God 2 James 1.17 Mat. 7.7 8. who gives freely to all that importune him by Prayer and surely we have little desire of or care for our own or the Churches Peace if we pray not for it So great Mercies are worth our asking or else God may justly think us unworthy their enjoying The Prophet David resolved never to forget his Jerusalem 1 Psal 137.5 6. and wished his Tongue might cleave to the roof of his Mouth if he preferred not Jerusalem to his chief Joy And how earnest do we find him interceeding with God for it Do good unto Zion O build 2 Psal 51.18 19. up the Walls of Jerusalem But especially in Psalm 80 where he complaining of the Churches Misery and how that the Wild Boar wasted it and the wild Beasts devoured it Begs of God to return and visit his Vineyard to cause his Face to shine on his People and save them And surely this should excite our Zeal we are in as great danger environ'd with Enemies who strive to devour us and our Church like its Dear Master is nigh being Crucified between Papists and Dissenters And 't is the God of Peace that can only grant and continue ours 't is he that makes Men of one Mind in an House and who can cause our Enemies 3 Prov. 16.7 to be at peace with us or stop their Fury against us And suppose no other means were left but Prayer yet that may be prevalent with God to grant us Peace in our Days The Israelites under their Egyptian Bondage when denied the publick Worship of God and deprived of uniform and unanimous petitioning him for deliverance had their Sighs and 4 Exed 2.24.3.7 Groans heard by him and they prevailed with God to send them Moses for their Deliverer And if the Sighs or Closet Prayer of a private Christian shall 5 Mat. 6.6.7.7 be answered and where Two or Three are met together in Christs Name 6 Mat. 18.20 he promiseth their Prayers shall be heard how prevalent must the Prayers of an whole Congregation yea of all the Members of this Church of God in this Nation be When God accepted of Solomon's Temple he promised 1 2 Chron. 7.14 that in all Calamities would his People assemble there and pray he would hear them and grant their Desires Nor are we without Instances of the prevalency of of the Prayers of God's People in behalf of the Churches safety and its Enemies overthrow Moses by Prayer 2 Exod. 17 1â— prevailed for the Destruction of the Amalekites and the preservation of the Israelites When Hezekiah heard of Senacherib's Blasphemy against God and his Religion and his Bloody design against his Church he by Prayer prevailed with God to destroy 3 2 King 19.2 Chron. 20.19 22 21. Senacherib's Army and preserve his Church When Jerusalem's Wall was broken down and its Inhabitants were in a very distressed condition under Artaxerxes Nehemiah prayed and God gave 4 Neâ—eâ— 1. Chap. 2. him favour with the King so that he got an order for the redress of the City and People In a word while Daniel was praying for Jerusalems restoration 5 Dan. 9 2â—.21 22 23 he had an Angel dispatched to inform him that his Prayer was heard and granted So that no Calamity or Troubles can be so great or many felt and feared by the People and Church of God but by Prayer they may prevail for Deliverance And God is the same Almighty God as ever his promises to the Christian Church as full and free as to the Jewish and therefore to remove all Troubles felt and to prevent all Miseries feared let Ministers and People from the highest to the lowest from one end of the Land to the other joyn in the performance of the Duty of the Text. Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem and the Lord grant us a gracious Answer But Prayer to God is not what alone is required of us for the Peace of Jerusalem For Verbs of Affection in the Holy Language imply Action nor can he have any earnest desires God should grant what he prays for the Peace of Jerusalem who takes not all care he can and useth his utmost endeavours to promote it And indeed the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Text is from the Radix 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is rendred by Buxtorf not only Petiit but Consuluit and the Prophet David explains it Psal 122.8 by I will seek thy Good And Jansenius in his Paraphrase on that Verse hath it Precando optavi tibi bona omni studio tibi prodesse quod in me est conatus sum Bucer comments on it thus Omnes suas quisque curas omnes cogitationes convertat quo illi omnia secundat And he adds the Reason Nam quicquid serio petimus ad id parandum quoque si quid ad hoc modo possumus totis viribus ferimur So that we must not only in observance of this Precept pray to God and that with all Importunity Zeal and Affection but with our utmost endeavours seek after consult for and labour to promote what is the subject to be prayed for and the Second part of the Text. II. Part II. of the Text. The Peace and Prosperity the Integrity and Welfare of Jerusalem as the Original Word imports but also 