tents and the people of God are encamped in the open fields what comfort can we have in our houses food or wives What though we are so farre from them in place The needle in the Compasse is never quiet till it pointeth to the North at a thousand times greater distance Affections touched with grace stand firme from one end of the World to the other Nehemiah's heart stood right towards Jerusalem when he was in Persia and though hee was not in an humbling Wildernesse but an alluring Pallace even in Shushan yet Jerusalem came into his minde For when Hanani and certaine men of Iudah came thither to him he asked them concerning his brethren that were left of the Captivity and concerning Ierusalem And when they told him of the great affliction and reproach he sate downe and wept and mourned many daies and fasted and prayed before the God of Heaven Neh. 1.1 2 3 c. Wherefore let that Word of the Lord sound often in our eares Ye that have escaped the Sword go away stand not still remember the Lord a farre off and let Ierusalem come into your minds Ier. 50.51 And though we have but a day or two wherein to joyne all our Forces in the Land together and to give the Adversaries a broad side Yet let us now and then make excursions by our selves in private now that the Lord cals for help against the Mighty Are we not all the Voluntarie of IESUS whose People shall be willing in the day of his power neither is there any restraint unto the Lord to save by many or by few by whole Churches or by single persons Let us therefore be often adventuring by our selves like Ionathan and his Armour-bearer against the Philistims If ever we afflicted our soules let it be in these daies for we may partly understand by Bookes the number of the yeares which God will accomplish in the desolations of Ierusalem So that we set our faces unto the Lord God to seek by Prayer and Supplications with Fasting Sack cloth and Ashes There is at this time a great battell between Michael and the Dragon and the Angels The Beast and the Kings of the earth and their Armies have gathered themselves together to make warre with the Lambe All the Principalities and Powers and Rulers of the Darknesse of the World and Spirituall wickednesses in High places are up in Armes this day and there is scarce a Devill left behind in Hell If ever therefore now Let us quit our selves like men the weapons of our Warre-fare are not Carnall but mighty through God Let us pray against them as Moses against Amalek and Preach against them as the Priests under the Law when the Host went out against the Enemy and sing against them as Iehosophat and the men of Iudah did against Moah Ammon and Edom and live against them as it is written When the Host goeth forth against the Enemy then keepe thee from every wicked thing Deut. 23.9 Every Ordinance of God is a deadly murtherer O let us walke and sleep in our Armour and never be unfurnished of promises touching the confusion of Babel and her builders Let the cause of God affect us deeply and the people and Cities of our God be alwaies in our eyes And let the desolations of Christendome awaken us to frequent Prayers and constant sympathy and the bloud of Gods people particularly in Ireland be to us as the bloud of Grapes and Mulberies are to Elephants to provoke them to fight Oh those incarnate Irish Devils let them be often in our sight Their blasphemies their burnings their robberies their rapes their rostings their strippings rippings hangings drownings dis-membrings butcheries the very shambles of the Devil erected in Ireland would be alwaies in our eyes and eares And yet when we have done all let us referre the issue to the Almighty saying Let the Lord do what seemeth him good The last thing is their resigning up their wills into the hands of GOD whereof a few words and I end Ioab is not wanting in the use of all meanes to obtaine victory yet lookes above them and refers the issue to the Lord of Hosts teaching us Doctrine To neglect no meanes of Victorie yet to depend upon the Lord onely for a gracious issue For there is no trusting in our bows or swords it is the Lord that saveth us from our enemies It is not the race to the swift for then Ioab knew that his brother Asael had not dyed by the hand of Abner Neither is it the battel to the strong for then he knew that Goliah should never have fallen by the hand of David The Horse is prepared against the day of Battell but victory is of the Lord. Vsc First Let this teach us to seeke the Lord that none of this may ever rest upon the arme of flesh nor number the people as once David did Hee had a Catalogue of all the mighty men 2 Sam. 23. and now too he will have a list of all the Souldiers in his Kingdome 2 Sam. 24. He Idolized the carnall strength of Israel and remembred not the Word of the Lord which said When thou takest the summe of the children of Israel after their number then they shall give every man a ransome for his soule unto the Lord that there bee no plague among them when thou numbrest them Exod. 30.12 Let us remember England in this particular It lyeth under great temptations to this kind of Idolatry The Union of the two Nations two Houses all or most