terror to the Army of Israel and Vriah may an opponent say He kill'd many Philistims that they sung Saul his thousand and David his ten thousand and Vriah may he say and if other of his victories he alledged tending to his honour this might still be opposed yea but he kill'd his servant Vriah the Hittite yet notwithstanding the atrocity of the fact and all the anger about it and all the threatning of him and his houshold in his adversitie he cryed to God when his enemies rose up against him and his prayer was heard At his latter end he could say that the Lord had redeemed his soule out of all adversitie This much illustrateth the grace of God and may strengthen our consolation in these times Surely there is hope for England and Scotland wee have had and have so many praying dayes and have so many praying men praying Commanders praying Souldiers praying Parliament men a praying Assembly and other praying Ministers and praying people and we have had comfortable experience of the good effects events of our prayers specially after our extraordinary Fasts After that which was kept before the battell at Naseby when the Armies were to be ingaged and the Gospel lay at stake and wee were in distresse and feare wee sought the Lord and he heard us and wee had a great deliverance and a glorious victory and a little after when our Army marched towards Taunton then strongly besieged and were to ingage againe wee prayed and the Lord gave a gracious returne to our supplications the good people in those parts were relieved by our men and a formidable Army of the enemy was routed Wee have sundry times seene the salvation of God when there have been failings on our part and great advantages on the other side and when we have been in a low condition and the enemies in the height of their strength and confidence the Lord of Hosts hath appeared for us the God of our salvatioÌ„ hath favour'd our righteous cause and brought out adversaries to confusion After the extraordinary Fast kept for Scotland wee soone had intelligence of a great overthrow given to Montrosse God did great things for our brethren of that Nation whereof we have cause to rejoyce they are our brethren and confederates of the same faith with us and have deserved our prayers and good endeavours for them by their prayers for us in our trouble and the great service they have done to this Kingdome and to the Church of God amongst us they shewed zeale and courage and quicken'd us when wee in a manner had lost our selves and there was little life in us they have been instruments to promote the Reformation which wee have that Church was famous in the Reformed Churches for doctrine worship government and discipline when ours was in an ill name for corruptioÌ„s that Church had the honour to be in the Antitype to Philadelphia the best of those Churches of Asia when ours was made the Antitype to Laodicâ—a the worst of the seven and they have had the happinesse to keep their Church without heresie or sectaries for above fifty yeares and greater love than this hath no man than to lay downe his life for his friend and that they have done for us and many thousands in and about the Citie that now sit warme might have sit cold had it not been for them and had they been overthrown their fall would have been our fall therefore wee have cause to pray for them and to rejoyce that God of his 〈◊〉 hath heard their prayers and ours It will be said by our adversaries that they pray too and why may not they be heard as well as wee It is true they pray some of them to our Lord and some to our Lady as they call her some say Our Father some Pater noster and Ave Maria and some make use of their Beads and Crucifixes when they pray and many revile and curse the godly party yea they curse them bitterly that have come out to help the Lord against the mightie the generalitie of them read somewhat in a book but how many of them pray in the Spirit Certainly there is great difference between their praying and the praying on this side and there is great difference between the men that performe prayer on both sides and those they pray for and were their praying in some respect better than it is their cause is nought and their Armies are too like the Absalomian Army to prosper they are risen up against the righteous and help the ungodly to destroy godly men and are bloudy-minded as they were and being like them in other vices they will be like Absalom to a hair as I may say affecting long hair as he did not regarding what St Paul saith that it is a shame for a man to weare long hair making it a shame rather not to weare it long In some respects many of them are worse than the Absalomians namely for superstition and damme-swearing therefore God will not heare them no when they fast he will not heare their cry To us there is more ground of hope for good because there is more of David in our Commanders and many of our Officers and Souldiers and in those that have sent them forth for the defence of our Religion and Lawes and Liberties and of those that stand for them and wee have seene that God hath heard our prayers and prosperd our Armies in all parts of the Kingdome Wee have had great incouragement from heaven and what if we have not obtained yet a cessation of the warre no more did David in the war between the house of Saul and him though he prayd at first and constantly yet there was long warre between the house of Saul and the house of David but he obtained that he grew stronger and stronger and the house