to the evidence of the Word of God to acknowledge that to be sin which the Word of God condemns for sin and to yield that to be a Duty which by the light of Scripture appears to be so When we come to the House of God we should be ready to say as the Prophet Samuel did Speak Lord for thy Servant heareth That is as Mendoza glosses that place Speak Lord what thou pleasest and I am ready not only to hear but to obey it Such a readiness appeared in St. Augustine Da Domine quod jubes jube quod vis O Lord give me grace to obey and command what thou wilt And now shall I be so bold as to inquire whether the Feet of your Souls be in that obediential posture as the Lord expects you should be Solomon speaks in general terms in the Text but it may be expedient for your better edification that I instance in some few particulars Lay the two Tables of the Law of God before you and examine your selves whether ye are henceforth resolved to conform your lives according to those sacred Rules First art thou resolved to have no other God but the God of Heaven Wilt thou no longer serve the God of this World Mammon for the wages of unrighteousness Secondly art thou resolved never more to dishonour God by worshipping him in or before some graven Image Wilt thou never hereafter disguise and palliate thy Idolatry by a nice distinction Thirdly Art thou resolved that henceforth thou wilt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vain Wilt thou not swear rashly and customarily Wilt thou not make a false Oath in the Courts of Justice to take the righteousness of the Righteous from him Fourthly Wilt thou hereafter remember to Keep holy the Sabbath day never moâ—e to profane it by idleness or drunkness or feasting or luxury or worldliness Fiftly Art thou resolved henceforth to Honour thy Parents To Honour the King as the common Parent of the Country To Honour the Ministers of God who have begotten thee in Christ To Honour thy natural Parents who have brought thee into this world and bred thee up in it in care and sorrow Sixtly Art thou resolved that henceforth thou wilt do no Murther That thou wilt not take up Arms against thy King and destroy thy fellow subjects upon the mistaken quarrel of Religion and Liberty Seventhly Art thou resolved henceforth never to commit Adultery never more to pollute thy body which is the Temple of the Holy Ghost by unclean thoughts or actions Eightly Aâ—t thou resolved henceforth never to wrong thy neighbour in his goods neither violently nor fraudulently Wilt thou not hereafter use false Dice nor false Weights nor false Measures nor false words nor over-reach thy neighbour in any matter Ninethly Art thou resolved henceforth never to bear false witness against thy neighbor Wilt thou not for fear or favour nor for a bribe give a false testimony to blind the eyes of the Judge and to pervert the course of Judgement Lastly Art thou resolved never hereafter to covet any thing that is thy neighbours Wilt thou hereafter restrain thy self from all covetous practices and labour to be content with such things as the Lord in a gracious providence shall please to allow and assign to thee In this Glass in this perfect Mirror you may see whether the feet of your souls stand right whether they be wash'd and cleansed from all purposes and resolutions to sin For let me tell you Unless ye can say with David and say truly Oh Lord my heart is ready my heart is ready I will have respect unto all thy Commandments I am purposed that I will not offend Unless I say ye are in this ready posture for holy Obedience all your prayers and all your Fasts and all your days of humiliation are but the sacrifice of Fools they will avail nothing either to remove the guilt of sin or to appease the wrath of God Let me give you but one Note more in this Point This resolution which I have been speaking of will be best discovered by your constancy and fervency in prayer both in private and in publick for Mercy in regard ye have transgressed the Laws of God and for Grace that the Lord would incline your hearts to keep them And therefore it was a pious provision in our Church Liturgy that after the Minister hath repeated the several Commandments as from the mouth of God the whole Congregation are enjoyned to say Lord have mercy upon us in that we have broken those Commandments And incline our hearts to keep them that is give us grace to do so no more Bucolcerus tells us of Henricus Auceps one of the Emperours of Germany that when his City of Mersburg was assaulted by a vast Army of the Hungarians he slew and put them to flight his Souldiers crying out with a loud voice Lord have mercy upon us Lord have mercy upon us And truly I do not know a better defence against temptation to sin then to pray with David Oh Lord incline my heart to thy Testimonies nor a better remedy against the guilt of sin then to pray with the poor Publican in the Gospel Lord be merciful to me a sinner The Feet of