Assizes God hath given his sword a Commission it hath beene many yeares in the Circuite 't is now come neere unto us The sword cannot bee quiet See Ieremy 47.6 7. O thou sword of the Lord how long will it bee ere thou be quiet put up thy selfe into thy scabberd rest and bee still How can it bee quiet seeing the LORD hath given it a charge against ASKELON and against the Sea-shore there hath hee appointed it The sword hath beene long unsheathed and hath gone in triumph over all the world besides how can it bee quiet till it come among us See what danger we are in the sword hath beene in other parts Thirdly consider warre hath beene at our very doores we have not only heard of it with our eares but our eyes have seene the smoake the fire of it hath toucht our bodies the enemy hath beene as neere us as David to Saul when he cut off the lap of his garment The last yeare was not the enemy strong upon our coast a Potent a powerful a malicious enemy I question not the end of their comming God and they know it but was not the warre at our gates did not the States and the Spaniards fight before our eyes when wee stood still and looked on God might have joyned them together against England But he made their sword drunke in the bloud one of another as the Lacedemonians made their servants and slaves drunke that we might see it and feare Againe was not the Trumpet the last yeare blowne was not a Generall made choise of Leivtenants Coronels Captaines and all officers were there not many horse and foote they that went voluntary and they that were pressed did not the King goe himselfe in person set up his Royall standerds lye in the eye in the sight of the enemy surely the sword was then drawne the knife was at the throate the men of warre were prepared for the fight there was great expence of men time and money yet then the Lord delivered us he returned the King backe again and we had peace David was in great danger when Saul and his men of warre encompassed him about yet then GOD brought Saul backe againe Ierusalem was straitly besieged by the Caldeans yet God hasted them away warre was at the back-doore Lastly consider the warre is now begun the sword hath begun to eate and drinke our flesh and bloud now is the time that Kings goe forth unto war Our preparations are farre greater our hope of preservation farre lesse relapse is the most dangerous The second wrath is seldome appeased God is now ingaged in the warre the meanes of deliverance became vaine and empty there hath beene rysings and rebellions in the chiefe Citie of the Kingdome the Ordinances of warre are in print amongst us the men of warre are gathered together wee waite daily to heare of some bloudy encounter of some fearefull Stratagem of some devillish damnable Massacre some horrid and dreadfull Tragedy The Pharisees were weather-wise it will bee foule weather to day the skie is red and lowring they could discerne the face of the sky but they could not discerne the signes of the times cast up your eyes and you shall see a Cloud comming from the Sea black and dreadfull covering the face of the heaven hearken a little and you shall heare a sound of abundance of Raine yea the drops begin to fall upon your faces stand still and be quiet and you may behold the approach of the enemy the horror the terror they bring with it certainely he that sees not that there is but one step betwixt him and death that we are all but dead men hee is either blind or starke madde for the Sword is drawn Warre is fully prepared War is ready Thirdly consider what possibility there is yet of escape what probability what hope what comfort remaines Is there no balme in Gilead Is there no Physitian there Iacob was almost desperate the famine was sore in the Land Ioseph was not Simeon was not they were taking away Benjamin also The Chiefe Governour of Egypt hee spake roughly to them he imprisoned them as spies hee conjures them that they should not see his face without their brother Benjamin Iacob was resolved hee should not goe his sonnes would not goe without him the famine encreased upon them something therefore Iacob must doe If it must bee so now saith hee doe thus take of the best fruits of the Land in your vessels and bring the man a present a little Rosen and a little hony spices and Myrrhe Nutts and Almonds and take double money in your hand and the money that was brought againe in your sackes mouthes carry it againe in your hands lest it were some oversight Take also your Brother and arise and goe againe to the man And God Almighty give you mercy in the sight of the man that hee may deliver you your other Brother and Benjamin c. There is the same beame of light and comfort left to us as was to Iacob there lyes a necessitie upon us it must bee so wee must downe into Egypt there is yet a little Balme in Gilead we must take double money increase our prayers to God wee must pray God Almighty give us mercy c. David was exceedingly distressed when the Amalekites burnt Ziklag and had carried their wives