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<DATE>2008-3-3</DATE>
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<NAME>Elspeth Healey</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P><HI>ZER&V;BBABELS</HI>
ENCOVRAGEMENT
TO
Fini&s;h the Temple.</P>
<P>A SERMON Preached before the
Honourable Hou&s;e of <HI>COMMONS,</HI> at their
late Solemne Fa&s;t, Apr. 27. 1642.</P>
<P>By THO. GOODWIN, B. D.</P>
<P><HI>Publi&s;hed by Order from that Hou&s;e.</HI></P>
<Q><BIBL>REVEL. 11. 4.</BIBL>
The&s;e are the two Olive Trees, and the two Candle&s;ticks &s;tanding
before the God of the earth, &amp;c.</Q>
<P><HI>LONDON,</HI>
Printed for R. DAWLMAN. 1642.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="dedication">
<PB REF="2">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>TO THE
HONORABLE HOVSE
OF
COMMONS,
A&s;&s;embled in
PARLIAMENT.</HEAD>
<P>_YOur Command giving me the opportuni|ty,
I took the boldne&s;&s;e to urge and en|courage
you to <HI>Church-Reformation,</HI>
(which is the maine &s;cope of this Sermon)
a &s;ubject which otherwi&s;e (and in all
other Auditories) I have beene &s;ilent in, and am no
whit &s;orry for it: For I account it the mo&s;t fit and hap|py
&s;ea&s;on to utter things of this nature unto <HI>Authority</HI>
it &s;elfe, (although the people likewi&s;e are to know their
duty.) My comfort is, that what I have &s;poken herein,
<HI>I have</HI> (for the generall) (and I have &s;poken but ge|neralls)
long <HI>beleeved,</HI> and <HI>have therefore &s;po|ken.</HI></P>
<P>You were plea&s;ed &s;o far to owne me, as to betru&s;t me
<PB REF="3">
with this <HI>Service,</HI> to be Gods mouth in publique
unto you; and al&s;o this Sermon of mine, as to com|mand
the publi&s;hing of it. Wherefore as in proprie|ty
it is now become <HI>yours,</HI> more then mine, or all the
worlds: So let it be in the <HI>u&s;e</HI> of it. If it &s;hall adde
the lea&s;t &s;trengthening to your re&s;olutions, to <HI>keepe
this purpo&s;e for ever in the thoughts of your
hearts,</HI> I have what I aimed at. Goe on, <HI>(worthy Fa|thers,
and Elders of this people)</HI> and pro&s;per in, yea
by this work; without which, nothing that you doe
will pro&s;per.&mdash;But the re&s;t I &s;hall &s;peak to God
for you. Let me be known to you by no other thing then
this, To be one, who&s;e greate&s;t de&s;ires, and con&s;tant
prayers are, and have been, and utmo&s;t endeavours (in
my &s;pheare) &s;hall be for the making up the divi&s;ions
of the Church in the&s;e di&s;tracted times <HI>with love of
Truth and Peace:</HI> And therein (to u&s;e <HI>Davids</HI>
words) am</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Wholly at your commandment,
Tho: Goodwin.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="sermon">
<PB N="1" REF="3">
<EPIGRAPH>
<BIBL>ZECH. 4. VER. 6, 7, 8, 9.</BIBL>
<Q><P><HI>Ver.</HI> 6. Then he an&s;wered and &s;pake unto me, &s;aying,
This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, &s;aying,
Not by might, nor by power, but by my &s;pirit, &s;aith
the Lord of ho&s;ts.</P>
<P>7. Who art thou, O great mountaine? before Zerubba|bel
thou &s;halt become a plaine, and he &s;hall bring forth
the head &s;tone thereof with &s;houtings, crying, Grace,
grace unto it.</P>
<P>8. Moreover, the word of the Lord came unto mee,
&s;aying,</P>
<P>9. The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of
this hou&s;e, his hands &s;hall al&s;o fini&s;h it; and thou &s;halt
know that the Lord of ho&s;ts hath &s;ent me unto you.</P></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>_THe&s;e words are part of the interpre|tation
of a &s;tately Vi&s;ion of a Can|dle&s;tick,
and two Olive trees &s;tan|ding
thereby, and pouring Oyle into
it, made to the Prophet <HI>Zechariah,</HI> in
the 2. and 3. ver&s;es; &amp; the &s;cope and matter both
of that <HI>Vi&s;ion,</HI> and of this <HI>Interpretation,</HI> is to en|courage
<HI>Zerubbabel</HI> their Prince, and with him the
Prie&s;ts and Elders of the Jewes, to fini&s;h the
building, and make compleat the ornaments of
<PB N="2" REF="4">
the Temple, whereof the foundation had many
yeeres before been laid, but was left imperfect,
and was left di&s;-furni&s;hed. And this his &s;cope is
plainly and without a Parable held forth in the
9. <HI>ver. The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the founda|tion
of this hou&s;e, his hands &s;hall al&s;o fini&s;h it.</HI> And in|deed,
to &s;tir him and them up unto this perfecting
Gods hou&s;e, unto which work they had been too
backward, (as appeares by <HI>Hag.</HI> 1, 2, 3, and 4.
ver&s;es, <HI>The people &s;ay, The time is not come that the
Lords hou&s;e &s;hould be built)</HI> was the principall end
why God &s;ent unto them no le&s;&s;e then two Pro|phets,
<HI>Haggai</HI> and <HI>Zachary,</HI> as two extraordinary
Amba&s;&s;adours from heaven, on purpo&s;e to put
them on upon it, (for the fini&s;hing of the Temple
is a bu&s;ine&s;&s;e of that moment as is worth two Pro|phets
at any time.) And this appeares not onely
by both their Prophecies, but al&s;o by the &s;tory,
<HI>Ezra 5. 1, 2. THEN the Prophet Haggai and Za|chariah
prophecyed unto the Jews that were in Ju|dah,
in the name of the God of I&s;rael.&mdash;[Then] ro&s;e
up Zerubbabel and Je&s;hua, and began to build the hou&s;e
of God which is at Jeru&s;alem, and with them were
the Prophets of God, helping them.</HI> That &s;ame parti|cle,
or circum&s;tance of time, <HI>[Then,)</HI> doth refer
us to the &s;tory of tho&s;e times, recorded in the
book of <HI>Ezra,</HI> as that which is nece&s;&s;ary for the
full under&s;tanding of their two prophecies; what
is recorded there, being the occa&s;ion of them; but
more e&s;pecially for the under&s;tanding of this
piece of our Prophet <HI>Zachary</HI> his Prophecie,
which I have read unto you, which wholly con|cernes
<PB N="3" REF="4">
the fini&s;hing of the Temple.</P>
<P>I mu&s;t nece&s;&s;arily therefore,<NOTE PLACE="marg">An Introducti|on to the Ex|po&s;ition of the words.</NOTE> as a preparative
Introduction to the expo&s;ition of the&s;e words, &s;et
you downe in, and give you a pro&s;pect of tho&s;e
times, and the occurrences thereof, which were
the occa&s;ion of the&s;e words here, <HI>[Who art thou O
great mountaine? &amp;c.]</HI> And if <HI>Zachary</HI> him&s;elfe, a
Prophet, and that lived in tho&s;e times, knew not at
the fir&s;t the meaning of the Vi&s;ion in this Chapter,
<HI>ver. 5. (Knowe&s;t thou what the&s;e be? And I &s;aid, No
my Lord)</HI> much le&s;&s;e &s;hall we be able to know the
interpretation thereof, and how fitted to this vi|&s;ion,
nor what this <HI>mountaine</HI> here is, &amp;c. without
being pre-po&s;&s;e&s;t of the knowledge of this &s;tory,
which in briefe is this:</P>
<P>The Babilonian Monarchy (Romes Type) had
trod downe the holy City, and laid wa&s;te the
Temple and wor&s;hip of God for &s;eventy yeares;
which being expired, the Jews had liberty and
authority from the fir&s;t Per&s;ian King, <HI>Cyrus,</HI> to
build the Temple, and re&s;tore Gods wor&s;hip,
according to their Law. This is the &s;umme of the
fir&s;t and &s;econd Chapters of <HI>Ezra.</HI> In the third
Chapter you have an Altar &s;et up, Sacrifices re|newed,
Fea&s;ts kept, and the foundation of the
Temple laid, (which was as true a Type of
that great Reformation from under Popery.) But
after this work had been begun, and fairely car|ryed
on in all the Fundamentals of it, there &s;tar|ted
up a company of Samaritans, that were ad|ver&s;aries
to the Jewes, (as we read, <HI>Chap.</HI> 4.) Sa|maritans
they were, as appears by <HI>ver. 10. They
<PB N="4" REF="5">
were the Nations &s;eated in the City of Samaria, brought
thither, ver.</HI> 2. in the roome of the ten Tribes. A
generation of men, who were not heathens in
their profe&s;&s;ion, for they profe&s;&s;ed the &s;ame Re|ligion
with the Jewes. So they alledge for, and
arrogate to them&s;elves in the afore-&s;aid ver&s;e,
<HI>[We &s;eeke your God as you doe, and we &s;acrifice unto
him,</HI> and have done &s;o long, <HI>from the dayes of E&s;ar
Haddon, who brought us up hither:]</HI> And yet they
were not true Jews neither, nor perfectly of the
&s;ame Religion, but of a mungrell and mixt kind
betweene the Religion of the Heathen and of the
Jews, intermingling Heatheni&s;h Idolatries with
Jewi&s;h wor&s;hip. So 2 <HI>Kings 17. ver.</HI> 33. and 41.
compared, it is &s;aid, <HI>The&s;e Nations feared the Lord,
and &s;erved their graven Images after the manner of
the Nations.</HI> Yea, they expected the &s;ame Me&s;|&s;iah
that the Jews did; <HI>I know that the Me&s;siah com|meth,
who is called Chri&s;t,</HI> (&s;aith the woman of
Samaria) <HI>and he will tell us all things, John</HI> 4. 25.
Now the&s;e Samaritans were <HI>Adver&s;aries</HI> to the
Jews, (as they are called, <HI>ver.</HI> 1.) and &s;o unto
their Temple, and the fini&s;hing of it: And yet at
fir&s;t they were but <HI>under-hand adver&s;aries,</HI> for they
friendly offer to build with them, <HI>[Let us build
with you, ver.</HI> 2.] but &s;o as with an intent to have
defiled and &s;poiled the work. <HI>Zerubbabel</HI> and tho&s;e
other <HI>builders refu&s;ing</HI> them, they grew thereupon
enraged, and openly profe&s;&s;ed their oppo&s;ition;
both <HI>weakning</HI> and di&s;couraging <HI>the hands of the
people:</HI> and al&s;o when they could not altogether
hinder it, then they <HI>troubled them</HI> (all they could)
<PB N="5" REF="5">
<HI>in building,</HI> thus <HI>ver.</HI> 4. And they cea&s;ed not here,
but further, they incen&s;ed, and made the Court
again&s;t them, (they growing potent there) both
by <HI>hiring coun&s;ellours again&s;t them, ver.</HI> 5. and al&s;o
by in&s;inuating to tho&s;e mighty Per&s;ian Kings,
&s;uch &s;ugge&s;tions as they knew would take with
Monarchs, mi&s;-repre&s;enting the&s;e Jews unto
them, as of a rebellious &s;pirit, oppo&s;ite to Kings
and Monarchie; calling Jeru&s;alem <HI>that rebellious
and bad City,</HI> &s;o <HI>ver. 12. hurtfull unto Kings and Pro|vinces,</HI>
and that had of old time <HI>moved &s;edition,</HI> &s;o
<HI>ver.</HI> 15. (for even thus old is this &s;candall) and
that therefore the&s;e Jews mu&s;t be kept under:
For <HI>if this City be builded, and the walls &s;et up,</HI> &amp; they
once but get &s;trength, <HI>then they will not pay toll, tri|bute,
and cu&s;tome,</HI> but withdraw their allegeance, &s;o
<HI>ver.</HI> 13. But on the contrary, for them&s;elves, they
profe&s;&s;e that they are their faithfull <HI>&s;ervants, v.</HI> 11.
and that which made them &s;peak, was onely a
tenderne&s;&s;e of the Kings honour; &s;o <HI>ver. 14. Now
becau&s;e we have maintenance from the Kings palace,</HI>
(had their dependance wholly upon them) <HI>and
it was not meet for us to &s;ee the Kings di&s;honour; there|fore
have we certified the King.</HI> And by the&s;e their
flatteries and mi&s;-repre&s;entations they rai&s;ed up
&s;o great a <HI>mountain</HI> of oppo&s;ition, (as it is here cal|led)
that they <HI>fru&s;trated</HI> the Jews good <HI>purpo&s;e</HI> of
perfecting the building, (as the words are, <HI>ver.</HI> 5.)
And though they could not prevaile &s;o farre as to
throw downe the foundation laid; yet <HI>they made
them to cea&s;e</HI> building any further <HI>by force and power,</HI>
&s;o <HI>ver.</HI> 23. And thus the work did <HI>cea&s;e,</HI> during <HI>all
<PB N="6" REF="6">
the dayes of Cyrus,</HI> and the raigne of one or two
Kings more, even <HI>untill the &s;econd yeare of Darius,
ver.</HI> 5. and 24. and <HI>THEN</HI> it was that the&s;e <HI>Pro|phets,
Haggai</HI> and <HI>Zechariah, did prophecie</HI> unto the
Jews, as it follows in the very next words,
<HI>Chap.</HI> 5. 1, 2. then when they had thus been over|topt
by &s;o potent a faction for many years, and
with oppo&s;ition wearied out, then it was that
God &s;tirred up our <HI>Zachary</HI> to put &s;pirits into
them to revive the work again, and among other
vi&s;ions gave him this, (which is in this 4. <HI>Chapter)</HI>
of all the mo&s;t eminent, to &s;trengthen them there|unto.
And &s;o I have brought you to <HI>Zachary</HI> a|gaine,
and unto the words of my Text; And now
you &s;hall &s;ee how nece&s;&s;ary this &s;tory was to inter|pret
this his Prophecie, for which &s;imply I have
related it.</P>
<P>The words are (as was &s;aid) the <HI>interpretation</HI>
of a <HI>Vi&s;ion;</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">The Expo&s;ition of the words, and Vi&s;ion.</NOTE> take in both: Let us therefore fir&s;t view the <HI>Vi&s;i|on,</HI>
and &s;econdly, this the Angels <HI>Interpretation</HI> of
it, which are the two parts into which this whole
Chapter is re&s;olved.</P>
<P>The <HI>Vi&s;ion</HI> is made up of two things:<NOTE PLACE="marg">In the Vi&s;ion, two parts.</NOTE></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, a <HI>glorious Candle&s;tick all of gold,</HI> with a
<HI>bowle</HI> or ce&s;terne upon the top of it, and with
&s;eveu &s;hafts, with &s;even lamps at the ends there|of,
all lighted.</P>
<P>And &s;econdly, that the&s;e <HI>Lamps</HI> might have a
perpetuall &s;upply of <HI>Oyle,</HI> without any acce&s;&s;ary
way of humane help, there are pre&s;ented (as
<PB N="7" REF="6">
growing by the Candle&s;tick) <HI>two</HI> fre&s;h and green
<HI>Olive trees on each &s;ide thereof, ver.</HI> 3. which doe
<HI>[empty out of them&s;elves] golden oyle, ver.</HI> 12. that
is, did naturally drop and di&s;till it into that bowl,
and the two pipes thereof, to feed the lamps con|tinually.
