the oath one saith the oath is voyd and holds it sinne for a Papist to performe his word to a Protestant I make no wonder that some Papists take the oath I wonder that any refuse it when the Pope can dispense with it and deale with them as hee did with the French King give him leave to take an oath and then promised to dispense with the breaking of it what certainty or security can Kings have when such damnable Tenents are broached in the world that oathes are not to bee kept with Hereticks and they are Heretickes whom the Pope will have so This is the fifth Aggravation Sixtly Simeon and Levi coloured their revenge and crueltie under a cloak and maske of religion Religion ought not to bee a Bond of Iniquitie yet under Religion in the Church of Rome all iniquitie especially Rebellions treasons Perjury Iustifies it selfe They make the cause of Religion to descend to the execrable Acts of the murdering of Princes Butchering of Innocents firing of States no men more pretend and boast of perfection and the holinesse of their meditations then the Iesuites doe yet this Platforme is heathenish Tyrannicall and able to set Aretine Lucian Machiavell and the Devill himselfe to Schoole I want words to expresse that pestilent project of the Popes coloured under a pretence of Religion for the recovery of the holy Land For two hundred yeares together they made the flower and Chivalrie of Christendome to fall by Millions in the foolish Conquest of Ierusalem They sent Christian Princes far from their own kingdomes to invest themselves into them never any Nation so heathenish and barbarous and divelish whose Religion maintained Murder Treason Treacheries Perjuries In every Religion and State have beene some such found but none whose Religion hath maintained them as the Religion of Rome doth Fawkes had nothing to charge the State withall but that Religion prompted him to this Treason When Ravilliac murdered Henry the fourth King of France being tortured to know his incouragers to it he sent them to the Sermons made by the Iesuites in Lent They that read Bellarmine Suarez Eudeman Becanus Emanuell Say shall easily perceive their Religion teaches Rebellion Treason That Act of Iehu in proclaiming a solemne service to Baal and then murdering of them and that of Constantine commanding all his chiefe officers to worship the Idol and then casheering them wants more subtill Patrons to maintaine it then either my Religion or my reason can reach to Religion needs not to bee shrowded under the Cloak of policy That great Diana of Rome they have lifted up to so high a straine that they equall him to God and say there is no appeale from him to God God and he are of one and the same Consistorie He can determine against the Law of Nations against the Law of nature against the Law of God Yea that his power and actions are no way to bee disputed of That is the cause of causes and the just cause of all O I am weary of the Blasphemy and cruelty of the Church of Rome their Blasphemies are so innumerable their tyranny so execrable their cruelty so unsupportable their delusions so heathenish their perjuries so divelish that the like was never in any state Murders Treacheries Treasons are there in their proper place they are no sinnes in Rome or at least but Veniall sinnes easily dispensed with by the Pope rebellions and Treasons Massacring and butchering of Innocents Draco's lawes and Spanish inquisitors insupportable wrath and inveterate rage perjuries and breaking Covenants these are the Religion of the Church of Rome It was once in the English Liturgy King Henry the eighth put it in Queene Mary put it out That we should pray that our Kingdom should bee delivered from sedition tyranny and conspiracy of the Pope wee may doe it still at least in private prayers from the treasons treachery perjury of the Church of Rome from the rage malice and cruelty from the Religion of the Church of Rome from Iesuites and Iesuited Papists Good Lord deliver us And thus I have done with the first Generall the sinne of Iesuites and Iesuited Papists It now onely remaines to speake of the second their censure Their censure shall I smite them my Brethren Iacob you heare would not spare his own sons though in the same house with him though they ate the same bread drank of the same Cup were of the same faith though what they did they did it in revenge of the wrong done to their sister shall we then spare them No I must follow Iacob still O my soule come not thou into their secret unto their assembly mine honour bee not thou united cursed be their anger for it was cruell and their wrath for it was fierce God divide them from the son of our Iacob and scatter them from our English Israel O my soule come not into their secret