Nobility Oh sayes hee what honour is there among Christian people when Religion makes men vile Oh shamefull and unsufferable wickednesse It is not so with any Religion as it is with ours In any Religion of Jews Turkes Papists the more strict and exact the more Honoured and esteemed Only in the Protestant Religion the stricter and preciser the more scorned and despised It was a very noble act that of Nebuchadnezzar Dan. 3.29 I make a decree that every people nation and language which speake any thing amisse against the God of Shadrach Meshach and Abednego shall be cut in pieces and their houses shall be made a dunghill c. I could wish that our Law-makers would provide a Statute that it might be lawful for no man with impunity to deride and scorne Religion or the strict profession of it And there is good reason for it For 1. Scornefull men bring a City into a snare or set a City on fire 2. Their punishment would be exemplary to others Smite a Scorner and the simple will beware Prov. 19.25 When the scorner is punished the simple is made wise Prov. 21.11 And once more as if it were a matter of great observance and greater consequence Cast out the scorner and contention shall goe out yea strife and reproach shall cease Prov. 22.10 Thirdly and lastly Though every Good man be a publicke Good and blessing to the place yet especially the heires of restraint as a Magistrate is described Iudg. 18.27 That is publick persons if they be Good are double blessings as Good men as Good Magistrates such wise men especially turne away wrath Review but those places before alleadged Jer. 5.10 Runne too and fro through the streets of Jerusalem and see if you can finde a man if there be any one that executeth judgement and I will pardon it And so of another it is said Then stood up Phineas and executed judgement and so the plague was stayed Psal 106.30 I speake unto wise men judge ye what I say A word to the wise is enough 2. It shewes the blessednesse of that Family Towne City 2. The blessednesse of places where any Good men c. that hath these Good and Righteous men amongst them if they knew their happinesse Many a judgement is prevented many a blessing is procured or continued for their sakes when wicked men know not to whom they are beholding These are the Towres and Castles These are Walls and Bulwarkes These are the Forts and Amunition These are the Horse-men and Chariots of a Kingdome and for their sakes Townes and Cities are preserved The Sodomites were beholding to Lot for the welfare of their City so long as he was in it though they acknowledged it not You know what was said of those two great and holy Prophets Elija and Elisha when Elijah was taken away in a fiery chariot his servant and successour Elisha saw his strength and safety and therefore cried out My Father my Father the horsemen of Israel and the chariots thereof And a King wicked enough said as much of Elisha My Father my Father the horsemen of Israel and the chariots thereof when he lay a dying But Elisha's servant saw the reason of it when an army of Souldiers beset the Towne of Dâ—than and thought to have taken Elisha and plundered the towne the servant cryes out alas Master we are undone Elisha prayes Lord open his eyes and presently he saw the Mountaine full of horses and Chariots of fire round about Elisha 2. Kings 6.17 One Elisha was a better guard then all the hosts of Israel But I let that passe 3. The folly and madnesse of the world in 1. Imputing all evills to them 3. It shewes the foolish unthankfulnesse and indeed the folly and madnesse of the wicked men of the world 1. In imputing all their evills and miseries to Good men as if they were the causes of all the troubles and calamities that befall them So they said of Paul and his companions Act. 16.20 These men which are Jewes trouble our City So Tertullus the Oratour elegantly and learnedly charges Paul Act. 24.5 Certainely we have found this man a pestilent fellow a pestilence in the Originall a mover of sedition among all the Jewes throughout the world c. So Ahab not onely accounts Elijah his owne enemy but also charges him with the miseries of the times Art thou he that troubles Israel No sayes he It is thou and thy fathers house in that you have forsaken the commandements of the Lord and thou hast followed Baalim 1. King 18.18 So it was in the primitive times the Christians were charged with all the calamities that fell upon them So it is now All these troubles and warres are caused by the Puritanes c. No no it is you that trouble England your drunkennes and whoredomes and blasphemies c. these are the troublers of England you that are scornefull men that scoffe and deride Godlinesse and God himself That despise his Ministers and mock at his Messengers till there be no remedy 2. Chr. 36.16 It was an hard case that Salomon tells of Eccles 9.14 15.16 A little City and few men in it and a great King came against it and compassed it about and builded forts against it And there was found therein a poore and wise man and he delivered the City by his wisedome but none remembred this poore man Then said I better is wisedome then strength yet the wisedome of the poor is despised and his words are not heard That Good men should deliver the Iland and be forgotten or despised is a sad condition but that they should be charged with the troubles