Use 3. Wonder not when the heaven is shaken, if you seethe stars fall to the ground. We had some, who pretended to be church stars, that were merely fixed to all men's view, and by their own confession in the political heavens. The first shaking of this nation shook them utterly to the ground. If others also tremble like an aspen leaf, and know not which wind to yield unto, or sail backwards and forwards by the same gale, wonder not at that neither ; when men lay any other foundation than the immoveable corner stone, at one time or other, sooner or later, assuredly they will be shaken.
Use 4. Let the professingpeople that is amongst us look ^ell to themselves : * The day is coming that will burn like an oven.' Dross will not endure this day; we have many a hypocrite as yet to be uncased. Take heed you that act high, if a false heart, a defiled heart be amor.gst you, there «hall be no place for it in the mountain of the Lord's hou^.
I
OF HEAVEX AND EARTH. 379
'The inhabitants of Zion shall be all righteous;' Isa. Ix. 21. Many that make a great siiew now upon the stage, shall be turned off with shame enough ; try and search your hearts, force not the Lord to lay you open to all. The spirit of judgment and burning will try you. Tremble, I pray, for you are entering the most purging, trying furnace, that ever the Lord set up on the earth.
Use 5. Be loose from all shaken things : you see the clouds return after the rain, one storm in the neck of an- other. Thus it must be, until Christ hatli finislied his whole work. * Seeing that ail these things must be dissolved, what manner of persons ought we to be in ail manner of holy conversation.' Let your eyes be upwards, and your hearts be upwards, and your hands be upwards, that you be not moved at the passing away of shaken things. I could here encourage you by the glorious issue of all these shakings, whose foretaste might be as marrow to your bones, though they should be appointed to consumption before the accom- plishment of it : but I must close.
Lse 6. See the vanity, foliy, madness of such as labour to oppose the bringing in the kingdom of the Lord Jesus. Canst thou hinder the rain from descending upon the eartli, when it is falling ? Canst thou stop the sun from rising at its appointed hour? Will the conception for thee dwell quietly in the womb beyond its month? Surely thou mayest with far more ease turn and stop the current and course of na- ture, than obstruct the bringing in of the kingdom of Christ in righteousness and peace. Whence comes it to pass, that so many nations are wasted, destroyed, spoiled, in the days wherein we live ? that God hath taken quietness and peace from the earth? Doubtless from hence, that they will smite themselves against the ' stone cut out of the mountain with- out hands.' Shall not ' the decree bring forth V Is it not in vain to fight against the Lord ? Some are ano-ry, some troubled, some in the dark, some full of revenge ; but the truth is, whether they will hear or forbear, Babylon shall fall, and all the glory of the earth be stained, and the kino-- doms become the kingdoms of our Lord Jesus Christ.
SERMON VIII*
THE
BRANCH OF THE LORD THE BEAUTY OF ZION
OR,
THE GLORY OF THE CHURCH IN ITS RELATION UNTO CHRIST:
OPENED IN TWO SERMONS ; ONE PREACHED AT BERWICK, THE OTHER AT EDINBURGH.
• These two sermons not being divided iu the first edition, we were obliged to print them together as one continued discourse.
TO HIS EXCELLENCY
LORD GENERAL CROMWELL, &c.
My Lord, It was with thoughts of peace that I embraced my call to this place, in time of war. As all peace that is from God is precious to my spirit, so incomparably that between the Father and his elect, which is esta- blished, and carried on in the blood and grace of Jesus Christ. The ministerial dispensation of this peace being through free grace committed even unto me also, I desire that in every place my whole may be, to de- clare it to men of God's good pleasure. That this was my chief design, in answer to the call of God upon me, even to pour out a savour of the gospel upon the sons of peace in this place, I hope is manifest to the consciences of all, with whom (since my coming hither) in the work of the ministry I have had to do. The enmity between God and us began on our part; the peace which he hath made, begins and ends with him- self. This is the way of God with sinners ; when he might justly continue their enemy, and fight against them to their eternal ruin, he draws forth love, and be- seeches them to be reconciled, who have done the wrong, and them to accept of peace, who cannot abide the battle. Certainly the bearing forth of this message, which is so ' worthy of all acceptation,' and ought to- be so welcome, cannot but have sweetness enough to season all the pressures and temptations wherewith it