that all was at a stand for Jerusalem The remnant of the people that are left were in great affliction and reproach the wall of the citie remained broken downe and the gates thereof burnt with fire An expected end God had promised and questionlesse the people of the Jewes had long looked for the accomplishment of this promise but it must not come yet they had more affliction to suffer the wals of Jerusalem must remaine longer in their ruines and the gates in their ashes Thus we shall find the Lord often dealing with his Church and people they seldome injoy any great blessing or enter upon the fruition of any speciall promised mercie but it costs them deare God made a mercifull Promise to Abraham that he would give Gen. 15. 7. him and his posteritie that goodly land of Canaan yet they must pay deare for this before they had it Know of a surety saith God that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs and ver 13. they shall serve them and they shall afflict them foure hundred yeares They must not look to have so pleasant and fruitfull a land for nothing No it must cost them deare many yeares hard service a great deale of affliction they must go through an iron furnace Deut. 4. 20. Gen. 15. 17. Gen. 37. 5 6 7 8 9. Psa 105. 17 â—8 Divino ju lâ—â—io quod deâ—lâ—r are conatisunt reaâ—tendo serâ—â—erunt Greg Moral l 6. c 1â— Ideò venditus est à â—raâ—râ—bâ—s Ioseph ne aâ—oraretur â—ed â—deò est adoratus quia venditus sic divâ—â—um consilâ—um duâ—â— devitatur impletur sic bumanasaptentia du n reluctatur comprehend tâ—r Id ibid. Isai 65 17 18 19. Rev. 21 1 2 3 4. 2 Pet. 3. 13. so is Egypt called represented as it may seeme to Abraham in his vision in that smoaking furnace another instance may be that of Joseph who was assured that he should have the honour which his dreames had promised but it must cost him his being sold for a servant his casting into prison his feet hurt with fetters he was laid in it on or as the margent his soule came into iron and hitherto he was brought into a far lower condition then he was at the time of his dreames yet see the over-ruling Providence of the most wise God so disposing that every descent into a lower condition was made unto him as a staire to ascend unto that honour which his dreames had promised To come neerer unto our selves and that which concernes the Church in this latter age of the world there was a glorious Promise made to the Church by that Evangelicall Prophet Isay Behold I create new heavens and a new earth and the former shall not be remembred nor come into minde But be you glad and rejoyce for ever in that which I create And John the Propheticall Evangelist gives the Church such assurance of this as if he had then seene it performed I saw a new heaven and a new earth for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away And I John saw the holy citie new Jerusalem comming downe from God out of heaven And the Church expecteth the accomplishment hereof We saith the Apostle according to his Promise look for new heavens and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousnesse It is now the Churches expectation we looke with John to see this new heaven and new earth and to behold that holy Citie comming downe from Heaven we hope the Lord at this present is about this worke but goe back to the former part of this prophecie and you shall finde that the Church must not have this new heaven and new earth till it hath paid deare for them you may see from the eighth Chapter to Rev. 12. 3 4 13 15 17. this 21. what the Church paid for this before she had it I will instance only in the 12. and 13. Chapters in the former you have a great red dragon that is as our best Interpreters take it the Devill and what mischiefe he did to the Church you may find in severall passages of that Chapter he stood before the woman which was to be delivered for to devoure her childe as soon as it was borne not being able to devoure the childe he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man childe casting out of his mouth water as a floud after the woman that he might cause her to be carried away of the floud and when no prevailing against her he went to make war with the remnant of her seed which keepe the Commandements of God and have the testimonie of Jesus Christ Rev. 13 1 7 â—1 14. In the next Chapter there is one beast rising out of the sea having seven heads and ten hornes the heathenish Romane Empire And to him it was given to make war with the Saints and to overcome them ver 7. in ver 11. there is another beast rising out of the earth the Papacie which had the power of the first beast and did by many lying wonders deceive them that dwell on the earth what the Church hath suffered by the crueltie and subtiltie of these two beasts the histories of the Church doe abundantly manifest It cost the Primitive times the tortures and bloud of many thousand Martyrs before truth and peace setled by Constantine and Theodosius I need not tell you what our owne Kingdome Germanie and France paid for the beginning of Reformation If you would have my thoughts why the Lord in his wisdome selleth his choice mercies at so deare a rate I conceive it may be Reas 1 1. To try what esteem his Church hath of those mercies it looks for the Church of God in all places expects great mercies