any thing upon them they would beare it this of old was the Genius of this Tribe but now another manner of Spirit possessed them none of all the Maritine townes nor Cities where the people are most active and fit for Negotiation went beyond or came neere to the Tribe of Issachar now I say they had learned that that makes a people happy they had wisedome and unitie they had understanding to know the times and their dutie they had many thousands of eyes to see into the true state of affaires and then they had as many thousand hands ready to execute they could presently fall upon that which belonged to them they had understanding of the times and knew not onely what themselves but what all the Country what all Israel had to doe this was the people and this strange alteration that God had made in the Spirit of this Tribe of Issachar doth afford us this excellent lesson That the Lord can at his pleasure inable and raise up the spirits of persons and people to doe worthily from whom no body would expect any thing Moses had foretold that Issachar would bee but a dull Asse but you see how the Lord had altered and raised him up to doe excellently hee went beyond all the other Tribes and God hath often done so hee takes Moses a Shepheard a man slow of speech sends him and makes him a fit man to deliver a whole nation out of bondage and captivitie at another time hee raises Gideon a private Gentleman it may bee but a Yeomans sonne from his Flayle when hee was threshing of Wheat and makes him a Captaine to route the whole Army of the Midianites and to judge his people at another time takes Saul a Private Gentlemans sonne who was seeking for his fathers Asses and makes him fit to governe a kingdome takes David a young youth from following his Ewes great with Lambe and presently enables him to cope with the Gyant Goliah and to destroy him and afterwards to bee the ruler over Gods people hee takes Amos from being a Neatheard and a gatherer of Summer fruit to bee a Prophet and to preach in the Kings Chappell takes Fishermen who were never bred in Universities and sends them into all the world with the power of the Gospel to subdue the Nations to Jesus Christ Thus the Lord hath raised up instruments and hee can easily doe it for there is a spirit in man but the inspiration which gives understanding and gifts comes onely from the Almighty the Lord hath abundance of the Spirit and powres it out where and how and in what manner hee pleaseth This may bee a great incouragement to us in all our extremities and exigents let us doe our dutie and let us never feare Gods wanting of instruments for his worke when wee are low wee presently cry out Lord by whom shall Jacob arise by whom by stones raised up to bee children and by children inabled to doe the worke of men Wee should never bee at our faiths end though sometimes wee are at our wits end let us doe our dutie and leave it to God who can easily raise up instruments to do his worke from whom wee would never expect it wee our selves have had a great deale of blessed experience of it In the beginning of our publique troubles our question was by whom shall England arise now it is thus low Wee demanded where shall wee finde Captaines and Commanders for a warre in a Nation where all men have been bred in ease and peace God hath found them and tooke Gentlemen from following their Hawkes and Dogs and Tradesmen from their shops and Husbandmen from their Ploughes to bee able to cope with the most expert Commanders in the world and now wee are at another losse now wee are demanding where shall we find Ministers for eight or ten thousand Congregations to instruct them in the way of life Feare not if God for our sinnes deny us not this mercy hee can fulfill that in the 68. Psalme The Lord will give the Word and great shall be the multitude of them that shall publish it the Lord can raise them up unexpectedly and so in all other our difficulties But this I purposely onely point at that I might not bee straightned in the second which is the singular commendations of this Tribe They were men of understanding to know the times and what Israel had to doe That it is a great and high commendation of any people especially of their Heads and Leaders to know the times in reference to their dutie These men of Issachar had understanding of the times to know what Israel had to doe this God sets downe as their high commendation in the handling of it I shall indeavour these three things First I shall interpret the meaning of it make you see what it is to know the times in reference to duties Secondly I shall indeavour to prove it out of the Scripture and illustrate the truth of it that you may see that it is a high commendation and a matter of extreme consequence and thirdly and principally I shall indeavour to make Application of it for our own good For the first What it is to know the times in reference to dutie you may please to observe that in the Scripture and in the practise of men there is found a fivefold knowledge of the times There is an Astrologicall knowledge of the times such a knowledge as the Starre-gazers do boast of a knowledg whereby a company of vaine men doe undertake out of the bookes of the Starres to tell you