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
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
Lord saith in the latter end of the world when ruine shall come it will bee then as it was in the dayes of Noah and as it was in the dayes of Lot men shall bee eating and drinking and marrying wives but know nothing they should do for their salvation till utter ruine come upon them I hope now the truth of this Lesson is cleare out of the Scripture But if you please to goe a little further yet and consider the excellency and difficulty of this wisedome to know the times how much depends upon it how much is required to it you 'l bee fully satisfied that a greater commendation can never bee given of any man or any people then this that they know the times in reference to their duties and that I may open what belongs to the making up of this worke I beseech you give mee leave to open these six Conclusions out of the Scripture which all much concerne this wisedome of knowing the times in reference to dutie First That time is one of the most pretious treasures that ever God bestowes upon any man or any people 1. because time is the onely measure out of which God powres out all his administrations 2. Time it is the onely space in which men are to doe all their worke 3. It 's so pretious that God would have men value it one to another if any man had hurt another hee must not onely pay for his healing but hee must pay for the losse of his time Yea 4. God calls upon his people to redeeme it at any rate Redeeme the time redeeme the time as if there were no commoditie that the God of heaven would so commend unto men next to his truth that wee should buy so eagerly as wee should purchase time Yea 5. it is so pretious that Hee who is at that great cost to make and contrive it as to cause the Sunne every day to run about the world and all those excellent creatures in the firmament to make it their work for the continuation of time will call men to accompt for every moment for every minute of it That is my first Conclusion that time is a pretious Jewell in Gods account and ought to be so in all people's Secondly God hath joyned time and dutie inseparably one to another so that there is no dutie but it hath an appointed time for it and there is no time but it hath an appointed dutie for it it 's disputable whether there bee a vacuum in nature or no it is most certaine there is no vacuum in time No man ever lives to see that minute of time nor that ragge or cranny of time of which hee may truely say at this time I have nothing at all to doe but the Lord hath measured out to all times some dutie or other this our Saviour saith expresly Matth. 6.34 when hee would disswade men from troubling themselves to day with the duties that belong to to morrow hee useth this argument among others Trouble not your selves for to morrow for to morrow day hath trouble enough of its owne sufficient for every day is the trouble of it the care the worke the dutie of every day that passeth over our heads is enough to fill the day that is the second that God hath joyned time and dutie together Thirdly There are some great duties that are to bee concurrent in the practise of all men with every moment of their lives My meaning plainly is this the great businesse of glorifying God of saving our immortall soules of keeping a good conscience of working out our salvation these great things are not set off by God to any set time but they are to be concurrent with every moment of a mans time Trust in the Lord at all times have respect to Gods Commandements at all times Blessed are they that doe justice and judgement at all times bee yee alwayes ready for your masters comming And of those excellent men Josiah and others it is recorded that they looked to Gods Commandements all their dayes so that the great matters of glorifying God saving our soules looking for our Masters comming c. these duties are to bee concurrent with all our time Fourthly Severall times I meane the severall compositions of times or Scenes or Junctures of times have their severall and peculiar duties laid out for every man by God himselfe my meaning is this there is a time of youth a time of age a time of prosperitie a time of adversitie a time of comfort a time of trouble a time of warre a time of peace and a hundred other severall frames and compositions and junctures of time Now so often as God doth make a new Scene of the time every man hath some new duty or other to act his part requires that hee should act some new thing the Scripture is full of such expressions as these in the times of prosperitie doe thus in the time of adversitie doe thus in the time of the Gospel doe thus c. Now to know the time and the severall duties belonging to every time is one of the hardest things that belong to the taske of man this wisedome lies in the deepe it is a difficult thing to find out what the duties are that belong to the severall times But then fiftly That the Booke of God and onely the Booke of God is able to informe them who faithfully study it in all the duties that doe belong to