And these are some of the relations, wherein the Lord Christ stands unto this house of God, being made thereby unto it, beauty and glory, comeliness and excellency. The carrying on of this building, by the union of all the stones thereof to the foundation, and their cementing one to an- other by faith, love, and order, I shall not now treat of, nor of the following points of the text.
The general uses of what hath been said, are three, the heads whereof I shall name.
Use 1. See the eminent privilege of them which are in- deed stones of this house, which is living, strong, and glo- rious, which is so nearly related to the Lord Christ. There is more of duty, dignity, and safety in this thing, than can easily be expressed. To do service unto Christ as his, to have the honour of being his, and to be safeguarded as his, are great privileges. Let them, who have any sense of these things, farther draw out these particulars, from what hath been spoken.
Use 2. Learn hence the vanity of resting upon outward church privileges, if we are not withal interested in this spi- ritual estate. Where men are living stones indeed, they lie in beauty and order in the assemblies; where they are other- wise, where assemblies are made up of dead rubbish, and yet cry, * The house of the Lord, the house of the Lord ;' the Lord Jesus abhors those assemblies, he stands not in these rela- tions unto them.
414 THE BRANCH 0 1' THE LORD, SiC
Use 3. See hence the ruin of persecution, that hath ap- peared in the world in various forms. It hath put on all manner of colours and pretences, and prevailed with all sorts of persons at one time or other to close with it. What hath been the issue? what is like to be? The house indeed hath been battered sometimes, but they who have come against it have been broken all to pieces. Shall the residue of men, who under new pretences, or old ones new painted, drive on the same design, shall they prosper? Thou, O Lord Jesus, in thine anger wilt cut them off'. The Lord open the eyes of the sons of men, that they may not hope any more to sepa- rate between Christ and his saints, between whom there are so many everlasting relations.
Mova) cro<f>cii &lS, Xia Iri^ov XpiiTTou, to h Jo^a Elf ToUj aiivaf. ' fifx,nv.
4
I
I
SERMON IX.*
THE
ADVANTAGE OF THE KINGDOM OF CHRIST
IN THE
SHAKING OF THE KINGDOMS OF THE WORLD :
OR,
PIlOVlDE^'TIA^ ALTERATIONS IN THEIR SUBSERVIENCY TO CHRIST'S EXALTATION.
* This sermon was preached to the Parliament, Oct. 24, 1651. being a solemn day of thanksgiving for the destruction of the Scots' army at Worcester, with sundry other mercies.
TO THE SUPREME AUTHORITY OF THE NATION,
THE
COMMONS ASSEMBLED IN PARLIAMENT.
Right Honourable,
Of all the times which the Holy One of Israel hath caused to pass over the nations of the world, there hath not any from the days of old been so filled with eminent discoveries of his presence, power, and providence, in disposing of all affairs here below according to the counsel of his own will, as the season wherein he hath made you a spectacle unto men and angels, being the instrument in his hand to perform all his pleasure. Neither in this season hath he upon any opportunity so gloriously laid hold upon his own strength and good- ness, to manifest the fixedness of his eye on those, who are as the apple of it ; as in that mighty deliverance, the high praises whereof, according to his good hand upon you, you lately rendered unto him.
The more beauty and desirableness any design against the Lord Christ is clothed v/ithal, the more power and subtilty it is supported with, the greater is the brightness of his coming for its wasting and deso- lation. With what deceivableness of unrighteousness, and lies in hypocrisy, the late grand attempt of those in Scotland, with their adherents (which also was of the former, and is gone into destruction), was carried on, is in some measure now made naked to the loathing of its
THE EPISTLE DEDICATORY. CCCCXVU
abominations. In digging deep to lay a foundation for blood and revenge, in covering private and sordid ends with a pretence of things public and glorious, in limning a face of religion upon a worldly stock, in concealing distant aims, and bloody animosities, to compass one common end, that a theatre might be pro- vided to act several parts upon, in pleading a necessity from an oath of God, unto most desperate undertakings against God, and such like things as these, perhaps it gives not place to any which former ages have been acquainted withal. Now to reject all the claims of the authors and abettors thereof to any commission from above, to divest them of all pretences to religion and zeal thereof, to disappoint them in their expected asso- ciations, and to make all their strength to become as tow that hath smelt the fire, hath been his work alone, who takes to himself his great power, to carry on the inte- rest of bis i^kingdom against all opposers. Under the shadow of this mercy, composed of as many branches of wisdom, power, goodness, and faithfulness, as any outward dispensation hath brought forth since the name of Christian was known, do you now sit in coun- cil, and the residue of the nation in peace. What ob- ligations from the Lord, what cords of love are upon us ? The returnal and improvement of all his dealings with us, which he requireth and expecteth from us, I have pointed you unto in the following sermon. For the present, I shall only add, that as whatever there hath been, of beauty, glory^ or advantage unto the people of God in the late transactions, hath been eminently of undeserved grace ; so the dreadful ven- geance which the Lord hath executed against the men of his enmity and warfare, hath been most righteously procured, by their clothing cursed designs of revenge, persecution, bondage in soul and body, spoil and ra- pine, with the most glorious pretences of zeal, covenant,