of the Shires by Petitioning for Reformation the setling of the Warrefare of the Kingdome at Sea and Land the mervellous wisdome and undaunted resolution of Parliament their successe in many matters the eyes of many on them and the applause that is given them besides whatsoever other temptations and armes of flesh may soone solicite the hearts even of the godly much more of others to carnall confidence that they may never lift up their eyes unto the hilles from whence commeth their helpe Sisera Midian Goliah Senacherib Zerah fall by their carnall props when Barak Gedeon David Jonathan and Asa resting upon the Lord in the use of small meanes returne victorious Two dayes weeping fasting was little enough for the eleven Tribes to gaine the day of Benjamin O let not Gods people rest in Councell Number Courage Ammunition but in the Lord of Hosts Secondly Let not us then place any affiance in our Fasting daies but refer al to God when we have ended them If the Devill cannot make us convert our Prayers unto Idols he will see whether hee cannot convert them into Idols Lastly Let us lay our hearts this day in the Lords hand as once Eli Hezekiah being threatned as here Ioab ready for the onset did The People of God both in old England and new have waited on his providence both by earthly and heavenly meanes Now let the Lord doe what seemeth him good If it shall seem good to him that England Ireland or Scotland shall suffer yet further the will of the Lord be done What remaineth but for us to magnifie Gods justice and to put our mouthes into the dust Especially as for England considering how long the Prelacie hath fought against Christ and kept him out of his Kingdome What bloody brazen-faced Idolatries have bin committed there What Atheismes Blasphemies Adulterie Prodigies of pride grinding of faces selling of the Poore countenanced Sabbath breakers derision of holinesse shedding the blood of the Saints have been common in that Land and in a speciall manner considering the sinnes of Gods deare people there particularly of his Messengers in their lonâ— continued subjection unto the power of Antichrist in the Prelacy the warpings and shrinkings of some the fearefulnes and cowardize of many for which for mine own particular I desire to be humbled while I live the reading of that abominable Booke of cursed liberty contributing to the Superstitious Pompousnesse of Paules and to the raising of Forces against the Scots a dreadfull bloody sin reading or permitting to be read Proclamations and Prayers in the Churches against them I say considering all this to mention no more though we have used what meanes we can and though they should doe the like yet let our expectations of successe be low let us humbly submit our selves to the will of the Lord saying Let him doe what seemeth him good If it seem good to him to pardon the Land O blessed be such gentlenesse If otherwise it seem good to him to correct it blessed bee his justice What soever he doth is good therefore let him doe it And any mercy at any time is enough for great transgressors FINIS
New-Englands Sence OF OLD-ENGLAND AND JRELANDS SORROWES A Sermon Preached upon a day of generall Humiliation in the Churches of NEW-ENGLAND In the behalfe of Old-England and Jrelands Sad condition By WILLIAM HOOKE Minister of GODS Word at Taunton in NEVV-ENGLAND Intrusted in the hands of a worthy Member of the Honourable House of Commons who desired it might be Printed Imprimatur JOSEPH CARYL LONDON Printed for John Roâ—â—â—ell at the Signe of the Sunne in Pauls-Church-yard 1645. NEW ENGLANDS SENCE OF OLD ENGLAND AND IRELANDS SORROWES 2 SAM 10.6 7 8 9 10 11 12. 6 And when the children of Ammon saw that they stank before David the children of Ammon sent and hired the Syrians of Beth-Rehob and the Syrians of Zoba twenty thousand footmen and of King Maacha a thousand men and of Ishtob twelve thousand footmen 7 And when David heard of it he sent Ioab and all the host of the mighty mâ—n 8 And the Children of Ammon came out and put the battle in array at the entring in of the gate and the Syrians of Zoba and of Rehob and Ishtob and Maacah were by themselves in the field 9 When Ioab saw that the front of the battle was against him before and behind he chose of all the choice men of Israel and put them in array against the Syrians 10 And the rest of the people he delivered into the hand of Abishai his brother that he might put them in array against the children of Ammon 11 And he said If the Syrians be too strong for me then thou shalt helpe me but if the children of Ammon be too strong for thee then I will come and helpe thâ—e 12 Bee of good courage and let us play the men for our people and the Cities of our God and the Lord doe that which seemeth him good THe occasion of this warrs was this Nahash the King of Ammon he who once demanded the right eyes of the Gileadites and to lay it as a reproach upon all Israel upon condition of covenanting with them is now dead He had been it seemes a friend to David in opposition probably to Saul who was an enemy to them both David looked at the expressions of his love and left his heart to him that searched it accounting it an office