we of this land at this time look for speciall favours we look for the Reformation of what is amisse in Church and State for an establishment of Truth and Peace the Lord now would trie how we esteeme these how we prize them what we are willing to pay for the injoyment of them we will not give much for that which we value at little large offers argue an high esteeme God is now trying the hearts of England great matters are expected but how doe we prize them surely it cannot be better knowne then by what we will give for the purchase of them Will we part with all to injoy them Doe we thinke our whole estates our children our neerest friends our dearest bloud not too deare a price to pay for them It is an undoubted evidence that we highly prize those things which we neither will nor can want whatsoever they cost us when all that we have and more if we had it shall freely goe for them and questionlesse that wise merchant could no way so fully manifest his Matth. 13 46. esteeme of the pearle to be more worth then all he had then when he sold all that he had and bought it Reas 2 The Lord doth this to
come a sad report of the low afflicted and despised condition of the Jewes then in Judea let the consideration hereof helpe to support the spirits of Gods people in their most sad dejecting times you have heard there is a new heaven and a new earth promised a Jerusalem to come downe from heaven a glorious building going up And you know they which build large and great houses being to set them upon hollow and false ground as we call it are forced to dig very deep before they lay the foundation and usually when we see work-men digging very low for a foundation we presently conclude here is some great building a frame of more then ordinarie weight to be set up I hope this is the Churches present case it hath been brought very low in Germanie in Ireland in our own land and we trust the Lord is all this while digging the foundation this is the work the Lord suffereth the Churches enemies to labour in to prepare the ground-worke for erecting in his Church a glorious fabrick that these at the worst shall be but the Lords mattocks and spades and if the Lord be still pleased to continue them at their work in Ireland in England it is to be feared that it may be too many of the Irish hearts are yet to God-ward as rotten and hollow as their bogs and we in England though we have firmer ground yet I doubt as false hearts a great deale of hypocrisie hollownesse and rottennesse remaining so that the Lord though he have alreadie gone very deep brought us low is not yet come to firme ground so may goe on to bring us lower in our affliction to work us lower in our humiliation And I could wish our spirits in regard of humiliation alwayes solow as our condition that when God throwes us on the ground we would lye on the ground put our mouthes in the dust but at no time to be low in distrust for our confidence in God to have highest spirits in lowest estates as knowing that our raising up is then at hand If a stranger one that never heard of the ebbing and slowing of the sea and of your river should come to your Thames side at an high water and should stay and observe how much it fals in six or seven houres he might probably thinke that your river would run it selfe drie whereas you that are acquainted with your tides know that when your ebbe is at the lowest the tide of a rising water is returning and trust unto it the lowest estate of the Church Osiander Cent. 4. cap. 5. Sethuâ— Calvisius anno Christi 〈◊〉 8. Osiand Cent. 4. cap. 9. Idem Cent 4 cap 14. 3â— is mostly an immediate fore-runner of its raising the Church in the Primitive times found it thus the most raging and violent of those ten bloudie Persecutions was that of Dioclesian never the like tortures invented and executed nor so many martyr'd and banished onely in Egypt 144000. put to death 700000. banished yea so violent his rage that his wife Serena however a well deserving Ladie put to death because a Christian but this crueltie and rage of his followed with the milde and peaceable times of Constantius the father and Constantine the sonne And it is the Lords promise it shall be thus and that upon a right and religious observation of dayes of fasting and humiliation Is not this the fast Isai 5â— 6 7 8 9 10. that I have chosen to loose the bands of wickedness and in the close of ver 10. then shall thy light rise in obscuritie and thy darknesse Psal 30. 5. be as the noone day thy darkest and saddest night of calamitie shall be followed with a gladsome and comfortable morning of joy so cleared from after-clouds of sorrow and distresse as is the Sun at noon day when it shineth in its full strength Observ 2. To proceed are the wals of Jerusalem broken downe and her gates burnt with fire Jerusalem that had out-stood so many sieges from before which the confident potent and numerous armie Isai 37. 36 37. of Zenacherib was forced to rise and retreat with shame and losse of 85000 in one night of whom the Psalmist sung after that 2 Chron. â—0 deliverance as some think or as others after that from that combination of those many Kings that came against Jehoshaphat Compasse Psa 48. 12 1â— about Zion goe round about and tell the towers mark well the wals thereof behold her bulwarks see if a stone shaken or a turfe fallen in her out-works what Jerusalem She that was princesse Lam. 1. 