A sermon preached before the Honourable House of Commons at Westminster, August 22. 1645. Being the day appointed for their solemn thanksgiving unto God for his several mercies to the forces of the Parliament in divers parts of the kingdome, in the gaining of the towns of Bath and Bridgewater, and of Scarborough-Castle, and Sherborn-Castle, and for the dispersing of the Clubmen, and the good successe in Pembroke-shire. By Thomas Case, preacher at Milkstreet, and one of the Assembly of Divines.

1 Observ.

And first, from the circumstance of time when this pro∣mise was made; namely, some hundreds of yeers before the Captivity was brought upon them: Observe,

While God is yet bringing his people into trouble, yea, but yet threatning of them with trouble; he is medi∣tating and contriving the ways and means (as I may so say) of bringing them out of their troubles.

Hence it is, that the means of deliverance are not to seek when the time of deliverance is come. God hath his Balsoms prepared, before he wounds his people; his Cordials, before he makes them sick with his Corasives. The Lord knows how to deliver the goldly out of temptations.

The means are prepared beforehand. This may minister abundance of comfort to the people of God; even while they are entering into, or lying under their afflictions; while they are entering into the hour of Temptation: Why the means of their deliverance and enlargement are all prepared and fitted already, by the hand of a wise and faithfull Re∣deemer.

But again, This ruine of Babylon, and enlargement of Israel, is spoken of (here) as a thing done already: I have sent (saith God) to Babylon, and brought down their Nobles, &c. some indeed read it in the future tense, I will send to Babylon, and will bring down their Nobles: The Hebrew indeed bears both; But truely, the future tense is not so emphaticall as the pre∣terperfect tense, which God useth to expresse the certainty of his promises: From whence,

2. Observ. The promises of God are as certain, as if they were already accomplisht: Here is more comfort for the peo∣ple of God: The promises of God, are as good money as any they have in their purses.

To this end, see further how this promise is guarded and backt, with what ever may strengthen Faith: For

1. Here God layes his credit and reputation to stake upon this promise. Thus saith the Lord.

2. He engageth his Power and All-sufficiency. Jehovah a fountain of Beings; and therefore able to give a Being to his promises.

3. His Love, his tender care of his people, though scorned and persecuted by the world; yet he is their Redeemer: there is his willingnesse.

4. His fidelity; The Holy One of Israel: If he deny his Covenant, his promise, he must deny himself, his Holinesse.

And from all this,

3. Observ. God in making his promises, is very sollicitous and carefull to secure the faith of his people, about the making of them good.

It implies two things:

1. Much infidelitie and unbelief even in Israel.

2. The great goodnesse and compassion of God, who when

he might punish the unbelief of his people, studies to succour it: According to the prayer of the Father of the possessed childe, I beleeve, Lord help my unbelief.

But further, The Lord your Redeemer.

4. Observe in the fourth place,

God gives himself out to his Church and people, in no wayes so much, as in wayes of Redemption.

Indeed, One creation would serve their turn, but they stand in need of many Redemptions:

Or thus,

God is properly and peculiarly the God of his Church and peo∣ple, by way of Redemption.

He is the Creator of the Just and unjust, good men and wicked, Angels and Divels: But he is a Redeemer, onely and properly, to his Church.

And this implies also two things:

1. The Churches forlorn condition in her self; a poor lost captaive: She loseth her self, she sells her self at every turn: The world takes her captive, sin takes her captive, Hell takes her captive: Had she not a God to redeem her, she were lost for ever.

2. The care, and love, and goodnesse of God, in rescuing and redeeming her: She sells her self by her sins, God purchaseth her; She loseth her self, God seeks her up; She is taken cap∣tive, by men and divels, God redeems her: Here be the tender mercies of a God.

The Holy One of Israel: See

5. Observ. Such is the love God bears to his Church and people, That he doth not onely put his Name upon his people, but takes his peoples name upon himself.

It is much, that Israel should be called The Israel of God: but that God should be called The God of Israel, The Holy One of Israel; This is above all admiration.

Yet further; I have sent to Babylon, sc. by the Ministery of Cyrus, to deliver Israel out of prison. The Babylonians thought Israel as sure from starting, as ever Herod thought Peter; at what time, He committed him to four quaternions of souldiers, and bound him with two chains between two soul∣diers,

intending to have brought him forth the next day to be tryed for his life.

And poor Israel gave themselves for lost too; they thought it was as possible for a dead man to break out of his grave, as for them to get out of captivity: (the more was their unbelief, and God took it very unkindly, ha∣ving made them such gracious promises of deliverance) Behold, they say (said God to his Prophet) our bones are dried, and our hope is lost; we are cut off for our parts: And yet not∣withstanding, you see God had a way and a means, beyond all expectation, for their enlargement: He had an Army ready for this service, that neither the Babylonians nor Israel little dreamt of. It is an observation of it self.

6. Observ. When no way of deliverance appears to humane reason, God hath wayes in store by him, for the Redemption of his Church and people, out of those evills which seem to threaten in∣evitable ruine and destruction.

Again, I have sent. Cyrus went, and yet God sent: He went voluntarily, carried on by his own lusts: His pride, his cove∣tousnesse, and unsatisfiable ambition, Hab. 2.5,6. and yet God sends him upon a design which he little thought of: To let his Israel out of prison. From whence,

7. Observ. Gods holy ends, and mans sinfull ends, may sweet∣ly concur in the same action.

And it may teach us this point of prudence, Wisely to dis∣tinguish between, what is Gods, and what is mans, in the same action: Man doth foolishly (many times) God doth wisely; man weakly, God powerfully; man trecherously, God faith∣fully; man sinfully, God most righteously. This will keep us from justifying the miscarriages of men; and yet from mur∣muring against the wise and righteous dispensations of God.

I have brought down their Barres, i.e. as you have seen, all the power and strength of Babylon.

8. Observ. From thence you may take an eighth Obser∣vation, viz. The strongest, and scuningly most inconquerable impediments and obstructions that stand in the way of the Churches deliverance, shall he all broken in peices, and become as dirt, when Gods time of deliverance is come.

Take the word as it is translated, Their Nobles, that is, The King and Princes of Babylon: So translated from their Office, and that will make a ninth Observation: sc.

9. Kings and Princes, and the Nobles of a Land, they ought to be as Towers and Barres, strength and safety, to a Kingdom and Nation.

The more sad and deplorable is the condition of that people, whose Governours are such as are described; Thy Princes are rebellious, and companions of theeves, &c. And Her Princes within her are roaring Lions, and her Judges are Eve∣ning Wolves, &c. The Lord have mercy on such a people.

But from the whole, take this

10 and last Observation. In the mighty concussions and sub∣versions of the Empires and Monarchies of the World, God carries on the designes of his Churches deliverance and enlarge∣ment.

Or thus,

God for his Church and peoples sake, will not spare to dash Nations and Kingdoms all to peices, in the day of his power and jealousie.

Notes

• 2 Pet. 2.9.
• Mark 9.24.
• Isaiah 49.21.
• Acts 12.6.
• Ezek. 37.11.
• Isai. 1.23.
• Zeph. 3.3.
• Zeph. 3.3.