and desolations of a Kingdome who are the preservers of it this is most unreasonable 2. But the madnesse and unthankfulnesse of the world appears more yet in persecuting banishing Good men out of their houses Towns Countries even out of the world 2. Persecuting the Good if they could Foolish men and unthankfull They are beholding to them for all the Good they have and doe they requite them thus Is this your kindenesse to your friends As was said to one many good workes have they done for you for which of them doe you persecute and banish them Yea but what madnesse is this to stop up the fountaines at least the pipes through which all the streames of blessings come To pull away the props that uphold a Nation the pillars that uphold the house from falling upon the heads of the owners To drive the City of all the guards and pull downe the Forts and Bulwarkes of defence when an Enemy comes to besiege it this is little lesse then frenzie The Sodomites did what they could to drive Lot out of their City who alone kept off that showre of fire and brimstone from them As Sampson pulling downe the pillars pulled the house upon his owne head so doe these hasten their owne destruction If all the Elect were once but gathered out of the
THE GOOD MAN A PVBLICK GOOD 1. PASSIVELY 2. ACTIVELY As it was Manifested in a Sermon preached to the Honourable House of COMMONS at the late Solemne Fast January 31. 1643. By DANIEL CAVVDREY Minister of the Gospell at Great Billing in Northamptonshire and one of the Assembly of DIVINES 2. Cor. 12.15 I will very gladly spend and be spent for you though the more abundantly I love you the lesse I am loved John 10.11.12 The Good Shepheard giveth his life for the Sheepe But he that is an hireling and not the Shepheard whose owne the Sheepe are not seeth the wolfe comming and leaves the Sheep and fleeth because he is an hireling and careth not for the Sheep LONDON Printed by Tho. Harper for Charles Greene and P. W. 1643. To the Honourable House of Commons Assembled in PARLIAMENT Honourable and ever-Honoured Patriots THis poor and plain Sermon as it was first preached in obedience to your Command and heard with a great deale of Religious Attention so it is now most humbly presented to your hands and eyes Wherein the Preachers aime and intention was not Qâ—i monet ut fâ—â—â—s qâ—od j m sâ—ci c. either to informe your Judgements in what you knew not or to perswade your Obedience to what you did not but to encourage and comfort you in what you already did even spend your selves in the Publicke Good The which he conceived the rather to be most necessary for him to doe First because of the great difficulty of the worke you are ingaged in by reason of those Scornfull men who have brought the City into a snare or rather set the Kingdome on fire Secondly because of those great discouragements which you have long wrastled with through the frowardnesse and unthankfulnesse of the people of this land who have withdrawne many of them their assistance and stopped up those wels that should afford you water to quench that fire And had not the Lord himself stood by you and endued you with Wisdome Goodnesse Meeknesse the wickednesse of the one sort and the perversenesse of the other sort might have caused your hands to faint and your hearts to faile in the prosecution of the Worke. But blessed be God who both raised you up unto us and raised and kept up your spirits to be constant and active for such a time as this But it is usuall with God so to doe As it is observable in Nature Physitians say that as there are Nationall diseases so there are peculiar Nationall remedies So commonly in the greatest distresses of his Church and greatest opposition of Malignants God is pleased to raise up defendants proportionable to these necessities This is evident in many passages of the sacred Story especially in the booke of Judges in Nehemiahs and Esthers time The two parties in the Text are not so much opposed one against another viz. Scornfull men and Wise men as they are in the present experience of these times Never did any Kingdome know and finde so great a generation of Scornfull men not onely the lower ranke of meane Malignants who have scorned and scoffed at Religion and Goodnesse so long till they have scoffed themselves out of all even shewes of Religion and into unbeleefe of all relations of successes as false and fabulous but even those of the second and third magnitudes who like Tobiah and Sanballat have jeered and derided all your undertakings as weake and worthlesse saying as they What do these feeble men will they fortifie themselves will they make an end in a day Will they pull downe the Old and set up a new Church in a day Nay have they not flouted your fastings and prayings upon the least successes of their party and some of them said where is now your God But againe I say Blessed be God who resists the proud and gives grace to the Humble that hath as it were created a generation of Wise men in a way of opposition to those Scornfull men to breake those snares and quench those fires which they have kindled Wherein God hath not only magnified his owne Wisdome and Goodnesse in providing and fitting the Remedy to the Disease but also manifested to all the world your Wisdome in discovering their snares and your Goodnesse in quenching their fires Truly worthy Patriots next under God we cannot but acknowledge that the Kingdome the whole Island is beholding to you for its present preservation And though you have met with an unthankefull generation for the present yet we doubt not but the children yet unborne shall have cause to call you Blessed as the repairers of our breaches as the restorers of paths to dwell in and above all as the blessed Reformers of Church and State Which that you may be shall be the dayly prayer of Your most humbly devoted Servant in the Lord DANIEL CAVVDREY A SERMON Preached before The honourable House of COMMONS at the publike Fast Ian. 31. 