a good Christian He is an unsufferable subject that pretends the fear of God and fears not the King He is a Demi-Chtistian who vaunts how he honors the King while the fear of God is not before his eyes But let us look into this Ark and we shall find Manna laid up in it good advice for after ages That enjoyned is Fear God Who should I fear if not God But what is he and what must I go do God is a Spirit uncreate eternal a parte post so are we a parte ante so none but he for God is never to have an ending nor ever had a beginning And this Eternity à parte ante is it that no humane reason can fathom Lord where Reason fails give me faith to believe and that it is an eternal God Creator of Heaven and Earth that I must fear And have I not just cause to fear him whom so oft I have offended But this Scripture hints not at fear of punishment but such a fear as love leads on to the keeping Gods Commandments He hath the true fear of God in him that fears to break the Commandments He that says he fears God and casts his word behinde him doth not so much deceive the World as the Devil deceives him When I square my life by Gods Law then I keep this command a prophane person then hath no fear of God in him and if to be guided by Gods Word picture out this party such then who pervert the Word of God to their own damnation how dwelleth the fear of God in them I have cast my eye up let me now look down and look at a debt I owe as to God so to the King Religion obliges me to fear God the Law the King The Law Moral as my common Parent the Law Municipal as my Lord and Soveraign truth is he is a loose fellow will not be bound up to the Law The King is set over by God for is it not said By me Kings do reign Prov. 8. and since of his setting up none but a Devil will pull them down Obedience and reverence is due to the Prince and the want of each assert the breach of this charge Let no man separate assunder those whom God hath joyned together Yet let me set a vast distance betwixt fear and fear my Spiritual fear I reserve for God a Civil for my Soveraign There is an awful reverence due to the one as my Creator I owe reverence to the other for that set far above every sublunary Creature Love is the fulfilling of Gods Law and a filial fear leads on to the completion of the Kings commands As he that fears not the King the fear of God is not in him so he fears not the King who fears not to break his Laws Know it and for an assured truth That when the King in his vertual Capacity is contemned his personal Capacity stands in need of a guard And therefore either fear to break the Kings Law or else it is to be feared thou wilt attempt to wrong the Kings Person Experience is a witness to this Thesis and proclaims How haters of the Law have turned murtherers of their Soveraign Lord the King These deserve pity for they hate reproof while had rather dye in their sin then be told of their sin Let us resolve To fear God and the King let us shew our fear to him by our fear to stray from his wholesome Laws Laws able to keep you in possession of your own in peace one with another Thus you shall preserve the bond of peace in the unity of the Spirit live as Christian Brethren and dye true loyal Subjects To conclude where there is no fear of God there is a want of the grace of God But that you all may possess Grace and Peace Grace which assures you have Peace with God Peace which witnesses you are in high grace with the King Fear God for love and love the King for the fear of God And that thy fear may not interfear thy charge is Fear God and the King SIONS SAD COMPLAINT Isa 36. part of verse 13. O Lord our God other Lords besides thee have ruled us THis is a mixt Song sung in the tune Lachrymae sung in the Cliff Gaudete The people of God call d to minde their Babylonian Bondage and tears stand in their eyes They are brought back from Babylon and now with their sad thoughts are intermixed mirth and merriness The parallel of these Jews is the River Alphaltes in whose channel run salt and fresh waters How can it but grieve to think of their long and late Captivity How does it solace to enjoy their lost liberty that so long sufferers exhausts tears that sufferers are become conquerers For this cause rejoyce and again I say Rejoyce That other Lords have bore rule this flats our joy That they have but do not revives our drooping spirits Let us look behinde before at what past at what present at our late banishment miraculous restorement These duplicated thoughts extract mixt passions joy and sorrow hope and fear We grieve when we remember what past joy for that our griefs are past Those other Lords put us in fear O Lord our God thou puts us in good hopes And thus fear and hope sorrow and joy are here housed Of this I rest assured while this I hear read