the Spirit of grace to scoffe at repentance and sorrow for sinne to foster the fruits of the flesh to bring in the highest degree of all wickednesse a dedolence of minde a reprobation of spirit when a man has committed all wickednesse with greedinesse to be nothing grieved for it as if the Spirit of the just Lord were nothing offended with it Among the many devils who very boldly this day are walking up and down the land this is one of the worst albeit masked with the fairest shews of piety and reason Who magnifies not the Lord Iesus let him be Anathema maranatha let Iesus be all in all to thy soule make him alone thy Righteousnesse thy Sanctification thy Redemption 1 Cor. 1.30 but for all that beware to divide Christ from his Spirit his death from his life his blood from his grace Separate not faith from repentance dash out none of thy Lords commandements so long as thou livest wert thou never so holy thou hast need from thy heart to beg pardon for thy sins whosoever will neglect repentance must perish who ever will have true comfort must be a mourner Christ eurseth them that laugh now and no laughter more devillish then in the act of sin he blesseth them that mourn now and no mourning in a child of God more pious then for the offending of God and grieving of his Spirit by sinne I thought to have laid open other stratagems of Satan by occasion of the words in hand and pointed at some other very dangerous errors wher with lately this land was overgrown and which to this day are not altogether evanished First that Idolatry of the Papists in their standing before Angels and Saints for intercession before images for adoration further no Papist ever went and thus far Court-Divines here were wont to preach and print 2. Against the Arminians That wickednes of Arminius denying the commerce of the Israelites with the Angel of the Covenant taking away the knowledg of Christ from the very Patriarchs and Prophets that however Christ speak expresly of Abrahams seeing of his day reioicing therin yet the Lord must have the open lie and Abrahams both sight and joy must go no further then to his son Isaac the type of Christ they must be terminate in the shadow and not go through to the substance It is the lesse wonder that this man and his followers should steal Christ out of the Law since under the Gospel they really remove him from the hearts of the people putting free-will in the place of grace and in stead of our justification by Christ would teach us that old fundamental error of the Papists justification by works and inherent righteousness to wit by faith as a worke in us Strange that any Protestant Divines should yet stumble upon that infamous stone 3. Against the Socinians That horrible wickednesse of the Socinians denying the Angel of our Text to be Christ because he had no being before his conception denying his Incarnation abolishing his divine nature blaspheming the Trinity A wonder that so foul a spirit should ever have gotten entrance in any famous Divine or other man
SATAN THE Leader in chief to all who resist THE REPARATION OF SION As it was cleared in a Sermon to the Honourable House of Commons at their late solemn Fast Febr. 28. 1643. By ROBERT BAYLIE Minister at Glasgow Published by Order of the House of Commons Micah 6.9 and 7.8 9. The Lords voice cryeth unto the City and the man of wisdome shall see thy name heare ye the rod and who hath appointed it Rejoice not against me O mine enemy when I fall I shall arise when I sit in darknesse the Lord shall be a light unto me I will beare the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against him untill he plead my cause and execute judgment for me he will bring me forth to the light and I shall behold his righteousnesse London Printed for SAMUEL GELLIBRAND at the Brasen Serpent in Pauls Church-yard 1643. Die Mercurii 28. Febr. 1643. IT is this day Ordered by the Commons House of Parliament That Mr. Rous doe from this House give thanks unto Master Baylie for the great paines he took in the Sermon he preached this day at the intreaty of this House at St. Margarets Westminster It being the day of publike Humiliation And to desire him to Print his Sermon And he is to have the like priviledge in Printing of it as others in like kinde usually have had H. Elsynge Cler. Parl. D. Com. I appoint SAMUEL GELLIBRAND to Print this Sermon ROBERT BAYLIE For the Right Worshipfull his much honoured friend M. ROUS One of the Members of the Honourable House of COMMONS Right Worshipfull THese late times have produced many great and sensible changes in many Time a great changeling both matters and persons I must acknowledge the power of time that mighty changeling over my minde also Some four yeers ago it was my wish and very passionate desire then publikely expressed to have had that favour of your honorable House as once to speak in their audience Ladens Autocat Praef. Notwithstanding the other day when in their Honours Name you did offer to me that singular courtesie how unwilling I was to entertain it my own heart doth know fully and you in a part can bear witnesse Verily my former desires to speak when I