of humanity to comfort him concerning the death of his Father His kindnesse is misconstrued by the Princes of the children of Ammon who detracting from the syncere intentions of upright David hasten to their King and fill him full of jealousie and prejudice against David as if he had not sent Embassadors but Spies not Conforters but Traytors The young King is overthrowne in the entrance of his government by evill Counsellors whose suggestions he receives in stead of the comfort of Davids Embassadors which cost him deare His Counsellors were indeed his Traytors not the Messengers Alas how fearefully is the King misguided in the threshold of his raigne by such who should have better advised him It is well said of a Byshop upon these words Happie is that State where both the Counsellors are faithfull to give onely good advice and the King wise to discerne good advice from evill But what doth Hanun doe He takes the servants of David and shaves off the one half of their beards and cuts off their garments in the middle and sends them away The newes of it is brought to David who sends to meet them because they were greatly ashamed and he said Tarry at Iericho untill your beards be growne and then returne And when the children of Ammon saw that they stanke before David they sent and hired the Syrians c. In the words there is first A preparation for warr by the Ammonites against David Secondly Davids addressing himselfe for an encounter In Ammons preparations there is First The ground of it which was because they saw that they stanke before David Secondly The hyring of Auxiliaries out of Syria and that at a deare rate viz. For a thousand talents of silver 1 Chron. 19.6 In Davids addresse for encounter we have first his sending of Ioab with all the host of the mighty men Secondly The subtiltie of the Ammonites who were so wise as to devide their forces and to leave the Syrians to fight in the open fields whom they durst not trust at the entrance in of their Cities while themselves put the battaile in array before the gates that so also they might if need were have opportunity to retire Thirdly The wisdome of Ioab in ordering the battell the best way in the strait he was in Fourthly a covenant of mutuall assistance between Ioab and Abishai as need should require Fiftly Ioabs words of encouragement to Abishai yea and to himselfe Be of good courage let us play the men c. Which are the words that I have especially lookt at for the occasion of this day But some things I shall briefly observe in the way to them First for the ground of Ammons preparations They saw that they did stinke before David by reason of the abuse they had done to his Embassadors Whence we may observe Observation That Indignities and inhumane carriages to Embassadors of Peace is that which will make the Enemies of GOD to stinke in the nostrils of his People Doe not expect a parallel text for proofe for such practices have bin very rare till of later yeres There is no sinne but it stinkes in the nostrils of God but as for men it must be very grosse before it hath so ill a savour and such are especially grosie sinnes against the second Table as being committed against the greater light Of this kind I remember for the present but one more in Scripture and that was the bloody treachery of Simeon and Levi against the Sechemites to whom therefore their Father Iacob said Yee have made me to stinke among the inhabitants of the land Gen. 34.30 For such dealings are against the light of blindest nature especially such usage of Embassadors whose name hath ever bin honourable by the law of Nations Vse First This gives us to see one speciall cause why the Prelats in England doe this day stinke in the rostrils of Gods people yea of many such as have but little Religion in them there indignities and abuses offered to the Lords Embassadors have bin infinite and intollerable Alas what are the insolencies of Hanun here to theirs For first He and his Ammonites never saw the tythe of that light that these have done Ammon saw not the light of Israel nor Israel the light of England Secondly those indignities done by Hanun were farre inferiour unto these For first He onely cut the beards and garments of these Messengers whose beards grew out againe at Iericho and whose garments might be changed for longer whereas these have pared the Eares of the servants of God which can never grow againe and stigmatized the Faces with indelible characters And therefore secondly Hanun came not so neare to the persons of those
