the Church at this present time requires from you many other things It may be some of you may be called as souldiers to spend your blood in the Churches cause If you knew the honour and the reward that belongs to such a service you would say as the Martyr once Had every haire on your head a life you would venture them all in the Churches cause It may be others of you may with Nehemiah be called from your own ease and honour to some wearisome task embrace it readily It is like your collections and contributions will be more frequent than ordinary and very shortly in an extraordinary occasion for the relief of our distressed brethren in Ireland many in the City of London have set excellent examples let me provoke you by their pattern as the Apostle Paul did the Corinthians to the like work by propounding to them the example of Macedonia Onely remember this that what you give in this case is interpreted by Christ as given to his owne person and whom would not this provoke It is reported of Master Fox that when a poore man asked something of him for Christ Jesus sake he questioned with the man whether hee knew Jesus Christ and finding signes that the man was a Beleever hee gave him his horse when hee had no money I commend not his discretion but his zeal and charity were admirable Do somewhat proportionable to the distresse of your brethren Behold your Saviour comming naked and hungry and banished in these his afflicted members And in whatsoever else the Lord and his Church may have any need of you remember that Gods blessing is upon them that come to helpe him and that Meroz and with Meroz all others are cursed who come not out to the help of the Lord against the mighty FINIS Die Veneris 25. Febr. 1641. IT is this day ordered by the House of Commons that no man shall Print the Sermons Preached on the last Fast day before the House of Commons by Master Calamy and Master Marshall besides themselves for the space of these two moneths without the particular Licence and Approbation of the said House of Commons H. Elsynge Cler. Parl. D. Com. THese are to give notice that I appoint Samuel Gellibrand to print my Sermon Stephen Marshall Introduction shewing Exod. 15. 1 Sam. 8. The scope of the Chapter Iudg 4 3. Verse 16. Especially of this verse And the suitablenesse of it to the occasion Psalme 2. 2â— Division And interpretation 1 Sam. 14. 24. Numb. 5 27 Zech. 5. 3. 4. Rev. 17. 18. The maine Doctrine propounded Explained And proved v. 9. v. 15. v. 18. v. 24. Men are cursed or blessed Esay 16. v. 3. as they help or help not the Church of God Demonstrated First from the Churches relation to God Being made one with him in Christ All are cursed or blessed as they help or help not Gods Chur. Their cause is his cause Verse 15. â— 22 23. Zeph. 3. 4 Psal. 11. 7 Therefore a good cause Psal. 35. 27. Psal. 35. 26 A noble cause All are blessed or cursed 1 Cor. 9. 25 A successefull cause Isay 44. 17. Acts 5. 38. 2 Our relation to the Church All our talents are given us to serve the Church 1 Cor. 12 7. Eph. 4. 15. 1 Pet. 4. 10. Prov. 11. 26 Our conjunction with the Church Prov. 30. 17. Rom 9 2 3 Our standing and faling with the Church Rom. 12. 4. 1. Coo. 12 1â— 1 Cor. 12. 25 26. Application 1 For reproofe to them who help against the Church Psal. 137. Deut. 25. 17 Zech 14 12 Isa 27 â—4 Isa 45. 9 2 To them who stand Neuters 2 Kings 17 33 3â— 41 Mat 12 30 Of which two sorts Some out of policy Iudge 8â—4 5 Verse 6 Verse 6 7 16 17 2 Out of slothfull carelesnesse Acts 18. 14. Prov. 14. 10. Iud 21. 9 Vers. 10 2 For Exhortation To give our selves up to the service of the Chur. Motives thereunto 1 From Gods honour 3 From our relation to the Church and the churches gaine Cap 2 44 â— 4 31. Act. 9. 3. 3 From our owne good both In our in wardpeace 1 Ioh. 3. 14 Vers. 10. V. 16 Isa. 38. 3. Heb 13. 41 And our honour before God and men Heb. 1 14 1 Cor. 6. 15. 2 Cor 8 23. v. 7. Thirdly in the greatnesse of our reward Mat. 1â— 29 Meanes to make us usefull The persons must be First Godly Rev. 7. 14. 14. 4. â— Deniers of themselves Luke 14. 26. â— Tim. 2. 4. 2 Tim. 4. 23. Men are cursed or blessed Acts 20. 24 3 They must love the Church 1 Cor. 12. 27 28. What these friends of the Church must doe 1 By way of preparation theâ— must 1 Know the wanâ—s of the Church Neh. 1 2. Dan. 9. 2 Sympathize with them Neh. 1 4. Dan 8 27. 3 They must enquire what is in their hand to help 2 By way of action they must 1 Pray for it Psal. 122. 6. Isa. 62. 6 7. Ier. 51. 50. What great things Prayer is able to doe Ezek 36 37. Ier. 29. 10. 17. 1 Ioh. 14 15. Psal. 56 9. Isa. 37. 36. 1 Kin. 8. 37 39. Gen 32 26. Hos. 12. 4 〈◊〉 32. 10. â—ap 45 v. 10 Quest Answ. And the reasons of it Roâ— 8. 2â— Rev. 8. 3. 〈…〉 〈…〉 1. Whence all our present mercies â—nd deliverances come And our hopes of more 2 For reproofe Isa. 5. 4. 3 Exhortation to help the Church by Prayer Motives thereunto Psal. 66. And dâ—â—ction herein 2 Exhortation to pâ—ize such â—s have the spâ—rit of Prayer Eccles 9. 14. Rom. 15 30. 2 King 13 14. Isa. 19. 24. Zech. 8. 21. c. 2 To employ all our gifts and Taleâ—s as Stewards and servants for the Church 1 Cor. 12. 7. 1 Pet. 4. 1◠〈◊〉 are cuâ—sâ—d or blessed as they Eâ—oâ— 3◠〈…〉 1 For reproofe of most who are strangers to this duty Luk. 12 45. 2 For Exhorâ—ation 1 To the Hoâ—se of Parliament Iob 29. Obad. v. ult. Deut. 18 60. 2 To all others Matth. 25. 35.