could not be heard were no greater then my present to keep silence when I was required to speak As I would have been very glad in so honourable an Audience to have said nothing so when your entreaty in sō great a Name had necessitated me to speak something I could have wished that what then was said might have past away without any farther notice But being it was your desire that what then was spoken should now go abroad esteeming it unfit to dispute any of your Commands in this also you shall have me obedient Be pleased therefore to receive what you required of me the Notes of that poor Sermon without any addition at all and without any change considerable It is well if it finde in the eyes of others when read that patience and respect which it had in your ears at the first hearing I know the matter it self is above any just contempt The scope of the Sermon for it is not mine but the Spirit of God's speaking to the Churches That of it which belongeth to me the managing of these divine Truths and their Application to the auditor I leave to the benigne construction of every Reader intreating his belief it was my sincere intention with so great simplicity and clearnesse as I was able To speak a word in season to every soul To let out from the fountains of Scripture the streams of consolation on the dry and parcht ground To send down from the Lamps of the Word the Rayes of divine Light for direction in these dark and misty days By the terrours of the Lord to perswade some To smite with the rod with the Sword of the Spirit the secure souls of our sleeping friends to awaken them and of our too watchfull enemies to pull them with fear but yet with all compassion out of the snare of Satan wherein now they lie captive at his will The Text led me by the hand to that most seasonable Consideration That in all quarrells about the building or rebuilding of a Church The chief parties in the present quarrell are Christ and the Devill the chief and principall parties are Christ and the Devill Men are but inferiour and subservient agents to these two Princes It is most certain That side which is for Truth for Piety for Justice must in the end triumph For it is utterly impossible that the Dragon and all his Angels though for a time and a long time they maintain the fight should ever prevail over Michael the Arch-Angel and his followers These extraordinary Commotions whereby not our Kingdom alone but the most of the neighbouring Nations are at this very hour so terribly shaken we trust they shall prove preparations for a glorious Work At the building of a Royall Palace where much rubbish is to be removed by many hands where timber stones and other materialls are to be brought together and set in the work by a multitude of divers Crafts-men no marvell if in that place for a time there be much noise and stirre much commotion and some confusion also Doubtlesse ere long The end of the present troubles must be happy the Scene of this world must be closed the Man of Sin must be beaten from the Stage which long he hath possessed The Rebellion must be removed from Jacob and the Iron sinew taken out of the neck of Israel The fulnesse of the Gentiles must be brought in with them that both may mourn after Christ their common Saviour The shaking of the Heavens and Earth are the Lords Prefaces and Prologues his antecedent Acts which must be followed with such joyfull Conclusions When we are most tossed with Tempests when we are most likely to be split upon the Rocks of desperate dangers then would we cast up within the Vail the holy Ankor of this hope the strong Cable of this confident expectation In the subsequent Discourse I glance at one Point which I wish were well weighed by all who truely minde the prosperity of the Work in hand The longsome Anatchy of this Church is lamentable Durst I have taken the boldnesse of prefacing to the whole House as indeed I was loath to presume it having already by the length of my Sermon taken from them so much of their precious time it would have been all or at least my main purpose to have proposed to their Honours and pressed that one Consideration which now forsooth is become so triviall and common in the mouth of every one that it seemeth to be rare in the heart and reall sense of many I mean these extraordinary and unexpected delays of setting up the Government of God in his House The ordering of the State and Kingdom The first care of the