REV. 16. 8. 9. But whom now doe the Ammonites hire but a sort of flagitious Pagans that neither looked into the price of other mens blood their own soules or the justnesse of the cause A thousand talents have soone bought them to fight the battels of the Devill against the Lord of Hosts Observation There is no cause so wicked or deplored but money will hire some mercinarily minded to abet who wil damne their soules for a little silver And how many such there have been even in the Christian world the Prelates better know then wee What forlorne creatures Papists Atheists Neuters and mongrell Protestants had they procured to fight against the Scottish Nation When wicked men are conscious to the insufficiency of their cause they muster up the greater forces and place their affiance in the arme of flesh that what innocence here could not doe three and thirty thousand Pagans joyned to the forces of Ammon shall But thus much shall suffice to be spoken of Ammons Preparations both their ground and helps Secondly in Davids providing to encounter them we have First his sending of Ioab with all the Host of the mighty men David you see is sencible of the horrible abuses done to his Embassadors Observation Indignities offered to Embassadors redound to their King who cannot be insensible thereof especially they being Embassadours of Peace And thus it is with God as it is written The Lord God of their Fathers sent to them by his messengers rising up betimes and sending because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place but they mocked the Messengers of God and despised his words and misused his Prophets untill the wrath of the Lord arose and there was no remedy Therefore he brought upon them the King of the Caldees who slew the young men with the sword in the house of their Sanctuary and had no compassion upon young man or may den old man or him that stooped for age he gave them all unto his hand 2 Chro. 36. 15 16 17. And now under the Gospell when the Lord of the Vineyard sends his servants to the Husbandmen and the Husbandmen beat one and kill another and stone a third and when hee sends yet more servants and they doe unto them likewise surely he will miserably destroy those wicked men and will let out his Vineyard to other Husbandmen which shall render him the fruits in their season Matth. 21. 33. Beloâ—ed CHRIST is this day sensible of all the abuses that have been offered by the Prelats to his Messengers How often hath he cryed from heaven if that poore soule had not been utterly deafe Laud Laud Why persecutest thou me It is hard for thee to kicke against the pricks Oh! CHRIST in his Messengers hath given his back to the smiters and his cheeks to them that have plucked off the haire his beard hath beene cut and his garments curtold by these Prelatique Ammonites The Messengers of Iesus have bin made a spectacle to the world Angels and men they have beene made partakers of Christs sufferings and have filled up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in their flesh for his bodies sake which is the Church And is Christ sensible and shall not these Ammonites heare of it Yes for he is now awaking as out of sleep and like a mighty man that shouteth by reason of Wine Ah! saith hee I will ease me of mine adversaries and avenge meâ— of mine enemies and put them to perpetuall shame But so much be said of this Ioab now approaching with his Forces when loe the Adversaries have cunningly devided themselves some standing at the entrance of the gates of the Citie the residue in the open field Ioab a wise Generall and prepared for difficulties forecasteth the best way of encounter and fitting himselfe to assault the Syrians leaves the Ammonities to his brother Abishai but with this covenant of mutuall assistance for I must now put sundry things together If the Syrians be too strong for me then thou shalt help me but if the Children of Ammon be too strong for thee then will I come and help thee Observation When Gods Israel hath to doe with many potent subtill most wicked and desperate enemies they had need to enter into a covenant of mutuall helpe and assistance Abraham was confederate with Mamre Eschol and Aner when hee was to encounter with the foure Kings that had carryed away his cousen Lot prisoner Gen. 14. 13. 24. Yea it is lawfull for us herein to learne wit of an enemy For thus the enemies of Israel confederate themselves Come say they let us cut them off from being a Nation that the name of Israel may bee no more in remembrance Yea they have consulted together with one consent and are confederate against Israel the Tabernacles of Edom and the Ishmaelites of Moah and the Hagarens Gebal and Ammon and Amalech the Philistims with the inhabitants of Tyre Assur also is joyned with them they have holpen the children of Lot Psal 83. 4 5 6 7 8 9. And in the daies of Ahaz it was told the house of David saying Syria is confederate with Ephraim Isa 7. 2. And this covenanting in case of opposing many powerfull cunning wicked desperate Enemies is very requisite Seeing a Kingdome divided cannot stand which firmely united by confederacie is not easily vanquished when every mans interesses are anothers and the same ingagements common unto all And this Antichrist knowes well enough for hee being set forth most lively under the Type of Antiochus Epiphanes in the 11.th of Daniel his heart is said to be against the holy Covenant vers 28. by and by hee is said to have intelligence with them that forsake the holy Covenant yea and to have indignation against the holy Covenant vers 30. And such as doe wickedly against the Covenant He is said to corrupt by flatteries vers 32. Marke these expressions His heart is against the holy Covenant His very heart riseth at the name of Covenant and Covenanting and Covenanters and those are the most