Israel's Lamentation After the Lord OR A DISCOURSE WHEREIN Every well-wisher to Zion is excited and directed how to lament after the Lord with Prayers and Tears To maintain the Ordinances of God or God's presence with his Ordinances amongst us BEING Some Meditations upon 1 Sam. 7.2 Psalm 80.4 O Lord God of Hosts how long wilt thou be angry Heb. smoke against the Prayer of thy People LONDON Printed for Tho. Parkhurst at the three Crowns Bible at the lower end of Cheapside 1683. AN Humble Address TO THE Righteous GOD. RIghteous art thou O Lord in all thy ways and holy in all thy works must Dust and Ashes say when they speak to thee or plead with thee All Israel have transgressed thy Law and despised thy Gospel therefore hast thou brought upon us a great Evil such as hath scarce ever been done under the whole Heaven not three Shepherds cut off in a month but some thousands in one day and this not for a day or month or year but even twenty years already neither is there any among us that knoweth how long this sad Cloud may be upon us Thy will be done Thou hast punished us less than our iniquities deserve but to the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses though we rebelled against thee and shall not the Judge of all the Earth do right Look down from Heaven and behold from the habitation of thy Holiness and of thy Glory Shall the needy alwaies be forgotten shall the expectation of the Poor perish for ever Be not wrath very sore O Lord neither remember iniquity for ever Behold see we beseech thee we are all thy People though our iniquities testifie against us do thou this for thy Names sake for behold for thy sake we are killed all the day long The Lord God of Hosts the Lord God of gods he knoweth and Israel he shall know if it be rebellion or transgression against the Lord. Judg O Lord them that have walked in their integrity Recompence thy Servants according to the cleanness of their hands in thine Eye-sight that have not wickedly departed from their God or by the grace of God have acknowledged their offence returned to thee and who at last are following on to know the Lord and pleading and hoping for a reviving and raising up after these daies or years of death let thy dead men live thy slain Witnesses be called up and ascend to Heaven in a Cloud let there be a shaking that these dry Bones may come together Come O Wind and breath on them that they may live Cause thy face to shine upon thy Sanctuary for the Lord's sake In midst of Judgment remember mercy and at last revive thy work Give us the opening of the mouth Set thy Light on a Candlestick Hold the Stars in thy right hand Let thy Peoples Eyes see their Teachers Give us help from trouble for vain is the help of man Purifie the Sons of Levi that they may offer to the Lord an Offering in Righteousness Thou art Jehovah and changest not therefore we the Sons of Jacob are not all consumed Thou art the Creator of the Ends of the Earth and therefore canst command deliverance for Jacob. There 's no searching of thine understanding therefore canst devise ways for the banished to be restored a faithful God and wilt perform thy Promises and confirm the Word of thy Servants But our God is a God of Judgment blessed are all they that wait for him He which testifieth these things saith Surely I come quickly Amen even so come Lord Jesus TO All the Mourners IN ZION That wait for The Consolation of Israel Grace Mercy and Peace THe sharp rebukes that Divine displeasure hath laid us under these many Years have caused many thoughts of heart whilst prophane men have shot their Arrows bitter words it becomes Gods Children to have many solemn searchings of hearts and serious Enquiries after the Reason of the Lords Controversie with the Daughter of Zion word and Rod call to us to consider our ways and Gods People have called on themselves and one another saying Let us search and try our ways and turn again to the Lord Doubtless the occasion is given by us we turned away from God before he turned his back upon us Judgment is begun at the house of God and he expects repentance should begin there That pacification may be first begun there God saith You only have I known of all the Families of the earth therefore I will punish you for your iniquities And well he may for the provocation of his Sons and Daughters goes nearest his heart as being against greater light and love means mercies obligations and expectations then any others surely it 's high time for us to awake out of sleep The charge is drawn up the indictment is read Scourges have been laid on yea of such a nature as have come nearest the hearts of the Godly Loss of Gospel-priviledges is a greater affliction then loss of Gold Goods Houses Liberties Relations Yea of life it self Yea saith God Woe also unto them when I depart from them God doth not use to depart till he be slighted or thrust away This hath been a long dark and gloomy day a day of rebuke and Blasphemy a day of Scattering and treading in down the valley of Vision Ministers and their dear flocks rent asunder Solemn assemblies sorrowfully broken up Sad and silent Sabboths by some profaned Ignorance increasing conversion work stopped Sinners hardened Young beginners in Religion discouraged Atheism abounding Presecution revived and thousands of precious Souls wandring about as sheep that have no shepheard Many publick uplaces being ill supplyed