State ought to be the setling of the Church how necessary soever ought not to precede the setling of the Church In this the interest of God in that the interest of man is chiefest If any could be so impious as to avow their postponing of God to the world yet they would do well to be so wise as not to marre their own ends by the mis-order of their proceedings Except the Lord build the house of a Kingdom the industry of the wisest men is for little purpose And how shall the Lord concurre with men in building their state when men are so carelesse of his Honour and Service as not to build his Church Nehemiah laid not a stone in the wall of the City untill Zerubbabel had set the Cap-stone on the wall of the Temple It cannot without injury be denyed that the endeavours of this noble Senate for the House of God have been greater then any Parliaments we ever read of in this Land That notwithstanding their excessive Labours the Work is not yet neer an end it must be imputed to all others rather then to them That most Reverend Learned and Pious Assembly of Divines on whose shoulders the task of Religion is principally devolved cannot in any Justice be charged with neglect of dutie herein They have so many and so notable witnesses of their daily indefatigable Labours that no honest mouth will be bold to fasten the least slander of this fault upon them How then cometh it to passe that the Wheels of the Lords Chariot should move with so slow a pace This is it which all the godly farre and neer do vehemently desire to be taken in the most serious thoughts of every Religious Member of either House It passeth I confesse mine and every common understanding to hit upon the true and full Cause and the solid remedy of this great Evill whereof the world doth see and proclaim the sad and sensible effects By this wearisome procrastination to erect the Discipline of God The bitter fruits of that Anarchy that so the Laws of the Gospel might be really execute it cometh to passe that millions of men and women live as they list in Blasphemy and Drunkennesse Chambering and Wantonnesse Strife and Envy Ignorance and Impietie without the controll of any spirituall correction Beside these open vices which like a flood without the opposition of any Bulwarke carry down to hell such a multitude of souls there is another more subtill device of Satan whereby daily many thousands are destroyed Heresies and Schismes under the colour of Truth and more then ordinary devotion eat like a Gangreen and Canker run like a Pest from City to City to the over-spreading of the whole Land without all possibilitie of remedy so long as Christs Discipline is holden out at doors How can it be but the losse of so many thousands so many millions of poor souls which prophanenesse and errour daily doth destroy should not cry to Heaven for judgement against them be who they will who for what respect soever are retarders or but faint promovers of the Lords Ordinance the onely spirituall the onely proper remedy of all these heavy evils There be some who care for none of these things the losse of souls the flourishing of Satans Kingdom the defiling of Christs Crown in the dust toucheth not so much as the utmost skin of their carnall heart Let such worldlings bewar they feel not sooner then they expect the civill inconvenience which to them alone is considerable of that matter whereof we speak For what I pray should hinder numbers of our people rooted in prophanenesse upon occasion if they were tempted to desert the Cause of Religion and side with the enemy for our ruine Can constancy be certainly expected where piety its onely bottome cannot be found Also what disturbance may be wrought in the state by the multitudes of Hereticall and Schismaticall people habituated by long custome in their wayes of errour It is no difficult matter for wise men to prognosticate who either from story or experience are acquaint with the ordinary course of humane affairs These and many other the like lamentable fruits of the too too long Anarchy of this Church are a matter of daily discourse to many but of great sadnesse and heavynesse of heart to the children of God A remedy of them none doth expect out of Heaven from any but the wisedom and zeal of this high Court To these who have no experience of the many strong invisible Impediments Too long consultation is very dangerous whereby the motion of all publike good Works use to be retarded it seemeth a prodigie that the reparation of this Church should stick so long in the way especially when they consider that no Protestant Church to this day did ever stay the half of the time in purging the whole Body of Religion in Doctrine Worship Discipline and all as this Land hath already spent on some few points of Discipline alone It seemeth they were incompassed with as many and great difficulties in their action as we are in ours Consider when we will Germany or France Scotland or Holland we shall finde the hands of their Reformers were fewer and weaker for all worldly strength and their opposers whether ye speak of Princes or Clergy or Nobles or People were more and more potent then ours this day However we have little reason to pretend difficulties from any of these quarters by the mercy of God these two by-gone yeers neither Prince nor Papist nor Prelate nor any open Malignant have been able in the least degree to stop the wished Reformation Such an imputation during the named time cannot be charged upon any of them what ever may be said of their will yet the good hand of our God hath circumscribed their power within so narrow a line that for any resistance of theirs it was fully in our hands to have set up what ever Church-policie we had found meetest in the most and best parts of the Kingdom I do verily think if any Church in the World had taken our present course they should have