and England in the fire Let the whole house of Israel bewaile the burning which the Lord hath kindled let your compassions be toward the Palatinate that Vine that had strong rods for the Scepters of them that beare rule but fire is gone out of a rod of her branches which hath devoured her fruit Ezek. 19. ult so that there is no rod for a Scepter to rule This is a lamentation and it shall be for a lamentation let your compassions be kindled so that they may set you on a course to help them out of the fire use means as the Lord hath put into your hands if so be there may be balme for their healing if we shall still look on without contributing to their reliefe looke for the like measure from others in our miseries Who shall pity thee O England or who shall bemoane thee or who will turn aside to aske how thou dost we have beene too much and too long wanting unto Gods distressed Churches feare lest the fire of Gods anger be kindled against us because we have beene a staffe of reed unto the house of Israel Ezek. 29.6 Secondly let the Lord be magnified by us First for giving warning he sets us on fire round about before his wrath kindle upon us It is the Lords mercies that we are not consumed let your praise be continually of him for keeping off this fire when the enemy hath been coming in like a floud the Spirit of the Lord hath lift up a Standard against him he hath appointed barres and limits unto these raging waves of the enemy and said Stay there thy proud waves and goe no further Secondly blesse the Lord for chastising in measure for that he hath not powred out all his anger he might have scattered Brimstone upon our habitations and made us as Sodome and Gomorrah Blesse our God ye people c. For thou O God hast proved us thou hast tried us as silver is tried Psa 66. we went through fire and through water hence we have good hone that the Lord hath not ordained us to wrath for when we are judged we are chastened of the Lord that we should not be condemned with the world Thirdly magnifie the Lords Omnipotencie that hath kept his Church in the midst of flames Numb 21. The bush burneth and is not consumed Israel was preserved among fiery Serpents so are we kept amongst a Malignant company the brood of the Serpent who are set on fire Magnifie the God of Truth who hath spoke with his mouth and with his hand fulfilled it When thou walkest through the fire Isa 43.2 thou shalt not be burnt neither shall the flame kindle upon thee Is it not marvellous in your eyes that the religious in France have beene preserved in Massacres and Butcheries and the Protestants in England in the fires in Queene Maries reigne and since from the damnable Powder-Plot and many a time since from the Antichristians set on fire against us and their Adherents brutish men skilfull to destroy Fourthly let the Lord be magnified for making some impressions on the Antichristian party The Lord God of recompences hath begun to give burning for burning Let all give glory to the Lord for stirring up the spirits of our Worthies to hate the Whore to make her desolate to eat her flesh and burne her with fire O glorifie ye the Lord in the midst of the fires Thirdly let us not think our selves exempt the Lord hath brought this fire upon all his people and shall we be free First therefore shake off securitie and bestirre your selves to prevent and keepe our selves out we have been as brands in the fire The burnt child dreads the fire Our neighbours house is on fire we cannot but be concerned in this I will not meddle in Politiques onely advise thus Therefore first kindle not the Lords jealousie by superstitions cast not a favourable eye toward the Whore of Rome leave not an hoofe of the Beast in England Secondly tempt not God complaine not of his wise administration thinke not say not as Israel Can God doe this can he perfect Reformation can he give pure Ordinances can he subdue such a people as we are to his Scepter can he ordaine Peace can he worke all our workes for us When the Lord heard this he was wroth so a fire was kindled against Iacob Psal 78.21 and anger also came up against Israel Thirdly purge out every cursed sinne by repentance let this be manifested in a holy indignation against all remainders of Idolatry and Superstition as you have zealously begun make the stones of the Altars as Chalke-stones beat them to pieces Isa 27. Every sinne makes us as readie to take fire even as Gun-powder let us therefore have grace whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly feare for first Our God is a consuming fire and secondly this fire of the Enemy is dreadfull A fire devoureth before them and behinde them a flame burneth all that is desireable will be consumed by them Gods Sanctuary shall be laid waste his Worship his Ordinances polluted we shall lose communion of Saints the excellencie of our strength the desire of our eyes no fire makes such a desolation as this An Idolatrous Army is the abomination of desolation Ezek. 24. And if the Lord have stretched out his hand so that we cannot put it back but that this fire doe kindle