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been broken, our trade broken, our estates broken, our government broken, our hopes broken, our church broken; nothing but our hearts and our sins, unbroken. A sad thing, that a people will be quite fatherless, before they will think of going to God; that they will have their way hedged up with thorns, before they will resolve to return to their first husband; that they will be brought to husks, before they will come to themselves, and go to their father; that they will be brought to such extremities, as not to know what to do, before they will have their eyes upon the Lord." Well; it hath been our sin, and our folly, to trust in broken reeds1, in dying and perishing comforts: let it, at last, before the Ephah be sealed *, before the decree bring forth', be our wisdom, and our faith, to trust in the living God; and, by repentance and humiliation, to remove our sins from between God and us; and then no other impossibilities can obstruct the passage of mercy unto us: nothing can any more hinder the fulfilling of an Evangelical promise, than of a prophetical vision.

Well; whether in a vision, or really, he saw Joshua standing. And he stood,

1. Tanquam Servus; To minister before the Lord. Whereby we learn, 1. That as the ministers of the Lord have their mission from him, (Rom. x. 15. Heb. v. 4) so they ought to receive instructions from him, to do all in his temple according to the pattern he gives them; (1 Cor. xxviii. 11. Heb. viii. 5) to speak nothing but according to his prescription and direction; his words, (Ezek. ii. 7) his counsel, (Acts xx. 27) what they have received in command from him. (1 Cor. xi. 23) A servant is opyavov u&vxov, a living instrument TM; and instruments must be led by the guidance of the principal cause. Semper agatne rogat, nec nisi jussus agit. Wo be unto us, if we speak any thing in God's name, which he hath not commanded us. (Deut. xviii. 20)

2. Having received instructions, they ought with all reverence and readiness to obey them." We cannot but speak the things which we have heard and seen; no dignity, no

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tibi creditum est, non quod à te inventum; quod accepisti, non quod excogitasti; rem non ingenii, sed doctrinæ. Vincent. Lirinensis.

• Acts iv. 20.

excellence, is a supersedeas to duty Joshua, and other priests; Paul, and other elders; angels, and other ministers, are all fellow-labourers in the service of Christ. (Zech. iii. 8. Col. iv. 11. Rev. xix. 10)

3. That they are always in the eye of God, to counsel them in their duties, to search them in their performances, to hear them in their petitions, to tender them in their sufferings, to protect them in their fears and dangers. The anointed ones do ever stand before the Lord; (Zech. iv. 14) and since they do so,

1. They must learn to walk fearfully and humbly; to discharge their ministry heartily as to the Lord; to consider the weight of their pastoral office, as men that must give an account. (Heb. xiii. 17)

2. The people must learn to pray for them. Their duties are many, their temptations many, their enemies many, their infirmities many, their discouragements many; the infamies, contempts, reproaches poured out upon them, the devilish machinations and contrivances against them, many, more than many; and therefore they have the more right unto, the greater need of, the people's prayers. When enemies threatened, then the church prayed, "Lord, behold their threatenings, and grant unto thy servants that with all boldness they may speak thy word." (Acts iv. 29) When the apostle knew he should meet with enemies at Judea, then he earnestly besought the church to pray for him. Rom. xv. 30, 31) When he was an ambassador in bonds, then he moves the church to pray, that he might open his mouth boldly. (Ephes. vi. 19, 20) Thus he stood in a posture of service.

II. Tanquam Reus; As a defendant, as one accused, to answer for himself and others. The sins of the age then were general: 1. Neglect of building the temple: (Hag. i. 2) 2. Marrying strange wives. (Ezra. ix. 1, 2. x. 13) Yet Satan bringeth his accusation against the priest only, who was to warn the people. (Ezek. xxxiii. 8) His plot was against Israel; but his practice was upon David, to number the people. (1 Chron. xxi. 1) If he can overthrow public persons, cast down a Joshua, blow up a parliament, make contemptible and insignificant, the great officers in church or state, the rest he hopes to have presently in his power:

δρυός πεσούσης, πᾶς ἀνὴρ ξυλεύεται. Cut the tree up by the roots, and you may easily lop off all the branches. Thus we find him sifting of Peter, and hindering of Paul. (Luke xxii. 31. 1 Thes. ii. 18) Therefore in the law, as great a sacrifice was required for the priest, as for all the people. (Lev. iv. 3, 13, 14) Their sin is of a diffusive nature; from them prophaneness goes into all the land; (Jer. xxiii. 15) they are the snare of a fowler, by which others are entrapped. (Hos. ix. 8) The sin of him that hath knowledge, emboldeneth others. (1 Cor. viii. 10) The priests' sin brought contempt upon the very offerings of the Lord. (1 Sam. ii. 17)

And therefore all public persons, magistrates, and ministers, should be so much the more vigilant over themselves, by how much the more Satan is busy both to tempt and to accuse them. Plutarch hath written a book of profiting by enemies.' Certainly next unto this, that they stand before the Lord, and have his eye over them,-there can hardly be a more profitable consideration for men in office, than to remember that Satan is at their right hand, to tempt, to accuse, to observe, and to resist them. They say, Those roses are sweetest, which have stinking weeds grow near them. The nearer we know that Satan is to us, the more holy and pure should our lives be.

