necessity should inforce either honest men to purchase the Church with mony or to permit theeues robbers to possesse all entering into the sheepfold another way This you aymed at And why did it not succeed well It was among other things thought of What if it had bin not only thought of but concluded enacted not among but before all other things Dimidium facti qui benè coepit habet A thing well begun is halfe done The heathen began alwayes their great reformations enterprizes with GOD they were first for Religion then for the Republicke Omnia post Religionem ponenda semper nostra Civitas duxit saith one of Heathen Rome Our City euer iudged all things to bee ranked after Religion A Iove principium Musae sang the Poet. And Dii caeptis aspirate meis c. should not Israel much more Did the Shunamite loose any thing by seruing the Prophet first of her handful of meale and poore remnant of oyle in her â—ruse notwithstanding her present extremity Yea hath it not beene the ancient customes of Parliaments in England euer to begin not onely to treate but to conclude of and settle the state of Religion before matters of the Republicke came to be handled If wee revolue the Annales of those ancient times of Egyptian darknes ignorance in coÌ„parison of the present resplendent light of Israel we shal find therein such noble steps of piety towards God in this kinde as may make our Israel to blush if it doe not kindle an emulous zeale of imitation in a parallel at the least Let me for the purpose heere insert the words of that precious Bishop Iewell Neither is it saith hee so strange a matter to see Ecclesiasticall matters debated in Parliament Reade the Lawes of King Inas King Alfred King Edward King Athelstane King Edmund King Edgar King Canute and yee shall find that our godly forefathers the Princes Peeres of this Realme neuer vouchsafed to entreate of matters of Peace or warre or otherwise touching the common state before all controversies of Religion and causes Ecclesiasticall had bin concluded King Canute in his Parliament holden at Winchester vpon Christmas day after sundry lawes orders made touching the Faith the keeping of holy-dayes publick prayers learning of the Lords Prayer Receiuing the Communion thrice in the yeare the manner and forme of Baptisme Fasting and other matters of Religion in the end thereof saith thus Iam sequitur Institutio legum saecularium Now followeth an order for Temporall Lawes Thus wee see saith the good Bishop that the godly Catholicke Princes in olde times thought it their duety before all other affaires of the Common-weale first to determine matters of Religion and that euen by the Parliaments of this Realme Such were the auncient Princes and Elders of this Kingdome in times past Their care of Religion in the first place in their Parliaments was the onely way to bring on the better successe for their Civill affaires Wherein also the reverend Prelates furthered all good Acts by their counsel when required although they had not negatiue voyces in Parliament as D Iewell in the foresaid place and also Bishop Bilson in his booke of Christian subjection and Antichristian Rebellion doe plainely show the Parliaments of this Land hauing euer had this power as well in matters of Religion as of ciuill Policy to establish good and wholesome Lawes for both Not that our Parliaments haue power to make new Articles of the Faith to establish what Religion they please but it is in their power yea and their duty too taking the Word of God for their guide and rule to establish the true Religion taught therein and to abolish all false Religions coÌ„trary thereunto Where then should a Parliament begin but with God but with Religion if euer they looke that GOD should giue a happy successe to their ciuill affaires therein Especially the Parliaments of these our times wherein the cloudes of Pelagian heresie mounting to the toppe of mans aery imagination by casting a false shaddow vpon the pure doctrines of the Church of England deriued vnto vs from the Fountaines of Scripture by the Conduits of the prime Reformers of Religion and continued vnto vs euer since by the vninterrupted pipes of the most learned and illustrious Martyrs Prelates and Doctours of our Church would bring our Meridian light of the Gospell to a twylight by intermingling with it the Egyptian fogs of the Church of Rome So that if our Parliaments would repaire the ruinated Edifice of the Republicke let them begin to make good and strengthen the maine pillars and Foundation whereon it standeth and that is Gods Temple Religion which through vndermining Pioners is shrewdly shaken who goe about to erect the towre of Babel instead thereof In the Name of GOD therefore pardon by boldnesse some must speake out else the stones would cry yet I take not vpon mee to teach the Elders of Israel They can best judge of what I say and the Lord giue them vnderstanding in al things whensoeuer the Elders of Israel shall meet againe in Parliament and I trust God will put it into the heart of our Ioshua in due time to summon a Parliament for the glory of God and the good of Israel I trust to see both Ioshua and the Elders of Israel agree in one in the first place to establish the Religion of Christ so long and happily hitherto avowed and maintained in the Church of England The establishment whereof necessarily dependeth vpon the