1. Calvisius ex Iosepho among the nations so strong so populous as twentie hundred thousand in it at the beginning of the siege or as some above foure millions in so seeming secure a condition as the Kings of the Lam. 4. 12. earth and all the inhabitants of the world would not have beleeved that the enemie should enter into the gates of Jerusalem the wals of this Jerusalem broken down and her gates burnt with fire Oh learne that former deliverances will not secure sinfull Kingdomes and sinning Cities from after dangers and ruines I will onely commend unto you the instance of Nineveh made secure by the Lords turning away a former threatned judgement and within 40. dayes of execution yet then exposed to a miserable ruine Art Nehum 3. 8 9. thou better then populous No from ver 8. to the end of the Chapter a fit resemblance in many particulars of this land of ours the Lord grant we may neither be like that in sin or destruction Vse And it is the desire of my soule that this citie honoured hitherto with safety with the discoverie and defeat of so many plots and attempts would seriously lay this to heart that former deliverances might not beget securitie but more watchfulnesse both to drive out those sins which are the apparant in-lets to an enemie and to discover and prevent the secret contrivances of false-hearted brethren considering the continued vigilancie and unsatisfiable rage of the Churches enemies and specially of your citie The fenced 2 Chro. 12. 4. Isai 36. 1 2. cities that belonged to Judah would not satisfie Shishak the King of Egypt but he came up against Jerusalem the like of Zennacherib the like certainly the enemies malice and furie against your city and me-thinks I heare their Generals saying of yours as once â— King 22. 3. Ahab of Ramoth in Gilead Know ye not that London is ours and be we still and take it not out of the hands of Rebels and traitours for so they call you or as Haman once of Mordecai all the Esther 5. 1â— honour and favour I enjoy availes me nothing so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting in the Kings gate That they have Bristoll in the West York in the North with others will not satisfie unlesse they had London also And beleeve it their taking of other places is but
Die Mercurii 24. April 1644. IT is this day ordered by the Commons assembled in Parliament That Sr Robert Harley and Sr Robert Pye do from this House give thanks unto Doctor Stanton and Master Greene for the great paines they tooke in the Sermons they preached this day at St Magarets Westminster at the intreatie of this House it being the day of publike Humiliation And they are desired to print their Sermons And it is ordered that none shall presume to print their or either of their Sermons but by the Authoritie of their hands writing H. Elsyng Cler. Parl. D. Com. I appoint Philemon Stephens to print my Sermon John Greene. NEHEMIAH'S Teares and Prayers FOR JVDAH'S AFFLICTION And the ruines and repaire of JERVSALEM Delivered in a SERMON in the Church of Magarets Westminster before the Honourable House of COMMONS upon the day of their Monethly Humiliation April 24. 1644. BY JOHN GREENE Master of Arts late Pastour of Pencomb in the Countie of Hereford Isai 22. 4. Look away from me I will weep bitterly labour not to comfort me because of the spoiling of the daughter of my people Ver. 9. Ye have seen also the breaches of the citie of David that they are many Psal 51. 18. Do good in thy good pleasure unto Sion build thou the wals of Jerusalem LONDON Printed by G. M. for Philemon Stephens and are to be sold at his shop at the golden Lion in Pauls Church-yard 1644. PIISSIMO PRVDENTISSIMO AMPLISSIMOQVE SENATVI DOMVS COMMVNIVM IN PARLIAMENTO CLEMENTISSIMA DEI PROVIDENTIA CONVOCATO POTENTISSIMA DEI TUTELA CONTINUATO MEDITATIVNCVLAS HAS SVAS TENUICULAS JUSSU è SUGGESTO EDITAS HORTATU VESTRO TYPIS EVULGATAS HONORIS ET OBSERVANTIAE ERGO SUMMA CUM HUMILITATE D. O. V. Amplitudini vestrae in Domino obsequentissimus Joh. Greene. A SERMON PREACHED Before the Honourable House of COMMONS at their Monethly Fast on April 24. 1644. NEHEMIAH 1. 3 4. And they said unto me The remnant that are left of the captivitie there in the Province are in great affliction and reproach the wall of Ierusalem also is broken down and the gates thereof burnt with fire And it came to passe when I heard these words that I sate downe and wept and mourned certaine dayes and fasted and prayed before the God of Heaven THe first Verse of the words read if you look back to that next before are the answer of Hanani and certain Vers 1. men of Judah unto a question moved by Nehemiah being then in Shushan the Palace the winter-house Lavater ex Athenaeo lib. 1â— cap. 3. Antiquitar lib. 10. cap. 5. of the Kings of Persia Josephus relates the storie thus Nehemiah meeting certaine strangers entring the gates of the Citie Shushan perceiving them to have come a long journey and hearing them speaking one to another in the Hebrew tongue he demanded of them whence they came they answering that they came out of Judea he puts a two-fold question unto them one how it stood with the people of the Jewes that were returned out of the captivitie and then in the province of Judea the other what the condition of Jerusalem And in the former words of the Text they give answer to both and it was a sad answer for the Jewes that came out of the captivitie they are in a very miserable condition in great affliction and reproach under many hard pressures full of scorne and contempt and for Jerusalem it remaines still in its old ruines the wals continue broken downe the gates burnt with fire and if we shall adde to these the time Nehem. 