and guilt broaght upon the nation pressing us down tow ords destruction yea such sins as leave a People remediless mocking the messengers of God despising his words misusing his prophets till the wrath of the Lord arise against us till there be no remedy or no healing this brought Israel into captivity out of their own Land Yea this hath brought the final scattering of that forlorn Nation to this day killing the Lord Jesus their own Prophets persecuting the Apostles forbidding them to speak to the gentiles that they might be saved to fill up their sins alwaies for wrath is come upon them to the uttermost surely this lies nearest the hearts of real Saints next to Gods glory and their own Souls that poor sinners damn themselves destroy the Nation It 's dreadful indeed to see debauchery in the land abounding and basest of men vent personal malice against Gods dearest Children for no other fault but worshipping God and praying for their persecutors Men write voluminous treatises of invectives against us charging us with Schisms Sedition Faction and Rebellion which God knows our Souls hate and we durst appeal to our worst
in pleasant places we have a goodly Heritage 4. Aged persons and housholders you that are Parents have reason to lament after the Lord of the Ark and the Ark of the Lord that the Waters of the Sanctuary may run both with a clear and strong stream to your Families and Posterity Alas we that have Children have been Instruments to propagate filth and guilt and wrath to our Off-spring and what can we do to heal and help them But if the Lord would be our God he hath promised to be the God of our Seed God forbid we should intail a Curse on our Posterity and give them occasion to curse us to all eternity What unworthy Parents are those that have fair Estates left them and by their Prodigality leave their Children Beggars or Bankrupts But oh how sad would this be to deprive our Posterity of this Gospel-Legacy it will be both their loss and our own Lord suffer us not to go off the Stage in a snuff and leave such a stink behind us Better we had never been born than to fry and blaze in Hell flames we and our poor Children bundled up in Faggots together God thinks good to bind up Parents and their Seed in the Bond of the Covenant Oh Lord we are resolved to follow after thee for the sure mercies of David Be thou our God and we shall have better hopes for our Seed O remember that word Isa 59.21 As for me this is my Covenant with them saith the Lord my Spirit that is upon thee and my words which I have put in thy mouth shall not depart out of thy mouth nor out of the mouth of thy Seed nor out of the mouth of thy Seeds Seed saith the Lord from henceforth and forever This word is full and satisfying 1. Thy Spirit shall be upon me and mine in Sanctification 2. Thy words in my mouth and Childrens mouths in profession solemn Worship 3. They shall not depart from my Seeds Seed to many Generations 4. No not for ever 5. God even Jehovah undertakes this 6. It 's through Christ the Redeemer that 's come to Sion 7. It 's a new Covenant-mercy 8. It doth concern all Converts and such as turn from transgression in Jacob and am not I one of these My dear Lord make thou this word good to me and mine thou that livest for ever and ever I shall live in my Posterity when I shall be here no more let the Gospel-message survive me and the Gospel-grace live in them when I am gone Oh! cut not off thy kindness from my Seed let not them that follow me be deprived of that which I have found so much sweetness in O that Ishmaels may live in thy sight What will become of such as are born in sin if they want means of Conviction and Conversion There 's much ado to awake the sleepy Consciences of our dead Posterity under quickening Ordinances Oh! what then will become of these when such helps are gone How can I endure to see or foresee the destruction of my own bowels Oh! it cuts me to the heart to think of the damning of any much more my own flesh Lord prevent I will pray in hope live in hope die in hopes of the continuance of Gospel-Priviledges 5. Ministers must make it their work to lament after the Lord You you are the Persons mainly concerned You must sound an alarum to awake others you are appointed by the Lord as Instruments to carry on this work and if ever God do return he will excite his Servants to quicken themselves and others to this work as Samuel here Gird your selves and lament ye Priests howl ye Ministers of the Altar come lye all night in sackcloth ye Ministers of my God Yea let the Priests the Ministers of the Lord weep between the Porch and the Altar and let them say Spare thy People O Lord and give not thine heritage to reproach that the heathen should rule over them wherefore should they say among the People Where is their God Alas my brethren have you been so long cast out of Gods publick Work and Worship even twenty long years and have you not yet leavned to lament shall our Master cashie us his service and not judg us worthy to blow our triumpets of Rams horns break a pitcher or hold the lamps for him Surely he is very sore provoked shall I say three Shepherds he cut off in one month nay near three thousand in one day And hath drawn out his wrath a great length and is there no fault in us Yes certainly our Father would not have spit in our face or poured contempt upon us upon us peculiarly but he hath found great