of Saul weaker and weaker and the like wee have obtained to our comfort through Gods great mercy notwithstanding our sinnes One circumstance more we are to take notice of and that is that as David prevailed so with the Lord by his prayer after that he had sinned against him so it was after his repentance humble confession of it unto God after that he was in statu quo with him upon as good termes as ever and had mercy upon mercy to his dying day Beloved Repentance obtaineth audience and pardon that maketh every sin veniall that saveth the soule and that saveth a Nation from ruine and destruction Repentance causeth God to repent maketh him better than his word when he threatneth evill as both the Israelites and Ninivites found him therefore to conclude repent and pray and waite and yee shall still see the salvation of God FINIS Exod 4. 10. Obsequium 〈◊〉 esse 〈◊〉 Id though not sine subduâ—â—ione sudore Lips Ep 2 Sam. 23. 10. By Westchesier 2 Chro. 12. 18. Ira cos Fortitudinis Jer. 10. 23. James 4. 13. Prov. 16. 1. Numb. 21. Ezra 7. 27. Prov. 21. 1. Gen. 20. 6. Gen 45. 5. 8. Job 5. 21. Chap. 16. Psal. 145. 17. Mat. 22. 29. Psal. 113. Ludibria joci naturae Scal. in exerc Heb. 1. 3. 1 Cor. 3. 6. Joh. 6. 29. 2 Cor. 3. 9. Minima pars operis Cal. Phil. 2. 13. Et ut velimus ut valeamus Fulgent Acts 8. {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} 2 Cor. 12. 1. {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Joh. 15. 5. Ab Jove principium Comparatio non aquiparatio Chap. 13 3. Gen. 3. 1. Exod. 1. 10. Dan. 6. Jer. 9. 23. 1 Cor. 10. 12. 1 Cor. 6. 5. Deut. 1. 13. Pro. 18. 17. 1 King 3. 22. 1 King 21. Pro. 20. 18. Eccl. 9. 16. 2 Sam. 20. 16. 22. {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Luk. 12. 20. Jer. 8. 9. Psal. 119. 24. 98. Isa. 29. 14. Psal. 33. 10. 1 Cor. 2. 14. {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} 1 Tim. 2. 1. Rom. 13. 1. Tit. 3. 1. Heb. 13. 17. 1 Cor. 14. 37. 1 Cor. 5. Heb. 13. 17. Judg. 20. Josh. 8. 3. Diodorus Siculus l. 17. Ad fallendum hostem 1 Ne veneno aut sicarus agatur 2 Ne fides data frangatur 3 Ne jura belli violentur Psal. 109. Psal 15. 4. Psal. 13. 4. Psal. 34. 21. Psal. 105. 14. Zach. 2. 8. 1 Pet. 4. 5. Exod. 11. 7. Mal. 3. 16 17. Finis operantis and finis operis 2 Sam. 14. 25. 1 Kings 16. 1. Judg. 20. 13. c. Chap. 21. 3. 6. 2 Chro. 13. Psal. 78. 72. Psal. 146. 8. 2 Thes. 1. 6. Ezek. 14. 21. {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Deut. 32. 35. Vse Phil. de Com. 2 Sam. 21. 16. Bilson of perpet Gov. 1 Sam. 22. 1â— 2 Chro. 16. 9. 2 Sam. 19. 6. 2 Chro. 19. 2. Psal. 141. 5. 1 Chro. 12. 18. Deodat 1 Sam. 21. 6. 9. Chap. 22. 20 c. 1 Sam. 24. 17. Pro 25. 5. Heb. 11. 25. Mr Jo. Dod. Job 29. 13. Hos. 6. 6. Prov. 21. 3. Acts 24. 14. Bilson perpet Gov. without Crosse and Surplesse Psal. 110. 1. Con Ahithophel Absalom Judg. 5. 31. 2 Sam. 15. 31. Chap. 18. 2. He set Hushai on worke {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Tfiuua Heb. Exod. 14. 15. Chap. 17. 11. 2 Chro. 14. 9. 11 12. 2 Chro. 20. 3. 2 King 19. 4 5 Zach. 2. 8. Exod. 23. 22. Psal. 50. 15. Heb. 13. 6. John 8. 47. Psal. 140. 6. Vse James 5. 15. Pro. 15. 8. Pro. 15. 29. Psal. 18. 41. Prov. 28. 9. Zach. 7. 11. Jer. 14. 12. 1 Sam. 17. Psal. 57. 1. 1 Sam. 23. 27 28. Vbi est Deus Theodosij 2 Sam. 12. Sen: Nat. q. l. 6. c. 23. 1 King 1. 15. Brightmâ—â—…in Apoc. cap. 3. 2 Cor. 11. Jâ—r 14. 12. 2 Sam. 3. 1. 2 Sam. 12. 13. Psal. 51. 1 Chr. 1. 29. 28 James 5. 21 Jer. 18. 7. Judg. 10. 13. c. Jonah 3. 10. That very day the salvation of God was seen wonderfully by Westchester Sept 24.
knoweth any thing knoweth nothing as he ought to know 1 Cor. 8. 2. And without Christ wee can doe nothing he saith not nihil magnum no great matter as Augustine observeth but nothing and therefore Honourable Senators yee do well that every morning before yee goe to the work of the day yee begin with prayer to God for his direction and assistance and blessing I hope every Member doth it with an humble heart apprehensive of his owne impotency and nothingness for certainly neither the ablest Church-men in spirituall affaires nor the wisest Statesmen in temporall can do any thing well without God and therefore it is good to follow the old rule and that is to begin with God lest errors be committed for want of his direction Secondly Observe what humane wisdome is and all great parts without the feare of God and learne we hence that Policy without piety turneth to folly and bringeth misery What Ahithophel was for wisdome and counsell and State policy appeareth by that which is written of him in the end of the former Chapter The Counsell of Ahithophel which he counselled in those dayâ—s was as if a man had inquired at the Oracle of God so was all the counsell of Ahithophel both with David and with Absalom But what he was for Religion and conscience may appeare by his forsaking David and complying with Absalom his wicked Son and by giving counsell to Absalom to goe into to his Fathers Concubines and by offering his service to kill David a meer Politician a Fox wise to do evill skilfull to destroy and to doe mischiefe but not wise towards God or for his own soule his wisdome turned to folly his policy proved vanitie in the end What came of him yee may reade after being crost in his expectation and taking to heart the disgrace done unto him by their preferring Hushai's counsell before his he presently rode home in discontent and became selo de se a self-murtherer Of Jonadab it is said he was a very subtle man but his counsell