The Happiness of the Church, Biblical commentary 1 · Part 1
Mount Sion.
Not literally that Mount Sion whereon Salomon built the Temple, and Dauid his Palace. That locall Sion became like Shiloh: first, exceedingly and superlatiuely hPsal. 87. 2.loued, afterwards iPsa. 78. 60.abhorred and forsaken, like the Tabernacle of Shiloh, the Tent that he pitched among men. This was threatned to that sacred place, as a iust punishment of their rebellious profanenesse. Therefore will I doe vntounto this house, that is called by my Name, as I hauehave done to Shiloh. It lies in the power of sinne, to make the most blessed places accursed. kPsal. 107. 34.God turnes a fruitfull land into barrennesse, for the wickednesse of the inhabitants that dwell therein. Ciuitatis euersio morum, non murorum casus. The ruine of a Citie is not the breach of the walls, but the apostacie of manners. Were our Fences stronger then the seuen-folde walls of Babylon, the sinnes within would hurle downe the Bulwarkes without. If there be Prauilegium among vsus, there is no Priuilegium for vsus.
This Sion then stands not on earthly foundations; for at the generall dissolution, l2. Pet. 3. 10.the earth with all the workes in it, Cities, Castles, Townes, Towres, shall be burnt vp. If it were built on a mMat. 7. 27.sa…dy foundation, when the raine, the flouds, and windes shall conspire against it, it would fall, and the fall of it would be great. But Sion is built on Christ: n1. Pet. 2. 6.Behold, I say, in Sion a chiefe corner stone, elect and precious, he that beleeueth on him, shall not be confounded. This is conspicuous by the Antithesis of Mount Sion with the Gospell, to Mount Sinai with the Law. The Apostlecals that montem foreign, a mount that might be touched: if this had beene vponupon earth, it had also beene contrectabilis, touchable: but it is onelyonly spirituall. Hee alludes to Gods Prophesies and Promises, Euangelium proditurum de monte Sion, that the Gospel should come out of Mount Sion. This is manifest to those that will consider and conferre these places, Obad. vers. 21. Esa. 2. 3. Mie. 4. 2. Come, let vsus goe vp to the Mount of the Lord; for out of Sion shall goe forth the Law, and the word of God from Ierusalem, Esa. 59. 20. with Rom. 11. 26. There shall come out of Sion the Deliuerer, and shall turne away vngodlinesse from Iacob. Sinai gaue thraldome by Moses, Sion giues freedome and saluation by Iesus.
These two words giuegive vsus two comforts of grace. Fortitudinem quia mons, Beatitudinem quia mons Sion. Securitie, because it is a mountaine; Felicity, because it is Mount Sion.
1. Heere is considerable, the validity and strength of grace that comes by Christ: we are not built in a valley, but on a mount. A mountaine hath euer beene held the place of safety. oPsal. 30. 8.I said in my prosperity, I shall neuer be moued. What is his reason? Lord, thou of thy fauour hast made my mountaine so strong. But alas, what are all the mountaines of the earth to mount Sion? pAmos 6. 1.Woe to them that trust in the mountaines of Samaria. The prophane Edomite stands on his qEsa. 21. 11.mountain, and derides the iudgement of God. The Syrians thought God only Deum montium, r1. King. 20. 23.a God of the mountaines. It was vponupon sIerem. 3. 6.the high mountaine that Israel played the harlot. Many sit on their mountains, and giuegive defiance to heauen. The couetous mans mountaine is his riches, there he thinkes himselfe safe; tLuk. 12. 19.Soule rest, thou hast much goods layd vp for many yeares. The ambitious mans mountaine is his honour, and who dares finde fault with so promontorious a celsitude? yes, uEsay 40. 4.EueryEvery mountaine shall be brought low. Sensualitie is the voluptuous mans mountaine, there he refugeth himselfe against all reproofes. But when the iudgements of God shall come vponupon the earth, in vaine they shal cry xLuk. 23. 30.to the mountaines, Fallon vsus, and to the hills, Couer vsus. As neyther against the waters in the former Deluge, so nor against the fire in the latter dissolution, shall the mountaines defend; onelyonly this Mount Sion shall saue vsus.
The mountaine of worldly confidence hath not more strength of defending against the assaults of men, then danger of exposing to the violences of heauen. Heere is the difference betwixt the worldlings building, and the Christians.
1. They thinke themselues onelyonly to build high, aspiring to an equality with mountaines: and as low builders, poore, deiected, and reiected creatures. But indeed they build low, for all sublunary things are low buildings, onelyonly he that builds on this Mount Sion, builds high and sure; when all oppositions, and aduersary forces hauehave done their worst, he stands firme aPsal. 125. 1.like Mount Sion, which cannot be remoued, but abideth fast for euer.