we must neither with heart nor tongue affection nor action neither in word nor deed no my Brethren not so much as in thought nor look show any countenance to Popish Cruelty their treasons murders perjuries and the rest of that Heathenish cruelty It hath beene the desire of many the endeavour of some to worke a reconciliation betwixt the Church of Rome and us Franciscus de sancta clara whose booke of reconciliation hath been 23. times printed I have read it and I will say of it that the discourse doth more confirme mee that it 's impossible to make a reconciliation betwixt them indeed there may bee such a forme of confession drawn up in termes that both sides may subscribe to but then the termes shall bee so Ambiguous that at the next opening of the sore the skinne being but heal'd over before the breach will be more deadly A Botch is never cured as long as the core remaines excrements will grow on a dead body while the humor lasts Arius presented the Emperor Constantine with such a forme of confession that when the Orthodox read it they conceived it for their side and the Arians for theirs The quarrell betwixt Rome and us is not like Caesar and Pompey which should be chiefe but like that betwixt Rome and Carthage which should not be if Rome prevaile we shall not stand and if we prevaile they should not stay long Bellar. saith plainly the controversie betwixt them and us is whether the Church of God consist or no or be shattered in peeces A learned man of our Church yet very moderate too conceives it impossible that ever there should be reconciliation betwixt them Therefore saith he if these reconcilers were the wisest men under heaven and shold live to the worlds end they would be brought to their wits end before they could accomplish this works end to make a reconciliation betwixt Rome and us you know who printed it long agoe no peace with Rome that King of Preachers so called by the King of Schollers said plainely The Northerne and Southerne Poles may sooner meete in
to curse as well as sixe to blesse Moses the meekest man in all the earth was mediator of the condemning Law Saint Paul that was compounded of affection yet pronounced the greatest curse in the Book of God mens persons ought not so to be had in admiration that their wickednesse passe without condemnation In Courts of Iustice mens causes not their persons should speake Iacob lookes not on his sons cruelty with a fathers indulgent lenity but with a frowning Austerity whom GOD curses Iacob will not blesse cursed be their anger This censure will aggravate their sinne if you consider these circumstances First The Parents curse saith the wiseman rootes out the foundation of a child Gods curse usually goes along with theirs Noah cursed Cham and the Canaanites were cursed of God Saint Austen tells us of a Mother cursing her tenne Children that immediately from Heaven they were shattered in pieces Camerarius relates of one cursed by his father that presently by a miracle hee was fastned to the ground of a second devoured by Serpents of a third torne by devils sad and dreadfull examples a fearefull document to Parents to take heed how they rashly curse their children and for children how they provoke their Parents Parents are not easily moved to curse their children especially if they be religious parents men fearing God and yet Iacob Simeon and Levi's father holy Iacob curses but it is their anger not them their passions not their persons cursed be their anger this is the first aggravation Secondly the words of dying men are living oracles then men speak most affectionately and their words pierce most deepely Iacob at this time was on his death bed his sons crave his blessing he loves them but hates their sins as his soule at first gave no consent so his tongue now shall give no approbation to it at first he reproves them but having more liberty he detests it He was presently to appeare before Gods Tribunall so he calls them to his Thirdly an honest heart doth not only not act wickednes but abhors it Iacob as hee was no Counsellor to the offence so he would be no Patron to the offendors O my soule come not into their secret unto their assembly mine honour be not thou united Iacob as before he protested against it so now he disclaimes it Fourthly it 's the curse that followes the Iewes to this day to be a scattered people on the face of the earth division will follow unity in sin Simeon and Levi brethren in evill therefore Iacob makes them strangers in dwelling I wil divide them in Iacob and scatter them in Israel Simeon had no entire inheritance Levi no certaine Thus you have seen their sin and their censure But what 's this to us wil you say or what 's this to the busines of this day Have patience and