Selected quad for the lemma: enemy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
enemy_n	hand_n	lord_n	zion_n	1,188	5	9.7879	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A67550	The pious mans practice in Parliament time. Or A seasonable and necessary tractate concerning the presages, and causes of a common-wealths ruine, and the wayes, and meanes to preserve a church, and state, in prosperity, plenty, purity, and peace. By R. Ward, utriusque regni in Artibus Magister; and preacher of Gods holy word at Stansteed Mount-Fitchet in Essex.	Ward, Richard, 1601 or 2-1684.	1641 (1641)	Wing W804; ESTC R218413	102,562	298

text that the truths deducible from thence would be many and the time taken up in the explicating and unfolding of those truthes would be long And therefore I will neither trace the Logicall steps nor tread the Theologicall path but with what brevity and succinctnesse I can possibly I will first breake the bones of my Text and secondly labour so to pick out the marrow thereof that both you and my selfe may bee comforted and corroborated thereby For the orderly dissecting or breaking up of the Text wee must observe as at first we observed that in the words two things offer themselves to our view to wit 1. The Prophets petition A third Analysis of the text 2. The repetition thereof 1. In his petition are two things cleerely expressed to wit First Materia the substance or matter thereof and that is salvation Save Secondly Modus the manner how he desires to be saved and that is by the Lords right hand 2. We have the Repetition of his request in these words and heare me From the whole words wee have three particulars diligently to observe or three words to explicate and expound if we desire to attaine to a true sight of the sense and meaning of the text The sense and meaing of the Text. namely What is meant by saving by Gods right hand and by hearing and we must note that each of these hath a double acception and signification in Scripture First Salvation twofold there is a twofold salvation mentioned in the word viz. 1. Spirituall or eternall of the soule as Iames 1.21 and in diverse places He is able to save your soules And 2. Corporall or temporall of the bodie as Ioshua 10.6 and in many more texts Save thou us oh Lord and helpe us and of this salvation the text speakes Save i. e. Preserve succour relieve and helpe us with thy right hand Secondly Gods right hand taken two wayes the right hand of the Lord hath a double acception also For 1. Sometime it signifies his authoritie and power as Psalme 110.1 1. King 2.29 The Lord said unto my Lord sit thou on my right hand untill I make thine enemies thy foots-stoole And thus Salomon set his Mother on his right hand that being the chiesest place next unto himselfe And 2. Sometimes it signifies the might strength force and fortitude of the Lord as Exodus 15.6 Thy right hand oh Lord is glorious in power thy right hand oh Lord hath bruised the enemie i. e. As men bruise and break a thing with the strength of their hands even so doth God his enemies by his power And in this sense is right hand taken in this place Save with thy right hand i. e. Preserve and deliver us by thy strengh might and mightie power Thirdly Hearing taken two wayes hearing likewise hath a double sound and significations in sacred Scripture For 1. Sometimes it is taken 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 properly and literally and so it signifies to take up or perceive something with the sense of hearing and thus sounds noyses and words are heard And 2. Sometimes it is taken 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 after an humane manner for our better understanding and thus it signifies to attend marke or listen When wee declare any thing to negligent and heedlesse cares we usually say you heare not what I say i. e. you doe not attend unto or marke the things declared So the Prophet here desires that the Lord would not lend a negligent eare unto his prayers or sleight his requests but that hee would bee pleased mercifully to heare and graciously to grant his suite and supplication Heare me i. e. that is attend oh Lord and listen unto me and to my prayers Thus in your hearing The Propositions arising from the text and to your understanding with a three-fold hammer I have sufficiently broken and bruised the bones of the text set us now sucke the marrow which lyes before us and seriously ponder these points which are obvious and conspicuous unto us from the words thus expounded explicated and unfolded viz. Proposition 1. First although the godly have promises from God of protection yet they must not idely expect it but wrastle and tugge with God by prayer for it Proposition 2. Secondly God sometimes brings his best and chosen people into great distresses and dangers exercising