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the Septuagint hath it or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Dr. Duport translates it In the 70 some suppose * Jansen in loc an error of the Accusative 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for the Genitive 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 unless by way of Emphasis the Psalmist meant and the 70 would Translate it O pray for the Peace the Peace I say of Jerusalem However †Ainsworth in loc both will oblige our care and endeavour to promote those things that make for the Peace of Jerusalem of which I shall humbly offer Four 1. Vnanimity in Doctrin Thus this Jerusalem of God is stiled a City compact together Psal 122. v. 3. and the Psalms in our Common-Prayer-book as a Paraphrase on it render if a City at Vnity in it self and most agreeable to the Original if we may take Bithner's * Bithner 's Lyra Prophet iâ— Loc. Judgment who tells us the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 imports Consociata united in one Society unanimous and yet as if this was not enough to declare its unanimity the Original hath as it were an exegetical Word more 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifying ‖ Buxtorf Lexicon ad unum simul so that God's Jerusalem or Church is a Society of People Compacted Vnited and by such an Vnanimity knit together And as the Rule of the Jewish Church for their Faith to which they adhered was the Law 1 Isa 8.20 and Testimony declining what was not agreeable to it and to this Law and Testimony the Scriptures our Saviour appealed 2 John 5.39 to prove himself to the Jews their promised Messiah
So our Church of England allows of nothing for Doctrin but what is plainly made known in Scripture or may be genuinely deduced from it Our Faith is founded on the Sacred Word of God epitomized in the Apostle and explained by the Nicene and Athanasian Creeds confirmed by the Writings and Decrees of the Primitive Fathers and Counsels and sealed with the Blood of Martyrs Our Church in her Articles adores the holy and undivided Trinity without any Rivals of Saints or Angels receives the Faith of Christ without any thing that destroys his Divinity as Images and Pictures or that nulls his Humanity as Transubstantiation and owns all his Offices without the Doctrins destructive to them of the Pope's Supremacy and Infallibility of Merits and Purgatory and so Believers of the Gifts and Graces of the Holy Ghost as to be free from Enthusiasm or Prophaneness She admits of no Doctrin concerning many States of Creation Apostacy Grace and Glory that any way ecclipseth God's Glory and Mercy and Christs Merits and Satisfaction but all things in her Articles and Homilies are so proposed as may most set forth Gods goodness and Mans vileness our Misery by Sin and Happiness through a Saviour and all this in so plain and familiar a Stile and in our own Language that no Member of her can justly plead a cause of Ignorance of her Principles Let us then be Unanimous in our Doctrins and have a care of basely betraying or denying her or Apostatizing from her It becomes not us to prostitute our dear Mother to the pleasure of every Malecontented Adversary to substract from her Ancient Catholick Principles or to add to their new Opinions as this or the other Party pleaseth whose Zeal against our Church outruns their Knowledge of her Doctrins And when I earnestly beg to lay aside prejudice and heat and employ that Liberty of Conscience granted them in searching impartially and seriously weighing our Doctrin in the 39 Articles and Book of Homilies I doubt not but they would soon find Reason and Religion perswading them to repent of their past Folly and Sin of Schism and to unite with us and pray for the Peace of our Jerusalem Our Church of England which is the envy of all Dissenters and the Glory of the whole Christian World For us Ministers in publick or private to detract from the Doctrins of our Church is Judas like to kiss and betray her And let us but seriously ask the Dissenters or consider with our selves should we recede from our Received Principles where should we center Are our Adversaries agreed what to ask And if we should grant what they now desire would they adhere to their present Proposals or oblige their Congregations to unite with us How indeed can this be thought on when there are so many Sects contrary to us and to one another amongst us The Papists deny the Truth of our Church because of their Multitude The Dissenters separate from us because we are so many and not selected Congregations The one upbraids us with Novelty the other dislikes our Antiquity and would have us change our Religion as often as they please To gain some we must part with the Apostolick Regimen of our Church by Bishops and instead of one have every one to Lord it over us To bring in others we must throw away Infant-Baptism and reduce the Church to Heathenism again