A Vi&s;ion &s;o cleare and full of light to
&s;et forth the work then to be done by the Jews,
that the Angel wonders, that at the fir&s;t &s;ight the
Prophet &s;hould not under&s;tand it.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. The Can|dle&s;ticks, what.</NOTE> this <HI>Candle&s;tick</HI> thus <HI>lighted,</HI> betokened the
full perfecting and fini&s;hing the Temple, and re|&s;toring
the wor&s;hip of God within it, unto its
full <HI>perfection of beauty</HI> and brightne&s;&s;e, (as the
P&s;almi&s;t &s;peaks.) And &s;o the Angel interprets
it, <HI>This is the word of the Lord, ver.</HI> 6. that is, this
Hieroglyphique contains this word and mind of
God in it, that maugre all oppo&s;ition, <HI>Zerubbabel</HI>
&s;hould <HI>bring forth the head</HI> or <HI>top &s;tone</HI> that &s;hould
fini&s;h the Temple, &s;o <HI>ver.</HI> 7. and 9.</P>
<P>Secondly,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Two Olive trees, who.</NOTE> the <HI>two Olive trees</HI> betokened two
eminent rankes and &s;orts of per&s;ons that &s;hould
give their a&s;&s;i&s;tance to this work:</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, <HI>Zerubbabel</HI> their Prince, and the <HI>Elders</HI> of
the people with him.</P>
<P>Secondly, <HI>Je&s;hua</HI> the High-Prie&s;t, and the other
<HI>Prie&s;ts</HI> with him. And of both the&s;e the Rabby
Doctours have long agoe expounded it.</P>
<P>And accordingly, both in the &s;tory <HI>Ezra</HI> 5. 2.
and in the&s;e two Prophets, we &s;till find mention
both of <HI>Zerubbabel</HI> and <HI>Je&s;hua,</HI> as the Builders of
this hou&s;e: Yet &s;o, as <HI>collectiv&egrave;</HI> under <HI>Zerubbabel,</HI>
the Elders, and under <HI>Je&s;hua,</HI> the other Prie&s;ts are
<PB N="8" REF="7">
to be under&s;tood as included and intended. And
therefore in the 3. <HI>Chap.</HI> of this Prophecie, <HI>ver.</HI> 8.
when <HI>Je&s;hua</HI> is &s;poken to, the other Prie&s;ts his
fellowes are &s;poken to together with him, <HI>Heare
O Je&s;hua, thou and [thy fellowes] that &s;it before thee:</HI>
And in like manner when <HI>Zerubbabel</HI> is here &s;po|ken
to in the Text, to build the Temple, <HI>the El|ders
his fellowes</HI> are intended in him: And accor|dingly
<HI>Ezra</HI> 6. 14. it is &s;aid, that <HI>The Elders of the
Jewes builded and fini&s;hed the Temple.</HI> And &s;o the&s;e
taken together, are the <HI>two Olive trees.</HI></P>
<P>Now concerning the fir&s;t part of this Vi&s;ion,<NOTE PLACE="marg">How fitly the Candle&s;tick lighted, &s;igni|fied the per|fecting the Temple.</NOTE>
namely, the <HI>Candle&s;tick,</HI> with all its Lamps ligh|ted,
you may aske how this &s;hould come to be a
fit Hieroglyphique to betoken this work of fi|ni&s;hing
and perfecting the Temple? I an&s;wer,
thus: The <HI>Candle&s;tick</HI> was one of the chiefe Uten|&s;ils
and Ornaments of the Temple, and therefore
is &s;till fir&s;t mentioned, as in <HI>Exod.</HI> 25. 31. and in
the 9. to the <HI>Heb. ver.</HI> 2. where all the &s;acred hou|&s;hold
&s;tuffe of the Inner Temple are &s;pecified, the
<HI>Candle&s;tick</HI> as being chiefe is ranked fir&s;t, <HI>[where|in
was the Candle&s;tick, and the Table, and the Shew|bread;]</HI>
and therefore is here mo&s;t aptly put for
the bringing in all the re&s;t into the Temple; and
of all tho&s;e other be&s;t and aptlie&s;t &s;erved to re|pre&s;ent
the fini&s;hing thereof: for whil&s;t the Tem|ple
remained uncovered with a roofe, there was
no bringing in the Candle&s;tick, as lighted; and
till then there needed no light to be brought in|to
it, it being <HI>&s;ub dio,</HI> under open ayre: But
when the Hou&s;e it &s;elfe &s;hould once be reared, ac|cording
<PB N="9" REF="7">
to the patterne, without the Candle|&s;tick
and its light, it would have beene full of
darkne&s;&s;e, (as &s;ome affirme, which I will not
now di&s;pute:) For however, the bringing in the
Candle&s;tick argued not onely the compleatne&s;&s;e
of the edifice, and building it &s;elfe, but al&s;o by a
Synecdoche, the introducing all &s;orts of ordinan|ces
that were appointed for the adorning of it.
An <HI>Altar</HI> would not &s;o evidently or nece&s;&s;arily
have &s;uppo&s;ed the Temple perfected; for <HI>Ezra</HI> 3.
3. an Altar was &s;et up, <HI>when yet not &s;o much as the
foundation of the Temple was laid, ver.</HI> 6. But a <HI>Can|dle&s;tick,</HI>
and that lighted too, &s;uppo&s;es the hou&s;e
built and compleatly furni&s;hed. And therefore
under the Go&s;pel their whole Church &s;tate, and
that as in the Primitive times, under their full
perfection, is &s;et forth by <HI>&s;even golden candle&s;ticks,</HI>
&s;o <HI>Revel.</HI> 1. 13. which <HI>ver. ult.</HI> are interpreted to
be the &s;even Churches of A&s;ia. The difference is,
that here is but <HI>one</HI> candle&s;tick, becau&s;e the
Church of the Jews was nationall, and but one;
but there are <HI>&s;even,</HI> for the Churches under the
Go&s;pel are many.</P>
<P>And for that other part of the Vi&s;ion,<NOTE PLACE="marg">How fitly the Elders and the Prie&s;ts are re|&s;embled by two Olive trees.</NOTE> the re|pre&s;enting
<HI>Zerubbabel</HI> and <HI>Je&s;hua</HI> by <HI>two Olive trees,</HI>
and tho&s;e planted in Gods Court, &s;o neere the
Candle&s;tick, is no new or &s;trange thing: For
<HI>David</HI> being the Ruler of the Jews, and a nur&s;ing
Father to the Church, compares him&s;elfe to a
<HI>greene Olive tree in the hou&s;e of God, P&s;al.</HI> 52. 8. and
the pillars of the doores of the Temple, and the
Cherubims therein being made of that wood.
<PB N="10" REF="8">
The allu&s;ion is le&s;&s;e remote. And the&s;e emptyed
<HI>golden oyle,</HI> that is, their e&s;tates and paines for the
fini&s;hing this co&s;tly work; and likewi&s;e becau&s;e it
was done in &s;incerity of heart, therefore it is called
<HI>golden,</HI> or <HI>pure</HI> oyle. And further, &s;eeing it was
made the duty of every Jew <HI>to bring pure oyle olive
beaten, to cau&s;e the lamps to burn continually,</HI> as <HI>Lev.</HI>
24. 2. hence therefore to compare the eminent
per&s;ons, the Magi&s;trates and Prie&s;ts of that
Church, to Olive trees them&s;elves, that for the
fir&s;t lighting of the candle&s;tick did naturally
afford it, was every way mo&s;t elegant. And they
are called <HI>&s;ons of oyle, ver.</HI> 14. as being fruitfull,
and affording plenty of it. Thus <HI>E&s;ay</HI> 5. 1. a
<HI>fruitfull hill,</HI> and a fertile &s;oile, is in the Originall
(as here) called <HI>A &s;on of oyle.</HI> And thus much for
the <HI>Vi&s;ion.</HI></P>
<P>Now for the <HI>interpretation</HI> of it in the words of
the Text;<NOTE PLACE="marg">In <HI>the interpre|tation</HI> of the Vi&s;ion, three things.</NOTE> as it explaines the mind of the Vi&s;ion,
&s;o it addes all encouragements unto them, to
<MILESTONE N="1"> &s;et upon this work: Fir&s;t, by a&s;&s;uring them that
<HI>that mountaine</HI> of oppo&s;ition (which you heard in
the &s;tory was rai&s;ed up again&s;t it) &s;hould be <HI>made
a plaine</HI> before them: namely, that <HI>Samaritan fa|ction</HI>
which was backt by many of the <HI>people of the
land,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">The Samari|tans oppo&s;iti|on, why called a Mountain.</NOTE> <HI>Ezra</HI> 4. 4. A <HI>Mountaine</HI> is a &s;imilitude frequent
in Scripture, to note out high and potent oppo&s;iti|on,
lying in the way of Gods proceedings. <HI>Prepare
ye the way of the Lord; every mountaine &s;hall be brought
low, Luke</HI> 3. 5. And &s;o the Poets doe expre&s;&s;e their
fained war of the Giants again&s;t the Gods, by
<PB N="11" REF="8">
heaping up mountaine upon mountaine.</P>
<P>And &s;econdly, whereas their doubting hearts <MILESTONE N="2">
might aske, How this was po&s;&s;ible, it being
&s;o great, and &s;o rooted a mountaine, with
&s;uch foundations; where are the &s;pades, the
meanes that &s;hould remove it? The Angel an|&s;wers,
<HI>Not by might,</HI> (or, as in the Originall, <HI>an
Army</HI> or <HI>multitude) nor by power,</HI> (of authority) that
was in any humane fore-&s;ight as yet like to coun|tenance
it) <HI>but by my Spirit;</HI> and he that <HI>&s;ayes</HI> it, is
<HI>the Lord of Hoa&s;ts.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">What by Spi|rit.</NOTE> By his <HI>Spirit,</HI> meaning both the
holy Gho&s;t, enclining and &s;trengthening their
hearts, yea turning tho&s;e of their oppo&s;ites there|unto:
And by <HI>Spirit</HI> al&s;o meaning many concur|rent
acts of Providence, which &s;hould fall in to
the effecting of it: For there is &s;aid to be a <HI>&s;pirit
of life in the wheeles</HI> of Providence, which moves
them, <HI>Ezek.</HI> 1. 20. Not but that God did u&s;e the
power and authority of the Per&s;ian Monarchy;
for <HI>Ezra 6. 8. Darius</HI> rever&s;t the former Decree,
and made a new one for the building of the
hou&s;e. But becau&s;e that God by his Spirit and
owne immediate hand brought about the power
of that State to countenance it: Therefore it is
&s;aid to be <HI>not by power,</HI> but <HI>by the Spirit;</HI> and for
this he u&s;ed not an <HI>Armie,</HI> as it is in the margent;
there was no &s;word drawne, the &s;tate &s;tood as it
did, but <HI>[by my Sprit] &s;ayes the Lord of Ho&s;ts;</HI> that
&s;o it might appeare, that although <HI>Zerubbabels</HI>
hand was in it, yet that God would bring it &s;o
to pa&s;&s;e, that nothing &s;hould be a&s;cribed to them,
but the glory of all unto God him&s;elfe.</P>
<P><PB N="12" REF="9">
<MILESTONE N="3"> Which is the third thing in this &s;peech of the
Angel here; that when the hou&s;e &s;hould be fi|ni&s;hed,
&s;ignified by <HI>Zerubbabels</HI> bringing forth the
<HI>head &s;tone</HI> thereof, (as Ma&s;ter builders u&s;e to doe
the fir&s;t and la&s;t &s;tone) they &s;hould with many
<HI>&s;houtings</HI> and acclamations of joy, <HI>cry, Grace, Grace
unto it;</HI> that is, magnifie Gods meere free grace,
and acknowledge this to have been the work of
it alone; and it was marvailovs in their eyes.</P>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD><HI>Thus much for the Expo&s;ition of the words: I &s;hall
now rai&s;e &s;ome Ob&s;ervations out of them.</HI></HEAD>
<P>Out of the recited &s;torie, and what is here
&s;aid in the 9. <HI>ver&s;e,</HI> which doth put <HI>Je&s;hua</HI> upon
<HI>fini&s;hing the Temple;</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Ob&s;er.</NOTE> The fir&s;t Ob&s;ervation is this,
<HI>That God carryes on the building of the &s;econd Temple
after the comming out of Babylon,</HI> (which was a
type of the Reformation of our Churches) <HI>not
all at once, but by degrees.</HI> The fir&s;t Temple un|der
the Old Te&s;tament was at once erected per|fect,
&s;o by <HI>Solomon;</HI> And the Tabernacle before
him, by <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> was quickly fini&s;hed, according to
the patterne of the Mount, <HI>Exod.</HI> 40. 43. but this
&s;econd Temple after the Captivity received de|grees
of rearing of it. And thus in the New Te|&s;tament,
tho&s;e Primitive Churches were &s;et up
perfect (as for matter of rules) by the holy Apo|&s;tles.
And &s;o it was meet they &s;hould be, becau&s;e
the Patterne was but <HI>once to be given,</HI> in the model
of them. But Antichri&s;tiani&s;me having laid that
Temple de&s;olate, and defiled Gods wor&s;hip in
<PB N="13" REF="9">
all the parts of it; and tho&s;e Ages wherein it
&s;hould be re&s;tored, wanting Apo&s;tles immedi|ately
in&s;pired, hence the re&s;tauration of them be|comes
a work of time: The holy Gho&s;t Age af|ter
Age gradually revealing pieces of the plat|forme
of it; the <HI>Spirit</HI> by degrees <HI>con&s;uming</HI> and
dispelling the darkne&s;&s;e that Antichri&s;tiani&s;me
had brought in, by light &s;hining clearer and clea|rer
to the perfect day, which is the <HI>brightne&s;&s;e
of Chri&s;ts comming,</HI> as 2 <HI>The&s;.</HI> 2. 8. Compare we
for this the type, the building of this &s;econd Tem|ple
here, with this Anti-type under the Go|&s;pel.</P>
<P>The&s;e Jews when fir&s;t they were come out of
Babylon, and gathered to Mount Sion, (which
was holy ground, where they might &s;acrifice)
they erected an Altar onely, <HI>Ezra</HI> 3. and that in
ha&s;te, <HI>(the feare of the people of the Countrey be|ing
upon them, ver&s;e</HI> 3.) and &s;o a poore and
meane one, and (as it is thought) but of earth,
as in the law of <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> direction was given, be|fore
the Tabernacle was reared; and accor|dingly
of this here it is &s;aid, <HI>[As it is written
in the law of Mo&s;es,] ver.</HI> 2. They now began
the world, anew, and offered burnt Sacrifices
upon Mount Sion, kept a few Fea&s;ts; <HI>But</HI> (&s;ayes
the 6. <HI>ver.) the foundation of the Temple was not yet
laid:</HI> Then in the 8. <HI>ver.</HI> it is &s;aid, that the foun|dation
of the Temple <HI>was laid,</HI> but left imperfect:
But many yeares after, and after the &s;ucce&s;&s;ion of
two or three Kings, the Temple is &s;aid to be <HI>fini&s;h|ed,
Chap.</HI> 6. 15.</P>
<P><PB N="14" REF="10">
Come we now to the Antitype, the times of
Reformation from under Popery: In the &s;tory
of which like graduall proceedings might ea&s;ily be
ob&s;erved out of Eccle&s;ia&s;ticall &s;tory, if it would
not be too long to make &s;uch narrations: I will ra|ther
take it as it is briefly &amp; at once pre&s;ented by
the holy Gho&s;t him&s;elfe in that great Prophe|cie
of the New Te&s;tament, and the &s;uccee|ding
times therof, the Booke of the <HI>Revelation.</HI>
In the 13. <HI>Chapter</HI> throughout, you have the
Bea&s;t of Rome in one entire view pre&s;ented
in his height, and as po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ing all the Euro|pean
world as wor&s;hippers of him: And then
in the 14. and following Chapters you oppo|&s;itely
have Chri&s;t and tho&s;e that followed him, &amp;
the &s;tory of their &s;eparation from, and the &s;everall
degrees of winning ground upon that Bea&s;t, in the
like entire view laid forth before you. In the 1. <HI>v.</HI>
the <HI>Lambe</HI> appeares with his <HI>company</HI> nakedly &s;tan|ding
upon <HI>Mount Sion,</HI> without the mention of any
Temple as yet built ore their heads, even &s;uch as
the&s;e Jewes condition was when they came
fir&s;t to Sion. Some Ordinances they had; they
<HI>harping with their harps, ver.</HI> 2. and <HI>&s;ung as it were
a new &s;ong,</HI> uttering &s;omething differing from
the doctrine of tho&s;e times, but &s;o confu&s;edly, as
<HI>no man could learne that &s;ong, v.</HI> 3. &amp; they in a great
part kept them&s;elves <HI>virgins,</HI> and from being <HI>defi|led</HI>
with the fornications of the whore: And the&s;e
are &s;aid to be <HI>the fir&s;t-fruits</HI> to God, <HI>ver.</HI> 4. that is,
the fir&s;t beginnings of a di&s;like of Popery. But
then by degrees the Lamb &s;ends out three Angels,
<PB N="15" REF="10">
to make a more open &s;eparation from Rome; the
later of which ri&s;es &s;till higher then the former.