them with great calamities and miseries Proposition 3. Thirdly all changes chances mutations and maladies which fall upon any Church or State Kingdome or Common-wealth comes from God Proposition 4. Fourthly it is the Lord and hee alone who protects Princes and people Countries and Common-wealths Proposition 5. Fifthly and lastly when any calamitie or miserie is either seared or felt either inflicted upon the backes or hanging over the heads of any Common-wealth Church State or Nation or when any speciall blessings are desired in the behalfe thereof that it is then the dutie of all the pious and zealous members of that Church and State both to desire and endeavour both to labor and pray for the obtaining of the blessings desired How naturally all these points arise from this present portion of holy writ wee shall see God willing when we come to the particular handling of them I will beginne first with the first which is this That although all the faithfull flock Doctrine 1. Psal 91.10.11.12 125.1.2 121.1.2.3 c. and peculiar people of God have many great and gracious promises made them in his word by himselfe of protection and preservation from and in evils yet they must not idely expect the performance of those promises but earnestly pray that they may bee made good unto them How naturally this note ariseth from the text will easily appeare How the point is deduced from the Text. if we doe but observe that the Lord had made speciall and particular promises unto this his beloved Prophet which were not hid from him but made knowne unto him and understood by him and yet notwithstanding hee wrastles and warres with God for the blessings promised doubling and redoubling as it were his blowes upon him in the text Save Lord with by right hand and heare me Yea it is further worth observing to this purpose that our Princely Prophet maketh mention of Gods promises made unto him in the 4. and 6. verses and makes his prayer unto God in the 5. folding up as it were the petition which he puts up unto God in the midst of the promises made by God unto him The Lord makes promises of mercie unto David and David prayes the Lord according to his promises to be mercifull unto his servant The Lord promiseth to protect and preserve his annointed and his servant beseecheth him to performe his promises made unto him God is faithfull in his promises and David doubts it not God remembers what he hath promised and to whom and David questions it not yea although hee confidently beleeve that the

with the Asse a bottle of hay rather than Nactar and Ambrosia and like the Israelites preferre the flesh pots of Egypt before the riches of Canaan and the pleasures of sinne which are but for a season Psal 16.11 before the pleasure which are at Gods right hand for ever and ever and all this through unbeleefe of the promises How many amongst us are there who despise and disobey the admonitions and precepts of the word Ier. 44.16 and although they be daily instructed and taught yet will not learne How many have we that stubbornly and perversly say with that stubborne and perverse people The word that thou speakest unto us in the Name of the Lord wee will not doe it but we will do whatsoever proceedes out of our owne mouthes How many are there amongst us who lightly regard and basely esteeme of the Gospell and the glad tidings of peace and salvation and are indifferent whether Popery or Protestanisme whether Christianitie or Heathenisme whether truth or errour get the upper hand in our land if so be it may but goe well with them in outward things How many have wee who will not endure patiently the word of reprehension but often-times prosecute and persecute with virulent hatred and malice the faithfull Ministers of the word of God because from the Lord and by the Commandement of the Lord they reprove their sinnes And therefore may wee not justly feare that the Lord hath a controverfie with us for these things and that hee will be avenged on such a Nation as is this of outs May wee not truly feare that the fire of Gods fury will fall upon us as a flame amongst the stubble for our great and greevous contempt of the Word Certainly when wee looke upon our selves and sinnes we cannot but confesse that it is of the Lords great and mere mercie that wee are not already consumed Wherefore let us provoke him no longer lest he turne his love into hatred his smiles into frownes his amity into enmity and let his little finger henceforth lye more heavie upon us than his whole loynes have done heretofore If the Reader would see the fearfull judgements which the Lord hath inflicted upon those places or persons which have contēned his word let him read the places quoted in the Margent a 2 Chron. 