whatsoever God hath decreed concerning Men or States this knowledg is so condemned in other places of Scripture that none of you will imagine that this was the commendation of this Tribe Secondly There is another knowledge of the times which I may call a Diabolicall knowledge of the times whereby wicked and ungodly men do studie to improve all advantages of time to further their own lusts and wickednesses the study and knowledge of time-servers who indeavour to make the times further them in their cursed designes men who like Willowes or Bulrushes in the water will bow which way soever the streame runs and dance after the present Fiddle of the times for their owne ends I am certaine none of you think that this was the commendation of this Tribe such Temporizers Time-servers however they may for a while applaud their own wisedomes will one day know they have served but an ill Master this was farre from the Tribe of Issachar Thirdly You shall read of a Propheticall knowledge of the times that is such a knowledge as wherein the Lord by revelation doth in able some of his servants I meane the Prophets to know what shall afterwards come to passe and this kinde of knowledge though every man hath an itch after it and many doe as Nebuchadnezzar did
of time and there is the season of time the space of time is nothing but the continuation and succession of so many minutes and moments one of another but the season of time or opportunitie of it is time apted and fitted to doe a businesse Now these two doe very much differ one from another the one of them the length the duration of time the Greeks calls {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} but the season the opportunitie is called {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} which is the tempus commodum the tempestivitie of time the ripenesse of time and this indeed is properly time in reference to dutie And concerning these seasons of time or times fitted for businesse be pleased to consider these five things I shall need onely to name them because I speake to an understanding people That any worke to be done is done easily if the opportunitie be taken take opportunitie by the forelock and any businesse whatsoever is to bee done will bee done with ease not onely because opportunitie is the ripenesse of time but because in opportunities God offers to worke with us and for us Now you know any businesse that must bee done by the helpe of another is then easily done when both parties joyne in it Two Men that are to lift up a burthen if they both lift together and take the Hae now it goes up easily A vessell that is to be driven if the Watermen ply the Oares the wind tide go with them the vessell is carried easily Now I say the Lord offers himselfe to come in to a people when there is a fit opportunitie â—hen he holds up his hand and saith Now lift and I 'le lift with you now row and my Word shall blow with you such Scripture as these are frequent In an accepted time I have heard thee and I will heare thee in an acceptable time In a day of salvation I will succour thee in an opportune time God offers to come in and helpe if opportunitie bee taken This made the heathens esteeme opportunitie a goddesse As things are easie when men take opportunities so they are then beautifull the beautie and grace of every dutie both with God and man is when it is done in its fit season the righteous man in the first Psalme is compared to the Tree that brings forth his fruit in his season suum in suo his owne fruit and in his proper season God saith Solomon hath made every thing beautifull in its season all Gods works are beautifull in their season and so are all mens workes too A word spoke in season is like Apples of Gold in pictures of Silver and a good word in season O how comfortable it is Thirdly But know that these Opportunities are wondrous hard to find out very difficult it is for men to know the true season or opportunitie of a businesse men may know times and seasons wel enough in particular businesses the seasons for tilling the ground and breeding and breaking of Cattle c. In such low and triviall things in comparison seasons may easily bee knowne but in the great morall affaires that concerne God and mens soules the difficultest thing that lies before man is to finde out the true season when they are to bee done this Solomon sets downe most excellently in the eighth of Ecclesiastes Verse 6. Because to every purpose there is required time and judgement therefore the misery of man is great upon him marke that expression most men are miserable because a businesse cannot bee done without a fit season and judgement to know it as if Solomon had said thus The truth is opportunities are so rare oft-times so sudden so violent so short the wind seldome blowing long in an opportune point and men so ignorant so blinded with prejudice with vaine hopes or feares that most men are miserable in that they cannot find out the true season of a businesse and thereby intimates that in every businesse the most difficult part of the worke is the right timing of it I adde fourthly That when opportunities are past if they bee let slip they are oftentimes altogether irrecoverable and the businesse is either