this shall give more light and bee more welcome to you considering that Iacob in thus speaking is our spokesman Brightman speaking of the seaven Churches saith they were Typicall of the Churches of the Gentiles to the comming of Christ I should be too singular if I did say this history were Typicall and did set forth the tragedy for this day I wil not undertake to give an interpretation but I will promise and your selves shall see an exact application in all the particulars be pleased therefore once more to have recourse to the words of the Text and with a little variation of names and time read it thus Iesuites and Iesuited Papists are Brethren Instruments of cruelty are in their habitations O my soule come not thou into their secret unto their assembly mine Honour be not thou united for in their Anger they slew a man and in their selfe will they digg'd downe a wall cursed bee their Anger for it was fierce and their wrath for it was cruell God divide them from the sonne of our Iacob and scatter them from our English Israel I will follow the same method that I did before I will shew you the sinne of these and their censure and that aggravated with the same circumstances as that of Simeon and Levi First then Simeon and Levi in their anger they slew a man a King The lives of Kings are sacred therefore those doctrines the most remote consequences whereof will maintaine killing of Kings are to be abhor'd among us But as for the doctrine of Iesuites and Iesuited Papists their Tenets and and principles sticke point blancke to this killing of Kings and in this their cruelty is farre worse than that of Simeon and Levi Simeon and Levi did once kill a King though de facto they did it yet they did it but once and their Religion condemned it and their father Iacob cursed it But it is the Religion of the Church of Rome and the constant practise of the Iesuites to doe it not only once but often yea their Religion maintaines it and in some cases makes it meritorious yea the Pope their father allowes it countenances and blesses it you were once taught to say on the service of this day that their Religion is Rebellion and their faith faction it is now altered And I have reason enough to beleeve there 's sufficient Reason of State for it though I see none I hope I shall make it easily appeare to you that the Religion of the Church of Rome maintaines killing of Kings Bellarmine in his Letter to Blackwell the Arch-Priest of England makes this Rhetoricall flourish did ever any Pope from the Infancy of the Church at any time command any King though heathenish to be kill'd or approve the Act after it was done Therefore saith hee why shall the King of England feare that that never any Christian King in the Christian world did ever or hath cause to feare boldly spoken and as a Cardinall Iesuite Let Bellarmine answer Bellarmine and throw blushing in his owne face I have the rather made choice of him because he is their Coripheus and few of them I beleeve deny what he affirmes yea I have him to shew if any denies what I say to you in his fifth booke De Roman Pontific 7. cap. he saith plainly Non licet Christianis c. It is not lawfull for Christians to tollerate a Heathenish Infidell Hereticall King yea saith hee it pertaines to the Pope alone to judge if the King be so or no he saith also in the same place if any sheepe become a Wolf any Christian Prince become a Heretick and labours to withdraw his subjects then the Pope ought to expell them excommunicate them drive them away from their kingdome and discharge their subjects of obedience And he gives this Reason and I beseech you marke it why the Christians in the Primitive times did not thus proceed against Nero Caligula Dioclesian Iulian the Apostate Valerian and the rest of those monsters Gods plagues to the Church because they wanted force So that by the doctrine of Bellarmine if Christian Kings are once Hereticks by the Pope
Great Prince saith hee Your Majestie need not feare the treason of the Iesuites for you are protected by the particular care and extraordinary favour of GOD which over-shadowes you and makes you redoubtable to all your enemies But Sir saith hee what hopes or meanes of safety or refuge to posterity when the Rat is in the Bagge when the Serpent is in the bosome the powder in the Pistoll Iesuites saith he that are sworne servants to the Pope can never bee true subjects to their Prince they exempt themselves from obedience and avouch the same of all Clergie men to make their party the more strong yet poore Prince after a little while had the Iesuites knife in his heart God preserve our King and hee that brought him from Spaine to the admiration of many that he might preserve him a blessing to this age preserve