1. 1. 2. â— when this report was made which will appeare by comparing the first verse of this Chapter with the first of the second to have been in the twentieth yeare of Artaxerxes the King we have as I conceive the summe of that which the former verse holds out In the latter you may see how this sad report affected Nehemiah it put him also into a sad condition when he heard how it was with the people how with Jerusalem he wept and mourned and it was not a little suddain melancholick fit for a time but it held out certain dayes and to shew that this mourning of his was reall did really affect him that it came indeed from bowels of pitie and compassion towards the people and the citie it put him upon those meanes that if any would minister reliefe to the citie and people and make way for their freedome from former pressures and expedite the repaire of present ruines And these are two he fasted and he prayed and in the latter you may consider unto whom he prayes to the God of heaven if you looke to the last verse of this Chapter you shall finde Nehemiahs maine request was to the King that he might finde favour in his sight his suit was to a man on earth so he calleth him in that verse this man yet he goes to heaven for the obtaining of it as knowing it would little availe him to goe unto the King unlesse he went first unto God to move the Kings heart he had small hope that his petition could speed with man which had not first been presented unto God Here is ground you see for varietie of observations I shall doe as you use when you goe to a shop furnished with choice of severall wares you will not take all that may be had but only such as best fit your occasions So shall I by Gods assistance out of this varietie observable from the Text endeavour to single out what I conceive will best suit with our present times and somewhat further the duties of this day Observ 1. Jer. â—9 10 11. You shall heare the Lord before the Captivitie making a gratious promise by the Prophet Jeremiah unto the people of the Jewes when 70 yeares are accomplished at Babylon I will visit you and performe my good word towards you in causing you to return to this place for I know the thoughts that I think towards you saith the Lord thoughts of peace and not of evill to give you an expected end Here was a pretious Promise made before they knew the miserie that should make them stand in need of such a Promise And the Lord began to make this good when in the first yeere of Cyrus according to that Promise the Lord stirred up the Ezra 1â— 2 â— spirit of Cyrus by Proclamation to grant free liberty unto all the people to goe up unto Jerusalem and to build the Temple And if ver 5. you goe to verse the fifth you shall see how fairely the work proceeded The Lord stirred up also the spirits of the chiefe of the fathers of Judah and Benjamin and the Priests and the Levites with all them whose spirit God had raised to goe up to build the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem And yet many yeares after as you shall heare in the following passages comes this sad report to Nehemiah
such as are not willing to appeare openly in the cause of God when they may doe good will never heartily pray in private for the Churches good Secondly it is an easie help he that can do nothing else may pray the French have a Proverb He that hath no money in his purse let him have honey in his mouth if you have not abilitie estates enabling you to contribute or lend towards the maintainance of an Armie you may yet contribute your Prayers and lay out these for the Lords blessing upon the Armie you shall heare some of the meaner rank say were we in such a condition had we such an estate as these and these men have we would doe this and that which these and other rich men doe not take heed we have deceitfull hearts I would have you try them by this what doe you in that condition wherein you are even in this of Prayer Doe you herein what you can are you often on your knees earnest with God to pardon the sins of the land that his cause may prosper that the expectation of the Churches enemies may be disappointed that the Lord would give hearts unto all those to whom he hath given abilities to lay out their utmost for the furtherance of Gods worke certainly if ye be wanting in this let me tell you had you greater estates you would not do much I cannot thinke that he which will not use his tongue will to any purpose use his hands or purse Thirdly it is a lasting helpe thy strength thine estate may faile thou maist be many wayes disabled from yeelding that helpe in other wayes which thou desirest nothing can disable thee from this whilst thou hast an heart thou maist pray Lastly in what place soever you are you may by your Prayers â— Tim. 