wholly lost or never better then halfe done it may cost more to patch up a businesse out of season then required to have done it beautifully if the season had been taken As the story goes of the Sibylls bookes they were faine to give the full price for one which would have bought all three when two of them were burnt Post est occasio calva Unlesse God make another opportunitie man can never call opportunitie back againe Opportunities are Gods fitting of time to businesse none but God can thus fit it therefore you shall find Esau would have repented and got the blessing he wept and cryed for it yet missed it he might have had it once without weeping and crying but he lost the season and the season being gone hee could never recover it with all his weeping So the foolish Virgins came with their Lampes pretending to have got some oyle and cryed Lord open to us but the season was past and there was no entrance the truth is seasons are to businesses as money is to wares hee that would buy a commoditie upon a market day when possibly the commoditie is very cheape may then have it for laying out his money lose but that market possibly ten market dayes will not helpe him againe with it and either never buy it or give a greater rate for that which is not so good as the other would have been if opportunities bee once past over without the Lord create them againe men are utterly lost in their businesses Fiftly and lastly As these opportunities are excellent and hard to find and irrecoverable if they bee lost So in the last place know that no wisedome no learning nothing but a gratious heart guided by the Spirit of God doth know how to take opportunities in time for the great businesses that concerne God and his glory no wisedome but the wisedome of grace and Gods Spirit guiding the heart doth ever know to doe businesses in their right seasons In other things as I said before they may bee taken naturall men may plow and sow in season c. Yea men may sensibly understand the times so as to mourne for the afflictions of them so as to rejoyce in the good of them and wicked men by a devillish wisedome can take the seeming opportunities to promote their owne wicked designes the harlot can take the opportunitie of her husbands absence the thiefe the opportunitie of the twilight and so every man the seeming opportunitie of things that are of the Devill for Satan helpes them but to know the opportunities of the things that concerne God and our soules nothing but a gratious heart enables a man to doe it the Scripture is very plaine for this Solomon expresses it notably in the
duties to bee done now herein will appeare Gospell-wisedome to walke so as that in these evill dayes you may redeeme the time and Solomon hath an excellent discourse of the same subject in the eighth of Ecclesiastes in the beginning of the Chapter hee gives a high Encomium of a wise man Who is saith hee as the wise man that is no â—an can bee compared to a wise man what is hee 〈◊〉 that knowes the interpretation of a thing hee that knowes what every businesse doth truly signifie and call for that is the wise man then hee tells you this mans wisedome will gaine him courage and credit hee will bee honored and esteemed then brings it downe to manifest the excellency of this wisedome in one particular case which is the most tickle businesse in the world for men to bee imployed in and that is in attending upon the affaires of supreme Governors in doing that which the higher powers command them for they will quickly bee angry and take offence therefore doe their businesse carefully and speedily as you should and if they bee angry goe not away in a pet c. But now lest some body should say Doe you meane that a man should doe all that Kings and supreme Magistrates doe command without further enquiry or delay No saith Salomon in the fifth Verse the wise man knowes both time and judgement the wise man that hath the interpretation of a thing knowes what is to bee done what is to bee refused and when things are to bee done most fitly or opportunely therefore none like the wise man So likewise Moses in the 32. of Deuteronomy about the 19. Verse O that this people were wise that they did but understand their last end that they but rightly knew their time and in the 90. Psalme which is another prayer of Moses Lord teach us so to number our dayes to make such a compute of our times that wee might apply our hearts to wisedome I might give you many other Scriptures which show that the Lord counts this to be true wisedome nay I 'le add this further the very light of nature hath taught the Heathens to judge this to bee true wisedome the seven Counsellors of that great Emperour of Persia in the first of Ester are said to bee men that knew the times the meaning is that they were wise Counsellors and among the Romans it is a Proverbiall Adage homo omnium horarum that is hee is a wise man that is a man for all houres knowes the businesse of every time of every place whatsoever hee is called to hee understands his affaires and in truth this may well bee called wisedome for it is wisedome it is not onely a part of wisedome but it is the very Systeme and comprehension of all wisedome I know there is a particular