The bSen.Wise mans mind is euer aboue the Moone, yea, aboue the Sun. What turbulencies soeuer be in the world, all is peace there. cIohn 14. 2.In my Fathers house there are many mansions. In domo, it is a house, not a Tabernacle: Of my Father, for if he hath afforded such a house for his enemies, how glorious is that he hath reserued for himselfe, and his friends! Patris mei, saith Christ, My Father: your Father is able to giuegive you a cottage for your short life: My Father giues a house for euer. There are Mansions, à manendo; not moueable tents, but mansions. Many, enow for all, none shall be troubled for want of elbow-roome. Therefore let all Mountaines stoope to this. dEsay 2. 2.The mountaine of the Lord shall be established in the top of mountaines, and shall be exalted aboue the hills, and all Nations shal flowe vntounto it. This is Gods Mountaine, who hath chosen of all Nations, Israel; of all Tribes, Iuda; of all Cities, Ierusalem; of all Temples, that of Salomon; of all Mountaines, Mount Sion.
2. The worldlings thinke this Mountaine is but a dreame, because they cannot see it, nor touch it. But our Apostle sayes, it is intrectabilis: it cannot be touched with earthly fingers; no profane feet must tread in those holy Courts. Naturall mens vnderstandings are led by their senses; Plus oculo quàm oraculo: they will belieue no further then they see. GiueGive mee good cheare, sayes the Epicure, this I can see and taste: and tell not me of your spirituall banket in heauen. GiueGive me good liquour, sayes the Drunkard, the bloud of the grape: this giues colorem, saporem, odorem; colour to the eye, sauour to the palate, odour to the sent: heauen hath no Nectar like this. GiueGive me honour, saith the Ambitious, which may aduaunce me: that from this Mountaine of preferment I may ouerlooke the inferiour world, and behold vassals prostrate to my Celsitude; this I can feele and see: tel not me of your inuisible kingdome, and ePsal. 149. 9.Such honour hauehave all his Saints. GiueGive mee gorgeous apparell, sayes the proud: this vvill make me admir'd, & giuegive me admission among the great ones: tell not me of our Robe of Glory. GiueGive me gold, saies the Couetous, this I can see; it is my Sunne by day, and my Moone by night. I can spend my time delightfully in telling, feeling, treasuring this: neuer tell me of your treasure in heauen. Well, if there be no remedy, but Sense must be your Religion, and this world your God; take your choise; these grosse & palpable things; trust you in these Mountaines: but Lord giuegive vsus this Mount Sion, which our Lord Iesus Christ hath established for vsus.
Now, sith we are built vponupon a Mountaine, let vsus know that we are conspicuous; all the world takes notice of vsus. The faithfull are not ordained to liue in corners, vnobserued: but are set on a Mountaine, as examples of goodnesse to all. fMat. 5. 14.A Citie that is set on a hill cannot be hid. God meant you notable, take heed you become not notorious. As Mount Sion gPsal. 48. 2.is the ioy of the whole earth, so it is the light of the whole earth. If that light become darknesse, how great, & how greatly to be condemned is that darknesse? This was that great exception God tooke against Israel, that hRom. 2. 24.through them his Name (which should hauehave beene honoured) was blasphemed among the Gentiles. You are founded on a Mountaine, therefore i1. Pet. 2. 12.hauehave your conuersation honest among men, that by your good works which they behold, they may glorifie God in the day of visitation.
2. The felicitie that comes by Christ, insinuated by Sion, which was a place of blessednes. This is either Praemissa, or Promissa: already sent into our hearts, or certainely obiected by promise to our faiths. It is either assumed, or assured. Inre, or in spe: either that we hauehave, or that we shall hauehave. The happinesse wee hauehave already by this Mount Sion, consists in three priuiledges: the Fauour of God; Ioy of the holy Ghost; and peace of Conscience.
1. In the Fauour of GOD, which is to Sion, as the kExod. 10. 23.light was once to Goshen: shining there, and no vvhere else. Or as to Gedeon, the lIud. 6. 37.Fleece on the Mountaine is wet with the dew of Heauen, when all the earth is dry besides: This Lux vultus tui, mPsal. 4. 6.the light of thy Countenance, which puts more gladnes into our hearts, then the aboundance of earthly fruites reioyce the couetous: The wicked shall neuer see it, vnlesse so much as may encrease their anguish, when they must depart from it for euer.