found it exceeding hard ever to have attained to their wished end If England either in Edward or Elizabeths dayes If Scotland either in their first or second Reformation had suspended over all their Kingdoms the exercise of any Reformation till every puntillo thereof had been Scholastically debated in the face of an Assembly till every Dissenter over and over had made to the full against every part of every Proposition all the contradiction his wit his learning his eloquence was able to furnish him It seemeth apparent that these tedious delays had casten them so open and given such pregnant advantages to the enterprizes of their active adversaries as easily they had been surprized and all their designes crushed before they had ended half their consultations or so much as begun their practise And who knoweth what all this prodigall expence and spinning out of precious
that have drawne them from the hand of God are more lamentable yet the greatest cause both of lamentation and seare is that great impenitency and contempt of repentance which appeares in the most of men Though the Idolatries the Adulteries the Bloodshed the Rapines the Ignorance of God the profane contempt of the Gospel and many other crying crimes of this Land be evident to the eye of all though the great wrath of God be revealed from heaven in his most heavie judgments upon the midst and all the corners of this poore countrey yet too few doe strike upon their thigh Ier. 31.19 to be grieved for what they have done not to speak of the madnesse of our enemies whose heart is plagued with induration their Court their Clergy their mis-led people running on in their wonted wayes as the horse to the battell If we will look upon our selves we shall find that hardnesse of heart that carnall and stupid security doth lye upon the spirits of too many It were very good for the people of God to set before their minds the causes of that heavie wrath which long has lyen upon these Dominions especially to search out the grounds of provocation which most neerly concerne themselves to make a diligent enquiry of those sinnes which have bin committed within their doors with the Lamp of the Word and the greater light of the Spirit to goe through all the corners of thy owne conscience and what ever causes of wrath thou findest there to lay them all out in an humble Confession earnestly supplicating for mercy in Christs blood for amendment by the power of the sanctifying Spirit deprecating wrath and these fearfull effects of it which this day are visible upon the estates upon the bodies upon the soules of many thousands of people This duty also would be performed with constancy and perseverance And with constancy thou must stand in this posture of Prayer till that cloud be pierced and dissolved wherein God long has wrapped himself Lam. 3.44 Lam. 3.49 Nebem 7.3 5. Psal 14.7 Lam. 2.18 19. that our Prayers should not passe through it thine eye must trickle downe and not cease without intermission untill the Lord look down and behold from heaven The mourning and separation of the fifth and seventh moneth must continue all the yeares of Sions captivity when the Lord brings it back then and not before can Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad when the Lord shall be good to Sion and build up the walls of Ierusalem then may we sit down under our Vine and Figge-tree to eat of the fat and drink of the sweet But till then teares should run down like a river day and night we should give our selves no rest the apple of our eye should not cease we should arise and cry out in the night in the beginning of the Watches our hearts should be powred out like water before the face of the Lord and our hands lifted up to him for the life of our children our Husbands our Fathers our Brethren our most beloved Friends who all very quickly may be in hazard if the hand of the Lord be stretched out still Every one would be carefull conscientiously to use this means for hereby the meanest may be profitable to the distressed and languishing publike The reason hereof When Monies are wanting none are able to supply but the Rich when Errors and Schisms are to be beaten in pieces by the hammer of the truth of God none can be serviceable but the Learned when State divisions are to be cured none can help but the Wise when Battels are to be fought none can appeare to purpose but the couragious and strong But for the duty in hand which makes more for the curing of our present evills then all that either Wealth or Wit or Learning or Strength is able by it I say these may do notable service who have a very small or no portion in any visible gift even poor simple unlearned weake women if they have the spirit of prayer and will set themselves to wrestle with God they may help to remove the obstructions and further the cure of the publike miseries when all the wealth wit learning force of the kingdom cannot promove the breadth of an inch our wished ends every one must try and examine his own practise of this most needfull duty to be grieved or comforted according to their performance and care herein A Second doctrine from the former