The fir&s;t, <HI>ver.</HI> 6. onely <HI>preacheth the everla&s;ting Go|&s;pel,</HI>
that is, &s;alvation by Chri&s;t alone, and calleth
upon men to <HI>feare</HI> and <HI>wor&s;hip God alone who made
heaven and earth,</HI> and not to wor&s;hip Saints and
Angels: (thus the <HI>Walden&s;es</HI> did.) But then <HI>ver.</HI> 8.
an Age or two after that, there follow others
who proclaime with open mouth, and tell Rome
to her face that &s;he is the whore of Babylon:
(thus <HI>Wickliff</HI> and <HI>Hus.)</HI> And then <HI>ver.</HI> 9. after
the&s;e follows a third Angel, who proceeds fur|ther,
and preaches that all tho&s;e that will cleave
unto her doctrine and &s;uper&s;titions, <HI>&s;hall drink of
the wrath of God for ever:</HI> and &s;o urge a &s;eparation
from her, upon paine of damnation. And then at
the 14. <HI>ver.</HI> you have the Son of man <HI>crowned,</HI>
the Lambe having overcome the Kings, to pro|fe&s;&s;e
and countenance the Prote&s;tant Religion
with their authority: And then <HI>ver.</HI> 15. you have
mention of a <HI>Temple,</HI> Churches being in all the&s;e
Northerne parts publiquely erected by their al|lowance
and commandement; as the Jewes did
build the Temple by the Decree of <HI>Cyrus.</HI> And
<HI>Chap.</HI> 15. the pourers out of the vials doe come
all forth of the Temple, <HI>ver.</HI> 6. And if we con|&s;ult
the 11. <HI>Cap.</HI> (the maine occurrences of which
are evidently contemporary, and doe &s;umme up
the &s;tory of the &s;ame time with the Vials, as by
comparing the one with the other, late Interpre|ters
have ob&s;erved. This Book running over two
entire Prophecies of all times, (each of them)
<PB N="16" REF="11">
whereof the fir&s;t ends at the end of <HI>Cha.</HI> 11.) Now
in that Chapter (which therefore containes the
&s;tory of the la&s;t times) there are three editions
of that Temple plainly intimated. The fir&s;t, &s;up|po&s;ed
to be already &s;tanding when the Vi&s;ion is
given; but imperfect in this, that it hath too great
an <HI>outward Court</HI> of an ignorant and profane
multitude laid to it. And therefore <HI>John,</HI> bea|ring
the per&s;on of the godly of that age, is &s;tir|red
up to &s;et upon a &s;econd Reformation of it,
and is bidden to <HI>mea&s;ure that Temple, Altar, and
wor&s;hippers</HI> anew, and <HI>to ca&s;t out that outward Court</HI>
that had defiled it. And then <HI>ver.</HI> 19. there is a
third edition of an <HI>Holy of Holies,</HI> for therein
<HI>the Arke</HI> is &s;aid to be <HI>&s;eene;</HI> now the Ark &s;tood
onely in the Holy of Holies: noting out a more
perfect Church at la&s;t then all the former had
beene. A manife&s;t allu&s;ion this is unto tho&s;e
three parts of <HI>Solomons</HI> Temple, the outward
Court, the inward Temple, and the Holy of
Holies.</P>
<P>Thus much perhaps might more clearly have
been di&s;covered in the &s;tory of the Reformation;
but I judged it would better and more briefly be
done in this the Prophecie of it.
<HI>U&s;e.</HI></P>
<P>Let no Church therefore think it &s;elfe perfect,
and <HI>needing nothing,</HI> (as bragging <HI>Laodicea</HI> did)
e&s;pecially when it hath but that fir&s;t foundation
which it had when it came newly out of Baby|lon;
and more e&s;pecially in matters of wor&s;hip
and di&s;cipline. It is no di&s;honour unto tho&s;e
<PB N="17" REF="11">
Reformers, to &s;ay, that they fully fini&s;hed not
this work; as it was not unto <HI>Zerubbabel</HI> here,
that hee perfected not the Temple at fir&s;t.
<HI>Ble&s;&s;ed men!</HI> It is evident they purpo&s;ed more
then they did or could effect, becau&s;e the <HI>peoples
hearts were not [as yet] prepared,</HI> as the phra&s;e is,
2 <HI>Chron.</HI> 20. 33. In our very Common-Prayer
book there is an <HI>[Untill] the &s;aid di&s;cipline may be
re&s;tored,</HI> which argueth they aimed at more. And
be&s;ides, They were not Apo&s;tles, to <HI>whom nothing
might be added,</HI> as <HI>Gal.</HI> 2. 6. And God <HI>rai&s;ing up the
Tabernacle that was falne downe,</HI> not by imme|diate
in&s;piration, (as at fir&s;t by the Apo&s;tles) but
by his Spirit, renewing and begetting light in an
ordinary way: Hence therefore the Churches
comming out of the darkne&s;&s;e of Popery, mu&s;t
needs recover that fulne&s;&s;e and perfection of
light (which the Apo&s;tolicall times had) <GAP DESC="foreign">,
by piece-meals and degrees. As for the great
things of the Go&s;pel, matters of <HI>Faith,</HI> or Do|ctrine,
they had &s;o happy a hand therein, that
there is to be found little, if any <HI>Hay</HI> or <HI>&s;tubble</HI>
therein: But in matters of <HI>Order,</HI> which concerne
Wor&s;hip and Di&s;cipline, (for &s;o the Apo&s;tle di|&s;tingui&s;heth,
<HI>Colo&s;. 2. 5. [Faith and Order]</HI> let it
be enquired into, whether they were &s;o exact
therein. Although this mu&s;t be &s;aid, that God
did take care for all Fundamentall Ordinances
of his wor&s;hip; and it is a bitter errour, and full
of cruelty, to &s;ay, Wee have had no Churches,
no Mini&s;ters, no Sacraments, but Antichri&s;tia|nall.
Gods fir&s;t and chiefe care was, to build up
<PB N="18" REF="12">
his Church <HI>my&s;ticall,</HI> to make men Saints, and
he hath made glorious ones in their per&s;onall
walkings with him: and to that end he made
a plentifull provi&s;ion in matters of faith, even
from the very fir&s;t. It fell out in this ca&s;e, as
in a new Plantation; which if men were to make
in another world, and &s;o to begin the world anew,
their fir&s;t care would be to provide nece&s;&s;aries
for their &s;ub&s;i&s;tence as they are men; to have corn
for bread, cattle for meat, and the like: But mat|ters
of Order &amp; Government they think of after|wards,
and often fall into the right, by &s;eeing their
errors by degrees. Think not much therefore, that
men call for (as mo&s;t men doe) a reformation of
&s;ome things ami&s;&s;e in matters of wor&s;hip &amp; di&s;ci|pline,
or an addition of &s;ome things; perhaps a
Candle&s;tick, or &s;ome other uten&s;il or ordinance
of Church-wor&s;hip is found wanting. You will
wonder, that all along during the raigne of tho&s;e
good Kings, both <HI>David, Solomon,</HI> (who yet gave
the patterne of, and al&s;o built the Temple) and
tho&s;e other Reformers among the Kings of Ju|dah,
there &s;hould &s;omething have been omitted
about the Fea&s;t of Tabernacles, untill their com|ming
out of the Babyloni&s;h Captivity: Yet wee
find it was &s;o, as appeares by <HI>Nehem.</HI> 8. 16. and 17.
<HI>ver&s;es, The people went forth, and made them&s;elves
boothes, every one upon the roofe of his hou&s;e, and in
their Courts, and in the Courts of Gods hou&s;e, and in
the &s;treets; [and &s;ince the dayes of Ie&s;hua the &s;on of Nun,
untill that day, the Children of I&s;rael had not done &s;o.]</HI>
This fea&s;t was kept (as is thought) by <HI>Solomon,</HI>
<PB N="19" REF="12">
2 <HI>Chron.</HI> 7. 8. and by the&s;e &s;ame Jews, <HI>Ezra</HI> 3. 4.
yet not in this manner, according unto the Law,
and therefore at the 14. <HI>ver.</HI> of that of <HI>Nchemiah,</HI>
it is &s;aid, <HI>They found it written in the Law, that the
children of I&s;rael &s;hould dwell in boothes;</HI> which be|fore
that they had not done, although they might
have kept that Fea&s;t. But now they had learned by
a &s;ad experience to keepe it aright, with <HI>dwelling
in boothes,</HI> by having been lately <HI>&s;trangers</HI> out of
their owne land; to &s;ignifie which and to pro|fe&s;&s;e
them&s;elves &s;trangers, was the intent of that
Fea&s;t, and that rite of it, the dwelling in boothes.
And this rea&s;on is intimated in the 17. <HI>ver&s;e,
All the congregation [that were come againe out of
the Captivity,] made boothes, &amp;c. They did reade
al&s;o every day out of the Law, ver.</HI> 19. which be|fore,
when that Fea&s;t was celebrated, they had
not done.</P>
<P>A &s;econd Ob&s;ervation,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Ob&s;er.</NOTE> That <HI>in the greate&s;t
bu&s;ine&s;&s;es which mo&s;t concerne the good of Gods
Church, and his own glory, he oft-times &s;uffers
Mountains of oppo&s;ition to lye in the way of them:</HI> So
here, in the way to the building and perfect|ing
his Church. To give another in&s;tance of it,
and that the highe&s;t. The Salvation of the
&s;ons of men, whom he had cho&s;en before all
worlds, is a bu&s;ine&s;&s;e which of all other he mo&s;t
mindeth and effectually intendeth, but doth he
bring it about without rubs? Never &s;uch Moun|tains
lay in the way of any bu&s;ine&s;&s;e. <HI>Adam</HI> he &s;ins,
and in him, all tho&s;e whom God meant to &s;ave,
<PB N="20" REF="13">
whereby the way to their &s;alvation was quite
blockt up: Mountaines of <HI>Sins</HI> make a <HI>Separation</HI>
betweene him and them, <HI>I&s;ai.</HI> 59. 2. and not all the
power of men and Angels can any whit move,
much le&s;&s;e remove them, no more then &s;trawes
can move a mountain. But then comes the Son of
God, who throwes and <HI>buries</HI> all the&s;e mountains
<HI>in the bottome of the &s;ea.</HI> And when Chri&s;t had
thus removed the guilt of &s;inne, and would come
into mens hearts to apply his death, there lie as
high mountains in his way to us, as before lay in
ours unto him. <HI>Luke 3. 5. Prepare ye the way of the
Lord, make his paths &s;traight; [every mountaine &s;hall be
brought low.]</HI> There are <HI>high things,</HI> and <HI>&s;trong holds,</HI>
2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 10. 4. that <HI>exalt them&s;elves again&s;t the know|ledge
of Chri&s;t:</HI> but all the&s;e &s;hall be <HI>brought low,</HI>
and &s;hall be <HI>made a plaine.</HI> And as this is found
true in the &s;alvation of the Church by Chri&s;t, &s;o
in its pre&s;ervation and growth. There is almo&s;t
no mercy, but &s;ome mountain or other lies in the
way of it.</P>
<P>And the rea&s;on of this di&s;pen&s;ation of Gods,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rea&s;.</NOTE> is,
both that his hand and <HI>power</HI> in bringing things
to pa&s;&s;e, for his Church, may be <HI>&s;eene</HI> and ac|knowledged,
and that his <HI>enemies</HI> may be <HI>con|founded:</HI>
I put both the&s;e rea&s;ons in one, becau&s;e
we finde them mentioned together in one place,
<HI>Nehem.</HI> 6. 16. In which Chapter you may reade
of the great oppo&s;ition made in building the Ci|ty,
as here the Temple; which yet when God
had carryed on, <HI>It came to pa&s;&s;e,</HI> (&s;ayes that 16.
<HI>ver.) that when all their enemies heard thereof, and all
<PB N="21" REF="13">
that were about them &s;aw the&s;e things, [they wene
much ca&s;t downe in their owne eyes,]</HI> (there is one
part of the rea&s;on) <HI>for they perceived that [this work
was wrought by our God,]</HI> there is the other part.
Fir&s;t, Gods power appeares, in carrying things <MILESTONE N="1">
through much oppo&s;ition. If there were a full
concurrencie of all &s;econd cau&s;es, and a generall
&s;uffrage of them, his voice would then be lo&s;t
and &s;wallowed up among that crowd; but when
there is a great canvas, (as in Colledges we call
it) then the power of his ca&s;ting voyce appeares.
Thus why is God &s;aid to <HI>bring I&s;rael out of Egypt
with a &s;trong hand, Exod.</HI> 13. 30. but becau&s;e it was
carryed on through much oppo&s;ition? There lay
no le&s;&s;e then ten mountains in the way of it; <HI>Pha|raohs</HI>
heart was hardned <HI>ten times,</HI> which God did
on purpo&s;e to &s;hew his power, <HI>Exod.</HI> 9. 6. Second|ly,<MILESTONE N="2">
he doth it, to confound his enemies the more,
which u&s;ually goes together with doing good
unto his Church: <HI>He renders vengeance to his ad|ver&s;aries,</HI>
and is <HI>ncercifull to his Land,</HI> both at once,
<HI>Deut.</HI> 32. 43. He often &s;uffers them to have the
ball on their foot, till they come to the very
goale, and yet then to mi&s;&s;e the game: That
&s;o <HI>wherein they dealt proudly,</HI> he might <HI>&s;hew him|&s;elfe
above them,</HI> which is <HI>Jethroes</HI> rea&s;on, <HI>Exod.</HI>
18. 9.</P>
<P>This Ob&s;ervation but in generall:<NOTE PLACE="marg">3. Ob&s;er.</NOTE> More par|ticularly,
a third Ob&s;ervation is this: <HI>That Tem|ple-work
e&s;pecially u&s;eth to meet with oppo&s;ition.</HI> You
&s;hall finde the building and the fini&s;hing of this
Temple in all the degrees of it, to have had many
<PB N="22" REF="14">
contentions again&s;t it, all along accompanying it.
Thus, when fir&s;t that Altar was &s;et up, <HI>Ezra</HI>
3. 3. it is &s;aid, that <HI>feare was upon them, becau&s;e of
the people of tho&s;e countryes.</HI> Againe, when the foun|dation
was laid, what interruption that met with,
you heard before, out of the 4. <HI>Chapter.</HI> And la&s;t|ly,
when they came to fini&s;h it, <HI>Chap.</HI> 5. 2. at <HI>ver.</HI> 3.
their enemies came and que&s;tioned them for it,
<HI>Who hath commanded you to build this hou&s;e? &amp;c.</HI>
and the devill was in it, in a pure oppo&s;ition to the
Temple; for they had &s;uffered them to build
their owne hou&s;es, as appears <HI>Hag.</HI> 2. 4. and never
&s;tirred again&s;t them; but onely now when they
began to build the Temple. Thus in the New
Te&s;tament, <HI>[Aedificabo Eccle&s;iam,] [I will build my
Church,]</HI> hath and will alwayes have the <HI>gates</HI>
(or the power) <HI>of hell</HI> following it to oppo&s;e it.