MEROZ Cursed OR A SERMON PREACHED To the Honourable House OF COMMONS At their late Solemn FAST Febr. 23. 1641 By STEPHEN MARSHALL B. D. Minister of Finchingfitld in Essex Published by order of that House PSALM 122. Vers. 6 9. Pray for the peace of Ierusalem they shall prosper that love thee Because of the House of the Lord our God I will seek thy good LONDON Printed by R. BADGER for Samuel Gellibrand at the Brasen Serpent in St. Pauls Church yard 1641. TO THE Honourable HOUSE of COMMONS Now ASSEMBLED in PARLIAMENT IT is fit my obedience should last as long as your commands for so I have alwayes interpreted your Requests and desires to be As I never had the confidence to present you with any thing properly mine so neither will I bee guilty of that Injustice as to deny you any thing so truly your own as is this fruit of my poore yet willing endeavours It is yours truly but most principally the Churches whose both you and I and all that you can doe or I speak are If it may be serviceable to you and you by it made more serviceable to the Church and cause of God I have my option But I am resolved not to make that use of my experience of your patience in hearing the Sermon as to try it further with the length of a Dedication Only I thinke it my dutie to second my proposition with my prayers That God would vouchsafe a blessing to your endeavours for his Church and to you for your endeavours These shall be the constant and earnest desires of Your Servant Stephen Marshall A SERMON PREACHED At the late FAST BEFORE The COMMONS HOUSE OF PARLIAMENT IUDGES V. XXIII Curse ye Meroz said the Angell of the Lord curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof because they came not to the helpe of the Lord to the help of the Lord against the mighty RIght Honourable and beloved it hath been a custome almost amongst all Nations after any notable Victory to have their {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} their Triumphant Songs wherein the illustrious acts of their owne worthy Leaders and the shame and confusion of their enemies were celebrated preserved and so delivered over to posterity The Romans had their Salii Priests who after any victory went dancing through the City singing their Hymes and Paeans to Mars and the rest of the favourable Gods And the Grecians sometimes in Verses sometimes by Sculpture used to set forth their famous Battels and Victories yet alwayes attributing the highest glory of all to their Gods whoâ— they supposed to bee present with them Protectors over them and fighters for them This course I thinke the Devill learned from the Lord Jehovah's dealing with his owne people who alwayes directeth them thus to celebrate his noble acts and their great deliverances Thus Moses and Aaron sang unto the Lord when he triumphed gloriously over Pharaoh and all his Host making them sinke like a stone to the bottome of the Red Sea Thus the women in their song and dance celebrated their victory over the Philistims And this whole Chapter is nothing but a Triumphant song setting forth in an elegant and lofty verse the great Victory which Barak and Deborah and a small army with them had gotten the Lord marching before them against King Jabin and his Generall Sisera who for twenty yeares had mightily oppressed the children of Israel In which song First all prayse and glory is given to Jehovah the Lord of hoasts the Prince who lead them by whose strength alone the victory was obtained Prayse yee the Lord for the avenging of Israel I will sing unto the Lord Lord when thou wentest out of Seir c. Then the Song descends to the due praises of their generall Barak and his assistant Deborah yea the severall Regiments and Companies both of Horse and Foot doe receive the praise and reward of their courage and valour And not only so but the Song proceeds to Stigmatize and brand with reproach and marke out for punishment all such companies as had played either the Traitours or the Cowards or were otherwise wanting to their duty in this great expedition Reuben had other Sheepe to turne hee tarried amongst his Sheepfolds to heare the bleating of his flocke Gilead durst not crosse the Water Dan cowardly withdrew into his Ships Ashur durst not come from his owne coasts God takes notice and remembers them all and lets them know he had great thoughts of heart about it and in time would reckon with them for it But above all his wrath was most incensed against Meroz a people of whom wee finde no mention in the whole Booke of God nor I thinke in any other Story but onely in this place upon this unhappy occasion you can know no more of them than what this place tels you and these few reliques of them remaine as the lake of Sodome as a monument of their sin or as a Mast of a Ship swallowed up in the quicksand to warne passengers to take heed of that dangerous place or as Lots Wife turned into a Pillar of Salt to season others This their short Chronicle I may call their Grave-stone which seemes to hold out such an inscription as they say Sennacharibs Tomb had Looke upon me and learne to be godly So theirs Looke upon mee and learne your owne duty Looke upon me and