but the fifth of Lamentations it will make you weep to consider the sad complaint that the Church makes there Our inheritance is turned to strangers our houses to aliants wee have drunke our water for money our wood is sold unto us our necks are under persecution we labour and have no rest servants rule over us wee eate our bread with the perill of our lives Princes are hanged up by the hand young men are taken to grinde and the children fell under the wood c. such abundance of examples there are that I shall not need to prove it onely let me a little discover to you out of the Word for what causes the Lord uses to leave his owne people to this terrible judgement I finde three cleer causes why God oftentimes hath left his own people to be given up to oppressors to Tyrants to put such heavy yokes upon their necks their states their consciences their liberties and the first greatest most frequent is when God himself offer'd to be the King and ruler of his people to put the yoke of his government upon their necks a yoke that should be sweet and easie honorable profitable and his people cast off Gods yoke would not be under that then hath the Lord frequently let them fall under the yoke of some others that they might know the difference betwixt being Gods servants and the servants of other men take but two instances of this one in the 2 Chronicles 12. it was in Rehoboams time when Shishak the King of Egypt came against them though Egypt and Iudah had been in a league articles of peace betwixt them Shishak comes against them and brings a mighty Army and Rehoboams subjects knew not what to doe they cryed to God they prayed the Lord to deliver them no saith God I will not give you wholly up to a spoile but you shall bee the servants of the Kings of Egypt why because they shall know the difference of my service and the service of the other Nations they shall see whether they had not been better to have let mee bee their King then to bring those to rule over them who I am now resolved shall bee over them for a while There is another terrible instance in the 11. of Zachariah you shall see the purpose of that Chapter is to signifie these two things First that Jesus Christ would come to bee a Prince and a Ruler over his people as a faithfull and good shepheard they would none of him they sold him for 30. peeces of Silver which as it is noted was but the price that a slave used to bee sold at Christ the Lord himselfe came from heaven offer'd himselfe to them to bee their shepheard and they sold him for 30. peeces of Silver A gooly price that I was sold at saith the Lord Well but what becomes of this the rest of that chapter tells you that hee will give them other shepheards that shall teare them to purpose in the 6. verse I will give them up every man into the hand of his neighbour I will give them up into the hand of their King who was that it is plaine that the Roman was their King at that time because Christ came at that time when the Roman was over them now when Jesus Christ would have been their King and they say nay we have no King but Caesar God therefore gives them up into the Romans hands and then they shall have Shepheards that shall teare them to purpose because they would have none of the Lord Christ the Lord would give them up into such hands as should discipline them after another manner that is one cause when God offers himselfe to bee their ruler and they will not have him to bee their ruler then God puts other yokes upon them Againe secondly another cause I finde is this When the Lord hath raised up to a people good Rulers and Magistrates that under them though possibly with many humane frailties they might bee ruled in godlinesse and honesty according to Gods wayes and the people have been ungratefull for them the Lord then gives them up to the hands of others that they shall not bee able to shake off when they will so you find it in the example of Gideon when Gideon had delivered the Israelites they came to him and say be our King not I saith hee God must bee your King which by the way let me interpret it to you he meant he would not change that forme of government that God had set up in that Commonwealth which was this that every Tribe had their owne Aristocraticall government that is the chief men of their Tribe did rule all as it might be the Maior Aldermen Common-Councell men in every Tribe and when a time of speciall danger came that an enemy invaded them God from heaven used extraordinarily to raise up some Judge that danger being over the government of the Commonwealth went in the old channell they would have had Gideon to be their King No saith hee not I nor my sonnes but you shall have God to bee over you well but when Gideon died they forgot Gideon and they would have a King and tooke Abimelech who proved a cruell tyrant to them whereupon Iotham in the 9. of Iudges when all the people were together tells them a tale The trees saith he would