and make it always gathering never gathered To engage a third Party we must deny all Christianity in a manner Christ's Incarnation both Sacraments the Resurrection of these our Bodies and must own an Infallibility in every one whenas now but one pretends to it and he grandly mistaken in it too To reconcile the Papist we must disown almost all the Articles of our Church and not only them but of our Creed also and receive Twelve new ones on necessity of Salvation tho' of no longer Date as such than the Trent Conventicle Nor is this all to unite with them we must not only lay aside Christianity but our Humanity also and must deny our Reason and Senses to believe Transubstantiation For tho' we see smell taste and feel Bread and Wine yet must we believe it to be Christs Flesh and Blood the same he had of the Virgin Mary And now consider where we should stop or what a Chaos our Church would thus be Jerusalem would become a Babel and it would be a strange Reformation in order to our being purer and better reformed to lay aside Religion Reason and our Senses and turn any thing but Christians and Men. The Heathens had a Form of Doctrin delivered down to them to which they so adhered that one saith * Cotta in Cicero de Nat. Deorum l. 3. Opiniones a majoribus acceptas defendam defendi semper nec me ex ea opinione quam a majoribus accepi de cultu Deorum immortalium ullius unquam oratio aut docti aut indocti movebit Much more reason surely have we to keep to our Religion which is truly Apostolical was that Faith once delivered to the Saints Jude 3. Rev. 2.10 and in which being constant to Death we may expect a Crown of Life Let us then not be wheedled or frighted to recede from Antiquity or be imposed upon by Novelty We have subscribed the Thirty Nine Articles and they include the Book of Homilies Let us not then against our Judgment our solemn Profession and serious Subscription of them turn from or be ashamed of the best of Churches 1 Tim. 7.20 Such Persons may remember that Hymeneus and Philetus are stigmatized for their Apostacy to all Posterity Let us rather propagate this Faith by Catechising that the People committed to our Care when Men may not be Children tossed to and fro with every wind of Doctrin Eph. 4.14 and after some years preaching among them Heb. 5.12 have need to be taught again what are the first Principles of the Oracles of God The Heathens own the necessity of instructing Youth * Theog v. 1001.2 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Roman Orator †Cicero l. 4. ad Heren accounts it a great piece of Wisdom and the greatest Service we can do in our Generation God calls for it and our Church enjoyns * Can. 59. it Prov. 22.6 punishing its continued neglect with Suspension and Excommunication most if not all Dissenters practise it And shall they be industrious to propagate Error and we not careful to train up our People in the true Faith God forbid Let our past remisness make us more zealous in this Practice Our Church injoyns a Catechism which contains the Summ of the Christian Religion the Credenda in the Creed the Agenda in the Ten Commandments the Petenda in the Lords Prayer and the Recipienda in the Doctrin of the Sacraments and she explains them all concisely obliging her Members to their performance from their Vow in Baptism and the Benefits they receive
thereby This Practice would stop the Divisions of this and lay the Foundation for the Peace of our Jerusalem in another Generation by causing an Unanimity amongst Men in Religion to which see how earnestly St. Eph. 4.1 2 to 8. Paul beseecheth all Christians from their being Children of one God Members of one Christ c. And let me beg with the sincerest Affection of a Christian and Minister the Dissenters to unite with us against a Common Enemy and not expose themselves and us to inevitable Ruin by their needless Divisions for 't is impossible if they bring Ruin upon us themselves should escape in that publick Misery In a word If a common Officer commanding you in the King's Name can make you keep the Peace in a Civil Sense if Julius Caesar could Sueton. Jul. Caes c. 78. and did appease the Roman Decumani when multiplying by that Trisvllable Quirites intimating they were Roman Gentlemen and Souldiers and ought not to quarrel amongst themselves let me as an Ambassador of the God of Peace beg 2 Cor. 5.20 and begging prevail from that Tetragrammaton compounded of quiescent Letters 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with every of the Members of Christs Church or that own themselves the Children of the God of Peace by Unanimity of Doctrin to endeavour the Peace of our Jerusalem and let our Prayers St. Prosper in loc and St. Prosper's words conclude this Head Fiant unitas abundantin diligentium te 2. Another thing conducing to the Peace of Jerusalem is Vniformity in Worship This we find the Israelites exemplary in Psalm 122.4 in this Psalm Let us go say they