troubles without seeking to God by Prayer and that for these three reasons 1. All Israels troubles come from God no commotions in States no combustions in Church or Common-wealth but God hath an all-ruling and all-ordering hand in them There is no evill in the City in the Kingdome which the Lord hath not done whether it come from enemies abroad Ashur is the rod of Gods anger orfrom bad governors at home God sometimes Gives a King in his wrath to be a scourge to a people or come it from the rebellions of people The Lord raised up evill against David out of his owne house The Lord stirred up adversaries against Solomon The Lord rent the Kingdome from Reboboam The Lord sent an evill spirit betweene Abimelech and the men of Shechem The Lord bringeth people low through oppression c. Men and devils may have their wicked heads and hands in nationall troubles but God hath a just hand in them all therefore by what meanes soever nationall stormes doe rise in a Kingdom we should looke above instrumentall causes and say with the Mariners in Jonah Thou Lord hast done as it pleased thee Secondly As God hath a hand in bringing upon Israel all his troubles So God onely can remove them and therefore it is necessary to pray with the Psalmist here Deliver Israel O God In vaine is Salvation hoped for from the hills and you know great men are called hils and mountaines In Jehovah our God is the Salvation of Israel saith the Prophet If there bee a Nationall storme raised it will not downe untill the Lord say unto it Peace and be still if there be Nationall rents and divisions in Church and State it is the Lord onely that can cure these wounds and make up these breaches If a watch bee taken asunder and every part unpinde it must be the skill and hand of the maker of it to set it together againe one Scripture saith that he that turneth the Rivers of waters turneth the hearts of Kings Another Text saith he that stilleth the rage of the Seas quieteth the fury of the people If the sword be unsheathed it is the Lord onely that can command it up there is a full place to this purpose in the Prophesies of Jeremiah O thou Sword of the Lord how long will it beere thou be quiet Put up thy selfe into thy scabbard rest and be still this is Vox populi the voyce of the people but in the next verse followeth Vox Dei the voyce of God How can it be quiet seeing the Lord hath given it a charge against Askelon and against the Sea shore there hath he appointed it Every judgement commeth from God with a commission and charge what to doe and how farre to goe untill wee can prevaile with God to call in his Commission there is no possibility of staying the judgement Vaine is the helpe of man Trust not in Princes there is no helpe in them nor in Parliaments there is no helpe in them neither all the consultations and endeavours of the greatest and wisest and holiest men in the world cannot remove one Nationall trouble from Israel unlesse the Lord put to his hand and that God will not doe unlesse wee be earnest with him in Prayer in that behalfe and that is the third Reason why wee should pray for the removall of Israels troubles Because as God onely can remove Nationall troubles So prayer onely can prevaile with God to doe it Prayer is that which will bring all Gods promises into performances God hath made many sweet promises but all his promises are made to our prayers Aske and yee shall have and saith the Lord I will for this be inquired of by the house of Israel to doe it for them Prayer is the key to unlocke all the Treasury of Heaven there is not a blesting there but prayer will fetch it downe God hath in a manner bound himselfe to Prayer hee who ruleth the world and hath the hearts of all men in his hands suffereth himselfe to be as it were over-ruled by Prayer Prayer can knocke downe enemies When Moses held up his hands Israel prevailed Prayer can undermine all the plots of mischievous men and blast all their designes It was Prayer that choaked Achitophell Lord turne the wisedome of Achitophell to foolishnesse saith David It was Prayer that advanced Haman to the gallowes Hester and Mordecai and the Jewes fasted and prayed and they prayed Haman to death and all his plots to shame and ruine Therefore if we would have our Israel freed from troubles we must seeke to God in behalfe of Israel Deliver Israel O God Vse 3 Now from this Doctrine we may be informed which is the right way to remedy our present troubles in Church and State it is to strive with God and be earnest with him to helpe and amend all use other meanes we must but without this all other meanes will be inavaileable nothing can helpe Israel so long as the children of Israel bee loud in their sinnes and silent in their prayers when Christ is asleepe in the ship it is not the tumbling and tossing of the ship nor the roaring of the winds Sea nor the noyse of the Mariners handling their tacklings that can awake