wisedome that men may have in some affaires as a Husbandman that knowes but how to plough his ground seasonably c. that is called his wisedome and the women that did but know how to spin finely c. Men may have a kind of wisedome in this or that particular trade and yet all the world may know him to bee a foole in everything else but that that is the true and reall wisedome which properly sets a man out to goe for a wise man properly stands in the true understanding of the times in reference to mens duties For both Philosophers and Divines doe agree that wisedome is made up of these two things the one is Intelligence which is nothing but the understanding of things in their nature as they are good or evill the other is Sapience which is the same understanding applyed to particular businesses as they stand vested with all their circumstances and that man that hath the understanding of affaires as they are circumstantianted with all things that goe with them and knowes how hee may dexterously and opportunely apply himselfe to them hee is the wise man that is the first proofe that the Spirit of God every where calls this wisedome Secondly The same Spirit of God doth â—sually call the want of this folly whatsoever other excellencies meete in any man if they want this the Scripture calls them fooles yea hypocrites wicked ones in the 8. of Jeremiah the Lord speakes in the 6 7 8 9. Verses after this manner How doe you say you are wise why doe you pretend to wisedome and hee speakes not to the vulgar people but to the Scribes their learnedst men that could handle their tongues and their pens best there was no wisedome in them they were fooles Why because saith God the Storke and the Crane and the Swallow know their seasons but this people knowes not the time of my judgements and therefore the Lord would not have them pretend to any wisedome but bee contented to bee counted fooles because they were ignorant of this and our blessed Saviour in the 16. of Matthew when the Scribes and Pharisees and the learned Doctors of the Law came and desired to have some further evidence from him by some signe from heaven that hee was the Messias Christ told them they were Hypocrites they were a sinfull and an adulterous Generation meerely because they did not understand the signes of the times A wicked and an adulterous generation would have more light you can tell by the Clouds when it will bee faire weather next morning and you can guesse by the morning whether it will be rain but yee hypocrites yee fooles saith hee you cannot discerne the signes of the times what the times signifies and calls for at your hands you have no understanding of this and therefore you may goe for a company of fooles and hypocrites and so left them and departed Nay thirdly which makes it yet more cleare The want of this knowledge of the times in reference to mans dutie is that which the Spirit of God uses to render as the onely cause of a peoples ruine whensoever a people are brought to ruine if they be a people to whom God afforded meanes to save them when they come to be ruin'd the Lord layes it wholly upon this that they knew not the times of their visitation This you 'le find in the 19. of Luke and the latter end of it when Christ about the 41. Verse came to take his farefull of Jerusalem and to die there from the top of the Mountaine he looked over the Citie and fell a weeping O saith hee that thou hadst but known in this thy day the things that belong to thy peace but they are hid from thy eyes then hee goes on and tells them what shall become of them the enemies shall cast a banke and not leave one stone upon another levell them to the ground and their Children in them for what I pray because thou knew'st not the time of thy visitation destruction came in onely at that breach they knew not the time of their visitation and elsewhere our
times of most prodigious wickednesse horrible abominations in mens manners I am confident never such abominable drunkennesse and generall loosenesse in that kinde never more universall liberty of whoring Incestuous mariages oppressions cruelty injustice malice revenge and every thing that might fill a Land with ungodlinesse Since wee or our fore-Fathers were borne never was there a greater deluge of wickednesse then in these our times and what have the Heads of Israel to doe at such a time Certainely you and all others at such times are called to mourne for all the abominations of the Times and you and all others are called to walke more exactly in that time to redeeme the time when the dayes are evill But You above all others are called out by God in such times to be his instruments to oppose these things the Ministers of God to execute vengeance upon those that do evill For these things I think you shall not need to trouble your selves to make new Lawes as excellent Lawes are already made against them all as I thinke any Common-wealth in the world hath but it concernes you to see that these bee put in execution It concernes you in times of oppression to deliver the poore and the oppressed out of the Talons and Pawes of them who teare them and crush them in pieces It concerns you to see that the Justices and other officers in the Countrey set not