〈◊〉 8. Ephes 6 18. helpe the Church I will that men pray every where said the Apostle those Christians which have put upon them that piece of Armour Prayer may use it in their beds in their chambers in their shops in their privatest closets in a word that souldier which fights for the Church with his Prayers and all may be such where ever he is he still keeps file cannot in any place be out of his rank Well then seeing Prayer is of such excellent use and that whereby every one may help the Church let me speake to all of this as in Isai 65. 8. the Prophet one once did of that Cluster Destroy it not for there is a blessing in it O destroy not your Prayers by not using them aright it is a Cluster from whence may be pressed many sweet and comfortable blessings take we heed then lest by our not using them as we should they prove uselesse to us and to the Churches cause for which we use them the poorest and meanest amongst you may be instruments by this of great mercies to the people of God and to your own soules be carefull then what ever you doe not to destroy your prayers by your ill usage of them to helpe you herein give me leave to prescribe some few short and plain directions for the right use of Prayer and for your better improvement of this so excellent an helpe to the best advancement of the cause of God First Prayer that would prevaile with God must goe up with an humble and sorrowfull confession of sins and well grounded resolution to forsake them for certainly he that prayes to day and returnes to his former sins to morrow unprayes his prayers and they which fast and confesse their sins to day and fall to the practise of them to morrow though they may seeme to fast unto God to day yet indeed they feast the devill to morrow the Lord looketh for at our hands not alone the words of prayer but as I may call them the works of prayer and though on this day We may cause Isai 58. 4. our voice to be heard on high yet not casting off our iniquities our works of sin will outcry our words of prayer Let every one then I beseech you search into his owne soul and find out the sins â—e stands guiltie of and whenever he goes to prayer to preface unto his soule with that of the Psalmist If I regard iniquitie in my Psal 66. 18. heart the Lord will not heare me and not forget that of the Apostle I will that men pray every where lifting up pure hands for 1 Tim. 2. 8. Isai 1. 15. undoubtedly If God see impuritie in our hands we shall find little prevalencie in our prayers Prayer must goe up with fervencie heat and ardencie of affection Let my prayer come before thee as incense said the Psalmist and Psal 141. â— this never went up without fire you know who said it and upon what occasion The effectuall fervent prayer of a righteous man James 5. 1â— availeth much effectuall and fervent joyned to teach us that our prayers the more fervent they are are alwayes the more effectuall the Geneva reads The prayer of a righteous man availeth much if it be fervent the more fervencie the more prevalencie in our prayers The souldiers of this Citie are commended for good fire-men that there be powder and shot in their muskets will doe no execution unlesse they give fire well O that we which are this day fighting with our prayers would labour for this fervencie in our prayers if they be nothing else but words they are but as the powder and shot in a Pistoll let there be no fire no fervencie of spirit they will never go off so as either to reach Heaven or the Churches enemies of all the foure Elements that of fire is neerest Heaven the more fire in any thing the higher it ascends heaven-ward cold sluggish prayers have so much earth in them that like the Grashopper if they mount a little upward they are presently downe again fall short of Heaven of all warlike engines your Grant does and fire-works are most deadly of all prayers those that have most fire most fervencie are most killing A third requisite in Prayer is Constancie and Perseverance not easily upon the Lords delay or seeming deniall beat off importunitie which is often offensive to man is alwaies pleasing to God commended Luk. 11. 5 8. 18. 1 5. it was by Christ in those two Parables of the friend at midnight and the widow with the unjust Judge We may not say of our approaches to God as Salomon of our neighbour withdraw Prov. 25. 17. thy foot from thy neighbours house or as in the Margent Let thy foot be seldome in thy neighbours house lest he be wearie of thee and hate thee no the oftener with God in his house in our own houses the more welcome the Lord will not say here is an unreasonable man and woman I can never be rid of them never at rest for them they are still following me praying and crying and seeking with every day a new suit