our Souls are well kept when we have taken up a firm resolution of obeying the Commandements of God but yet we must take one step further We must keep the Kings Commandment also this is certainly a Duty however some men endeavour to distinguâ—sh themselves out of it I counsel thee says Solomon and surely the counsel of so wise a man is worthy to be heard and regarded as if he had said I Solomon who require obedience from mine own Subjects do counsel all Subjects to yield obedience to their Kings And St. Paul delivers the same Doctrine Let every Soul be subject to the Higher Powers not onely for wrath but for conscience sake But wherein are the Commands of Kings to be obeyed Must we yield up our selves in a blind obedience to observe and do whatsoever the Higher Powers shall impose upon us This is a busie question and there is a short answer to it We must either Obey or Suffer If the Commands of Kings are consistent with the Laws of God our Obedience is indisputable yea I may say that in that case we do not so much obey the King as God So that the Tryal of our obedience to Kings lyes for the most part in such matters which we call indifferent which are neither positively commanded nor forbidden by the Law of God Such as are matters of Decency and Order in Divine Worship and such as are of absolute necessity namely the payment of Tribute and Custome for the preservation of his Person and his Honour and his People and his Kingdome to boggle at such Commands as these is as I am informed from very learned and pious men a rejection of this counsel of Solomon and that exhortation of St.
CHURCH Reformation A DISCOURSE Pointing at some VANITIES in DIVINE SERVICE Delivered in Two SERMONS at Bridgnorth Sept. 30. 1660. Being the Lords Day and the time of the Assizes held there for the County of Salop. By MICH THOMAS Rector of Stockton in the same County Ye shall keep my Sabbaths and Reverence my Sanctuary I am the Lord Levit. 19. 30. Si quis dicat Domum Dei contemptibilem esse Conventus qui in ea celebrantur Anathema sit Concilium Gangrense Canone quinto LONDON Printed for Jo Martin Ja Allestry and Tho Dicas and are to be sold at the Bell in St. Pauls Church-yard 1661. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ECCLES 5. 1. Keep thy foot when thou goest to the House of God and be more ready to hear then to give the Sacrifice of Fools For they consider not that they do evil SOme of those Learned men who have imployed The Preface their Talent of sacred knowledge in the Exposition of this Book have made a critical Observation upon the Inscription of it They tell us that according to the Original we should read the first Verse of it thus The words of the Preacheress the Son of David King in Jerusalem But what Was Solomon the Son of David a Preacheress How so they endeavour to assoyl the doubt thus Either by supplying the word Sapientia or Anima That in this Book The Wisedom of Solomon is the Preacheress instructing the Sons of men in that difficult Question de summo bono and directing them towards the attainment of the Chiefest Good Or the Soul of Solomon is The Preacheress that is Solomon is delivering the various Observations which he had made upon the world heartily and experimentally The Text which he chose was Vanity of Vanities which he proves and prosecutes by convincing Arguments and in such a Method and Manner as St. Paul afterward instructed his Son Timothy in the Art of Preaching I made use of this Criticisme for a Preface to my Discourse Captare Benevolentiam to bespeak and prepare your favourable attention for here are those Three things which according to the Orator are most available to gain an Audience Here is First Eloquence in the Authour The Wisdom of God speaking in and by Solomon Here is Secondly Importance in the matter St. Ambrose and St. Gregory of Nyssen say This Book is a Treasury of Divine Knowledge the Doctrine of it may serve to wean us from the love of these earthly things and further us in securing our interest in the things of Heaven Here is Thirdly Perspicuity and Brevity in the Method This great Argument concerning the Vanity of the Creature is handled Succinctly and Demonstratively so as to convince the judgements and to stop the mouths of such as have the greatest love and affection for the world Supposing then this whole Book to be but one Sermon I must intreat you to look upon the words which I have selected for the Text as upon one particular Note of it In the former Chapters Solomon declares the several Vanities which he had observed in other things In this Chapter he points at those Vanities which are incident to Divine Service It pleased the Lord to appoint and enable Solomon to be the Builder of his Temple It pleased him also to inspire and direct Solomon to be the Reformer of the abuses of his Temple So that from him we may expect a perfect Pattern or Plat-form of Church Reformation We have had of late much talk and