ground in all our approaches to God we must stand before the Angel A second doctrine In all our prayers we would imploy Christ Isai 22.22 Christ the Angel of the covenant must be interposed betwixt God and the soul for he is the onely way none can come to the Father but by him the keyes of the house of David are laid on his shoulder he is the only door by a wrong door or a right door if fast locked there is no entrance through him we have both an accesse to the Father Ephes 2.18 We have boldnes to enter into the Holiest by the blood of Jesus by a new and living way Heb. 10.20 The reason of this is first the wisdom and goodnes of our God The first reason who when man by the fall was banished from his presence and could have no more immediate fellowship with him hath appointed a mid-man for reconciliation to stand betwixt him man that the friendship which could not immediatly be kept might be renewed continued by such a mediation 1 Tim. 2.4 I here is one God and one mediator betwixt God and man the man Christ Iesus Heb. 8.6 He is the mediator of a better Covenant which was established upon better promises However we have promises that God wil be our God and will receive us as his people that he will remember our sins no more that he will give us an eternall inheritance yet in him only it is that we have any right to any of these promises for he only is the mediator of that Covenant Heb. 9.15 A second reason The second when we come alone to our God we cannot be welcome we are so defiled with the guilt of by-gone sinnes while we live sinne lives in us and betwixt the holy pure eyes of God and our sinfulnesse there is so great a contrarietie that if these two should meet without some interposition the justice of God would be a consuming fire to us When ever therfore we are bold to draw neer to him it is necessary to have this Angel standing betwixt us to cover our sinnes to divert wrath by the sacrifice of his soul for sinne to purchase friendship by the sprinkling of his blood to extinguish the flames of wrath A third reason The third who ever will stand before God who is to speak to that Majesty who is to walk or have any fellowship with him must in some measure be like him Heb. 12.14 holy as he is holy for without
Pastors of Gods House when they stand too high in worldly pomp above the people their light in so great a distance vanisheth and scarce is visible to men so far below them Yet it would be carefully considered That the Lights of the House of God be not too much brought down and set too low to put them under a bushell to set them under the feet of the family were to mar their shineing and hinder the communication of their light Above all great care would be used that when the superfluity of Oil which did choke and extinguish rather then maintain the light of some Lamps shall be diverted unto better employment neverthelesse that no Candle of God in any part of this Land be permitted to languish much lesse to die for want of so much Oil as is requisite for a convenient subsistence But a word to wise men and half a word of this kinde to men so religious and zealous for the House of God is enough So much for the Impediments which Satan made to the reparation of Sion Now follows their Removall in the which are three things i. A Preface The Lord said unto Satan 2. A Paraphrase on the second verse The Mean whereby these Impediments were removed and that Opposition quasht Christs cursing of Satan or his prayer to the Father to rebuke and represse him 3. Two Reasons of this Rebuke 1. Jerusalems election then her great sufferings For shortnesse we shall onely give a brief Paraphrase of all the words together without long exposition And for Doctrine we shall touch but on some few Observations which for Use we shall remit to your own meditation As for the Preface The Lord said unto Satan How Spirits can speak Angels and devils communicate with God and one with another not by speeches for Language requires bodily instruments which these Spirits want but as they apprehend every object without senses so they expresse what they have apprehended without Language in a way above our humane nature which we do not understand However in this place and elsewhere oft where by way of Vision the communication of one Spirit with another is represented for our apprehension all is set done in speeches as the ordinary way wherein men communicate their thoughts one to another The Lord said unto Satan Christ the Lord. He who before was called an Angel is here named the Lord even Christ as we shewed before the Lord and Creator of all the Heir even as he is man of all for there is one God and one Lord the man Jesus 1 Cor. 8.6 to whom the Father hath given a Name above all names and hath set all things under his feet Principalities and Powers themselves to be his servants and he their Lord and God The matter of his speech is an Invocation of the Father to reprove Satan The Lord speaketh to the Lord The Lord speaketh to the Lord. Psal 110 1. the Son to the Father so the words of the Psalm are to be taken The Lord said unto my Lord Sit thou at my right hand And that of Genesis Gen. 