him from the power and cruelty of Spaine yet as a Privie Counsellor spake of Q. Elizabeth concerning the Papists he never went to bed but awaked with feare least he should heare of her death by Treason nor never Rose in the morning but expected the same ere night So wee may bee sure of this where ever occasion is offered how ever for the present they may strive to appeare good subjects traitors wil be ever traitors ready to vent their Treason the least occasion shall be enough to kill Kings and blow up Parliaments This is the third Aggravation Fourthly Simeon and Levi in their anger they slew a man in their selfe will they digg'd downe a wall Their anger was fierce their wrath was cruell Salvian asketh What so great wickednesse in the Christian Religion that for this cause Parents curse their children and children their Parents No anger so fierce nor rage so cruell as that against sincere professors I cannot but admire at the divelish rage of the Church of Rome against us they esteeme all the reformed Churches no better then Turkes Iewes and Infidels nay worse for they admit these to dwell in the midst of them Blasphemers murderers witches perjured persons traitors they can dispense with they account us dogs worthy nothing but rackes torture torment worthy cruell death and beastly buriall they will not allow us a place in their purgatory but send us to Hell yea those damned Hypocrites the Lords Inquisitors the very Nero's and Caligula's of the Age say they show too much lenitie to such dogges as we are Theodosius in his hot Rage caused 7000. of Thessalonica cruelly to be put to death for which cause Ambrose excommunicated him and he relenting made this Law that execution should not soone follow sentence but thirtie dayes should passe betweene them They have not the reason of men but the rage of Lions the Venym of Serpents and devils that are hasty to shed bloud It was a cruell wish of Caligula that wish't all Rome had but one neck that he might cut it off at one blow and the King of Spaine that wish't all the Netherlands a Sea My brethren there is no rage wrath nor malice like to the wrath of Rome I cannot enlarge my selfe in every particular No piety to God no justice to Innocents no pitty to their friends no loyaltie to their Soveraign nothing is able to keep them in Romes Babylonicall furnace is seaven times hotter their rage and superstition like two impetuous torrents beare down all respects before them but that rage is most hellish which in peace storms and thunders which brings me to the fift Aggravation The fifth circumstance that aggravated the sinne is that they falsified their words they broke their covenants The Papists teach that no faith is to be kept with Infidels Heretickes Oathes and agreements ought to bee sacred and kept among all nations Heathens will not infringe their oathes when once the name of their God is upon them for the terror of that God Therefore the Heathen Embassadors of Rome chose rather voluntarily to returne and be tortured to death then perjured When one of them equivocated to save his life the Senate put him to death But the Rome Christian not onely practise but teach that men may men must breake and the Pope can dispense with the breaking of the oath The Councell of Constance determined this in the case of Iohn Hus and Ierom of Prague whom they illegally burnt though they had promised safety saying no faith was to bee kept with Hereticks This made the friends of Luther so unwilling to let him goe to Wormes though his resolution was unalterable I go saith he in the name of God and of Iesus Christ though as many Devills were in Worms as there be tyles on the houses I would goe And indeed it was the same Iesus Christ preserved him for Baals Priests there would have him put to death and had not the plaine opposition of Lewes Elector Palatine prevailed with the noble disposition of Charles the ninth they had burnt him also Good God! that they that have the faces of men the Intellect of Angels the profession of Christians the Repute of learning so great a name through the whole world yet notwithstanding maintaine such divelish Atheisticall and damnable positions contrary to all humane society to the shame of Christians to the ignominie and reproach of Christ Iesus Saint Paul in the 2 Thessalonians 2. calls him the lawlesse man no law can bind him no covenants no agreements When the Cardinals meete to choose a Pope in the Conclave they make a vow whosoever is chosen Pope he shal sweare to such Articles as they make And Sleydan saith the Pope is no sooner chosen but he breaks them all and checks their Insolencies as if they went about to limit his power to whom al power is given in heaven and in earth The Christian Religion