lookt to God to Religion too much unto other things What 's the common voice had we the Court amongst us our full Parliament our usuall termes how would all professions begainers our former trading goe forward and profits come in I must in this leave every one to the scrutinie of his owne heart and to that God who is the searcher of all hearts he knoweth in this what our desires are and at what we look in our desires certainely had the Lord and his cause more realitie in our hearts we should finde more interest in the heart of our King Vse 3 Must we goe to God for all favour that we would have from our King such indeed as will bring comfort with it and that because the Kings heart is in Gods hand let us not seeke to take it thence by any indirect or unwarrantable way let us be sure that what is given us by our King is given in Gods way and by such meanes as we know the Lord will owne let us not desire that favour from our King which we cannot truly say we received from Gods hand and which we know cannot stand with Gods honour to give Let then I beseech you in the Name of our God whom this concernes be carefull That no Propositions for Peace be tendered to our King but such as first in your serious thoughts Isai 9. 6. have beene presented to Christ the Prince of Peace finde out first the minde of Christ before your minds made known to the King for undoubtedly there can be no comfortable assurance of establishing that peace on earth which hath not also its sanction in Heaven We are all for Peace we daily pray for it our Armies fight for it yet not for Peace upon any termes not a Peace dishonourable to God but for such a peace as may best further and keepe our peace with God and I doubt not but the desires of all our worthy Patriots soules are for this And here give me leave to minde you Plutarch Pyrrhus of Appius Claudius his carriage in the Treatie for Peace betwixt Pyrrhus and the Romanes Pyrrhus fought three battles against the Romanes in the two first he got the victorie but with such great losse of his men in both that it was said of him for the first he might gloriari non gaudere brag of his victorie not rejoyce for the second himselfe was heard to say that if he got such another victorie he was undone after the first Overtures were made by Cineâ—â— Pyrrhus his Ambassadour in the Senate for Peace and many were apt to incline unto it as disheartened by Pyrrhus his late victorie and feare of a speedie second attempt whereof Appius Claudius having notice being blind very aged and who had devoted himselfe wholly unto privacie yet the noise of peace with Pyrrhus so wrought with him as he caused himselfe to be carried in his Couch unto the Senate house and presently breakes out Worthy and noble Patriots and Senatours of Rome I have hitherto with some griefe indured the losse of my sight but now that I heare your consultations and inclinations to decree a Peace so unworthy and dishonourable to the glorie and renowne of this Citie of Rome with Pyrrhus your professed enemie it now most troubles me that I am only blind and not also deafe that mine eares might not heare so great an infamie and reproch to Rome I know unto whom in this I speake I shall leave the application to their own thoughts Vse 4 Lastly will not the Lord be pleased to give us the favour of our King in a lawfull and warrantable way cannot we yet obtaine that from him which we may with confidence and comfort say the Lord hath given let this be the supporting cordiall of Gods people that though they cannot have the Kings heart yet God hath it in his hand and why should we seeke to take it out of the Lords hand otherwise then he will give it can it be any where better hath any more wisdome then God to guide and steere it can it be with any that beares more truth and tendernesse of affection to the Church then God doth shall it not satisfie that there is not a thought in the heart of any King but what is disposed of by the Lord doth not that of Salomon hold true even of Kings The preparations of the heart of man and the answer Prov. 16. 1. of the tongue is from the Lord as also that in a following Chapter There are many devices in a mans heart neverthelesse 1â— 21. the counsell of the Lord that shall stand assuredly we may say of all the Kings on earth as Balaam once of himselfe they cannot doe either good or bad of their owne mind Numb 24. 1â— but what the Lord puts into their hearts and hands It will give us a great deale of satisfaction when we heare of a powerfull man one that may doe us much hurt and that wee know beareth us no great good will yet wee are assured that we have a fast friend which hath his heart and hands in his power and can turne and winde it as wee say at his pleasure and we are confident that he neither will nor can doe any thing against us but what our trustie faithfull friend will give way unto This is the Churches condition and in this its happinesse and may keep up the spirits of Gods people that how ever sonnes of Belial and of violence have had and still keep our Kings person and it may be sometimes obtaine his hand yet God still keeps his heart in the power of his hands to dispose of it as his love and wisdome seeth expedient and there let us be content it may rest till the Lord is pleased in his owne way and his owne time to give it unto the prayers of his people and those other meanes which the Lord shall please to owne and further I dare lead you no farther then to the Throne of Grace to crave a Blessing upon what the Lord hath given you attention and patience to heare and unto my weaknesse strength to deliver Amen FINIS Errata DEdication page line 11. read jussu vestro page 7. li. 10 in the margent put Vse 1. p. 8. li. 2. read mâ—rior p. 11. marg r alii p ibid. after Ezra 3. 8. in marg Chap. â— 15. pa. 19. l. 13. r. May-pole p. 2â— l. 4. r. coynes ibid. marg Psal 59. 7. p. 32. l. 25. r. abilitie p. 34. l. 13 17 24. r. Benjamin pa. 38. l. 12. r. I beseech you then