36.16 Prov. 1.29 30. c. Esa 30.10 a 2. Jer. 11.7.8 25.3.8 43.2 Act. 19.9 2 Pet. 2.5 Exod. 19.6 Hose 16.7 2 King 17.13 c. If he desire to looke home then let him remember and observe a History or two of our owne namely The Lord stirred up Gildas a godly learned man to preach to the old Britons and to exhor them to repentance and amendment of life and to forewarne them of plagues to come if they repented not but what availed it For godly Gildas was laughed to scorne and taken for a false Prophet Acts and Monumēts foL 3 2. and our bold Britons with whorish faces and unrepentant hearts went forward in their sinnes but what followed The Lord to punish this their contempt of his Word and Ministers sent in their enemies on every side and destroying them gave their Land to other Nations Againe after this Almighty God seeing Idolatry Superstition Hypocrisie and wicked living used in this Land raised up that godly learned man Iohn Wickliffe to preach unto our Fathers repentance and to exhort them to forsake their idolatry and superstition but his exhortations were not regarded but contrarily both himselfe and his servant were despised and himselfe and his bookes after his death burned Now what ensued hereupon A most grievous and heavie vengeance for they slew their lawfull King and set up three other on a row under whom all the Noble bloud was slaine up and halfe the Commons destroyed and what by warre in France and civill discord among themselves the Cities and Townes were decayed and the land brought halfe to a wildernesse And therefore seeing the contempt of disobedience unto the word of God is a maine cause of the destruction and desolation both of Churches and States let us take heede thereof if wee desire that ours may long stand and flourish The second part wherein is handled the fourth and fifth Propositions The third Proposition being thus succinctly handled I goe forward unto the fourth Proposition IV. namely That it is the Lord and he alone who protects and preserves who blesseth and prospers both Princes and people countries and common-wealths Churches and States Or That all preservations mercies deliverances and blessings which any people Nation Church or language enjoyes come from God and from him alone Or the constitution Hovv the point is derived from the Text. confirmation conservation happy administration protection and prosperous successe of Kingdomes Common-wealths and Churches comes from God How naturally this point ariseth from the text will easily appeare if wee consider in the text but these two things to wit 1. What our Kingly Prophet desires for himselfe and his people namely protection preservation and deliverance from evill and confirmation in peace c. 2. Of whom he begs these things viz. of the Lord. The proposition proved Save thou us O Lord with thy right hand The truth of the point will evidently appeare by a particular or two viz. First Kingdomes and dominions are disposed of by God and he gives them to whom he pleases as is plaine from these places Dan. 2.21 and 4.17.25 32. Levit. 23.10 Ier. 27.6 Pro. 8.15 16. Iob. 12.18 And Secondly Kingdomes and Dominions are confirmed and established by God and he makes them to endure Thirdly the Lord preserveth a people from their enemies as appeareth by Num. 14.9 Psal 127.1 and 147.12 13. And Fourthly the Lord gives a people victory over their enemies as is proved by these places 1 Sam. 14.6 and 2 Chron. 14.1 and 25.8 Psal 18.33 c. and 46.9 and 118.15 Prov. 21.31 And Fiftly the happy administration of a Common-wealth comes from God as is cleare by the examples of those under whom Churches and Kingdomes have flourished because as the Scripture saith God was with them Read to this purpose Iosh 15. Iud. 6.12 16. and 11.29 and 13.24 And therefore Magistrates may here learne a threefold dutie namely First to implore the blessing of the Lord 3. things required in a Magistrate and to beseech him so to enable them to goe in and out wisely before his people that the Common-wealth may be peaceably prosperously and religiously governed under and by them This was the suit of David unto the Lord. Psal 86.11.16 and of Solomon 1. King 3.7 and of Moses Numb 27.15 16. And Secondly Magistrates may learn hence not to trust unto themselves in the administration of a Common-wealth but unto the Lord from whom all sufficiency thereunto comes neither to arrogate or ascribe any thing unto themselves or to their wisedome or prudence or policy or diligence or watchfulnesse although they see the