take heed of disserting the cause and Church of God when they stand in neede of you A Text and Theme exceeding seasonable Seasonable to the times wherein we live when abundance of mighty enemies rise up against the Lord and against his Church Seasonable to the temper of most people who generally minde their owne things and not the things of Christ Seasonable to the occasion of this dayes meeting which is purposely for the helpe of the Lord and his cause and people now distressed in Ireland But to me it seemes most of all seasonable for this present honourable Assembly who all should be as the Lord their Horses as his Horses their Chariots as his Chariots they being all called to bee Leaders and Captaines of the Lords Host. The Lord make it but as profitable as I am sure it is seasonable and I doubt not but we shall be exceeding gainers by it In this Text which I may call the doome of Meroz there are these two things First the Author of the doome or sentence the Angell of the Lord Curse yee Meroz said the Angell of the Lord Secondly the Sentence given against them Curse ye Meroz c. Wherein likewise consider these two things First What their fault was Secondly What their punishment was Their Fault yee have in these words They came not out to the helpe of the Lord to the helpe of the Lord against the mighty Their Punishment was a curse and a bitter one Curse ye Meroz Curse yee bitterly or as the word signifies in cursing curse the
inhabitants of Meroz continue to curse them vehemently curse them never leave cursing them I shall briefly interpret the words and so proceede with Gods assistance to some profitable instructions First the Angell of the Lord I finde great difference among Interpreters who this Angell of the Lord should be Some thinke it was Deborah the Prophetesse who penned this Song Some thinke Barak the Generall was likewise at this time inspired by the Holy Ghost Some thinke it was the Angell that led them Michael their Prince who went out with them Some thinke the Angell of the Lord signifies all that have Divine inspiration but all agree in the intent of it namely that the Author is alledged that all might know that this curse came not from the private Spirit of Deborah or Barak as Sauls once did when he cursed every one that shall taste any meate untill the evening that he might be avenged on his enemies but was pronounced by the direction of God himselfe and so consequently they who are thus cursed are cursed indeed The Angell of the Lord that is divine Authority 2. Meroz Who was Meroz and what people were they I could never learne whether Meroz were a City or a Province few or many rich or poore weake or strong in this all agree that they were Jewes the Canaanites should not have been cursed for not joyning with Israel in their warres All likewise agree that they dwelt neere Mount Tabor and the River Kison the place where this battle was fought and so consequently neere the danger and in all probability were called by Deborah and Barak to come and assist them Which is likewise judged to be the cause why they had a heavier doome than any other God cannot abide to have such ill neighbours to his people when they are in distresse 3. Curse them The word signifies Maledâ—cere verbo malefacere re to speake evill of them to revile them to reproach them and wish mischiefe to them to doe any evill against them to execute in deed what they would wish in words What the particular Curse was or what the event of it was no man can determine this I finde which is most probable It was ordinarily observed among the Iewes that whatsoever was justly cursed grew unfruitfull presently If a Woman were cursed shee proved barren If the Earth were cursed it brought forth Briars and Thornes no profitable Seed or Plants would grow there If Trees were cursed they withered away If Gods curse fell upon Houses or Cities the Walles and Foundations would fall downe Gods curse alwayes wasted that which it fell So in all likelyhood this curse is the cause wee never read more of them If they were a Province their Land proved a desolate Wildernesse If a City it was destroyed or grew unpeopled this bitter curse like the Water of Jelousie made an end of them 4. They came not to the helpe of the Lord against the Mighty Who are these Mighty Without all question by the mighty are litterally meant King Iabin and his Generall Sisera because these were those potent enemies against whom the battell was fought But in Gods intent this being a propheticall Song the mighty are all of what ranke or quality soever who are eminent in wisdome strength authority or riches and mannage an ill cause against the Lord or against his Church Lastly they came not out to the helpe of the Lord by the helpe of the Lord you will easily conclude that in this particular the helpe of Deborah and Barak are meant They came not to joyne with the Tribes of Zabulon and Nepthaly and that small handfull of Israelites who by Gods direction undertooke this battell against the great Captaine Sisera Because they joyned not their strength with Gods people they are judged not to help the Lord For as I shall shew anon the Lord and his People are so conjoyned that their friends are his friends and their enemies are his enemies and whosoever