into the House of the Lord our feet shall stand in thy Gates O Jerusalem whither the Tribes go up the Tribes of the Lord unto the Testimony of Israel to give thanks to the Name of the Lord. They must be very Strangers to Heathen Writers who know not that as they had their Gods so they had their Temples set apart wherein to worship them and a distinct Order of Men to be Priests to perform that their Worship Arist Polit. l. 7. c. 8. T. 3. p. 581. c. 9. p. 583. which Order the Philosopher to the shame of many Christians accounted 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the chief Order and he gives this good reason for it because they had 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Care of Divine things the Worship of their Gods And that they had Forms of Prayer is plain from their Historian Liv. l. 4. c. 30. who tells us That when through a great Drought about 326. V. C. Diseases fell on Man and Beast Animos multiplex Religio pleraque externa invasit novos ritus sacrificando c. Donec publicus jam pudor ad primores civitatis pervenit cernentes in omnibus viris sacellisque peregrina atque insolita piacula pacis Deum exposcendae Datum inde negotium Aedilibus ut animadverterent ne qui Dii nisi Romani neu quo more quam patrio colerentur And as for the Jewish Church that was under a Theocracy the immediate Government of God himself and had Forms prescribed by him and observed by them Aaron and his Sons were especially set apart by God for the Ministry and were consecrated by Man also Heb. 5.4 Exod. 28. they had their appointed places for Worship the Tabernacle in the time of their sojourning and the Temple after and the People were especially the Males obliged to appear three times in the Year before the Lord in the place the Lord had chosen which was where the Ark or Tabernacle was at first in Shiloh after at Jerusalem where the Leaned Mede observes Mede 's Works l. 1. c. 48. on Deut. 16.7 Assembly in Deut. 16.17 they had not only stated times by God but a place they were to appear not at every place of their own chusing but at one of the Lords chusing They had also general Feasts appointed by God the Passover agreeable with our Easter and their Pentecost or Feast of Weeks suitable to our Whitsontide Their Sacraments of the Circumcision and the Passover with their Order and Ceremonies Gen. 17.10 Exod. 12. were appointed by God to be observed by them on pain of being cut off from Israel Yea they had Forms of Prayers and Praises prescribed them by God Thus Aaron was ordered how to bless the Children of Israel or pray to God for them And the Lord spake unto Moses saying Numb 6.23.24.5 6. speak unto Aaron and unto his Sons saying On this wise ye shall bless the Children of Israel saying unto them The Lord bless thee and keep thee the Lord make his face to shine upon thee and be gracious to thee Which Form we use in our Visitation of the Sick Thus also in a time of Gods punishing them Hosea 14.2 Hosea from God tells the people a Form of Prayer saying Take with you words and turn unto the Lord say unto him Take away all our Iniquity and receive us graciously so will we offer the Calves of our Lips And by the Prophet Joel a publick Fast being set apart Joel 2.17 the Ministers were charged to use what is part of our Litany Spare thy people O Lord and give not thine heritage to reproach But what need particular Instances of the Jewish Forms of Prayer whenas the whole Book of Psalms was the Jewish Liturgy or their Vocal Service which is intimated by the Titles of the Psalms Mode l. 1. c. 1. p. 2 3. shewing them to have been recommended to the several Choirs and Masters of Musick and by their beginning with Oremus Cantemus Deo Venite exultemus 't is plain they were Forms used by the Jews in their praying to and praising of God And as for the Christian Church the ever-blessed Jesus our great Lord and Master not only instituted the Christian Sacraments Baptism and the Supper of the Lord as agreeable as could consist with the Gospel-Oeconomy with the Jewish Circumcision and Passover which were Types of them but did himself teach his Disciples and all Christians a Form of Prayer for tho He in Matth. 6. seems to propose it as a Pattern to pray according to it yet at another time when his Disciples asked him to teach them to pray as St. John also taught his Disciples Luke 11.1 2. 3 4. He charged them in express Words when they prayed to say Our Father which art in Heaven c. And himself and his Apostles used Forms of Prayer Thus our Saviour tho' filled with the Holy Ghost above all Pretenders to it now yet repeats the same Petition in the same Words thrice Mat. 26.39 42 44. Father if it be thy Will let this Cup pass from me And St. Paul in most of his Epistles useth the same Form of Prayer in the beginning Rom. 1.7 1 Cor. 1.3 2 Cor. 1.2 Gal. 1.3 Eph. 1.2 Rom. 16.24 as Grace be unto you and Peace from God the
