Babylons Ruining, Order – Dedication
Die Mercurij, 28. Augusti, 1644.
ORdered by the Commons Aſſembled in Parliament, that Maſter Erle doe from this Houſe give thanks to Maſter Reyner, for the great paines he tooke in the Sermon he preached at the entreaty of this Houſe at Saint Margarets Westminster (it being the day of publique Humiliation) and to deſire him to print his Sermon; and it is Ordered, that none ſhall preſume to print his Sermon without licence under his hand-writing.
Hen. Elſyng. Cler. Parl. D. Com.
I appoint Samuel Enderby to print my Sermon.
William Reyner.
BABYLONS Ruining-Earthquake AND THE RESTAVRATION OF ZION.
Delivered in a SERMON before the honourable houſe of COMMONS at Margarets Westminster, at their publique Faſt, Auguſt 28. 1644.
By William Reyner Paſtor of the Church of Chriſt, at Egham in Surrey, and a Member of the Aſſembly of Divines.
Dan. 7.26, 27.
But the judgement ſhall fit, and they ſhall take away his Dominion to conſume and to destroy it unto the end. And the Kingdome and Dominion, and the greatneſſe of the Kingdome under the whole heaven, ſhall be given to the people of the Saints of the moſt high; whoſe kingdome is an everlasting kingdome, and all dominions ſhall ſerve and obey him.
LONDON: Printed by T. B. for Samuel Enderby, and are to be ſold at the ſigne of the Starre in Popes-head-Alley. 1644.
To the Honourable, the Knights, Citizens and Burgeſſes Aſſembled in Parliament, and now ſitting at Westminster.
Honourable Senators:
HAving had for a long time ſtrong apprehenſions out of the word of God, of an approching ſtorme upon the Nations of Europe, for the ruining especially of Antichrſt's Kingdome; I thought it not unmeet for the times & Auditors (having your honorable call to the Worke) to treat in your preſence upon ſuch a ſubject. The Kingdoms & ſtates of Europe are grown old, & a man would think, were come even to their years, & full ripeneſſe in all kind of ſinfulnes & prophaneneſſe, but chiefly in idolatry & perſecution in the Eccleſiaſtical, & in tyranny and oppreſſion in the Civill ſtate, and that under and againſt a great deale of light and meanes that either they had or might have had. And there is a mervailous concurrence and agreement, both in the generall Comminations of the word againſt ſinnes ſo aggravated (beſides the examples) and in the particular Prophecies and Praedictions of the laſt times, all of them pitching upon this, as that period of time wherein the Lord will viſit. The Lord is certainly driving on a great Worke both of mercy and justice; of mercy towards his owne (though by a way of ſevere correction) in their Humiliation, Purgation, Probation, Reformation, Redemption from bondage, and at laſt, in the Restauration and great enlargement of the Church: Of justice, againſt his incurable enemies of all ſorts and ſizes, in their perdition. We muſt not be moved that the Worke is ſo long in finiſhing among us, being haply not much more then begun. There is aſſuredly a great deale for a publique calamity, ſtill to doe (alas too much) in every Country, City, Towne, Pariſh, Family, Perſon; many both perſons and things are yet (as it is to be feared) among the Litigants on both ſides, that are to be removed and ſubdued. Beſides, the Lord uſeth to deale with men as men, the great power of the wicked cannot by humane meanes (which God is pleaſed to uſe) be ſuddenly and eaſily breken.
Neither can the godly, …ſa. 48.10.whom the Lord will not refine as ſilver, purging out all their droſſe at once, be ſuddenly hammered unto a ſufficient humiliation, reformation, &c. But this divine agent chooſeth to worke upon them according to their receptivity. Neither let any be ſcandalized at ſome interruptions and rebates, as I may ſay, in the Lords proceedings, and at ſome ſucceſſes now and then granted to his Churches adverſaries; you ſhall find the like in all the great acts of God that be of the ſame nature: But all things are carried on by the ſteady hand of the Almighty, though through many oppoſitions, repulſes, contingencies, &c. among men, to their deſigned end and appointed period. Not to speake of this, that had not the enemies ſome encouragements, as the Lords worke would hardly, by them, be perfected and finiſhed upon his owne people, ſo neither would they be hardned to their owne destruction: If Pharaoh had never been releaſed of the firſt plagues, he would ſcarce have periſhed in the Sea at laſt: I hope it will neither be unprofitable nor unacceptable, as a Watch-man, to put your honours, and by you, others in mind of theſe things. I doe not deny, but in the courſe of humane affaires, there will be treaties among men, for the compoſing of thoſe differences that God casts in, to be the occaſion and meanes of executing his decrees: Yea, there muſt (and for ſome reaſons peradventure there ought to) be ſuch: But I know I speake to men too wiſe to beleeve that God's quarrels can be taken up by humane treaties; but they will without faile attaine the iſſue by God himſelfe before prefixed, and by his Word threatned and promiſed.