and al that they had captive when all his people were disheartened and discouraged when they lift up their voyces and wept when they mutined against David and spake of Stoning of him yet then David encouraged himselfe in the Lord there is yet this left how ever wee are sore distressed yet we may encourage our selves in the Lord we may enquire of the Lord Consider therefore to encourage you to this duty this leading mercy that God hath vouchsafed unto us this libertie and opportunitie that God hath given unto us this price that God hath put into our hands that the whole kingdome may yet appeare before God and cry unto GOD my Brethren this is not a little mercy In the Prophet Malachy's time when the state of Gods Church and people was as desperate as now both in respect of sinne and in respect of judgment they that feared the Lord spake often one to another It was a priviledge they might have such free accesse such communion such fellowship together the times have beene when the people of God have fled into the wildernesse into the deserts into dens and caves when they could not meete to fast and pray without great danger of distraction of discovering of presenting of imprisoning The last yeare I heard it often whispered in the eare and secretly muttered that the kingdome should prepare to warre and that God should not be called in to the warre that there was no prayer no fast injoyned this made some to feare least God would joyne against us See my brethren the King to whom alone it belongs to proclaime publike Fasts
hands in that great worke you are about Jt would be the glory of this latter age could there such a sheete be let downe to the Church as there was in vision to Peter that the difference of cleane and uncleane may be taken away such a golden Scepter reach'd out that all may be subdued unto it and embrace it O what an honour would it be to the present and a blessing to the future age that a consent of Doctrine and discipline might be confirmed by you that we that professe one Lord one Faith one Baptisme one GOD and Father of all under one King may be one Church That a Trinity of Kingdomes may be a Church in Vnity Pardon my presumption if my zeale for the publicke peace points at the meanes A Royall Convocation rightly constituted unto which all the Kingdomes may send their Clarks would facilitate the businesse It would adde much to the glory of it and be a Crowne unto his Crowne who accounts it the most glorious in all his Crowne to be worthy of that Title Defender of the Faith if from all the reformed CHVRCHES some may be invited if not to vote yet at least to assist The reason wherefore Generall Nationall Provinciall Councells have in this last Century beene so fatall and therefore by some of singular eminency beene disclaimed as a meete meanes for the settling of peace is because the greatest part have their standing Votes who will ever maintaine a strong partie for themselves Is it equall that Arch-Bishops Bishops Deanes Arch-Deacons Chapter men should of course and by reason of their dignities have their places their suffrages when but two Clerks are elected by the choise of the Clergie May the Election of the Clarks for the Convocation be as free as yours for the Parliament and in some proportion unto it J doubt not but we should be as happy in our Canons as we are in your Statutes There hath been strange batteries made upon our Religion the thirty nine Articles are challenged by the Harlot Papists and Arminians claime them as theirs the Booke of Homilies are disclaimed unheard of violation hath bin offered to the second to the fourth Commandements Preaching is cryed downe Preachers discountenanced The Sacraments have beene defiled the people of the Lord have beene made to abhorre the offering of the Lord Presse and Pulpit have vomited forth corrupt and undigested matters Augustus made a Bonefire of all such bookes that corrupted the Roman Ethnick Religion it would be your wisdome to make a diligent search for all Apocryphall books Hereticall Popish Semi-pelagian Pamphlets slanderous Libels and impertinent writings and to sacrifice them to Vulcan We pray for great things to be done by you we have open our mouthes wide to the Lord we have heard of great things of you the Lord prosper you to an happy and blessed conclusion for a glorious reformation of Church and Common-Wealth The Counsellor The mightie God the everlasting Father the Prince of peace he upon whose shoulder the government lyes increase your government and peace order you and stablish you with judgment and justice henceforth for ever the Zeale of the Lord of HOSTS performe this Your Honours in all sincerity service and dutie Richard Heyricke The first SERMON PSAL. 122. ver. 6. Pray for the peace of Ierusalem NOne can speake more punctually in the commendation of peace then they that have beene long harrowed with Warre David a man of Warre in his younger dayes he slew a Lion he kill'd a Beare he overcame Goliah that uncircumcised Philistim that defyed