dissensions. God hath used me as a means of much joy to you, the consolations of Christ, the comforts of love, the communion of the Spirit, the bowels of Christianity. If there be any joy in the gospel of salvation (and surely that is unspeakable and glorious) these hands have administered it from Christ unto you. And God hath used you as a means Your fellowship in the gospel, my Your faith in Christ, your readiness to

of much joy to me. joy,' Chap. i. 4, 5.

Chap. iv. 10, 16.

suffer for his name, my joy. Your care of me, and supplying my wants once and again, my joy, These things are the beginnings of joy. Would you complete it? would ye make my soul run over with comfort? would ye crown me with glory and joy? O then mind the same things; have the same love; and then I have all, I abound, I am full. There is no greater joy to a minister of the gospel, than to hear that his children walk in the truth." (3 John iv)

3. By way of most comfortable consecution. This is the ready means to impress and diffuse the consolations of Christ, the comforts of brotherly love, the joys of the communion of saints into your own souls, when you mind, and judge, and savour, and seek the same things.

And now, honourable and beloved, what can I say more unto you, than the apostle hath here said unto his Philippians? What think you, if Paul were here in our place to speak unto you; would he not mind you of the same things? Do not all the good ministers, all the good people in three nations, pray for your agreement? Are not the wives in your bosoms, the children of your bodies, your families, your estates, your posterities, the safety of three nations, concerned in your unanimity? Would it not be a sad thing for thousands, ten thousands of prayers, to be, by your divisions, disappointed? Would it not be a sad thing for thousands and millions of people, who have put their comforts and interests into your hands, to be by your dissensions endangered? O therefore fulfil you the joys of the people of the land, by minding the same things. Let it be said of you,―This was a wise and understanding house, that had God nigh unto them in all that they called upon him for: these were counsellors of value, healers indeed, repairers of breaches, preparers of paths toll in.-Away with strife and conten

tion; they are the children of pride. Away with self-seeking, domestical interests, your own fish-ponds, as the orator speaks; they are the children of baseness. You have, at one end of the text, the obtestation of an apostle; you have, at the other end, the example of a Saviour. He emptied, and denied himself for your good: do you so, for the good of those who have entrusted you. He was a peace-maker for you; be you so for them ;-true Mordecaies, accepted of your brethren, seeking their wealth, and speaking peace unto them.

I conclude all with this one enthymeme,-There is consolation in Christ, comfort in love, fellowship of the spirit, bowels and mercies. There are prayers to be sealed, the joy of thousands to be fulfilled, three great nations to be comforted and established, dangers to be removed, flames to be prevented, ruin to be repelled, enemies to be disappointed, a dear Saviour's example to be imitated, gospel to be advanced, name to be glorified. Therefore it is necessary, simply necessary, for this noble Convention to mind the same things, to have the same love, to be of one accord, of one mind; to do nothing through strife, or vain-glory; to be lowly minded; to look every man not on his own things, but on the things of others; to let the same mind be in them, which was also in Christ Jesus. That we may enjoy so great a blessing, and that you may be so great a blessing unto the people, let us call upon God, &c.

THE

BRAND PLUCKED OUT OF THE FIRE:

A SERMON preached at St. Paul's before the Lord Mayor, Aldermen, and Companies of London, on November 5, 1659.

ZECH. iii. 1, 2.

And he shewed me Joshua the high Priest, standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. And the Lord said unto Satan, The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan; even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem, rebuke thee. Is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?

THIS chapter is a collection of comforts for the church. Comforts present in the type,. Joshua the brand: comforts promised in the substance, Jesus the branch. Comforts to Joshua, the comfort of protection against adversaries, ver. i. 2. The comfort of honouring and adorning him for his ministry and office, ver. 4, 5. The comfort of remuneration for his fidelity, ver. 6, 7.