upon us I shall prescribe the same course Turn to him that smiteth take away the sting from the fiery Serpents that is our sinnes The sting of death and every deadly evill is sinne sinne is as fuel and bellowes both increasing the flame and the wrath of God as a streame of Brimstone If we could have broken hearts the Lord would binde up our broken State our broken Church If we be not found in our sins the fire can have no power over us Dan. 3. Satan shall not be at our right hand so as to prevaile But if we continue in our neutralitie like warmenesse divisions and heats one toward another in covetousnesse pride injustice unthankfulnesse despising the day of small things and contempt of the Gospel grieving Gods holy Spirit by which he still striveth with us the Lord wil be turned to he our enemie how then can our hearts endure or our hands be strong in the day that the Lord shall deale with us hereunto will be added the burning of an evill conscience Ezek. 22. a terrible devouring fire and thus the fire will be as Nebuchadnezzars furnace Heb. 10. seven times hotter Be instructed lest the Lords soule depart from you let this fire that the Lord hath kindled be a Refiners fire lest the Lord come from his place as a consuming fire and everlasting burnings Our God hath beene trying to purge us a long time he hath smitten us with Pestilence after the manner of Egypt but we have not turned to him he hath now drawne
out his sword to avenge the quarrell of his Covenant and the fire of his anger burnes but he may complaine as of old Jer. 6. The Founder melts in vaine our wickednesse is not tooke away by repentance the wicked are not tooke away by the hand of justice Or as Ezek. 22.18 The house of Israel is become drosse all they are brasse and iron and tinne and lead in the midst of the furnace they are even the drosse of silver Behold therefore O tremble at this I will gather you into the midst of Ierusalem in mine anger and in my fury and I will leave you there and melt you yea I will gather you and blow upon you in the fire of my wrath c. and ye shall know that I the Lord have powred out my fury upon you O then heare the rod and who hath appointed it it is an ill signe when we are set on fire round about and lay it not to heart An ill signe when we are with the old World and Sodome secure when we put away the evill day and think when the overflowing scourge passeth through the Citie it shall not come neere us This Citie is the Cauldron and we are the flesh and when we make the Lord complaine as Amos 4.11 Ye were as a firebrand pluckt out of the burning yet ye have not returned to me and when unfruitfull notwithstanding Sunne and raine like that cursed earth our end is to be burned Secondly when we are in the burning look up to Iesus Christ as the Israelites being bit with fiery Serpents lookt up to the brazen Serpent thus we shall have healing Num. 11.3 by faith we may quench the violence of flames Heb. 11. In Christ we shall have safetie This man shall be the peace when the Assyrian the greatest enemy that ever Israel had cometh into the Land Thirdly labour for the Spirit of comfort The refreshings of this Spirit as living water will coole the heat of the spent soule Fourthly pray that the Lord would mitigate the flames so he did for those three Dan. 4. and for some Martyrs pray and draw out water as in buckets and powre it out before the Lord It will be a sure meanes of quenching when Moses prayed the burning at Tabera was quenched Labour to be constant hold fast the Name of Christ the Church of Pergamus is a patterne to us that held fast and denied not the faith when Antipas suffered martyrdome and where Satan dwelled doe likewise Revel 3. you have covenanted with God deale not falsly in his Covenant let not your steps decline out of the way though the Lord should smite you into the place of Dragons Psal 44. and cover you with the shadow of death for your encouragement hearken to the Lord of Hosts Zach. 3.7 If you will walke in my wayes and keep my charge then you shall also judge my house and keepe my Courts and I will give thee places to walke among them that stand by Honourable Worthies if you will persevere zealously in the Lords worke you shall be advanced to be among Angels though you cannot have the presence and face of an earthly King you shall be with the glorious Angels standing before the face of the King of heaven This may be abundant comfort unto you much Honoured and to all Gods people Vse 4. We are in the fire but first the Lord is with you and all his Isa 43.2 so that the flame shall not devoure Secondly you are choyce Instruments Gods people are his chosen choice gold will endure the fire and the Lord will not cast away his people whom he hath chosen when the house is on fire we take care for our Treasure our choyce vessels our jewels we are not so solicitous for lumber so the Lord careth for you and all his you are his choyce Vessels Mal. 3. and peculiar Treasure and his Iewels very precious in the Lords eyes Thirdly Christ the Sonne of God intercedes for you and that