right he is blinde that doth not but the making all right is not a thing so soon done In a family where there are many to foul the Mistress and servants will tell you that they finde it hard enough to make all clean Many times good Princes whose hearts are right and long to see an happy settlement both in Church and State finde so much confusion and so great perplexities as that they are almost discouraged ready to cry out We know not what to do They are not seldom reduced to so great dilemma's and have such knots before them aâ— that notwithstanding all their wisdom and after all their most serious and deliberate consultations they do not well know how to untye them and truly when they know not what to do we should do well to have our eyes unto God If any men in the world as I said before do lack wisdom then Princes do and therefore we should ask it of God who giveth unto all men liberally and upbraideth not In doubtful cases they ought to consult Gods Oracle and we ought to pray that when they propound their doubts to him they may not return without resolution and satisfaction Again Princes stand in need of your prayers because they are but men Indeed they are men in an higher place men in a greater letter men of larger signification then others yet they are but men still It is true the Lord hath said they are Gods because they be his Vice-gerents are clothed with his authority and because they are to act for God to do his will and to seek his glory and because they should act like God holily justly righteously without fear or favor without partiality but they are such Gods as are full of imperfections men that not onely live in houses of clay clothed with mortality but men that carry about with them a body of sin and death They are men subject to like passions with us men incompassed with infirmities like us men full of sin like us they are frail men vain men erring men not onely vanity but a lie men that confidence is not to be placed in Stars indeed of the first magnitude but which may be drawn down from heaven they are men that have need of direction help and succour from above Indeed some of the Romane Emperours would needs be accounted and worshipped as Gods but therein they were worse then beasts as bad as devils Now since they are men they are liable to mistakes It is not in man to direct his steps if man be left to himself to make choice of his own way he will never walk in Gods way Adam was a perfect man had no sin yet he found out many inventions God left him to his own power and free will and immediately he lost himself cut his own throat and all his childrens too and ever since his fall his posterity knew not how to reconcile themselves to their own happiness Now Humanum est errare error is natural unto man and to forsake the royal way of holiness and righteousness is as one phraseth it triste mortalitatis privilegium the sad priviledge of mankinde When man fell he so lamed himself and broke all the powers of his soul as that he cannot stand one moment unless the hand of Omnipotency be graciously pleased to hold him up And this is the condition not only of some or of many or the most men but of all thus it is with the greatest the highest the noblest the best Though David was after Gods own heart yet but a man and so through infirmity he fell fouly and brought thereby not onely a sword upon his house but also a plague upon Israel Now so long as they are weak men in a state of imperfection they have need of prayers Indeed when once men come to be perfect they shall pray no more in heaven prayers are turned into praises supplications into admirations it is as vain to pray for as it is to pray to Saints above unless it be for the resurrection of their bodies which are left in the grave as silver in a refining pot and being purified throughly freed from all dross and corruption shall at the last day be raised up and reunited to their souls But for men in a state of imperfection full of infirmities subject to failings prayer is absolutely constantly necessary But then lastly Princes and such as are in authority have need of prayers because their miscarriages are of dangerous consequence to the whole A good prince is a common good the whole nation fares the better for him whereas a wicked one is a publick evil the whole land suffers by him When those that are in authority be gracious men fearing God the righteous increase they swarm like an hive of Bees in a warm sunny day If he that is godly sit in the throne you may easily guess who shall be the Favorites at Court whereas when the wicked rise a man is hidden a good man an holy man a man set for God lies close hath no heart to appear keeps within doors not finding it safe walking abroad Thus David fled from Saul Elijah from Ahab Obadiahs Clients from Iezebel Ieremiah from Iehojakim Ioseph and the Childe Iesus from Herod those Worthies of whom the world was not worthy from Antiochus other persecuters the Christian Church from Antichrist She fled into the wilderness from the face of the dragon 12 Rev. 14. so that she was not to be sought in tectis exteriori pompa sed potius in carceribus speluncis in palaces of worldly pomp and among the great ones of the earth but in dens and caves and dungeons so that a miscarrying Prince is a plague to a Nation A distemper in any part of the body should be timely looked to and care taken for the speedy removal of it since none knows what it may issue in if suffered to get strength but if a distemper seizeth once upon the vitals it is incurable and threatens destruction dissolution to the whole I may compare the chief Rulers in a Nation to the Vitals in the body if that they be distempered the Land is well near mortally sick sick unto death If the whole head be sick and the whole heart faint wonder not if the next news you hear be that from the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it but wounds and bruises and putrified sores Wo to thee O Land when thy King is a childe saith Solomon Eccles. 10.16 Here is not meant a childe in years Iosiah was so and also our Edward the Sixth and yet it was well with the Land in their days But by childe here understand a weak and wicked King that lets loose the golden reins of Government is acted by his lusts and carried by his passions which way soever they will drive him Wo to that Land whose Prince is a profane wicked person a careless person an heady wilful