1643. Proverbs 29.8 Scornefull men bring a City into a snare but wise men turne away wrath THis Booke of the Proverbs The priviledges of the Proverbs in three things as it hath the common Honour with other sacred Scriptures to be called Canonicall so it hath some speciall Prerogatives above the rest and that in a threefold respect 1. In the Excellence 1. The Excellencies and preheminence of the Sentences therein contained being for the most part received principles or Canons of wisedome acknowledged generally by all especially by the wise And for this cause they are called Proverbs Look what Maximes are in Law Axioms in Logick Aphorismes in Physick Apothegmes in historie or morality such are these Proverbs in Divinity the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the original carries their Dignity in the very forehead It comes from a roote that signifies to Rule as a Lord or Prince They are principes or prinpales sententiae princely or principall sentences not onely from their Authour King Salomon chap. 1. 1. but also from their worth authority being as I may so say Lords and Commanders of our Assent and Judgement for their Authenticall and acknowledged veritie that 's the first 2. In their Independance 2. Their Indepeâ—dâ—nce usually one upon another every verse almost yea every Homistichium or halfe verse being a compleat Doctrine of it selfe as Proverbs commonly are short and full In other Scriptures a man must read many verses sometimes at least before he can make up the sense or profitable instructions therein contained but here he hath in two or three words a full proposition or Doctrine exposed to his view In which respect they may be compared not so fitly to a Chaine of Gold where each piece is linked to and drawes on its fellow as to a Chaine of precious Pearles all put upon one string having indeed a kind of Contaction as I may say but no necessary Connexion or Cohaerence one upon another And that 's the second 3. In the mutuall Illumination 3. Their Mutuall
not for Goodnesse sake yet for your own Goods sake you are beholding to them for all the Good you have and doe enjoy next under God The Prophet advises the people going into Captivity that they would seeke the peace of that wicked City Babylon and pray unto the Lord for it for saies he in the peace thereof shall ye have peace Jer. 29.7 And you make much of a bad servant because he is profitable and beneficiall to you how much more of those that never did you hurt that constantly doe you Good preventing judgements and procuring mercies your very life and livelihood and all your welfare depends upon it I leave it to your consideration and come 2. To Good men Secondly to speake a word of exhortation to Good men that they would be Good still and improve all their interest in God in these troublesome and calamitous times for the publicke Good First to be Good still 1 To bâ—e Good and better still and more Good as there is more need and use for the publicke Good He that is holy let him be holy still and he that is righteous let him be righteous still The better man the greater Good As we see it is the policie of children when they have any sute or request to promote they are commonly double diligent to insinuate themselves into our affections and favour It was Esthers wisdom to ingratiate herself with King Abashuerosh when she had a very great request to make unto him she first invites him to a banquet to sweeten his affections to her insomuch that he askes her that intended to aske him What wilt thou Queen Esther what is thy request and it shall be granted thee to the halfe of the Kingdome Esth 5.3 But she hath not yet enough hold of his affections therefore she desires only that the King would come to the banquet which she had prepared for him at which time the King makes the same demand What is thy petition c. but yet she forbeares as intending to ingratiate herselfe more with him thereupon she renewes her former request that he would come next day to another banquet and then supposing herselfe endeered to him out comes her great request Chap. 7.3 If I have found favour in thy sight O King and if it please thee King let my life be given me at my petition and my people at my request It is worth our imitation in such times of distresse when our lives and lands lye at stake to make our way with God by more exact observance of him to indeere our selves unto him that so for our sakes not only our owne lives but our Island may be granted at our requests Secondly to improve all the interests they have in God 2. To improve their interest in God and all their grace and favour with him which we have heard is much for the publicke Good The King of Heaven can deny