have a King and they went to the Olive and the Vine and the fruitful trees to rule over them No say they we must keep every one our own ranke I cannot leave my fatnesse nor my sweetnesse c. But a King the trees will have and their King proves a Bramble so as his speech intimates will it prove unto you for your ingratitude to God for Gideon and unto Gideons family it will come to passe that this bramble your King shall first rend and teare you and afterwards you and your King consume one another and this curse or prophesie came upon them and for that very cause Another like instance wee have 1 Sam. 8. God had raised up Samuel in a time of much trouble to be a Judge and Saviour to the Jewes they took occasion upon some miscariages of Samuels sonnes to cast him off and they would have a King after the manner of the Nations round about them and therefore God in his wrath gave them Saul who proved a Tyrant Ingratitude for good governours is one cause why God gives people up to such oppressors And then thirdly I finde When people use to teare and devoure one another in their petty precincts when as any one gets a little power in his hand hee loves to put a yoke upon the neck of his brother for this doth the Lord send them those that shall put yokes upon them all so you find it in this very chapter in the latter end of it Manasses bites Ephraim and Ephraim Manasses and these two confederate
A THANKS GIVING SERMON PREACHED To the Right Honorable the Lord Maior Aldermen and Common Councell of the Citie of London Upon occasion of the many late and signall Victories and Deliverances vouchsafed to the Parliaments Forces In Pauls Church London July 27. 1648. By STEPHEN MARSHALL B. D. Minister of Gods Word at Finchingfield in Essex Psalme 66. 11 12 13. Thou broughtest us into the net thou laydest affliction upon our loynes Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads we went through fire and water but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place I will goe into thy house with burnt offerings I will pay thee my vowes LONDON Printed by R. Cotes for Stephen Bowtell at the Signe of the Bible in Popes-head Alley 1648. TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE John Warner Lord Major of the Citie of LONDON My Lord THis plaine Sermon was preached in obedience to the call I received from you it is published according to your request and that it may be though in never so weak a measure a strengthning of your hands in your great work it is humbly presented unto you as a pledge of the unfeigned respect and service of Your Lordships much obliged STEPHEN MARSHALL A THANKSGIVING SERMON PREACHED To the Right Honorable the Lord Maior Aldermen and Common-Councell of the Citie of London ISAIAH 9. 4 5. For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden and the staffe of his shoulder the rod of his oppressour as in the day of Midian For every battell of the Warriour is with confused noise and garments rolled in blood but this shall bee with burning and fuell of fire THE first word of my Text For For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden doth tell us this hath dependence upon what is laid down before If you please to looke into it you 'l find it to be thus The Lord in the former Chapter had threatned the terriblest calamitie that ever came upon the Jewish nation a wofull darke night of affliction of severall hundreds of yeers was now beginning and such calamities were threatned as the Lord professed that many men amongst them when they look'd up to heaven and saw nothing but darknesse there nothing but confusion upon earth they should rave and be mad they should curse their God that would not helpe them curse their King that could not helpe them should bee driven into utter darknesse but yet notwithstanding in the beginning of this Chapter the Lord saith that unto those that feared him to his own people the darknesse and uncomfortablenesse of it should not bee so great as they had formerly met with in some lesser afflictions for God did as iâ— were create a new Star that should shine unto his people all that long and darke night that is a most glorious promise of Jesus Christ and salvation by him which is laid downe in the seven first verses of this Chapter and there are severall degrees or breakings out of the light of this comfort I 'le but name them so farre as may leade me to the Text First The Lord tells them whence this comfort should come there should a glorious light shine to them in the second verse the people that walked in darknesse should see a great light they that dwelt in the land of the shadow of death upon them hath the light shined which is the promise of Jesus Christ setting up his Gospel amongst them as it is expresly interpreted in the fourth of Matthem This Text seemes to bee a propheticall description of Capernaum where Christ first set up his Ministery some hundreds of yeers before it was built which stood