I could demon&s;trate it all along out of that &s;tory
al&s;o; but it would be too long.</P>
<P>The Rea&s;ons of it are,</P>
<P>Fir&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rea&s;. 1.</NOTE> there is nothing more contrary to Satan,
then the &s;etting up of Gods wor&s;hip, and the puri|fying
and compleating of it. And therefore whil&s;t
the devill is god of this world, and hath any pow|er
therein, he will be &s;ure to rai&s;e a head again&s;t
that of all things el&s;e. So far as there are any aber|rations
in wor&s;hip, Satan is &s;et up: And &s;o far as
the wor&s;hip of God is perfected, God is &s;et up,
and Satan <HI>falls as lightning, Revel.</HI> 3. 9. fal&s;e wor|&s;hippers
are called the <HI>Synagogue of Satan.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rea&s;. 2.</NOTE> there is nothing more contrary to
fle&s;h and bloud. When <HI>Paul</HI> came to &s;et up Euan|gelicall
<PB N="23" REF="14">
and Spirituall wor&s;hip, (which is called
a <HI>Reformation, Heb.</HI> 9. 10.) he met with oppo&s;ition
every where; and that from &s;uch who were wor|&s;hippers
al&s;o. There is a naturall and blind devo|tion
in men, that is mo&s;t oppo&s;ite to &s;pirituall
wor&s;hip. Therefore <HI>Acts 13. 15. [Devout] women
rai&s;ed up a per&s;ecution</HI> again&s;t <HI>Paul.</HI> And men are
addicted to their old Cu&s;tomes, and what they
were brought up in. Thus it is &s;aid of the Jews,
though godly, that many thou&s;ands of them op|po&s;ed
<HI>Paul,</HI> out of their zeale to the Law they
were brought up in. <HI>Acts 21. 20. Many thou&s;ands
of the Jews which beleeve, are all Zealous of the Law:</HI>
And thereupon at <HI>ver.</HI> 27. we reade that they &s;tir|red
up the people, crying out, <HI>ver. 28. Men of
I&s;rael, help; This is the man that teacheth every where
again&s;t the people, and this place,</HI> (namely, the Tem|ple,
and the Ceremoniall wor&s;hip of it.)</P>
<P>The U&s;e of both the&s;e Points together,<NOTE PLACE="marg">U&s;e.</NOTE> is, Not
to be di&s;couraged in, or think the wor&s;e of any
bu&s;ine&s;&s;e that is for God, becau&s;e of difficulties
and interruptions. In the 4. of <HI>Nehem.</HI> when the
Jews went to build the walls of the City, the ene|mies
mockt them, and &s;aid, <HI>What will the&s;e feeble
Jewes doe?</HI> but &s;till <HI>ver.</HI> 6. the people they went
on, for they <HI>had a mind to work:</HI> which when
their enemies heard of, they then &s;et upon them
with open force of armes, <HI>ver.</HI> 8. Yet neverthe|le&s;&s;e,
<HI>We</HI> (&s;ayes he) <HI>made our prayer to God,</HI> and &s;et
<HI>a watch day and night;</HI> they doubled their care and
paines, and <HI>wrought both night and day,</HI> and <HI>did not
put off their clothes, ver.</HI> 21. And when <HI>Nehemiah</HI>
<PB N="24" REF="15">
heard that the enemy threatned to kill him, on
purpo&s;e to di&s;hearten him) yet <HI>Chap.</HI> 6. he would
not <HI>flee, ver.</HI> 11. neither was he at all di&s;heartned,
as knowing it was <HI>a &s;in to be afraid, ver.</HI> 13.</P>
<P><HI>There is no mountaine of oppo&s;ition &s;o great,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">4. Ob&s;er.</NOTE> <HI>that
can &s;tand before Zerubbabel, (or Gods people) e&s;pe|cially
when he goes about to fini&s;h the Temple.</HI> (I might
have made two Ob&s;ervations of it, but I put them
both together.) You &s;ee how contemptuou&s;ly he
here &s;peaks, of the oppo&s;ition made; <HI>[Who art
thou, O great mountaine?]</HI> though <HI>great</HI> in their
owne eyes, yet as nothing in his: He &s;peaks as a
Giant unto a Pigmee, <HI>Who art thou?</HI> I will name
one place more, &s;uitable to this allu&s;ion, <HI>E&s;ay</HI> 41.
14, 15. <HI>Feare not, thou worme Jacob: I will help thee,
&s;aith the Lord. Behold, I will make thee a new &s;harp
thre&s;hing in&s;trument having teeth: thou &s;halt thre&s;h
[the mountaines,] and beat them &s;mall, and thou &s;halt
make the hils as chaffe.</HI> He &s;uppo&s;eth in the&s;e his
expre&s;&s;ions, the Church to be in the lowe&s;t, wea|ke&s;t,
and mo&s;t contemptible condition that might
be; a <HI>[worme]</HI> which no man feares, for it cannot
doe the lea&s;t hurt, and which no man loves; yea,
thinks it no cruelty or oppre&s;&s;ion to tread upon,
and kill. On the other &s;ide, he &s;peaks of the ene|mies,
all that might argue greatne&s;&s;e, &s;trength,
and exaltation: he calls them <HI>[Mountaines,]</HI> and
<HI>[Hils:]</HI> And what an unequall match is this, for
Wormes to be &s;et upon Mountaines to over|throw
them? Yet, &s;ayes God, <HI>I will take this
worme,</HI> (for it mu&s;t be his power mu&s;t doe it) and
<HI>make it as a new &s;harp thre&s;hing in&s;trument with
<PB N="25" REF="15">
teeth,</HI> (with which kind of in&s;trument tho&s;e Ea&s;tern
Countries did u&s;e to ma&s;h in pieces their rougher
and harder fodder for their cattle) <HI>which &s;hall thre&s;h
the&s;e mountains even as &s;mall as chaffe,</HI> which is <HI>&s;catte|red
with the wind,</HI> as <HI>ver.</HI> 16. This is the Metaphor;
the plaine &s;ong you have in the 11. and 12. <HI>ver&s;es,
Behold, all they that are incen&s;t again&s;t thee &s;hall peri&s;h,
and tho&s;e that contended with thee, be as a thing of
nought.</HI> But this is e&s;pecially found true when
Gods people goe about to build the Temple; no
mountaine then can &s;tand to hinder them: There
&s;tood in the way of laying the foundation of
this Temple, the greate&s;t mountaine that was
then (and well-night that hath been &s;ince) up|on
the earth, the Babyloni&s;h Monarchy; by
the power of which the&s;e Jews were detained
captives, and they would never have let them
goe: And therefore <HI>E&s;ay</HI> 57. 14. this phra&s;e is
u&s;ed, <HI>Ca&s;t ye up, ca&s;t ye up, take the &s;tumbling block
out of the way of my people.</HI> And more expre&s;ly, <HI>Jer.</HI>
51. 25. the Prophet calls Babel a <HI>de&s;troying moun|taine,
I am again&s;t thee, oh de&s;troying mountaine:</HI>
and for &s;trength of &s;cituation he compares it to a
mountaine <HI>&s;eated upon a rock,</HI> which is a farther ad|dition
of &s;ortification to it. Yet &s;ayes God, <HI>I will
&s;tretch out my hand upon thee, and rowle thee downe
from the rocks, and make thee a burnt mountaine, &s;o
as they &s;hall not take from thee a &s;tone for a corner, or
for foundations: ver.</HI> 26. Whereas thou did&s;t
unbuild Hieru&s;alem and my Temple, I will un|build
thee, &s;o as not &s;omuch as a &s;tone of thee &s;hall
&s;erve for any other building, but my Sion &s;hall
<PB N="26" REF="16">
be built again. For to what end was this moun|taine
thus removed? even that poore Hieru&s;alem
and Gods Temple there might bee built againe.
Thus <HI>I&s;ai.</HI> 44. la&s;t, and the 45. 1. and 2. <HI>ver&s;es</HI>
compared, <HI>Thus &s;aith the Lord of Cyrus, He is my
&s;hepheard, and &s;hall performe all my plea&s;ure; even &s;ay|ing
to Jeru&s;alem, Thou &s;halt be built, and to the Temple,
Thy foundation &s;hall be laid. Cyrus</HI> and his Armie
were the workmen whom God hired to <HI>ca&s;t up</HI> (as
<HI>E&s;ays</HI> phra&s;e is) or <HI>throw down</HI> (as <HI>Jeremies)</HI> this rub|bi&s;h
that lay in his peoples way, &amp; of their buil|ding
this Temple. And all the victories that <HI>Cyrus</HI>
obtained, and <HI>hidden trea&s;ures</HI> that through &s;poiles
he acquired, were all that <HI>Jeru&s;alem might be built:</HI>
So it follows in the 45. <HI>Chap.</HI> 1, 2, 3, and 4. <HI>ver&s;es,</HI>
and &s;o on, <HI>Thus &s;aith the Lord to Cyrus, who&s;e right
hand I have &s;trengthened to &s;ubdue Nations before me,
and I will loo&s;e the loines of Kings:</HI> Hee was to
overcome other Nations and Kings, before he
could come at Babylon: as <HI>Croe&s;us,</HI> that rich
King of Lydia, &amp;c. And God threw down all afore
him. <HI>I will goe before thee; I will break in pieces the
gates of bra&s;&s;e, and cut in &s;under the bars of iron,</HI> (all
difficulties flew ope, and nothing could &s;tand in
his way) <HI>and I will give thee the trea&s;ures of dark|ne&s;&s;e,
the hidden riches of &s;ecret places.</HI> And why
did God doe all this for him? <HI>For Jacob my
&s;ervants &s;ake, and I&s;rael mine elect.</HI> For (otherwi&s;e)
&s;ayes God of this <HI>Cyrus) thou ha&s;t not known me,</HI> &s;o
<HI>ver.</HI> 4. All this which God did for him, was, that he
might <HI>performe Gods plea&s;ure, &s;aying to Jeru&s;alem,
Be built, and to the Temple, Thy foundation &s;hall be
<PB N="27" REF="16">
laid,</HI> as you had it out of the la&s;t <HI>ver.</HI> of the fore|going
<HI>Chapter.</HI></P>
<P>And then again, when the foundation thereof
was thus happily laid, there &s;tood (as you &s;ee in the
Text) another <HI>Mountaine</HI> in the way to the fini&s;h|ing
and perfecting of it, namely, this Sama|ritan
Faction, who gained the power of that
Per&s;ian Monarchy to be again&s;t it: (of which
Mountain the Prophet here in like manner &s;ayes,
that it <HI>&s;hould be made a Plaine.)</HI> And if the Per&s;ian
Monarch <HI>Dartus</HI> had not come off too as he did,
<HI>EZra</HI> 6. from the 1. <HI>ver.</HI> to the end of the <HI>Chap.</HI>
God would have &s;erved him, as he had done Ba|bylon.
<HI>Be ye wi&s;e therefore now, O Kings, and in|&s;tructed
O ye Judges of the Earth.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Rea&s;.</NOTE></P>
<P>The Rea&s;on of all this lies but in three words
which God hath &s;poken once, yea twice, <HI>[Aedifi|cabo
Eccle&s;ia~ meam] [I will build my Church,]</HI> which
have more force in them, then all the created
power of Heaven, Earth, or Hell. He had &s;aid
it in the Old Te&s;tament (as you heard) <HI>I&s;ai.</HI> 44. 28.
<HI>&s;aying to Hieru&s;alem, Thou &s;halt be built, and to the
Temple, Thy foundation &s;hall be laid.</HI> And Chri&s;t
&s;aid it over again in the New Te&s;tament, <HI>Mat.</HI> 16.
18. <HI>I will build my Church:</HI> He &s;peakes of that
Church under the New Te&s;tament, which in fu|ture
ages was to come. And what follows?
<HI>[The Gates of Hell &s;hall not prevaile again&s;t it.]</HI> You
heard before in the Old Te&s;tament, that the <HI>Bra&s;&s;e
Gates</HI> were <HI>opened</HI> to make way for the building of
that Temple, <HI>I&s;ai.</HI> 45. 2. But here in the New
Te&s;tament, there are &s;tronger Gates then of
<PB N="28" REF="17">
<HI>Bra&s;&s;e:</HI> here are the Gates of <HI>Hell:</HI> which yet
Chri&s;t (like another <HI>Samp&s;on)</HI> flings off their
hinges. As whil&s;t the Devill is god of the world,
<HI>[Aedificabo Eccle&s;iam meam]</HI> &s;hall be &s;ure to be hin|dered,
if he can: &s;o whil&s;t Chri&s;t is <HI>King</HI> of this
world, and <HI>hath all power committed to him, both in
heaven and earth,</HI> mo&s;t certainly, the Gates of
Hell &s;hall never prevaile again&s;t it. It is this
&s;ame <HI>[Aedificabo Eccle&s;iam meam,] [I will build my
Church,]</HI> that hath made all the &s;tirre in the
world. I remember in the yeare 1619. or 20.
(or thereabouts) when the Wars in Germany
began, it was reported, that a great Bra&s;&s;e Image
of the Apo&s;tle <HI>Peter,</HI> (which had that pretended
claime, by which <HI>Rome</HI> would hold her Keyes,
fairely embo&s;&s;ed upon a Roll that hung downe
upon the Image, in the&s;e wordst <HI>[Tu es Petrus,
&amp; &s;uper hanc petram aedificabo Eccle&s;iam: &amp; tibi da|bo
Claves, &amp;c.] [Thou art Peter, and upon this Rock
I will build my Church: and I will give to thee the
Keyes, &amp;c.)</HI> &s;tanding (as I take it) in S. <HI>Peters</HI>
Church at <HI>Rome;</HI> there was a great &amp; ma&s;&s;ie &s;tone
fell downe upon it, and &s;o &s;hattered it to pieces,
that not a letter of all that &s;entence (whereon <HI>Rome</HI>
founds her claime) was left whole, &s;o as to be
read, &s;aving this one piece of that &s;entence,
<HI>[aedificabo Eccle&s;iam meam] [I will build my Church,]</HI>
which was left faire and entire.</P>
<P>That Promi&s;e <HI>[I will build my Church]</HI> is the
<HI>Magna Charta,</HI> yea, the <HI>Prima Charta,</HI> the Great
and Fir&s;t Charter of the Saints in the New Te|&s;tament;
tho&s;e words in the 16. of <HI>Mat.</HI> being the
<PB N="29" REF="17">
fir&s;t that Chri&s;t uttered about it; and &s;o, contain
within them, all le&s;&s;er Promi&s;es of all &s;orts, that
follow, that concerne the building of his Church,
or any piece of it. Now all that concerne the
Building of his Church, are reducible unto the&s;e
two heads: Fir&s;t, the pre&s;ervation and enlar|ging
of his <HI>Church My&s;ticall,</HI> and of his Saints on
earth; and thus con&s;idering them per&s;onally, al|though
they &s;hould be &s;cattered each from other:
or &s;econdly, the Building up his Church, as ga|thered
in A&s;&s;emblies to hold forth his publique
wor&s;hip in the world, as that place forementio|ned,
is apparently to be under&s;tood by the next
words: For he &s;peakes of the <HI>Keyes</HI> in the fol|lowing
<HI>ver&s;e;</HI> whereby are meant all <HI>Media cultus,</HI>
all Ordinances of wor&s;hip, whereby his Church
is built. So then this Rea&s;on taken from <HI>[aedifi|cabo
Eccle&s;iam]</HI> branches it &s;elfe into two Parts;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Two Branches of this rea&s;on:</NOTE>
The fir&s;t is taken from his love to his Church
My&s;ticall, on his Saints &s;imply con&s;idered as &s;uch:
The &s;econd is from his intere&s;t in his owne wor|&s;hip:
for which he loves his Churches that are
the Seat of it, more then all the world.</P>
<P>1.<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. His love to his Saints.</NOTE> His Love to his Church My&s;ticall is &s;uch,
that no Mountain of oppo&s;ition can &s;tand before
it, to hinder the enlargement &amp; building of it up.