that he gave to Amnon came to nought to his own shame and his friends destruction and all for want of the feare of God which he did not set before his eyes That old Serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field but his counsell brought evill upon himself And the King of Aegypt said Come on let us deale wisely with them lest they multiply but the more they afflicted them the more they multiplied and grew and that Daniels enemies plotted against him proved against themselves and for him and no marvell for the wisdome of God is infinitely beyond the wit of man and it is for his glory to defeat the counsell of the wisest of men and to establish his owne and the rather because though they have nothing but what they have received from him and that they have is little in comparison of that which he hath and they have not yet coÌ„monly they are proud of that little and trust to it specially if they prosper they are puffed up and assume to themselves the glory that properly belongeth to God and they seek themselves and not him and many times worke against God and his servants and people and therefore they are infatuated and confounded by the hand of Heaven Which first may serve for admonition to all that are destitute of the feare of God and yet are wise in their own eyes and superciliously disdain others Let not the wise man glory in his wisdome and let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall Wisdome even civill and worldly wisdome is the gift of God which he hath given unto the sons of men and is of necessary use to end Controversies between neighbour and neighbour hence the Apostle writing to the Corinthians that went to Law one against another reproveth them and saith Is it so that there is not a wise man amongst you no not one c As if it were a shame for them if there were not for Religion doth not make men fooles It is necessary specially in publick persons hence required in the choice Take yee wise men and understanding He that is first in his cause is just saith Salomon one would thinke he were as honest a man as liveth and that he hath had a great deale of wrong then cometh his neighbour and inquireth and all that heare both finde that one tale is good till another be told Sometimes there is no witness as when the two Harlots appeared before Salomon and both claimed the living childe Sometimes there are false witnesses as in the case of Naboth and therefore there is need of a great deale of wisdome to finde out the truth and to doe Justice in warre it is necessary therefore Salomon saith By counsell make warre for wisdome is better than strength A poore man by his wisdome delivered the Citie A woman also by her wisdome But if the feare of God be wanting in those that are worldly wise they will not prove very wise in the end for themselves or for their own good or others Thou foole witless man saith the voice this night they shall fetch away thy soule c. They have rejected the Word of the Lord saith the Prophet and what wisdome is in them The Word is that which teacheth wisdome therefore David made that his Counsellor and that made him wiser than his enemies Secondly This may keepe us from feare of our adversaries in regard of their wit and policy and counsell against us The wisdome of their wise men shall perish and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid The Lord bringeth the counsell of the heathen to nought he maketh the devises of the people of no effect As he did to Ahithophel so he will doe to those that are like unto him their policy shall turn to folly Thirdly Therefore such as are not to be too much esteemed or followed what ever abilities they have specially in things pertaining to God his Church and Ordinances having no power of godlinesse in them Meer Politicians are not good Interpreters of Scripture though they have read the Scriptures nor are they fit Judges in spirituall matters they savour not the things of the Spirit they cannot relish them they perceive not the things of the Spirit they have not the capacitie they are beyond them they cannot have right hearts to Christ and to his Ministers and to the pure Ordinances Give me favour for an observation or two in a way inoffensive to candid hearers The French have a Proverb that a Minister should know nothing but the Scripture Well let that be free to us to know that and to teach that in one thing as well as in another and prove all things and hold that which is good The observation is this that S. Paul was as much for the civill
the end for which the Lord defeated the counsell of Ahithophel that is that he might bring evill upon Absalom which was both the end of the worker and of the worke I might hence deliver That God will surely bring evill upon those that doe evill but then I should enter into a large field and now I have not time to expatiate so much I shall therefore keepe me to that which is punctually pertinent to the Text and to the present occasion and the point is this That God will finde a time and way to bring evill upon those that rise up against the righteous and are the authors and fomentors of an unjust war and that without respect of persons Absalom for birth was the son of a King and one of the best Kings that ever reign'd for person he was extraordinary in all Israel there was none to be so much praised as Absalom for beautie from the sole of his foot even to the crowne of his head there was no blemish in him for his attendance it was Prince like he had chariots and horses and