this Ecclesiastes 7.10 An impatient man thinks that the revolution of all times should be of the same aspect that present times should be as full of trade as full of friends as full of peace and plentie as former times or else that former times were better then these Men doe not inquire wisely as the wise man saith Times and conditions are to be called good or better not as our owne will but as the will of the Lord prospers in them I may be more poore more contemptible then I was in time past yet if Christ be made more rich and more glorious hereby I am bound to say that this time is better then the dayes past Possibly the will of the Lord in order to the men of this generation may be to put them to it in all that is dear that our worke shall be to labour as it were in the fire to bast and waste our selves out about the refining furnace to bring out the next age more pure and holy then this wee may sow and others after us reape as they did before us in order to many mercies then which now we have if Christ make such a noble work to succeed and take by us wee are bound to say that these are very happy times * Luke 9.30.31 and this Christ will 't was sealed in that apparition two appeared in glory and spake of Christs decease There is a communication of this in a degree and 't was done for our sakes as it is said of other cariages Messengers appeare to our soules in glory when about the hardest parts of the will of God a spirit of glory and of God visiteth us which is the hand of Christ prospering his Fathers will Impatient men are blind they can see no glory but that which is externall all that ever God hath said about the glory of times is onely this in my text that his pleasure should prosper by the hand of Christ and this indeed is the glory of times and persons in every age Doth the will of God by the hand of Christ prosper within thee without thee in the world in thine owne heart then t is a glorious time that wherein thou shouldest content and solace thy selfe * Every time is best to its best improvers The still breathing of every age should be the will of the Lord be done Patience hath two things in it as I formerly told you perturbation removed and expectation seated in the place of it and the Doctrine in hand inforceth both Be still and know that I am God Psalm 46.10 The one expression notes passion allaied and the other expectation raised Know that I am God that is that I will accomplish my will so it followes I will be exalted among the Heathen c. Let your expectation be pure to such a height the point in hand lifts Weeds creepe up by every flower and in every ground unlesse very well look't to Confidence becomes carnall and then dies as instruments die and swels and flants as they live and prosper millions of such men are not worth a straw in a storme they are the great bubbles of boysterous weather which break as fast as they swell The Nations shall blesse themselves in him and in him shall they glory or shine Halal what ever hath been done for us hath been done by him what ever is to be done for us or for others is to be done by him if ever England shine or any instrument in England 't will be as in his hand by whom alone all shall prosper Expectation pure the spirit is solid very high and yet very low never at a losse let times and things goe how they will but when 't would speake of the vertue and excellence of that hand by which the pleasure of the Lord is fulfilled and truly there one may pardonably lose ones soule T is not an easie thing to be pure in expectation one is like a child that hath been used to be caried that when set downe to goe alone catcheth at every thing next it and there hangs and will not let goe and yet falls at last with its props in his hands God hath spoken once twice have I heard this that power belongeth unto God Psalm 62.11.12 The speech of God in providence is of great eccho especially in some more remarkable works God speakes in providence so wonderfully sometimes to a person or to a Nation that it sounds oft in a mans soule once twice that is frequently that God alone does all and a man is readie to say so oft and yet in a renewed distresse old unbeliefe revives and the soule dies The Psalmist in the context bids not to trust in poore or rich one is vanity t'other's a lye saith he but trust in the Lord at all times and then renders the reason in the words forecited Power belongs to the Lord. Which is no more then the enforement of my text the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand The word of the Lord is very pure so should our building upon it be 't was very gloriously taught in that significant providence to Abraham The Ram caught behind him Genesis 22.13 * I heard behinde mee a voyce of a great rushin blessed be thâ— glory of the Lord from his place Ezek. 3.12 Gods glorious place is behinde us The pleasure of the Lord doth prosper at his pleasure and as his pleasure sometimes before us that is in wayes which we can reach and serve Gods providence in sometimes again behind us that is in such wayes as wee cannot reach to lend him the least concurrence in to teach that our expectation should be purely plac'd upon his word and that wee should say to our soules in all straights The pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand Abraham had no hands behind him neither doe men ordinarily goe that way to catch things yet there was the Ramme caught Hitherto I have exhorted to contentation Imitation now I shall exhort you to imitation and so close up the point and the day Be followers of Christ as deare children what shall prosper in his hand let that prosper in yours according as you are able to give prosperity to things and in the pursuit of this particular give me leave Honourable Worthies to apply my selfe more particularly to you Be valiant for the truth upon the earth be so in heart be so in tongue and hand give not the Prophets and people of the Lord cause to mourne over you as Jeremy did over the generation of his time They bend their tongue like their bow for lies but they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth Jeremie 9.2 3. 'T is a gallant thing to lay hearts and hands upon all that which Christ doth and say let this prosper though I dye if it will not grow without warring with my bloud yet I cannot hand off nor heart off the will of the Lord be done you have many