every new posture or face of time First I say onely Gods Booke can do it there are Bookes of excellent wisedome written by other men but take them all together let a man bee never so versed in them they will never discover to him every duty that belongs to every time but the Booke of God can doe it if men have their senses exercised in the study of it there is no time so intricate no dutie so arduous but the booke of God will teach all men from the Minister to the Hearer from the Prince to the Subject to make every one of them perfect in all the workes which belong to them Psalme 19.7 it is said the Word gives understanding to the simple and in the third of the Proverbs Vers. 21 22 23 In all thy wayes acknowledge her and thou shalt walke in thy way safely and thy foot shall not stumble when thou liest downe thou shalt not bee afraid c. Doe but get wisedome into thy heart get acquaintance with Gods Word it will direct thee in all thy wâ—â—es whether to the right hand or to the left at every turning place it will say here is thy way and these must bee thy steps Sixtly and principally As there are severall times and severall duties annexed to these times so in every time for any duty there is some particle of that time which is the opportunitie of the dutie the season of the dutie there is the space
after it In Haggai his dayes the Reformation was begun then laid aside God presently smote them with Blasting and Mildew and would have undone them if they had not taken it up againe God lookes you should carry this work on And I adde Without setling Religion you shall never settle the Common-wealth Hee that writes a Booke of the corrupt and troubled state of the Church will hardly ever write a Booke of the quiet and setled State of the Commonwealth Christ is King of Nations and Common-wealths as well as King of Saints Now the glory of Christ is so much concerned in the matter of Religion that they shall never finde him propitious to them for their good in humane affaires who neglect him in that that is dearest to him But what have our Heads and Rulers to doe in that I feare not to say confidently that they are mistaken who say you have nothing to doe with it All the good Kings that ever I read of in the booke of God thought not onely they had to doe with it but it was their first work a Jove principium they all began with it they ever accounted the Reformation preservation propogation of Religion to be their Crown but what have you to doe I answer you must with David set your whole hearts to the house of your God really and seriously with Solomon set as many on worke as you can possibly to prepare materialls for Gods house with Jehosaphat send abroad as many faithfull Preachers as you can to goe about and instruct the people from Towne to Towne and Citie to Citie till you can get Ministers to bee setled With Nehemiah labour to build the walls of Jerusalem though in a troublesome time with a Sword in one hand and a Trowell in the other set up discipline to bee a hedge and fence to the Churches With Hezekiah labour to provide honorable maintenance for Gods house and his Ministers that young men may not bee discouraged in their studies For when young Students can see Galen and Justinian the study of the Law or Physick can give them wealth and honour and the Ministry nothing but beggery it will bee a great snare to them though the worke of the Ministry bee honorable and hath an abundant reward with God yet for want of maintenance the house of God will bee forsaken Sint Maecenates non deerunt marones Men of parts must have incouragement and in your provision for them forget not the Schooles of the Prophets remember the Universities Indeavour to carry on the worke that the beautie and power of Religion may be promoted and the Lord direct you to it Seventhly and lastly Our times are times of Deliverances the greatest deliverances that I thinke the Lord hath wrought since hee brought Israel out of Egypt such deliverances as we our selves are like men in a dreame such deliverances that there hath beene but few footsteps of ordinary Providence in them deliverances that have beene the fruit of Prayer the fruit of Covenanting the fruit of Fasting and in all these the fruit of free grace wherein the Lord hath exceeded not onely our Faith but our Prayers and hath measured out to us all that hee hath done by the shekel of the Sanctuary his own shekel that is double of ours I know you forget not the wonderfull things the Lord hath done and what have our Heads to doe at such a Time Truly all others with you but you more then all at such a time must bee carefull of these foure things First God expects when hee workes deliverances that his people should consider his workes and stand amazed at it When the Lord turned the captivitie of Zion wee were like men in a dreame our mouth was filled with laughter and our tongue with joy The Lord say they hath done great things for us Thus let us admire his works In times of deliverance you must bee very carefull to pay your vowes the vowes that you made in the time of your low condition the vowes you