I will now fall upon the very words of my text. ' In this mountain shall the Lord of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things,' &c. These words they are prophetical, and cannot have a perfect performance all at once, but they shall be performed gradually. The promise of ' a new heaven and a new earth,' 2 Pet. iii. 13, shall be performed. The conversion of
444 THE MABRIAGE FEAST [SeRMON I.
the Jews, and tlie bringing in of the fulness of the Gentiles, shall gradually be brought to pass. All the promises that ever God hath made, before the second coming of Christ to judgment, shall be accomplished. God hath made his peace with us in the gospel of peace ; and when aU these promises shall be fulfilled, then all imperfection shall be done away, and we shall never be removed from our Rock ; but our joy shall then be full. Nay, even in this life we have some degi-ees of perfection. We have grace, and the means of grace ; the ordinances of Chiist, and a testimony of everlast- ing glory.
' In this mountain wall the Lord of hosts make a feast.'
In these words ye have set down a glorious and a royal feast ; and the place where this feast is to be kept is ' Mount Zion ;' the feast-maker is ' the Lord of Hosts ;' the parties invited, are ' all people ;' the issues of it, and the provision for the feast, are ' fat things,' and ' wine' of the best ; a feast of the best of the best, a feast of the fat and of the marrow, a feast of * wine on the lees well refined.'
Here you may see that God doth veil heavenly things under earthly things, and condescends so low as to enter into the inward man by the outward man. For our apprehensions are so weak and narrow, that we cannot be acquainted with spiritual things, but by the inward working of the Spirit of the Almighty.
This ' mountain' is the place where this feast is made, even ' mount Zion ;' which is a type and figure of the church, called in Scripture, ' the holy mountain.' For as mountains are raised high above the earth, so the church of God is raised in excellency and dignity above all the sorts of mankind.
Obs. 1. As much as men above beasts, so much is the church raised above all men. This mountain is above all mountains. The ' mountain of the Lord' is above all mountains whatsoever. ' Thou, 0 mountain, shalt stand im- moveable,' when all other mountains shall smoke, if they are but touched. This is the mountain of mountains. The church of God is most excellent in glory and dignity, as ye may see in the latter end of the former chapter, how the glory of the church puts down all other glories whatsoever. ' The moon,' saith the prophet, ' shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the Lord of Hosts shall reign in Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.' So that the brightness of the church shall put down the glory of the sun and of the moon. Thus you see the church of God is a mountain.
Reason. First, Because God hath established it upon a stronger foundation than all the world besides. It is founded upon the goodness and power and truth of God. Mountains of brass and iron are not so fii'm as this moun- tain. For what sustains the church but the word of God ? And being built upon his word and truth, it may very well be called a mountain, for it shall be as mount Zion, which shall never be removed, Ps. cxxv. i. It may be moved, but never removed. Thus, in regard to the firmness and stabihty thereof, it may rightly be termed a mountain.
Obs. 2. Again, ive may here speak in some sort of the visibility of the church. But here will arise a quarrel for the papists, who when they hear of this mount, they presently allude* it to theii" church, Their chm'ch, say they, is a mount ; so saith the Scripture.
I answer, Firstly, We confess in some sort their church to be a mount (tiiough not this mount), for Babylon is built on seven hills ; but if this * That is, = ' make it refer to.' — G.
ISA. XXV. 6.] BETWEEN CHRIST AND HIS CHURCH. 44S
prove her a church, it is an antichristian church. Secondly, That the Catholic Protestantial* church had always a being, though sometimes invi- sible. The apostle, writing to the Romans, exhorts them * not to be high- minded, but fear ;' for, saith he, ' if God hath broken off the natural branches, perhaps he will break off you also,' Rom. xi. 21, 24. And, indeed, for their pride and haughtiness of mind, they are at this day broken off. Christ, that ' walks between the seven golden candlesticks,' Rev. i. 12, did never say that the church of Smjrrna or Ephesus should always remain a visible church to the eyes of the world, neither were they ; for to this very day they He under bondage and slavery to the Turk. The mount hath been always visible, though not always alike gloriously visible. For there wiU be a time when the church shall fly into the wilderness. Rev. xii. 6. Where, then, shall be the glorious visibility of the church ? There is a time when all shall follow the beast. The papists themselves confess that in antichrist's time the church shall scarce be visible. The essence of a thing and the quality of a thing may differ. The church is a church, and visible, but not always equally, and alike gloriously visible ; yet those that had spiritual eyes, and did look upon things with the spectacles of the Scripture, they could always declare the church was visible ; for, from the beginning of the world, the church had always lustre enough sufficient to delight, and draw the elect, and so shall have to the end of the world, though sometimes the church may have a mist before it, as Austin speaks : ' It is no wonder that thou canst not see a mountain, for thou hast no eyes.' But the papists have seen this momitain. As they have always been bloody persecutors of the church, they have seen enough to confound them. For we have nothing in om* church, but they have the same ; only ours is refined, and freed from idolatry. We have two sacraments, they have seven. We have Scripture, they have traditions, which they equal with it. We have Scriptures pure, they, comipt. So that our chui-ch was in the midst of theirs, as a sound and more uncorrupt part in a corrupt body.