Seasonable truths in evil-times in several sermons / lately preached in and about London

But then, Thirdly, what if God will try his enemies and his friends, both at once? Sometimes he will try his enemies, whether they will dare to break open his House, to trample his holy City under foot: Whether they will behave themselves proudly: Sometimes he will try them. Sometimes he will try his own Children, how they will carry it in such a day, whether they will lament after God, how they will be affected for the want of the public Assembly; God will try sometimes his own Children, and where doth God try his Children but in that thing, wherein they are much delighted? what's that? One thing have I desired of the Lord, which I will for ever desire, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord: here's their delight, here's their desire, here God will try them.

But then, Thirdly, what if God will try his enemies and his friends, both at once? Sometimes he will try his enemies, whether they will dare to break open his House, to trample his holy City under foot: Whether they will behave themselves proudly: Sometimes he will try them. Sometimes he will try his own Children, how they will ca•ry it in such a day, whether they will lament after God, how they will be affected for the want of the publick Assembly; God will try sometimes his own Children, and where doth God try his Children but in that thing, wherein they are much delighted? what's that? One thing have I desired of the Lord, which I will for ever desire, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord: here's their delight, here's their desire, here God will try them.

But Fourthly, What if the Lord will make the Solemn Assembly more glorious than ever it was? he hath promised to do it, To make the Place of his feet more glorious; that the light of the Moon shall be as the light of the Sun, and the light of one day as of seven days: He will make the Solemn Assembly more glorious: How so? but by bri•ging one ⟨p. 194⟩contrary out of another: when did God ever put any great life into any business, but at first he put the sentence of death upon it? When did God ever give any great repute or honour to Joseph, to David, to Mordecai, but first they were brought under Reproach: saith our Saviour Christ, unless the seed dies, it abides alone, but if it die it brings forth much fruit, So with Christ, so with the Saints; in the 26th. of Isaiah, as with himself it was, so it shall be with his, Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Bodies once dead and raised again, are the most glorious. Now God doth intend to make the Solemn Assembly more glorious than ever: No wonder therefore that he doth sometimes, (being this is his way and method) suffer the Solemn Assembly to lye under Reproach. So then, you have the first thing cleared in two particulars.