you nothing To what purpose is this Grace and Priviledge with God if we make not use of it as Abraham did The whole Kingdome and Church of God cries to you as to our Saviour If thou canst do any thing come help us Ply God with prayers and tears and be importunate yea in a holy manner impudent till he make this our Land the praise and glory of all the earth In a word imploy your parts and abilities for the publicke Good which is done by getting publick Spirits But that leads me to the second branch of my generall Observation to that I now come And that is this Good men are publicke Goods actively That is they are men of publicke Spirits 2. Branch Good men are publick Goods actively This is preferring the Publicke before their own private Good That this is rightly collected I referre to the explication of the words and proceed to the confirmation 1. Commanded 1. This is Commanded in the Scriptures as the duty of every Christian Let us do good to all especially to the houshold of faith Gal. 6.10 By love serve one another Gal. 5.13 Let no man seeke his owne things but every man anothers wealth or welfare 1. Cor. 10.24 2. This is Commended 2. Commended by instances by the Spirit of God in Scripture to have been the practise of all Good men we observe some memorable instances And we beginne with Moses 1. Of Moses who spent himself in the publick affaires of the people in judgeing all causes brought before him till Jethro his Father in lawe gave him wise counsell Exod. 18.17.18 The things which thou doest is not well thou wilt surely weare away thou wilt faint and fall and all this people with thee for the thing is too heavy for thee thou art not able to doe it thy selfe alone And when God offered him one of the greatest offers that ever was made to a mortall man to bribe him that I may so say and to take him off from seeking and entreating for the Good of his people he utterly refused it Exod. 32.9 10 11 c. The Lord said unto Moses I have seen this people and behold it is a stiffenecked people Now therefore let me alone that my wrath may waxe hot against them and consume them and I will make of thee a mighty people But Moses prayed unto the Lord his God c. And another time when the Lord seemed resolved to destroy that people he ventures not only his life but his soule between them and the wrath of God If thou wilt pardon this people well if not blot me out of thy Book c. The like we may observe in David 2. Of David He fed the people with a true heart and ruled them prudently with all his power Psal 7 72. And as if the spirit of Moses had been upon him he exposes himselfe to the sword of the destroying Angel to stay it from the people 2 Sam. 24.17 Behold I have sinned yea I have done wickedly takes all the fault upon himselfe and all the punishment too but these sheep what have they done Let thine hand I pray thee be against me and my fathers house This is the commendation of that Good man Jehojada 3. Of Jehojada 2 Chron. 24.16 the high Priest and the Epitaph upon his grave made by the Spirit of God They buried him in the City of David amongst the Kings because he had done good in Israell both towards God and towards his house Mordecai also was a man of the like spirit whose life and story is concluded with this Elegie He was next unto the King and great among the Jewes and accepted of the multitude of his brethren There is his Greatnesse his Goodnesse followes Seeking the wealth of the people and speaking peace to all his people Esth 10.3 But most memorable is the instance of that Good and Great man Nehemiah 4 Of Nehemiah who living in the favour of a King and in all pleasures of a Court yet enjoyed not himselfe whilest he
understood the miseries of his people and the Desolations of the house of God and of his City as in Nehem. 1. and 2. Chapters may easily appeare But the discovery of his publick spirit with neglect of all private interests is most remarkeable Nehem. 5.14 Twelve yeares together from the twentieth yeare even unto the two and thirtieth of King Artaxerxes that is twelve yeares I and my brethren have not eaten the bread of the Governour For the former Governours that were before me had been chargeable to the people and had taken of them bread and wine besides forty shekels of silver yea and their servants bare rule over the people as great mens servants use to doe but so did not I because of the feare of God But then it may be as he had nothing so hee did nothing but only oversee the people For that see what follows verse 16. Yet also I continued in the worke of this wall and all my servants were gathered thither unto the worke That is though neither I nor my servants had any allowance yet we were as active and diligent in the maine worke as they that tooke wages for their worke But perhaps hee had a great estate or revenue of his owne and improved that to his owne best advantage There were many poor Jews that were glad for necessity to sell their inheritances and so he made good bargaines for himselfe by buying land at the cheapest rate No sayes he We bought no land as some others did And lest any man should thinke though he did not get by the publicke calamities yet he might save his owne estate by living privately and below his estate and the dignity of a Governour he addes Moreover there were at my table an hundred and fifty of the