high pretentions by some for A Thorough Reformation of this Church of England but the Lord knows and the Lord give them grace to know and to consider that beside nothing was done the face of Divine Worship was rendered more deformed to the woâ—ld and left more ill-featur'd then when they first undertook the cure and the ways they proceeded by weâ—e crooked and improbable to produce such a blessed effect It was not likely to Reform a Church by ejecting learned and faithful Ministers by decrying a pious Liturgy and Form of Divine Worship by leaving Churches utterly void and no Ministers to attend their desolate Congregations in their holy things But I shall chuse rather to mourn in secret then to inlarge a publike complaint against those unhappy miscarriages That there are corruptions crept into the House of God and that there are still some very considerable and very deplorable Vanities in our Divine Service is too visible and apparent and by the good providence of God I am here this day as Solomons Amanuensis as one that hath taken some short Note out of his great Sermon and in an humble way to give you some notice of them Since we are so happily met together on the Lords Day and in the Lords House I could not conceive any Argument would be more proper then to discourse of that Divine Service which we ought to perform to God as on these days and in these places I am so charitable as to hope that there is not one soul in this Congregation so vain but desires to serve the Loâ—d reverently and acceptably and to observe the prescriptions of his most holy Will both for the matter and form of it and the doctrine of this text will direct us in both the parts of it I must tell you that I have not managed my meditations on this argument so as to please all but as near as I could to edifie all I durst not neglect my duty nor be deficient to that providential Call which summoned me to this publique employment and I hope no one will be displeased at such a plain and faithful discourse by which I endeavour to deliver my own soul and to further the salvation of his And so I proceed to the Explication and Division of the text I do not obserue any considerable variety in the several Translations Arias Montanus renders the Hebrew by Quando ibis When thou shalt go The Lxx. by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Quum vadis When thou dost go The Vulgaâ— Latine by Ingrediens Domum Dei When thou art entring into the house of God But some may say Must all our care be taken as we are going to or as we are entring into the house of God as these Translations import And indeed the Syriack and the Arabick import no more I answer It is an usual Trope in Scripture Ex anteceder te intelligere consequens by the antecedent to collect the consequent and the Trope must have place here This counsel of Solomon is not to be understood of things to be done when we are going to the house of God but what we are to do when we are come thither There may be some preparatory actions and meditations which may dispose and qualifie us for Divine Worship But that which Solomon here speaks of is of the essence and substance of it But what is that Keep thy foot Spiritualem pedem animae omnes interpretantur says Lorinus All those Expositors whose opinions he
had collected do with one voyce interpret it of the feet of the Soul of the tempe◠and disposition and resolution which the soul ought to be in both when we are coming to and when we are come into the house of God But some may say where is that and urge against Solomon's counsel in the text Solomon's confession in another text That God dwelleth not on earth the Heaven of Heavens cannot contain him much less that House which he had built 1 King 8. 27. I shall answer briefly for the present That by the house of God here is meant such a place as is peculiarly designed and consecrated to and for divine Service Here is yet a farther enquiry Suppose the soul of a man to be rightly prepared to come and being come to be so well affected as really and reverentially to conceive himself to be in the house and presence of God What must he do then Most Translations of the Text tell us Be ready to hear But sure there is more in it Learned men observe that the original word signifies also to obey and so the vulgar hath it Melior est Obedientia quam Victimae stultorum It is not auricular but practical hearing which is intended in this place Obedience to God's Commandments conformity in our lives to such sound doctrine as is delivered to us in the house of God There lies not any difficulty upon any other term in the text and therefore for a full explication be pleased to receive the Chaldee Paraphrase upon it which I have faithfully translated As if Solomon had said thus Thou son of man Keep thy feet at what time thou The Paraphrase on the Text. shalt go into the house of the Sanctuary of the Lord to pray Do not come thither full of sins before thou