in the land of Galile by the Sea side in the way leading to the Gentiles Secondly The next degree is what the comfort is that they should have from this light in the third verse they should have great joy by it the Lord had formerly more multiplied their nation but never gave them more joy then now they should have though they should bee in a very afflicted condition yet they should have as much joy in the Gospel of Christ as ever that nation injoyed in the dayes of David or Solomon though now they should live after a precarious manner and should be tributaries to all the foure great Monarchies of the world in their succession first to the Assyrian then to the Persian then to the Grecian and then to the Roman and all this time a space of some 700. yeers they should bee a despised contemned people yet from the Lord Christ and the promise of the Gospel should they have as much joy as ever they had when their Nation was most enlarged yea such joy that it should bee like the joy of harvest or the joy that Souldiers have when they divide the spoile that is the second degree now my text is the third degree or breaking out of this glorious comfort and that tels you What the mercy shall bee that shall bee the cause of so much joy what it is that should fill them with so much joy why hee would breake every yoke of their burden every staffe that lay upon their shoulders every rod of their oppressors that whipped them hee would break all as hee did once doe it in the day of Midian he will burn up their enemies with fewell of fire hee would free them from them all and tread them under their feet then the last branch of all and the height of their comfort is That Christ will not only break other yokes but would put the yoke of his own sweet and easie government upon them himselfe will bee their King To us a Son is given to us a child is borne upon whose shoulder the government shall bee his name is Wonderfull Counsellor the mighty God the everlasting Father the Prince of peace and in these things should the hearts of Gods people rejoyce in their most afflicted times Thus stands the dependence of my Text so that these two verses that I have read containe the cause of all the joy that the people of God should finde in Christ in their afflicted times and there are two branches of the Text to bee handled First Here is the blessing that should bee conferred upon them in these words thou hast broken the yoke of his burden the staffe of his shoulder the rod of his oppressors that is the mercy they should receive Secondly Here is the manner how this should bee done and that is laid downe First It should bee as in the day of Midian that is as in the day when in Gideons time with 300. men with lamps and pitchers the Lord destroyed an innumerable multitude of Midianites so would the Lord Christ now worke this great deliverance that he promises to his people Then Secondly The manner of it is yet more clearely and fully laid downe in the 5. verse by shewing that the way of Gods working of this shall bee diverse from the manner
shall finde it prophesied in the New Testament in the 19. of Revelations you shall reade in the latter end of the 18. chapter of the destruction of the Babylonian party mystically Babylon the Popish party the Antichristian partie the Malignant Church that is risen up against the Church of Christ there I say you shall reade the ruine of it and the meanes of it the Saints helpe to doe it and you shall there see all the Kings of the earth weeping and howling and all that were friends to the harlot were condoling one with another for that great losse but in the 19. chap. in heaven that is in the Church of Christ there was nothing but Hallelujah praise yee the Lord for the Lord hath avenged himselfe and when her smoke arose up for evermore againe they say Hallelujah to see Rome burning and the instruments that would have oppressed Gods people destroyed and troden under foot it was Hallelujah to the hearts of all that feare God This I doe but touch but It may bee a notable tryall of your spirits for certainly it is a signe of a gracious spirit to refuse to bee comforted in Zions ruines and to refuse to be sadded in Babylons ruines to finde a soule or a people that will hang their harpes upon the willowes and will mourn and lament and rather wish that their right hand forget their cunning then to sing one cheerfull song while Gods people are in Babylon and yet to find them full of joy and rejoycing when God is breaking the yokes of oppressors and treading them under feet that rise up against them this I say is an argument of a heart that joynes with Jesus Christ when they fulfill that of the 66. of Isaiah Rejoyce with Ierusalem all yee that mourne for her And that of Psal. 58. 