poore Jewes and Rulers besides those that came unto us from among the Heathen that are about us verse 17. His charge and expences is set downe in the 18. verse to be very great Yet for all this required not I the bread of the Governour because the bondage was great upon this people All these considered you will hardly finde a man of so publicke a spirit in all the Scripture Only one we finde in the new Testament that comes something neare him in spirituall respects and that is Saint Paul 5. Of Paul first he sayes he had upon him the care of all the Churches Secondly he laboured more then all the Apostles spared no paines feared no dangers ran through many perplexities and hazards by sea and land by brethren and strangers c. Thirdly though he might have beene chargeable as an Apostle of Christ and had power to eat and drinke and to carry about a sister a wife as other Apostles did yet he used not this power but preached the Gospell freely and lest he might be chargeable he wrought with his own hands to supply his necessities and as he sought not his owne profit but the profit of many that they might be saved 1 Cor. 10. last so spent himselfe in the publicke service venturing his owne life for the Good of the Church I count not my life deare to me so that I may finish my course with joy Act. 20.24 Yea saies he and if I be offered powred forth as a drinke offering 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 upon the sacrifice and service of your faith I joy and rejoyce with you all Phil. 2.17 And to omit many things of like kinde that there might be an example and instance of one under the New Testament not inferiour to the highest in the Old heare what he saies like another Moses if not beyond him I have great heavinesse and continuall sorrow in my heart For I could wish that my selfe were accursed from Christ for my brethren my kinsmen according to the flesh Rom. 9.2 3. We need say no more we have given instances of all sorts Kings Priests Magistrates Ministers of eminently publicke spirits to make good our assertion That Good men are publicke Goods Actively as well as Passively That is men of publicke spirits active for the publick Good though passive in neglect of themselves Doe but take the Reasons 3. Grounded on Good Reasons of it and we shall hasten to the Application 1. Good men are made partakers of the divine Nature 1. They partake of the divine Nature 2 Pet. 1.4 and so made conformable to God their heavenly Father and to Christ their Head The Proverb is A Good the more common it is the better it is we may invert it The better any thing is the more communicative it is of it selfe God himselfe the best and greatest Good communicates himselfe to all his creatures with no respect of any profit to himselfe The eyes of all things wait upon thee O Lord and thou givest them their meat in due season Psal 145.15 Thou openest thy hand and fillest with thy blessing every living thing Thou art Good and doest Good Psal 119.68 The Lord is Good to all and his mercy is over all his workes Psal 145.9 He makes his Sunne to shine upon the Good and the bad and his raine to fall upon the just and unjust The Lord Jesus also is called the common Salvation Jude verse 3. He went about doing Good and healing every disease He gave himselfe for all his sheep and wholly for every one Who loved me and gave himselfe for me saies Paul as if he had loved and dyed for none but him O bone Jesu c. as that Father in a sweet meditation and Soliloquie of his O sweet Saviour Jesus who takest care for all of us as if we were but one man and so for every one as for all Christ pleased not himselfe sought not his owne profit his owne glory but the salvation of his people Let the same minde be in you that was in Christ Jesus Phil. 2.5 And so it is in some proportion the same nature the same mind and so followers of God as deare children and of Christ their Head and so communicative of their Goodnesse to others The ground of this in God is his Al-sufficiency partly hee needs not the Good of any creature and partly his Great Goodnesse whereof he is so full that as the Sea empties it selfe into the springs and rivers so doth he communicate his Goodnes to the creatures Good men then being made partakers of the Al-sufficient and Good God are like him in this to seeke the publicke Good with neglect of themselves and that 's the first 2. Grace enlarges the heart 2. Grace and Goodnesse enlarges the heart and hand and all So the Apostle 2 Cor. 6.11 12 13. O ye Corinthians our mouth is opened to you our heart is enlarged ye are not straitned in us but ye are straitned in your owne bowels Bee ye also enlarged As if he should say it is your fault that you have no more benefit by us you are not capable of what we are able and willing to give And so to his