This Rea&s;on you have <HI>I&s;ai. 43. 3, 4. I gave Egypt for
thy ran&s;ome, Ethiopia and Seba for thee, &s;ince thou wa&s;t
precious in my &s;ight, thou ha&s;t been honourable, [and I
have loved thee:] therefore will I give Men for thee,
and People for thy life.</HI> It is put upon this Rea&s;on,
<HI>Quia amavi te, becau&s;e I have loved thee;</HI> and that,
<PB N="30" REF="18">
more then all the world. Or if you will have it
expre&s;t in the language of this &s;imilitude here in
the Text, <HI>Mountains &s;hall depart, and Hills be remo|ved,
but my kindne&s;&s;e &s;hall not depart from thee,</HI>
&s;ayes God, <HI>I&s;ai.</HI> 54. 10. It is &s;uch a kind of &s;peech
as that of Chri&s;ts: <HI>Heaven and earth &s;hall pa&s;&s;e away,
but not a tittle of my word, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>2.<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Gods love to his wor&s;hip.</NOTE> His love to his Churches holding forth his
Name and wor&s;hip in the world, is &s;uch, as no|thing
&s;hall with&s;tand the repairing and perfecting
of them, and of that his wor&s;hip and every parcell
of it. If God had not &s;uch A&s;&s;emblies in the
world, he &s;hould have no wor&s;hip. Therefore
the&s;e Churches are called the <HI>Ground and Pillar of
Truth,</HI> both where it growes, and where it is held
forth; 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 3. 15. he there &s;peakes of Church
a&s;&s;emblies, as wherein <HI>Timothy</HI> was to learne how
as an Euangeli&s;t to behave him&s;elfe, in the orde|ring
and governing of them, as you have it in the
words immediately fore-going, <HI>Th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2 letters"> thou mighte&s;t
know how to behave thy &s;elfe in the Hou&s;e of God, &amp;c.</HI>
And the truth is, that <HI>that</HI> building of the Hou&s;e of
God, of which only <HI>Zachary</HI> here gives us occa&s;ion
to &s;peak, was but the compleating all the ordi|nances
of wor&s;hip. It was not &s;o much the buil|ding
up the Nation of the Jews that was here di|rectly
intended; but the building of their Tem|ple,
the &s;eat of wor&s;hip, and introducing the Can|dle&s;tick,
&amp;c. And their A&s;&s;emblings there to wor|&s;hip
according to Gods owne pre&s;cription, was
more to him, and is &s;o &s;till, then what ever el&s;e
was or is done in the world. In the 87. <HI>P&s;al. ver.</HI> 2.
<PB N="31" REF="18">
<HI>The Lord loves the gates of Sion more then all the
dwellings of Jacob. The gates of Sion</HI> were the gates
of the Temple that &s;tood upon mount Sion, &s;et
open for the Jews to wor&s;hip in; and the&s;e he
loves more then other Societies, or A&s;&s;emblings,
though of <HI>Jacob,</HI> and this more then them <HI>All,</HI> take
them all together; whether civill in their Cities
and families, or religious in their Synagogues;
where they were capable but of &s;ome few, not of
all the Ordinances that were in the Temple.</P>
<P>And the rea&s;on of this his love is,<NOTE PLACE="marg">How much Gods glory is concerned in &s;etting right his publique wor&s;hip, and the govern|ment of his Church.</NOTE> the great
concernment that his publique wor&s;hip is of unto
him. God hath but three things deare unto him
in this world, his <HI>Saints,</HI> his <HI>Wor&s;hip,</HI> and his
<HI>Truth;</HI> and it is hard to &s;ay, which of the&s;e is
deare&s;t unto him; they are <HI>mutu&ograve; &s;ibi fines.</HI> God
therefore ordained Saints to be in the world, that
he might be wor&s;hipt; and reciprocally appointed
the&s;e Ordinances of wor&s;hip as meanes to build
up his Saints. In the Commandements (the
Epitome of the Old Te&s;tament) the in&s;titutions
of Gods wor&s;hip have the &s;econd place: The &s;e|cond
Commandment is wholly &s;pent thereon; and
therein how <HI>jealous</HI> doth God profe&s;&s;e him&s;elfe of
any aberration or &s;werving from his own rules?
now jealou&s;ie (you know) proceeds from the
deepe&s;t love. Yea the third and fourth Com|mandements
are taken up about it al&s;o; the one
about the <HI>manner,</HI> that <HI>his Name</HI> (for &s;o his wor|&s;hip
is called, <HI>Micah</HI> 4. the 5. <HI>ver.</HI> compared with
<HI>ver.</HI> 2. and 3.) <HI>might not be taken in vaine;</HI> the o|ther
about the <HI>time.</HI> And then in the Lords Pray|er,
<PB N="32" REF="19">
(which is the Epitome of the New Te&s;ta|ment)
in the &s;econd Petition (if not the fir&s;t) the
wor&s;hip and government of his Church comes in;
for his Wor&s;hip is his <HI>Name,</HI> (as was &s;aid) and we
de&s;ire that to be <HI>Hallowed:</HI> &amp; nothing is more pro|perly
Chri&s;ts vi&s;ible <HI>Kingdome</HI> here, then the right
admini&s;tration of Ordinances in his Church, which
doe &s;et him up as <HI>King</HI> of Saints. To this purpo&s;e
I &s;hall open that in the 15. of the <HI>Revelation,</HI> where
when the Saints had got a Temple over their
heads, <HI>ver.</HI> 6. (as was before hinted) then they
call for a true and right wor&s;hipping of Chri&s;t,
and this becau&s;e he was <HI>King of Saints:</HI> They &s;ing,
<HI>Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almigh|ty;
ju&s;t and true are thy wayes, thou King of Saints.
Who &s;hall not feare thee, O Lord, and glorifie thy
Name? for thou onely art holy: and all nations &s;hall
come and wor&s;hip before thee, &amp;c.</HI> There are three
paires, or <HI>conjugata,</HI> which harmoniou&s;ly an&s;wer
one to another: Fir&s;t, here is a double title and
Kingdome given unto Chri&s;t, ^1<HI>[Lord Almighty,]</HI>
^2<HI>[King of Saints:]</HI> or (if you will) <HI>He is King of
Nations,</HI> and <HI>King of Saints:</HI> ^1 King of Nations,
for &s;o in that parallel place, <HI>Jerem.</HI> 10. 7. (from
whence the&s;e words here uttered are evidently
taken, and therefore it is quoted in the margent) he
is called; &amp; &s;o is all one with that expre&s;&s;ion here,
<HI>[Lord God Almighty,]</HI> unto which ^2 they adde this
other, <HI>Thou King of Saints:</HI> And &s;o the&s;e two are di|&s;tinct,
and both His titles. Then &s;econdly, here is a
double duty &s;utably due unto him according to
the&s;e his titles, to <HI>fear</HI> him, and to <HI>wor&s;hip</HI> him, both
<PB N="33" REF="19">
which are expre&s;&s;ed by this generall, to <HI>glorifie his
Name.</HI> Thirdly, here is a double declaration of the
ju&s;tne&s;&s;e of the&s;e titles, &amp; the ground that calls for
both the&s;e duties, his <HI>great and marvellous works</HI> in
the world declaring him to be <HI>Lord God Almighty,</HI>
or <HI>King of Nations,</HI> and therefore <HI>Feare</HI> is due un|to
him, (and accordingly in <HI>Jeremy</HI> we onely read,
<HI>Who would not feare thee, O King of Nations?)</HI> and
then there are his <HI>ju&s;t and true wayes,</HI> declaring him
to be <HI>King of Saints,</HI> (which the&s;e here in their
&s;ong adde unto that of <HI>Jeremy)</HI> and this calls for
<HI>Wor&s;hip</HI> from us unto him: <HI>Who &s;hall not wor&s;hip
thee, O King of Saints? for true and righteous are thy
wayes and judgements.</HI> In fine, here is Chri&s;ts &s;u|premacie
acknowledged both in matters <HI>Civill</HI>
and <HI>Eccle&s;ia&s;ticall,</HI> in his government of the
<HI>world,</HI> and of his <HI>Church.</HI> And as he is knowne
to be <HI>King of Nations</HI> by his works of Providence
abroad in the world, &s;o <HI>to be King of Saints,</HI> by
tho&s;e <HI>true</HI> and <HI>righteous wayes</HI> wherein his Chur|ches
are to walk. And a parallel place unto this
latter, (as that of <HI>Jeremy</HI> was unto the former)
is that in <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 68. 24. where the P&s;almi&s;t &s;peaking
of this wor&s;hip of Chri&s;t, &s;ayes, <HI>They have &s;eene
thy goings, O God, even the [goings] of my [King]
in the [Sanctuary.]</HI> Mark it; the goings he &s;peaks
of are re&s;trained to his <HI>goings in the Sanctuary;</HI> and
&s;poken of him al&s;o as the Churches <HI>King, [My
King.]</HI> And &s;o the words are the very &s;ame in
&s;en&s;e, that they in the <HI>Temple</HI> here doe utter, <HI>[Ju&s;t
and true are thy wayes, thou King of Saints.]</HI> And
the P&s;almi&s;t evidently &s;peaks of his waies of wor|&s;hip
<PB N="34" REF="20">
in the Church, as appeares by the very next
words, <HI>ver. 25. The &s;ingers went before, the players
on in&s;truments followed after, &amp;c.</HI> expre&s;&s;ing the
wor&s;hip of him in his Church in the language of
the Old Te&s;tament, and he as their King in the
mid&s;t of them, going in his greate&s;t &s;tate. And
yet more clearly, <HI>ver. 26. Ble&s;&s;e ye God in the
congregations.</HI> Yea and all this proves to be
New Te&s;tament too, and a prophecie thereof,
though uttered in the phra&s;e of and in a prophecy
of the Old. For what is &s;aid in the 18. <HI>ver.</HI> before
of this their King, is by the Apo&s;tle in <HI>Ephe&s;.</HI> 4. 8.
applyed unto Chri&s;ts A&s;cen&s;ion: <HI>Thou ha&s;t A&s;cen|ded
up on high, thou ha&s;t led Captivity captive, and ha&s;t
received gifts for men,</HI> namely, the gifts for build|ing
of his Church, and directing of his wor&s;hip un|der
the New Te&s;tament, as it is expounded by the
Apo&s;tle in the following <HI>ver&s;es.</HI> And therefore
that which I have even now cited out of that <HI>P&s;al.
ver.</HI> 24, 25, 26, &amp;c. is to be under&s;tood as meant
of the wor&s;hip of the Go&s;pell in the congrega|tions
thereof, erected after Chri&s;ts A&s;cen&s;ion. I
&s;hall adde but this, The&s;e waies are called <HI>ju&s;t</HI> and
<HI>true,</HI> in oppo&s;ition to wayes invented by men,
which on the contrary are <HI>unrighteous</HI> and <HI>fal&s;e;
P&s;al. 119. 104. Through thy precepts I get under&s;tan|ding,
therefore I hate every fal&s;e way.</HI> There is
certainly a <HI>right</HI> Rule, or <HI>way</HI> chalked out for eve|ry
admini&s;tration in Gods Sanctuary, if we could
finde it out.</P>
<P>To illu&s;trate all this by a &s;imilitude from other
Kings. Two thinges manife&s;t a King to be a
<PB N="35" REF="20">
King, &amp; &s;hew forth the glory of his Maje&s;ty: 1. His
power and rule abroad throughout all his Domi|nions:
2. The ob&s;ervance, the wor&s;hip, and State
ceremonies that are at Court; and the&s;e &s;hew him
to be King as much as the former. This we may
&s;ee in <HI>Solomon,</HI> who&s;e Royalty and Maje&s;ty was
held forth thereby, as much as by his power,
2 <HI>Chron. 9. 4. When the Queene of Sheba had &s;eene
the hou&s;e that he had built, the meate of his Table,
the attendance of his Mini&s;ters, and their apparel, and
his a&s;cent by which he went up into the hou&s;e of the
Lord,</HI> it was &s;aid, <HI>there was no more &s;pirit in her.</HI> And
in the 17. &amp; 19. <HI>ver&s;es, He made a Throne for the
glory of his Maje&s;ty, the like whereof was not made in
any Kingdome.</HI> Now Chri&s;ts Court on earth
are his Churches, which are called <HI>Gods Hou&s;e,
Heb.</HI> 10. 21. and 25. compared. And there his
throne is &s;et up, as in the Temple of old. In all the
Vi&s;ions of God, as &s;itting on a throne made unto
the Prophets, that throne is pre&s;ented as in the
Temple: So <HI>E&s;ay 6. 1. I &s;aw the Lord &s;itting upon a
Throne, high and lifted up, and his traine filled the
Temple.</HI> The Temple was therefore called the
<HI>place where Gods honour dwels, P&s;al.</HI> 26. 8. that is,
his Court: as &s;ome of our Kings hou&s;es are called
<HI>Honours.</HI> And thus in the New Te&s;tament, in the
repre&s;entation of the Church on earth as wor|&s;hipping
him, <HI>Rev.</HI> 4. 8, 9, and 10. <HI>ver&s;es:</HI> This
Church hath a Throne in the mid&s;t of it, and God
&s;its thereon, <HI>ver.</HI> 5, 6, 7. So that indeed, there is
nothing doth more exalt and glorifie God then his
publique wor&s;hip, and the government of his
<PB N="36" REF="21">
Church purely and rightly admini&s;tred. 1 <HI>Chron.</HI>
16. 29. <HI>Give unto the Lord the [glory] due unto his
Name, [wor&s;hip] the Lord in the beauty of holine&s;&s;e.</HI>
The&s;e two are joyned together. (The like you
have <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 29. 2.) And it is part of that &s;ong
which <HI>David</HI> made when he brought back the
Arke, and &s;o &s;et up Gods wor&s;hip. And fur|ther,
in <HI>E&s;ay</HI> 60. 7. it is called the <HI>hou&s;e of his
glory;</HI> and that Chapter is a Prophecie of the
Go&s;pel, <HI>ver.</HI> 5.</P>
<P>Now if the wor&s;hip of God, and the go|vernment
of his hou&s;e, and every ordinance
thereof tend &s;o much to his glory, and &s;et him
up as King; then how much is he engaged to per|fect
it? He will fully &s;hew him&s;elfe to be <HI>King
of Saints</HI> in his <HI>wor&s;hip,</HI> as well as <HI>King of Nations</HI>
in his <HI>works.</HI> And therefore as his <HI>work</HI> is &s;aid to
<HI>be perfect, Deut.</HI> 32. 4. &s;o he will in the end make
his <HI>wor&s;hip perfect,</HI> (I &s;peak for the outward admi|ni&s;tration
of it) even the <HI>perfection of beauty,</HI> (as
the P&s;almi&s;t calls it, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 50. 2.) which it cannot
be &s;tyled, whil&s;t any part is wanting, or mi&s;|placed:
or (to conclude this rea&s;on in the lan|guage
of the Metaphor in the Text) God is not
like <HI>the fooli&s;h builder,</HI> that will begin to <HI>lay the foun|dation
of his Church,</HI> and not fully perfect and <HI>fi|ni&s;h</HI>
it.</P>
<P>The fir&s;t U&s;e &s;hall be an extract of the fir&s;t
Branch of this Doctrine.<NOTE PLACE="marg">U&s;e 1.</NOTE> Let Gods people there|fore
know their &s;trength; Though their enemies
be as mountaines, yet in a cau&s;e of God and his
Church, let them not be <HI>affrighted</HI> at them, <HI>Deut.</HI>
<PB N="37" REF="21">
7. 21. yea let them <HI>de&s;pi&s;e</HI> them all, as the phra&s;e
is, <HI>E&s;ay</HI> 37. 22. When <HI>Rab&s;hekah</HI> brought a threat|ning
Amba&s;&s;age from the King of A&s;&s;yria, with
this Preface unto it, <HI>Thus &s;aith the great King, the
King of A&s;&s;yria, (E&s;ay</HI> 36. 4.) <HI>where are they among
all the gods of the countries, that have delivered their
land out of my hand? &amp;c.</HI> In an&s;wer to this, what
doth good <HI>Hezekiah,</HI> through the Prophets en|couragement,
returne againe, but this, <HI>The Vir|gin,
the daughter of Sion hath de&s;pi&s;ed thee, E&s;ay</HI> 37.