helpes not them are interpreted to refuse to assist the Lord himselfe I know nothing else in the Text that hath the least shew of difficulty Were this Text to bee handled at large in many Sermons such Observations as these could not briefly be passed over as first That although Gods people must {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} blesse blesse I say and not curse Curses are edged tooles dangerous to be medled with yet there may fall out such cases that Gods blessed servants must come downe from Mount Gerizim the Mount of blessing and go up on Mount Ebal the Mount of Cursing and there curse and curse bitterly Curse yee Meroz said the Angell of the Lord Secondly That although it bee true that the curse causelesse shall not come yet when Gods people according to Gods direction clave non errante do curse their curse is like the flying Roule which we read of it consumes the house it lights upon the timber thereof and the stones thereof It is like the Wolfes foot of which they say that no herbe upon which it hath once trod will grow afterwards Thirdly That the mighty do frequently oppose the Lord it is no new thing to finde the Mighty in strength the Mighty in authority the Mighty in wealth the Mighty in parts in Learning in Counsell to engage all against the Lord his Church and Cause The Lambes followers and servants are often the poore and off-scouring of the World when Kings and Captaines Merchants and Wisemen being drunke with the Wine of the Whores fornications proceed to make warre with the Lambe and to give all their strength unto the Beast till the Words of God shall be fulfilled Fourthly That when the mighty of the World do oppose the Lord Gods meanest servants must not be afraid to oppose the Mighty And fifthly That whosoever come out to joyn their strength and to give assistance to the Lords people the Lord doth interpret them all to give helpe and assistance to himselfe But because my Discourse upon this Text in this place must be hedg'd into one Sermon I may not let it out into such a spacious field I shall passe by all these and many other seasonable truths which in this Text are obvious to all your eyes and betake my selfe to cleare one lesson only which you will quickly see to be the maine scope and intent not only of this verse but of the greatest part of this Chapter and most seasonable for these times for this Assembly and occasion viz. All people are cursed or blessed according as they do or do not joyne their strength and give their best assistance to the Lords people against their enemies I beseech you see how cleare this is not only in this verse God laid nothing else to Meroz charge but only this they came not out to help the Lord against the mighty but in other passages of this Chapter My heart is toward the Governors of Israel that offered
though but a corruptible crowne There is comfort in doing good to one but to advance the good of many especially of the Church of God how honourable how glorious is it Thirdly Gods cause is a successefull cause no weapon can prosper that is formed against it and every tongue that rises up in judgement against it shall be condemned The mouth of the Lord hath spoken it This Gamaliel saw when he advised the councell of the high Priests and Pharisees and Rulers to refrain from opposing the Apostles If this work be of men it will come to nought but if it be of God ye cannot overthrow it it is in vaine to fight against God Since then the Churches cause is Gods cause and consequently a good cause a noble and succesful cause you may easily hence conclude the happinesse that accompanies the promoting of it And on the contrary as easily discern how cursed a thing it is not only to undergo the disgrace of mannaging a wicked and base enterprise but to fail of that which wicked men use to cherish themselves with the hopes of the comfort of reward and obtaining their desires Secondly consider our relation to the Church And that affords three other excellent arguments to prove men blessed or cursed according as they help or help not the Church of God First whatsoever abilities any man enjoyes wherewith he may any wayes be usefull they are all given him to this very end to make him serviceable to the Church All the manifestations of the spirit are given to profit withall All the gifts which Christ powred out when he ascended up on high are for the perfecting of the Saints and the building up of the body of Christ As every one hath received a gift so let him minister as good stewards of the manifold graces of God The Church is the common storehouse to which all our wealth must be carried Salus Ecclesiae suprema lex Which being so the happinesse of every thing being the attaining of the end for which it was appointed and the curse of it the perverting of it to a wrong end they must needs be blessed who serve the Church and he must needs be cursed that deprives the Church of its own due Salomon saith that he that withholds corne in a time of famine the people shall curse him though it were his owne corne but suppose a man had the keeping of the provision of the whole town corne which were none of his owne he only intrusted with the keyes of it and should let the people starve for want of that food which he should