commands Art thou tempted and assaulted by Satan then pray as St. Paul did and as Christ commanded his Apostles to doe Art thou dejected sorrowfull Luke 17.5 Matth. 8. Math. 7.7 Luk. 18.1 Acts 6.4 and 1 Pet. 4.7 and 1.9 and troubled in spirit then pray as our Lord himselfe did Dost thou desire the augmentation and encrease of thy faith then doe as the Apostles and the Centurion did Pray Oh Lord encrease our faith or I beleeve Lord helpe my unbeleeve Dost thou desire any requisite blessing or grace whatsoever then pray for that is the ordinary and ordained meanes to obtaine it Dost thou desire a blessing upon that Church and State wherein thou livest then pray as the Prophet David here doth If thou wert in a house of bondage under Pharoahes tyranny in an iron prison in a brazen tower in a den of Lions in a fiery furnace pray but from thence with the Prophet in my Text Save me oh Lord with thy right hand and heare me and hee will either deliver thee for he is able or so comfort thee that a prison shall bee as a Palace unto thee Art thou either affraid of or infested and anoyed with enemies either domesticall or forraine then pray as Ezra Ioel Moses and Hezekiah did Exod. 17. Ezra 8.23 2 King 19.15 Ioel 2.17 The definion of prayer If any should inquire what prayer is Damascene answers that it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The ascent of the soule unto God and a begging at his hands those things which wee stand in need of Or prayer is a begging of God those things which we want and a thanking of him for those we have If any should desire to know The division of prayer Petition Deprecation Imprecation Intercession Thankes-giving how many sorts of supplications or kinds of prayer there are let him take notice that there are principally these five viz. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A begging at Gods hands some good thing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a deprecating or praying against some evill thing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when a man prayes for a curse or malediction upon some one or other 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when a man intercedes for others that is that the Lord would bee pleased to withhold or remove some evill or to give and continue some good unto some one or other 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is a giving of thankes unto God for the withholding or removeall of some evill either from our selves or others or for some good blessing imparted unto or bestowed upon our selves or other What prayer the text speaks of Now both the text and point propounded speake of the first second and fourth for we pray both for the withholding of evils and preservation from evils and deliverance out of evils and the enjoyment and continuance of spirituall and temporall blessings and graces both from for and unto our selves and the Church and State wherein we live Having thus defined and divided prayer let us now consider the twofold foundation thereof to wit First the examples of Gods love and mercy towards others The foundation of prayer is twofold for when we consider and observe how ready the Lord heretofore hath beene to heare and helpe those who sought and sued unto him in the time of their distresse and want and withall remember Psal 32.6 that the Lord is no respecter of persons nor mutable but alike to all and alwayes alike then we are emboldned to pray unto him Now what can wee want or desire either spirituall or temporall but we may finde some examples in the Scripture of some who have beene in our case and by prayer unto God have obtained what they wanted and desired from which consideration we may conclude that if we doe but lift up pure hands unto our God as they did then hee will heare and helpe us as he did them And Secondly Num. 23.19 Iosh 21.45 23.14 Psa 33.4 89 35. Mal. 3.6 Heb. 6.17 the other foundation of prayer is the truth fidelity and righteousnesse of God for when we consider how faithfull and true the Lord is in all his promises and that not one of them shall fall to the ground unaccomplished then ponder the promises which hehath made to heare his children and weigh well the blessings which he hath promised unto them both for soule and body both for this life and the life to come and then if we be his we are encouraged with boldnesse of confidence to make our requests and wants knowne unto him To whom we must pray Having thus briefly seene the foundation of prayer and the encouragements thereunto it is not now amisse to consider To whom we must pray Mat. 6.9 And our Saviour resolves this bidding us pray unto Our Father that is unto God who is 1. The Father of light and therefore we must come and pray unto him with the true sincerity of the heart for if we call upon him with feigned lips he will find it out with his All-seeing eye And 2. He is the Father of glory and therefore we must come and pray unto him with feare and reverence Psalm 2.11 And 3. He is the Father of merey and therefore we must come confidently unto him And 4. He is an Almighty Father able to doe what he lists and therefore we must first flye unto him not thinking any thing impossible to be had from him by prayer as was worthily