abolishment of two maine troublers of Israel to wit Antichristian Idolatry and Arminian heresie While these two stand neuer let Israel looke for any good To omit many godly Kings of Israel as Iehosnaphat Ezechiah Iosiah who destroying Idolatry prospered remarkeable is the example of Asa who in rooting out of Idolatry spared not his owne Mother Maachah remouing her from being Queene because shee had made an Idole in a groue and Asa cut downe her Idole and stamped it and burnt it Insomuch as King Asa prospered in warre and his Land had peace to the 35 yeare of his raigne vntill he made a league with the King of Syria not relying on the Lord and being depraued by Hanani the Seer hee put him in prison and oppressed some of the people Againe so long as Arminian bookes are vnpurged and the Trueth vnpriviledged to passe abroad your Parliaments O Israel cannot prosper To the repurgation of these if you adde out of euery Impropriation a sufficient maintenance to the Ministery if you castigate Simony if possible by some wise godly restrictions better executed if with these reformations you conclude your first Session of Parliament without any mixture of your owne ciuill matters all other grievances shall fall mole sua as the wals of Iericho at the voyce of the rammes hornes Our Ioshua shall be honoured with subsidiary streames of loue duty flowing from the hearts of the best subiects in the World out
laudably to Absalon were as faithfull Seruants and Friends to the King as Hushai was to Dauid Are any afraid least the Kings Liege people should chuse such as are Popishly affected or of factious Spirits But such will stand most for the Kings supplyes They pretend so But who doe more hinder or preiudice the King in his necessarie and Royall Subsidarie Supplyes then such Factours The Lord Iesus seperate such factious Factours and miscreant Merchants both from the King and Kingdome of Israel that so this Noble Assembly of Ioshua and the Elders may giue and receiue reciprocall and mutuall Supplyes interchangeably Ioshua the Head receiuing from the inferiour principall Parts plentifull nourishment conueyed by the Naturall and Vitall Spirits And Israel the Body receiuing from Ioshua their Head a due motion preportionable to the capacitie of each Member conueyed by the Animall Spirits sweetly gouerning preseruing and protecting that so the Whole together may increase with the increase of God There is a Fountaine of an exhausted Golden Mine in the Bowels of all True-hearted English Israelites which as the Kings fauour like the Sunne-beames begets it in them so vpon all fit occasions they will be ready in Golden streames abundantly to supply their Noble Ioshua Hee needs no American-Slaues to digge and force it nor the Romane mercilesse Sword to rip it as once out of the Captiue Iewes Bowels But it will freely flowe from Loyall Israel to their Royall Ioshua And now O Noble Elders of Israel I know the Bees come not more loaden with Honey to the Hiue then you at this time with inlarged affections to minister abundant supply to your Ioshuah Doe it on Gods Name brauely and like your selues I am a poore Schollar and am ready to sell my richest treasure my Bookes rather then Ioshuah shall want And doe it so as by Gods blessing vpon Ioshua you the Elders and so vpon vs all by you many Parliaments may be called wherein you may testifie if occasion require the copious and perennious Treasure of your loue and loyaltie in the like kind How is that I meane not Sparingly but as Arannah like a Prince gaue to King Dauid For Vera liberalitas fundum non habet But I meane pardon my Zeale which makes me thus bold to speake in the genuine and naturall Genius of your tender loue and care for the safetie and securitie of our Royall Ioshua of the Crowne of the Kingdome of Religion and of Vs all But your liberall Subsidies are giuen for that end True But alas pardon still my redenesse I speake not as a States-man to aduise such a graue Senat but as a poore Minister of Christ and Watchman of Israel to petition rather What can either Money or Men or Munition doe so long as Achans trouble Israel There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee O Israel saith the Lord Thou canst not stand before thine enemies vntill ye take away the accursed thing from among you Till this hee done Isâ—ael must not looke to prosper We need no better warrant then Gods owne Word for it It is your Wisedome to follow it least the Canaanites preuaile ouer vs. And the vtmost extreamitie of the state of things calls vpon you to doe it instantly It drawes a circle about your Assembly as that braue Romane did with his Staffe about King Mithridates not to stirre or steppe ouer it till Ioshuas and Israels danger the accursed thing be remoued It is impatient I speake no more then what you all know farre better then I to abide the expectation of another Parliament you see all things are in such a Precipice and Israel so dangerously sick as if you the great Colledge of Physitians depart without curing of it all will haue occasion to deeme the case desperate and irrecouerable already drawing on a pace to a Dissolution vnlesse the Great Physitian doe mercifully and miraculously put to his Omnipotent hand For the Achans the Troublers of Israel hasten the ruine of all But who might those Achans be Your wisedomes cannot be ignorant of them yet because