how well doth God take it when his people will not be terrified from their duty by the fear of men ! " The Lord hearkened and " heard it :" ' They did not whiper so in one another's ear (saith ' a modern divine) but God over-heard them,' the Lord listened, as it were at the key-hole, he was under the window, and kept it upon record ; a book of remembrance was written. O how pleasant is it to God to see his secret ones making hard shifts to get toge- ther to worship him ! Cant. ii. 14. " O my dove thou art in the " clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see <^ thy countenance, let me hear thy voice ; for sweet is thy voice, " and thy countenance is comely." What are these * clefts of rocks and secret places of the stairs, but those secret retiring places where the people of God get together in difficult times to seek their God ? There they f poured out their souls together in bro- ken-hearted confessions of sin. ' The primitive Christians (saith ' Hilary) were not to be sought hi tectis et ejcterlori pompa^ i. e. in * palaces and outward pomp, but rather in desarts and mountains, ' in dens and caves of the earth ;' as Heb. xi. 38. * In Queen ' Mary's time, (saith Mr. Fox) there were sometimes forty, some- ' times an hundred, sometimes two hundred, came together as ' they could, in private places in London, for mutual edifica- *■ tion.'
And though men call this by hard names, and load it with re- proach, as if it M^ere faction and sedition, yet it undergoes another censure in heaven. I remember + Tertullian, about 1400 years ago, in his apology vindicates this practice of theirs against the ca- lumnies of the heathen ; " When good men meet together,) saith *' he) it is not to be called a faction, but a court. And on the con- " trary, the name of faction is to be ap})lied to them who con- ** spire in hatred against good and honest men. And what place '^ is accounted so honourable, and abounds Avith such delight as the ** courts of princes 'f Yea, let us hear what a bishop of our own speaks of such meetings ; ' Sometimes (saith he) the rage of perse- ' cution suffers not the church to meet in the public sight of all, but
* lie does not stay in a dwelling-house, but in lurking-place. Brightman on the place.
f That is, the whole face covered over with tears, at the sight of which God is won- derfully delighted, ibid. Acts et Mon.fol. 1881.
\ Cum boni, cum prohi coeunt non est f actio dicenda, sed curia, et e contrario, illis nO' vien fuclicnis accommodandum est, qui m est diuvi bonorum et 2)roboruvi conspirant. Tertul. Apol. cap. 39.
OVZ ANTirHARMACUM SALUBKRIIIMUM.
' forces tliem as it were to creep into private holes ;' as Rev. xii. 6. as Athanasius and other orthodox Christians, were fain to seek hiding places from the Arians.
* " Every meeting of the faithful, although for their fewness ^' they may be included within the walls of a private house, al- '' though by the fury of the enemies they keep their meeting by " night, yet it is a true church.'' Thus bishop Davenant. And truly if the saints had nothing else but the gracious presence of Christ, (which is by promise engaged to be among them) it were enough to oppose to all the difficulties and dangers attending on such a duty, What a sweet promise is that, Matth. xviii. 20. *' Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there " am I in the midst of them ;" that is, saith Cameron, 7iot onh/ 7£}ith them, hut as a president among them : Christ will be there to defend, teach, and bless them. How often hath this promise been made good to the experiences of the saints ? John xx. 19. " Then *' the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when " the doors were shut, where the disciples were assembleil for '' fear of the Jews, came Jesus, and stood in the midst of them, " and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.'"* Oh if Jesus be in the midst of you, no matter how many enemies combine against you : if he speak peace to you, no matter who prepares war against you : it is worth the venturing far to meet with Jesus Christ, and enjoy fellowship with him in such duties.
And besides, this is the way to prevent the decay and cooling of thy affections : in times of abounding iniquity, the love of many will wax cold ; " but he that endureth to the end, the same shall " be saved.'' Lo it is but an [he'] (saith one upon the text) a single man, a very few, that hold out in comparison of the apos- tates. The whole world went wondering after the beast. Rev. xiii. 3, 4. Such was the paucity and obscurity of Christians in the Arian times, that Basil cries out. An eccles'ias suas prorsus dereli- quit Dominus ? Hath the Lord utterly forsaken his churches ? The ship of the church was then almost overwhelmed, saith Hierom ; when the storm is at its height, thou shalt see professors fall like the leaves in autumn, or as rotten fruit in a windy day. The dra- gon's tail shall sweep down the third part of the stars. Now to fix thee in such a day, the communion of saints is of singular use, they do wedge in and fasten one another ; all the enemy's rage could not sever them ; in the primitive times, Acts iv. 23. being let go, they went to their company : -[- " Two (saith Solomon) are better
* Quecvis coUectin Juleliuniy etiam sic oh paudtatem suam intra jirivat^e domus parietes iticludi possit eliavisi obj'urorem hostiuvi nocturnos conventus agant, est vera eccksia. Dav. in loc. p. 410.
f In religious societies this is a chief advantage, that by mutual, seasonable ex*
AXTtPIIAllMACUM SALUBKRRIMUM. 543
** than one, because they have a good reward for then* labour. " For if they fall, the one will help up his fellow : but wo to " him that is alone,'' P-iccl. iv. 9, 10. " If two lie together, then " they have heat : but how can one be warm alone ?" Commu- nion with spiritual Christians affords this double benefit ; if one stumble, yea, fall, another will recover him ; if one's affections grow chill, another's zeal will warm them again : the benefit of such society is unspeakable, and truly the nearer you keep to God, the closer you will cleave to one another, as lines are nearer at the centre.
Study to "keep yourselves purejrom the corruptions of the present world.