19 24. The Lord rained down fire upon Sodom from the Lord. The Son leadeth to the Father as to the fountain of the Godhead and all divine Operations which importeth no diversity of Essence Substance or Matter in the Trinity but onely a distinction of Persons and an heavenly Order in these Persons as in Being so in Operation The Father being the first The Son the second The Spirit the third but all equally infinite in Glory Power Eternity and all divine Attributes in these there is no inequality no posteriority among them This now is to be believed from divers Scriptures but not to be thorowly understood till afterwards when we shall see God as we are seen of him The rebuking of Satan imports not onely a bitter and sharp reproof of his malice What is the rebuking of Satan to his confusion and shame but also a restraint and cohibition of his power by the mercifull and strong hand of the Father This is repeated because of Christ his zeal to Jerusalems welfare and his detestation of Satans wicked designes against her The first Reason of that Reproof is The Lords chusing of Jerusalem to be the place of his Worship The first Reason of the Rebuke and Habitation of his Church Satan had the rest of the earth for his service but not content herewith that one place which the Lords Election had reserved for his own little Flock the malice of that unreasonable spirit would not leave to God The other reason The second Reason That same one place that one poor people which God had chosen out of all the families of the earth to be his peculiar Treasure had been cast in the fiery furnace of heavie tribulation and was but lately drawn out of the fire that mercilesse spirit the devill nothing satisfied with all the miseries of Jerusalem went about to procure her utter destruction and burning down to ashes that so on the whole earth there should have been left none at all to serve the Lord But Christ remembring his Election and having compassion upon their former sufferings defendeth their Cause poureth shame on the malice of Satan restraineth his power chaseth him away that he may no longer retard the welfare of his people From the Preface The first Observation Christ his wonderful patience towards the very devill observe the great patience and long-suffering of Christ he holdeh his peace long and when he speaketh at last to Satan it is but to rebuke him This evil spirit had seduced and destroyed the souls well-neer of the whole world he standeth here before the Lord for to swallow up the small remnant Did not such horrible wickednesse require a present destruction from the Lords hand and not a reproof onely from his mouth Consider well the Lord his way of proceeding with all the wicked both men and devils There is a time appointed for their full destruction and till that day come the Lord holdeth his peace or if he break out in words or deeds against them it is but in a small degree of wrath in comparison of what is following Satan is reserved in chains till the last day where he is to be bound and cast in the lake One of these spirits could say unto Christ Matth. 8.29 Art thou come to torment us before the time When the wicked are most proud and insolent God laugheth at them for he secth their day is coming the day of their vengeance the yeer of recompences the morning the hour of their calamity All of us would consider the state of our soul the abominations which conscience telleth us we are guilty of think them not forgotten with God though he keep silence and permit us to go on in the ways of our own heart without trouble or if he reprove it is but by his Word Now and then in the publike Ministery
chopping upon the slippery and half dead heart You see in this place he dealeth no otherwise with the very devil but be perswaded there is a time coming for a more severe reckoning The seventh of Ezekiel is often to be read by a secure people the sixth verse An end is come the end is come it watcheth for thee behold it is come the morning is come upn thee the time is come the day of trouble is neer and not the sounding of the mountains In that one verse the coming of the day of vengeance is five or six times proclaimed Happy are these who make use of the day of their mercifull Visitation The Lord hath been wonderfully good to us the War hath taken away the estates of many thousands the Sword hath bereaved many of their lives we are yet safe but can we tell how long manage well this happy day of grace humble your soul before the Lord make peace with him without further delay mourn for your known faults set your selves to amend the evil of your doings that you may be spared in the fearfull day of the Lords wrath when the sword of the field the famine and pestilence of the City may make havock of people without number Blessed are they who after so many warnings from the mouth of God in his Word from the hand of God in his Works have learned at last to be wise for their own great good Upon the Reproof The second Observation Christs rebuking of the devill will bring us to a victory over all our enemies observe first The onely way to remove all impediments and oppositions