they are a mysticall knot of Iniquity and haue exceedingly insinuated themselues into the good opinion of many I humbly craue leaue that by the diuine Lot of Gods word I may a little discouer them All Achans as I said are Diuiders first betweene God and Israel and secondly as a consequence thereof betweene Israel themselues and that especially while they mainely labour to diuide the Head from the Body Ioshua from the Elders of Israel And saith Christ A Kingdome diuided against it selfe cannot stand These Achans which trouble our Israel are of sundry sorts as first Iasuites and Seminary Priests These are the ring leading Achans Of such the Lord saith in Deuteronomy that because they seduce the people from God they shall be put to death These as they diuide God from vs hiâ— seruants so they diuide the Subiects from the King This was wont to be Treason but now a dayes it would passe for good Religion The second kinde of Achans troubling Israel are Idols â—f Achans wedge and Babylonish garment troubled all Israel as an accursed thing how much more Popish Idols shall wee halt betweene two opinions betweene God and Baal Either goe after the Lord onely if indeede he be God or if Baal be He goe onely after him said Eliah King Asa spared not his owne Mothers Groue and Idol but brake them downe yea for their cause deposed her from her Regency Oh for the like zeale for God! But certainly if these Idols and Masses Images and Popish Trumperies be not speedily abolished thou canst not prosper O Israel nor stand before thine Enemies Downe therefore with Popish Idols O Ioshua and the Elders of Israel which cease not to cry of our Ierusalem Downe with it downe with it euen to the ground Spare not these Brats of Babylon that dare perke vp so neere to Gods Arke threatning to shoulder it out of doores But you know what befell the Philistins Dagon and you may remember what befell the Romish Dagon in the Black-friers vpon their fift of Nouember So iealous is our God Hee cannot brooke a corriuall But some hauing beene Protestants formerly in which Religion they were baptized comming afterwards to be inueigled to Popery and thereupon making a solemne vow sealed as they call it with the Sacrament of the Altar neuer to alter this their new couenant make such a conscience hereof as if it stood not with faith and honesty to breake it But doe they not know vnlesse Popery hath altogether blinded their eyes that any such couenants or vowes ought neither to be made nor much lesse to be kept which haue any commerce or relation to Idolatry Doth not our Precontract to Christ in our Baptisme to forsake the Diuell and all his workes frustrate and make void all second contracts with Antichrist for the setting vp of Idolatry one maine worke of the Diuell Nothing therefore ought to impeach our
they vvere no vvay guilty of Achans sinne nor as authours nor as accessories either by approving conniuing or patronizing of it They dealt sincerely The second and last speciall poynt considerable in Ioshua's act is that as Ioshua's so our fast should be holy to the Lord and for the Lord. When ye fasted ye fasted not to mee but to your selues Zach 7. 5. They sought themselues their owne wealth welfare No godamercy Should ye not heare c Esay 58. 3. That which Ioshua and the Elders of Israel sought was principally Gods glory which suffered in Israels discomfiture As v. 9. And what wilt thou doe vnto thy great name It was not their owne profit or priuate ends nor policy but piety that moued them to this humiliation Qui Dei solius gloriam quaerit acquirit suam Qui suam solius gloriam quaerit perdit Dei. Hee that seekes Gods glory onely procureth also his owne Hee that seeketh his owne glory alone looseth also Gods Now the right seeking of Gods glory in our Fast is to put the meanes in practise As to remoue the impediments generally all mens personall sinnes particularly state-sins as idolatry and heresie which directly strike at Gods glory and ruinate Israel as also oppression and bribery which ruinate kingdomes Withall to establish the true Religion with justice distributiue and correctiue so is Gods Israel so the Kings throne established Many may the causes be of Israels fast whereof Ioshua the Elders cannot be ignorant Yet if there were no more Achans sinne alone though concealed is cause enough But how shall Achan with his privy palliated sinne bee found out This is Gods part in the next words v. 10. From this verse to the 16 is contayned the Lords charge to Ioshua Get thee vp wherefore lyest thou thus vpon thy face Israel hath sinned c. It may seeme strange that God should bid Ioshua surcease his sorrowing alledging withall the cause Israels sinne If Israel hath sinned the rather haue Ioshua and the Elders cause to continue their fasting and prayer But wee are not to take this charge as a checke For the Lord did not interrupt Ioshua's devotion till the eventide the time of comfort after sorrow So that being at a full period And what wilt thou doe to thy great name the Lord takes the hinte and answeres Ioshua so as Ioshua might be partaker of that hee prayed for Otherwise Ioshua and the Elders might haue fasted and prayed long enough with small fruit if the Lords speech had not stept in Something else must be done besides a fast before it will go well with Israel But was not Ioshua's prayer and fasting aualeable Was hee