him but only the prayers of the Disciples Lord Save us wee perish And hence we are also informed who are like to be the best helpers of Israel at a pinch the best friendes to Church and Common-wealth when they are in distresse namely such as have acquaintance with God and can prevaile in Heaven the praying generation are the wonder-workers of the world the true Chariots of Israel and horsemen thereof Vse 2 Therefore beloved suffer the words of Exhortation if ye desire to be instrumentall to the publique good pray pray pray your consultations will doe no good without prayer your Fortifications no good without prayer your ammunition no good without Prayer your contributions no good without you give prayers with them and send prayers after them Prayer must remedy all and hold up all and therefore it is needfull we should hold up Prayer The few Prayers that have been made in the Land have prevailed hitherto with God to spare us that we are yet a Nation O let us venture still in this ship which brings home such returnes let us give God no rest till he make our Ierusalem the praise of the earth let us beset the Throne of Grace with much earnestnesse and much importunity the season requires it and the present state of things calls for it delay will be dangerous ye know if fire be begun in a house a few buckets of water brought in time may quench it if time be delayed a thousand times so much water will doe no good If we will not now for the allaying of Israels troubles part with prayers hereafter we may offer to redeeme Israels safety with teares and blood and yet not
with Princes suggesting that it is a disturber of the common peace a troubler of states It was so in Saint Paules time he was indeed a man of peace and prayeth in all his Epistles for all the Churches Peace be unto you and wisheth that they were even cut off that trouble them and cause divisions and rents among them and for the Civill state he every where presseth obedience to Kings and all in Authority yet he is traduced as a state-troubler and a raiser of sedition among the people So Christ himselfe is accused to be an enemie to Caesar as if his Kingdome and Caesars could not stand together So Jeremie a man of that publique spirit that he melted himselfe into teares for the common cause yet he is accused to be a conspirator against the State It was so with David though he had ventured his life for the common safety in that combate with Goliah yet Sauls flatterers present him to Saul as a man disaffected to the weale publique It was so with Elias a man who was indeed the chariots of Israel and the horsemen thereof yet he is charged to his face by Ahab to be the troubler of Israel It seemes it is the genius of Religion to be thus scandalized in all ages but the truth is Religious men are the best Common-wealthsmen as this Doctrine hath proved and best friends to the Church and state wherein they live the very supporters and holders up of Kingdomes they who are not onely peaceable in the Land but peace-makers and peace-procurers from the God of Peace and yet as leud people beget bastards and then lay them at other mens doores so the incendiaries of the world who like the Sea cannot be quiet but are enemies unto peace raise commotions and combustions in states and then lay the fault on them who least deserve it It was so in Hamans time he was the great kindle-coale himselfe and yet see how he accused the poore people of the Jewes who lived quietly There are a rebellious people amongst us saith he who will not obey the Kings Lawes and it is not for the Kings profit to suffer them No doubt it did exceedingly grieve Mordecai and the rest of the Jewes to lie under such an aspersion but God found a time and meanes to cleare their innocencie and to discover the grand troubler and peace-breaker as the story showes And so God will in his good time finde out all Church and statetroublers who stand in the gappe indeed but in a bad sense to keepe it from closing and to make the breach wider It was said of some of the Counsellers of Aurelian that by them the good and honest Emperour who might know nothing but what they pleased to informe him was even bought and sold So many good Princes well inclined by their owne naturall dispositions are often infinitely abused by false suggestions and many times learne at last by sad experience who be their true friends and who their enemies in the meane time all that are true-hearted Israelites must commit their cause to God and labour not by words onely but by deeds to convince the slanders of their adversaries That it is possible for some men to carry foule hearts under painted habits and pretend Religion and intend rebellion none will deny but Religion hath no principles of sedition or rebellion in it but all that are taught of God are alwayes friends to the publique good that which runnes most in their mindes is the welfare of Israel