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A40986
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The content of a wayfaring man ; and The accompt of a ministers removall : two sermons, the one preached at the morning lecture in the citie of London, the other more enlarged in another congregation / by J.F. ...
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Fathers, John.
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1648
(1648)
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Wing F552; ESTC R32801
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36,733
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50
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the solemne Covenant What an execrable deniall of the sacred Scriptures Of the Faith of the Lord that bought them How is the beautifull child of Reformation stifeled in the birth and a monster of shamefull Deformation brought forth in the room of it O tempora O mores Time was when prayer and repentance were held up in the hands of faith as precious meanes to maintain Communion with Jesus Christ and now men pray against their prayers and repent of their repentings because some lay too much weight on duties others have laid them wholy aside Time was when London zeale enkindled against every bracelet lace of the Scarlet Whore and now as if the spirit of London were changed into her spirit of fornications we plead for a tolleration of all her sorceries That which once entreâ— as Iron into our soules but to heare of now it is accounted a sinne to speak against it Time was when we did look on errors as the smoak of the bottomlesse pit now they are admired as new lights dropt down from heaven And he is accounted no body in their Meetings that hath not something of them Time was when the Lords day was a delight unto us now it is questioned whether it be the Lords ordinance or mans Time was when wee saw a beauty in their feet that brought the glad Tidings of Peace Now Ministers are a burthen in their places Time was when we fled as Doves unto the holes of the Windowes and now the wayes of Sion complain for want of passengers Time was but time will faile me if I should goe on to shew what shamefull Apostasies are amongst us 4. How is Londons how is Englands first love Apostatized into persecutions May it not be said of our times in England as Bernard spake of his times whose words are quoted by Hugo Cardinalis in his Postills on John Good Jesus saith he it seemeth the whole Vniversitie of Christian people have conspired against thee and these are chiefe persecutors even so the whole University of England seemes to conspire against Jesus Christ and some which heretofore were great professors are now become bitter persecutors 1. As for Ishmaels persecution I think never was more against faithfull Ministers then now iâ— Men bend their tongues for lies and the scorners chaire is every where set up against Moses chaire for the wholesome words they have from us wee have bitter words from them Luther was charged for preaching against the Popedome to be tuba rebellionis a Trumpet of rebellion And wee for preaching against as great a mystery of iniquity if not the same to be Incendiaries of all the troubles that have been in England and of this second warre If any thing goe amisse with the people Aaron must be stoned Numb 14.20 2. As for Esaus persecution rough hands wee finde every where And though they fall not down right to blowes yet there is malice and treachery enough in their hearts to provoke them new-New-England they say is too good a condition for these roundheaded Ministers and therefore they resolve if they can get the day to cut their throats in Old-England Behold saith God to Jerusalem Jerem. 3.5 Thou hast spoken and done as evill things as thou couldest If thou couldst have spoken or done worse thou wouldest Wee need not as Ezekiel in Jerusalem digge through the wall of this Citie to see the bitternesse of some mens spirits the iniquitie of their heels doth sufficiently evidence the treachery of their hearts They declare their sinne as Sodom and publish it as Absolom in the face of all Israel and in the sight of this Sunne Too sadly hath the occasion presented you Jerusalems paralell in London and yet spare me one word farther for it would be Londons happinesse if this day wee could be brought to give Glory to God in taking shame to our selves And oh that London would take up righteous thoughts before God in judging their own condition the Kingdome you see is all in bloud at this time if wee would fetch bloud from our hearts the Lord might be intreated to stop the issues of bloud that are running in the Land Londons provocations are not onely paralel to Jerusalems but as Jerusalem justified her younger sister Samaria so hath London her elder sister Jerusalem There are six circumstances wherein Judahs provocations exceeded Israels 1. Because they were acted in a time of reformation Israel sinned under bad Kings Jerem. 1.1 Judah under good 2. Judah sinned against all the examples of Judgement which God had given them by Israel Jere. 3.8 3. Judah rebelled against those speciall warnings which God sent them by his Prophets Hos 4.15 Though Israel play the harlot yet let not Judah sinne 4. Judah made more profession then backsliding Israel did and the more wee appeare for God Jere. 3.4 5. the worse wee are if wee be not that indeed which wee appeare to be 5. Judah enjoyed more and better ordinances then Israel did and the more means of Grace wee sinne against 2 Chron. 13.10 11. the more malice is in our sinne 6. Judah had made a solemne Covenant unto God in Josias time and sinnes against Covenants 2 Chren 34.32 are not onely apostasies but perjuries Now see if all these aggravations be not found in Londons provocations 1. Have wee not such opportunities of reformation as the Lord never betrusted England with the like and will not our posterities even curse the losse of them which our unnaturall divisions have snatcht from us Our fathers had a prize put into their hands and they regarded it not 2. Have not others Judgements heightned Londons security I mean not Israels and Judahs in ages past but Germanies and Irelands Kents and Colchesters present before us When wee see an under-billet on fire and the second smoaking will not the top be consumed if the fire be not quenched 3. Hath London wanted warnings or Watchmen Hath not the Lord Convened his faithfull Watchmen out of all the parts of England to warne London Hath not the Lords voyce cryed unto the Citie Heare yee the Rod and who hath appointed it Mich. 6.9 Wee doe heare the Word and dot not feele it therefore wee shall feele the rod and shall not heare it 4. Whose meanes whose mercies have been like unto Londons Oh London I am sorry for thy great accounts may it not be said of thee as of Capernaum Luk. 10.15 And thou London which hast been lifted up to Heaven Certainly no citie hath been so high in Gospel-priviledges as thou hast been The Lord grant that thy Gospel-unkindnesses doe not incurre Capernaums curse no misery so great as that which is provoked by the abuse of Gospel-mercy Coales taken from between the Cherubims are coales of Juniper the fiercest discoveries of Gods fiery indignation 5. Hath not London been eminent in profession above all the parts of the Kingdome Yea are not Londons revolts even now vailed under profession