the Host of Israel in his riper yeares he conquered the Canaanites the Amorites the rest of those heathenish Nations he had seaven yeares warre with the house of Saul Warre with his rebellious subjects with his treacherous traitorous sonne God witnesseth that he had shed bloud abundantly that hee had made great wars in his latter dayes he had a breathing time of peace in which respite and Interim he prepares to build God an house he rejoyceth in his preparation and prayes for the prosperity of it and encourageth others to pray Pray for the peace of Ierusalem Ierusalem either the City Ierusalem the Metropolis the chiefe Citie the Royall City the City of the great King the London of the kingdome of Israel wherein the Thrones of Iudgement the Courts of Iustice Westminster Hall was wherein the thrones of the house of David his Court his Pallace his house his Mansion White-Hall was Or Ierusalem taken for the Temple in Ierusalem the house of the Lord the place whither the Tribes went up the Tribes of the Lord to give thanks unto the name of the Lord And so by a figure for the Church of God the Temple in Ierusalem was a type of it Or Ierusalem taken for the whole kingdome it being the chiefe member of the kingdome the Chamber of the kingdome the stomacke of that body politicke which receives all the nourishment the forraine Marchandize and disperseth them abroad to every member take Ierusalem in the first sence in the strict and literal acception of the word for the Citie Ierusalem for the London of that kingdome Then pray for the peace of Ierusalem for the City London that there may be no destroying plague no evill disease no infectious sicknesse no dissentions no divisions no commotions no rising of lawlesse Creatures no rebellions no Treasons Pray that the forreiners and strangers that are in the Citie the Male-content and desperate heard the Cananites that dwell among them the French the Papists may not disturbe their peace and prosperity pray that David and Ierusalem the King and the City may accord together that the Thrones of Iudgment and the Thrones of the house of David Westminster-Hall and Whitehall may be Thrones of Iustice of honour and glory take Ierusalem in the second acception in a sence not so restrained for the Temple in Ierusalem for the house of the Lord for the Church of God and then pray for the peace of Ierusalem for peace in the Church pray that there may bee no heresie no hereticall doctrine no erronious Articles of Religion no Trent determinations no Socinian blasphemies no Arminian quiddities no Antinomian wickednesses pray that there may bee no Schisme no separation no wall of partition no heathenish customes no Samaritan rites no Idolatrous superstitions no Popish ceremonies no Canons to Batter and terrifie the consciences of Gods people pray that the whole Clergie may be of one spirit not divided not distracted not torne in peeces that one part may not speake prosperity in the eares of the King to send him to Ramoth-Gilead to dye there and that the other part may not humor and flatter the people to stubbornnesse and disobedience pray that the Church may be as Ierusalem a Citie compact together to which the people of the Lord may goe up without offence without trouble The Temple in Ierusalem was built by Salomon a King of peace in
in the Temple of God as God and exalts himselfe above all that 's called God above all Kings and Princes to whom God imparts some part of his power and name above all Synods and Councells yea he shewes himselfe as God for he advances himselfe above God he will dispense with the morall Law blesse where GOD doth curse and curse where God doth blesse no Law nothing shall binde him this wicked one called so verse the eight the Greeke word signifies properly this lawlesse one for so indeed the Pope is a lawlesse person whom no law of God nor man is able to bind he dispenseth with solemne oathes the surest tye betwixt man and man that exact and well composed oath of Allegiance they make it a Sampsons Cord To hold the Pope to bee the head of the Church is more incongruous and improper more blasphemous and derogatory against Christ then if a man should make an excellent Image of exquisite and exact forme delineated in all the points to the life with necke and shoulders with armes and hands with thighes and legges and should place thereon a Gorgons head of an hideous and monstrous shape That Image in Daniel was more uniforme that had a head of gould breast and armes of silver belly and thighes of brasse legges of Iron and feete part of Iron and part of Clay then to have the legges and thighes of Gold and the head of Clay This is so hereticall and damnable that whosoever holds it must necessarily bee a Heretick Infidell and Atheist Thirdly Papists are in continuall danger of temporall destruction The Popes Parasites Romes builders give the same glorious titles Attributes and Eulogium to the City of Rome that once the Prophets of God did to Ierusalem calling it the Holy City the City of