odious people with him in all the world Yea he hath indignation against the holy Covenant Hee could teare it in his teeth the very gall of bitternesse riseth in him at it And with whom hath he intelligence but with them that forsake it They are his Counsellours that either fall off from the Covenant or are learned to declaime and raile against it And such as doe wickedly against the Covenant he corrupteth by flatteries If there be any who are more malicious then others against the Covenant and the Covenanters who will goe about to breake the League to raise Armes to hatch Treasons to confound Kingdomes Common-wealths and Parliaments and to bring all things into combustion that he may fish in troubled waters O these are his white boyes these he smooths and stroakes and flatters these shall have Prebendaries Bishopticks Cardinals Caps and great preferments c. And no marvaile for these Covenanters
Messengers for hee medled onely with beards and garments the cutting off of which shed no blood whereas these have offered bloody indignities to the Lords Embassadors Thirdly those Ammonitish insolencies brought upon Messengers onely a civill inconformity in hayre and vestments to the manners of Gods Israel whereas the practises of these men have forced a Spirituall conformity on Gods Ministers to the manners of that great Strumpet and Mother of whoredomes Fourthly Davids messengers were abused onely in Beards and Garments but these have been Convented Suspended Deprived Degraded ExcoÌ„municated Imprisoned Impillored Fined stript of all Exiled and exposed to great extremities Thus the indignities considered in themselves were farre inferiour unto these Thirdly Hanun never sinned herein against Conscience as these have done for he was misguided by his Princes and so hee knew not that the Messengers were Spies whereas the Prelats have offered horrible indignities to many such of whose integritie they have themselves first given ample testimony Fourthly Hanum did nothing obstinatly for his Nobles perswaded him but with these all the Noble men in the land could not prevaile with that Arch-Ammonite and his followers to deale favourably with the Lords Embassadors Fiftly If we looke upon the Messengers Hanuns inhumanitie was offered to the messengers of a mortall Prince but these men have most dreadfully abused the Embassadors of the Prince of the Kings of the Earth For the Lord hath sent his Messengers to England and one they have beaten another they have killed a third they have stoned or that which is as bad Againe the Lord hath sent more Servants and they have done to them likewise Lastly those were sent only to minister a little comfort to a man who it seemes had no great need of it but these have been sent to publish the Gospell of everlasting Peace to the wearied O monsters among men that these Prelats are trained up by Tygers whom no incestuous of-spring of Lot can parallel by a thousand degrees that if such Prodigies among men doe this day stinke in the nostrils not of Israelites onely but even Ammonites also wee have great cause of thankfulnesse none of wonder Secondly This may shew us the sad estate of these noisome enemies of CHRIST and his Messengers for seeing they are thus unsavory what are they good for What use can there be made of unsavory Salt It is neither fit saith Christ for the Land nor for the Dung-hill It is good saith he for nothing but to be cast out and troden under foot of men Math. 5.13 An unsavory Ammonite may be good either for the land or for the dung hill Moah was troden downe as straw for the dung-hill Isa 25.10 But an unsavory Prelate is good for neither as being unsavorie Salt The most noisome Dung that is is good enough for the dung-hill but unsavory Salt is not because it is so farre from making barren land fruit-full that it makes fruit full land barren And such salt are the enemies of CHRISTS Embassadors that where-ever a Prelate hath been cast the place though fruit full before hath soone proved barren in Religion round about him For as they have no favour of life in themselves they cannot endure either that Minister or People that have Oh what will become of them now whom the very dunghill doth reject Who shall lament for them now saying Ah my brother or ah Lord or ah his glory when they shall be cast forth beyond the gates of Ierusalem As for other men though never so vile or degenerous that are still good enough for the dunghill men will find some mean imployment or other to put them to If there be refuse people in a land thou shalt have a drumme beaten up to call them together that they may be sent forth in some service against the enemies of the land whereas these want both ability and fidelity for such a service Yea should they come and crouch for a piece of silver or a morsell of bread saying put us into the Priests Office or as it is rendred after the Original put us into somewhat about the Priesthood as much as to say make Parish Clarks of us that we may eat a peece of bread they are not fit for it for they cannot say Amen to the prayers of Gods people this day They are not fit to occupy any roome in Church or Common wealth they are not fit for Pulpit or Presse for Church-government Counsell-Table Parliament Iusticeship Traffique who have thus long traded onely for the mother of Whoredome and who begin now to weepe and mourne because no man buyeth their Marchandise any more Revel 18. 