let their God be our God their Gospell be our Gospell let not their bondage be our freedome their death be our life let us like brethren dye with them dye for them in the maintenance of this covenant for keeping off all the judgements of Jehovah They are not onely brethren but they are Noble brethren they are in high place they are in great authority his Majesty hath made them his Counsellors by his owne Writt you have made them Patriots of your Country by your own choyse Remember what Paul saith Let every soule be subject to the higher powers hee speaks not in the singular but in the plurall number denoting that there is more powers then one I suppose you cannot deny them this priviledge they have a prelation above you though they be your brethren yet they are to you as these were to Israel your brethren the Nobles Listen to their edict they require that you sorrow for your sins and amend your lives they are willing with you to take out the same lesson therefore with them make a firme covenant to turne from the evill of your waies Lastly doe but compare the times past with the time present formerly you put on mourning as a garment were ever and anon ready to hide your selves whilest men of corrupt minds corrupt concerning the faith were the sole counsellors of estate Prov. 28.28 The wind is turned the case is altered your righteous your religious Nobles are now in authority and that they may the better appeare to be so to the eye of your soules consider a little the particulars First what counsell they give to our Soveraigne is it not like that of the Seniors of Israell doe they not advise him if he will be the servant of this people to speake good words unto them that they may be his servants for ever 1 King 12.7 Secondly what is the charge they give unto the Iudges of the land Is it not that they must take heed what they doe because they judge not for man but for the Lord that they let the feare of God be upon them with whom there is no iniquity nor respect of persons nor taking of gifts 2 Cro. 19.6.7 Thirdly what injunctions doe they lay upon the Ministery Doe they not bid the Levites sanctifie themselves Sanctifie the house of the Lord and carry forth the filthinesse out of the holy place 2 Chro. 29 5 6. Fourthly have they not formerly put you upon fasting and still continue your dayes of humiliation that you may afflict your selves before your God to seeke of him a right way for you your little ones and all your substance Ezra 8.21 And have they not now framed a Covenant for them and for us to seeke the Lord God of our fathers with all our heart and with all our soul O then having uch mercies by them let us adjoyne our selves unto them They tender us a covenant it is for holy observance their counsell is wholsome their demand is equall and their tender is lawfull themselves have led the way let us with Iudah rejoyce at the Oath 2 Chr. 15.12 13 14 15. every one with them subscribe for himelfe that he will keepe close unto the Law of the Lord. Quest Wherein must we cleave unto our Nobles Answ First in obeying them this the Doctour of the Gentiles imposeth as a duty upon us when he bids us be subject to principalities and powers to obey Magistrates and to be ready to every good worke Tit. 3.1 and for this those Iewes are a faire president before our eyes Secondly in hauing a reverent esteeme of them as they are the Lords Vicegerents so they are stiled Gods Exod. 22.28 and it is our duty to render honour to whom honour is due Rom. 13.7 Thirdly in being faithfull to them we have ingaged our selves by solemne protestation to maintaine and defend them We cannot maintaine the priviledges of Parliament and destroy the members of Parliament Let us be loyall not perfidious let us have no hand in any thing that may hurt them if we know of any plot or projects against them let us quickly and timely discover them Fourthly in praying for them Pray for Kings and all that bee in authority saith the Apostle 1 Tim. 2.2 Preces lachrymae arma ecclesiae your prayers may keepe off their enemies strong cries and earnest entreaties may be prevalent for your Nobles safeties Consider First that your Worthies as they are now assembled are the foundation and Basis of government and consequently of the peace and happinesse of the Kingdome for as they create Law by which we are governed in peace and quietnesse so they uphold the power and authority of the Law so that if through the neglect of prayer you suffer the foundation to decay the maine building cannot long stand For where no counsell is the people fall but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety Pro. 11.14 Secondly that they are to you as Gideon and the Judges were to Israell A hedge to keepe you within your bounds and a strong tower to keepe off the maine body of your sinnes Judg. 2.19 8. 