to the reparation of a Church and State is Christ his intercession with the Father against the devill That which hindered Jeshua and Zerubbabel to build the Temple to fortifie Jerusalem was that active spirit which moved and stirred up all the malignant instruments that appeared against them The Jews till this time were never able to overcome their enemies but behold so soon as Christ taketh the work in hand so soon as he rebuketh and restraineth Satan the principall enemy incontinent all the inferiour instruments on earth all these malignant men and women did fail and succumb they were no more able to trouble Gods people in their work This is the ground of our hope and comfort The opposers of the Reformation of our Church in the midst of so huge difficulties as this day on all sides beset us how shall our Sion be gotten builded when we look to the opposers their strength is exceeding great a mighty faction of declared Papists a great number of Episcopall Clergie and people openly joyning with Papists against us and both avowedly supported by Soveraign Authority Also a multitude of Sects Anabaptists Antinomians Separatists and others pushed on by a deluded conscience to oppose with all their skill with all their might all solid Reformation beside all the former a great number in all ranks and estates profane and loose persons exceeding unwilling to behold the setling of any Order which may controll them with any power in their wonted licentiousnesse Concerning the walls of Jerusalem The opposers of the Reformation of our State the establishing of Justice and Peace in the Civill State with what insuperable difficulties this work is compassed wofull experience doth teach A mighty faction of lawlesse men who have drawn away partly by perswasion and partly by force a great part of the people the greatest part of the Nobles and Soveraign Authority it self this faction of it self very potent is also supported with the help that forraign friends are able to afford and which is more then all yet named and more terrible then all flesh and blood we have to do with Principalities and Powers who act and guide with all the craft and force they are able our humane adversaries And which is yet the greatest strength of all the grievous sins of the Land which provoke the Lord God to be on the side of our enemies men and devils to strengthen their arm against us The sight of these mountains of Impediments would discourage the stoutest heart Our Comfort against both if above them all we did not see our mercifull high Priest intreating the Father for the remission of our sins for the rebuking of Satan with all vehemency the favour we know the Son hath with the Father will make him obtain all his desires Surely when these are obtained when the sins of the Land are remitted and Satan restrained all other impediments will soon be removed when the soul is separate from the body the members languish and cannor more stir when Christ hath confounded Satan men his instruments will quickly either be perswaded or forced to reason It is in vain to deal with men so long as a malignant spirit prevaileth over them The streams will run till the fountain be stopped Our first and main labour would be with Christ to restrain Satan for he is the life that vegetates he the spirit that stirres up all our opposites both in Church and State Observe againe how Christ in his debate with Satan A third observation Ioh. 8.50 Ioh. 10 30. 1 Ioh. 5.7 hath recourse to the Father that he would rebuke him The Sonne honoureth the Father he seeketh not his owne glory but the honour of the Father The Father and the Son are one for all these three that witnesse in Heaven the Father the Son and the Spirit are one true God Yet this is the order of the Divine Persons that the Father is the first the Sonne and the Spirit are both from him The Sonne from Eternity begotten of him The Spirit from Eternity proceeding from him and from the Sonne So long as the vaile of Flesh covereth the eyes of our Soule we must not enquire too curiously in this unsearchable Mystery 1 Kings 19.13 Elias wrapped his face in his Mantle when the Lord passed by him God will not be gazed upon he dischargeth it expresly under the pain of death Exod. 19.21 The malapart and Irreverent boldnesse of sundry Divines subjecting to the foul feet of their idle speculations the deepest and most unaccessible Mysteries of the holy Trinitie is justly plagued with evident and foolish errour Their eyes who will gaze on the Sun in the noon day cannot but be dazled and if that madnesse continue blindnes and excaecation inavoidable will follow Faith here if any where is the Mother of modestie The companion of simplicitie and reverence it setteth us limits at the foot of the Mountain in a farre distance Exod. 19.23 which we must not break through When we do behold with the most open face 1 Cor. 13.12 the Godhead we must be looking on our Glasse the eye must never wander from the Spectacles of the Word Onely what we see of God let it be holden fast against all contradiction Worship the Father the Son and the Spirit one true God three truely distinct Persons