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forted with the sweet testimony of a heavenly peace betwixt God and our souls? see whence we must fetch it; In this place will I give peace. If ever we have it, we must have it from the blessed ordinances of God, his Word and Sacraments, which this place can afford us. In vain shall ye seek for this, Dear Christians, in a licentious tavern, in a rich counting-house, in chambers of dalliance, in full tables, in pompous courts; no, not in thrones of earthly majesty. Alas, many of these are the make-bates betwixt heaven and us. Most of them can mar, none of them can make our peace. It is only the despised Ministry of the Gospel; the Word of Reconcilation, as it is called, 2 Cor. v. 19; which sounds in God's House, that can do it. As ye love your souls therefore, as you would find peace at the last, and would look with a comfortable assurance in the face of death and judgment; as ye would see a gracious Mercy-Seat, in the dreadful Tribunal of God, at the day of our last appearance: frequent the house of God; attend reverently and conscionably upon the sacred institutions of God; yield yourselves over to be wrought upon by the powerful Gospel of Jesus Christ. Oh, be not you wanting unto God; he will not be wanting unto you: but will make good this promise of his unfailable grace, In this place will I give peace.

III. It is a great word, that is here spoken; Dabo pacem: and therefore it is undertaken by an omnipotent AGENT; I will give peace. If all the angels of heaven should have said so, we should soon have replied, as Korah and his company did to Moses and Aaron, Ye take too much upon you; Num. xvi. 3. This work is not for any finite power. The stile of peace, is The Peace of God: the stile of God, the Mediator betwixt God and man, is, The Prince of Peace. He is the true Solomon: the other was but typical. It is he only, that, when the disciples were tossed with contrary winds and threatening billows, could command the winds and waves to a calm. It is he only, that, when his Church is tossed with the winds and waves of raging and impetuous enmity, can give outward peace. It is he only, that, when the distressed soul is tossed with the winds and waves of strong temptation, of weak diffidence, can give inward peace. Justly, therefore, doth he challenge this act as his own; I will give peace.

We use to say, "It is best treating of peace, with a sword in our hand." Those, who have the advantage of the war, may command peace: underlings must stoop to such conditions, as the victor will yield. To shew us, therefore, how easily he can give peace, God stiles himself the God of Hosts: a title, wherein he takes no small delight; referring, not to the being of the creature, but to their marshalling; not to their natural estate, but their military: neither would God be looked at in it, as a Creator, but as a General. In but two of the prophets, Isaiah and Jeremiah, no less than a hundred and thirty times hath he this stile given him. Every thing, as it hath an existence from the Maker, so an order from the Governor: and that order is no other than warlike;

wherein it doth militare Deo, "serve under the colours of the Almighty."

All creatures are both mustered, and trained, and placed in garrison; and brought forth into the field, in the service of their Creator. They are all exercitus pugnatorum.

If ye look into Heaven, there is a company of heavenly soldiers; Luke ii. 13. Neither was there only in the construction of idolaters universa militia cæli, to which they burnt incense: but Moses himself; Thus the Heaven and Earth were finished, and all the Host of them; Gen. ii. 1.

If ye look to the Earth, not men only, whom reason hath fitted for such designs, but even the brute, yea, the basest and indociblest of the brute creatures are ranged into arrays: even the very Locusts, though they have no leader, yet Egrediuntur per turmas, They go forth by bands; Prov. xxx. 27. And, if ye look into Egypt, where for the time was Sedes belli, you shall find a band of Frogs, that were appointed to march into the very bed chamber, the bed, the ovens, the dishes of Pharaoh; you shall find a host of Lice, of Flies, of Caterpillers, sent against those Egyptian Tyrants. Elsewhere, ye shall find troops of Palmerworms, of Locusts, of Cankerworms, of Caterpillers, to set upon Israel; Joel i. 4. Shortly, where he means to preserve, the fiery Chariots and Horsemen of heaven shall compass Dothan: where he means to destroy, the most despicable of his creatures shall be armed, to the ruin of the proudest. Doth Goliath stalk forth to the defiance of the God of Israel? a pebble out of the brook shall strew him on the ground. Doth a Herod hear his flatterers gladly say, Nec vor hominem sonat? stay but a while, God sets his vermin upon him: all the king's guard cannot master those Lice. He hath Hornets for the Hivites and Canaanites; Exod. xxiii, 28: Mice for the Philistines; 1 Sam, vi: Rats for the Covetous Prelate: a Fly for Pope Adrian: a world of creatures for either defensive or offensive services.

Quare fremuerunt Gentes? Why do the Heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The Kings of the Earth set themselves, and the Rulers take counsel together against the Lord, and against his Anointed: presumptuous dust and ashes, that dare rise up against the God of Hosts! If a silly ant out of a mole-hill should march forth, and proffer to wrestle a fall with a giant, there were some proportion in this challenge: there is none of a finite power to an iufinite. Should all the powers of hell band themselves with those on earth, Quis restitit? Who hath resisted his will? What power have they of being, of motion; but from him, whom they oppose? How easily can he blow upon their enterprises! How easily can he command these to the dust, those to their chains! Be confounded therefore, O Vain Men, whose breath is in your nostrils, (and that not your own neither,) when ye think of the Power and Majesty of the God of Hosts.

And why are we dismayed with the rumours or fears of the

strongest oppositions? Gebal, and Ammon, and Amelek, the Philistines, with them that dwell at Tyre? Ashur also is joined to the incestuous children of Lot: yoTICE, O thou of little faith, why fearest thou? The Lord of Hosts is with us, the God of Jacob is our refuge; Psalm xlvi. 7, 11. Come, all ye bands of wickedness, and conspire against the Sceptre of the Kingdom (that is, the Gospel) of Jesus Christ. He hath his Armageddon. He hath a feast for the fowls of the air, and the beasts of the field, whom he hath invited to the flesh of captains, and the flesh of kings; Itev. xix. 18. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about. Dominus suscepit; The Lord hath sustained me; and he is the Lord of Hosts.