observed by Origen in these words Si quicquam impossibile orati ni putamus aut fideles non sumus aut nescientes Scripturas scilicet Qui petit accipiet That is he who thinks any thing unpossible unto prayer is either destitute of faith or divine knowledge for if we doe but know and beleeve this one promise Whosoever asketh shall receive we cannot then thinke any thing impossible to be had at the Lords hands by prayer Now because it is questioned betwixt us and the Church of Rome Whether we must pray onely unto God or not I will therefore give an argument or two to confirme it briefly and so proceed Argument 1. The first argument is taken from Psalm 50 15. Call upon me saith the Lord and I will deliver thee He that alone is aole to deliver us to him alone must we pray But the Lord alone is able to deliver us therefore unto him alone we must pray Argument 2. The second taken from Romans 10.14 How can we call upon him in whom we have not beleeved He unto whom we must pray must be of that nature quality and condition that we may as well trust in him as pray unto him But we are forbidden to trust in any but God Therefore we must pray onely unto him Argument 3. The third is taken from Exod. 22.20 Cursed be he who shall offer burnt offrings unto any but unto the Lord of Hosts Sacrifice and burnt offerings in the O. T. were proper unto the Lord alone But

of weake persons as women and children Thirdly of strangers Fourthly of beasts and cattell so in the Church of God or in any true visible Church there are First such as are strong in faith Secondly the weake and fraile Thirdly hypocrites which in outward shew joyne themselves to the Church as those strangers did Fourthly carnall and worldly men prophane persons yea Devils incarnate which may be compared unto beasts And therefore let neither ther all of us in this land in generall nor any of us in particular trust unto this that we are members of the Church of England which is a true Church and professeth the truth and true Religion It may here now bee demanded Question 2. Doth no prerogative belong to a true outward visible Church or are wee never a whit the better for being within a true Church which purely professeth the truth There is an externall prerogative of a true externall Church Answer which is not to bee contemned or despised The Prophet David had rather bee a doore-keeper in the house of God Psal 8.4 Rom. 13 1.2 c. and 9.4 then to dwell in the tents of wicked men because the Christian every way as the Apostle saith hath great priviledges above Heathens who are without the Church For in the Church are the meanes of grace and salvation offered Psal 79.6 Ier. 10.25 and there or by those within the Church the Lord is more easily entreated and is more difficultly provoked unto anger against them Yea in a true Church wee see many burning and shining lights which animate attract and encourage us to the practice of pietie and therefore it is no small prerogative to be made a member of a true Church neither should our care be small in learning and labouring so to live that wee doe not provoke the Lord to deprive us of this great blessing and blessed priviledge by taking away the Candle or removing the Candlesticke out of his place or letting out his Vineyard to other Husband-men who will bee more thankfull profitable and obedient unto him then we have beene And thus much for the second answer to the first Question Thirdly Answer 1 sometimes wee trust to precedent mercies and deliverances some in this land dow often say The Lord hath not dealt so with any Nation as with ours in giving us pious prudent and religious Princes who zealously and couragiously maintaine and defend the true Faith and in continuing his Gospel among us and peace prosperity and plenty unto us so long a time and in preserving us from the Spanish Armado or Bravado in 88. and that unparallelled Powder-plot and all the plots counsels and consultations of the Jesuits and all the Whoores brood who inendtd mischiefe against our Estate And therefore we may be secure in this land because the Lord we know will bee unto us one and the same to day and to morrow and for ever I answer hereunto 1. That this is most true that the Lord hath long dealt most graciously with England in all the particulars instanced upon And 2. That the mercie of the Lord is above all his workes and greater then all our sinnes And 3. That if we would live sincerely as Ammi the Lords people hee would never then so long as we so continued pronounce against us Lo-ammi that we should be no longer his people If we were ready to embrace the Lords offers or carefull to walke worthie of his love he would never then denounce against us Lonuchama that hee would no more be mercifull unto us For the Lord is immutable in himselfe and these changes are in us and if wee doe