faith this day ye fast this day yee pray this day yee beleeve and speed Asa cryed to God relyed on God 2 Chron. 14. 11. and the Ethiopians fled verse 12. 3. The souldiers by this triumph and the enemies fall faith is good in the field faith is the warriours Target the souldiers shield Trust in God will raise us and ruine his enemies Psal. 20. 7.8 4. God will doe much good for those who trust in him 1. God will effect what they commit to him trust to this Commissioner and he will bring all to passe works shall succeed and be prosperous when men rest on the Lord without faith things will be at a stâ—nd and not bee effected you would have all ended comfortably that is happily begun rest on the Lord and he will doe it to your hand Faith puts the businesse in and will not take it out of Gods hand as Psal. 37. 5. 2. God will carry beleevers thorow mids of manifold troubles and difficulties with great ease comfort and safety the red Sea was for beleevers made dry land Yee whose unparalleld paines have met with unheard of difficulties in your proceedings cast the eye of your faith upon the Lord to make your way plaine and passable that the Lords flock may goe albeit through the wildernesse Canaan-ward Heb. 11. 29. 3. God will shew beleevers his glory his glory of power to help of mercy to pity of truth to keep promise of wisdom to counsell them men without faith misse and meet not with God but bow the eare to that of Christ our Saviour Said I not unto thee that if thou wouldst beleeve thou shouldst see the glory of God Iohn 11.40 4. God can doe a world of good for men in a week he made a world in sixe dayes that may cause us to rest on him What great things can God doe in a day in your great councell for this sinfull Kingdome and corrupted Church mind what a day may bring forth or a week bring about and rest on the Lord who can work all our works for us were a matter as hard as to make a world yet God can by his owne hand he needs no inâ—truments who are all unactive without him plant the heavens and lay the foundation of the earth Isay 51.16 2. The manner of this fact they are diligent every day early compassing this city Iericho seven dayes having no rest till the work bee done the wals be down as the Lord had told them Faith in God is active for God till it have done the will of God the worke of God as Ioshua and Israel did as God bad them without ceasing so Caleb a man of a generous spirit having a regenerate heart when others would turne back he would on to Canaan in the act of faith he fully followed the Lord who promised them the land Numb. 14. 24. Faiths activenesse is 1. In removing stumbling-blocks as walls out of the way that Gods people may hold on in Gods way and not decline it is a command Prepare the way take up the stumbling-block out of the way of my people Isay 57. 14. 2. In restoring the worship of God that all divine institutions may be enjoyed in a right manner and due order thus David was solicitous and reckoned himselfe afflicted till the Ark of God was set in its proper place Psal. 132. 1. Davids afflictions his religious care to bring the Ark home before that breach upon Vzzah â—un he vowed and layd a solemne tye upon his soule an oath a forcible obligation verse 2. he would not give sleep to his eyes or slumber to his eye-lids ver. 4. in his new house which he had builded in the city of David verse 3. till he found out a place for the Lord represented by the Ark verse 5. In that faith is so active it may informe us 1 1. 'T is no wonder that many unwilling to bee good or wise to doe evill so hinder and oppose faith in the meanes of it the enemies have reason as they would be true to a cursed cause to resist it which will not rest till it have razed their walls ruined their building crossed their cause overthrowne their helps and dashed their hopes 1. The devill hinders faith that it be not preached to men Paul would have come to the Thessalonians for the furtherance of faith but Satan an adversary hindered 1 Thes. 2. 18. the devill in his instruments turns away men desirous to heare the word of God from the faith as Elymas the child of the devill dealt with the Deputy Sergius Paulus a prudent man Acts 13. 7,8,10 2. The world allowes and likes no beleevers they are all under the observation of an envious eye as â—ahab was in Iericho Ios. 22. the men of this world not men of God forbid preaching the word of faith and salvation 1 Thes. 2. 16. they are stiffe opposers as Apostaticall Alexander greatly withstood who had once stood for Pauls preaching 2 Tim. 4. 14 15. They put away shoulder and thrust out the word of God Acts 13.46 2. Many persons be wickeâ— men men of no faith as is evident by their non-activity for God for whom faith is active and of this sort are they 1. Who be pleaders for Baal and his wall that it should not down when it was down that men if they doe not stigmatize yet they particularize reformers eminent men as Gedeon a man well known in those corrupt times by his work of faith appointed to dye Baals Altar was cast down Iud. 6.28 they said Gedeon had done it verse 29. they willed his father Ioash to bring him forth that he may dye verse 30. a fitter censure for those who will plead for Baal he that will plead for him let him be put to death verse 31. 2. Who be neuters as luâ—e-warme most loathed persons who will not medle nor have a hand in any good as cursed Meroz a people who came not to the help of the Lord Iud. 5. 23. men bitterly cursed of God as the Reubenites meer worldlings minding their folds and flocks verse 16. lazy Gilead tarried at home verse 17. Dan tarried minded his trade his ships and traffick ibid. Asher on the Sea coast abode in his breaches to fortify himselfe as weak verse 17. and secure Iabesh Gilead yeelded sent in none to punish delinquents men of great folly and villany in Israel Iud. 21. 9. albeit it was by an ordinance of their Parliament in a generall Assembly 20. verse 2. 9 10. that the children of Belial might receive condigne punishment verse 13. 3. Who be active against the Church for the enemy with the enemies of Church and State as Edom Moah Ammon joyne with Philistines Tyrians Assyrians degenerate professors fit companions in service against the Church albeit they pretend the Church-service of lewdest persons Papists Atheists and men of flagitious lives Psalm 83. 5 6 7. This did Amelek feared not God but smote the Church