The words of the text are a promise of protection, revealed by the angel, published by the prophet,-two excellent witnesses to a promise. And indeed we seldom find the church. in affliction, but we find an angela with them. With Israel, when Pharaoh and his host pursued them; when they were in the hands of the Midianites; when they were in the hands of the Philistines; when they were in Babylon, in the bottom. amongst the myrtle-trees; with the three children in the furnace; with Daniel in the lions' den; with Paul, in the shipwreck; with Elisha, when beset with an army at Dothan ; with Lot, in the midst of Sodom. The angel of the Lord is

Exod. xiv. 19. Judges vi. 11. xxxiii. 3. Zech. i. 8, 11. Dan. iii. 28, vi. 22. Acts xxvii. 13. 2 Kings vi, 17. Gen. xix. 1.

round about those that fear him, to deliver them. (Psalm xxxiv. 7)

"He shewed me Joshua."] Israel returned but from two captivities, from Egypt, and from Babylon; and in both we find a Joshua employed; one, to possess them of Canaan; another, to re-edify the temple. It was not without a great mystery, to note unto us that there is no deliverance without a Jesus: no name but that under heaven by which we can be saved. (Acts iv. 12) He alone delivered us from the wrath to come. (1 Thess. i. 10)

"Joshua the High-Priest."] He is seldom mentioned alone without Zerubbabel. (as Ezra iii. 2, 8, and iv. 3, and v. 2. Nehem. xii. 1. Hag. i. 1, 12, 14, and ii. 2, 4) As in their return out of Egypt, they were led by Moses and Aaron; (Psalm lxxvii. 20) so in their return out of Babylon, they were led by Zerubbabel and Joshua; and being returned, these two were to engage themselves in the work of building the temple. (Ezra v. 2) And indeed temple-work doth never go prosperously on, but when the ministry of the priest is backed and encouraged with the authority of the magistrate :—as it was by Nehemiah, Hezekiah, and other good princes.

And, therefore, they are enemies to the building of God's house, who go about to persuade the magistrate that he hath nothing to do with matters of religion; that it belongs not either to his power or duty, to take care that purity of truth and worship be preserved within his territories: of whom notwithstanding it is prophesied, that they should be nursing fathers' to the church. (Isai. xlix. 23) And truly they are none of the best nurses, that suffer their children to have poison as freely offered them, as milk or wholesome meat.

There is something in it, that we find Joshua here alone. Satan would do mischief to any one, whom God honours and employs but his notable malice is against religion, and the building of the temple. If there be any more special instrument of that than other, him in special manner he opposeth: the more spiritual the service, the more resisted by the devil. The true Jesus, whereof our Joshua was a type, was no sooner called by God to build his house (for it was said of him that he should do, Zech. vi. 13) but we find him assaulted by the tempter. (Matth. iv. 1) Of all works, this is the

work which Satan most desires to oppose, as the apostle intimates. (1 Thess. ii. 18)

Standing."] Both tanquam Servus,' and ' tanquam Reus.' 1. As a servant to minister unto the angel. So much the word standing frequently importeth, attending upon a ministry; (Deut. x. 8, and xvii. 12. 1 Kings xvii. 1. Heb. x. 11) whereby is noted, (1) reverence to the Lord whom he served. (2) readiness to receive his commands. 2. As a defendant, who, being accused, stands up to answer for himself: the judge sat, and the people stood, Exod. xviii. 13. Actor and Reus were wont to stand together before the judge. "Who will contend with me? Let us stand together;" (Isai. 1. 8) to intimate possibly in either the confidence of a just cause therefore it is said of the ungodly, that they shall not stand in judgement.' (Psalm i. 5)

Joshua was in filthy garments; yet God employed him, and Satan accused him. How low soever our condition be, God thinks not scorn to use us in his service. "Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings he hath ordained praise.” He will be served as well in rags as in robes. And how low soever our condition be, Satan would have us lower, from robes to rags, from rags to nakedness. His malice is like hell, without any bottom. The truth is, it is not robes or rags that trouble him; but that whether in the one or the other, we do any way stand before the Lord and minister unto him.

namely, the angel of angel of the covenant.' house, and Joshua his

Before the angel of the Lord;"] God's presence;' (Isai. lxiii. 9) the (Mal. iii. 1) He is the Lord of the servant. (Heb. iii. 6. Matth. xxiv. 45) He is the Judge over the house, (Acts x. 42) and Joshua his subject. And, in both capacities, he stands before him, to execute the commands of his Lord, to answer the accusations of his adversary.

"And Satan standing at his right hand."] The right hand seems to have been the place of the accuser. (Psalm cix. 6, 7) And it is the hand of action. A wise man's heart is at his right hand; (Eccles. x. 2) he doth what he doth, heartily, as to the Lord. Satan hopes, if he speed not at accusing, he shall at resisting; that he shall prevail either as an adversary or as a tempter. But here is Joshua's comforts; though Satan be at his right hand to tempt, God also is at his right