2. In the ioy of the Spirit, which is (hilaris cum pondere virtus) a gladnes that can neither be suppressed, nor expressed. Sentire est cordis, dicere non est oris: The heart doth feele it, the tongue cannot tell it. It is that nReu. 2. 17.Stone with the new Name written in it, which no man knoweth, sauing be that receiueth it. There is much reioycing in the world, but the matter of it is mutable. These lower delights are more sensitiue, but more fluid. They sooner cloy vsus; Magna foelicitas est à foelicitate non vinci. It is a great happinesse not to be ouercome of happinesse. Corporall Sen.delights work in vsus a great hunger till they are attained. But Spirituall, Cùm non habentur sunt in fastidio: cùm habentur in desiderio: Whiles we hauehave them not, we Greg.care not for them, but when we hauehave them, wee more eagerly desire them. There is no hunger of it, till we taste it. In illis appetitus generat saturitatem saturitas fastidium. In istis appetitus parat fruitione…, fruitio parit appetitum. In carnall pleasures, appetite begets fulnesse; fulnesse, lothing: in spirituall, desire prepares fruition, fruition begets desiring. Voluptuous pleasure, is like a blister: it beginnes first with an itching, but at last it swells, & breakes forth in anguish and putrid corruption. There are two obseruations able to keepe vsus from ouer-affecting the ioyes of this world, and from vilipending the ioyes of Sion.
1. First, resolue eueryevery carnall delight in the first matter and principle of it, and there will be more likelihood of despising, then danger of much desiring. The Couetous makes oIob. 31. 24.gold his hope, and sayes to the Wedge, Thou art my confidence: and what are those precious metals hee so worshippeth, but veines of the earth better coloured. T… Ambitious builder, that erects a pDan. 4. 30.Babel for the honour of his owne Maiesty, thinkes all eyes standamazed at his magnificence. And what are those sumptuous monuments wherein hee so glorieth, but monumentall witnesses of his folly, a little hewne tymber, some burnt and hardned earth? The Adulterer admires the beauty of his harlot, kneeles to a pledge of her memory, by wanton sonnets Idolises her, turnes his soule to an Elephant, and worships this Sun. Now what is that stately building of a humane lumpe, but the same earth his foote treads vponupon, better tempered, because painted worse; when it wants the guest, the soule that quickens it worst of all? The proud dotes on his costly robes, centers his eye vponupon himselfe, as if no second obiect was worth looking on; the Tailors hand hath made him a man, and his purse makes the Taylor a Gentleman. And what are those curious ragges, but such are giuen of wormes; and consumed of mothes? Consider the materials of your lower ioyes, & if you will persist in their dotage, you shall doe it without our enuy.
2. Obserue their Conclusion; looke from their beginning to their end. Delectatio vulnerat, & transit: infoelicem Ambr.reddidit, & reliquit. Pleasure, like an Irish man, wounds with her dart, and is sodainly gone: it makes a man miserable, and so leaues him. Mors in ollâ; behold laughter concluded in teares. The protasis delights, the apodosis wounds. The Conscience receiues a long vexation, for a transient delectation: for an vnperfect content, perfect torment. This is a hard penniworth, so little pleasure for so much repentance. He that for a little ioy, giues that Christ bought with so much paine, Stultum Aug.Christum reputat mercatorem; thinkes Christ a foolish buyer; but the euent proues him a foolish seller. Esau bitterly repented this bargaine.
This for the world: but now the ioyes of Mount Sion are for matter spirituall, for substance reall, for vse vniuersall, for continuance eternall.
3. In the peace of Conscience. There is little outward peace in the world; wee hauehave eyther an Esau with his hand, or an Ismael with his tongue, bent against vsus. qGal. 4. 29.As then he that was borne after the flesh, persecuted him that was borne after the Spirit, euen so it is now. So it is, and so it will be to the end of the world. This is the difference betwixt Mount Sion militant, and Mount Sion triumphant. In heauen are all comforts without any crosses: in hell are all crosses without any comforts: on earth comforts and crosses, ioy and griefe, peace and trouble, misery and mercy are blended together. We may say of a Christian, as Lorinus the Iesuite writes of an Archbishop of Toledo, who weighing the much disputed cōtrouersie, whether Salomon was saued or damned, and not being satisfied with the arguments of eyther side, caused Salomon to be painted on the walls of his Chappell, halfe in Heauen, and halfe in hell. So the Christian in respect of his outward calamities, seemes to be halfe in hell, but in respect of his inward comforts, he is the better halfe in heauen. Howsoeuer, rRom. 5. 1.Being iustified by Faith, wee hauehave peace with God. And wheresoeuer wee are dispersed, or howsoeuer distressed, the Peace of God which passeth all vnderstanding, and surpasseth all commending, preserueth our hearts in Iesus Christ euermore.