Congregation with which all Congregations of our Church through the Nation joyn must be more acceptable to and prevalent with God than the private Prayer of a single person that hath scarce another in the whole World joyning with him But however they please to act let us the Ministers and Members of the Church of England adhere to our Liturgy and Uniformity in Worship Let the Ashes of our Reformers and its Compilers warm us with Zeal for it and make us ashamed to disown that for which they died Let us shew our selves the Tribes of the Lord Psal 122.4 as the Text imports by our Uniformity of Worship in our Jerusalem that our Prayers may be prevalent for its peace And let others that will not do so answer it at their perils the Text implying they are not nor do belong to the Tribes of the Lord that neglect this uniform Worship of him as St. Prosper remarks on that Verse St. Prosper in loc 3. A third thing tending to the peace of Jerusalem is Impartiality of Discipline The People of the Jews had God himself for their Legislator and had both Civil and Ecclesiastical Laws to punish Sin by and so have we Christians from the same God and Christ in the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament the just and holy God endeavouring in them by Threats of Temporal Spiritual and Eternal Misery to deter the Wicked from the evil of his way and by Promises of Felicity for both Soul and Body here and hereafter to encourage the Good in the way of Holiness But alas such is man's stupidity that he is led more by Sense than Faith and is more afraid of temporal Mulcts and Punishments from the Civil and Ecclesia stical Magistrates than of the Frowns and Threats of Eternal Vengeance from the great God And therefore as the Philosopher observed Arist l. 5. c. 5. de Moribus T. 3. p. 79. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Law of Nature commanding us to live according to every Vertue and forbidding every Vice All Nations have provided Laws for the punishment of the one and the encouragement of the other And were the Statutes and Laws Civil and Ecclesiastical of our Nation impartially executed we should soon see Sin disgraced the Sinner ashamed the Sabbath better kept our Churches fuller and have greater hopes for the peace of our Jerusalem Let not then those to whom the Executive Power of them is committed connive at or partially punish sin lest we incur the Censure we cast on the Church of Rome too justly of selling Pardon of Sins for Mony I would gladly hope the Concern of our Religion Letter to Bishops 1689. the Danger we are in the late Request and Command of our Governours will engage the impartial procedure of Justice to punish Vice where-ever But this being not mine but the Civil and Ecclesiastical Magistrates Province I shall leave it and only beg they would endeavour by such a good Administration the Peace of Jerusalem to which nothing can more conduce than it as what would promote what I shall urge in the last place for Jerusalem's Peace and that is 4. Integrity and holiness of Conversation in all its Members Plautus Persa Act 4. Sc. 4. The Comedian's Observation is very true Oppidum si incolae bene sint morati pulchre munitum arbitror But if Vice abound in a City or Nation Centuplex murus rebus secundis parum est And the sacred Writ affords as many sad Instances of persons whose sins cried for Gen. chap. 6 7. and pulled down Vengeance on the places of their Habitations witness the Inhabitants of the old World and of Sodom and Gomorrha Gen. chap. 18.19 Sin disturbs inward Peace hinders outward Comforts and exposeth to inevitable Ruin no wonder then every of Gods People the Jews were charged to be Holy Lev. 11.44 as their God was Holy and we Christians are commanded if we dare to name the Name of Christ to depart from Iniquity 2 Tim. 2.19 Titus 2.11 12 14. And if we expect Salvation through him hereafter to be a peculiar People to him in serving him here And if the sins of common Christians add to the sins of the Nation and Church and call for Vengeance on both much more will the sins of Ministers be provoking The Learned Dr. Dr. Cave 's Introduct to vol. 2. L. Fathers p. 32. Cave tells us the very Heathen Emperor Julian commanded the Heathen Priests to abstain from all vile and wicked Actions to study and live strictly performing Religion with a great care We are sure the great God forbids all Natural much more Moral Deformities in his Ministers under the Law Lev. 21.23 and charged them to bear on their Breasts Vrim and Thummim Learning and Sincerity Exod. 28 30 36 39. c. and on their Foreheads or Conversation Holiness And Christ under the Gospel expects no less The Charge St. Paul gives to St. Timothy and in him to all Ministers is great 1 Tim. 4.14 To be an Example in Conversation as well as Doctrin in Purity as well as Faith And no Church can more strictly injoyn her Ministers an Holy Life than ours doth Can. 75. But since the best of men on this side Heaven have