not fall from truth unto error from sanctitie unto sinne from profession unto profanenesse from religion to rebellion from God unto Sathan the Lord will never faile nor forsake us but continue to be our God and continue us to be his people But 4. If wee abuse his mercie Rom. 11 2● and long-suffering and prove like those evill Husband-men or that wicked servant we must then expect that mercie will give way to justice and judgement and wee through the Lords just anger shall become as miserable a Nation as ever we were happie by his free mercie and goodnesse And therefore let us adorne that profession which we have undertaken Let us make religion our Sparta 1. Pet. 2.12 and labour to beautifie it by righteousnesse holinesse sobrietie and temperance that those without the Church may bee wone unto her by our holie lives and godly conversations coupled with feare and then we may be confidently and comfortably assured that the Lord will be as a wall of brasse about us and hedge us about with a guard of angels and protect defend and preserve us from all our enemies and all who have evill wil at this our Sion whether forraign or domesticall establish Religion peace in our Borders and continue his Gospell in purity and sincerity amongst us even untill the second comming of Christ unto judgement Amen Fourthly Answer 4. some particular persons presume of their communicating of the Sacraments some will say they were baptized and have beene at the Lords table and therefore they conclude Tush 1 Pet. 2.21 no evill will come unto them But we must know that there is an outward washing in Baptisme as Saint Peter saith as well as an inward and many are washed by water who were never purged from all their fins by the blood of Christ And S. Paul tels us that all the Israelites were baptized in the Cloud in the Sea and were all made partakers of the same spirituall me ate 1 Corinth 10. 5.8 and drinke and yet many of them perished The Evangelists tell us that Iudas ate with his Master the Paschall Lambe and received a sop from him and yet died in damnable desperation and the Apostle saith that many communicate the outward elements in the Eucharist to their owne damnation And therefore let not us trust to the outword worke 1 Cor. 11.20 or to the partaking of the outward elements only for these alone profit nothing but let us labour for the baptisme of the spirit and true regeneration and endeavour to eate Christ by a faith unfained Luk. 10.20 and then wee shall have greater cause of joy and rejoycing than if wee had power to cast out devils to cure the sicke to raise the dead and to remove mountaines Secondly Quest 2. it may further bee demanded why wee in England may not presume of those many and great priviledges which wee have above many yea the most if not all other Nations First no outward thing will profit or advantage us at all Answer 1. as was shewed before rom 2.2.6 and therefore wee must not trust to any such thing And Secondly Answer 2. our Church and State hath long continued without any desolation or alteration and therefore we have the more cause not to be high minded but

commodity When King Ahashuerosh had given leave to the Iewes to put their adversaries to death the Text saith Heb. 9.10 The tenne Sonnes of Haman the adversarie of the Iewes slew they but they laid not theis hands upon the spoyle Where wee see that they sought not their owne gaine but onely did execute just judgment upon the Enemies of the Church And therefore being compassed about with such a cloud of witnesses 1 Cor. 10.24 let us follow their foot-steps and thus seeke the welfare and flourishing estate of our Church and Common-Wealth by preferring the good of that before our owne private ends And And fourthly let every member of this our politicke and Ecclesiasticke body labour for unity unanimity and concord For this is the chiefest ornament yea one of the surest supports that either City Province Kingdome Common-wealth or Church can have And therefore the Prophet David doth so highly extoll concord and unity amongst brethren Psa 122.3.4.5 133.1.2 of one region and religion And Salust shewes the necessity of it where he saith Concordià parvae res crescunt discordia maximae dilabuntur Prosperity attends concord and unity but adversity and misery dissention discord as was demonstrated by that old man who gave his sonnes a bundle of Arrowes bound close together to breake and when none of them could doe it he unbound them and then being loose every one could breake them And thus as it is observed by our Historians and Chronologers so long as we in this Land keepe the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace and labour that there may be peace betwixt us our God and unity and concord amongst our selves we need feare neither enemies nor evils Now this concord which is