be converted and while thou art there incline thine ear to receive the doctrine of the Law from the Priests and Wise men Be not as the fools who offer a gift for their sins yet are not converted from their evil works which they have wrought with their hands and so God is not well pleased with them neither do they know what to do between good and evil And now that we do in some measure understand The Division the sense and meaning of the words be pleased to receive the division of them into these two general parts Here is an Instruction and a Caution The Instruction consists of two branches and both full of fruit The first branch is Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God The second branch is Be more ready to hear or obey then to offer the sacrifice of fools The Caution is conteined in the latter clause which is presented in the term of a reason For they consider not that they do evil So now the parts of the Text are laid open and the work lies before us and I hope we have all been so careful of our feet in coming to this house of the Lord this day as that our pretended Divine Service may not prove a sacrifice of fools I must declare again that my designe lies against the irreverend and wilful sinne though he be a frequenter of the House of God and my procedure shall be with all meekness and gentleness as becomes a Minister of Christ and with all reverence and respect as becomes so great a presence as this is The first general part the Instruction I am to invite your religious attention to gather the fruits of the first branch of it In which we shall stop and stay upon these three things First That God hath an House here on earth Secondly That there is a reverence due to that House Thirdly We shall enquire wherein that reverence doth consist From whence we may pass to the view of the second branch wherein we shall find what is the main constituent part of divine reverence namely Obedience to Divine Commands For the first of these That God hath an House here on earth I am to make good the proof thus First That God hath owned such places as were peculiarly designed and consecrated to his Worship for his houses for his dwelling places here on earth Secondly That the people of God in all ages have owned and acknowledged such places as the houses of God I cannot conceive more cogent arguments in this point then the Word of God and the practise of the people of God Such as will not be convinced by these must be reckoned in the number of those 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 St Paul speaks of unreasonable men whom no Topick nor rational argument can win over to the decency and uniformity of Divine Worship First I say God doth own such places for his Houses Is there no weight in that command of God Ye shall sanctifie my Sabbaths and reverence my Sanctuary I am the Lord. Lev. 19. 30. Where observe Doth not the Lord own the Sanctuary as well as the Sabbath Doth he not say Ye shall reverence my Sanctuary as well as ye shall keep my Sabbath Such as would evade this evidence by saying that the Tabernacle and the Sanctuary and the Temple were Jewish things they were types and shadows and are vanished and abolished We Christians are free to serve God in any place and at any time True we are so but by such an argument as this we may wipe out the Commandments of both Tables for they were Jewish things as being first given to them and truly it is easie to observe that such as have been the revilers and despisers and destroyers of the houses of God amongst us have been rejecters and contemners of all the other Commandments of God a very sleight care of godly or neighbourly duties hath appeared among them But I confess it is improper to answer an argument by an invective and therefore I say in the second place Where the fundamental reason of somthing in the first constitution of it abides still the same there the thing it self must abide in the like esteem I have heard it is a Rule in the Law Eâdem vel simili ratione manente idem statuendum est Like reasons produce like determinations in all cases There was a fundamental reason in the Institution of the Sabbath the day allotted for divine Worship and therefore the holy Apostles did not abrogate but change it Now the fundamental reason of the Jewish Tabernacle and Temple was that God should have a set place as well as a set time for his Worship it being improbable that Divine Service should ever be solemnly performed except there be both time and place appointed for it And this was the reason why holy David was so careful in providing materials and Solomon was so industrious in building the Temple of Jerusalem that there might be a fixed place where the Name of the Lord might be placed and called on and where the Lord might meet his people and bless them Hence was that command of God That while the Jews were