fault in us he hath doubtless seen much amiss in us He doth not use to single out a sort of men to shoot his arrows at without fault we cannot excuse instruments but certainly we have deserved all this at God's hands is not God punishing Eli's house for the iniquity he knoweth of Let us my Brethren deal faithfully and impartially with our selves before God and the world cast the first stone at our selves at last justify the Lord by taking shame to our selves Hath God set us in this office only to tell others of their faults Have we not reason to call to remembrance our own faults this day I hope such as are truly gracious have made this reflection many times Nor is this my present work to rake in this dirty Channel only it becomes us to enquire why God hath made us contemptible and base before all the People Mal. 2.1 9. My present work is to quicken our lamenting after the Lord that if it be possible we may fetch him again I may say as Mal. 1.9 And now I pray you beseech God that he will be gracious unto us This hath been by your means O it 's well if our People have not reason to say so of their Ministers how beit sincere Repentance will not make men throw it off themselves by laying it on others but we may sadly eccho Yes yes it hath been by our means we have put out our Candles by the Thief we have lodged therein We having obscured our glory by sinning We have robbed our People of the Ark and exposed them to Seduction and destruction by the abominations that have been found amongst us Let us fall close to our work of Preaching reforming praying calling God again who knows but if we mourn to our People but they may lament Our watery eyes may affect Peoples hard hearts If the Fishers mourn and such as cast angles into brooks lament our People will be moved God will hear our universal cry and awake for us Some will needs have our wearing black to import our mourning If so let us not be Hypocrites but lament indeed not in shew Some observe that People are much formed after the preaching examples dispositions of their Teachers But it 's to be feared they
through the corruption of mens hearts it stirs up opposition occasionally 2. But the chief blessings are spiritual as Conversion of the Soul to God Regeneration effectual Vocation so that it may oft be said as of Zion This and that man was born there Psal 87.5 So also increase of grace 2 Cor. 3.18 We all with open face beholding as in a Glass this broader Glass of Ordinances and the secret Glass of private Duties the glory of the Lord are changed into the same Image from glory to glory i. e. from grace to grace as by the Spirit of the Lord or of the Lord the Spirit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Besides Ordinances discover and help to cure those foul spots that are in the face of the Soul Jam. 1.23 24. Sanctuarydiscoveries resolve many intricate cases in the providences of God See Psal 73. v. 17. Here also the hearts of God's People may be abundantly satisfied Psal 36.8 for here 's goodness from God to do it Psal 65.4 Ordinances are Canales gratiae Channels through which Divine Grace and Influences flow to Souls Zech. 4.12 These display Christ open Gospel-priviledges Promises Terms of Salvation are as the gate of Heaven well then may and must the observant believing Soul lament after both the Ordinances of God and God in his Ordinances 4. Head is an Objection which may be framed against all I have said You 'l say What 's all this Canting for How doth it concern us Have we not publick Ordinances Doth not the Gospel flourish Is there not excellent Preaching in Publick Places The generality have no reason to complain since we have Christian Magistrates a glorious Church Learned Preachers nay others that pretend Tenderness of Conscience these do complain before they are hurt Have they not their Separate Meetings in a Publick way without disturbance Little reason have any to make this ado in lamenting What cause have you to lament I answer as Cleophas Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem in England and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days If you ask what things Do I need to inform you or rub up your memories by telling you that twenty years ago two thousand Ministers then found in peaceable possession of their publick places were dispossessed and ejected by the Act of Uniformity commencing Aug. 24. 1662. and shortly after 1665. were prohibited meeting together above four for Religious Worship and another Act prohibited them from coming or being within 5 miles of any such place where they had preached or a Corporation and were severely menaced and punished by a Second Act against Conventicles with Sharper penalties and though the Kings Majesty set them at liberty for a season yet that was quickly retracted and many could have little benefit by it and whether the silencing of Ministers be not an obstructing of the Gospel and of Ordinances judge you and if you say you are not concerned in this case I shall not speak to you but turn my discourse to others Only I shall briefly propound some Questions 1. About the Ordinances of God 2. The God of Ordinances and leave it to you to judge whether there be not some cause to lament after the Lord. 1. Are all congregations supplyed with able faithful Ministers God forbid I should condemn all or censure any blessed be God there are some gracious men in publick station whose main design is to win Souls to God but Oh how small is their Number I would rather you read an account of this in Ichabod or five groans of the Church writ by a conformable Minister A. Dom. 1663. lamenting 3000 raw young heads that teach before they have learned 1500 debauched Ministers many factious men some illiterate trades-men Simonists Pluralists and Non-Residents particularly described God knows whether these things be true but it 's well if many have not cause to complain as our Lord Matth. 