Vse 2 In the second place this Doctrine may reprove diverse sorts of men First Those base and unworthy spirits who as if they were borne onely for themselves live onely to themselves make onely themselves the center of all their aimes and actions have no publique thoughts publique endeavours seeke not at all the publique welfare but the feathering of their owne private nests is their utmost end some there are who minde not the publique cause at all they care not what dammage come to the weale publique so they may sucke to themselves thereby some private advantage nay some care not though whole Kingdomes be set on fire so they may warme themselves by the flames thereof Secondly those also are to be reproved who though they be not actors in the common hurt yet are abettors or at least not opposers How many men in place and authority have thereby opportunity to stop much evill and to doe much good for the common cause if they had hearts but they have no courage for the truth as the Prophet speakes men can appeare for themselves and appeare for their friends but not for God or for the publique cause O that men would beleeve that neutrality in this case is all one with opposition Curse ye Meroz curse the Inhabitants thereof because they come not forth to helpe silence is not alwayes consent but when we ought to speake it is when God sets a man in place and gives ability and offers him opportunity to show himselfe in a good cause then and there for a man to doe nothing is to doe evill and to make himselfe guilty of all the hurt that possibly might have been prevented if hee had done what was in his power to doe This may be applyed to every one whom God hath called to any publique imployment and given opportunity unto to doe any publique service if ye doe not for the Church for the Common-wealth what ye may doe ye betray it and what ever hurt the troublers of Israel doe whom ye have not to your power opposed will be set upon your score Thirdly This reproofe may yet be brought downe lower even to men of private condition wee heard that even such ought to have publique spirits and not minde onely their owne things but the publique cause But how many among us even in these stormie and tumultuous times when the whole ship of Church and State is in danger to be drowned how many of us like Jonah are asleepe still and minde nothing lay nothing to heart put to no hand to helpe the common cause Alas ye will say we stand low what can we doe I tell you every one of you may and ought to doe something for the common cause as the Master of the ship said to Jonah what meanest thou O sleeper arise call upon thy God that we perish not We are all busie and is this a time for thee to sleepe doe something to helpe if thou canst not sit at the sterne nor handle the ropes and tacklings nor mannage the Oares yet thou mayest pray at least call upon thy God that we perish not What a sad thing is it to consider that though the dangers of Church and State are at this time so great that the greatest wisedome in the Kingdome knowes not where to begin to set about the cure yet how few lay any thing to heart How few mourners are there in Jerusalem for all the abominations
have hearts to pray for Israel we may by writing after these Copies learne the Art how to doe it in a manner acceptable to God and comfortable to our owne soules and advantagious to the common cause which we intercede for And thus I have done also with the second thing observed in the Text the meane used to procune Israels good and welfare viz. Prayer Deliver Israel O God I should now come to the third generall of the Text the mercy prayed for in behalfe of Israel Deliverance from troubles from many troubles and hence we may observe that Doctr. 3 3. Observ. The Israel of God Churches and States professing true Religion may be molested with troubles with many troubles This is no new thing as were easie to shew as also the reasons of it but time will not suffer I will here onely acquaint you with some of the troublers of Israel that ye may take heed that none of you be of that number and that ye may the better know how to direct your Prayers to God for Israels reliefe I passe over here the troublers of Israel from without and will onely touch upon such as may harbour within Israels bosome First Evill Magistrates are troublers of Israel the Scripture saith so My Father hath troubled Israel saith Jonathan 1 Sam. 14. 29. Thou art he that troubleth Israel saith Elias to Ahab 1 King 18. 18. If the pillars of Church and Common-weale bee out of frame the foundations out of course if the great wheeles which move all goe wrong if Authority discountenance Religion violate Lawes if injustice and oppression be in the seate of Judgement this must needs trouble Israel That must needs be a miserable State where wickednesse is got into high places and the waters are troubled and mudded at the Fountaine-head when there is no helpe to be got by appeale but the higher a man goes the worse it is as the Prophet Jeremy complaines that it was in his time hee could not finde a man in Place and Authority who executed judgement a hard case he found the inferiour ranke nought and hee saith I will get me to the great men and he findes them worst of all Jer. 5. 