is something more in them Hippomanus and some other Expositor have objected The Second Sermon That that Ceremony of Discalceation among the Jews was used to signifie a mans departure from his Right in passing his Inheritance to another as we read Ruth 4. 7. And it is not improbable that Solomon in this Instruction might have respect unto that Ceremony When St. Paul called upon the Corinthians to glorifie God both with their bodies and their spirits he presses them to it by this Argument Ye are not your own ye are bought with a price as if he had spoken to them in the phrase of the Text Put off your Shoes from your feet Yeild up that right which ye have to the members of your bodies and the faculties of your souls unto Christ who hath redeemed them And from this Notion of the phrase which is genuine enough and analogous to the rule of divine Worship I may raise some other Notions which may serve to advance and promote the Duty which we have in hand I shall easily admit that account which Lorinus gives us that by foot here is meant the feet that is the affections of the soul but may I not put the question Of the soul only Had Solomons instruction no design upon the members of the body Doth Divine Reverence consist only in the pious frame and composure of the soul Certainly it requires the whole man the inward man and the outward man too and the ensuing Discourse will be managed accordingly in some short Directions for the decent behaviour of the outward man First I advise according to the letter of the Text. Keep thy foot when thou goest to the House of God When thou art going thither keep on thy way suffer no temptation either to stay thee at home or to turn thee aside from it It is one of the choicest arts of Satan in hindering men from going to the House of God he knows that there is not any thing that debauches the spirit of a man nor hardens his heaâ—t more then his frequent absence from divine worship that 's the sin which keeps men in ignorance of themselves and of the ways of God and discomposes them for that great account which they must render to the Lord at the last day 1 Chron. 21. 30. We read That David could not go up to Gibeon to inquire of the Lord because of the sword of the Angel of the Lord that is because he was to pass through infected places thither but when the way to the House of God is clear and safe thy absence from it will not be defended by either of those too common excuses some worldly business or the entertainment of a friend that came to visit thâ—e Again Keep thy foot when thou art come into the House of God Tertullian tells us that the primitive Christians had their Dies stationum days of standing wherein they thought it Nefas as he expresses it an unlawful thing to kneel though at Prayer and those days continued from the Passover to the Pentecost in memory as it is thought of our Saviours Resurrection St. Cyprian tells us that the Confessors and Martyrs who persevered in the faith were called Stantes The Standers The ancient Church took up another custom at the reading of some portions of the Gospel and at the repetition of the Articles of our Faith that the Congregation should stand up not only to acknowledge their unity and consent in faith but to testifie their resolution to persevere in that faith and to maintain the truth of that Gospel against all opposers And since that custom of standing at those times at the repetition of the Creed and the reading of the Gospel hath been derived down to us by the piety of our fore-Fathers I advise you to look to your feet then do not kneel at the Creed as the manner of ignorant persons is as if it were a prayer Do not sit as if ye doubted of the truth or were not concerned in that publick profession of your Faith and as if your constancy to it would be conditional that is so long as it stands in favour and is in fashion with the world But in the Name of God stand up at it and stand up for it that the Lord may stand with you as He did by St. Paul and strengthen you in the day of your tribulation I pursue my design of putting our outward Man into a reverend posture for divine worship and therefore the discourse riseth from the Foot to the Knee Look to that that it be not too stiffe in the House of God God standeth in the Congregation saith David doth God stand and do his holy Angels stand and look upon thee and wilt thou sit Wilt thou sit and never kneel St. Jerom's rule is not only frequenter orandum to be often in the duty of prayer but flexo corpore orandum to declare an inward humiliation by an outward Our coming to Church is a Testification a profession of our Religion and to testifie our fall in Adam the Church appoints us at certain times to fall upon our knees and to testifie our faith in the Resurrection both of Christs and our own the Church hath appointed certain times to stand but no man is so left to his liberty as never to kneel Genu-flexio est Peccatorum Kneeling is the sinners posture If thou come hither in the quality of a sinner and if