The Branch of the Lord the Beauty of Zion, Title page – Dedication
THE BRANCH OF THE LORD, The Beauty of SION: OR, The Glory of the CHURCH, in It's Relation unto CHRIST.
Opened in Two SERMONS; one preached at Berwick, the other at Edinburgh.
By John Owen, Miniſter of the Goſpel.
PSAL. 48. 12, 13, 14.
Walk about sion, and go round about her: tell the Towres thereof.
Mark ye wel her Bulwarks conſider her Palaces, that you may tell it to the Generation following.
For this God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our Guide unto death.
EDINBURGH, Printed by Evan Tyler, in the year 1650.
To His EXCELLENCY the Lord General CROMWELL, &c.
MY LORD,
IT was with Thoughts of Peace, that I embraced my Call, to this Place, and Time of Warre. As all Peace that is from God is precious to my ſpirit, ſo incomparably, that between the Father & his Elect, which is eſtabliſhed, and carried on in the Blood and Grace of Jeſus Chriſt. The Miniſteriall diſpenſation of this Peace, being through free Grace committed even unto me alſo, I deſire that in every place, my whole may be, to declare it to the men of Gods good pleaſure. That this was my chief deſign, in anſwer to the Call of God upon me, even to poure 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 Miniſtery 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 himſelf. This is the way of God with ſinners, when he might juſtly continue their Enemy, and fight againſt them to their Eternal ruine, he drawes forth Love, and beſeeches them to be reconciled, who have done the wrong, and them to accept of Peace, who cannot abide the Battell. Certainly, the bearing forth of this Meſsage, which is ſo worthy of all Acceptation, and ought to be ſo welcome, cannot but have ſweetnes enough to ſeaſon all the Preſſures and temptations wherewith it is ſomtimes attended. This hath bin my deſire to purſue, and that, with the weapons which are not carnal. And though ſome may be ſo ſeaſoned with the leaven of contention about carnal things, 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 willingnes to ſerve the Inheritance of Chriſt here, even in my Ablence, cauſed me to cloſe with the deſires, that wercheld 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 weakneſſes and temptations wherewith I am encompaſſed, that dayly ſpirituall 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 wayes, which are Truth and Righteouſneſse, the matter pointed at in this Diſcourſe, being the Ayme of your ſpirit in your great under-takings it bears another Reſpect unto you. I am not unacquainted with it's meanneſſe yea it's 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 graciouſly ſupplyed the ſeed to the ſower: beſeeching him that we may have joy unſpeakable and glorious, in the Acceptance of that Peace, which he gives us in the Son of his Love, whileſt the Peace whoſe deſire in the midſt of warre, you continually bear forth to him, and to others, is by them rejected to their hurt.
Edinb. Nov. 26. 1650. Your Excellencies moſt humble ſervant in our deareſt Lord, John Owen.