33. Breake downe your hedge you may ramble whither you please demolish your Fortresse and you lye open to the batteryes of all corruptions whatsoever their dying may prove Idolatries Vivification their death is likely to be the life of mens lusts they may then goe a whoring after their owne inventions therefore as you desire the death of your sins pray for the life of your Nobles Thirdly how comes it to passe that hitherto notwithstanding the malice of your bloudy adversaries your Gospell hath had free passage and your Lawes have bin in force Remember that all the dayes of Samuel the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines 1 Sam. 7.13 you had need pray for them if they be once removed your enemies will breake in and if they prevaile where is your life nay the life of your life your law and religion Fourthly the Heathens abhor'd ingratitude wee professe our selves to be Christians our prayers are our thankes they expect that and well may they looke for it in respect of their unwearied paines Indeed when we call to minde what they have done for us and suffered in our behalves our lives should not be deare unto us for their sakes but I scarce beleeve that they will afford them their lives who seldome or never vouchsafe them their prayers O ingratefull wretches let not such unthankefulnesse be found amongst our English spirits They clave to their brethren c THey were brethren quoad carnens as having reference to the flesh they all descended from the loynes of Abraham Ioh. 8.39 They were brethren quoad fidem they all laid claime to the Promise and they which are of faith the same are the children of Abraham Galat. 3.7 They are brethren in respect of affection Brotherly love continues amongst them for now like brethren they seeke to doe them good
dreadfull vengeance through want of concord amongst our selves Let us pray yea contend with God in prayer for the peace of Hierusalem we may know that none shall prosper but they that love her and can we love her and not pray for her For our brethren and companions sake let us say peace be within her walls and because of the house of the Lord our God let us seeke to doe her good Now that we may doe thus we all can tell how that united forces are the strongest and that a three-fold cord is not easily broken Vis unita fortior therefore let us endeavour to keepe the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace If the prayers of one Moses could suppresse the Amalekites O how soone then would a Land of praying Christians penetrate the Heavens and cause our enemies to fall before us Cant. 6.9 why doe we stand still divided let us like Christs Dove become but one that the daughters that see us may powre out their blessing upon us Give me leave to make use of Pauls request to the Church of Corinth and beseech you brethren by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ that we may once all speake the same thing and that there may be no schismes amongst us but that we may be perfectly joyned together in the same mind and in the same judgement Concordiâ paruae res crescunt concord will cause a growth not onely of strength but of many other good things amongst us Unanimously now let us concurre together let us every man for himselfe and all of us one with another ingage our spirits by promise and oblige our soules by a solemne vow to the Lord of Heaven thus doing we shall establish a blessed communion and this wee cannot doe unlesse in covenant with these repenting Israelites wee adhere unto our brethren our Nobles The Priests and Levites Observat These Priests and Levites were chiefe officers in the Temple they stand not upon their tip-toes pleading immunity from civill authority they apprehend not themselves discharged of The Clergy not exempted from civill authority and exempted from their due allegiance God hath not said by them Princes rule but by him they reigne and decree justice It was but fitting they should expresse submission for as every soule must bee subject to the higher powers so I am sure it is not safe for a Kingdome but dangerous to a state where the Crosiers receive not power from the Regall sword These worthies of Israel having set forth their Ordinance for a covenant with God this Leviticall Clergy like the Romish faction cry not up freedome and forthwith declaime against them they expresse their yeilding by their present obeying they contradict not these you see aswell as others cleave unto their brethren the Nobles Observat A good Clergy a Kingdomes felicity Ministers should be Ring-leaders not to rebellion but submission not to prophanenesse but to conscientious and sincere observance these Priests and Levites are in their due posture they are not Incendiaries to the Land of Iudah they are not fomenters of jealousies in their peoples eares they condescend in their owne persons to prevent suspitious betwixt the Nobles and the Commons for what is jealousie it is as unsatiable as the grave it is the greatest evill to a Common-wealth and the deadliest enemy as to affection so to submissive obedience The Priests in the time of the Law presented oblations 1 Sam. 2.28 and burnt incense before the Lord these considering that obedience is better than sacrifice and that God layes more clayme to the living than to the dead joyne with their worthies observe the Ordinance take the Covenant and in these as a living burnt offering give up themselves to God The Levites expounded the Law displayed the sacred Oracles in things spiritual instructed the congregations secular affairs were not the subject matter of their imployments they studied Theologie not policy the Art of teaching rather than the Art of ruling I am sure that thus it was with these of the Tribe of Levi for they brake not the Covenant Malach. 