not onely Patres Patriae the Fathers of the Countrey but also Nutritii Ecclesiae the Nursing Fathers of the Church Defender of the Faith was the most glorious part of our English Kings Title That people have double cause of thankfulness whose Magistrates care is to preserve the peace of the Nation but chiefly to secure the purity of Religion We read of such Governours in Israel they had a Moses who fed them with the Law of God the food of life which is sweeter then the honey or the honey-comb a David who would not give sleep to his eyes nor slumber to his eye-lids until he had found out a place for the Lord an habitation for the God of Iacob who could take no content in his own house of Cedar so long as the Ark of God dwelt within curtains a Iehoshaphat who went out thorow the people from Beershâ—ba to Mount Ephraim and brought them back unto the Lord God of their fathers an Hezekiah who took care for the restoring of Religion and carrying forth the filâ—hiness out of the holy place a Iosiah who wrought a glorious Reformation among them purging Iâ—dah and Ierusalem from the high places and the groâ—es and the 〈◊〉 images and the 〈◊〉 images â—â—â—â—ing down all the idols throughout the Land How should we pray that our Rulers might tread in their steps and follow their examples purging our superstition extirpating errors and heresies beating down profaâ—â—ness advancing godliness setting up the pure worship and service of God promoting Religion Oh what an amiable sight is it to see Piety and Prosperity walking together Righteousness and Peace kissing each other Indeed Brethren it is infinitely better to enjoy the Gospel without peace then to enjoy peace without the Gospel since it is better and more desireable to go to heaven in a storm then to hell in a calm That peace is dearly bought which is paid for with the loss of the Gospel Religion is the glory of a Nation We read how that good woman the wife of Pâ—ineâ—as hearing that the Ark was taken with very grief fell in travail and gave up the ghost before whose death neither the birth of a man-childe nor the cordial and comfortable words of the women then present with her could any whit support her sinking heart or revive her dying spirits but she cries out The glory is departed from Israel because the Ark of God was taken yea she doubles her compassionate Complaint and was willing to spend her last breath in that sad groan The glory is departed from Israel for the Ark of Goâ— is taken So that the Ordinances and Gods Gospel presence were ever accounted the beauty and honor of a people Were every stone in the fields a diamond were our streets all of pure gold were every beggar a prince every fool as wise as Solomon every weakling as strong as Sampson yet for all that if Religion were gone we might name the Nation Ichabod and say The glory is departed from England Religion is the strength of a Nation As by the Ark great things were wrought for Israel before it the waters of Iordan were divided the Idol Dagon laid flat on the floor the strong walls of Iericho demolished their enemies could not stand before it What the Ark was to them that is Religion to us in that lieth our strength not in our Armies or Navies or Castles or Confederates There is a strong City which hath Salvation for walls and bulwarks into it enters the righteous Nation that keepeth the Truth Therefore let us pray for our Prince and Rulers under him that they may smile upon Holiness and encourage men that walk in the ways of God and maintain publique Ordinances and root out whatever is contrary to Godliness and sound Doctrine and not bear the sword in vain suffering it to rust in the scabberd of sloth and negligence but draw it and use it in the defence of Truth and Piety We had need be earnest with God to this purpose and pray hard for believe it Religion lies bleeding and gasping I think I may safely say it was never opposed more never suffered more in this Nation for this hundred years then it doth now how is the Land overspread with false doctrines and with vicious practises Never more Hereticks crying down the Truths of the Scripture then now Never more sons of Belial deriding and making a mock at the power of Godliness and strictness of Conversation then now And truly these two usually go hand in hand and seldom or never are parted error in judgement leads to profaneness in life when men have once put out the light of Truth and debauched their understandings it is no wonder to see them falling into and wallowing in the mire of all wickednes Now then in order to the suppressing of profaneness there must be a suppression of error and in order to the suppression of error we ought to pray that our Magistrates would take care of two things First that the fewel which feeds Error might be taken away if you would put out the fire withdraw the wood The Press is glutted and stomach sick and spues out of its mouth books and pamphlets stuft with dangerous doctrines and damnable heresies and it is sad to see how greedily poor ignorant and seduced souls lick up the vomit There is base Copper Coyn minted with the stamp of Truth upon it and by it thousands of souls are cheated to their everlasting undoing It would be happy for England if this abuse were rectified for as reverend Master Perkins saith It cannot but be a great hinderance to the true Religion that such books may be publickly sold to any one that will buy them without due consideration had whether the party have gifts to discern between truth and falshood In the Popish Church saith he they are more careful for they permit not a man to read an Hereticks Book as they call us Protestants without leave and that under a great penalty Again pray Secondly that a cursed and abominable toleration may not be granted Many men cannot endure that a tittle should be spoken against a toleration it is their darling and the winde must not blow upon it under the beautiful pretext of Christian liberty Many plead for a lawless licentiousness of preaching printing professing what every one pleaseth Surely these men will not allow the same liberty in other things would they have men do what they list without controul so that any should come and blemish their Reputations rifle their Houses seize on their Goods take away all their Estates and none say why do you so if they will not allow this and yet plead for a toleration of every thing though never so contrary to Religion I shall take leave to tell them be they who they will that they love their belly better than their God and prefer their own private interest before the interest of Christ The same holy Mr. Perkins saith It is