Is not truth almost banished under pretence of truth And Religion disgraced under shew of Religion Compare Ezek. 10.2 with 11.7 Zech. 13.6 Thus have I been wounded saith Christ in the house of my friends Turkes and Infidels sinne singly they professe themselves Christs enemies and they are so but this is Duplex multiplex iniquitas a complicated compound of iniquity 1. To injure the Lord Jesus who seeks our eternall welfare 2. To doe it under shew of friendship 3. Against knowledge and against some sense of love for both these must be in profession 6. Did London did England did two Nations ever enter into such solemne Covenants as have been lately not onely published in our Cities but hung up in our Churches as inviolable records of our ingagements and as standing Witnesses against our revolts And hath not London hath not England have not the two Nations sinned not onely against but with their Covenants Serving our lusts and not our God by them The Greeke word that signifies Oath or Covenant 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ab 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 includo unde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 septum vel ab 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 terminus is derived from a word which signifies also an hedge or bound and we have not onely broken our hedge our bound but even laid it flat to the ground whereby Gods wrath breaks in every where upon us and he is inforced to unsheath his sword againe The avenger of his Covenant And now let London lay all these provocations and aggravations together and see if there be not cause enough for their Jeremies to wish for cottages in the wildernesse that they might leave their people and goe from them Yea will London be entreated to see how many faithfull Jeremy's have been provoked already to leave the Citie who are now retired into their cottages to pray for those to whom their preaching could doe no good And as Solon when Athens was taken by Pisistratus hung up his Speare and Target at the Citie-gates with this Protestation Oh Athens I have ayded thee both in word and deed so may those faithfull Ministers say that have left you Oh London wee have done what wee could to warne thee of thy sinnes and of those judgements which are like to follow them Shall I have leave to tell you of above fortie Churches in this Citie that are or were lately empty and many more from which godly grave and Orthodoxe Ministers have been forced to remove through want of maintenance or through other discouragements I would lay before you but one motive to quicken the bitter sense of this Even the mischievous consequence of it And I will give it you in a Scripture instance You shall reade in the 2 of Chronicles the 28. ver 24. That in Ahaz time in Jerusalem which is Londons paralel the doores of the Lords house were shut and Altars set up in every corner of the Citie And what followed Why grosse apostafie in the people and shortly after utter desolation of the Citie Surely there is no Omen so sad of Londons hastning misery as their unkinde provocations of the departure of their godly Ministry I need not tell you what followed Noahs entring into the Arke or Lots departure out of Sodom or what the Protestants in Queen Mary's dayes acknowledged that those Marian-dayes were the just issues of their disdaine of godly Ministers in King Edwards dayes but this remember that the dust of your Ministers departure shall rise up as a testimony against you and where Christs Ambassadours of peace are forced to depart Compare Ezek. 9.3 with 1◠9 their peace departs with them The glory of God did not long stay on the Citie when once it was departed from the Sanctuary If the candles are put out the shops are all shut up Interpres what that means Isa 9.19 If the Land be darkened and t is darkned with a witnesse when the Sun of righteousnesse withdraws his Gospel light the people shall shortly be for fuell to the fire of Gods wrath Vse 2 I have yet a word of Counsell to leave behinde mee before I goe unto my cottage And first unto my brother Jeremy who desires a cottage in the wildernesse I would desire him heedfully to write after his Copie here to see that he hath lawfull ends and warrantable grounds to leave his people I need not repeat Jeremy's ends or his peoples provocations againe Two things onely I have in advice from Jeremy in Jerusalem to Jereremy in England which I noted in the analysis of the Text. 1. That he leave not his people without leave from God Nor 2. Without love to them 1. Not without leave from God Jeremy doth not let fall these words at Randum or in passion but in dolour of his spirit as elsewhere he sayes he commends his way unto God Jerem. 20.12 Vnto thee O Lord have I opened my cause If all mens wayes are in Gods dispose his Ministers are all wayes Sometime Paul is ordered to stay at Corinth when he is willing to remove Sometime to remove from Jerusalem when he is willing to stay alwayes he waites upon the Lords call to direct all his wayes Non omnes possumus esse Caesares wee cannot all be Assembly men Some must be Country-men all cannot live in the Cities some must goe abroad into the Villages All are not appointed to great places some unto small some have their pallaces others their cottages Wheresoever our lot shall fall wee must see that we have a divine call to warrant our way and then if wee have little wee must be contented because it is our portion If wee have more wee must be more thankfull because it is above our deservings Whether wee have more or lesse we must be both contented and thankfull Because it is Gods will Let our lot fall unto us in a faire ground or a foule wee must both contentedly and thankfully submit our way unto Gods dispose onely for more peace and comfort and for better successe of his Ministry is Jeremy's desire O that I had the cottage of a wayfaring-man in the Wildernesse that I might leave my people and goe from them 2. As Jeremy would not leave his people without leave from God so not without love to them although he could receive no love from them for though he did leave them yet he will not leave to pray for them and to pray in teares and teares in abundance and that abundance not yet enough to expresse his love but he wishes for more in the verse before my Text O that my head were waters and mine eyes a fountain of teares that I might weep day night for the slaine of the daughter of my people Ministers may preach plausibly but with Jeremy to mourn in searet is the tryall of their sincerity And for such a people as Jeremy had is a tryall indeed 2 Cor. 12.15 Paul spends and is spent both in praying and