O Lord our God other Lords besides thee have ruled us These Israelites are not grieved that God hath punished but complains of that body of sin which provoked the Lord to punish They quarrel not at the stone they look at the thrower and takes all well as it comes from God yet think meaner of themselves for that O Lord our God other Lords besides thee have ruled them Them and us they led the round we hold out the dance Their Thraldom was long since ours scarce got from our doors The Jews were Captives in a forreign Land we made slaves at home a mighty King conquered them the off-scum of our Kingdom tyrannized over us Worshippers of Idols inslaved the Israelites Pretenders to God and Godliness plauged our Church and Nation When Religion must cloak faction that is the height of Rebellion and the Church then sadly suffers when her new Gospellers abhor Idols yet commit Sacriledge What can adde more to misery then to have the Law of God and the King trod undersfoot When the Kings Laws suffer an Eclipse the Kings Crown is under a cloud when the Preachers of the Gospel are turned out of their pulpits they are not far off who mean to rob them of their benifices We have experienced the merciless mercy of these Egyptian Taskmasters who caused us to make our stint of brick and seek our stubble live like men and miraculously get our maintenance O if we could have over-ruled our selves others should not have ruled us our sins led us into bondage it is of the Lords doings to redeem us Hadst thou not been the Lord thou couldst
sea of felicity The Israelites are carried into Babylon and the Babylonians are planted in the Land of Israel Gods own people at a loss and the Devils darlings bear all the sway Sad news for the Saints to see such in their possessions and they transplanted into a forreign Land and imprisoned But we must not judge them the best who prevail the most As sinners in the next world shall not escape Gods venngeance so Saints in this life oft times are sad sufferers yea and such sufferers as cannot sing a song of Sion while by the banks of Bybylon O! Mesery without Remedy is able to leave heart-less the best of Saints yet when my reason fails to foresee deliverance let my faith in God tow me to the firm land of his gracious promises Though I should see no hopes in my frail judgement of a settlement yet will I hope for peace for that thou the God of peace art become gracious unto thy land to it and us To us who wanted grace to serve thee gracious to us who were enemies to our selves The God of peace hath made our peace he will have peace with us who had open war with him His mercie is over all his works and our sinful works cannot over-master his mercy Of his own free grace he is reconciled with us our sins set us at odds Gods love to man made the composition what love owe we to him who so loved the world who loved man that loved not himself who shewed love to us to learn us to love one another When Heaven proclaims peace a shame it is for us earthy worms to live at odds let the grace of God lead on to have peace will all men and the more mercie the Lord shews to us the less debate let be found among us our selves But wherein O Lord art thou become gratious unto us If any want eyes and sees it not let him that hath ears hear it Was there ever such an universal devastation Threè Nations off the Hinges Givil and Ecclesiastical Government disjoynted The Heads of the Kirk and Kingdom made shorter by the head Pharaohs lean Kine devoured all the fat Peters Patrimony was but a breakfast The Kingly Revenue unable to pay the publique faith The Riches of the Land exhausted The Souldier unpaid and our lives and livelihood left to the indiscretion of an Arbitrary power When we were fallen into this irrepairable Consumption the Lord set us on foot again composed our differences without blood-shed made peace when no hopes of peace replanted thousands under their own vines Now we may live at home without fear enjoy our own without sequestration have the society of our Wives and young ones in despite of Pike and Pistol O God my God this is thy great work this we attempted but could not bring to pass This thou hast done and none else could do it To our endess comfort we may now report how Thou O Lord art become gracious to thy Land Thou hast restored the Kingdom to the King and the King to his Kingdoms the Nobles to their Honours and the Commons to their Birthright the Law is restored and the Gospel preserved and there is peace from Dan to Beersheba And now is not he ungrate who will not warble out this note O Lord thou art become gracious to thy Land If it had not been thine thou wouldst not redeemed it if thou hadst not been the Lord of Hosts no other L. General could have done it But what is thine who can keep from thee