not a holy and a vertuous Prince And doth not the effectuall feruent prayer of a righteous man auaile much Againe was not Ioshua a type of Iesus Christ And are not the prayers of Iesus effectuall Can God be angry with his people for whom Iesus prayeth This is Israels confidence euen ours that wee haue Iesus entred into the heauenly Canaan there taking possession there making intercession for vs. Can any thing then betide vs but good If our Iesus pray can wee his Israel perish God forbid Yet something is required on Israels part to be made partakers of Christs prayers to bring the blessing thereof downe vnto vs. Israel had the Oracles of God his Arke his speciall presence a noble Ioshua and Elders praying for them yet something was lacking on Israels part Ioshua Iesus may pray for Israel yet Israel be in perill of perishing if Israel haue sinned But Israel hath sinned sayth the Lord to Ioshua Wherefore lyest thou thus vpon thy face get thee vp If Israel hath sinned Israel hath an aduocate with the Father Iesus Christ the righteous and hee is the Propitiation for all our sins What more is required yes something For if wee confesse our sinnes hee is faithfull and iust to forgiue us our sinnes and to cleanse vs from all vnrighteousnesse If Israel confesse his sinne Without this not Ioshua's fasting and prayer will availe Indeed our Ioshua's prayer Christs prayer for Israel is an effectuall meanes to worke true faith and to produce repentance in a sincere confession of sinnes vnto saluation And therefore Ioshua's prayer is not spent in vaine but is a fore runner inducing and conducing to the confession and so to the purgation of Israels sin The point hence is that all Israels fasting prayer humiliation deuotion is to noe purpose to preuent plagues but rather to provoke and procure them if it be not attended with true repentance thorow reformation of Israels sin When you spread forth your hands saith the Lord I will hide mine eyes from you yea when yee make many praiers I will not heare Will not many prayers serue the turne No not a beadroule of Prayers Why your hands are full of blood In praier pure not bloody hands must be lift vp God waighs not praiers by their plurality but by their purity And this purity is not in a neate concatenation of Scripture phrases or formes of speech but in faith and affections of a pure heart In Ezechiels time Israel had set vp an idoll in their hearts Some Idol sinne or other Any beloued darling habituall sinne is an idoll set vp in the heart How much more the loue of idols and images themselues Well what of this The Lord there saith Though Noah Daniel and Iob were in the land as I liue saith the Lord they shall deliuer neither sonnes nor daughters Why The idoll was set vp in the heart What then doth the Lord require in Israels fast Surely Israels publicke and solemne fast requireth a publicke and solemne reformation of Israels sin Ioel. 2. 12. Turne ye vnto me with all your heart and with fasting and with weeping and with mourning c. Such was done in heathen Nineuchs fast The King caused to be proclaimed through Nineueh by the decree of the King and his nobles Let neither man nor beast heard nor flocke great nor small old nor young tast any thing but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth and cry mightily vnto God Yea let them turne euery one from his euill way and from the violence that is in their hands Is this the condition required in Israels fast O then what a terror and horror is it for Israel when in the solemne fast not onely some Achans priuie sinne is not lookt into to be purged and punished but open * crimson scarlet coloured sinnes goe disfigured for a day to no other end but that as Romes images at Easter after their mourning in blacke all the Lent they may spring out in a fuller vigour and luster vsing a fast as the rose doth the sable night to cause the fayrer glosse Yet here is comfort to the true Israel of God What if Achans sins be not expiated shall all Israel perish God forbid Shall not the judge of all the world do
of whose oary bowels the King of England may dig richer Mettalls then the King of Spaine can out of all his Indies The King of Englands Subiects will for loue sweat his Maiesty more golde then all the King of Spaines poore slaues can for feare digge out of the bowels of their senseles mother-earth this done I say what can be reciprocally desired either of the Subjects by the King or of the King by his Subjects that shall not haue a full confluence each striving to satisfie other with all wished contentments Gods cause being first acquitted and our Mother-Church of England asserted to her owne auncient Catholicke Tenants then Ioshua and the Elders and all Israel with them shall from their celestiall Father and their spirituall Mother receiue such a blessing as shall bee admired of all their friendes envied of all their enemies And you Lady Metropolis of Israel the beloued City the darling Mount Sion when you send your Agent-Burgesses to joyne with Israels great assembly as you looke to haue a part in the blessing thereof Be perswaded to sanctifie yourselues and reforme your City-Achans Search them out you need not lanthornes for it Your loue and liberality to the Gospell and to the Ministery thereof both at home and abroad cannot be paraleld by any Church in any age Onely your Achans as so many