up these houses of Sinne Alehouses and Tavernes nor that when some well-affected put them downe Great men set them up againe and so in other abominations it concernes you to see that incestuous Mariages and such ungodlinesses go not unbranded and unpunished the Lord kindle zeale in your hearts that you may doe it that is one Our Times are times of abominable wickednesse Secondly Our times are times of Errors horrible Errors I meane not such Errors as are to bee found among Gods people to whom hee never hath given an equall light and notwithstanding which Errors himself beares with them and would have his people bear one with another but I meane our times are times of such Errors as are heretical and blasphemous such as concern our Christian faith and holy conversation in a very high degree it would weary you but to tell you the things that are generally knowne to spread as a Gangrene a new generation of men are risen up and spread all the points of Arminianisme universall Redemption Apostasie from grace Mans free-will multitudes of others cry downe the Law as not having any thing to do with Gods people others denying that the Saints of God should ever any more confesse sinne to God in prayer others questioning whether there bee any Church or Ministery this day upon the face of the earth and whether there shall bee any till new Apostles arise Nay beyond all these many denying the Lord Jesus that bought us with his blood to bee God or the Holy Ghost to bee God others denying the three Persons in the Trinity and consequently affirming that we and all the Christian world with us doe worship Idols in stead of God for if these men bee right they are Idols whom wee worship These and abundance of such horrid things as these are doe spread and scatter like wilde-fire every where in all corners of the Land to the great provocation of Gods wrath our reproach through the Christian world And what have our Heads to doe at such a time Certainly you and al others ought to mourn for these things and teare your clothes and your haires and your hearts that God should be so dishonored but for your duties who are in high Places for what is peculiar to you I 'll not dispute any controversie at this time but set down Two things which I know you must yeeld to One is Certainly you must search diligently into the Scriptures and enquire whether Jesus Christ would have you oppose your selves against these things that are so opposite to him If upon a diligent search you finde that hee hath not authorized you doe not you arrogate any authority that Christ hath not given you my Lie will never honour God though I should tell it for Gods glory and your thrusting your selves into an office Christ hath not called you unto will never be accepted by him But if Secondly Upon a diligent search it appeares hee hath given authority unto you then I am as assur'd that hee hath not left it to your arbitrement whether you 'll use it or no hee hath not left it to your will whether you will punish them but if you have power to stop them and doe not hee will lay them all at your doores and require them at your hands therefore search diligently what you have power to doe and then let not these things goe on to Gods dishonour But supposing you have authority What then is to be done I answer you must not take Blasphemies Errors and Heresies to bee such upon the reports of other men but as the Lord ordered them in the 13 of Deuteronomie so likewise must you doe Search diligently whether indeed such and such things are done and when they appeare to bee done out of the zeale of God doe that against them which the Lord would have you doe let not your Religion be thus contaminated suffer not your children to whom you ought to bee nursing Fathers to bee thus poisoned by such corrupt Doctrines nor devoured by such wolves This I know you will all subscribe unto This I desire above all may sticke with you that if the Lord hath given you power hee hath not given you libertie to forbeare such men God in mercy make you zealous for him that hath been zealous for you in all your troubles Thirdly Our times are times of wrath a great deale of wrath from the Lord is gone forth you know what dreadfull Vialls of wrath have been poured out in blood terrible quivers of destroying arrowes have been shot out in Pestilence all which tell you God is angry And what then have our Heads and Leaders to doe certainly all people should tremble when God is angry The Lyon roares what beast doth not tremble and every one must labour to pacifie him when hee is angry but you whom the Lord hath placed under him in such high place and authority must with Moses at such a time call to Aaron to run with his Censer you must labour to enquire out the Causes of it and execute the judgement and vengeance that God would have executed upon them who have procured it You must with Josiah 2 Kings 22.13 inquire what will appease him and with the King of Nineveh call upon every one to turne from the evill of his doings and your selves bee examples to the rest Fourthly Our times are times of Warre terrible warres unnaturall warres bloody warres as ever England knew and as yet the Armies are in the Field and though there bee no open Enemy