2.8 They teach holinesse and they practise piety they are not like wolves in sheepes skins palliating cruelty under the habit of meekenesse their doctrine is a light and their lives are a lampe that like wise builders they set up godlinesse and like savoury salt season the hearts of their hearers O Israel it was thy happinesse to have such Levites it hath bin and I feare me in some measure yet is our misery to want such Leaders darknesse discovers no dangers and if the blind lead the blind they both fall into the ditch Application The time was when old Ely heard of evill dealing in the Priesthood how Hophni and Phinehas his sacrificing sonnes made the Lords people to transgresse 1 Sam. 2.23.24 Thus did the watch-men of Iudah in stead of knocking of the fingers Quantum pernitiosa est ad sequentium lapsumuina praepositi in tantum contrà uti le est et salutare cum se Episiopus per firmamentum fiâ—e fratribut inultandum praebet Cyprian Lib 3. Epist 21 Omnium felrum promittunt licentiam et quasi vexillum gerunt ad probandam omnem speciim nequitiâ— Calvin Cur pecâ—ata populi commedere à cuatur nisiquia pecca a delinquenitium soveâ—t Grego Homel 17 Omnino proditorem se esse noverit quicunque est ille qui vitae quae libet in ia hanc domum conatur inducere Bernard strengthen the hands of the wicked when by their owne example crying wee will powre forth wine and fill our selves with strong drinke Esay 56.12 They gave them incouragement in their nefarious courses And was it not because of this that they prophesied in Baal caused Israel to erre committed adultery walkt in lies confirmed men in their hellish practises and not suffering them to returne made them as Sodome and as the Inhabitants of Gomorrah before the Lord. That made Ieremy in a dolefull lamentation give out this expression that his very heart was broken Ier. 23.9.13.14 But these mentioned by Nehemiah are of another temper they doe not eate of the sins of the people by being foster fathers to their filthy vices these doe not build with their doctrine and pull downe by their practise the light of their conversations is now become so fulgent that others may behold them for their imitation they doe not seeke to innovate Religion erect novelties and advance superstitious vanities as sometimes Vrijah the Priest did who built an Altar according to all that Ahaz had sent from Damascus 2 Kings 16.11 nay these resolve too to bid adue to Idolatry to demolish superstition and not to stand any longer guilty of spirituall treason by upholding wickednesse in Gilgall I might have said Bethel the house of the Lord. For as they goe before the people in the covenant affording them their examples for their incouragement so by covenant they bind themselves for
they looke to love and prolong their dayes in Canaan they must walke in all the waies that God had commanded them Deut. 5.33 As this was the phrase of Zachery and Elizabeth Luk. 1.6 So it was Davids practise who said he would have respect not to one but all Psal 119.6.115.128 the Prophet knew that there was the same equity in one that there was in anther and in all that there was in some I presse not legall but Evangelicall obedience thou canst not be free from sin in every kind and degree thereof onely without hypocrisie in the uprightnesse of thy heart endeavour to frame thy self to the whole Will of thy God Thus doing thy imperfect doing shal be accounted perfection And if thou wilt be like Israel in doing all then doe all speedily Psal 119.60 make fas t procrastinate not the time as delayes for cure so delayes for duty are dangerous 2. Doe all cheerefully Psal 27.8 Isa 2.23.55.5 A cheerefull servant best pleaseth his Master 3. Do all but dissemble not seeke Gods glory in all A faire glasse may be set uppon false wares God cannot abide a faire face and a false heart Lastly doe all but doe all constantly be not found guilty of Apostacy If thou hold not out to the end assure thy selfe thou visit lose the crowne Apoc. 2.10.11 And they entred into a curse and an oath to walke c. WEE have viewed the words in their particulars let us now cast our eye upon the general and therein upon the act that is performed by them It is a Covenant or a holy vow unto the Lord which is no other than a binding themselves to God to doe some lawfull thing which is in his power that he may the better attaine to his suits This was a