the great King the joy of the whole earth the Queene of Nations the everlasting the eternall Citie and yet Rome must downe Babylon shall fall the spirit of God speakes plaine enough reade the whole eighteenth of the Revelations at your leisure hee that reades it may understand for the Text you see is plaine enough it must downe Rome must downe by the sword Popery must downe by the word Rome first Popery after Those ten Kings that cleave unto her shall at the last make War against her Rome shall down Popery shall loose it's strength though not it's being till the comming of Christ I will not determine the set time when Rome shall downe I have read the Conjectures of many yet all agree the time cannot be long but Rome must downe At the first comming of our Saviour Christ when there was a generall expectation of him the Iewes did not know the particular time the yeare the moneth the day there is at this day in the Church of God a generall expectation of some change though wee cannot particularly tell the time the yeare the month the day it may be the time is now at hand the Trumpet is sounding to battaile it may bee present with our selves of uncertaine things wee can speake but uncertainly I subscribe to them rather that conceive the yeare to bee one thousand sixe hundred sixtie and sixe though upon other grounds t is plaine Satan shall bee tyed up a 1000 yeares sixe hundred sixty sixe yeares is the number of the Beast Antichrist shall so long reigne these two together make the just number besides looke into the Latin Alphabet the tongue that Rome useth and the numerall letters make up this number But this wee can certainely say Rome must downe Rome shall fall Rome in the Revelation is set downe by the name of Sodom Gomorrah and spirituall Ierusalem Rome equalls their sins and shall beare their plagues God calls his people to come out of her that they bee not partakers of her sinnes and of her plagues Rome must fall and Papists are in continuall danger of temporall destruction Lastly all Papists in that sense that I say Papists are sure of eternall damnation I may not speake peace where God speakes no Peace When Iehoram said to Iehu what peace Iehu he answered what peace as long as the witchcrafts and whoredomes of thy mother Iesabell remaine What peace can I speake to Rome while the spirituall whoredomes and witchcrafts of the Church of Rome remaine among them Saul lost his kingdome for sparing Agag And God may damme me for ought I know if I refuse to damne them They are but false Prophets Balaam-like that blesse where God doth curse God preaches damnation to them I may not preach salvation In the third verse of this Chapter Antichrist the man of sinne is called the sonne of perdition and he is so indeed both actively and passively he is damned himselfe and is the cause of the damnation of others The spirit is plaine in the 10 11 and 12. verses hee shall work in them that perish and for this cause God gave them up to strong delusions to believe lyes that all that receive not the truth in the love of the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousnesse might be damned See in the twentieth of the Revelations and the tenth verse what the end of them is where all they must goe into the lake that burnes with Fire and Brimstone They that write professedly of this question whether a Papist can be saved or no distinguish of times places and persons first of times since the Reformation and before the Reformation at those times of ignorance God did connive Then men would have seen and could not the Sun did not then shine our fore-fathers might bee saved in that Ignorance But God commands every one to seeke after knowledge the Sun shines cleere enough Papists may see and will not God gives them over to affected ignorance he that will be ignorant let him be ignorant Againe they distinguish of places where the light of the Gospell hath shined and where it hath not shined in some places the Gospell shines very bright and very cleere as in some parts of France and Germany and blessed be God in England In some places is darknesse they have the word rarely preached to them God will not be mercifull to those Papists where the light of the Gospell shines as cleare as may be and yet they remaine in darknesse Lastly they distinguish of persons It 's confest of all that a learned English Apostate Papist cannot be saved God hath preach'd damnation to them so must we Now you see the danger of being Papists they are Traitors to the King under whom they live Hereticks Infidels and Atheists in continuall danger of temporall destruction and at last sure of eternall damnation And you see the first Reason why we should stand fast because there wil be an Apostacy a falling away to Popery the second followes more briefly Secondly Therefore stand fast because of Gods great mercy in bringing the Gospell among you as the Apostle inferres this exhortation from the thirteene and foureteene verses those immediately before the Text