10. The righteous shall rejoyce when hee seeth the vengeance and on the other side it is an argument of a base spirit of a spirit malignant against Christ and his cause that is either rejoycing when Gods people are troden under foot or malignes those that are the meanes or instruments of delivering of Gods people that with Sanballat and Tobiah are vexed and grieved at the heart when they see God raised up any that may be for salvation to his people but it is a token withal that as their hearts are not with Jesus Christ but against him so they shall perish in the ruine of his enemies This I doe but point at from the connexion they shall joy like the joy in harvest for Christ hath broken the yoke of their oppressors broken the yoke of the enemy and the enemies themselves and the enemies themselves together but I come to the words which I shall handle onely as they respect their temporall and outward deliverances and under that consideration there are these two lessons that I intend by the Lords assistance to handle The first is That the Lord doth sometimes leave his owne people to lie under heavy yokes to have the staves and rods of oppressors lie upon their backs and shoulders Secondly and principally That Jesus Christ will in his due time breake in sunder all the yokes that lie upon his peoples neck all the staves that beate their shoulders all the rods that whip their backes Christ hath a time wherein he will break them all both yokes and oppressors together and set his people free from them this second I most intend a word or two of the first That the Lord doth sometimes leave his owne people to bee under the tyranny of them that hate them I say his own people for this was Emanuels land you 'l read it called by the very name of Emmanuel in the eighth chapter the Assyrian shall come and fill the breadth of thy land O Emmanuel they were Emmanuels people that should have these terrible yokes put upon them to understand this lesson bee pleased to premise thus much That it is of all judgements one of the most terrible and uncomfortable that ever a people can be exposed to to have those that hate them to tyrannize over them that was Davids prayer I have done justice and judgement give me not up to mine oppressors O Lord deliver mee from that judgement that I bee not left to wicked men to put yokes upon my neck to beate my shoulders and God used to threaten it as one of the severest plagues that ever should come upon his people when hee was angry with them that hee would give them up that they that hated them should beare rule over them and truely it will easily appeare to bee one of the terriblest judgements of all because it is a misery that is opposite and contrary to the greatest mercy that can bee enjoyed upon earth which is to have rulers and governors such as are over a people to bee as a Sun or a Shield as a Shepheard as a Protector as a Father for these are names whereby the Spirit of God deseribes good Magistrates rulers to give such to a people as may defend every one in his own right protect the fatherlesse and widow and see that every one have justice and judgement that there may be no complaining in the streets of a people but that they may live and serve God in godlinesse and honesty in peace to bee preserved in security and tranquillity O happy are the people that are in such a case faith the Spirit of God in the 144. Psalme now if this bee the greatest earthly mercy then for God to give up a people or to let them be given up to the judgement that is contrary to it that their shepheards should bee like them in the 34. of Ezekiel who should kill the fat and tread under feet the leane that should pluck off the wooll and teare off the skinne that should bee as they are described in the 7. of Micah as briars and thornes that should rend and teare the people that are under them when the Lord shall give men up to such a condition that those that should defend them should enter into the field of the fatherlesse and undoe a man and his neighbour without mercy and compassion this of all judgements in the world is one of the cruellest and the heaviest that a people can bee given up to now I tell you that God sometimes leaves his owne people to this condition there are abundance of examples and I should spend the time needlesly to receite them to you because you cannot bee ignorant of them so they were in Egypt when their lives were made burdensome to themselves by reason of the heavy yoke of bondage that lay upon them so they were in the times of the Iudges oftentimes an enemy comes in carries away the harvest that they are ready to reape sometimes carries away the corne they had gather'd into their barnes mightily oppressed them put heavy yokes upon them so was it in Babylon if you reade