their failings and as St. Rom. 7.18 to 24. Paul himself found reason to complain of his sinfulness I shall turn my Advice to you into Prayer to God for us all Prayer for Ernber Week in our Church's Words for all her Ministers That God would so replenish all of us called to this holy Function with the Truth of Doctrin and Innocency of Life That both by Life and Doctrin we may set forth the Glory of our God and set forward the Salvation not only of our selves but of all men And I promise my self that all of us will endeavour effectually to answer Amen And thus have I considered the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the things that make for the Peace of Jerusalem which we ought to pray for and endeavour after Vnanimity in Doctrin Vniformity in Worship Impartiality in Discipline and Integrity in Conversation And to incite to the practice of these I shall very briefly add a few Motives 1. The Zeal the Heathens had for their Religion For tho' by our Apostacy we depraved Gods Image Rom. 3.23 in which we were created yet the very Remains of that Image in fallen Man did dictate to him the Being of a God and that he ought to be worshipped Cicero l. 2. 〈◊〉 Nat. Dâ—oruâ—… so that the Roman Orator brings in one Saying Omnibus innatum est in aninto quasi insculptum Deos esse esse Deos ita perspicuum est ut id qui negat vix eum sanae mentis existimem And the Orator himself saith Cicero l. 1. de Legibus In hominibus nulla Gens est neque tam immansueta neque tam fera quae non etiamsi ignoret qualem
habere Deum deceat tamen habendum sciat And the Philosopher tells us how God is known by them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Arist de Mundo c. 6. T. 1. p. 863. And as they acknowledged a God so they seldom mentioned his Name especially Jove's which may probably be a Contract of the Jews and our Jehovah without some Epithet declaring their Esteem of and Honour for him as Jupiter Optimus Maximus Immortalis c. And 't is probable they had some notion of a Christ and the Son of God becoming Man and perhaps this was the reason why about the time of our Saviour's Birth Sueton. Aug. Caesar c. 53. Bishop Taylor L. of Christ S. 4. p. 25. Platina f. 6. Euseb Hist l. 2. c. 2. Augustus Caesar in Honour to our Saviour Dominum se posthac appellari ne a Liberis quidem aut Nepotibus vel serio vel joco passus est However 't is certain Tiberius Caesar under whom our blessed Saviour suffered would have had our Christ reckoned among the Number of their Gods And as they had thus a Notion of God and Honour for him so they made it their first and chief Business to take care of his Worship Thus one 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pythag. v. 1. Phocyl v. 6. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And another 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nor was the Worship of God their chief Business but they were zealous and uniform in it Ovid. Metam l. 1. thus Ovid brings in Jupiter declaring it Signa dedi venisse Deum vulgus precari Coeperat And of Dencalion and Pyrrhus's Zeal Ovid tells us thus Vt Templi tetigere gradus procumbit uterque Lib. eodem Pronus humi gelidoque pavens dedit oscula saxo But it would be tedious to insist on their Devotion let one Instance serve for all to shew their Zeal for Religion Val. Maximus saith of the Heathen Rome Val. Max. l. 1. c. 1. n. 9. Omnia post Religionem ponenda semper nostra Civitas duxit etiam in quibus summae majestatis conspici decus voluit Surely then we Christians and Ministers of the best of Churches ought to esteem its Peace and our Religion more than our Lives and Fortunes A Religion far better than they poor Creatures could pretend to Their Heathen Idols even that at Delphos being silenced at our Saviour's Death as Plutarch himself grants Plutarch de Orac. defect Dr. Cave introduct to v. 1. L. Fath. p. 10. Dr. Heylin's Cosmog l. 2. Phocis and others witness which was a Demonstration that Christ came to put an end to their Idolatry and certainly if they were so zealous for their Idolatry it should excite our Zeal for Christianity and our Prayers and Endeavours for the promoting and continuing the Peace of our Jerusalem 2. Consider the fidelity of the Jews to their Temple and Religion Scripture abounds with Evidences of their strictness in their Services and Devotions and how hardly any of them closed with Christ when he came tho' their promised Messiah but in zeal to their Law and Church they cryed out Crucifie him crucifie him And as for the Honour the Jewish Nation had for their Temple at Jerusalem 't is recorded Philo Legat. ad Cajum cited by Bp. Usher in power of Princes obed of Subject p. 191 to 198. That when the Emperor Cajus after our Saviour's time would have had his Image set up in the Temple at Jerusalem with the Title he had assumed to himself of New Jupiter all the Old Men Young Men and Boys in one rank all the Old Women young Ones and Virgins in another offered themselves to be slain by the Emperor's Fury rather than they would suffer their Temple to be prosaned with Idolatry Euseb Hist l. 3. c. 5 6 7 8. Dr. Cave v. 2. L. F. L. St. Simeon p. 94 95. v. 1. L. F. L. St. Stephen p. 11. L. St. Cyril p. 352 353. Tho' afterwards this Temple of Jerusalem was destroyed by Titus Vespasian and scarce one stone left upon another according to our Saviour's Prediction Matth. 