spirits and steele the resolutions of others whom they set apart to this King-killing service I am sorry for the Christian Name that such damnable positions should bee publisht among heathen nations to the disgrace of Christendome The Apocryphall booke of Iudeth the Pope receives into the Canon it may be for this reason because it commends this Act of Simeon and Levi which Iacob curses There wants not Iesuites to Apologize for and justifie the powder Treason Saint Paul calls the Pope for on him I fastned it this day Twelve month the man of sinne that exalts himselfe above all that is called God some there are that exalt his holinesse above God himselfe but hee himselfe and all that adhere to him exalt him above all that is called God above Kings and Emperours The Pope makes himselfe good sport with the Crownes of Kings Kings and Emperours are his servants and Vassals they hold his Stirrop lead his horse goe before him in a kinde of procession The Pope at his pleasure tramples upon their necks hee crownes and uncrownes them with his foote he makes them waite bare foote at his gate he excommunicates them Armes their subjects against them gives their kingdomes to others discharges their subjects of obedience to them they poyson them at the Sacrament stabbe them in their Coaches murder them in their Courts they make themselves fatte with the bloud of Kings O might those Kings those tenne Kings spoken of in the Revelations 17.16 amongst whom some there are that name the King of England and the King of France to be there spoken of O may they hate the whore make her naked and desolate eate her flesh and burne her with fire Simeon and Levi kill'd a KING that 's the first thing Secondly Simeon and Levi Massacred Innocents it 's a ruled case among the Iesuites where the Catholike cause may be advanc't there the murdering of a few Innocents though hundreds and thousands is not to bee stood upon When Garnet was questioned by Catesby whether with a safe conscience they might proceed with the Powder project because in blowing up the Parliament house they should kill some of their owne Religion he quickly replyed such as this was not to bee stood upon And this Eudemon with great earnestnesse defends and it hath beene the constant practise of the Iesuites to this day I must now lead you into Golgotha a field of dead mens bones a field very ample and large as that to which God brought Ezechiel I am bold to affirme unto you that the tenne persecutions of the Heathen Emperors of Rome never put to death so many nor with that cruelty as the power of the Bishop of Rome Instruments of Cruelty indeed are in their habitations In their anger they kill men ruine Cities Countries nations full of men The heathenish persecution was long and bitter but as for Catholike persecution it is more tedious more bitter more cruell Pope Theodorus Bishop of Rome when the second time he excommunicated Pyrrhus Patriarch of Constantinople he mixed some of the consecrated Cup with Inke wherewith hee wrote the sentence of the curse a new unusuall forme of cursing not heard of before Something the Iesuites have added to former persecutions to make them more bitter and fierce this man of sinne Saint Paul cals the son of perdition and so he is both Active and Passive Genitives put for Adjectives adde to their signification son of perdition because he destroyes most Saint Iohn calls him Apollyon a destroyer He saith they make themselves druncke with the bloud of the Saints To speake of the Murders Massacres Treacheries Cruelties of the Papists it is so large a field that entring into it I know not where to begin nor where to end I could my Brethren show you a Sea of bloud flowing from the Sea of Rome like to the Sea Ezechiel speakes of which was at the first to the Anckles then to the knees then to the loynes deeper and deeper If I should race them by the bloud I should soone tire my selfe and your Attention I spure to relate their horrible cruelties and treacheries against the Albigenses and Waldenses the Cities of Merindoll and Cabriers The History is in English and worth your reading I will not tell you what cruelty they have done in Germany nor speak of that damnable Massacre in France I will not bee your Pilot to waâ—t you unto the Indians where the Christian Romans have kill'd more Pagans then ever Pagans kill'd Christians Onely take notice of one speech the Duke of Alba said who confessed in cold bloud that in sixe yeares government of the Nether-Lands hee had put to death of the reformed Christians meerely in the cause of Religion eighteene thousand in thirtie yeares after the Iesuites rose I find nine hundred thousand Protestants murdered in Christendome in a short time one hundred thousand in France I could desire to enlarge my selfe in declaring of the monstrous cruelty of the Inquisition 'T is a matchlesse Intollerable unsufferable persecution an invention found in hell and used still by hellish furies Give me leave I beseech you to recite one example of our own fellow subjects by that