keepe purposely for them or that a man had the keeping of a Magazen for an Army to furnish them with what might make them victorious and their safety and victory hazzarded if not lost through his default were not this man a villaine and a traitor to his country Secondly Consider how neare the relation is betwixt the Church and us except we be of the malignant Church of the Dragons army and then no more need be said to prove men cursed The Church is our Mother and all the Saints are our Brethren a Relation which all Lawes of God and man do fasten duty upon The eye that mocketh at his father or despiseth to obey his mother the Ravens of the vally shall picke it out and the young Eagles shall eate it Paul thought he did no more than his duty when he had great heavines and continuall sorrow in his heart and could wish himselfe accursed from Christ for his Brethren his kinsmen who were Israelites Thirdly All our own blessednesse stands or falls with the blessednesse of the Church The Church is such a corporation or mysticall body as hath in it all the properties of a naturall body wherein no members can be happy in an abstracted sense but as parts conjoyned with the whole because every part hath besides the neare relation to the whole a subsistency in it which is the foundation of any other good it receives And so consequently the good or gaine of the whole is the gaine of every member and whatsoever tends to the dissolution of the whole cannot but be destructive to all the parts As when a company of Merchants have but one joyned stocke every penny gained or lost is gaine or losse to them all Or as it is with a company of passengers in the same Ship save the vessell and you save all sinke the Ship and every mans Cabbin is cast away Now this is a more prevailing argument than reason can make it is grounded in nature which must prevaile with all Nature makes heavy things to ascend rather than the whole should be endangered by a vacuum Nature teaches the tongue to cry out when the toe is trod upon the hand to work that the belly starve not the feet to runne that the back be not cold Every man finds this in the naturall body and Gods Spirit dwelling in all the Saints workes the same spirituall disposition in them that are partakers of the divine nature That there be no Schisme or division in the body of Christ but that all the members may have the same care one for another That whether one member suffer all the members should suffer with it or one member be honoured all the members should rejoyce with it By this time I hope it is cleare that if we look upon Gods promises or threatnings mens experience in all ages or the Churches interest in God his neare union with it his affection to it his owning the Churches cause or if we consider our own engagements to the Church our neare conjunction with it and under God the dependance of all our comforts and wellfare upon it we may and must conclude that all men are blessed or cursed according as they help or help not the church of God The rest of the time I shall spend in the Application of it that what is thus cleare to your judgement and conscience may by Gods blessing take due place in your hearts and conversations And there are but two collections which I shall make for use The first briefly for terrour and reproof the second more largely for exhortation and duty First for reproofe This speaks very sadly against two sorts of people whereof God knowes there are many hundreds of thousands who yet professe themselvs to be Christians As first Are all they cursed that doe not thus helpe the Lord against the mighty what then are they who instead of helping the Lord against the mighty do help the mighty against the Lord who instead of joyning all their strength and giving all their assistance to the Church in her distresse doe give all the assistance they can to the enemies of the Church that they may do mischief against the Church What shall we thinke of these men How many are there who have as it were entred their names into the
salvation but that with them all wee should be as good Stewards of the manifold graces of God So that our hands if skilfull to write should be employed as Secretaries of the Church our feet as Messengers of the Church our tongues as Advocates for the Church our Wisdome and learning as Counsellors for the Church our wealth as Stewards or Almoners for the Church Whatever any man hath the Lord would have his Church to be the Common-storehouse into which all should bee brought the body to which all should be serviceable just as it was when the Tabernacle was to be built Not only Bezaleel and Aholiab men skilfull in all manner of work were to bestow their labours upon it but all with whom any thing was to be found whether silver or brasse or fine linnen or Goats haire or Badgers skins or Rams skins all with a willing heart were to bring it in yea the very women that could spinne either linnen or woollen or haire were all to be employed to further the work of the Tabernacle This needs no proofe every mans spirit carries him to do all this for whatsoever is his summum bonum his chiefest happinesse such as make Mammon their God or their belly do readily contribute all they have or can doe to the service of them I shall shut