22. Although &s;he be but a virgin, yet &s;he hath a
Champion who is in love with her, that will take
her part, and fight her quarrell. The people of
God are weak in them&s;elves, but they have a
&s;trong <HI>Captaine;</HI> &s;o Chri&s;t declares him&s;elfe to
be unto them, <HI>Jo&s;h. 5. 14. As the Captaine of the
Lords Hoa&s;t am I come.</HI> And if a Lyon be the Cap|taine,
though the Armie con&s;i&s;ts but of Harts
and Sheep; yet they will be too hard for the
wolves that come again&s;t them. It is the com|pari&s;on
the Scripture u&s;eth, <HI>E&s;a. 31. 4. Like as the
Lion and the young Lion roaring on his prey, when a
multitude of &s;hepheards are called forth again&s;t him;
&s;o &s;hall the Lord of Hoa&s;ts come downe to fight for mount
Sion, and for the hill thereof.</HI> And then how <HI>&s;till</HI>
and quiet is the <HI>enemie</HI> and <HI>avenger!</HI> Je&s;us
Chri&s;t was borne, as to be a King, &s;o a Con|querour;
and we may &s;tyle him <HI>King Je&s;us the
Conquerour;</HI> &s;o <HI>Rev. 6. 2. He went forth conquering,
and to conquer.</HI></P>
<P>If God will throw downe all mountains of
oppo&s;ition,<NOTE PLACE="marg">U&s;e 2.</NOTE> that hinder the perfecting of his
<PB N="38" REF="22">
Church: Then get up your Faith and re&s;olution,
for this great worke of reforming the Church,
and foreca&s;t not what oppo&s;ition you are like to
encounter with, get but your hearts filled with
Faith, and you will be able to &s;ay, (as <HI>Zerubbabel</HI>
here) <HI>Who art thou, O great Mountaine?</HI> It was long
ere <HI>Zerubbabel</HI> could be brought to believe, or to
re&s;olve to doe it, the di&s;couragements were &s;o
great: the greater mountaine of the two was the
unbeliefe in his owne heart; but when he once did
re&s;olve to &s;et upon the worke, he found all tho&s;e
mountains to vani&s;h before him. To &s;peake &s;till in
the language of the metaphor here, Have but as
much <HI>faith as a grain of mu&s;tard-&s;eed,</HI> and you may
<HI>&s;ay to this mountain, Be removed into the &s;ea, and it &s;hall
be removed: Hezekiah</HI> was a great Reformer, <HI>he
removed the high places, and brake the Images, and
cut downe the Groves, and brake in pieces the Brazen
Serpent, 2 Kings</HI> 18. 4. and then withall it is added
in the following words, <HI>He tru&s;ted in the Lord God
of I&s;rael, ver.</HI> 5. They that will reforme a Church
or State, mu&s;t tru&s;t more in God in doing it, then
in any work el&s;e.</P>
<P>Is a word of Caution:<NOTE PLACE="marg">U&s;e 3.</NOTE> For if the wor&s;hip of
God and every part of it doth &s;o much concerne
Gods glory, (as hath been &s;hewed in the Rea&s;on
of this Doctrine) then take heed how you med|dle
with it. Be &s;ure you &s;et the <HI>&s;ervice of the hou&s;e
of the Lord</HI> in its right <HI>order,</HI> (as the phra&s;e is of <HI>He|zekiahs</HI>
Reformation, 2 <HI>Chron.</HI> 29. 35.) and that ac|cording
to cleare light from the word of truth.
Know and con&s;ider, that you meddle with edged
<PB N="39" REF="22">
tooles, when you take this work in hand. Which
I &s;peak, not to di&s;courage you from it; but to
make you wary in, and attentive to it, more then
all the works you ever did &s;et your hands and
hearts unto. It was a good and a religious purpo&s;e
in <HI>David</HI> to bring back the Arke; and for the &s;ub|&s;tance
of the duty, he was right in it; he mi&s;took
but in the order: he &s;et it upon a cart, when as the
Prie&s;ts &s;houlders &s;hould have carryed it. Him&s;elfe
thus &s;peaks of it, <HI>We &s;ought not God after the due or|der,</HI>
(that is, Gods In&s;titution) 1 <HI>Chro.</HI> 15. 30. And
when it was like to fall, (God confuting thereby
their errour) <HI>Uzzah</HI> did but touch it to keep it up,
(and that too was done out of a good zeale) God
&s;mote him for it; though God him&s;elfe acknow|ledgeth
it to have been but an <HI>error,</HI> or <HI>ra&s;hne&s;&s;e</HI>
in him, even when hee &s;mote him, 2 <HI>Sam.</HI> 6. 7.
<HI>The anger of the Lord was kindled again&s;t Uz|zah,
and God &s;mote him for his [errour.]</HI> But yet
it was an errour about the Arke, (Gods wor|&s;hip,)
and a &s;mall one there is dangerous. But you
will then &s;ay, We had be&s;t not meddle with it at
all, but let it alone, and leave it as it is. It is true,
that <HI>David</HI> him&s;elfe in his feare had ju&s;t the &s;ame
thoughts, 1 <HI>Chron. 13. 12. David</HI> was <HI>afraid of God
that day, How</HI> (&s;ayes he) <HI>&s;hall I bring the Ark of God
home to me?</HI> If men be &s;tricken thus for touching
of it, God be mercifull to me, (thought he) let
it rather remaine where it is. <HI>So David brought not
the Ark home to him&s;elfe, but carryed it a&s;ide into the
hou&s;e of Obed Edom, ver.</HI> 13. But God did &s;oon con|fute
him of this his error al&s;o; for the 14. <HI>ver.</HI> tels
<PB N="40" REF="23">
us, that <HI>The Lord ble&s;&s;ed the hou&s;e of Obed Edom, and
all that he had.</HI> And then <HI>David</HI> began to bethink
him&s;elfe, surely if it brings a ble&s;&s;ing upon the
hou&s;e of <HI>Obed Edom,</HI> it will doe the like on mine
too. And then we reade in the 13. <HI>Chap. He prepa|red
a place for it, and brought it home;</HI> and he being
by this breach made, put upon &s;earching into the
Word, found that the <HI>Levites</HI> onely <HI>ought to carry
it,</HI> and that becau&s;e <HI>they did it not at the fir&s;t, the
Lord</HI> therefore <HI>made a breach upon them, ver.</HI> 30.
Now above all all ob&s;erve, that when he amen|ded
that errour, and brought it home, he was
ble&s;t, and <HI>ble&s;t indeede:</HI> For no &s;ooner did hee
thinke of building a hou&s;e for it, but God promi|&s;ed
to e&s;tabli&s;h his hou&s;e for ever. 2 <HI>Sam.</HI> 7. 11.
And reade the 18. <HI>Chapter,</HI> and you &s;hall &s;ee how
all his enemies upon this were &s;ubdued afore him.
And then of his &s;onne <HI>Solomon,</HI> God &s;ayes in the
13. <HI>ver. He &s;hall build an hou&s;e for my name, and I will
e&s;tabli&s;h the Throne of his Kingdome for ever:</HI> His
own hou&s;e and the Kingdome were e&s;tabli&s;hed
together by it. Thus likewi&s;e when this &s;econd
Temple was to be fini&s;hed, God provokes them
to it by this, <HI>[From this time will I ble&s;&s;e you,] Hag.</HI>
2. 19. And as he ble&s;&s;ed them, &s;o he will ble&s;&s;e
you, and your families, and the Kingdome. To
in&s;tance in &s;ome particulars, (which have been
in your hearts al&s;o, as that purpo&s;e was in <HI>Da|vids)</HI>
together with encouragements out of the
Scriptures &s;uited thereunto. You have declared
your godly re&s;olution to be (to expre&s;&s;e it in your
own words) to <HI>u&s;e your utmo&s;t endeavours to e&s;tabli&s;h
<PB N="41" REF="23">
learned and preaching Mini&s;ters, with a good and &s;uf|ficient
maintenance throughout the whole Kingdome,
wherein many dark corners are mi&s;erably de&s;titute of
the means of &s;alvation;</HI> which project tendeth to en|large
Chri&s;ts my&s;ticall Church. <HI>From this time God
will ble&s;&s;e you;</HI> (look for it) and e&s;tabli&s;h the King|dome
by it. The Scripture for your encourageme~t
holds forth an example of ju&s;t the like practice
of one of the be&s;t Kings, and of that &s;ame ble&s;|&s;ing
following upon it, which is in all your aims,
2 <HI>Chron. 17. 7, 8, 9, 10. Jeho&s;haphat in the third yeare
of his raigne &s;ent to his Princes, to teach</HI> (that is, to
countenance the teaching of the Word) <HI>in the
Cities of Judah, and with them the Levites and Prie&s;ts,
and they taught in Judah, and had the Book of the
Law of the Lord with them, and went throughout all
the Cities of Judah, and taught the people.</HI> Here is
the &s;ame practice that you have re&s;olved upon; &amp;
the &s;ucce&s;&s;e is an&s;werable to your hearts de&s;ires:
For <HI>ver.</HI> 10. it followes, <HI>And the feare of the Lord fell
upon all the Kingdomes of the Lands that were round a|bout
Judah; &amp; they made no warre again&s;t Ieho&s;haphat.</HI>
This will &s;ecure the Land, as much as that po&s;ture
of Warre you intend. You have al&s;o i&s;&s;ued out an
Order for the purging out <HI>divers Innovations in &amp;
about the wor&s;hip of God, for the aboli&s;hing of all Cruci|fixes,
&s;candalous pictures, &amp;c.</HI> and other the like &s;uper|&s;titions.
Go on to e&s;tabli&s;h it; you will e&s;tabli&s;h the
Kingdome by it. Not to quote the book of <HI>Kings</HI>
and <HI>Chronicles,</HI> which is abundant in &s;uch ex|amples;
we have an in&s;tance more ancient of
the like ble&s;&s;ing of God upon the like practice,
<PB N="34" REF="24">
<HI>Gen. 35. Jacob</HI> reformed his family <HI>of all their
&s;trange Gods, and all their eare-rings, ver.</HI> 2. &amp; 4.
and the &s;ucce&s;&s;e was, that <HI>the terrour of God was
upon all the Cities round about them, ver.</HI> 5. You
have likewi&s;e declared, that you intend <HI>a due
and nece&s;&s;ary Reformation of the Government and Li|turgie
of the Church, &amp;c.</HI> you will finde the
like ble&s;&s;ing to be upon this al&s;o, in the Warre
you have undertaken again&s;t the Popi&s;h Iri&s;h
Rebels. When <HI>Abijah</HI> King of <HI>Judah</HI> was to
fight with <HI>Jeroboam</HI> King of <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> that had
perverted the wor&s;hip of the Lord, &s;ee how he
pleades the cau&s;e again&s;t them and his Armie;
<HI>Ye have ca&s;t out the Prie&s;ts of the Lord, but as for us
the Lord is our God, and we have not for&s;aken him, and
the Prie&s;ts which mini&s;ter unto the Lord are the Sons of
Aaron;</HI> that is, &s;uch as by Gods owne appoint|ment
were to governe the Church, and to mini|&s;ter
afore the Lord: <HI>And they burne unto the Lord
every morning and every evening, burnt Sacrifices, and
&s;weete incen&s;e; the &s;hew-bread al&s;o &s;et they in order upon
the pure Table, and the Candle&s;tick of gold with the
Lamps thereof: We keepe the charge of the Lord our
God, but you have for&s;aken him, and behold, God him|&s;elfe
is with us for our Captain, but you &s;hall not pro&s;per,
&amp;c. ver. 9, 10, 11, &amp;</HI> 12. and the i&s;&s;ue of all this
is recorded; <HI>ver. 16, &amp; 17. God &s;mote Jeroboam,
and all I&s;rael before Abijah and Judah, and the Chil|dren
of I&s;rael &s;led before Judah, and Abijah and his
people &s;lew them with a great &s;laughter, &s;o that the
children of I&s;rael were brought under at that time.</HI>
But on the contrary, If you falter in the matter
<PB N="35" REF="24">
of <HI>Religion</HI> and <HI>Wor&s;hip,</HI> know, that <HI>from that
time God will cur&s;e you,</HI> as he did <HI>Jeroboam</HI> and
<HI>I&s;rael</HI> with him; who when he had &s;et up the
calves, to hold the people to him, God threa|tens
his hou&s;e to take it away, <HI>as a man take away
dung untill it be all gone, 1 King.</HI> 14. 10. And as for I&s;|rael
and the &s;tate of that Kingdome, he threatneth
<HI>to &s;mite it as a Reede is &s;haken with the water, ver.</HI> 15.
Whereas you may &s;tand as a Rock in the waters,
and all alterations and turnings of the &s;treame
would but da&s;h and breake them&s;elves upon you,
you all that while abiding firme &amp; immoved; you
will then become as a reede in the waters, to&s;&s;ed
up and downe, with contrary motions of feares
and troubles, as the &s;treame carryes you this
way or that way, even as that &s;tate of I&s;rael
from that time was but fluctuating, and at be&s;t,
<HI>un&s;table as waters</HI> with variety of governments
and Governours, the &s;treame of the people &s;ome|times
turning one way, &s;ometimes another, (as
in the &s;tory appeares;) and in the end, God &s;ayes
that he will <HI>root up I&s;rael out of this good Land,</HI> and
pluck up this Reede even by the roots, when it
hath beene to&s;t a while up and downe. So it fol|lows
there.</P>
<P>I will end this Caution with two Rules. Fir&s;t,
be &s;ure you e&s;tabli&s;h nothing but what you have
full, cleare, and generall light for. Secondly,
condemne nothing, and &s;uffer nothing to &s;tand
condemned, in which, you in your con&s;ciences
are doubtfull, there may be a truth: For if you
&s;hould build the lea&s;t <HI>Hay</HI> and <HI>Stubble,</HI> you <HI>will</HI> not
<PB N="44" REF="25">
onely <HI>&s;uffer lo&s;&s;e,</HI> but lay a foundation of a new
rent and divi&s;ion in the age to come. For there is
a <HI>Spirit</HI> mentioned in the Text, even the Holy
Gho&s;t, who will not re&s;t working in mens &s;pi|rits,
till the whole building be rightly framed ac|cording
to the pattern in every piece of it. And
what ever is ami&s;&s;e, and not according to his
minde, the light of his fire will both <HI>di&s;cover</HI> it
and <HI>burne</HI> it up, which leads me to the 5. Ob&s;er|vation,
which is this:</P>
<P><HI>That God carryes on the work of fini&s;hing his Tem|ple,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">5. Ob&s;er.</NOTE>
<HI>[not by power nor might, but by his Spirit.]</HI> By
<HI>Spirit</HI> he meaneth the holy Gho&s;t, by a more
immediate hand &s;tirring up mens &s;pirits unto this
work; turning and convincing them of the truth,
and of their duty towards it; and likewi&s;e by co|incident
acts of Providence, &s;o apparently whee|ling
about to the effecting of it, that though <HI>might</HI>
and <HI>power</HI> be brought to concur in it, yet &s;o as his
hand alone &s;hall be &s;eene and acknowledged in it.
And thus his <HI>[Spirit]</HI> here is manife&s;tly interpre|ted
in the 10. <HI>ver.</HI> where it is &s;aid, that as all &s;hould
<HI>&s;ee the Plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel,</HI> (the in&s;tru|ment
of building it) &s;o they &s;hould perceive tho&s;e
<HI>&s;even eyes of the Lord, which run to and fro through
the whole earth:</HI> (that is, his eyes of Providence,
called <HI>&s;even,</HI> becau&s;e of their perfection) the&s;e to
have &s;o guided and managed all the affairs there|of,
that all the rayes and beames of Providence
i&s;&s;uing from tho&s;e eyes, might be &s;eene to meet
in the accompli&s;hment of this, as their ultimate
aime and &s;cope. Now the&s;e <HI>&s;even eyes, Rev.</HI> 5. 6.