thou do not what dost thou here put thy self into the sinners posture Kneel sometimes Habe reverentiam Deo ut quod pluris est ei tribuas is devout Bernard's counsel And let me improve it thus Do but remember with what reverence thou hast come into thy Masters presence when thou wast a Servant Do but remember with what reverence thou hast come into thy Landlords presence when thou wert a Tenant Do but remember with what reverence thou hast come into a Court of Justice when thou wert either a Client or a Pleader or a Witness or but a stander by Do but remember with what reverence ye have come into the Kings presence or the Council Table or which was much lower to a Committee-Table Collect I say but the reverence which thou hast shewed to these Persons and in these places and though I could wish the Lord had but as much such bowing of the knee such bending of the body such uncovering of the head even in the coldest weather such mannerliness in all points yet Quod pluris est says Bernard God must have thus much reverence and more for all these expressions of reverence may be counterfeit these honourable Persons may have the body but not the heart but the Lord must have all Remember that call of David in the 95. Psalm O come let us worship and fall down and kneel before the Lord our Maker From the reverence of the knee we may pass to the reverence of the hands I will says St. Paul that men pray every where lifting up
Paul before-mentioned we may make our selves lyable to the wrath of the King which as Solomon says is as the roaring of a Lion yea we may make our selves lyable to that which St. Paul terms Damnation an heavy word and the Lord incline all our hearts to such a prudent and conscionable obedience both to his own Commands and the Kings that we may never feel the weight of it The second general Part. The Caution For they consider not that they do evil Have ye yet one minutes patience more I hope ye have and indeed there needs not much more for the discussion of this part Solomon here points at a palpable and very dangerous piece of Folly As indeed what can be more foolish then for a man when he doth evil to think he doth well And what can be more dangerous then to dishonour God while we think we serve him It is an heavy word that of Solomon Who so turneth away his ear from hearing the Law even his Prayer shall be an abomination Prov. 28. 9. and that is a feaâ—ful state Let but a sinner against Gods and the Kings Commandments retire into some private place and there sit down and bethink himself and say What shall I do to be saved Righteousness I have none my whole life hath been as it were one continued transgression I have in an Hypocritical way come often to the House of God and heard many Sermons and observed many Fasts but my heart was not right towards God it went after covetousness my pretended zeal was cruel and bloody and I served my self while I bore the world in hand that I was a servant of Christs All my Religion lay in hearing but I had no obedience My practice was not conformable to my pretences and now what will become of me Should I betake my self to prayer and pour out my guilty soul in supplications Solomon tells me That they would be but the Sacrifice of Fools that my prayer would be an abomination that the Lord would cast it out as a filthy thing So that I am in great danger to lye under the guilt of sin and the wrath of God for ever Let I say a sinner I mean one that hath been more ready to hear then to obey but argue his own case with his own soul and he will quickly see his folly and with tears acknowledge that he hath done evil that there hath been iniquity even in his holy things and there remaineth nothing for him but a fearful expectation of vengeance to come But I would not close my discourse with such a sad note as this neither dare I tell you that the yoak of the Christian Religion is easier then it is You have had the Nature of Divine Worship represented to you both for the Form and the Matter of it The Form I place in those Reverential postures and gestures of the outward Man The Matter in an obedience to divine Commands and to the Kings so far forth as they are not repugnant to the Laws of God nor injoin any thing which is unlawful for or unworthy of a Christian And I beseech you to think of it by a speedy resolution for new and better obedience secure and lay in a stock of comfort for your poor souls against the coming of the great Day of the Lord. If hereafter ye shall come rightly disposed and prepared to this House of Prayer the Lord according to his promise will meet you and bless you and make you joyful in it He will give you the comforts and the graces of his blessed Spirit to strengthen and guide you in the way wherein you should go and at your end receive you into that other House of his not made with hands which is eternal in the Heavens For which the Lord of his Mercy prepare us Amen Amen FINIS To the