up all with a briefe application First for reproofe Secondly for duty How sadly doth this speak concerning them whose serviceablenesse to the Church consists only in empty and barren wishes the same which they can and doe afford to any creature which they see to be in distresse they love the Church they pity the miseries of the Church they are sorry for Germany when they think on it and that is but seldome They grieve for Ireland but require either their hands to underwrite their legs to walk their purses to contribute their authority to command or countenance c. they can spare none of all these They have a bottomlesse gulfe called selfe which swallowes all they are have or can doe and yet is never satisfied Aske them if they have a heart to do nothing for the Church they answer readily they pray for it with all their heart and that is all they can doe But let all such false-hearted Christians know that the Lord needs none of their help and cares as little for their dry barren prayers as the poore beggar did for the Bishops blessing who begging for a peny but denyed that and put off with the offer of a benediction told him that hee perceived his peny was better than his blessing otherwise he had denyed him that also In the meane time think how thou wilt appeare in the day of thine account when the not having much but the improving of what we had to our masters advantage will bring the Euge bone serve when others shall come in and say Lord thy pound hath gained five pounds when as Gregory sayes Peter shall come in with his gaine of Iudea Andrew of Africa Thomas of India Paul and the rest of many Nations Ministers bring in their sheaves of soules private Christians their gleanings and bundles And thou appeare empty thy talent buried or embezelled thy age spent thy candle burnt out nothing done by thee for the Church when it shall appeare that thou hast had gold and silver to feather thy own nest power and authority to terrifie thy neighbours like a great Tree crushing or overdropping all that stand neare thee and hast had this worlds goods as the Leviathan the Sea onely to take thy pleasure and satisfie thy lusts in them Woe unto thee if thy Master finde thee thus doing This gaine of thy Talents will be the losse of thy own soule Secondly for exhortation to all especially to you Right honourable and beloved What words shall I use How shall I make up a strength to prevail with you to give up your selves and all you have so wholly to the Lord and to his Church that all your other outward occasions may not so much as dare to expect any thing from you so long as the Church hath need of it that your pleasures and superfâ—uities nay your profits sometimes necessities may never offer to come in competition with the Church of God for any thing which you call yours O that you could hear the Lord speaking to you in the same language as once he spake to Cyrus For Jacob my servants sake and Israel mine elect I have even called thee by the name I confesse that instead of exhorting we have just cause to blesse God for you when we consider how you who heretofore have lived at ease and in pleasure enjoying the delights of the sons of men have now changed your pleasures for paines your delights for dangers your profits and gains for expences your houses for lodgings and still continue to deny your selves in all these things and goe on in your unwearied labours for the Church and cause of God This is great matter of praise to God and honour to your selves Generous plants and odoriferous spices they say grow onely in hot regions such fruits as yours are not brought forth by every plant such plants as you grow not on every ground But go ye on ye Nobles and Worthies forget what is behind God and his people will not forget it look and presse to the work which yet remains Get the resolution of Zisca that brave Bohemian Captain who not onely was willing to fight while he lived but be queathed his skin when he died to bee made a drum head for the service of the warre Hold out to the end Cloath ye with zeale as with a cloak put on righteousnesse as your ornament Bee good shepherds still to rescue and feed the flock committed to you Be so many Saviours upon mount Sion All this shall be done for the best Master all this seed will be sown in the most fruitfull ground the bosome of the Church and to quicken you the more remember how much of the golden time which is gone you have wasted with Domitian in catching of flyes how much of your estate hath bin spent needlesly in pictures feastings buildings sportings if not worse in riot and disorder how much of your strength hath been bestowed in the service of this world and the God of it and now when the gray haires are scattered upon many of you and God might justly cast you aside as broken vessels the Lord should choose you and accept you in the most honourable service that the sons of men are capable of nay that service which he employed his owne Son in How readily and cheerfully ought you to consecrate your selvs and service to this work you should come from your habitations and countries as the Levite from the place where he so journed with all the desires of your minds to serve the Lord your God And to you the rest beside your Prayers the exigence of