never suffered so great a scandall and losse as when Iulian the Legate dispensed with the oath wch Vladislaus made to Amurath the Turk The cause saith Sir Walter Rawleigh of the cruell war forty yeares betwixt the Netherlands and the King of Spaine which cost one hundred Millions of money and the lives of foure hundred thousand of men is dispensing with the oath the King of Spaine took I le instance in one to which a second cannot bee added Henry the second Emperor and Paschall the Pope made an agreement for further testimony of their Reconciliation and for more security the Pope doth administer the Sacrament with these words Take this pledge of my true love and our unfained reconciliation let him bee divided from Iesus Christ and have no part in his kingdome who first breakes covenant yet the very next yeare with the consent of his Cardinals hee broke this oath when oathes and Covenants are like Sampsons cords not able to binde what safety can there be in the world Some Iesuites laugh at the Zeale of our King and State in making the oath of Allegiance and say it 's to bind silly Foxes and is easily broken and say the Pope can dispense with
hath in his pietie to GOD proclaimed a day of humbling our soules and of reconciling our selves to God this promiseth some good unto us it is an argument that we are prisoners of hope when the enemy doth parley with us there is some signe of yeelding when there is liberty of parley God doth never reason with them for whom he hath no mercy Hee reasoned with Adam and Eve he did not with the Serpent God cannot be angry with the prayers of his people hee is then angry indeed when he forbids his people to pray when he takes away their hearts from prayer when hee denyes them liberty to pray when they are restrained from prayer but when GOD calls them to pray when hee commands them to pray when he stirres up a whole kingdome to pray when hee makes those men that have prayers in abomination and the people of God for their praying in abomination also to countenance prayer to joyne with the people of GOD in prayer to be of one heart with them O what a glimpse of mercy is this certainly there is hope whilst there is but one praying Christian amongst us whilst any one that hath a publike spirit whilst Moses prayes the enemy cannot prevaile whilst Luther lived the Duke of Saxony could not be conquered yea there is hope if there were not one praying Christian in the midst of us if there be any of another kingdome that pray for us Abraham that was a very stranger to Sodom and Gomorrah prevailed farre with God for them his prayer saved his nephew Lot his Wife and daughters we have a multitude of prayerfull Christians that pray daily for us that are not amongst us all the reformed Churches abroad especially our friends and kindred that are lately separated from us in Holland in New England Yea let me appeale unto your selves have not most of you as Daniel did in your Chambers fasted and prayed have you not in your families have not the men fasted apart and the women apart hath there not been private notice given as Esther to Mordecai Mordecai to the Iewes in Shusan Yea that which Crownes all is there not now a Proclamation gone forth through all Countries to command every one Church and Chappell to fast my brethren a little encourage your selves in the Lord The God of Israel is a mercifull God wee cannot come with halters about our necks but he will have mercy on us The Lion of the Tribe of Iudah will not trample upon the yielding pray The Comforter will comfort whom he hath convinced of sin of righteousnesse and of judgment Let me speake comfortably unto you then in the words of Manoa's wife unto him when hee was much afflicted Surely we shall dye saith he because wee have seene God No saith she Iudges 13.23 if the LORD were pleased to kill us hee would not have received a burnt offering and a meate offering at our hands neither would hee have shewed us all these things nor would now have told us any such Againe consider what great things fasting and praying have done the prayers of one man of one family of one Citie of one Kingdome God is the same GOD as ever the father of mercy the God of compassion we are not confirmed because hee changeth not fasting and prayer have prevailed why not still Call to minde the memorable things recorded in the booke of God especially that of Mordecai and the Citie of Shushan of Ezra and his company looke into the booke of God and tell me if you can finde one good or bad that ever fasted and prayed and God had not respect unto it Iehosaphat when the Moabites and Ammonites a great host came against them ready to swallow them up yet he prevailed call to minde Ecclesiasticall History in Marcus Aurelius time and