God's soveraignty displayed from Job 9. 12. : Behold he taketh away, who can hinder him? &c., or, A discourse shewing, that God doth, and may take away from his creatures what hee pleaseth, as to the matter what, the place where, the time when, the means and manner how, and the reasons thereof : with an application of the whole, to the distressed citizens of London, whose houses and goods were lately consumed by the fire : an excitation of them to look to the procuring causes of this fiery tryal, the ends that God aims at in it, with directions how to behave themselves under their losses / by William Gearing ...

SECT. IX.

God sometimes takes away Chur∣ches, [ IX] and the light of the Gospel, and Ordinances from a people and Nation; and wheresoever it to happeneth, the Lord is the Author of this sad change: In the second and third Chapter of the Revelations, Christ directeth divers Epistles to several famous Churches, and he threatneth the most famous Church, viz. the Church of Ephesus, Rev. 2.5. Remember from whence thou are fallen, and repent, and do thy first works, or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy Candle∣stick

out of its place, except thou re∣pent. By the Candlestick is meant the Church planted in that place, viz. the visible Church in Ephesus, joyned to∣gether in the profession of the Gospel, and the enjoyment of Ordinances, as a Candle put into a Candlestick: Those whom God formeth into a visible Church (who of themselves were some∣times darkness, as a Candlestick with∣out a Candle) and sets up the light of the Gospel among them, as men light a Candle, and put it into a Candlestick: So when God will unchurch, he threatens to take away the Candle∣stick, to take away Church-priviledges and Ordinances; it is Gods work to do this, I will take away, or remove the Candlestick; and the state of this Church makes it evident, that it is not in the power of Men or Devils to un∣church a people, or remove the Can∣dlestick, but when the Lord pleaseth. Ephesus was planted in a rich and fruitful soil, it was a flourishing Church, and stood firm under the Roman Per∣secution; this Church out-stood the fury of all the Heathen Tyrants, albeit that lasted three hundred years; and about one hundred and thirty years af∣ter

(viz. Anno Christi, 430.) the Em∣perour Theodosius II. assembled a fa∣mous Council at Ephesus, to assert the truth of Christ, and to condemn the dangerous Heresie of Nestorius, Pa∣triarch of Constantinople, which was in dividing the Natures of Christ, making one Christ Man, and another Christ God, as if they had been two persons: I mention this, to shew that it is not in the power of any to take away the Ordinances of the Gospel, and Church∣priviledges, from any place or people, but when the Lord pleaseth: There are these three things to be taken into consideration.

1. Consider the condition of this and other Churches in the time of the ten Roman Persecutions, and the conditi∣on of the same Churches afterward in latter times, when they lost their glo∣ry: Under the Roman Persecution these Churches were in great measure pure in Doctrine, and holy in Conver∣sation; and when was the rage of the Devil and his Instruments more against them than when they were purest? and had they been able, Satan and his In∣struments would then have utterly de∣stroyed them: But in after-times they

grew loose and corrupt, and then they fell by the world, when they were most suitable to the world, and most cor∣rupted in the world.

2. Compare the Enemies of this and other Churches against whose attempts they were upheld, with those Enemies by whose hands they fell: they were pre∣served against the power of the Roman Empire for three hundred years, and they fell by the hand of Sarazens and Arabians, the Vassals of that base Impostor and false Prophet Mahomet: Now what comparison between the fallacies and impostures of this false Prophet, and the power of the Roman Empire, to overthrow a Church, and yet they were upheld against all the power of the Roman Tyranny, and fell by the hands of desperate Arabians, Sarazens, and barbarous people,

3. This Church of Ephesus, with many other Churches of the Christi∣ans, while they held fast the profession of the Faith of Christ, yielded their bodies to the Roman Emperours as to their Lords during those ten famous Persecutions, and could not be destroy∣ed; but afterwards, though they took up Arms for their lives, to defend them∣selves,

yet they fell by the hands of bar∣barous Arabians and Sarazens; a clear demonstration, that it is not in the power of men or devils to devest men of Church-priviledges, and holy Ordi∣nances, when they please; therefore when such are taken away, it is the Lord that takes away the Candlestick out of its place, being provoked there∣unto by the sins of men, and especially by the unfruitfulness of a people under the Gospel.

I will give another instance, viz. in the Church of Israel.