9.36 Who when he saw the multitudes he was moved with compassion on them because they fainted and were scattered abroad as sheep having no Shepherd you know what follows If all publick places were well supplyed there would be less need of us If there were no need we should be glad of a Supersedeas 2. Yet is there not work enough for all the Ministers in England if all were faithful conscientious and set themselves seriouslly to the work of God Oh how many thousand ignorant Souls to be instructed Obstinate to be admonished careless to be quickened weak to be strengthned wandring to be reduced surely they that know any thing of the worth of Souls of the work of the Ministry and of the importance of eternity cannot but bitterly lament that so little is done for saving of sinners and that there are so few to lay out themselves or that do actually or effectually the work of faithful Pastors for the conviction and edification of sinners Souls If every Minister in England were gracious and had an hundred persons under his cure and charge he would find it as difficult to manage as a Physician dealing with so many patients under several diseases hic labor hoc opus 3. Is not the liberty that some take in their dispensing Ordinances under many disadvantages Are they not subject to fines confiscations imprisonments banishments censures and all have not equal opportunity of feeding Christs flock where there is as much necessity What liberty is taken it 's but stoln and upon courtesie still they are exposed to the rage of malevolent spirits and under the lash of the Law and censures of being undiscreet Zealots that adventure further than their more prudent Brethren yet still the Candle is under a bushel and they that need it the most have least share in it and are glad they are out of the sound of it and are furnished with stones enow even from present constitutions to cast at such as would disturb them in their career of sin and posting to Hell and they whose Eyes are opened to see the blind running into a Pit cannot but lament that their hands are so bound that they cannot stop them 4. Are there not sad symptoms upon us of a departing Gospel It would not now be seasonable to enumerate the Prognosticks of God's taking away his Ark and Ordinances Mr. Jurnal speaking of the unkind welcom the Gospel hath found among us addeth Oh what will God do with this degenerate Age we live in O England England I fear some sad Judgment or other bodes thee If such glad Tidings as the Gospel brings be rejected sad news cannot be far off I cannot think of less than a departing Gospel God never made such a settlement of his Gospel amongst any People but he could remove it from them He comes but upon liking and will he stay where he is not welcom who will that hath elsewhere to go Read the rest Two words on this observe 1. Have there not been great Attempts made to quench the Light amongst us
waste and ye run every man to his own house Self-seeking here is self-undoing Men ruine themselves by neglecting God's Interest If men will not lament the Ark's Captivity God will make Judah go into Captivity If men lay not to heart the mourning waies of Zion God hath a way to make them go without strength before the pursuer Men can well dispense with the loss of the pleasant things of the Sanctuary it shall be tryed how they will resent the loss of their temporal pleasant Enjoyments If men lament not the Gates of Zion the Gates of the City shall lament mourn and being desolate shall sit upon the ground If professing People lay not to heart sad and silent Sabbaths God may make the Land to keep her Sabbaths Great and fair Houses must be desolate without Inhabitant because God's House is desolate and none regardeth God can tell how to meet with the selfish heedless persons If they regard not God's Interest God will care as little for theirs He can tell how to come near you in matters of sense that can make nothing of what concerns your Souls And Ordinances of God will then be good when sickness pain poverty death arrest you Or these spiritual things will be good when out of your reach and you shut up in the Prison of Hell where there is weeping wailing and gnashing of teeth Psal 141.6 When their Judges are overthrown in stony places they shall hear my words for they are sweet When that sad Plague of Sweating Sickness was here in England how much were proud Nobles in seeming love with faithful Ministers how glad were they of advice from them then Ordinances were of more worth than purses full of gold God can make his Ministers to be prized by the prophanest Scorners yea he knows how to make a wounding Sword to make way through their bleeding sides for instructions to enter the most flinty hearts as Bernard told his ranting Brother 9. How long must the Lord wait for your sensible lamentings we are soon weary of the yoak and think it long to wander