fifty men to run before him for fair carriage and winning behaviour he exceeded other Princes to ingratiate himself with the people so as he was the Favourite of Israel but aspiring to be King before his time and to drive his wicked designe raising an unjust war in Israel God determined to bring evill upon him and did it coming forth to battle against David in his own person God so ordering it that riding under an Oke his head light within a thick bough so as he could not get it out again and the beast he rode on going away he hung between heaven and earth till Davids servants came and smote him dead Behold the judgement of God upon him for his wickednesse the tree caught him the Mule left him Joab darted him the young men slew him the company earth't him and there lay Absalom the young man Absalom his Highness beautifull Absalom in a deep pit with a great heap of stones cast upon it Ahithophel was his Counsellor and fomented the war to make way for that which he intended against Absalom God defeated his counsell which Ahithophel so took to heart that thereupon he went home and hanged himself and there lay Ahithophel with a halter about his neck The Israelites that took part with Absalom were routed and slaine and there lay 20000 of them dead corpses the sword devoured them and the wood devoured more than the sword and though Amasa escaped in the battell and was after spared through Davids clemency yet he was soone cut off by the deadly hand of Joab who smote him under the fifth rib and shed out his bowels on the ground and there lay the Generall Sheba also after this being seditious and rebelling against David they soone took from him his head and cast it over the wall Saul rising up against him unjustly when he was his servant and pursuing him without cause he came to an ill end and Doeg and other of his enemies that incensed Saul against him and Sauls house after warring against him God cut them off also one after another Ishbosheth and Abner c. Not to speak of heathen Kings and Armies that warred against Israel and fell before them of which yee may read frequently in the Scripture it came thus to those that caused civill warres in Israel Adonijah exalting himself to prevent Salomon it was to his owne ruine and theirs that were his abettors The Benjamites would protect abominable Delinquents and rather take armes against all Israel than deliver those wicked men that Justice might be done upon them and evill taken away but they paid deare for it in the end it cost many thousands of them their lives and in a manner the whole Tribe was cut off through the just judgement of God upon them in so much as the Israelites bewaild the breach Jeroboam rebelling against the house of David in Abiiab his time though he had the ods by far for number of men 800000 against 400000 he was overthrowne and it is just with God that it should be so First Because of their unthankfulnesse to him when they are not content with their estate but seek to advance it by unlawfull meanes and the better their condition the greater their ingratitude Ahithophel lived well enough under David in great esteeme and could not serve a better Master Absalom lived like a Prince his Father was at first but a Shepheard that follow'd the Ewes great with young and yet he was not content but would be greater by violence And as no Son had a more indulgent Father so no people had a better King than David He fed them according to the integritie of his heart and guided them with the skilfulnesse of his hands and therefore it was execrable ingratitude in them all to rise up against him and they were worthy to suffer all they suffered and more and so others that take the sword without a just cause and calling Secondly The Lord loveth the righteous and is ingaged to them and being Judge he will favour their righteous cause and doe justice upon those that molest them Thirdly War is of all evils of this life the greatest the first of those foure judgements mention'd in Ezekiel and civill warres are worse than forein and tend to the ruine of the State and Kingdome hence called The great evill experience sheweth that in time of war houses and townes are set on fire and many persons and families impoverished and undone and Counties desolated and therefore the authors and fomentors of civill warres are of all ill members and instruments the worst and no punishment is too much for them Fourthly Their fall and destruction is furthered by the prayers of the righteous that call upon God in their trouble who will arise in due season and turne his hand against their enemies This sheweth what we may expect touching the authors and fomentors and promoters of the present wars in this Land It is written by a forein Writer that there were never civill Wars in England but the lot of mis-fortune so he expresseth it light upon the authors and fomentors of the warre and God is the same that he was and loveth righteousnesse and hateth iniquitie as much as ever he did he is the Lord of hosts and the God to whom vengeance belongeth and he will repay and render unto all men according to their workes The adversary party say they are for the King I answer If any should doe to the King as Ishbibenob did to David that would have slain him he were worthy to be commended that would do as Abishai did that succour'd him but who goeth about to take away the Kings life Secondly If any be for the King in a way for his good and the good of the Kingdome it were praise-worthy in them but many are for the