We have seen Joshua standing: Let us now see Satan standing, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him, to accuse him. If we do our duty, Satan is at our right hand to hinder us: If we do not our duty, Satan is at our right hand to implead us. Whether we be conscionable, or whether we be careless, he will have some design upon us, something to do against us.

1. He withstands us as a tempter. No sooner was Christ called out to his office and ministry, but Satan presently sets upon him to tempt him; (Matth. iv. 1) and usually the more work, the more temptation. He stands at the working hand. And the more public the work, the more sharp and eager the temptation. None more exposed to Satan's opposition than a Zerubbabel and a Joshua, a conscionable magistrate, and a zealous minister. When magistracy and ministry are most opposed, we may conclude Satan is most busy. Their office is most against his

kingdom, and therefore his malice is most against their function.

2. He opposeth as an accuser. (Rev. xii. 10) As the young man said unto Joab, "If I should have done as thou sayest, thou thyself wouldst have set thyself against me," (2 Sam. xviii. 13) is most true of Satan: if he can, by any means, tempt us into sin, he will be the first to accuse us of it. P

But how did Satan resist Joshua? No other way that we know of, but by stirring up the Samaritans to hinder the building of the temple, by hiring counsellors, writing accusations, and procuring an edict against them, which they hastily put in execution. (Ezra iv. 5, 6, 23) Satan, as the general and chief captain, useth wicked men as his drudges and instruments in all his oppositions against the church. All the world are under two heads; in their peaceable capacity, under two princes: Holy men, under Christ, the King of Saints'; and wicked men, under Satan, the Prince of this world, that worketh effectually in the children of disobedience. (Ephes. ii. 2) And in their military capacity, holy men, under Christ, the Captain of our salvation'; (Heb. ii. 10) and wicked men, under Satan, the great dragon", who are taken by him at his will. (2 Tim. ii. 26) And therefore,

1. Believers must, accordingly, arm themselves with the whole armour of God, when they give their name to Christ, and provide for sharp troubles from principalities and powers, especially the ministers of Christ in the service of his church. No life more comfortable, more honourable; but a warfare belongs unto it. "The weapons of our warfare,” saith the apostle, "are mighty through God;" (2 Cor. x. 5) and, "Endure hardness," saith he to Timothy, "as a good soldier of Jesus Christ." (2 Tim. ii. 3) Every good sermon storms some or other strong-hold of Satan, and mortifies, at least aimeth at mortifying, some one or other lust, that is subservient unto his kingdom. There will be continual

P Impii diabolum habent primò suggestorem, Dei tortorem. Cyprian de Jejunio et Tentat. Una Civitas et una Civitas, Babylonia una, Hierusalem una; illa Rege Diabolo, ista Rege Christo, &c. Aug. in Psalm 61. s John xii. 31. Josh. v. 14, 15.

xv. 3. 17. xiv. 19, 16.

r Rev.

Heb.

ii. 10.

u Rev. xii. 7.

VOL. V.

temptations*: we must labour and pray for grace, to overcome them. And there will be continual accusations: we must labour and pray for faith, to answer them.

2. Wicked men may see, in opposing Joshua in building the temple, in withstanding the ministers and work of Christ in his church, what master they serve, and whose interest they promote. They are but vassals of Satan, acted by the same principles of enmity and malignity which are in him. "He that committeth sin, is of the devil." (1 John iii. 8) And whereas men may be of the devil two manner of ways, 1. Per modum servitutis,' as obeying his commands; 2. Per modum imaginis,' as resembling his disposition; opposing of the work of Christ in his church, is of this last and worst kind, wherein men shew themselves not his servants only, but his children. As when Elymas the sorcerer withstood Paul, and would have turned the deputy from the faith, the apostle thereupon called him the child of the devil.' (Acts xiii. 10) Whoever sow tares in the Lord's field, do the work of him who is the Lord's enemy. (Matth. xiii. 25) O how many workmen hath Satan amongst us at this time! when the Lord's husbandmen are so decried, and mischievous doctrines so boldly, and with open face, published. The Lord grant that we may not be so long smitten with blindness, till we be led even into Samaria !

But here is the church's comfort, That there is a Lord our advocate with the Lord. As the Lord said to the Lord, "Sit at my right hand," (Psalm cx. 1) so here the Lord saith to the Lord, "Lord, rebuke Satan." The Lord sent Christ the Lord to conquer Satan; and Christ the Lord prays unto the Lord to rebuke Satan.

1. When Satan is the church's accuser, Christ is the church's advocate. "We have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." (1 John ii. 1, 2) When Satan is an adversary to resist, Christ is a captain to defend. (Heb. ii. 10) He was for this purpose manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. (1 John iii. 8) And he hath destroyed Satan three manner of ways; 1. Per viam sapientiæ;' he hath outwitted Satan, and made his own devices to

* Subsecuturis tentationibus munimenta præstruimus, Tert. de Baptismo, c 20. Vid. Aug. epist. 148.

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