are of a sweet smelling savour so be it they are offered up with pure hearts and clean hands You need not fear that God will cast these petitions out of doors no no you shall be very welcome when you come upon such errands Christ our Savior is so far from opposing civil Government and earthly Princes as that your praying for them is exceeding acceptable unto him It is our duty to pray for our Rulers and such as are in Authority over us We have a proverb among us Honest men will pay their debts this is no less and though we pray for them fervently with all our hearts and our desires of their good is the common cry of all within us though we pray for them continually and in every one of our approaches to God yet we must say It was no more then our duty This is no matter of choice not left to our selves whether we will do it or no if we neglect it they may put in their Bill against us in Gods Court and recover damages Prayer is a debt which we owe unto our Governors upon a three-fold account First we owe it unto them as they are men The Apostle here would have prayers made for all men for men of all Nations Jews and Greeks Barbarians Scythians men of all sorts whether they be high or low rich or poor honorable or base good or bad yet as they are men pray for them For all men even your enemies that hate you and persecute you and speak all maner of evil of you and do all maner of mischief to you For this we before gave you Christs precept and pattern let me shew you how others of the Saints being acted by the same spirit have done the same thing Moses stood up in the gap for those that shewed little love to him The children of Israel murmured against him and Aaron Numb. 14.2 yet he prays for them verse 19. Pardon I beseech thee the iniquity of this peoâ—le according unto the greatness of thy mercy Miriam and Aaron speak against him Num. 12.1 yet if she be leprous he will desire God to work a cure verse 13. He cryed unto the Lord saying Heal her now O God I beseech thee The ungrateful Israelites reject Samuel were weary of his Government chose them another Head yet he will wish them well still if he may not exercise the power of a Prince he will not fail in doing the office of a Priest if he may not give Laws to them he will put up Prayers for them and give wholesom instructions to them he will be their Counceller if not their Commander 1 Sam. 12.23 God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you but I will teach you the good and the right way Though Davids enemies rejoyced in his adversity yet when the wheel was turned when Providence favored him and frowned upon them he was so far from trampling upon them down as that he could run to God for them so far from rejoycing in as that he had tears to shed over their calamities 35 Psal. 13 14. As for me when they were sick my clothing was sack cloth I humbled my soul with fasting and my prayer returned into mine own bosom I behaved my self as though he had been my friend or brother I bowed down heavily as one that mourneth for his mother Stephen was earnest with God for his persecutors Lord lay not this sin to their charge Thus we should pray for al men though wicked though haters of God though enemies to us yet they are men Men who were made for the enjoyment of and communion with God and if they be strangers to it the more to be pitied and prayed for Men whose hearts are in the hand of the Lord so that he can turn them as the rivers of water Men who may for ought we know belong to the election of grace and so in due time be effectually and savingly wrought upon For God hath his number among the worst and Divine Grace loves to shew it self omnipotent in conquering the greatest proudest and most stubborn enemies Thus pray for all men Princes are but men and therefore pray for them Secondly We owe it unto them as they are Magistrates Men in place of Power and Authority there is not the meanest servant in a family not the Groom in the Stable the Scullion in the Kitchin but he should be cared for provided with necessaries when well and lookt after when sick but all in the house one and other should contribute towards the good and advantage comfort and contentment of him who is the Master thereof If he be ill the whole family suffers and is out of order and therefore they do all desire his recovery and are willing to run and go thinking no pains too much for him And so it is in the natural body there is not the meanest member but it shares in the care of the other members if one member suffer saith the Apostle all the members suffer with it but they will all much more joyn together and unite their forces and act for the good and welfare of the Head So it is in a nation the Body Politick the meanest and lowest persons in it should be prayed for and their good should be studied and promoted you do or at least should look after the poor in your parishes who live upon alms whose miseries are not felt by others whose death would be no loss to others when they being sick and weak put up their Bills in our Assemblies and beg our prayers it is our duty to remember them and to set in with God for them and spread their conditions distempers and wants before the Lord how much more then ought this to be done for him who is the Head of this Body from whom the whole hath guidance direction Thirdly we owe it to them as our Benefactors whom God is graciously pleased to make instrumental for our good and advantage they are the golden pipes through which precious and comfortable mercies are conveyed to us I know this age affords those among us who will not subscribe unto me herein but overlook the mercies which they receive because they do not like the hand by which they are sent A discontented spirit possesseth the mindes of too too many which either blindes their eyes so that they will not see the blessings which they enjoy or hardens their hearts so as not to own and be thankful for what they see Very few are truly affected with Gods goodness or truly thankful for National mercies Certainly there is never a gracious and considerate person in England but will readily acknowledge that many things are out of order and for this they groan and wish it otherwise For the divisions among Brethren for the errors heresies and blasphemies that abound among us for the want of an established Government in the Church according to the minde of Christ and for other things good