shame and spitting * The inference necessary and my Lord God will help me therefore I shall not be confounded therefore have I set my face like a flint and I know that I shall not be ashamed He is neare that justifieth me who will contend with me Let us stand together who is mine adversary let him come neare to me Behold the Lord God will help me again he repeats who is he that shall condemne me the Moth shall eat them up If any one could condemne Christ for any thing that he had not done all things well in order to his Fathers will then something might be said why things should not prosper in his hand why he should not have a full concurrence of divine power to carie him thorow al in order to the creature but none can say this no not the Father himselfe He will justifie me and He is neare that is ready to doe it and therefore I am sure as I have been a holy One to my Father so He will be a holy One to me and will not suffer me to see corruption not be overcome by any adversary who will contend with me compare with this Psal 45.7 Thou lovest righteousnesse and hatest wickednesse therefore God thy God hath anointed thee with oile of gladnesse above thy fellowes where Christ's legall righteousnesse is mentioned he did performe all things for the matter exactly and for the manner exactly with such a degree of affection * He did doe righteously and love the doing of it his affection was as compleat as his action though the worke very sad that he did buy all the oile of his lamp which might accomplish him for the creature therefore God called his God as by purchase thou lovest righteousnesse therefore God thy God Compare with this that type Deut. 33.8 9 10. And of Levi he said Let thy Thummim and thy Urim be with thy holy One whom thou didst prove at Massah and with whom thou didst strive at the waters of Meribah who said unto his Father and to his Mother I have not seen him neither did he acknowledge his brethren nor knew his owne children for they have observed thy word and kept thy Covenant they shall put incense before thee and a whole burnt-offering upon thine altar The exactnesse of Levi's righteousnesse in that point of great triall is made a type of Christ's exact righteousnesse whereby he purchased not onely Or lux but Urim lights that is all the treasures of wisdom knowledge And so not only thamam integrity or perfection but Thummim perfections i. all righteousnesse Vse This point may exhort us to bee patient patience hath two things in it a spirit free from perturbation and pure in ' expectation and both these would I distinctly enforce Contentation from the truth in hand It 's a very shaking time of all sorts bodies soules persons Kingdomes and when trialls are strong passions are so too for the most part and men forget themselves as men much more as Christians and play the beast One would not have thought there had been so many unreasonable creatures in this land until the hand of God appeared amongst us Ier. 18.20 Harvest is past the Summer is ended and wee are not saved Everie wheele breakes and then the heart breakes too when 't hath forgot the truth in hand that the pleasure of the Lord prospers in Christ's hand No wheele moves fast enough nor well enough when the heart makes haste no body is wise nor faithfull none hath braines nor hands to doe any thing t is strange to see how all is carried stranger to thinke what all will come to No body wise nor faithfull Yes Christ is and it should bee enough to everie one in any straight that he is and will be a succesfull agent When many are about a busines oftt-imes no body is one jostles so against another til all be in danger to jostle against Christ and the very principles of sober men When wheeles have much weaight upon them they oft-times make a very unpleasant noise Is God amongst us Israel wants water Amalek waites to give battell and this great straight made that great State fall a chiding of God and one another Is God amoungst us The place was called for this Massah Meribah i. striving and chiding The bigger bodies are with the greater difficulties they move now when great difficulties make great impatience towards God and towards one another this and not our straights indangers all as you may see in the example forementioned Straights simplie considered Exodus 17. though never so great can undoe none neither a person nor a Kingdom but how either behave themselves in them When wee retort temptation upon God this overturnes all that is when he tempts us then wee fall a tempting of him Water is wanting mony wanting enemies not wanting Amalekites in abundance readie to combine yet as long as Christ is there is enough for the prosperity of any good worke and then not enough for the quiet and tranquillitie of thy spirit