Iudge of the rest Lithgow a Scot having attained King Iames his Letters for his commendation for his safe travell through the world hee passes through the greatest parts of the knowne world amongst Turkes Pagans Infidels Iewes He travelled through Forrests Wildernesses and deserts hee met with theeves and murderers Lions Beares and Tygers yet came off safe But as he passed through Spaine in the Citie of Maligo on a suddaine he was surprised by nine Sergeants who fast grapled him about the throat that he could not speake violently snatched him away carryed him before the Governour who first offered to him as he called it that tyrannicall oath to answer to whatsoever they should aske Him they strip him naked of his cloathes Robb'd him of his money put him into a Dungeon without any light at all with great fetters and shakles on his legges fed him many dayes with a little musty bread and cold water they starved him wounded him In tenne houres he received seaventy severall torments at last all the Lords Inquisitors commanded him to receave Eleaven strangling torments at midnight and to bee burnt body and bones to ashes though they had nothing against him but suspition of Religion contrary to the peace then agreed upon that none should come into the Inquisition And yet after this God wonderfully delivered him hee was brought on his bed to our King wounded and broken who made this relation to the face of Gundimor the Spanish Embassador My Brethren if the monster of this day which was brought to the birth could the Devill have forced it forth O what massacring murdering and butchering of Innocents would there have beene besides the Massacre and murder of the day wherein the King and Queene the Prince the sacred house of Parliament and all that dwelt
hath in his pietie to GOD proclaimed a day of humbling our soules and of reconciling our selves to God this promiseth some good unto us it is an argument that we are prisoners of hope when the enemy doth parley with us there is some signe of yeelding when there is liberty of parley God doth never reason with them for whom he hath no mercy Hee reasoned with Adam and Eve he did not with the Serpent God cannot be angry with the prayers of his people hee is then angry indeed when he forbids his people to pray when he takes away their hearts from prayer when hee denyes them liberty to pray when they are restrained from prayer but when GOD calls them to pray when hee commands them to pray when he stirres up a whole kingdome to pray when hee makes those men that have prayers in abomination and the people of God for their praying in abomination also to countenance prayer to joyne with the people of GOD in prayer to be of one heart with them O what a glimpse of mercy is this certainly there is hope whilst there is but one praying Christian amongst us whilst any one that hath a publike spirit whilst Moses prayes the enemy cannot prevaile whilst Luther lived the Duke of Saxony could not be conquered yea there is hope if there were not one praying Christian in the midst of us if there be any of another kingdome that pray for us Abraham that was a very stranger to Sodom and Gomorrah prevailed farre with God for them his prayer saved his nephew Lot his Wife and daughters we have a multitude of prayerfull Christians that pray daily for us that are not amongst us all the reformed Churches abroad especially our friends and kindred that are lately separated from us in Holland in New England Yea let me appeale unto your selves have not most of you as Daniel did in your Chambers fasted and prayed have you not in your families have not the men fasted apart and the women apart hath there not been private notice given as Esther to Mordecai Mordecai to the Iewes in Shusan Yea that which Crownes all is there not now a Proclamation gone forth through all Countries to command every one Church and Chappell to fast my brethren a little encourage your selves in the Lord The God of Israel is a mercifull God wee cannot come with halters about our necks but he will have mercy on us The Lion of the Tribe of Iudah will not trample upon the yielding pray The Comforter will comfort whom he hath convinced of sin of righteousnesse and of judgment Let me speake comfortably unto you then in the words of Manoa's wife unto him when hee was much afflicted Surely we shall dye saith he because wee have seene God No saith she Iudges 13.23 if the LORD were pleased to kill us hee would not have received a burnt offering and a meate offering at our hands neither would hee have shewed us all these things nor would now have told us any such Againe consider what great things fasting and praying have done the prayers of one man of one family of one Citie of one Kingdome God is the same GOD as ever the father of mercy the God of compassion we are not confirmed because hee changeth not fasting and prayer have prevailed why not still Call to minde the memorable things recorded in the booke of God especially that of Mordecai and the Citie of