24. And when the Emperor Julian to prove Christ a false Prophet did encourage the Jews to rebuild it no sooner had they cleared the Rubbish and laid the Foundation but a terrible Earthquake shaked it down and all the Buildings about it and destroyed the Undertakers of it And when the next day others attempted it a great Fire broke out and forced them to give over as is attested by Writers Heathen as well as Christian By which the ever-blessed Jesus demonstrated his putting an end to the Jewish Oeconomy and his bringing the World to a purer Religion that of the Gospel Christianity And surely if the Jews were so zealous for and so faithful to their Religion which was so obscure and chargeable so burthensom and troublesom we should joyn all our Prayers and use all our Endeavours for the Peace of our Jerusalem and the Welfare of our Religion which sets us free from that Yoke of Bondage Gal. 5.1 Mat. 11.28 29. easeth us of those Burthens and makes our Service perfect Freedom Especially 3. If we consider the Zeal of the Primitive Christians who rather than they would comply with the Worship of false Gods or suffer their own Worship of the true God to be profaned were themselves sacrificed and rather chose to part with their Lives Dr. Heylin 's Cosmog in 4o. l. 3. p. 193 293. Leigh on Caesars p. 247. 9. than their Religion witness the Disciples and Apostles of the ever-blessed Jesus most of whom died Martyrs witness the Ten Primitive Persecutions in the last of which under Dioclesian 't is said 5000 Christians were martyred for every day of the year except the first of January on which they shed no Blood as St. Hierom writes Nor did our Religion lose by their Sufferings but was rather the more propagated occasioning that Christian Adage Sanguis Martyrum est semen Ecclesiae Let the like Zeal be in us our Faith is the same our Hopes and Encouragements of Support under and of Glory after Sufferings are as great as they had they were Flesh and Blood as well as we Let us not then fear to bear a Cross with Christ on Earth if call'd to it since we expect to wear a Crown with him in Heaven Death we must meet with and to suffer it for Christ's and our Religion's Cause will make that which is a Debt to Nature an Advantage to us our thus suffering here adding to our Crown of Glory hereafter 2 Cor. 4 1◠18. For assuredly if they who live to Christ shall be happy with Christ much more shall they be glorious who with the Noble Army of Martyrs die for Christ rather than they will disown or betray him 4. Let us be earnest and zealous in our Prayers and Endeavours for our Religion and the Peace of our Jerusalem from the sad Effects of Schism in the Church and Civil War its usual Product in
the State See how St. Paul brands those who cause Divisions and deters us from them Now I beseech you Rom. 16.17 mark them which cause Divisions and Offences contrary to the Doctrin which ye have learned and avoid them For they that are such serve not the Lord Jesus Christ but their own Bellies and by good Words and fair Speeches deceive them that are simple And the same Apostle tells us of some that withstood Moses and Gods Institution among the Jews as Jannes and Jambres 2 Tim. 3.5 to 9. and he parallels the Christian Schismaticks with them who having a shew of Godliness but not the power of it creep into houses and lead silly Women captive Lev. 10.2 We read also of some that usurped the Priests Office under the Law as Nadab and Abihu but their false Fire provoked God to burn them Nemb 16. and Korah doing the like the Earth opened and swallowed him up and Fire burnt his Companions Let this deter all from Schism and usurping of the Priests Office who are not called to it as God under the Law and Gospel appoints called by God Heb. 5.4 Exod. 28. and consecrated by Men in Authority to do it as Aaron was Yea Christ himself tho' endowed with a greater measure of the Spirit than any now can pretend to yet took not on him that Office without a Commission from his Father 1 Joh 3.1 2. as Nicodemus grants And as God sent him he sent his Apostles ordaining them to the Work of the Ministry 1 Joh. 20.21 and they ordained others 1 Tim. 5.22 and appointed Bishops over Churches and charged them to lay hands suddenly on no man and to ordain them whom they found fit for the Ministerial Office Titus 1.5 Let the black Mark St. Paul as is premised sixeth on the Schismatick deter from it and surely none can be fond of becoming their Proselytes whenas twice St. Paul stiles all such