What though mountaines move yet should wee be still so long as Christ is there is a streame that will refresh the Citie of God in the greatest drought Impatience is very excogitous a man had need have more naturall strength then ten men or else he will fall into a consumption the soule is so uncessantly hammering it selfe and other folks about its owne devices and divine events Jer. 10.14 Every founder is confounded If every founder then an impatient man for he is one founder he is heating and melting his braines night and day casting this and casting that till he hath no more metall to cast and then quite confounded when he cannot cast the Idol he would then quite casts off the true God Is God amongst us What and things so hard and so crosse and confused Action may be in our hand but successe is in Christs this the founder doth not see I meane the impatient man and therefore is confounded Impatience is spiced with pride and ignorance though possibly neither discerned by the subject in which it is What if the will of the Lord whilst in our hand be nothing but straights and difficulties bloud and death wilt thou therefore rage and fret against God his people and will this is to make a God of thy self to be angry because the successe of things is not plac'd in thy hands and under thy cognisance whereas God hath said it shall be onely in Christs hand As impatience is spiced with pride so with ignorance Great stormes bring great darknesse with them you know God usually is so much hid in such times from man that nothing but his hand is seene and this too rather felt then seen and in such cases Solomon tells us how ordinarily poore blind man goes to worke Say not thou what is the cause that former dayes were better then these for thou dost not inquire wisely concerning
then faithfull dealing with God and the advantages it hath by his hand And as for straightes and difficulties which come in this way reade that place Isaiah 48.20 21 22. and it will set you above them all or any man else that hath any thing of the Spirit of God in him Goe yee forth of Babylon flee from the Chaldeans with a voyce of singing c. verse 20. But they might object Lord wee are poore and few in Babylon that have any hearts to this and wee are to goe a long Journey and by many potent enemies and alas wee shall be eaten all up ere we come there what with our owne wants and weaknesses and others violence Observe what a secret answer God gives to this in the verse that followes And they thirsted not when he led them thorow the desarts he caused the waters to flow out of the rock for them he clave the rock also and the waters gushed out there is no peace saith the Lord unto the wicked As if the Lord had said 't is not a harder taske for me to provide for you all in your journey from Babylon to Jerusalem then for your Fathers in their journey from Egypt to Canaan whilst they obeyed my will did they or could they want water bread protectiō or provision whither soever they went but when nothing would draw them and keep them on to this then I pronounced them wicked and there was no peace to them Propose my pleasure and to this submit and talke not of wildernesse Serpents Scorpions or any thing else nothing will undoe you but disobedience to my will Let this place be thought on by all when I am gone to mine You are Honourable Worthies going out of Babylon according to the call of God which hath been long upon us by his faithfull servants many of which are scattered and many fallen asleep whose eccho at this day to you am I. Goe out and leave not a hoofe Egypt and Babylon and Rome are one spiritually and answerably should be departed from And doe not carnally object 't will worse become you then any of our Fathers heretofore having seene what you have seene In your wildernesse in your greatest straights God will still appeare and carie you through so much is shadowed and sealed in this Scripture and such persons and Nations as cannot receive this have their doome also sealed No peace shall be unto the wicked saith the Lord. Hitherto I have spoken to direct your cariage to God I have onely a word more to direct your cariage to men and so I shall shut up all Be faithfull to God of which I have at large spoken and towards men be wise and humble Gallant things will now every day come into your hand if you be followers of Christ and faithfull to your God as he was and as they shall still come into your hand chuse such instruments still to be imployed about them as most suite the pleasure of God these and these onely will be the prosperous agents Upon one stone shall be seven eyes Zach 3.9 Be every one of you like that stone Saul immediately after his unction was much surely indowed with wisdome and observe whil'st so whom he takes next to him men whose hearts God had touch'd Saul went home to Gibea and there went with him a band of men whose hearts God had touch'd but the children of Beliall said How shall this man save us And they despised him and brought him no presents but he was as though he had been deafe which was heavenly wisdome indeed Charash which signifies much attention and per antiphrasin no attention at all Surduit siluit 1 Sam. 10.27 To take persons next you whose hearts God hath touch'd will render you disregarded at least if not scorned but by whom by sonnes of Belial Can such a Parliament and such an Army that consists of such Sectaries and strange spirits save us you must diligently heare now that is not at all you must be deafe this will be your wisdome Because God hath given the Judgement of