11. They are not then good for warre nor peace for Prince not people for Church nor State onely being wiser in their Generation then the Children of light like that wicked Steward they have robbed and spoiled and feathered their nests before they were turned out of their Stewardships as being conscious to themselves that digge I cannot and to begg they are ashamed Thirdly This should make us this day more earnest with God for England that he would purge the Land of this filth for otherwise how noysome will that Countrey be wherein there are so many unsavory creatures Not that we desire any other purging of them then their deposing and repentance for their horrible indigâ—aties and inhumaâ—ities to the Embassadours of the King of Kings And thus much for the grounds of Ammons Preparations to muster up Forces against David because they saw that they stanke before him Secondly we have their hiring of Auxiliaries to defend them in their wickeduesse They sent and hyred the Syrians of Beth Rehob and the Syrians of Zoba c. Observation When wicked men are come to that height of sinne that they stinck in the nostrils of Gods people they will rather dye then confesse and repent of their wickednesse We have the like example in the Benjamites against the eleven Tribes And it is made good this day in the Prelates against England For wheras they should have put on sackcloth on their loines and ropes upon their necks and gone to the King and Parliament saying Your servants say 〈◊〉 pray you let us live they have stood out rebelliously and protested against Parliamentary proceedings Nay their monies have gone most profusely for the hiring of Syrians and the maintenance of warres against the Scots calling it Bellum Episcopale The Bishops Warre It was 1000. talents of silver that the Ammonites expended to hire helpe against the Israel of God when first they had offred them such a moustrous indignity But how many thousand talents these have disbursed and collected among themselves and their Clergy and Popishly affected partie it is not easie for to say For The Angell of the Lord hath powered out his vi-all upon their Sun and they have been scorched with great heat and have blasphemed the name of the Lord which hath power over these Plagues and they have not repented to give him glory
station therefore be we of good courage and let us play the men at this time and first For our God For he is ours Beloved and we trust he is Englands and shall we see our selves bereft of him Can the Israel of God endure to see Idols and Idolothites to stand in his place and Dagon to bee exalted above the Arke If Israel be robbed of their God what have they more What are the people or Cities if they bee not the people and Cities of our God They are even like the world without the Sun God therefore and Religion lie at stake and therefore let us play the men First Gods worship lyeth engaged all the pure and unmixt Ordinances of CHRIST JESUS call for helpe this day The Word of God lifteth up its voice this day unto us like a banished Virgine O how have I been abused by the corrupt Glosses of these moderne Pharisees How have the Scriptures beene wrested The Word prophaned in Pulpits Christ fought against with the word of his owne mouth Doctrines of Devils maintained with pretence of Scripture The Messengers of Christ persecuted and hunted like Partriges upon the Mountaines for holding sorth the Word in his native lustre O deliver the Word of God out of this Captivity The Seales of righteousnesse cry alowd to us this day They crave reduction to the rules of the Gospell Every Ordinance pleads for vindication travelling in paine under the captivity of beggarly Rudiments O say they we have been dealt forth these many scores of yeares under Gospell-light in such fulsome formes that men abhorre the offerings of the Lord. Oh! The Whoore hath quaffed and made herselfe drunke with her Pandors and Paramours and with her cunning and uncleane Merchants in the vessell of the Lords Sanctuary Beloved Let us hold and heare no more of these sad complaints for who can have pitic and patience too Have we the blood of Protestants in us Doth the spirit of JESUS runne in our veines It is enough We cannot want courage nor but play the men for God and pure Religion And if any people under the Sunne who more then we whom the gracious hand of heaven hath asserted from that spirituall bondage under which we once did groane It is a truth we saw but litle in comparison of what now we doe when we left our Native homes as much it is not that yet we see tho blessed be the Lord for what we doe But is there any people in the world who have tasted more of the sweet of God and Christ and Ordinances then we in this Land have done Doe any know the price of God and Christ more then wee here I beseech you in the Lord Consider and let the spirit of Christ rise in you at this instant and wrestle and strive this day in Prayer let us