Thessalonians 1. Thes 2.8 Being affectionately desirous of you we were willing to have imparted to you not the Gospel of God only but also our owne soules because ye were deare unto us It is observable that is noted of those first converts who were before strait-hearted and strait-handed but when once made partakers of the Grace of God how much they were enlarged Neither was there any among them that lacked for as many as were possessours of lands or houses sold them and brought the prices of the things that were sold And laid them downe at the Apostles feet and distribution was made to every man according as he had need Act. 4.34 35. And before that Act. 2.44 All that beleeved were together and had all things common Omnia indiscreta apud nos praeter uxores said Tertullian of his times All things with us are common except wives 3. Grace sets up another end 3. Grace alters and sets up another End in a man that is Gods Glory in the publicke Good for therein is Gods Glory most conspicuous Our ends are private in Nature we are our owne Alpha and Omega our selves are beginning and ending to our owne selves our owne god selfish in all as they say Self-ends Self-profit Self-honour c. Now the first Lesson in the Schoole of Christ is Self-deniall let him deny himselfe his owne reason his owne will his owne affections his owne ends Marke what a new End the Apostle sets up 1 Cor. 10.31 Whether therefore ye eat or drink or whatsoever you doe doe all to the glory of God And then that you may see he meanes the Glory of God in the publicke Good he addes in the last verse Even as I please all men in all things not seeking mine owne profit but the profit of many that they may be saved A naturall man called out to publicke services is ready to plead his owne private interests as the trees did in Jothams parable Judg. 9.9 Should I leave my fatnesse saies the Olive tree Should I leave my sweetnesse saies the Fig tree or I leave my wine saies the Vine to be promoted over the trees The words rendered to be promoted over the trees are significant in the Hebrew to goe up and downe for other trees That is Shall I neglect my selfe my owne profit my owne honour my owne pleasure to runne up and downe as a Magistrate or a publicke person must to doe others service It is a common and received Proverbe in nature proximus egomet mihi I am my owne next neighbour and that is another much alike Charity begins at home And a third is as common Every man for himselfe and God only for all Thus indeed speaks nature but Grace clean otherwise as you have heard we are Selfe-ends and Selfe-gods in nature In Grace Homo homini Deus every man is a God to another that 's a third 4. A Good man is made a member of the body mysticall 4. They are members of the body mysticall Now as it is in nature every member of the body naturall serves not it selfe alone but is a servant to the whole body The eye sees not for it selfe sees not it selfe but for the whole body the hand workes not the foot moves not for it selfe but for the whole body So it should be in the body politicall so it is in the body mysticall every member is serviceable to the community More might be added but these shall suffice for the present and so we come to Application 4. Applied 1. The first Use shall be for Discovery and this is a time of great Discoveries of bad and naughty hearts 1. For discovery of bad hearts Before wee come to particulars we may justly take up the complaint of the Psalmist Psal 12.1 Helpe Lord for there is not a Godly man left the faithfull are minished from among the sonnes of men That is if we look upon the generality of men there will be but a few Good men be found we may make the Discovery by these two things 1. That many have publicke spirits indeed but for publicke mischiefes 2. That many have private spirits in publick causes we will note some particuâ—ars briefly 1. Publick mischiefes as 1. There are many that have Publick Spirits not for the publick Good but for publick evill to the places where they live just like the bramble in Jothams parable Judg. 9.14.15 chosen to raigne over the trees who did scratch and catch all for it selfe Publico malo nati as if they were borne for publick mischiefe like Paris whose mother Hecuba dream'd when she was with child of him that she was delivered of a burning firebrand and so he proved to his Country if stories say true For through his meanes the City Troy was set on fire and the Country ruined Such firebrands there are many now to be found who have set this as well as other Kingdomes on fire or brought Townes Cities Countries into a snare as our text speakes we note some 1. Papists and Jesuites 1. As first Papists home-borne Papists who are the vipers that most unnaturally have endeavoured to eate through their mothers bowels Not their nature onely but their Religion also teaches and allowes them for the Good of the Catholike cause falsely so called not to spare their owne native Country their owne kindred Brothers Fathers no not of their own Religion if it be for the publick Good of their false Religion To blow up Parliaments to ruine Cities Countries Kingdomes is their ordinary worke Especially of those whom they call Jesuites the Bellowes of Hell the Incendiaries of Christendome at this day The Curse of God is upon them fearefully for arrogating their Name from Jesus which signifies a Saviour and is impropriated to the Sonne of God Thou shalt call his name Jesus These men that call themselves Jesuites are by the just judgement of God upon them the Destroyers of Cities Countries Kingdomes and might farre better take their name from him who is called in Hebrew Abaddon and in Greeke Apolluon but signifying a Destroyer Revel 9.11 2. Next to these are those prophesied to fall into these last and worst times 2. Tim. 3. whom the Apostle calls Traitours 2. Traitours to their Country In the last dayes shall come perillous times for men shall be lovers of themselves Proud boasters Traytors Not only betraying the publike trust but even their owne Countries and Kingdomes Wofull experience have these our sad times of these publick mischiefes who have forsaken their faith betraiâ—d the charges wherwith they were entrusted and with them as much as in them laye betrayed their Religion Laws Liberties and which is most unnaturall themselves and their Posterities to perpetuall miserie 3. Adde to these those of our text proud scornfull men 3. Seditious â—piri s. who by stirring up Seditions and strife in Townes and Cities have set all places almost on fire Onely by pride men make contention Prov. 13.10