Neither doe I doubt but that the Church ſhall obtaine her deſired peace and reſt in the end, when God's Worke is finiſhed, though no ſuch meanes were uſed at all, and give law to all her enemies; till which time I looke for no ſolid and durable quiet to be by the people of God enjoyed; yea, I am confident upon the faithfull word of God, that the Saints ſhall then enjoy things, which would be but by a few even of themſelves now deſired, and by the adverſe party never yeelded. The Temple of Salomon was built in a peaceable, the latter Temple in a troubleſome time; but now though there be great noyſes of Axes, Hammers and tooles of Iron, partly about the preparation for the new building, but chiefely about the pulling downe of the old, (which is the great worke in hand) yet when the appointed time of building is come, the Church may promiſe unto her ſelf from God, and undoubtedly expest, an abſolute ceſſation from all theſe disturbances in Church and Commonwealth, and a time, (farre above all that ever were) of admirable freedome, ſerenitie and tranquillitie.
There are ſome few things: concerning the happy estate of the Church, in her promiſed future reformation, which time would not then ſuffer me to bring in; I have here made bold briefly to adde them, without which the former would have been imperfect. I have purpoſely pretermitted ſome things ſubject to doubt and exception; I humbly preſent all to your judicious view, whom God hath thought worthy to make his Inſtruments to begin ſo great a Reformation in theſe Nations, which will (I feare not) have a good influence by divine bleſſing, upon others alſo abroad; hoping ſtedfaſtly, that the ſame God will through his infinite mercy in Chriſt, by your hands in due time, finiſh the ſame. Which is the daily deſire and prayer of him that is
Humbly devoted to your ſervice in the Lord, WILLIAM REYNER.
BABYLONS ruining Earth-quake and the reſtauration of ZION.
Haggai 2.6, 7.
For thus ſaith the Lord of Hosts, yet once, it is a little while and I will ſhake the Heavens, and the Earth, and the Sea, and the dry Land: And I will ſhake all Nations, and the deſire of all Nations ſhall come, and I will fill this Houſe with glory, ſaith the Lord of Hosts.
THE Prophet Haggai lived and flouriſhed after the returne from the Captivity of Babylon: His prophecy is ſpent, partly in reproving the people of the Jewes, for their negligence in not building the Temple of the Lord appointed for his worſhip; partly in declaring Gods hand againſt them for the ſame, in their Corne, Cattell, and otherwiſe, becauſe they came to build, and even to ſiele their owne houſe, and let Gods Houſe lye waſte; partly in exhorting and encouraging them unto the building.
This laſt he doth diverſly: Firſt, he tels them the Lord was with them, chap. 1. ver. 13. & chap. 2. ver. 4. And that therefore they need not feare the oppoſitions of their enemies; who formerly, ſo often as ever they began to build, did by their complaints to the Kings of Perſia ſtill ſtop the worke, and that his ſpirit did remaine among them; now this was to be done, not by might, not by power, but by the spirit of the Lord, as Zec. his contemporany Prophet tels them, Zech. 4.6. even againſt might and againſt power; and this according to the Covenant he made with them, when they came out of Aegypt, chap. 2. ver. 5.
Next he aſſures them, that the diſire of all Nations ſhould come to this houſe, and that he would fill it with glory.
And whereas this houſe might ſeem to be a deſpicable and contemptible thing, compared with the ſumptuous Temple of Salomon that was before it, which made the old men weepe when they ſaw the foundations of it firſt laid, Ezra 1.12. he comforts them againſt that, and tels them, that the ſilver and gold are his; ſo that if true glory had conſiſted in them, he could have given them in aboundance, for the adorning of this ſecond Temple, but he had a greater glory to beſtow upon it, namely Chriſt, and in this place he would give peace (viz. by Chriſt the Prince of peace) unto his people.
The words may be divided into two parts: Firſt, a Commination againſt the Nations as an antecedent, or a thing that in act and execution ſhould goe before. Secondly, a conſolation unto the Church, as a conſequent, or a thing that in accompliſhment ſhould follow after the Commination.
The Commination is in theſe words, I will ſhake the Heavens and the Earth, &c. I will ſhake all Nations; the Conſolation in the words following, and that conſiſts of a double promiſe: Firſt, The deſire of all Nations ſhall come: Secondly, God will fill this houſe with glory. Both theſe are ſet out by two circumſtances. Firſt, of the perſon that ſaith theſe things; ſecondly, of the time. Firſt, the perſon; Who is it that ſaith this? Anſw. He that is able to make good what he ſaith, thus ſaith the Lord of Hosts; and this to make all more ſure, is put both before and after the Commination and Conſolation. Secondly, we have the circumſtance of time, and that is double. Firſt, Quoties, how often ſhall this be before Chriſt come? Anſw. Once. Secondly, Quando, or quam diù, when or how long is it before it be? Anſw. ere it be long, yet a little while.