in the wilderness Sometimes we are for returning back into Aegypt and then all in post-hast for Canaan as Israel in the Desert The captive exile hasteneth that he may be loosed that he should not die in the Pit but then we would break Prison and are loth to take God's way or stay God's time this retards us rather than quickens our deliverance God puts us to our how longs because we put him to his how longs How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee How long will it be ere you attain to innocency Oh Jerusalem wilt thou not be made clean when shall it once be We were in post-hast for a Restitution many years ago as Moses for Miriam Heal her now O God I beseech thee God saith If her Father had but spit in her face should she not be ashamed seven daies But our heavenly Father hath spit in our face in the open sight of the world we have been shut out of his house well near three times seven years yet alas it 's to be fear'd we are not Evangelically ashamed Absalom was three years at Geshur and two years at Jerusalem and saw not the King's face and pretended dissatisfaction therewith Oh! but where 's our real longing to enjoy the Lord in his Ordinances Alas it's not length of time that will put our hearts into frame When at last will God raise up some awakening Samuel that shall sound the Alarum in the Ears of all Israel Oh! when shall we awake out of our long sleep when shall we see our need of God in his Ordinances when shall our Souls lament after God to purpose Surely it 's time to bestir our selves once at last 10. Can we lament to any else that will or can hear or help us May not Kings or great ones say as that King once to that crying Woman that said Help my Lord O King he said If the Lord do not help thee whence shall I help thee Alas we may say Truly in vain is Salvation hoped for from the Hills and from the multitude of Mountains Truly in the Lord our God is the Salvation of Israel Jer. 3.23 The greatest Princes are not to be trusted in God thinks fit to frustrate our expectations from men to confute our carnal confidence in man Surely men of low degree are vanity if they have a mind to help they cannot and men of high degree are a lye if they can help yea if they promise to help they will not our best course then is to pour out our hearts before him and say God is a refuge for us Selah Psal 62.8 9. For all Power is God's v. 11. We may say as David I looked on my right hand and beheld but there was no man that would know me refuge failed me no man cared for my Soul I cryed unto thee O Lord Psal 142.4 5. The Comforter that should relieve our Souls is far away There 's none to guide poor Zion of all the Sons whom she hath brought forth neither is there any that taketh her by the hand of all the Sons that she hath brought up Isa 51.18 As for us our Eyes as yet failed for our vain help in our watching we have watched for a Nation that could not save us We are as Napthali and have been struggling as sore for a Masculine Parliament as the Antient Primitive Church long travelled for a Man-child a Christian Emperour we had one they also struggled for uniting the Protestant Subjects and alleviating our grievances they were broken off by breaking up We had a second which set themselves to help us but the Children were come to the birth and there was no strength to bring forth all Attempts prov'd abortive since our Moses and Aaron by Votes or Disputes have represented our case sought favour and used means of help our Bricks are doubled Spirits are more inraged and our savour is abhorred and a keener Sword is put into some mens hands to execute the Law with more severity and is it not time to have recourse to God We are not permitted so much as to petition to men and make a true representation of our case that way is barred and all other doors are lockt up what else can we do but lament after the Lord he is able to help he is willing and hath promised Oh! let 's go to our God There and there only we may ease our hearts and find help let us lift up our Eyes above the Hills from whence cometh our help Our help cometh from the Lord which made Heaven and Earth Psal 121.2 2. Head is Who are the Persons People that are to lament after the Lord I answer 1. Graceless persons these have the greatest reason to lament after the Ordinances of God and the God of Ordinances For alas these poor
with this word repeated vers 7 11. The Lord of Hosts is with us the God of Jacob is our refuge Selah And if God be for us who can be against us Rom. 8.31 Who would not follow after such a God with prayers tears groans and hearty lamentations that he would return to us continue with us Oh! who would not have an hand in bringing back the King such a King as by his presence can make us truly and eternally happy See what it is to have God with us Isa 42.13 14 15 16. Yea it becomes every one to study the usefulness of God's Ordinances that their hearts may be ingaged to and inlarged in lamenting after the Ordinances of God Both these are larger Subjects than I can prosecure to explain the advantages coming to a People by the presence of the Ordinances of God or the God of Ordinances You must look on the Ordinances as fruits and tokens of God's special favour for all have not the Ordinances of God Psal 147.19 20. He sheweth his Word unto Jacob his Statutes and his Judgments unto Israel he hath not dealt so with any Nation