desired is in that which is good not in that which is evill namely unity and concord in true religion and in a lawful administration of justice and right and in procuring and defending publike honesty and in promoting the publike good and the like And therefore if we desire that our Church and State may flourish let us all labour to be of one mind and on judgement at least let us take heed of dissention discord jarres and all breaches which may either destroy or disturbe the peace and welfare of that Church and Common-wealth wherein we live And fifthly V. All must be converted by the Preaching of the word another thing required of the whole body politicke if we desire that our Church and State should still stand continue and flourish is to doe as Niniveh did namely to repent and turne unto God by the preaching of the word Our Saviour saith Math. 11.24 If the workes which were done in Capernaum had beene done in Sodome it would have stood and remained even untill this day where our Saviour directly teacheth us that the reason why a Kingdome flourisheth and continueth is because the word of God which is preached therein is rightly used unto repentance Or if a City or Nation desire to continue and flourish the onely way thereunto is to heare and obey the word of God b Isa 3.10 11 and 65.2 How a City or Nation may be made truly happie Here observe carefully these few short particulars to wit I. It is not enough to heare the word or to be present at the preaching thereof for a Dove or a Daw may doe so much Neither II. Is it enough to suffer the word of exhortation and reprehension patiently c Heb. 13.12 although many will not doe so much for this they of Chorazin did for any thing we read to the contrary Nor III. Is it enough to reverence the preachers of the word although many will not do so much neither for this Herod did d Mar. 6.20 Nor IV. Is it enough to shew some certaine humiliation by reason of the cōminations of the word although not many doe thus much for this Ahab did e 1 Kin. 21. But we must seriously repent and turne unto the Lord in new obedience and true sanctification as the Iewes did f Acts. 2.37 when Peter preached unto them Neither V. Is it sufficient that this be don of a few but of many when the Common-wealth lyes at the stake and is either a winning or loosing either a making or marring For although the Lord doth often spare many for a fewes sake g Gen. 18.25 c. yet he will remmeber those who repent not at the day of vengeance h Exo. 32.34 c. Num. 14.21 and therefore if we desire that hereafter we may not fall into the fearfull hands of Gods destroying vengeance and that now the Lord would so blesse the proceedings of this honourable Assembly met together in high Court of Parliament that our Church and State may long stand remaine and flourish then not Vel duo vel nemo one or two of us must repent but many of us that so by our prayers we may prevaile with the Lord. Neither 6. Is the endeavour of the inferiour or vulgar sort sufficient at this time or upon so weighty an occasion as the staying and upholding of a Common-wealth ready to fall but the conduct of the Nobles Peeres and Princes of the Realme are required also And that both in true humiliation of heart and also in exemplary reverence and practice as the King of Niniveh and the Nobles did they being the Wethers and leaders of the flocks Now noble Captaines never say Ite sed eamus goe yee and fight but come let us goe And therefore when any publike danger is doubted or affliction feared or any generall common and speciall blessing desired then both Prince and people noble and ignoble high and low pastor and flocke should 1. Assemble to gether to the house of God to heare his word And 2. The hearers i.e. all of them must endure the Preacher to admonish and reprove them neither contemning him nor his message but reverencing both the one as the message the other as the Messenger of the Lord of Hosts Yea 3. All must humble themselves and tremble at the threatnings of God For all the beasts of the Forrest must quake if the Lyon roare And 4. Those who are called Gods that is Kings Princes Magistrates Judges and Superiours must labour by their command humiliation and godly practice to move and excite others to unfained repentance as that patterne of Princes Ionas 3 2.3 4. the King of Niniveh did For the Lord hath promised to be gracious to that Nation that thus seeketh him and sueth unto him and therefore let us from the highest to the lowest harken to the Lord and walke in his wayes and he will quickly subdue our enemies and trune his hand against all our adversaries Psa 81.13 14 16. and feed us with the finest of the wheat and satisfie us with honey out of the Rocke and make England like the Land of Canaan to flourish and flow with milke and honey And thus much for the