affectionately he will prevaile with God to rebuke the Adversarie and that to the purpose The Lord rebuke thee Increpationem tuam contra te dirigat Dion Carthul the Lord rebuke thee even as Christ rebuked Windes and Seas so will he doe with Satan and all his instruments as Nahum 1.4 Fourthly let the gracious beginning which the Lord hath made be a sure pledge unto you that he will finish be bold to plead with God Lord thou wouldest not that we should undertake a building and not finish it thou hast undertaken to build thy House here be not so thy selfe as thou wouldest not that we should be Fifthly the Lord hath promised great things and spoke of glorious dayes which now hasten concerning his Church nothing shall hurt in Gods holy Mountaine The earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the Sea Isa 11. the waste and desolate places and the land of thy destruction shall be too narrow by reason of the Inhabitants and they that swallowed thee up shall be farre away Isa 49.18 O thou afflicted and tossed with tempest and not comforted behold I will lay thy stones with faire colours and thy foundation with Saphires and I will make thy windowes of Agats Isa 54.11 12. and thy gates of Carbuncles c. And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord and great shall be the peace of thy children The time and my strength would faile to recite the glorious things that are spoken of thee thou Citie of God the new Jerusalem coming downe from heaven with Gods glory upon her In that day saith the Lord Zach. 12. I will make the Governours of Iuda as an hearth of fire among the wood and like a torch of fire in a sheafe and they that have fought against Ierusalem their flesh shall consume away whilest they stand upon their feet Zach. 14. and their eies shall consume away in their holes c. Thus Right Honourable be comforted over the Church of God now in the burning and over your enemies which are ordained for destruction by the words of the God of Truth The Lord bids them take away Ioshua's filthy raiment and restore to the Priesthood its former lustre signified by change of raiment Hence saith Master Calvin Plus expectent fideles quam coniicere licet ex praesenti aspectu Expect more then the present face of things can promise the Lord will be known to be Iehovah in giving a being to his Word He will be with you feare not Hag. 2.5 Psal 68.13 Though ye have beene among the pots yet shall ye be as a Dove coverd with silver c. Therefore let every man in his Sphere be incouraged to be active and zealous to forward and hasten the perfect deliverance of Gods Church Vse 5. and the perfect building and furnishing of Gods House be not scandalized be not disheartened for every
divisions of Gods people there should be great thoughts of heart as for the divisions of Reuben there were great thoughts and great seachings of heart It is to be lamented with the teares of us all to see brethren agreeing in all substantials serving one God having one Father and Hope c. yet for some circumstances in matters of Discipline their contentions are as the barres of a Castle and the heat is increased as betweene Guelphs and Gibellines Honourable Senators here your Wisdome yea a Divine Wisdome from above must be obtained for you would shine if you could repaire all these breaches and compose things so that brethren might with peace of conscience dwell together in unitie then we should see that the Lord would delight over us to goe on to doe great things for us and the graces of God would then shine in his servants when they would in the spirit of meeknesse yeeld one to another so that the unitie of the spirit might be kept in the bond of peace This onely I adde If ye bite and devoure one another Gal. 5. take heed that ye be not consumed one of another Fourthly when we have had mercies showring down from heaven we have slackt our hands in prayer when Moses hands fell downe Amalek prevailed and so through our slacknes coldnesse in this dutie and others more then through the slacknesse of our Armies the enemies who were not long since even prayed downe have strengthened themselves to our reproach and danger Fifthly Selfe-love which sets us upon selfe-seeking and selfe-ends is so predominant that the publique concernments are not so promoted If we had publique concernments are not so promoted If we had publique spirits our endevours would have had a further influence into the publique good then yet they have had And many provocations there are amongst us to bewaile many Achans amongst us many cursed things not onely hid in the tents but brought forth in the sight of the Sunne they declare their sinne as Sodome and hide it not much cause of humiliation these are unto us all this day and we must not looke to see Gods work-perfected till we All mourne and repent for the many evils in the midst of us How long shall I see the Standard and heare the sound of the Trumpet Jer. 4.21 It is answered in the next words by the Prophet My people is foolish c. Junius reads it So long as my people is foolish and sottish and wise to doe evill