Theodosius time that thundering Legion when the Christians prayer obtained an admirable victory That of Luther and the Church when the devill brought in the covenants call to mind what you your selves have obtained by fasting and prayer I could tell you of some singular things that have fallen within mine own knowledge wonderfull things hath the publike fasting-prayers of our Church obtained of God Nay more to encourage you look into your owne Towne when God sent that infectious disease of the small Pox when scarce there was one house as in Egypt wherein there was not one dead when you fasted and prayed how soon did the Lord remove that plague an Army of men cannot stand against a man of prayer much lesse against an Army of prayers Surely my Brethren it is the prayers of the Church that hath kept off judgements to this day we have had many Ionah's sent amongst us crying yet forty dayes and England shall be destroyed We have had dayes and months and yeares past over our heads yet no sword when saith the scoffing worldling is the promise of his comming the Prophets prophecie wind yea Ionah was angry with himselfe what 's the matter God hath threatned so much and wee have felt so little did Ionah preach a lye in the name of the Lord No Niniveh repented and GOD repented Nineveh fasted and prayed and God was entreated They have beene the repentings the fastings the prayers of the people that have kept off the sword to this day God is the same God his compassions never faile If we pray God will heare See how Salomon consecrated his Temple he prayed that when the people should goe out to battell against their enemy and should pray unto the Lord toward the way of the Citie and toward the house which hee had built That then God would heare in Heaven their prayer and their supplication and judge their cause the turning towards the Temple was a turning to God Christ was the Temple turne to Christ in prayer and the enemie shall not prevaile Secondly consider as a further encouragement to pray for peace the enemies whom wee expect will engage us with Warre and they are either forreine enemies of other kingdomes of other language of another Religion or they that are under the same King with us of the same faith and Religion Be they Spaniard or French or any of the Romish Religion they are not more our enemies then Gods and the warre is not ours but Gods God hath said it they shall fall before us and he will avenge the bloud they have shed The Saints under the Altar have a long time cryed how long the time cannot bee farre of but that the Kings of the earth shall gather themselves together they shall hate the whore and shall make her desolate and naked and shall eate her flesh and shall burne her with fire Babylon must fall Babylon must fall yet I cannot say but for a time they may prevaile they may stand though wee in our persons fall yet this I say confidently though we should fall our cause shall stand And God will raise up them after us that will avenge all the bloud
shed by them Hannibal when he was but nine yeares old vowed himselfe a perpetuall enemy to the Empire of Rome The warre of Rome Christian runnes Retrograde to the warre of Rome Ethnicke though they had often the worst in the present battailes yet they were ever conquerers at last when as Rome Christian though they sometimes pevaile for the present yet they shall never conquer our warres with them are as the warres with the Children of Israel when they travelled into the land of Canaan sometimes they turned their backs before the enemy but they were sure to conquer at last Our Shippe may by stormes and Tempests be beaten and torne be as the Shippe in which Christ and his Disciples were tossed and in danger but 't is sure at last to arrive safe at the haven my brethren God may make the Papists whippes and scourges hee may make them as thornes in our eyes as prickes in our sides Ioshua and Israel may turne their backes before the enemies the Papists may have their long-waited for day which may for the present bee to us as that day we read of in Ioel A day of darkenesse and of gloominesse as dayes of clouds and of thicke darknesse a day fearefull as our day of doome as our day of judgement yet it shall not be our day of doom nor our day of judgement the sunne shall not goe downe in a Cloud when our day is over their night shall begin blacknesse of darknesse shall cover them the Sunne shall never rise againe they shall have an eternall night they are greater sinners then wee and when God begins he will make an end my brethren we need not over much feare what Atheists and Papists can do what hell or Rome what the Devill or Spaniard there may come an houre of temptation an houre of darknesse Sathan may cast some