the Whore under the whole Heaven to the Saints of the most High Dan. 7. And the battle-axe of Babylon is the rod of Gods inheritance Jer. 51.19 Upon my mountaines will I tread him under foot saith the Lord of the Assyrian And this is the purpose that is purposed upon the whole earth Isa 14.25 26. Whom God hath said shall be his battle-axe those doe you thoose and to whom he hath given this Judgement of the Whore to them doe you let his pleasure prosper in your hand You may lose honour presents from sons of Belial this way but you will have honour from the Lord. Neither will the clamour of ignorant unworthie persons alwayes last Adoniah kept a great stirre a while about his title to the Kingdome but at last when he saw how manifestly God was with Solomon he comes with other language to his mother and indeed saith he the Kingdome was my brothers from the Lord 1 King 1.16 So when these shal see the pleasure of the Lord prosper in the hands of his people they will change their note and say the worke was theirs from the Lord and the Parliament did but appoint such as God appointed long agoe Towards men be wise be humble You are in place above others but 't will be your glory to be in spirit below all 'T is very observable what Discipline Kings were to be kept under by the command of God Deuteronomy 17.15 16 17. They were by no meanes to set a stranger over them which was not their brother neither was he when set up to multiply horses nor wives nor silver nor gold but to have the word of God diligently opened and applyed to him that he might feare the Lord and keepe all the words of his Law and that his heart might not be lifted up above his Brethren c. Disparity of place must not take off a brotherly parity of spirit let the place be never so high you cannot want temptation to exalt your selves above what is here written Jesabel said unto Ahab Dost not thou governe the Kingdome Arise and eate bread and let thine heart be merry I will give thee the Vineyard of Naboth the Iezreelite 1 Kings 21.7 Pride is that Jesabel which is apt to creep into the bosome of the best men when in high places What doe not wee governe the Kingdome is not all now in out hands May not we doe what wee list give and take smile and slight as we please I beseech you Honourable Worthies He covereth the faces of the Judges of the earth if not where and who is he Job 9.24 every time you goe through Westminster-Hall and every time you enter in at the Parliament-dores cast your eyes upon both hands possibly of one side or other you may see Christ sit in a poore oppressed condition unpitied by all passers-by Many a poore widow stands with a Petition in her hand written with the heart-bloud of her husband and subscribed with a thousand thousand teares because she can get no eye to reade it no hand to preferre it nor no bowels to dispatch it Sir sir I beseech you read this 't is a very legible lamentable character within and without lamentation mourning and woe like Ezekiels roll and yet every one passeth by and over-lookes her As you may eate up the sins of the people by winking at them so you may doe their miseries How sad is this may you conceive to such a poore soule and how sadning to the Spirit of the Lord that is in you that can so voyde of bowells goe by The tith possibly of some trifling time that is spent by you O what service might it doe to put bread into the mouthes of many that are ready to starve Alas poore creatures of which this Kingdome is now but too full whither should they come but to you The widow hath no husband but you the fatherlesse hath no Father but you the cripple hath no legs but you the wounded have no money to buy plaisters but from you all the oppressed are bid by God to call you Gods Fathers and if you cast them off too when they have cast off all for you or if you shall while them off when they tell you Sir this is our last meale in the barrell and this our last oyle in the cruse I must goe home and eate this and dye if you doe not help me The Lord Jesus be mercifull to us these living rafters of the house will crie out against us all I beseech you I beseech you Neither did she strengthē the hand of the poore and needy therefore I tooke them away as I saw good Ezek. 16.49 50. Honourable Worthies let as little guilt lie at your dores as possible may be I assure you Judgement lies not farre off it I know your necessities are great and yet I professe my heart I feare there be some cases if not more pitied will make your necessities greater Remember 't is but a Kingdome of men which you rule and that the most High also rules in these Kingdomes of men Seven times shall passe over thee said God to that great and lofty Prince till thou know that the most High rules in the Kingdomes of men and giveth it to whom he will Daniel 4.32 Misery enough attends that greatnesse that cannot stoope to hand and heart the condition of the distressed Honourable Worthies I have said and with much simplicitie of heart have I delivered the message of my Master all these things which I have spoken I humbly judge to be the pleasure of the Lord which if they may prosper in your hands I will say of your Kingdome as Daniel speaks of Nebuchadnezars Dan. 4.15 that let the Lord humble us as he pleaseth and make seven times passe over us till there be nothing but a stump left as truly now t is not farre from it yet this stump shall be with a band of iron and brasse Errata FOr patients page 13. line 28. reade patience For art p. 13. l. ult read 〈◊〉 for pretii peccatum p. 4. l. 22. reade peccati pretium FINIS