And Honoured Worthies I beseech you to admit of me that I may use boldnesse This burden concerns all and cals upon all it is for admonition to all but especially You When Israel had provoked the Lord by their spell and bodily uncleanesse the people were plagued in a fearefull manner there fell in one day foure and twenty thousand Moses was not blamed Num. 25. but the Heads of the people Hang up the heads of the people that the fierce anger of the Lord may be turned away from Israel Why the Heads of the people They should have lookt better to the people in governing so to prevent sin or they should have beene more swift to execute judgement when they fell into sinne It is not enough that you are not grosse sinners that you are reformed so long as there are in the midst of Citie and Kingdome even where your Power also reacheth many abominations there are as Ezekiel speakes Ezek. 22. in thee in thee much excess many profanations horrible uncleannesse I speake what I know even abominable incest not onely acted once or twice but continued in to the just provocation of Gods anger against you and all of us and there is no course for redresse none to punish or put them to shame there is in the midst of us oppression and crueltie there are in the midst of us many Innocents whose faces are ground and their bones crusht and broken most injuriously they cry for reliefe they stretch out their hands to you for helpe O releeve the oppressed and judge the cause of the helplesse lest the Lord heare their cry and it be sinne unto you Delay not make speed to seeke judgement to bring the wheele upon the wicked put not off such things the delaying of which delayes all your hopefull proceedings delay not one day to trouble those that trouble Israel but as Ioshua said so doe ye God shall trouble thee this day These and many such things lye upon you therefore provoke your spirits to zeale and courage feare not faint not if Christ had fainted in the worke of our Redemption what had become of us he fainted not not was discouraged till he set judgement in the Earth do ye likewise Observe how the Lord describeth the Horse Iob 39. His neck is cloathed with thunder he paweth in the valley and rejoyceth in his strength he goeth out to meet the armed man the quiver rattleth at him the glittering speare and the shield he saith among the Trumpets aha and doth God care for horses glorifie God in the creature and learne courage from him break through all like lightning as in naturall motion so the neerer you come to your haven where you would be let your motion be swifter The Lords beginnings engage him to finish ye are Gods as Psalme 82. Follow God the Lord hath beene very zealous for you and us take heed of coldnesse in this heat labour to hasten Reformation in the Church that it may be the gladnesse of Gods people to goe to the beautie of holinesse that the Tribes may goe up to the Testimony of Israel and for the better governing the Common-wealth let there be set thrones of judgement in all places as Psal 122. And to conclude Let us all put to our helping hands armes purses counsell encouragement for the helpe of the Lord against the mightie let the Ministers of Christ be carefull to maintaine unitie to provoke Christians to peace to unite against the common Enemie on some have compassion making a difference and others save with terrour pulling them out of the fire O let all be humbled before our God this day and put our mouthes in the dust and then our prayers will be very prevalent with God our legions would be thundering legions as Christian armies of old dreadfull to the enemie let us all helpe with our constant prayers be the Lords remembrancers give him no rest till he refine his Church and pull it out of the fire he that hath neither purse nor weapon nor hands nor counsell to helpe hath a heart O poure it out in prayer give not over till the Lord hath made Ierusalem a praise in the earth It is usuall to put words into a Delinquents mouth whereby he is delivered from death The Lord deales thus with us he bids us take words and he also suggests words whereby we may be delivered from iniquity received graciously Hos 14.2 So Ier. 3.19 He deviseth a way for us how we should obtaine the lengthening of our tranquillitie It is the Lord that asketh the question How shall I put thee among the children and give thee a pleasant land even a goodly heritage of the hostes of nations And I said thou shalt call me My Father and shalt not turne away from me This then is the Lords way that he would have us take to cry Father Abba Father to pray to devote our selves to God and never to turne from him No people ever had more encouragements and more needs then we have to wrastle with God O wrastle with God leave him not till he blesse us give him not over till we prevaile when we are Princes and prevailers with God then shall we see Mercy and Truth meeting Righteousnesse and Peace kissing then would the Lord be with us in these fires or pull us as brands out of the fire and then and not till then we shall be prevailers over men FINIS