and as for his Judgments they have not known them That this Sun-shine of Gospel-Light is on one place and not on another proceeds from discriminating Providence who sent Embassadours for the Gospel to be brought to them Surely that 's preventing kindness But when it hath left some impression on hearts some Myrth upon the handles of the Lock such should yea will lament after him when he 's gone as the Church did For such have tasted how good the Lord is and look on the Ordinances as their Heritage and highest Priviledge Oh that you knew what helps Ordinances are to promote God's work in our hearts in begetting and increasing Faith Repentance Love new Obedience this is that clear Chrystal-glass through which we may see the face of God and be transformed into his Image that Glass in which we may see the face of our Souls and be humbled and ashamed Here you may have your doubts resolved fears dispersed hearts satisfied graces quickened fellowship with God promoted our Souls prepared for Heaven Oh that your eyes were opened to see the necessity excellency utility of God's Ordinances I am very confident that if your Souls be as new born Babes you will desire after the sincere Milk of the Word if so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious 1 Pet. 2.2 3. As for others that want spiritual life and light to discover and feel the marrow of Ordinances no wonder if they slight or despise both the Appointments themselves and such as long for them and lament the want of them and therefore I urge this that you learn by your own experience the sweetness and advantage of enjoying the presence of God in the Ordinances of God 6. Get and maintain publick Spirits Oh take heed of private Spirits to look only after your own concerns and worldly Interests This hath been the Ruine of the Church and also of particular persons at last Hag. 1.4 Is it time for you O ye to dwell in your cieled Houses and this House lye waste therefore ye have sown much and bring in little q.d. You think to secure your personal and domestical comforts with neglect of my concernments but I will cross you in that which concerns you because you are heedless in what concerns me On the contrary David concern'd himself about God's House and God built his House 3 Sam. 7.2 11. So true is that of our Saviour that whosoever will save his life shall lose it and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it Self-seeking is the way to self-undoing self-denying is the only way to self-advancing Scripture and Experience prove this Well then my advice is that you chiefly mind the Interest of our Lord in the World and put as great an accent on this in your prayers as if it were your own case and indeed it is your own Your little Boat hangs on the great Ship but all judge not so therefore there are few lamenters after the Lord But if you would look on Zion's case as your own and so carry it as having yours really involved in that bottom it would be both an help and spur in your lamentings The more gracious persons have been the more have they forgot themselves to think on the Church Upon me saith St. Paul cometh daily the care of all the Churches Upon Moses lay the burden of all the People Uriah will sympathize and suit himself to the Ark and Israel and Judah in the Camp and not suit himself to the delights of the City Nehemiah inquires after and condoles with his suffering Brethren Look through the Bible and you 'l find this gracious publick Spirit breathing in all the Servants of God Psal 137.5 6. If I forget thee O Jerusalem let my right hand forget her cunning If I do not remember thee let my Tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy Marg. the head of my joy q.d. I profess my self to be a Member of that Mystical Body the Church and how can a Member rejoyce when the whole Body mourns If the touching of one String of an Instrument make the rest move how can I forbear a sad Eccho to the Church's mournful Elegy Shall not her dewy Eyes cause mine Eyes to water How can it go well with me when it goes ill with the Church Oh that I could set self aside We have need saith one to be redeemed from our selves rather than from the Devil or World I should make a sweet bartering and give old for new if I could shuffle out self and substitute Christ my Lord in place of my self Oh wretched Idol when shall I see thee wholly decourted and Christ wholly put in thy room Oh that I had but gone as far yet as the Heathens Primar we are not born for our selves surely then I should not be so much taken up with my own matters but think on the Church Alas what 's my danger to Zion's damage if it go well with Zion it shall comfort my heart whatever my personal troubles be But I must hang my Harp on the Willows while the Church is in Captivity Lord do good in thy good pleasure to Zion build thou the Walls of Jerusalem though my broken bones be not set or though my heart still keep bleeding 7. Learn the right Art of praying and pleading with the Lord this lamentation is in the way of supplication that a gracious promise Zech. 12.10 I will pour upon the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem Princes and People the Spirit of grace and of Supplications And then follows a great mourning both in families and in closets Oh that this work were set forward Surely if all the People of England yea professing People could set forwards in this so needful