publicke Good and that two wayes First it hath a winning and insinuating Nature to allay wrath and fury and consequently tumults contentions seditions and the like which bring a City into a snare or set it on fire according as it is in the Text. For this Salomon tells us Prov. 15.1 A soft answer turneth away wrath but grievous words of proud and scornfull men stir up anger And Prov. 29.15 By long forbearing is a Prince perswaded and a soft tongue breaketh the bone We have an Instance in Gideon Judg. 8.2 3. and in the Town-clarke of Ephesus Act. 19.35 in laying that storme and tumult raised by Demetrius Secondly meeknesse makes a man stoop and condiscend from his owne Greatnesse to the meanest service and imployment for the publick Good A proud heart as it ever envyes those that are honoured for their publick service so he scorns to work for the publick Good unlesse in some high and honourable way shall such a man as I so parted so gifted so advanced so enriched stoop to such and such meane and low imployments shall I that am a learned Rabbi of the times condiscend to teach the ignorant simple poore people leave that to the poore Curate Shall I that am by birth a merit ennobled shall I leave my fatnesse my sweetnesse to go up and down for other trees Now a meek spirit will be content to be any thing Judg. 9.9 to do any thing so he may but advance the common Good 3. Another direction is to learne well the first Lesson in Christs Schoole Selfe-deniall 3. Learn self-deniall This Self is it that hinders all publick Good Men are naturally lovers of themselves 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but in these last and worst times more then before as it is prophesied 1 Tim. 3.2 Lovers of their owne selves as it is well rendered by our Translators that is so lovers of themselves that they scarce love any body else not their owne flesh and bloud their posterity which yet in some cases they love too well As the parents of the blinde man when there was hazard to acknowledge Christ fairly gave him leave to answer for himselfe He is of age aske him he shall speake for himselfe These words spake his parents because they feared the Jewes for the Jewes had agreed already that if any man did confesse that he was Christ he should be put out of the Synagogue John 9.21 22 23. Therefore said his parents he is of age aske him Never was there more of this Selfe-love seen then in these times when we see not only brothers unnaturally to fight against brothers but even children against parents and which is most of all unnaturall even parents against children The Apostle joynes those two together 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lovers of themselves without naturall affection in the place afore mentioned Till this Selfe this Selfe-love be denyed men cannot goe or looke beyond themselves 4. Lastly to adde no more get your hearts filled with the love of God and of his people 4. Lâ—ve God and his people Love is liberall and bountifull Charity suffereth long and is kinde charity envyeth not charity vaunteth not it selfe is not puft up doth not behave it selfe unseemly seeketh not her owne marke that is not easily provoked endureth all things 1 Cor. 13.4 5 6. Yea Love will make a man not to thinke his life deare for the publicke Good Greater love than this hath no man than to lay downe his life for his friend John 15.13 And therefore the Apostle having said If God so loved us we ought also to love one another 1 John 4.11 he shewes how far this love will carry us cap. 3.16 Hereby perceive we the love of God because he laid downe his life for us and we ought to lay downe our lives for the brethren We are now at the highest degree of Love and the greatest act of a publicke spirit to venture his life for the publick Good Greater love then this hath no man no man can shew greater Goodnesse then this Here therefore I stay Consider what I have said and the Lord give you understanding and practise in all things Amen FINIS Vltimo Ianuar. 1643. IT is this day Ordered by the Commons assembled in Parliament That Sir Christopher Yelverton shall from this House give thanks unto Mr. Daniel Cawdrey for the great paines he tooke in the Sermon he this day preached at the intreaty of this House at St. Margarets in the City of Westminster it being the day of publicke Humiliation and to desire him to Print his Sermon It is also Ordered that no body shall Print his said Sermon but he whom shall be authorised by the said Mr. Cawdrey under his hand writing H. Elsynge Cler. Parl. D. Conâ— I Doe appoint Charles Greene and P. W. to Print my Sermon DANIEL CAVVDREY