of us into prison wee may have Tribulation tenne dayes but hee that shall come will come and will not tarry Our deliverer our Saviour will raise up a mighty salvation for us Pharaoh may oppresse for a time but wee shall after a while see the Egyptians drown'd in the red Sea They are Gods enemies and we shal see the salvation of the Lord Are they against whom wee must fight under the same King of the same religion they cannot but be as desirous of peace as we our selves we cannot fight against them as against enemies nor can they fight against us The King solemnly protests and declares to the world be wageth not warre against them his Armes are open to embrace them What ever bloud hee drawes from them he counts it as bloud from his owne veines the kingdome is not forward for warre God is called to Vmpire the cause Therefore Pray Pray for the peace of Ierusalem You have seene the misery of warre the probability of a present warre the possibility of escaping of it O then pray for peace which brings me to a use of exhortation further to presse this duty upon you First bee seriously affected with it before you pray lay the warre to your heart thinke of it when you rise in the morning and when you goe to bed at night Let the Trumpet that sounds to this warre bee as the Trumpet that sounded in the eare of Saint Ierome that where ever he went or what ever hee did he heard the sound of it It is recorded of Ignatius that when hee was dead the name of Iesus was found ingraven in his heart in letters of Gold Of Saint Francis that the markes and prints of Christ crucified were upon his hands and feete Queene Mary said when she was dead they should finde Callis writ on her heart And 't is said when Sardis was lost that every dinner one cryed Remember they have taken Sardis have deepe thoughts my Brethren concerning this warre because of the Divisions of Reuben there are great thoughts of heart O lay it neere to your hearts sleepe with it wake with it eate and drinke with it set it ever before your eyes Vnlesse you are truly affected with it you can never pray effectually for it Remember the affection of David If I forget thee 0 Ierusalem let my right hand forget her cunning Take to heart what Hezekiah did when warre was threatned hee rent his clothes hee covered himselfe with Sackcloth This day is a day of trouble and of Rebuke and Blasphemie call to remembrance what Uriah did a Souldier he would not go to his house nor lye with his wife nor eate of the Kings provision whilst the Arke and Israel and Iudah dwelt in Tents Nebuchadnezzar that heathenish King when he set his heart to deliver Daniel and could not he returned sad to his palace he passed away the night fasting he would have no Instrument of musicke brought before him his sleep went away from him he arose early in the morning and hasted to the denne of Lions O ye Priests of the Lord remember old Eli when warre was at the gates his heart trembled for the Arke of GOD hee watched at the doore the Lampe did not goe out all night the newes that the Arke was taken strooke him to the heart Phinea's wife felt the losse of the Arke more then the travell of her child certainly my brethren they are neither faithfull to God their King nor Countrey that are not affected with this war that doe not pray for the peace of Ierusalem This day God calls to weeping and mourning to baldnesse and to girding with sackcloath They that will not this day fight the battailes of the Lord with their prayers they shall bee cursed of the Lord Curse yee Meroz because they came not to helpe the Lord against the mighty If the enemy should break in upon us then you would weepe and mourne cry and howle a grievous shrike should bee heard among you Then ô my sonne Isaac and ô my Father Abraham weep and mourne that the enemy may not come doe as Iehoshaphat did Secondly bee not afflicted nor affected for a day onely though you begin your sorrow to day doe not end it to day a woman is not long conceiving shee is long breeding she is not long bringing forth shee is long training up Sow the seed of sorrowes to day and watch over it and water it every day weep day after day for Ierusalem Is it such a fast that I have chosen that a manshould afflict his soule for a day and to bow downe his head as a Bull-Rush and to lye downe in sacke-cloath ashes Wilt thou call this a fasting or an acceptable day to the LORD O my Brethren Let this day bee but the beginning of your sorrowes Let GOD and the whole World see that you are become sorrowfull mourners indeed ESTHER fasted three dayes DANIEL three weekes the people of ISRAEL in their Captivity seventie yeares abate while the Pestilence the warre lasteth somewhat of your pleasures of your profits you know what God