Yea, why are we appalled, when we see the measures of the sons of Anak; the spiritual wickednesses in heavenly places? If we look at their numbers; they are Legions: if to their strength; they are Principalities and Powers: if to their nature; they are Spirits that rule in the air. We are men, flesh and blood, single, weak, sinful. Whatever we are, our God is in heaven, and doth whatsoever he will. He is the Lord of Hosts. Though cowards in ourselves, yet in him we are more than conquerors. He who is more than all power, than all truth, hath said it; The gates of hell shall not prevail against his Church. Thanks be to God, which giveth us victory, through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Lastly, he is the Lord of Hosts: his undertakings are infallible, Hath he said, that the glory of the Evangelical Church shall exceed the Legal? Hath he said, that, In this place he will give peace? How can the Church fail of glory, or the soul of peace? His word can be no more defective, than himself impotent. Trust God with his own causes; trust him with thyself: do that he bids; expect what he promises: haunt this House of his; wait on his ordinances. The Lord of Hosts shall give thee that peace, which passeth all understanding; and with peace, Glory, in that upper House of his, not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

To the possession whereof, that God, who hath ordained us, in his good time mercifully bring us.

And now, O Lord God of Hosts, make good thy promises to this House of thine. Whensoever any Suppliant shall in this place offer up his prayers unto thee, hear thou in heaven, thy dwellingplace; and when thou hearest, have mercy. What Word soever of thine shall sound out of this place, let it be the savour of life unto life to every hearer. What Sacrament soever of thine in this place shall be administered, let it be effectual to the salvation of every receiver.

Thou, that art the God of Glory and Peace, give peace and glory to thy servants, for thy mercy's sake, for thy Son's sake, even the Son of thy Love, Jesus Christ the Just. To whom, with Thee, and the Holy Ghost, One Infinite God, be given all praise, honour, and thanksgiving, now and for ever,

TO THE WORSHIPFUL AND REVEREND,

MR. DR. HALL,

DEAN OF WORCESTER, MY WORTHY AND MUCH RESPECTED FRIEND, ALL HAPPINESS, WITH MY LOVE IN CHRIST JESUS.

REVEREND SIR!

THIS Sermon, I know, is at the press before you expected: but I thought, as this glorious Chapel occasioned it, so it might minister occasion of perpetual remembrance of the Chapel, by remaining its first Monument. And, although both these were confined to the private, the Chapel for the Family of my Right Honourable Lord the Earl of Exeter, who hath given the material thereof sufficient lustre; and the Copy of the Sermon to the Cabinet of my truly Noble and Virtuous Lady, his Countess: yet both these are much and oft required to the public; the Sermon, to be an instruction, and so it is; the Chapel, to be an example, and so it may be: the Sermon, to teach all, to be all glorious in their souls; the Chapel, to teach some, who build houses for their own habitation, to set up another for God's Religion. The Sermon was craved at the hands of my Honourable Lady, that it might come to the press; who, of her own pious disposition, gave forth the copy, and for her noble esteem of yourself, and of the worth of your Sermon, was willing and desirous to give it way to the printer. And this I thought good to impart unto you, and to the courteous reader, that you may be satisfied of the means how, and the cause why, it comes in public. And so praying for you, and desiring your prayers for me, I remain,

Your truly loving Friend,

H. BAGULEY.

SERMON XIII.

THE ENEMIES OF THE CROSS OF CHRIST.

A SERMON PREACHED AT HAMPTON-COURT TO KING JAMES. IN ORDINARY ATTENDANCE, IN SEPT. 1624.

PHILIPPIANS iii. 18, 19.

For many walk of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the Cross of Christ. Whose end is destruction.

My Text you see is but a parenthesis: yet necessary and essential; though not to the sentence foregoing, yet to Christian warning and instruction. It is enclosed, like some good garden, for sin gular use: a garden, wherein there are both flowers and weeds; flowers of Apostolical virtue; and weeds of Philippian wickedness.

For I know not whether these words bewray more worth in the true Apostle, than unworthiness in the false. This censure of his doth no less grace himself, than it brandeth them: so we have met with some pictures, which, if you look one way, show us a comely face; if another way, an owl, or an ape, or some deformed visage.

Look first at The Apostle's GRACIOUS CARRIAGE IN THE MANAGING OF THIS SHARP REPROOF; and ye, whom it concerns, imitate it: and then turn your eyes to the view of THE DAMNABLE COURSES OF THESE PHILIPPIAN SEDUCERS; and learn to abhor their ways, and fear their hell.

I. The FIDELITY OF THE APOSTLE is commended by his WARNING; by the FREQUENCE; by the PASSION of it: his warning, I have told you; the frequence, I have told you often; the passion, I now tell you weeping.

1. To begin with the WARNING. As wisdom hath eyes to note evils, so faithfulness hath a tongue to notify them. We are by our profession the Seers of God, in respect of our eyes; and we are the Prophets of God, in respect of our tongues: it must be our care, to make use of both titles. We are blind guides, if we see not: we are dumb dogs, if we give not warning of what we see: as good no eyes, as no tongue.

There was, in the north part of Jerusalem, the Tower of the Furnaces; Neh. iii. 11: wherein, it seems, there was continual fire kept, for the way-mark of travellers. That flame was both vocal and real; admonishing the passenger of his errors, and guiding him in his course: such we either are or should be: like to John Bap

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