1. 4. 5. Therefore when ye pray for the reliefe of Israels troubles pray that God would make Kings nursing Fathers and Queenes nursing Mothers unto his Church pray that God would restore our Judges as at the first and our Counsellers as at the beginning pray that judgement may runne downe as waters and Righteousnesse as a mighty streame that Justice may bee executed for so long as Agags are spared Jonasses not throwne over boord Achans not brought forth and stoned Israel must looke for troubles Secondly As evill Magistrates so evill Ministers are troublers of Israel Church-men may be State-troublers I need not tell you that the world sees it how some men who say they are in holy Orders may have a great hand in putting all things out of Order I will not inlarge my selfe in this complaint it is in all your mouthes my part is as my Text guides me to put you in minde to turne this complaint into a Prayer that God would purge the Sonnes of Levi that from the Prophets of Jerusalem profanenesse may no longer goe forth over all the Land that they who should be studying to save Soules may not busie themselves about troubling States and Kingdomes Pray that God would send forth faithfull Labourers into his Harvest and provide a burning and shining Light for every Candlesticke of this Land if the Gospell of Peace were well Preached throughout the Kingdome it would be a singular meanes to settle and maintaine the Peace of the Gospell Thirdly I must yet further put you in minde of other troublers of Israel the Pope and his adherents all Jesuited papists and their abetters are arch Church-troublers and State-troublers and ever were And so long as these Canaanites live among us and hold up their heads let us never looke for peace Is it peace Jehu saith Joram the answer is What peace So long as Idolatrie is countenanced in Israel Have we not found by experience this Antichristian and Babylonish sect to be alwayes enemies unto Peace and fomenters of division betweene King and people Kingdome and Kingdome What a sad thing is it to thinke that this generation of Vipers which have so often stung us should yet be nourished in our bosomes shall they lodge there till they eate out our hearts Sic notus Vlysses Will we beleeve nothing untill their knives be at our throates and their swords in our bowels pardon my zeale in this behalfe it is the cause of God and the common cause I would they were cut off that trouble you saith Paul and yet he was no uncharitable man Mercy to them is cruelty to the whole Kingdome it hath proved so hitherto Yee know what a fire this generation of men have now kindled in Ireland they are blowing the coales here and God knowes how soone the flame may breake out I heare sometimes in this City some men cry out vehemently against Puritans puritans what monsters they are and some amongst us say they had rather side with Papists than Puritans I beseech you let mee speake freely I am not yet learned enough to interpret the meaning of that word Puritan I know that with that staffe the prophane world beates all that are better than themselves I would be loth to countenance the intemperancies and wilde courses of a froward Generation amongst us who shame the Religion they pretend unto of whom more presently but yet I would desire that reasonable men would consider whether partie they had rather trust their throates with if it should come to that the Papists or the Puritans and whether partie hath been greater plotters against States and Kingdomes Fourthly I doe not yet deny but that there are troublers of Israel on that other hand also such as professe a strict way of Religion yet walke not according to the Rules of Religion some despise Authority contemne Lawes disturbe common Order runne out of ranke Some in these daies usurpe upon the Office of the Ministery uncalled to the great offence of Authoritie and hinderance of the Reformation in hand Some usurpe upon the Office of the Magistrate who being private men take upon them to be publique Reformers not knowing of what spirit they are nor considering in what Station God hath set them Doubtlesse many things are amisse in Church and Common-weale and it becomes every one to the utmost of his power to promote the desired Reformation but in a right way and due Order every one must consider not only what is fit to be done but what is fit for him or one in his place to doe lest instead of making up of the breach we prove makers of breaches as it fell out in the case of Vzzab Fifthly I must also bring into this Catalogue of troublers of Israel the