To think who thou art is able to blunt the edge of all opposers Blessed be God for that our Land is thine and thou hast owned it and that thou who art Lord of Heaven we hold our land here below on thee But by the Land is meant all in the Land The Brutes have found Gods favour they did groan under the pressure of a Civil War The War is ended and they at quiet now they may take their pastime in the pastures skipping over the Mountains and leaping over the Valleys Their Masters by a Metonymie may be here meant and by Land be understood the inhabitants of the land blessed not onely in their new Restorement but late punishment We had little grace till we had a large lash we had sinned much and have suffered long And as the Walnut-tree brings forth most fruit when most cudgel'd so that Sons of God are most penitent when most afflicted And thus our God is doing us good when we think harm he was never more gracious to his three Confessors then when they were in the furnace He casts us into the fire of affliction to make us run for current coyn in his Kingdom He brings us to Heaven by Hell-gates and first hacks and hues the bole of our bodies to make men serviceable timber to build up a living Altar His Cedars are fel'd and now made fit his metal melted and the gold resined The fuel is consumed but the Bullion forth coming our Tormentors taken away and we sufferers saved O our good God he whips his childe and burns his rod purges us and expunges our foes Blessed be our God who in mercy hath corrected us while in fury he hath consumed them them who had pulled down Majestie Magistracy Ministery They made our Kingdom an Akeldama a field of blood our Church a Den of thieves our Judicatures the High-places of high injustice But thou O Lord hast delivered us out of the Lyons paw from blood-thirsty and blood-guilty men who tyrannized over King and Kingdom Church and Church-men And for this cause we cannot but singing say and saying sing How O Lord thou hast been gracious to thy Land GODS MAGISTRATES THE Peoples Deliverers Psal 77.20 Thou didst lead thy people like sheep by the hand of Moses and Aaron THese words are spoke by David when sore afflicted what misfortune had befallen him I finde not upon record that shrewdly incumbred is without dispute But what a King and surrounded with sorrow and beset with care O! Majestie is not exempt from misery no more then the fairest day from a dark cloud and dashing shower But say the storm be raised and David in it How comes it to be becalmed When I think what God did for the three it puts me in hopes how he will relieve one I cannot but confide How my God will free his servant from the conspiracy of wicked men while I call to minde How thou my God didst lead thy people like sheep out of Egypt by the hand of Moses and Aaron Never people more made slaves forc't to work much and want their wages their task of brick is enreased and their stubble take from them they are ordered to spend all their days in Pharaohs Brick-kilns and yet while they do Pharaohs work Pharaoh murthers all their males Our Kingly Prophet in the midst of his pressures calls to minde this slavish oppression he grieved before takes up now had almost despaired of support but
that he calls to minde how in despite of Pharaoh and his Host from the House of Bondage it was thou O Lord who didst lead thy people like sheep by the hand of Moses and Aaron Gods Deliverance when past all hopes in Humane reason is a strong Rampire to keep off Despair Let us bear then with patience all our crosses since the Arm of the Lord is not shortned He saves by unities as well as universalities and one Moses and one Aaron is enough for him to lead his people out of Egypt But Magistracy and Ministery are under a cloud and yet the people like sheep are led by those the Lord hath set over them You see adversity of old could not make disloyal Subjects but prosperity of late hath buoyed up too many into Rebellion This is too apparent parent while all the people like sheep were led by the hand of Moses and Aaron But in our times Moses and Aaron have been led like sheep to the slaughter by the hand of the common people I shall not so much inveigh against our bloody Regicides as commend these loyal subjects though in a forreign Land and they all captivated yet the words import their obedience to their Superiors they are at the command of Moses their head Magistrate and Aaron their prime Diocesan Where Loyalty and Conformity is the Coat Deliverance by the Prince and Priest is the Cresh we shall stick in the mine till these bring us out of the dirt Know it That obedience to the Law of the Land and the Discipline of the Church assure deliverance We may suffer long and see small help yet let us live in Loyalty to the King and obedience to our