382 THE KPISTIK DEDICATORT.
is sometimes attended. Tliis hath been my desire to pursue, and that with the weapons which are not car- nal. And though some may be so seasoned with the leaven of contention about carnal thino^s, or at best the tithing of mint and cummin, as to disrelish the weightier things of the gospel, yet the great owner of the vineyard hath not left me without a comfortable assurance that even ' this labour in the Lord hath not been in vain.'
The following sermons, which I desire to present unto your Excellency, were preached one at Berwick upon your first advance into Scotland, the other at Edinburgh. My willingness to serve the inheritance of Christ here, even in my absence, caused me to close with the desires that were held out to this purpose. And I do present them to your Excellency, not only because the rise of my call to this service under God was from you; but also, because in the carrying of it on, I have received from you in the v«^eaknesses and temptations wherewith I am encompassed, that daily spiritual refreshment and support, by inquiry into, and discovery of, the deep and hidden dispensations of God towards his secret ones, which my spirit is taught to value. The carrying on of the interest of the Lord Jesus amongst his saints, in all his ways, which are truth and righteousness, the matter pointed at in this discourse, being the aim of your spirit in your great undertakings, it bears another respect unto you. I am not unacquainted with its meanness, yea, its coming: short in respect of use and fruit, of what the Lord hath since and by others drawn forth, but such as it is, having by providence stepped first into the world, I wholly commend it to him for an incense, who graci- ously ' supplied the seed to the sower ;' beseeching him that we niay have 'joy unspeakable and glorious,'
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in the acceptance of that peace, which he gives us in the Son of his love, whilst the peace, whose desire in the midst of war you continually bear forth to him, and to others, is by them rejected to their hurt.
Your Excellency's
Most humble servant in our dearest Lord,
J. Owen.
Edinburgh, Not. 26, 1630.
384 TllF. FiKAXCH t)F 1111'. LOiin
SERMON VIII.
For mine house shallbe called an house of prayer for all people. — IsA. Ivi. 7-
From ver. 3. of this chapter, to ver. 8. you have promises and predictions of calling in Gentiles and strangers to the church ofGod, notwithstanding any objections or hind erances laid in their way, by ceremonial and typical constitutions, they being all to be removed in the cross of Christ, Ephes. ii. 13 — 16. Col. ii. 14. making way for the accomplishment of that signal promise which is given in the second chap- ter of this prophecy, ver. 2, 3. 'And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills, and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go, and say. Come ye, let us go up,' &c.
The words of ver. 7. are a recapitulation of the whole, holding out summarily the calling of the Gentiles to the holy mount, or spiritual church of Christ. Where also you have a description of the services performed by them upon their coming: 'Their burnt-offerings and sacrifices shall be ac- cepted upon mine altar :' answerable to that eminent predic- tion of the solemn worship of the called Gentiles, Mai. i. 11. 'For from the rising of the sun, even to the going down of the same, my name shall be great among the Gentiles ; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a peace-offering : for my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the Lord of hosts.' The spiritual services of the saints of the Gentiles are in each place set forth by those ceremonial ordinances of incense, altar, and sacrifice, as were then most acceptable from the Lord's own appointment.
Now this whole promise is once again strengthened, with- out loss of life or beauty, and comprised in the words of the text. That which before he termed ' sacrifice and burnt- offerings,' here he calleth ' prayer :' and those who before were ' the sons of the stranger,' are here ' all people,' some, many of all sorts, the whole world, all men, without distinc- tion, the partition wall being broken down.
The thing here spoken of is God's house, described
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First, By its appropriation unto him, it is his peculiar; •My house.'
Secondly, By its extent of receipt in respect of others; it is • for all people.'
Thirdly, By the employment of its inhabitants, that is prayer; it 'shall be called a house of prayer.'
' House,' here may be taken two ways :
1. Properly, as it was in the type for the material temple at Jerusalem ; whereunto these words are applied by our Sa- viour, Matt. xxi. But that is no farther concerned herein, but as the spiritual holiness of the antitype could not be re- presented without a ceremonial holiness of the type.