Lord doth it all wayes are alike easie to him alike easie for him to contrive alike easie for him to use his infinite wisdome and his infinite power knows no degrees of ease or strength in any way all are alike to him It is all one to him to save by many or to save by few Secondly I answer That when the Lord comes to deliver his people he seldome doth it that way that his people expect seldome walks in the paths that we have causeyed for him or by the line that we have chalked out for his direction seldome or never doth God take that way We are prone to deal with God as Naaman did when the Prophet had sent for him to cure that he and his master might know there was a God in Israel who knew how to cure him of his Leprosie Naaman believed it but he had fancied by the way how it should be done Now saith he I shall finde a Cure and he will surely come out to me and strike his hand over the place and stand and call on the name of God and so I shall see a miraculous work wrought upon me the Prophet went clean another way and because the Prophet did not come out and take that way he thought of he went away in a rage and thought there was no cure for him So verily most people deal with God we think this is the way how our deliverance must come by such a Parliament by such an Army by such a designe by such an association by such and the other way here it must come if this way fail we think all is lost and God seldome goes the way we have chalked out study you the Scriptures and you will finde it But yet if positively you 'll know what way he doth it I answer more particularly Very frequently by his own immediate hand without the help of any other he alone trode out the winepress of the wrath of God and there was none of the people with him to help him but doth all himself so my Text saith in the next verse The battail of the Warriours c. if other Nations conquer they doe it by garments rolled in blood and by confused noise but this shall be by burning and by fuell of fire by Gods own hand Or which is all one He ordinarily doth it by most unlikely and contemptible meanes he will not alwayes work Miracles that is to doe a thing without any meanes at all but in the deliverance of his Church he alwayes works miranda marvailous things by doing it by such meanes as are altogether improbable and unsuitable to the great things that are to be done by him This instance of my Text is a most notable proof He will break every yoke of the oppressor as in the day of Midian how was that you may read the Story in the 17 of Iudges the way was this there was such a numerous and mighty Army of the Midianites that the text saith they lay like grashoppers and cover'd over all the Countrey the Lord meant to destroy them and Gideon must goe with 300 men and these 300 men must every one carry a pitcher and a lamp therein in one hand and a trumpet in another hand and compass in this mighty Company every one at his post and blow with the trumpet and not strike a stroke but cry The sword of the Lord and Gideon and this routs and destroys an invincible Army As in the day of Midian saith the Lord so will Jesus Christ that is by some unlikely meanes And give me leave to say confidently That whosoever reads the book of God from one end to the other will finde that most of all the deliverances which the Lord hath given his Church have been by people that have been most unlike to doe their businesse A shepheard shall bring Israel out of Egypt Rams hornes shall blow down the Walls of Iericho A Shepheards boy with a sling and a stone in it shall overthrow Goliah the Israelites like two little flocks of Kids shall overthrow the Assyrians that fill all the Countrey thus hath the Lord used to doe it If you 'l know the reason of this manner of proceeding as well as of the time when he doth it it is Because then hee appeares like himselfe the truth is let God doe it by never such probable meanes it is God that workes all God did no more when hee destroyed the Midianites by Gideons 300. then hee did when he destroyed the Army of the Israelites with 400000. of the Tribes of Iudah and Benjamin God did no more in the one then in the other for it is God who workes all in all but God doth not so much appeare for wee that are thick sighted can see what the creature doth but wee cannot see that this creature is in Gods hand and that it is God that doth all but now when the Lord uses meanes which are altogether unlike to attaine it and are wholly unfit for the worke then to doe it all say this was digitus Dei this was the Lords doing now the Lord saith when there was none to speak then his owne arme did it that Gods name might have the praise from the rising of the Sunne to the setting of it these things I might have prosecuted further give me leave to wind it all up with an Application and I shall dismisse you and there are but two Vses which I intend of this Lesson the one is First A word or two of admonition to enemies if there should be any such here that are ill-willers to the Church and people of God that love not Christs cause in the hands of his servants who wish ill to it who are glad when power and strength comes into the hands of those that would or are likely to oppresse Gods people and as farr as they can are contributing their power towards such designes let mee tell thee who ever thou art Thou wilt wholly be frustrate of thy expectation flatter not your selves O yee malignant spirits if any such heare mee this day I say againe flatter not your selves with any thought that you shall bee able to doe any great matters against the servants of Christ your plots will all come to nothing I will tell you a story you shall finde it in 2 Chron. 