cloudes eclipse the glory and otherwise the vnstained beauty thereof A little leauen yee know leaveneth the whole lumpe Purge it out therefore that yee may be altogether a new lumpe This we heartily desire even your perfection Now then O Israel you haue had your fast yee are washed yee are sanctified yee are justified from your owne particular sinnes by your faith testified by your repentance and the trueth of your repentance testified by your reformation now you are cleare and cleane but not all In the next place yee are to finde out the Achans that trouble Israel least yee bee all wrapped in Achans sinne So did Ioshua and the Elders of Israel after their owne humiliation after their sanctification of the people the very next morning early they goe about to finde out the Troubler of Israel First note Ioshua's diligence and vigilancie with the Elders and people of Israel to execute justice They rose early in the morning And good reason Delay is dangerous in such cases it might haue hastened many bad consequences for now the newly fleshed Canaanites might haue wonne time to confederate and bande against Israel while Gods displeasure was not remoued Besides delay and neglect in doing justice brings the Iudges within the compasse of Accessaries For as hee that prevents not a sinne in another when hee may commits it so hee that punisheth it not when hee may and ought defends it and makes it more his own But prudent and provident Ioshua with the Elders of Israel and the people prevent the daunger of delay they rise early in the morning But how doe they goe about the scruting to finde out the troubler of Israel Achan with his Babylonish garment and wedges were lurking in the Tent among the thousands of Israel Hee had conveyed his Sacriledge and theft so cleanly by his dissimulation as no man was privy to it to accuse him Who then shall finde him out yes the Lord takes this taske vpon him And where the Lord makes the search what place for lurking If wee haue forforgotten the name of our God and holden vp our hands to any strange God Shall not God search this out for hee knoweth the secrets of the heart saith David But by what meanes doth God search out Achan By a strange and admirable meanes even by lot a thing of it selfe of a casuall and contingent nature yet which the all disposing God canne commaund to produce the most certaine effects of his owne will Thus by lot hee elected Saul for King among all the Tribes of Israel from among all the families of Beniamin after that Samuel had already by Gods assignement annointed him Thus by lot was Ionathan Sauls son found out for but tasting a little honey Yea God canne make the fowles of the ayre to reveale the most hidden sinne Well Ioshua following the Lords direction findes out Achan by lot This done note Ioshuah's behauiour to Achan vers 19. My Sonne giue I pray thee glory to the Lord God of Israel and make confession vnto him and tell me now what thou hast done hide it not from mee Ioshua heere like a tender-hearted Father vseth a Fatherly compellation to Achan My Sonne Hee breakes not out into suddaine anger and passion now to adde more terrour to Achans conscience or to shew the greatnes of his owne authority For what neede authority and power bee armed with impotent hasty passion And it is the gentle Sun-beame not the rough winde that causeth the offender to lay aside the cloake of dissimulation It is the goates milke of mild mercy not the hard stroake of the hammer that dissolues the adamantine heart It is the warme fire of louing intreaty not the frost of a frowning brow that causeth the ycie obdurate conscience to melt drop into teares It was the soft still voyce not the whirlewind earth-quake that caused Elias to couer his face and his mouth My son was the seemeliest rack for Ioshua to vse whereby gently to draw confession from Achan For Ioshua was Pater Patriae the Father of Israel Gods people the affection whereof he puts not off while now he puts on the office of Iudge Mercy and truth preserue the King saith Salomon and his throne is vpholden by mercy mercy truth are the two supporters of the Kings Armes The herb Basil a proper embleme for a Prince gētly stroakt on the hād yeelds a pleasāt smel but crusht vpō it vnsavory My Son saith Ioshua What then Giue I pray thee glory to the Lord God of Israel and make confession vnto him c. The first thing that Ioshua seekes is the glory of the Lord God of Israel How By Achans confession How should that redound to Gods glory Yes three wayes in Achan first by shewing the Lord to bee just and true in finding him out thus miraculously by lot while Achan confessed himselfe to bee the man thus divinely pointed out Secondly by a faithfull humble and penitent confession of his sinne against God and his people to the end God might glorify his mercy in pardoning his soule though his justice in punishing his body Thirdly that Gods act in Israels discomfiture might appeare to all the world to be vpon iust cause Nor doth Ioshua heere remit Achan to make his private auricular confession to the Priest For so Achans sinne had never come to light but had gone close mantled vnder the stole and seale of confession So had God lost his glory two wayes First by Achans private confession in stead of a publick Secondly by taking his absolution from a Priest which none can giue but God only Therefore saith