<PB N="45" REF="25">
are called <HI>the &s;even Spirits of God, &s;ent forth into all
the earth:</HI> And <HI>Rev.</HI> 1. 4. are plainly interpreted to
be the holy Gho&s;t in his various workings, for
<HI>Grace and Peace</HI> is there wi&s;hed <HI>from the &s;even Spi|rits.</HI>
Thus much for the explication of it.</P>
<P>Now that the building of the Temple is thus
more immediately carryed on by the working of
the holy Gho&s;t, you may reade it all along in all
the &s;tory of the building of this Temple in the
Old Te&s;tament, as likewi&s;e in that of the New.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, the laying the <HI>Foundation</HI> of this Tem|ple,
it was done indeed by the <HI>power</HI> and <HI>might</HI> of
<HI>Cyrus;</HI> but yet <HI>Ezra</HI> 1. and 2. it is added, <HI>The Lord
&s;tirred up the &s;pirit of Cyrus;</HI> and how, but by a
meere act of fore-&s;ight or providence afore-hand
about it? God had an hundred yeers before his
birth, by his <HI>Spirit</HI> written a Prophecie of him,
and that by name, <HI>E&s;ay 44. ult.</HI> which the&s;e Jews
&s;hewing him, Gods Spirit &s;tirred up his &s;pirit
thereby; for in his Proclamation him&s;elf &s;ayes,
<HI>The Lord hath charged me to build him an hou&s;e at Je|ru&s;alem,</HI>
&s;o <HI>ver.</HI> 2. of <HI>Ezra</HI> 1. And when he had thus
given leave to the Jews to goe and build it, yet
&s;till it was a great matter of &s;elf-denyall to them,
to <HI>leave their hou&s;es and gardens which they had built
and planted at Babylon, Jer.</HI> 29. 5. Therefore it is
further added in the 5. <HI>ver.</HI> of that 1. of <HI>Ezra, Then
ro&s;e up the chiefe of the Fathers, and the Prie&s;ts and
Levites, with all them who&s;e [&s;pirit God had rai&s;ed up]
to build the hou&s;e of the Lord.</HI> And then again, when
it came to this &s;econd work, the <HI>Fini&s;hing</HI> of it,
they were exceeding backward to it; but God
<PB N="38" REF="26">
&s;ent Two Prophets, who convinced them of their
duty; and therefore <HI>Hag.</HI> 1. 14. it is expre&s;ly and on
purpo&s;e put in, that <HI>The [Lord &s;tirred up the &s;pirit]
of Zerubbabel, and the &s;pirit of Je&s;huah, and the &s;pirit
of all the remnant of the people, and they came and
did work in the hou&s;e of the Lord their God.</HI> And
againe, whereas the Per&s;ian Kings had made De|crees
again&s;t the building of it, (which was the
greate&s;t impediment of all the re&s;t) God brought
<HI>Darius</HI> his heart at la&s;t off to it, and that by &s;o un|expected
a way, as made all the people joyfull:
So it is expre&s;ly &s;aid, <HI>EZra 6. 22. They kept the fea&s;t
of unleavened bread with joy; for the Lord had made
them joyfull, and had turned the heart of the King
of A&s;&s;yria unto them, to &s;trengthen their hands in the
work of the hou&s;e of God.</HI> Yea and his heart was &s;o
much &s;tirred in it, that he not onely makes a <HI>Decree</HI>
for it, <HI>ver.</HI> 8. but likewi&s;e again&s;t all tho&s;e that
&s;hould oppo&s;e it, under a capitall puni&s;hment,
<HI>ver.</HI> 11. yea, he cur&s;eth all that &s;hould <HI>put to their
hand to alter it, ver.</HI> 12. &s;o that the enemies that be|fore
oppo&s;ed it, were now con&s;trained to further
it, <HI>ver.</HI> 13. All this was done, (as you &s;ee) <HI>Not by
power, nor by might, but by Gods Spirit.</HI> Thus much
for this in&s;tance in the Text out of the <HI>Old</HI> Te|&s;tament.</P>
<P>See the like in Gods building his Church in
the <HI>New;</HI> Both in &s;etting up his Church in the
world at fir&s;t, when Heatheni&s;me backt with the
power of the Romane Empire &s;tood in the way of
it; and likewi&s;e in rai&s;ing it up againe, when An|tichri&s;t
had throwne it downe. For the fir&s;t, (the
<PB N="39" REF="26">
Erecting of it) Did he u&s;e <HI>might,</HI> or <HI>power,</HI> or an
<HI>Armie</HI> (as it is varied in the margent) to conquer
the world by? No &s;uch matter: He choo&s;eth
twelve or thirteene men, whereof the mo&s;t were
poore fi&s;her-men; and he &s;ends them not all to|gether
in one troop neither, but di&s;per&s;ed apart
into &s;everall parts of the world, &s;ome taking one
Country to conquer, &s;ome another: The mo&s;t ri|diculous
cour&s;e in appearance, for &s;uch a de&s;igne,
that could be imagined. Yet (as <HI>Revel.</HI> 6. 2.)
Chri&s;t in the&s;e went forth <HI>conquering, and to con|quer,</HI>
and took nothing with him but his <HI>Bow,</HI> (as
it is there) and his <HI>Arrowes,</HI> (as it is <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 45. 5.)
the preaching of the Go&s;pel, even <HI>the fooli&s;hne&s;&s;e of
preaching,</HI> (as the Apo&s;tle calls it) yet hereby the
<HI>people fell &s;o under him,</HI> (as the P&s;almi&s;ts phra&s;e
there is) that in three hundred yeares that whole
Empire was turned Chri&s;tian, and Heatheni&s;h
wor&s;hip throwne downe; and this you &s;ee <HI>not by
power, nor by might, but by his Spirit.</HI></P>
<P>But then again Antichri&s;t &s;teps up, the Bea&s;t
of <HI>Rome,</HI> and <HI>after Him all the world wondered,</HI> (that
is, the European world,) <HI>Revel.</HI> 13. 3. &s;aying,
<HI>Who is like unto the Bea&s;t? who is able to make warre
with him? ver.</HI> 4. But at the 14. <HI>Chap. a Lambe</HI> en|counters
him, and but with a handfull in compa|ri&s;on,
out from among whom he &s;ends a few emi|&s;aries,
to <HI>preach the everla&s;ting Go&s;pell to every Nati|on,
tongue, and kindred: ver. 6, &amp;c.</HI> and in the end
he wins all the Northerne Kingdomes, to em|brace
that Go&s;pell, and will &s;til goe on to conquer
and winne ground, &s;o that in the 15. <HI>Chap.</HI> and
<PB N="48" REF="27">
2. <HI>ver.</HI> we reade of a perfect victory over the
Bea&s;t: And whereas before it had beene &s;aid of
his <HI>Holine&s;&s;e</HI> the Pope, <HI>Who is like unto the Bea&s;t?</HI>
Now it is &s;aid, <HI>ver. 4. Who &s;hall not feare thee, O
Lord? for thou [onely art holy.]</HI> And whereas afore
<HI>All the world wondred after the Bea&s;t, and wor&s;hipped
him;</HI> the world is now &s;o altered, that it is &s;aid, <HI>All
Nations &s;hall come &amp; wor&s;hip before THEE,</HI> in the &s;ame
4. <HI>v.</HI> And now the <HI>wonder</HI> is as much, how all this is
brought about: <HI>Not by power, nor by might, but by his
Spirit.</HI> So it is expre&s;ly &s;aid, 2 <HI>The&s;.</HI> 2. 8. &s;peaking of
<HI>this man of &s;in,</HI> he &s;ayes, <HI>Whom the Lord &s;hall con&s;ume
with the [Spirit of his mouth:]</HI> that is, by his Spirit, in
the preaching of the Go&s;pel, and working in the
hearts of men, and <HI>overcomming</HI> Kingdomes unto
Chri&s;t and his Church: So we reade <HI>Revel.</HI> 17. 4.
<HI>The Lambe &s;hall overcome the Kings that made war
with him,</HI> and yet not by <HI>power,</HI> but by his <HI>Spirit.</HI></P>
<P>The Rea&s;on of this is,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rea&s;.</NOTE> becau&s;e the building of
Gods Church is his <HI>owne bu&s;ine&s;&s;e,</HI> in a more &s;peci|all
manner, more then any other; therefore he
will be &s;ure to doe it him&s;elfe, and more immedi|ately
be &s;eene in it. As it is &s;aid of <HI>Chri&s;t Per&s;onall,</HI>
(the <HI>Tabernacle</HI> of his humane nature) <HI>Heb.</HI> 9. 12.
that it was <HI>not made with hands, that is to &s;ay, not
of this building,</HI> (as the Apo&s;tle there &s;peaks) that
is, It was not framed by the power of nature, as
other men are, but by the Spirit: So it is true of
<HI>Chri&s;t my&s;ticall,</HI> his Body, and the Tabernacle of
his Church. It is not of the ordinary make that
other &s;ocieties of men (whether Families or King|domes)
are of; it is <HI>not made with hands,</HI> (with hu|mane
<PB N="49" REF="27">
wi&s;dome or power, as they are) <HI>that is to &s;ay,
is not of this building.</HI> Thus <HI>Heb. 3. 4. Every hou&s;e</HI>
(&s;ayes the Apo&s;tle) <HI>is built by &s;ome man;</HI> That is,
All Kingdomes, Families, and Societies, God in
an ordinary providence leaves to men to build in
their owne way; but (&s;ayes he) <HI>He that built all
things, is God.</HI> Which is &s;poken of Gods building
his Church, (which is his hou&s;e) and all things
appertaining unto it, as is evident both by the
fore-going words, <HI>ver. 3. He that built the hou&s;e</HI>
(the Apo&s;tle &s;peaking of Chri&s;t, who is God)
<HI>hath more honour then the hou&s;e:</HI> And al&s;o by tho&s;e
words that follow after, <HI>Mo&s;es was faithfull in all
his hou&s;e,</HI> (namely, in the building of that hou&s;e
then) <HI>as a &s;ervant:</HI> but Chri&s;t <HI>as a Son over his
owne hou&s;e,</HI> (now) <HI>who&s;e hou&s;e are we.</HI> The rea&s;on
why thus him&s;elfe by his Spirit builds it, is held
forth in that one world, It is his <HI>[owne]</HI> hou&s;e: and
therefore he will over-&s;ee the doing this him&s;elf,
and will doe it &s;o, that none &s;hall &s;hare in the glory
with him, although he u&s;eth them.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t U&s;e,<NOTE PLACE="marg">U&s;e 1.</NOTE> is, that which is made of it in the
10. <HI>ver&s;e,</HI> namely that in matters which con|cern
the building of the Church, we &s;hould learne
to <HI>de&s;pi&s;e the day of &s;mall things:</HI> The Prophet
&s;peakes it by way of reproofe, <HI>Who hath de&s;pi&s;ed
the day of &s;mall things?</HI> Becau&s;e the beginnings
of this worke then were but &s;mall, and there was
little appearance in humane fore-&s;ight to effect it:
Therefore, <HI>who</HI> almo&s;t was there that did not
<HI>de&s;pi&s;e</HI> it, and de&s;paire of it? Remember that
there is a <HI>Spirit</HI> in the Text, and no man knowes
<PB N="50" REF="28">
how far he may carry on the &s;malle&s;t beginnings,
which he layes as the foundation of his greate&s;t
works, that his owne immediate hand may the
more appeare. <HI>The Kingdome of heaven</HI> was at fir&s;t
but as a <HI>graine of mu&s;tard-&s;eed,</HI> (&s;ayes Chri&s;t) <HI>the
lea&s;t of all &s;eeds; but when it is growne, it is the greate&s;t
of hearbs, and becomes a tree, Mat.</HI> 13. 32. In the 2.
of <HI>Dan. ver.</HI> 34, &amp; 45. there is mention made of
<HI>a &s;tone</HI> that was <HI>cut out of the Mountain without hands;</HI>
which expre&s;&s;ion is u&s;ed not onely to &s;hew the
Divine power that accompanied it, but to inti|mate,
that it was at fir&s;t but &s;ome little &s;tone,
which without hands dropt out, or was blowne
downe from the Mountaine; for if it had beene a
great one, it mu&s;t then have had hands to cut and
hew it out, and to throw it downe. And yet loe
this little &s;tone <HI>became a mountaine, and filled the
whole earth,</HI> as it there follows.</P>
<P>A Second U&s;e is, that which is in the Text,
that when you &s;ee any thing done for Gods
Church beyond the reach of humane wi&s;dome
and fore-&s;ight, that you would fall downe and
<HI>cry</HI> (as they are taught here <HI>ver.</HI> 7.) <HI>Grace, Grace
unto it:</HI> You are not to cry up <HI>Zerubbabel, Zerub|babel,</HI>
that is, any meanes or in&s;trument whatever,
whether King or Parliament, much le&s;&s;e this man,
or that man, but to exalt the free grace of God,
the worke of which alone it is and hath beene.</P>
<P>One word more unto <HI>Zerubbabel,</HI> the Text cals
for it; <HI>This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel.</HI>
From which let the Ob&s;ervation be this:</P>
<P><HI>That this worke of fini&s;hing the Temple, lies fir&s;t
<PB N="51" REF="28">
and chiefly upon Zerubbabel, and his Elders to take
care of:</HI> That is, upon Prince and Elders. And
though <HI>Je&s;huah</HI> and his fellowes the Prie&s;ts are
intended, (as being the one of tho&s;e Olive trees
formerly mentioned) yet <HI>Zerubbabel</HI> and the Ma|gi&s;trates
are onely &s;poken to. All &s;uch motions
&s;hould come fir&s;t from You; it is Your duty to
be the <HI>he-goats of the flock to lead on all the re&s;t,</HI> as the
Prophet <HI>EZekiel</HI> &s;peaks: Thus <HI>EZra 1. 5. Then ro&s;e
up the chiefe of the Fathers of Judah and Benjamin,
to build the hou&s;e of the Lord:</HI> It had otherwi&s;e ne|ver
been done to purpo&s;e. So in the building of
the Temple at fir&s;t, the motion came fir&s;t into <HI>Da|vids</HI>
heart; 1 <HI>Chro. 29. 3. I have</HI> (&s;ayes he) <HI>&s;et my affe|ction
to the hou&s;e of God:</HI> And then, <HI>ver. 6. The chiefe
of the Fathers and Princes of the hou&s;e of I&s;rael,</HI> they
follow; and <HI>then</HI> fell in the <HI>people,</HI> and they <HI>rejoy|ced</HI>
and <HI>offered willingly,</HI> &s;o <HI>ver.</HI> 13. You &s;hould com|mend
unto the people what is good and right. <HI>Let
us bring back the Ark of our God unto us,</HI> (&s;aid <HI>David,</HI>
1 <HI>Chron.</HI> 13. 3.) and no &s;ooner had he commen|ded
it unto them, but (as it followes, <HI>ver.</HI> 4.) <HI>all the
congregation &s;aid, they would doe &s;o, for the thing was
right in the eyes of all the people.</HI></P>
<P>And the rea&s;on why this is your more e&s;peciall
duty, is, becau&s;e God hath honoured Princes and
Magi&s;trates above, and &s;et them over others: <HI>And
as tho&s;e who honour God, God will honour;</HI> &s;o tho&s;e
whom God hath honoured, he expects &s;hould
honour him; and you cannot doe it better then
this way: For how much his honour is concerned
in his wor&s;hip, you heard before.</P>
<P><PB N="52" REF="29">
Let the honour of it move you: Take the re|nowned
men in Scripture, and their greate&s;t glo|ry
hath been to be builders of Gods hou&s;e. It is
mentioned as <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> his highe&s;t honour, <HI>Heb.</HI> 3. 2,
3, 4. And <HI>David</HI> (though a King already) ac|counts
this a greater honour then his Crowne. So
1 <HI>Chron. 29. 14. Who am I,</HI> (&s;ayes he) <HI>and what is my
people, that we &s;hould offer &s;o willingly?</HI> He &s;peaks
it of offering towards the building of the Temple.