solemne custome among the children of Israel wherein the care of those that were faithfull was first to vow nothing but what was requisite and requited Num. 21.2 Iohn 24.25 Secondly to see that the vowes that were made were exactly performed Psal 22.25 Thus to doe is apprehended as a pension of their duty as a badge nay as a Seale of a thankeful heart and therefore walking to heaven in their desires living with their head in their most ardent affections they give up themselves they vow their service promise adherence to Almighty God they find that by their former sins God is provoked they are willing to take any course whereby hee may bee appeased they perceive they are much prone to wickednesse they would set a Tutoror over their wills to keep them within the bounds of promised observance they may know experimentally what are the fruits of hatefull impiety thraldome hath bin the fruit of their sin they would gladly have their bands broken be wholy let loose from captivity and enjoy their freedome they now conceive that God may be reconciled they know no other but that he may be gracious so that being grieved for sin groaning under pressures and hoping for deliverance they now breake off their lusts renounce their Idolatries and give up their soules and bodies in spirituall sacrifice From whence observe Observat Sence of misery under sin and sorrow c. Proued That sence of misecy under sin and sorrow with hope of mercy puts the soule upon covenants yea sure covenants for sincere and exact obedience to the God of Heaven Sins wounds are full of anguish their smart their paine is very dolourous Nothing but Gileads balme can take out the fire allay the heat and mitigate the violence Israels experience of this anguish sent her unto God for cure when renouncing her sins shee cried out wee returne unto thee for thou art the Lord our God Ierem. 3.22 When shee saw that iniquity had brought a distraction and that such was her distraction that there was not peace to him that went out nor to him that came in but great vexations upon all the inhabitants of the Countryes that Nation was destroyed of Nation City of City and that God did vex them with all adversity then to gett rid of her troubles finding no other way left to procure her liberty she entred into a covenant to seek the Lord God of her Fathers with all her heart and with all her soule 2 Chro. 15.5.6.12 Sore lashing makes a stubborne boy promise amendment chaines and fetters brought Manasses to his knees and these were Davids Pedagogue to teach him to know Gods Statutes 3 When they were in bondage at Babilon did not hope of Redemption make them willing to take a tart medicine they doe not sing the dolefull ditty of accursed Cain hope as a Cordiall supported their fainting spirits and as an anchor kept up their soules from splitting against the rockes though they goe weeping with their faces towards Zion yet because they hope their thraldome shall come to an end and that their desired liberty shall be accomplished they will goe and try what they can doe by a solemne vow to asswage the wrath of their incensed God Iere. 50 4.5 Hope well and have well but for hope the heart would breake 1 These Iewes in the Text see their sins they doe not conceale them they are set downe in great Characters by them that he that runneth may read them they acknowledge their obstinacy having hardned their necks Peccati marione conscientium illorum vulneravit et experve secit Deur Regertuntur ad cor et pectorum memoria pulsaat animus and appointed a Captain to return to their bondage Nehe. 9.17 Their Idolatry having made them Idols saying unto them these are thy Gods Nehem. 9.18 Their cruelty having slaine the Prophets which testified against them to God Nehem 9.26 Their ingratitude hauing done evill after the receipt of favours Nehem. 9.28 And their pollution in all degrees their Kings their Princes their Priests having with them forsaken the Law and not hearkened to Gods Commands Nehem. 9 33.34.35 These sins in their sinfulnes are now presented to the eye of their soules they are patient to God impatient to themselves they smite upon their thighes they are full of wrath and resolve against their lusts Iob 34.31.32 2 They are not insensible of misery they have not yet quite forgot the smart of the eye the weales are not yet open the stripes have not quite left bleeding upon their backes Non ceciduotur ex somno peccati exitantur they are scarce got out of thraldome from barbarous and cruell enemies Neh. 9.36.37 they are loath to come againe into the same condition they determine therefore to leave their sins for its prevention 3 They are in hope of case they doe not say God hath forsaken and that the Lord had utterly forgotten them It s true they see that he is offended they study now which way he may be pleased they are stoning of their Achans that have made them turne their backs upon their enemies they apprehend God placable and that they may recover they are purposed in all things to