28. the Church malignant I meane the Church of the ten Tribes who had made apostasie under Ieroboam had rallied a mighty Army together and went against the true Church of Christ against Iudah and they got the day and carried away 200000. of their brethren whom they made account to keepe or sell for slaves and so keep them in bondage and now they thought all was their owne there comes a Prophet and meets them who tells them from God With a rage that reacheth unto heaven you have slaine many of your brethren and now you think to keep the people of Iudah under it will not bee
saith hee there are sinnes amongst you great is the wrath of God that is kindled against you let them goe home againe meddle not with them and truely though the people were naught they tooke the Prophets counsell they saw it would be in vaine for them to kick against the prick so I say it may bee there may bee some such here for I can heare of strange insultings and threatnings in the mouths and tongues of many against those whom they thinke shortly to have under their feet but doe not flatter your selves the people of God are too heavy a stone for you to carry farre I will make saith the Lord in the 12. of Zachariah Ierusalem a burdensome stone for all people that burthen themselves with it shall bee broken in peeces though all the nations of the earth should bee gathered together against it the people of God will bee too heavy a weight for them in the same place hee speakes to them that thought to drinke their blood I will make Ierusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about you cannot hurt them you may bee Gods flaile to thresh out their Chaffe bee a meanes to purge and winnow them which they will have cause to thank God for but for you to thinke to oppresse them long that the rod of the wicked shall remaine or rest upon the neck of them that feare God it cannot bee you 'l ruine your selves in the designe bee wise therefore and leave it off but I forbeare for such ordinarily are more fill'd with fury and rage against that that is spoken in this kind then willing to profit by it and therefore my next Vse is To them that will profit by it and whom I hope the Lord will teach to profit by it to all those that have sincerely owned Christ and his cause amongst us I would speake somewhat to them the Lord grant I may speake effectually I am sure it is a word in season you who are the Lords people that are in Covenant with him who desire to know feare him and to see the welfare and prosperity of Zion the thing I would leave with you is this lay not to heart overmuch the dangers you seeme to be in for the present from the hands of those who would destroy you lay it not I say so far to heart as to be dismayed I confesse it is as Arrowes in the hearts and Swords in the bowels of many to heare the extream threatnings and scornes wch in many places are cast upon those that desire to feare God they are often told You are not farre from hanging you must shortly looke for it England will bee too hot for you your doores are mark'd you are known well enough the day is comming you 'l be caught ere long what of all that which if these things bee belched out I confesse if our lives were in the hands of men if the Lord would deliver us up to them to doe what they would and put us out of his hand I beleeve there would not bee a godly man left before to morrow night so much rage and fury is throughout the Land against them if Satan might have the ruling of the rost and the determination of businesses but truely the servants of God are never nearer to deliverance then when such threats lie upon them and the Lord Jesus Christ being the same yesterday to day and for ever knowes his own best time and his own best way and we should fix our eyes upon him when all other things goe crosse and studie onely to walke so as wee may bee under the power of this doctrine that wee may bee under the reach and cover and wings of it and when wee have done that wee have done all wee should doe and therefore to this end give me leave in this close of the Sermon to give a threefold advice to Gods people what they should now do in regard of the present straights and dangers that wee are cast in that so wee may the more comfortably expect deliverance from Christ the one is Let us all in the first place take the counsell of the Prophet in Ieremiah 8. 