But all this in Possesso, we hauehave already: there is something more in Promisso, which we shall hauehave: s1. Iohn 3. 2.Wee are now the sonnes of God, but it appeares not yet what we shall be. Hast thou heere much peace? there is more: here wee hauehave desiderium pacis, there pacem desiderij: Heere a desire of peace, there the peace of our desires. Hast thou heere some ioy? there is more: now ioy with sorrow, checkerworke, white and blacke; roses, but thornes with them: then ioy with safety, safety with eternity; such ioy tIoh 16. 22.as shall neuer be taken from vsus. There Rex veritas, Lex charitas, Aug.pax foelicitas, vita aeternitas. If uPsal. 84. 10.one day in lower Sion be better then a thousand daies in the tents of wickednesse, then one day in vpper Sion, is better then a thousand yeeres in this valley of teares. If Peter was so rauished with xMat. 17. 2.Mount Tabor, where onelyonly Christ was transfigured, what is he with this Mount Sion where all are glorified? yPsal. 84. 1.How amiable are thy Tabernacles, O Lord! If Gods Tabernacles be so louely, what is his mansion? If there bee such ioy in the remission of sinne, what is there in the abolition of sinne? If there bee now such sweet peace in thy heart, such musicke in thy conscience, what mayst thou thinke there is in heauen? But because non capimus illa, illa capiant nos: we cannot comprehend those pleasures, let those pleasures comprehend vsus. Good seruant, (the ioy is too great to enter into thee, therfore) aMat. 25. 23.enter thou into the ioy of thy Lord.
This Mount Sion did God giuegive to Christ, and Christ to vsus. God to his Sonne, bPsal. 2. 6.Yet hauehave I set my King vponupon my holy hill of Sion. The Sonne to vsus; cReu. 14. 1.A Lambe stood on Mount Sion, and with him 144. thousand, &c. A Lambe in figure, slaine from the foundation of the world. A Lambe in fact, dActs 8. 32.led like a Lambe to the slaughter, standeth, sits not idle, nor lies asleepe: ePsal. 121. 4.hee that kepeth Israel, neyther slumbers nor sleepes: whereon? not as the two beasts his opposites, that rise out of the earth and Sea, but on a Mount. What Mount? not Sinai, but Sion. Other mountaines quake at his presence. fPsal. 97. 5, 8.The hils melted like waxe at the presence of the Lord. But Sion heard and was glad, and the daughters of Iuda reioyced. Other mountains in homage to this, hauehave skipped and danced about it. gPsal. 114. 4.The mountaines skipped like Rams, and the little hils like Lambes. He stands, therefore is willing to defend; on a Mount, therefore able to defend; on Mount Sion, therefore ready to defend, because hee is in the middest of his owne, and sees his Church round about him. So that though all the red Dragons on earth, and blacke Deuils in hell, rage against vsus, yet the Lambe on Mount Sion will defend vsus. There now hee stands, calling vsus by grace, there we shall one day behold him calling vsus to glory, vntill hee giuegive this glory to vsus; yea, then and euer, let vsus giuegive all glory to the Lambe that stands on Mount Sion.
This is the place which the Lord chose and loues. He refused the Tabernacle of Ioseph, and chose not the Tribe of Ephraim, hPsal 78. 68.But chose the Tribe of Iudah, the Mount Sion which he loued. This praise did inherit and inhabite Sion: iPsal. 132. 13.The Lord hath chosen Sion, he hath desired it for his habitation. This is my rest for euer; heere will I dwell, for I hauehave desired it. Let the precedent of Gods affection worke in all our hearts a zeale to Sion. The Lord that chose Sion, chuse vsus to Sion; he that desired it his habitation, make it the habitation of our desires. It is his rest, let it be ours, that we may rest with him: Here will I dwell, saith he; let vsus all pray to dwell there. Though it bee a hill, a high hill; though paines and toyle in getting vp, yet let vsus ascend, for aboue there is eternall ioy.
The City of the liuing God, the heauenly Ierusalem.
I come from the Situation, to the Citie: you heare where it is, heare now what it is. A City in a Mountaine. kPsal. 48. 4. &cGreat is the Lord, and greatly to be praised in the City of our God, in the Mountaine of his holinesse. Beautifull for situation, the ioy of the whole earth is Mount Sion, on the sides of the North, the City of the great King. God is knowne in her Palaces for a sure refuge. Heere be foure circumstances. 1. Quae sit, not a Village, but a City. 2. Cuius, not mans, but Gods, not a faigned, but the liuing Gods. 3. Qualis, not earthly, but heauenly. 4. Quo nomine, not Sodome or Samaria, but the City of peace, Ierusalem.