Shushan of Ezra and his company looke into the booke of God and tell me if you can finde one good or bad that ever fasted and prayed and God had not respect unto it Iehosaphat when the Moabites and Ammonites a great host came against them ready to swallow them up yet he prevailed call to minde Ecclesiasticall History in Marcus Aurelius time and Theodosius time that thundering Legion when the Christians prayer obtained an admirable victory That of Luther and the Church when the devill brought in the covenants call to mind what you your selves have obtained by fasting and prayer I could tell you of some singular things that have fallen within mine own knowledge wonderfull things hath the publike fasting-prayers of our Church obtained of God Nay more to encourage you look into your owne Towne when God sent that infectious disease of the small Pox when scarce there was one house as in Egypt wherein there was not one dead when you fasted and prayed how soon did the Lord remove that plague an Army of men cannot stand against a man of prayer much lesse against an Army of prayers Surely my Brethren it is the prayers of the Church that hath kept off judgements to this day we have had many Ionah's sent amongst us crying yet forty dayes and England shall be destroyed We have had dayes and months and yeares past over our heads yet no sword when saith the scoffing worldling is the promise of his comming the Prophets prophecie wind yea Ionah was angry with himselfe what 's the matter God hath threatned so much and wee have felt so little did Ionah preach a lye in the name of the Lord No Niniveh repented and GOD repented Nineveh fasted and prayed and God was entreated They have beene the repentings the fastings the prayers of the people that have kept off the sword to this day God is the same God his compassions never faile If we pray God will heare See how Salomon consecrated his Temple he prayed that when the people should goe out to battell against their enemy and should pray unto the Lord toward the way of the Citie and toward the house which hee had built That then God would heare in Heaven their prayer and their supplication and judge their cause the turning towards the Temple was a turning to God Christ was the Temple turne to Christ in prayer and the enemie shall not prevaile Secondly consider as a further encouragement to pray for peace the enemies whom wee expect will engage us with Warre and they are either forreine enemies of other kingdomes of other language of another Religion or they that are under the same King with us of the same faith and Religion Be they Spaniard or French or any of the Romish Religion they are not more our enemies then Gods and the warre is not ours but Gods God hath said it they shall fall before us and he will avenge the bloud they have shed The Saints under the Altar have a long time cryed how long the time cannot bee farre of but that the Kings of the earth shall gather themselves together they shall hate the whore and shall make her desolate and naked and shall eate her flesh and shall burne her with fire Babylon must fall Babylon must fall yet I cannot say but for a time they may prevaile they may stand though wee in our persons fall yet this I say confidently though we should fall our cause shall stand And God will raise up them after us that will avenge all the bloud
a time of peace there was no instrument of Iron no toole of the work-man heard in the rearing of it Christ the Prince of peace his Disciples the children of peace quiet fishermen not hollowing hunters and whooping Faulkoners may the Church be as the Temple Ierusalem as the Schoole of Christ a Citie a house of peace take Ierusalem in in the third sence in the largest acception of the word for the whole kingdome of Israel of which Ierusalem was the head Citie and then pray for the peace of Ierusalem for peace in the kingdome pray that there may be no homebred conspiracies none left of the house of Saul to wage warre with the house of David no discontented Sheba to blow the Trumpet of sedition and rebellion no flattering Absalom to steale away the hearts of the Kings people no gallant Adonijah to make a strong partie against Salomon no Achitophel Politician to give pernicious counsell against David pray that there may bee no revolting in the kingdome that neither Edom nor Libnah no kingdome nor Country no Citie nor Towne nor person may fall from their allegiance to the King Pray that there may bee no forraine enemy no Syrian no Assyrian no Egyptian no Roman no Turke no Saracen no Italian no Spaniard no Dutch no French Pray for the peace of Ierusalem for all the kingdomes that pertaine to the King of Ierusalem for all the Countries Cities and Townes in these kingdomes for the Church in the kingdome Pray for the peace of Ierusalem the Citie the Church the kingdome Peace is taken in as large a sence as prosperity it comprehends all blessings in the wombe of it I shall principally take it in the strictest sence and Ierusalem in the largest and