Honouâ—able Sir Christopher Turner Knight One of the BARONS OF HIS Majesties Exchequer My Lord AMong those many mercies which our good God in the happy Restoration of his sacred Majesty hath poured upon this unworthy Nation it is look'd upon by some pious and judicious persons as none of the least yea rather as one of the greatest that his Majesty hath placed such Iudges over us who understand both Law and Gospel and are able not only to administer Iustice and Iudgement to the people in their Civil Causes but to be guides and examples to them in their devotions and addresses to God It was no small comfort to me being by the Providence of God called to this service and directed to this argument that I found your Lordship such a practical Auditor recommending my mean discourse to the better consideration of the people by your exemplar reverence in the House of God And I have the sooner digested the Obloquy which was cast upon these weak pieces when I saw the duty which they pointed at Reverence in Divine Worship was so well known and so evidently performed beside your self by so many learned and pious and honourable persons Many and sore were the evils which lay upon this Church of England in our late troubles and although our chief cordolium arose that we see some of the fundamentals of our Religion undermin'd and shaken it could not but beget some sighs and sad thoughts in us to hear the circumstantials so decryed and despised as if Divine Worship consisted only in our hearts and spirits and it had been superstition in any respect to have glorified God with our bodies It was an ingenuous concession of Mr Calvin in the case of Ceremonies that if they were few in number easie to be observed and clear in their signification they might juvare rudiorum imperitiam assist the weakness of the ruder sort of people and that they would conduce Christum illustrare to make Christ better known to them And certainly the devout and reverend servants of God in the various and humble postures and gestures of their bodies in Divine Worship have no other design but to testifie that awful sence which they have of an extraordinary presence of God in Holy Assemblies by them to instruct and edifie the ignorant and to prepare them for their more solemn approaches to the Throne of grace It was judiciously said by a late learned man that reverence was the pale of Religion if that pale be broken down the Roes and the Hinds of the field as Solomon calls them weak and unstable souls will break out and wander into profaneness and Atheism and in a short time forget that God whom they see worship'd in such a sleight and homely manner Wherefore we have cause to bless the Lord that notwithstanding the Sectaries like wild Boars were so long foraging in his Vineyard which he had planted here amongst us and had well neer laid it waste by destroying the Dressers and rooting out those goodly plants of Order and Decency and Vniformity he hath yet preserved an holy seed who know him and fear him and come with hearts and bodies to sanctifie him at what time or in what places soever they draw neer to him It is the joy of our hearts notwithstanding we live so far remote from the Imperial City to hear of the signal reverence of his Sacred Majesty in holy Worship and it is our wish that his pious example may have such an influence upon the Nation that this Church of England which was so lately blackned by her own intestine troubles may recover her former comeliness and become once more a praise on the Earth Our expectations of this happiness are somewhat raised since we see the Episcopal Chairs and the Seats of Iudicature fill'd with such eminent persons who have given so ample testimony of their Loyalty to their King and their constancy to their Religion My Lord I am a poor stranger to you I had not the happiness to my best remembrance ever to see your face till I met you in the House of God and afterward received from your Lordship that more then sufficient reward a very candid signification of your acceptance of my well-meant labours And I humbly and heartily congratulate to you your Honour that by the favour of your Prince you shine in the Orb of Iustice and are such an illustrious and yet benevolent star in that Now glittering Constellation Good luck have you with your Honor and may you ride on prosperously as you have begun judging the Tribes of England in Truth and Meekness and Righteousness and may he whose name is The Councellour be continually assistant to you may you grow old honourable in the service of your Country and your King and your God and then when your Change shall come your comfort and assurance will be so much the greater that you shall be translated and adscited into the number of those who shall sit upon Thrones judging the Tribes of Israel These hopes and wishes shall be constantly and fervently seconded by the prayers of My Lord your most humbly devoted servant Mich. Thomas