And in the New Te&s;tament it is the Apo&s;tles ho|nour,
that they were <HI>Ma&s;ter-builders;</HI> yea it is
made Chri&s;ts highe&s;t honour, <HI>Heb. 3. 3. This man
was accounted worthy of more glory then Mo&s;es; in as
much as he who hath builded the hou&s;e, hath more ho|nour
then the hou&s;e.</HI> So far as you are capable of
it, and have power to doe it, be in this conformed
unto him. The Prize of this honour is &s;et before
you, and you have the fir&s;t offer of it. An opportu|nity
&s;uch as the&s;e la&s;t hundred yeeres wellnigh
have not afforded the like to it. This Parliament
&s;eemes to have been called by God, <HI>for &s;uch a time
as this;</HI> and if you will not doe it, God will doe it
without you: As he &s;aid that <HI>Deliverance,</HI> &s;o (&s;ay I)
<HI>Reformation will ari&s;e &s;ome other way;</HI> God hath a
Spirit here in the Text, that will worke it out in
mens hearts, if power and might &s;hould not: And
<HI>That will be little to your honour,</HI> as <HI>Deborah</HI> &s;aid to <HI>Ba|rak.</HI>
In the 5. of <HI>Micah, ver. 7. The remnant of Jacob</HI>
is &s;aid to be <HI>as a dew from the Lord, and as the &s;howers
upon the gra&s;&s;e, [that tarrieth not for man, nor waiteth
for the &s;ons of men.]</HI> The Prophet u&s;eth two &s;imili|tudes,
to &s;hew both that the multiplication and
<PB N="53" REF="29">
growth of the Church depend not upon man;
fir&s;t, for their propagation, and their being multi|plyed,
he compares them unto the <HI>dew</HI> which is
engendred and di&s;tilled from Heaven immediate|ly.
Therefore <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 110. 3. New converts added
unto the Church are compared unto the <HI>Dew,</HI> and
Gods begetting of them unto the <HI>womb of the mor|ning,</HI>
when over-night, the earth was dry. Again,
the growth and maintaining of them he compares
unto the &s;prouting up of herbs and gra&s;&s;e in wil|derne&s;&s;es
where man comes not, &amp; &s;o their &s;pring|ing
<HI>tarrieth not for man, nor waiteth for the &s;ons of
men,</HI> for them to come with watering pots to nou|ri&s;h
them, (as herbs in gardens do) but the&s;e have
<HI>&s;howers from heaven</HI> that give the encrea&s;e: <HI>I the
Lord</HI> (&s;peaking of this Vineyard) <HI>doe keepe it, I will
water it every moment, E&s;ay</HI> 27. 3.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="conclusion">
<HEAD>The Conclu&s;ion.</HEAD>
<P>NOw for a Conclu&s;ion, and winding up of
all. Is this Word of the Lord &s;poken to
you, in a way of generall Application onely,
&s;uch as &s;imilitudinary examples (which in &s;ome
things hold a likene&s;&s;e) u&s;e to have, <HI>(All things hap|pening</HI>
in the Old Te&s;tament <HI>for examples, and are
written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the
world are come,</HI> as the Apo&s;tle &s;peaks, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 10.
11?) Or is there not &s;ome more &s;peciall word
that applyes this Vi&s;ion of the <HI>Candle&s;tick</HI> &amp; <HI>Olive
Trees,</HI> as Prophetique Types of the like work of
<HI>fini&s;hing the Temple,</HI> to fall out under the times of
<PB N="54" REF="30">
the Go&s;pel, when the Church is come out of Pope|ry?
That <HI>Babylon</HI> was the Prophetique Type of
<HI>Rome,</HI> you all know where to find that; it is in the
17. and 18. of the <HI>Rev.</HI> and &s;o applyed by the holy
Gho&s;t. And that the <HI>foundation</HI> of this Temple was
the type of our fir&s;t <HI>Reformation</HI> when we came out
from Babylon, was in the fir&s;t Ob&s;ervation &s;hewn
you, out of <HI>Chap.</HI> 14. and 15. And that the <HI>Sama|ritans</HI>
are by the holy Gho&s;t made the type of
tho&s;e that &s;hall in any Age <HI>corrupt</HI> the wor&s;hip of
God, by mingling Idolatrous or Popi&s;h <HI>&s;uper&s;titi|ons,</HI>
as our <HI>Innovators</HI> have done; we meet with the
application thereof, by the holy Gho&s;t him&s;elfe,
unto &s;ome living in the be&s;t of Churches under
the Go&s;pel, namely, that of <HI>Philadelphia, Revel.</HI>
3. 9. <HI>who &s;ay they are Jews, and are not; Behold,</HI> (&s;ayes
God) <HI>I will make them to come and wor&s;hip before thy
feet, and to know that I have loved thee,</HI> (as &s;peaking
unto that Church.) Now whereas the holy Gho&s;t
de&s;cribing them to be &s;uch as <HI>&s;ay they are Jews, but
are not,</HI> it is in a Periphra&s;is of &s;peech all one, as
to &s;ay they are <HI>Samaritans. Jo&s;ephus</HI> tels us, that
when the Jews were in a pro&s;perous e&s;tate, the
Samaritans would then &s;ay that they were Jews;
and that fore-mentioned place, the 4. of <HI>EZra,</HI>
manife&s;tly implyes as much; for they there plead,
<HI>We wor&s;hip God as you doe, &amp;c.</HI> And although wee
pa&s;&s;e not this judgement on mens <HI>per&s;ons,</HI> yet we
may &s;peak of <HI>cau&s;es</HI> and things as the Scripture
hath done before us. Now as certaine it is, that
tho&s;e Gods Magi&s;trates, who under the times of
the Go&s;pel, e&s;pecially in the&s;e la&s;t dayes, have
<PB N="55" REF="30">
and &s;hall a&s;&s;i&s;t the Reformation of the Churches
from under tho&s;e Samaritan &s;uper&s;titions, inter|mingled
with their wor&s;hip, and &s;hall afford their
countenance and aid to the fini&s;hing and perfe|cting
the Temple, they are typi&s;ied out by the
<HI>Olive trees</HI> here, (which were then, <HI>Zerubbabel</HI> their
chief Governour, and his <HI>Elders:)</HI> And according|ly
we find as expre&s;&s;e an application of it by the
holy Gho&s;t him&s;elfe, as Prophetically intended
herein. Thus in the &s;ame booke of the <HI>Revel.</HI> (in
which Prophecie of the New Te&s;tament, the
Holy Gho&s;t borrows all the elegancies and flow|ers
in the &s;tory of the Old, thereby to &s;et out the
&s;tory of the New in &s;ucceeding ages) in the 11.
<HI>Chap. ver.</HI> 4. the Holy Gho&s;t de&s;cribes the <HI>Two
Witne&s;&s;es,</HI> that &s;hould oppo&s;e the Bea&s;t and his
party in all (and e&s;pecially the later) ages, &s;aying,
<HI>[The&s;e are the two Olive trees, and the two Candle|&s;ticks
&s;tanding before the God of the Earth.]</HI> Where
by the <HI>Candle&s;ticks</HI> are meant the <HI>Churches</HI> (as
was &s;hewn before) and by the two <HI>Olive Trees</HI> the
eminent Magi&s;trates and Mini&s;ters that &s;upply
Oyle, for the maintaining of the&s;e Churches light
and glory now, as <HI>Zerubbabel</HI> and <HI>Je&s;hua</HI> the Prie&s;ts
did then. Yea the Holy Gho&s;t deciphers them not
only by the very &s;ame Hieroglyphique that is pre|&s;ented
here in <HI>Zachary,</HI> but al&s;o he u&s;eth the very
&s;ame words which we find there in the interpre|tation
of the Vi&s;ion, <HI>[&s;tanding before the God of the
earth.]</HI> And further, this vi&s;ion of the <HI>Candle&s;tick,</HI> &amp;
tho&s;e <HI>two Olive Trees</HI> in <HI>Zachary,</HI> did &s;ignifie, as was
&s;hewne, not &s;o much (if at all) the fir&s;t laying of
<PB N="56" REF="31">
the <HI>foundation</HI> of the Temple, which had beene
done many yeares before, but was eminently (if
not onely to hold forth that worke of <HI>fini&s;hing,</HI> and
compleating it, which remained then to be done;
and to &s;tirre them up thereunto was that vi&s;ion
as there given. Therefore an&s;werably now, the
full analogie of the type mu&s;t principally fall up|on,
not &s;o much the fir&s;t <HI>Reformation,</HI> or laying
the foundation of the Churches Reformation; as
upon a &s;econd work of the perfecting and <HI>fini&s;hing</HI>
of them: And accordingly, as <HI>Zerubbabel</HI> there in
<HI>Zachary</HI> is &s;eene <HI>with a Plummet in his hand, ver.</HI> 10.
to mea&s;ure out what remained unfini&s;hed for the
building of the Temple, &s;o here in the 1. <HI>ver.</HI> of
the 11. of the <HI>Revel. John</HI> hath <HI>a Reed given him,</HI>
(he repre&s;enting the godly of tho&s;e ages) and is
bidden to <HI>mea&s;ure the Temple of God, and the Altar,
and the Wor&s;hippers,</HI> and this as &s;uppo&s;ing a Temple
to have beene already built, onely having too va&s;t
and great an <HI>Outward Court</HI> laid to it, <HI>ver.</HI> 2. And al|though
the computation of the whole time of An|tichri&s;ts
raigne, is there mentioned and annexed to
the&s;e occurences; yet but to this end to &s;hew how
that time allotted him to raigne &s;hould end &amp; ex|pire,
and &s;o in that to &s;hew what pa&s;&s;ages &s;hould
fall out in the Church, towards the expiration of
it, as a warning &amp; &s;ignall of it, (whereof the&s;e are
the chiefe) for <HI>Chap.</HI> before, <HI>ver.</HI> 6. the Angel that
gives that Prophecie in the 11. &s;weares that <HI>time
&s;hould be no longer:</HI> (that is, the Bea&s;ts time:) but
<HI>untill the dayes of the &s;eventh</HI> Trumpet which were
&s;hortly then approaching: for immediately after
<PB N="57" REF="31">
the&s;e occurrences rehear&s;ed wee find that <HI>that
&s;eventh Trumpet &s;ounds, ver.</HI> 15. of that 11. <HI>Chap.</HI></P>
<P>But then you will &s;ay, There is mentioned
after this an overcomming and killing of the&s;e
witne&s;&s;es by a warre of the Bea&s;t, even his la&s;t
war again&s;t the Saints, whereby he &s;hall throw
downe there Candle&s;ticks, and cut downe the&s;e
Olive trees; And if &s;o, where then is all the en|couragement
which you have given?</P>
<P>I dare not <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word">, that this killing is as yet to come;
it is the greate&s;t controver&s;ie in this Book, whe|ther
it be pa&s;t or no; But however, &s;uppo&s;ing it
not yet pa&s;t, to take off di&s;couragements from
thence,</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, for the time of it, we know it not how
long, it may be a good while unto it, and in the
meane time we may yet enjoy a &s;ummer of the
Go&s;pel, and an harve&s;t of a better Reformation,
a little time of which (if it were to be bought)
were worth a world.</P>
<P>Secondly, If you attentively ob&s;erve it, you
&s;hall finde that killing expre&s;&s;ed by an allu&s;ion un|to
Chri&s;ts being crucified at la&s;t, and then their
ri&s;ing againe like his ri&s;ing againe with an <HI>earth|quake,</HI>
and <HI>a&s;cending into Heaven,</HI> as the&s;e are &s;aid
to doe, <HI>ver.</HI> 11, 12, 13. Now with what doth
Chri&s;t comfort him&s;elfe before he was to dye?
<HI>De&s;troy this Temple,</HI> (&s;ayes he) <HI>and in three dayes I
will rai&s;e it up againe:</HI> With the &s;ame may you be
encouraged al&s;o, (though you &s;uppo&s;ed it yet to
come.) It is but a <HI>De&s;truite hoc Templum,</HI> a de&s;troy|ing
of that you are about to repaire, this Tem|ple,
<PB N="58" REF="32">
and but for three dayes and an halfe, no lon|ger,
for <HI>After three dayes and an halfe,</HI> (as it is twice
&s;aid, in the 9. and 11. <HI>ver&s;es)</HI> God will reare it up
againe, and that with advantage, making a better
edition of it, even an Holy of Holies, in which the
<HI>Arke</HI> is <HI>&s;eene,</HI> (as <HI>ver.</HI> 19.) in compari&s;on of the for|mer.
Yea, and further, (as &s;ome think) this kil|ling
&s;hall be but a <HI>Civill</HI> death, that is, of them
as witne&s;&s;es onely; not a <HI>naturall</HI> death, as men:
(For how el&s;e are <HI>their bodies</HI> &s;aid <HI>to lye dead</HI> for
<HI>three yeeres and an halfe?)</HI> And &s;o the &s;ame per&s;ons
&s;hall ri&s;e again and enjoy the fruit of their former
labours, and a&s;cend into a greater glory.</P>
<P>And thirdly, &s;uppo&s;e this &s;hould come upon
you, even when you are <HI>about to fini&s;h</HI> your work,
(as the 7. <HI>ver.</HI> hath it, (<GAP DESC="foreign">) when the&s;e
Olive trees <HI>are about to fini&s;h</HI> or [perfect] <HI>their te&s;ti|mony,</HI>
(as &s;ome doe read it) yet let not even this
cau&s;e you any whit to forbeare this work: Chri&s;t
knew he was to be crucified, yet he ca&s;ts the mo|ney
changers out of the Temple; and &s;o do you:
Purge and Reforme the Temple, though you die
for it, in the doing of it. It is worth the ob&s;erving,
that though it was told good King <HI>Jo&s;iah</HI> in the
beginning of his raigne, that God would bring
evill upon <HI>Hieru&s;alem,</HI> becau&s;e of their Apo&s;ta&s;ie
in <HI>Mana&s;&s;ehs</HI> time, and he knew that all he could
doe in reforming &s;hould not <HI>quench Gods wrath,</HI>
2 <HI>Kin.</HI> 16. 17. yet he reformed <HI>with all his might,</HI>
and therein <HI>there was no King before him, that was like
unto him, ver.</HI> 23, 25. Doe you your duty, and <HI>&s;erve
your generation,</HI> (as <HI>David</HI> is &s;aid to doe.) <HI>Be &s;trong,
<PB N="59" REF="32">
and let not your hands be weake, for your worke &s;hall be
rewarded,</HI> as it is in 2 <HI>Chron.</HI> 15. 7.</P>
<P><HI>I conclude all with that &s;peech unto this whole
State, which</HI> David <HI>u&s;ed to</HI> Solomon, <HI>concerning
the building of the Temple in his dayes,</HI> 1 Chron.
28. 20, 21. Be &s;trong and of good courage, [and doe it;]
Feare not, nor be di&s;mayed, for the Lord God will be with
thee, he will not faile thee, nor for&s;ake thee, untill thou
ha&s;t fini&s;hed all the worke for the &s;ervice of the hou&s;e of
the Lord. And behold, the cour&s;es of the Prie&s;ts and the
Levites &s;hall be with thee, for all the &s;ervice of the
hou&s;e of God, al&s;o the Princes and the people will be
wholly at thy Commandment.</P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV2>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
<BACK>
<DIV1 TYPE="license">
<OPENER><DATELINE><DATE>Die Mercurii 27. Aprilis, 1642.</DATE></DATELINE></OPENER>
<P>IT is this day ordered by the Hou&s;e of Commons, That no
man &s;hall Print the Sermons preached at the la&s;t Fa&s;t day
before the Hou&s;e of Commons by Mr <HI>Goodwin</HI> &amp; M. <HI>Carol,</HI>
be&s;ides them&s;elves, for the &s;pace of the&s;e two moneths, without
the particular licence and approbation of the &s;aid Hou&s;e of
Commons.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>H. ELSYNGE, Cler. Parl. D. Com.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="license">
<P>The&s;e are to give notice, that I appoint <HI>R. Dawlman</HI> to
Print my Sermon.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Tho: Goodwin.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</BACK>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