loose a joynt with Iacob but we will be Israelites this day Let us play the men according to the knowledge fence and experience that we have of God and Christ Let us halt to our dying day but we will returne laden with the spoile of Rebels Secondly as Gods worship lieth ingaged so by consequence his Name And what saith Ioshua to God upon the day of afflicting his soule What shall be done to thy great Name When the Ministers of the Lord were to weep between the Porch and the Altar upon the day of their fasting they were to say Spare thy people O Lord and give not thine heritage to reproach that the heathen should rule over them wherefore should they say among the people Where is their God Then will the Lord be jealous for his Land and pitty his people as it followeth And shall not this argument then move us which ever prevailed with the Lord Moses Joshua the Priests no sooner urge Gods glory but the Lord answereth them Oh! how then hath Gods honour been layd in the dust by those Prelates who now with their honours begin to lye there themselves What insultings have they used What triumphes have they often led And as if they had bound our Christ like Sampson and put him to grind in the Prison house as in some sence they have Oh! how have these Lords of the Philistims gathered themselves together to offer sacrifice to their Dagon to burne Incense to their Drag to their power their Policies Prelacies Confederacies Conjurations Superstitions and so rejoyce Saying Our God hath delivered Christ our enemy into our hand the destroyer of our Prelacies who slew many of us And thus could they but get the day again they would say and Dagon should up as high and CHRIST be throwne downe as low as ever And can we endure so much as the thought of it The Lord forbid O let us play the men for our God and our Christ whose glory is more worth then ten thousand worlds of soules O let us set to it this day with all our courage let every veine and joynt and limbe and affection in us pray this day O Lord God remember thine honour wee pray thee and strengthen us we pray thee that we may once be avenged on these Philistims against their Lords for our two eyes Yea as Sampson said Let me dye with the Philistims So let us dye with these Philistims if need were Let us kill our selves with fasting and prayer to destroy them and to pull downe the Temple of their Dagon all the fabrick of the Hyrarchie upon the heads of these superstious Prelates Thirdly Let us consider how inglorious a Nation is without God when the Arke was captivated the glory was departed from Israel The Ark was the testimony of Gods presence so that when God doth not testifie his presence with a People they are without glory If the World bee beautified by the presence of the Sun so great glory attend the Court where the King is resident How doth the special presence of the Prince of the Kings of the earth beautifie that Land where it is Yea there is not onely a spirituall glory visible onely to a spirituall eye resulting from the speciall presence of the Lord among a people but also an externall and visible glory When Iehoshaphat walked in the first waies of his Father David and lift up his heart in the waies of the Lord and that a great Reformation was wrought in the Land and that he had spread the Word all over his kingdome it is said That hee had riches and honour in aboundance and The feare of the Lord fell upon all Kingdoms of the Lands that were round about Iudah so that they made no warre against Iehoshaphat Yea the Philistims and Arabians brought him great presents insomuch that Iehoshaphat waxed great exceedingly and hee built in Iudah Castles and Cities of store and hee had much businesse in the Cities of Iudah and the men of Warre mighty men of valour were in Ierusalem So that Iudah had aboundance of externall glory even the glory of riches and honour and power and greatnesse and
peace and homage from forreigne States and of great emploiments and of mighty men of valour Wherefore seeing God is come neerer to England then formerly and hath of late made such gracious tenders of himselfe and hath found better acceptance then formerly O let us conclude in dayly prayer and this day especially for his presence to be continued and more cleerely manifested then ever For if he should now withdraw againe wee are to expect no glory to rest among them You know how little honour hath been visible in that Land of late yeares It hath for a long time beene a Land of sorrow of mourning and not of joy and rejoyceing It hath not been called Naomi but Marah it hath not been a Crowne of Glory nor a Royall Diadem in the hand of the Lord but been termed for saken and desolate But now the day hath begunne to dawne yea the Sunne seemes to be risâ—n on it if it strike nor in againe and a Tempest ensue upon it which the Lord forbid O why should we give the Lord any rest till it be called Hephzibah and Beulah My delight is in her because she is marryed to the Lord. For when once a Land is joyned to the Lord hee is married to it and then his delight is in it and hee will cloath it with honour and glory And thus much for the first ground of the Exhortation Secondly