IERICHOES DOVVN-FALL As it was Presented in a Sermon preached in St. Margarets Westminster before the Honourable HOUSE of COMMONS At the late Solemne Fast Septemb. 28. 1642. By THOMAS WILSON Preacher of the word at Otham in Kent Published by Order from that HOUSE LONDON Printed for JOHN BARTLET and are to bee sold at the Gilt Cup near to S. Austins Gate 1643. Die Mercurii 28. Sept. 1642. IT is this day Ordered by the Commons House of Parliament that M. Hollis and Sr Robert Harley are appointed to returne thanks from this House to M. Hodges and M. Wilson for the great paines they have taken in the Sermons they preached this day at St. Margarets Westminster at the intreaty of this House And that they desire them to print their Sermons And that no man presume to print them but such as they shall appoint untill the House shall take farther Order H. ELSYNG Cler. Parl. D. Com. To the HONORABLE HOUSE of COMMONS Now Assembled in PARLIAMENT THE Great God the Lord your God God of Gods and Lord of Lords in pity to his people and mercy to this Land hath raised up in our great distresse a seven shepheards and eight principall men out of the severall divisions of the Kingdome when the enemy would come in like a flood the spirit of the Lord hath lift up a Sâ—andard against him God hath called you for such a thing as this at such a time as this to this Great Court your call is high your work is hard you know why you are borne for the benefit of many as Bucers Physitians said to him non sibi se sed multorum utilitati esse natum You are our deliverers from heavy burdens our reformers of great corruptions You find Church and State bruised and diseased You are our healers b What though Israel fret shall Moses faint when men of renown murmure at the instruments of good the Lord will shew who are Gods no man suffers so much injury as God doth contumely as Melanchthon said nullum hominem tantum sustinere malorum quantum contumeliarum Deus It is not strange that some preferre Egyptians Onionâ— to Canaan and its dainties yet their Caleb a noble spirit fully followed the Lord Bucer and Melanchthon framed a form of reformation with approbation of the Peeres and States but the Clergy in the Colledge of Colen wherein were some stood right affected but more were contrary c rejected with slander and affirmed they had rather live in Turky then under such a reformation sub imperio Turcico malle se vivere quà m sub Magistratâ— qui reformationem illam sequatur Nehemiah when he was in the Lords work was scorned resistedâ— accused threatned and by Nobles in Iudah sworn unto Tobiah deserted yet hee builds and prospers desists not his work defieth his adversaries factions dreads not words nor letters Mens d fury against Christ is a good Omen is better then their flattery they laugh at him weep not for it God laugheth at them Gods infinite providence the seven eyes upon â—ne stone Zechar. 3.9 is upon the Churches foundation all things below are wheeled about as the râ—ngs full of eyes infinitâ Dei providentiâ Iun. in Ezek. 1. 18. Build you God will prosper your work make up the hedge God hath sought you for it stand in the gap before the Lord that he may not destroy the Land who now visits our ingratitude as Luther to Melanchton valdè cupio ut sint adversus Satanae furores inaestimabiles aliquor reliqui qui se pro do mo Israel muros opponant in hoc die furoris Domini visitantis nostram sicut dignum est ingratitudinem You love our Nation your acts are nationall execute judgement and seek the truth thus love our Land and the Lord will pardon Ier. 5. 1. Doe men hate him that rebuketh in the Gate and abhorre him that spèaketh uprightly it is knowne by it it is an evill time you contend for peace and truth be constant and confident your warre is peace as Zwinglius de bello Helvetico writing to his friends Bellum cui nos instamus pax est nonbelluÌ„ they strove to preserv verity liberty of the Gospell Men may may be not hurt the body but they cannot reach not touch the soule that spirituall sparkle as Zwinglius his heart was whole cor illaesum when his body was turned into ashes Luther warmed Melanchthons spirit by a letter about the common cause then molested by Pontificall rage and Caesars fury I saith he about the publike cause have a quiet mind assured it is just true and unappalled I feare not the fierce and cruell Papists if we be overthrowne Christ shall be overthrowne with us and come what can malo ego cum Christo ruere quam cum Caesare stare I had rather fall with Christ then stand with Caesar You fast you pray you consult with the God of heaven who will answer in due time with good and comfortable words Zechary 1.13 Pray as e Luther was wont to doe with reverâ—nce as to a God and with confidence as to a friend and father The day of fasting allowes no ornaments in lesser things then Sermons it was only my purpose to speak something pertinent to the day fasting must have prayer prayer faith and faith activity What can be more necessary in the caâ—se of faith then faith in tantuÌ„ est opus fidei ne causa fidei sit sine fide your difficulties many faith which hath a kind of omnipotency will carry you through all tantum possumus quantum credimus In this service my study was that the word of truth propounded your hearts lift up in the way of the Lord to the work of the Lord might continue in their height and heat by the spirit of burning till all our filth and blood be purged and washed away till fasting be turned into feasting till men may use this speech in England concerning the State The Lord blesse thee ô habitation of justice and concerning the Church The Lord blesse thee ô mountaine of holinesse till there be one Lord and his Name one That this Parliament the repairer of the breaches the restorer of the Paths to dwell in by loyalty to our Soveraign fidelity to the Kingdome and zeale to Religion may be the joy of many Generations which is the prayer of Your devoted servant and daily Petitioner to the God hearing Prayer THOMAS WILSON JERICHO'S DOWN-FALL A SERMON PREACHED before the Honorable House of COMMONS at a solemn Fast Novemb. 28. 1642. HEB. 11. 30. By Faith the walls of Iericho fell downe after they were compassed about seven dayes THE authority of this Epistle depends not on the Writer but on the Authour not on Maâ— but on God whose Spirit of truth held and ruled the pen of the Writer It evidently sets forth 1. Christs 1. Person God and man and 2. Offices King Priest Prophet 2. The