1. In the case of Shiloh, Jos. 18.1. we read, that the whole Congregation of the children of Israel, assembled at Shiloh, and set up the Tabernacle of the congregration there, and the Land was subdued before them. The Taber∣nacle had been in a wandring posture for forty years together, all the time they were in the Wilderness, at length it is fixed in Shiloh, being the first rest∣ing place of the Ark of Gods pre∣sence. Now you may see 1 Sam. Chap. 4. that God gave the Philistines a great Victory against Israel, and the Ark of God was taken by them, and Shiloh was devested of this great bles∣sing:

The Psalmist saith, They provo∣ked him to anger, and moved him to jealousie with their graven images; when God heard this, he was wroth, and greatly abhorred Israel, so that he for∣sook the Tabernacle of Shiloh, the Tent which he placed among men, Psa. 78.59, 60. And in Jer. 7.12 Go ye now to my place which was in Shiloh, where I set my Name at the first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel.

2. Consider the case of Temple in Jerusalem, and the Nation of the Jews before Christs coming; see how God threatens them: I will do to this house which is called by my name, wherein you trust, and unto the place which I gave to you, and to your fa∣thers, as I have done to Shiloh, Jer. 7.14. Though the Babylonians and Chal∣deans were the instruments of its ru∣ine, yet God is said to do it: Thus saith the Lord, I will give this City into the hands of the Chaldeans, and into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon, and he shall take it, Jer. 32.28. God gave him the City and Temple; he did but take what God gave into his hand, and the great∣est

Conquerors do no more, they take but what the Lord giveth them.

Consider we likewise the condition of the Temple in Jerusalem, and of the Nation of the Jews after Christs com∣ing into the flesh. We read Luk. 20.9. Christ spake to the people this Para∣ble; A certain man planted a Vine∣yard, and let it forth to Husbandmen, and went into a far Country for a long time; and at a season he sent a servant to the husbandmen, that they should give him of the fruit of the Vineyard; but the husbandmen beat him, and sent him away empty; and again he sent a∣nother servant, and they beat him also, and entreated him shamefully, and sent him away empty; and again he sent the third, and they wounded him also, and cast him out. Then said the Lord of the Vineyard, what shall I do? I will send my beloved son; it may be they will reverence him when they see him: But when the husbandmen saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying; this is the heir; come let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours: So they cast him out of the Vineyard, and killed him; what therefore shall the Lord of the Vineyard do to these hus∣bandmen?

He will come and destroy these husbandmen, and shall give the Ʋineyard to others. Now it is said, Ver. 19. that the chief Priests and Scribes the same hour sought to lay hands on him, for they perceived he had spoken this Parable against them.

The sense is this: God planted his Church in the Land of Canaan, he brought it out of Egypt, and removed and transplanted it out of a dry and barren soil, and set it in a fat and fruit∣ful place, viz. the Land of Canaan, a Land flowing with milk and honey, he gave them his Word and Ordinances, sent his Prophets among them, rising early and sending them, and called up∣on them to bring forth fruit; but in∣stead thereof, they persecuted his Pro∣phets, slew divers of them, and at last slew his own son. Now here is destruc∣tion threatned, and who shall do it? The Lord of the Vineyard shall do it; he shall come and destroy these hus∣bandmen, and let out the Vineyard to others: So that albeit the Romans were the instruments of this dreadful execu∣tion, yet the Lord of the Vineyard did it.* 1.1 Josephus tells us, that Titus was very unwilling to destroy the Temple

in Jerusalem, that he laboured to quench the flame after it was set on fire, and suffered some prejudice in his War about it; it was done divino quodam impetu, by a certain divine stroke, as the same Author observeth. But Joseph being a Jew, was ignorant of the main cause, sc. their rejecting and murdering the Son of God. Now of all judgements, this is the most sad and woful, when God removeth the Candlestick out of its place, and un∣churcheth a Nation, and taketh away Church-priviledges, and the use of his Ordinances; oh that we were deeply sensible, how we have provoked the Lord by our sins to deal with us in this kind, to unchurch us, and leave us in the dark, as a people that shall no longer be owned by the Lord for a peo∣ple: If the Lord doth continue these priviledges among us, we have cause much to admire his patience, and to magnifie his mercy. You see the peo∣ple were very much affected with what Christ spake, when he told them the parable fore-mentioned, and that the Lord of the Vineyard would come, and give the Vineyard to others. When they heard it, they said, God forbid, ver. 16.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Joseph de bello Ju∣daico.