the other is the State and Common-wealth which lye ingaged our people and our Cities Even Politick Priviledges are of weighty consequence and moment But in what a way both people and Cities in that Land have beene dealt with for many yeares past we need say nothing when it is clearely represented to the view of the whole world in the late Remonstrance of the state of that Kingdome When men judge unjustly and accept the persons of the wicked and rid not the poore and needy out of the hand of the wicked nor do justice to the afflicted when they will not know nor understand but walke on in darkenesse what followeth All the Foundations of the Land are out of course Psal 82.5 The Heavens Sea and dry Land have been shaken and there hath been both a Church-quake and a State-quake in that Land which hath removed Foundations and swallowed up both people and Cities For when Foundations are not onely shaken but out of course and removed what have people and Cities to stand upon There is no man in such a case who can say I stand upon sure ground I feare no colours I am able to beare out my just actions For if they should say we will have recourse to our Foundations alas they are out of Course they are removed and none knowes where to find them Beloved It is a fearefull thing to have but the foundation of an house undermined the corner stones removed and the pillars pulled downe but when whole Cities and Townes and Shires of people shall be undermined and neere blown up oh how dreadfull is it When a People who can say We are Romans neither did we buy our freedom but are the lawfull and legitimate heires of Liberty shall be scourged uncondemned and when Cities that were formerly Cities of Refuge where the afflicted might find succour under municipall Laws shall be invaded by destroyers what cause have men to doe as David and his followers when they had recourse to Ziklag thinking to have found shelter there but loe the Citie was burnt and their wives and sons and daughters taken Captives Even lift up their voices and weepe untill they have no more power to weepe When a man may say as David In the way wherein I walked they privily laid a snare for me I looked on my right hand and behold there was no man would know mee refuge failed me this is miserable For a man thinkes himselfe safe in his way and if he be in the Kings high way he thinks much to have a snare laid for him and none but Cutters will way lay a man there For Edom to assault Israel when they promised to walke on only in the Kings high way O barbarous and inhumane Numb 20 17 20. But when a man shall be assaulted in such a case and he looks on his right hand and on his left for help and can see none then his purse if not his throat is indangered Surely it is uncomfortable travelling in such Countries Brethren Liberty is more precious then life inasmuch as death is the coÌ„mon lot of all men but servitude the portion only of men destined to misery And if a people be sold for bondmen and bond-women what can countervaile the Kings damage And seldome is it that cruelty rests satisfied with bondage but makes his progressions to further degrees of blood When people Cities cannot say Municipia but Manâ—ipia what remaines but death as when the Ephramites could not pronounce Shibboleth but onely Sibboleth presently they dyed for it If goods and liberty be in the power of mens wills why not also life There is much comprized in people and Cities even all that is Politick Oeconomick or Private but I instance onely in the greatest mischiefe Let us therefore use the words of Queene Hester vnto Ahasuerus and direct them unto God If we have found favour in thy sight O Lord and if it please the King let our lives be given us at our petition and our people at our request for our people are sold to bee destroyed and slaine and perish If any say How are we concerned in the miseries of other men so long as we are free I say It toucheth us as Lots captivity touched Abraham who mustred up his men and took his confederats along with him Mamre Eshcol and Aner and delivered him out of bondage And if we forbeare to deliver them that are drawne unto death and those that are ready to be slaine if wee say we knew it not or what did it concerne us He that pondereth the heart confidereth it and hee will render unto us according to our workes Prov. 24.11.12 Wherfore Let us play the men for our people and Cities What though it be well with us Let us yet remember the afflictions of Joseph yea and the words of Ioseph to Pharaoh's Butler Thinke upon me when it shall be well with thee and shew kindnesse I pray thee unto me and make mention of mee unto Pharaoh and bring me out of this house For thus in effect speaks England and Ireland to us this day and all the Cities in them now that it is well with you think upon us and shew kindnesse unto us and make mention of us unto the God of heaven that we may fully once be delivered out of the house of bondage Oh saith such and such a Citie there are so many thousand soules in me who cannot discerne between the right hand and the left But if it be not well with them how can it bee well with us If the Arke and Israel and Iudah abide in