Zerubbabels encouragement to finish the temple. A sermon preached before the honourable House of…

The Reason of all this lies but in three words which God hath spoken once, yea twice, [Aedificabo Ecclesiā meam] [I will build my Church,] which have more force in them, then all the created power of Heaven, Earth, or Hell. He had said it in the Old Testament (as you heard) Isai. 44. 28. saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built, and to the Temple, Thy foundation shall be laid. And Christ said it over again in the New Testament, Mat. 16. 18. I will build my Church: He speaks of that Church under the New Testament, which in future ages was to come. And what follows? [The Gates of Hell shall not prevail against it.] You heard before in the Old Testament, that the Brass Gates were opened to make way for the building of that Temple, Isai. 45. 2. But here in the New Testament, there are stronger Gates then of ⟨p. 28⟩Brass: here are the Gates of Hell: which yet Christ (like another Sampson) flings off their hinges. As whilst the Devil is god of the world, [Aedificabo Ecclesiam meam] shall be sure to be hindered, if he can: so whilst Christ is King of this world, and hath all power committed to him, both in heaven and earth, most certainly, the Gates of Hell shall never prevail against it. It is this same [Aedificabo Ecclesiam meam,] [I will build my Church,] that hath made all the stir in the world. I remember in the year 1619. or 20. (or thereabouts) when the Wars in Germany began, it was reported, that a great Brass Image of the Apostle Peter, (which had that pretended claim, by which Rome would hold her Keys, fairly embossed upon a Roll that hung down upon the Image, in these wordst [Tu es Petrus, & super hanc petram aedificabo Ecclesiam: & tibi dabo Claves, &c.] [Thou art Peter, and upon this Rock I will build my Church: and I will give to thee the Keys, &c.) standing (as I take it) in S. Peters Church at Rome; there was a great & massive stone fell down upon it, and so shattered it to pieces, that not a letter of all that sentence (whereon Rome founds her claim) was left whole, so as to be read, saving this one piece of that sentence, [aedificabo Ecclesiam meam] [I will build my Church,] which was left fair and entire.

The Reason of all this lies but in three words which God hath spoken once, yea twice, [Aedificabo Ecclesiā meam] [I will build my Church,] which have more force in them, then all the created power of Heaven, Earth, or Hell. He had said it in the Old Testament (as you heard)