14. when the Lord was giving up his people to most wofull spoiles the Prophet speakes to them after this manner Why doe you sit still assemble your selves and let us enter into the defenced Cities and let us be silent there for the Lord our God hath put us to silence and given you the water of gall and wormeword to drinke for wee have sinned against God so I would say to all O that the voyce of God in this could reach his servants in the Parliament in the Court of Aldermen in the Common-Councell in the Citie and throughout England that it might prevaile with all that have been unfainedly devoted to this work to get into their closets to lay their hand upon their mouth and weep before God and say This cup of gall and bitternesse is given us to drinke because wee have sinn'd against God my meaning plainly is this I thinke the servants of God in England since the Gospel came into England have never miscarried nor dishonoured the Gospel so as we have done since God hath wrought these enlargements for us surely wee walked 100. times better in the dayes of persecution then wee have in the middest of our inlargement O to what abundance of loosenesse even good people are come what pride in many of their hearts what scandalous walking in the eyes of those that are enemies to Religion what bitter divisions one against another undermining one another opposing one another when one side gets power striving to beate downe the other if the other get the ball they kick as unmercifully against the other even to the scorne of Religion truely wee have even lost our selves our foolish walking hath took off the awe that the profession of Religion laid upon the hearts of wicked men who heretofore though they did not love goodnesse yet they saw such a conversation in those that were good that it laid a bridle upon them but now they see that many godly or who at least pretend to bee godly appeare so selfish so bitter so worldly not onely to bee of differing minds but of differing affections falling into horrible rents and abominable opinions this I say hath tooke off the awe that lay upon mens consciences and therefore is there so much rage let out against us I desire therefore that we all that professe our selves to bee Christs servants may get our selves into our Closets and bee silent lay our hands upon our mouths and say It is most just with God wee should bee given up wee had a little power and wee have abused it wee have dishonor'd the Gospel and now the Lord hath given us the water of Gall and Wormewood to drinke because our finnes have called for it Beloved our adversaries can speak of these things and it is good
for you to heare of it from the Ministers mouth for when wee lye low and submit and say God hath walked contrary to us because wee have walked contrary to him then the Lord will quickly turne things about and bee gratious to us that is one let the servants of God wherein they have miscarried bee sensible of it humbled and abased for it in Gods sight And secondly Let our conversation for the time to come bee according to the principles and wayes that wee walked in the beginning of this worke when wee were first ingaged in it In the beginning of our work what were our principles what were the things wee aimed at then Did we not then aime at the reformation of Religion execution of justice enjoyment of libertie c. were not these the hinges that carried us and the wayes wherein we walked then what were they Were they not the wayes of Prayer and the wayes of Christian love and a spirit of zeale Was there not a spirit of prayer mightily poured out in every corner of the Land so that you could come no where where there were any that feared God but frequently in publique and private there was knocking at heaven gate and wrestling with God and was there not a spirit of Love amongst Gods people then Wee know not the divisions and animosities that are come in since every one helped together and was there not also a spirit of Activity Were they not all vigorous and active laying out all their strength and all their talents when the enemy was not so active as now which diligence many have given over and the enemy hath taken up now let us indeavour that the same spirit may be revived amongst Gods people for the time to come let us remember our engagements and what the things were wee vowed when wee lifted up our hands to the most high God and doe our first workes O that wee could see a restoring of these things O that wee could see a restoring of the Spirit of prayer againe among the godly people of England and a Spirit of love to unite one with another I am sure wee see all our enemies unite against us O that they would now unite one with another though they cannot bee all of one minde yet of one heart bearing one anothers infirmities indeavoring to heale all that is sinfull in each other O that the spirit of zeale to promote the cause wee are ingaged in might once more bee found amongst us that wee might with Abishai and Ioab play the men and bestirre our selves and let God doe what is good in his own eyes let that be our second care remember our first principles and