Aaron and God will bless us There hath been no want on Gods part we want hearts seriously to consider what great things our great God hath brought to pass for the good of us by the hand of our Moses and our Aaron by the meekness of the one and wisdom of them both they have settled the Laity in their Lands and the Clergy in their Livings So that now to the praise of God and comfort of us and all ours we can say Though not out of the Land of Egypt yet out of the house of Bondage thou O Lord hast led thy people like sheep by the hand of Moses and Aaron It is thou O Lord nil desper andum Caesare duce Thou didst lead that 's our joy the work is done and we delivered But who are these the Lord delivered A people for plurality thine for propriety It is Gods good will to be guid to the people whilest led they are sure not to be misled For thy people thine by Creation thine by Redemption Redemption spiritual from the Power of the old man Redemption Corporal from the sons of Belial But thou O Lord hast led the people like sheep Israel of old Ireland of late like sheep Thou hast led us not to the slaughter but from the slaughter-house the High-Court of high-in-justice and many slain and yet we thy people were like sheep scarce opening our mouthes before the Shearers content to part with our fleece to save our flesh What is more innocent the sheep And what had we done against them that did rise up against us Thus O Lord thou hast called back the Captivity of a people as harmless as sheep for neither against our King nor Kingdom were we Offenders But it is here said O Lord how thou ledst thy people by the hand to point out the way not by the sword to cut out a way But this is done by hand of Moses and Aaron and blessed be those Counsellours to our King who when it was War have made Peace The worst of Enemies if they have the least of Grace will shake hands with this Moses and this Aaron The twain are said to have one hand to note an unanimity O happy is the Land when these go hand in hand the Prince and the Prelate Then is the best of times when Aaron bows to Moses his Scepter and Moses by Law upholds Aarons Mitre Though these be the Instruments God's the Author of our Deliverance Our help then stood in the Lord our God for thou didst lead us out and brought us in for our sin thou didst punish us and of thy mercy thou forgavest us we may blame our selves for our captivity It is to thee O Lord we give thanks for our liberty But thou who dwellest in Heaven made use of some choice servants upon earth to redeem us as the Israelites yet give thanks but to thy name be the praise Here must we after a thankful acknowledgement made to thee our God not neglect to honor those whom under thee O God thou hast honored to be our Church and State Restorers Blessed shall they be in the Kingdom of Heaven who under God and the King have been instrumental to set at freedom this Kingdom It is fawning flattery but Christian civility to bless them both who have the chief Government in this our Church and Kingdom whose hands and hearts these many years have been lifted up to God by prayer for us when others had made a prey of us whose grave counsels added to the wisdom of our young Solomon have brought to nought the Worldly wisdom of all Trayterous Achitophels Let us acquiesce under the pious Goverment of their Graces since no new custom but the old fashion thus to be governed and thus to govern for of old O Lord thou didst lead thy people like sheep by the hand of Moses and Aaron A home CHARGE for all Subjects Prov. 24.21 Fear God and the King THe Object of fear is God in Heaven The King on Earth God in the first place the King in the second I must so reverence God that I slight not his Vice-gerent and so observe my King that I forget not to be the servant of the living God Love advises To fear God Allegiance bindes to stand in aw of the King The one for that The Father of Spirits the other for that Pater Patriae the Father of the Countrey But let us look at these two conjunct severed Conjunct as if no fear of God in them that injure the King as if the Civil Governor be contemned our Celestial Commander is lightly set by Fear God And shew thy self religious Thy fear to offend the King witnesses thou art righteous The first Commandment involves our fearing God the fifth our fearing the King In the first Table it s the first thing which God takes care of To fear him In the second Table the first precept implicite To honor the King While you do no homage to the person of your Prince fear to offend him is far to seek But since God commands all and the King immediate Vice-gerent unto God This considered all are engaged to Fear God and the King This Precept is like the waters of Trial Numb 5. The water tryed whether that a pure Spouse this who is