then the duty is Pray for the peace of Ierusalem that there may bee no warre in the kingdome Warre is only sweete to them that are ignorant of it Our kingdome hath enjoyed a longer time of peace then some kingdomes have of being Our age hath not beene rowsed with the barking of uncouth-Wolves the midnight drum hath not frighted our sleepes the sounding trumpet hath not deaft our eares our beacons have not beene fired our shippes arrested our walls manned our Townes have not beene ransacked our houses ruined our women ravished our infants dashed against the stones wee have not sowed and the stranger reaped we have not built and the enemy possessed we have not beene confounded with strange languages but peace hath beene within our walls and plenteousnesse within our dwellings Peace the daughter of the Gospell of peace Plentie the daughter of Peace Peace the glory of Heaven the joy of the whole world Pray for the peace of Ierusalem IN the prosecution of which I will shew you the misery of Warre the great danger that wee are in of having warre the hopes that remaine to escape it I begin with the first First consider the misery of warre The sword is one of Gods foure sore Iudgements whereby he layeth waste and maketh desolate the greatest kingdomes And I will appoint over them foure kinds saith the Lord the sword to slay and the dogges to teare and the fowles of the Heaven and the beasts of the earth to devoure and destroy For thus saith the Lord how much more when I send my foure sore Iudgments upon Ierusalem the sword and the famine and the noysome Beast and the Pestilence to cut off from it man and Beast Where you may be pleased to observe the sword is not only one of the foure but the first of the foure the most devouring the most destroying God usually sendeth none of these judgments but when his patience is much wounded when his Royall Indignation is kindled when his Iustice is forced when his mercy hath no more to say God hath a store house a rich treasury a Magazen of judgments there are all Instruments of death and bloud sicknesse to death and sicknesses not to death Agues and Feavours and consumptions and these God usually sends before the destroying Pestilence God hath his Staffe and his Rod his Bow and his Arrowes with these he corrects the sons of men before he drawes his sword his sword furbished and glittering to make a sore destruction Iupiter throwes not at first his dreadfull Thunderbolts The heavens usually grow darke and blacke the clouds gather together the raine falls the lightning breaketh forth the sword the famine the noysome beast and the Pestilence they are in the darkest in the most inward roome of the Castle and Tower which God never opens till he be hard put to it till his lesser judgments are despised see the method of Gods proceedings he will proceed from few to many from lesse to greater he will punish us seaven times more for our sinnes when the foure winds breake loose when any of these foure judgements come then God is angry indeed of these foure judgments the sword the famine the pestilence and noysome beasts the sword is the worst of the foure that which God reserveth till the last as the greatest witnesse of his displeasure and the swiftest messenger for our destruction any one of these foure brings feare and trembling horror and terror palenesse and death if the pestilence which is but Gods Arrow if that bee let off of the string though in any part of the kingdome the Arrow that flyes in the darke that usually poysons most in the darke corners of the land amongst the poorest sort of people yet what a feare it strikes into the body of the whole kingdome if but one Citie be infected what flying out of the Citie what watch and ward what strict examination and doings of all that come from that Citie every one being like Cain afraid of every one that meete them least they should kill them runnagates upon the face of the earth Remember the feare that surprised you when GOD shot this Arrow but into one house of this Towne when it fetched the heart-bloud but from a few what flying what posting away your selves your households my Brethren if the plague bee so terrible what will the sword bee that comes after the plague more fierce more terrible by how much the mercies of man are lesse then the mercies of God yea when the sword comes the rest of these foure Iudgements attend on it The plague may come alone and the famine may come alone and noysome beasts may come alone these oftentimes come before the sword if possible to prevent it but when they cannot doe the work the sword will then contemne the rod set at naught what ever the former judgments have done it will come furbished and sharpened and this blacke guard of pestilence famine noysome beasts will be at the heeles of it The sword layes men dead in the fields it ruines Townes and houses it leaves the fields unplowed unharrowed unsowed hence famine growes grievous that kills whom the sword escapes the noysome stinch of the dead begets plagues that