our first wayes And then thirdly and lastly With lamenting and bemoaning our failings and with our recovering our first love and our first wayes let us quietly leave it to God to doe what hee will O that God would once bring his servants to this passe never to look for any great good from man nor never to feare any great evill from man neither good from the best of men nor evill from the worst of men but to resolve that the Lord can and will himselfe doe his own worke and were there not left in London in England in all three Kingdomes any one of power to stand for the cause of God were all swallowed up yet let us conclude the fire of God will burne up all the briars and thornes that are risen up against the Lords vineyard were our Armies all lost were our friends all gone as indeed wee are come to a very low ebbe yet is our deliverance never the further off therefore hold up your confidence indeed if wee were engaged in an ill cause wee ought to give it over to repent of it openly and take shame to our selves if wee have done ill to stand for reformation contend for our liberties to contend to bee a free people if this were sinfull let us bee humbled and tell all the world of it but if it be right it 's not the falling away of this man or that man or the revolting of this or t'other Ship or Castle or this partie or that partie all this is nothing if God turne but his face against them they are all gone Brethren let me speak truly of it it is thus in Scotland at this day the godly party they that are for the Covenant and Religion though they are overborne with an Army a degenerate party risen up against them who threaten to swallow up all and have plundred and wasted the estates and goods of them who will not joyne with them in this sinfull and wicked ingagement yet they hold one and cleave to their old rules and principles and confidently expect deliverance the Lord teach us to doe the like that as wee meet this day to praise God for his mercies and deliverances lately received a whole catalogue whereof were now read unto you so to resolve it for the time to come to seeke him in his own way wee to doe what wee can and with faith leave him to doe what he will FINIS Introduction shewing the coherence 1. Matth 4. 15 16. 2. 3. 4. Scope and parts of the Text 1 Which are A great deliverance of the Church 2 The manner how iâ— must be wrought 1. Judges 7. 2. Interpretation of the Text 1. 1. 1. 1. 2. 2 Chron. 32. 2 Kings 18. 19. Esay 36. 37. Obs. From the connexion of these words with the former Gods people should rejoyce when God breakes their enemies their yokes in sunder Psal. 126. Exod. 15. Judges 5. Vers 19. Vse A notable tryall of our hearts whether they be right to Christ and his Church Esay 66. 10. Two doctrines from the deliverance promised in the Text 1 Doct. Christ sometimes leaves his own people under grievous yokes Esay 8. 8. Psal. 119 121. Esay 3. 12. Deut. 28. 29. 33. Psal. 106. 41. 42. Hos. 5. 11. Psal. 144. 12 13. Ezek. 34. Micah 7. 34. Lamentar 5. per totum For what sins God useth to give up his people into the hands of tyrants and oppressors For refusing to be under his government he gives them up to be under cruell governers 2 Chron. 12. 8. Zach. 11. opened 2. When his people are unthankfull for good governours hee gives them up into the hands of oppressors Judges 9 7 c. 1 Sam. 8. Hoâ—ea 13. 11. 3. When people are tyrants and oppressors one over another God useth to give him into the hands of oppressors Esay 9. 21. Jer. 66. 7. 23. Application 2 Doct. Christ will in due time break all the yokes which lie upon his peoples necks Luke 21. 1â— Psal. 125. 3. Esay 49 24 25 26. Esa. 51. 13 14. Quest 1. When Christ useth to deliver his people Answer to the first He alwayes doth it in the best time And that time may be known to approach When the rage of his and their enemies is highest Jer. 30. 17. 2. When Gods people are humbled and seek his face and favour zath. 9. 1. c. Psal. 102. 13. 3. And when all hope of deliverance by any other meanes is cut off Deut. 32. 35. Esay 59. 16. Quest 2. How and after what manner doth God use to deliver his people Resp. 1. All wayes are alike easie to him Resp. 2. He seldome delivers in that way his people expect it Resp. 3. Esay 63. 4 He usually delivers his Church without any humane help Resp. 4. Or which is all one by unlikely meanes and instruments Reason Because in this way of working God appeares most like himselfe 2 Chron. 13. 13. Vse Admonition to them who have ill will at Zion 2 Chron. 28. Zach. 12. 3. Vse 2. Exhortation Gods people not to be dishartned by the threatnings of â—â—emâ—es And to walke so as to be under the shelter of this doctrine Directions how this may bee done 1. First bee humbled and ashamed for our unworthy walking in the middest of so many wonderfull administrations towards us Jen. 8 14. 2. To walke according to our first good principles and wayes 3. With confidence expect a good issue from God