simple People and silly Persons Titles with which few are pleased And as the ill Consequences of Schism in the Church may incite us to pray for the Peace of Jerusalem and oblige us to unite among our selves so surely the Danger and Fears of a Civil War in the Nation the usual Effect of Schism in the Church will enforce us to the Duty Methinks that dreadful Account of the Civil War between Caesar and Pompey Lucan l. 2. v. 102.3 Lucan gives us may affright us Stat cruor in Templis multaque rubentia caede Lubrica saxa madent nulli sua profuit aetas Non senis extremum pinguit urgentibus annis Praecipitasse diem ne primo in limine vitae Infantis miseri nascentia rumpere fata Infandum Domini per viscera ferrum Lucan lib. cit v. 145. Exegit famulus Gnati maduêre Parentis Sanguine certatum est cui cervix caesa parentis Cederet V. 180. Avulsae cecidere manus exsectaque lingua Palpitat muto vacuum ferit aere motu Hic aures alius spiramina naris aduncae Amputat c. But we need not go so far for sad Instances of the Effects of Civil Wars if we look back into our late Times might we not find our Church a Chaos and the Nation an Aceldama when Persons out of a pretended Zeal against Popery murdered their Lawful Soveraign and were imposed on by Popish Emissaries in their several Conventicles What Person was then so sacred What Place so secure but it was profaned and injured The Royal Diadem and Sacred Mitre trod under-foot and no tye of Religion or Nature hindred them from Sacrilege and Murder From which Wounds our Church and Nation yet retain Scars and the Original of all our late or present Fears may be thence dated Let then the fiery Zeal of those of the Roman Communion whose most cogent Arguments are Sword and Faggot make us abhor that Religion which the Christian World grows weary of and I hope will in short time throw off Let the Commotions in Germany the sad Catastrophe of our Royal Martyr and the dreadful Effects of those times disswade us from being imposed on by such Incendiaries and oblige us to pray for and to our utmost power endeavour the Peace of Jerusalem Because Lastly of the Motive in the Text They shall prosper that love thee Buxtorf Bithner â—ansenius Prosper where the original Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 comes from the Radix 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which fignifies Tranquilli erunt faelices erunt they shall be happy both in Mind and Body all inward Contentment all outward Felicity shall be enjoyed by them that are at Unity with and uniform to our Jerusalem our Church of England which I am consident will be continued and preserved by God as long as he hath a Church upon Earth Let then all Dissenters from us I beseech them see the design of their and our Enemies of Rome whose grand Endeavour is to divide us and so destroy us by our selves and let it influence them to unite with us against a common Adversary Let them lay aside that unreasonable and unjust Prejudice against our Church of being Popishly affected by asking themselves seriously What Party of Dissenters did or dared to speak or write against Popery a few years since when they at the same time did apprehend it coming in like a Deluge Nay they rather then closed with and are now fond of a Liberty of Conscience whereby Popery is most probably to be promoted and the Dissenters imposed on in their own Meetings by Popish Emissaries It was as must be confess'd the Church of England Men alone who from their Pulpits and the Press as they had no Reason to be ashamed to own their Religion so were not afraid to defend it and have shewn that 't is our Church which is the greatest Bulwark against Popery by daring rather to suffer for it than betray it to arrive at the greatest Honours or keep the grandest Priviledges And would our dissenting Brethren but unite with us which they have just cause to do 't would free them from the Trouble and Distracting of halting between divers Opinions this would free the Nation and Church from Schism and Faction cause both to enjoy peace make us all happy at home and formidable abroad This would in a word prepare us for Gods Spirit and its Graces in the Church where all its Members were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Acts 2.1 of one mind when the Holy Ghost descended on them and would entitle both Church and State to Gods protection that the Gates of Hell shall not prevail against us And therefore with the words of my Text let Tongue and Heart of every one of us pray earnestly for and let all our Endeavours be to the promoting of the Peace of our Jerusalem and we need not doubt but the God of Mercies who ever took care of his Church amongst us will grant us the gracious Answer of the next words They shall prosper that love thee To which God the Father Son and Holy Ghost Three Persons and one God be ascribed of us and all the World all Praise and Thanksgiving now and evermore Amen FINIS