made when your Selves and Liberties and Religion and the Kingdom were all like to bee buried quicke together God expects in times of deliverance to have those vowes remembred and paid consider what they were Thirdly When the Lord workes such deliverances hee expects and it will very well become the Heads of our Tribes to keepe the same lowly and humble spirit that they had while God kept them under afflictions to have their eares as much opened to good counsell when God hath exalted them as when hee abased them this is a hard lesson to learne I finde the best of all Gods servants have much failed in this particular Good David himselfe in the day of his prosperity kept not alwayes that humble spirit which hee had in his low estate nor Asa nor Uzziah nor Hezekiah and wee know the story of that famous Queen whose motto in the time of her afflictions was Tanquam ovis as a sheepe for the slaughter yet afterwards it was thought needfull to intreate that it might not bee tanquam indomita juvenca as an untamed Heifer Men are infinitely prone to bee lifted up when God enlarges them but God infinitely detesteth it and will not put it up at the hands of any Therefore I most humbly beseech you Right Honorable and Honorable and beloved let David and Solomon his sonne and Uzziah and Hezekiah bee warnings to you and doe you labour to maintaine the same lowly spirit that you had when you could keepe dayes of mourning for the sinnes of the Kingdome for your personall sinnes and Parliament sinnes such a spirit would infinitely please God And lastly In the time of deliverance God expects of those that are the Heads and Rulers of a people that every deliverance should by them bee improved to the utmost for the end for which it is given every Rod hath a voyce and calls for some dutie and every mercy and deliverance hath a voyce and calls for a dutie every victory your Armies have got and every towne hath beene surrendred every plot that hath been discovered hath some dutie written upon it which God expects you should learne All these things without question lie upon you and God doth and will expect them at your hands and what heart would not tremble to thinke how much lies upon you my soule is deepely affected with your taske more then humane strength must carry you on or you will bee impares oneri never able to goe through your work VVhat gratious man who understands this would ever pray to God in his Chamber without remembring you and your work and for you your selves O what need is there that you should call in the Payers and supplications of all Gods people to helpe you and that every one of you lay aside any businesse of your owne all self-interest and count it to be but catching of Flyes in comparison of the worke you are called to and
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
Humiliation that wee have not in time past so knowne the times as wee should in reference to our duties There is one more and that is A Use of Exhortation Is this so excellent and necessary a dutie to know the times in reference to our duties O that I knew how to speake somewhat in the name of the Lord that might promote this wisedome in you for time to come that in this our day wee might know the things that concerne our peace that they may not be for ever hid from our eyes O that I could say to you as Paul said to the Thessalonians Concerning the times and seasons it is superfluous for mee to write to you for you your selves know perfectly To this end I beseech you take briefly these foure Meditations to provoke you to study this wisedome in time to come First Often consider how much time how many golden opportunities thou hast lost already how oft there hath been in thy hands a price to purchase Wisdome and thou hast lost it for want of a heart and then thinke whether it bee not more then needfull that thou shouldest lose no more Secondly Consider how much doth depend upon that moment of time that yet is behinde It is an old saying Our life is but a moment but Ex hoc momento pendet aeternitas Eternity dependeth upon this moment no lesse then the glory of God and the saving of thy immortall soule and it may bee of thy family it may bee of the Church and Kingdome dependeth upon thy knowing the times Thirdly Consider thou canst not tell whether ever thou shalt enjoy after this day one opportunity more the Angel may quickly come and sweare concerning thee and mee Time shal be no more And then Fourthly Consider when Time ceases to bee any more thou must give an accompt for all the time that hath been that certainly at the barre and Tribunall of God all the Times and seasons that God hath trusted thee with stand upon thy score and will bee exacted of thee Rejoyce O young man saith Solomon in the 11 of Ecclesiastes in thy youth and let thy heart cheare thee in the dayes of thy youth and walke in the wayes of thine heart and in the sight of thine eyes take thy pleasures waste thy seasons but know that for all these things thou must come to judgement Such Meditations as these would provoke your hearts to bee very carefull to lose no more time but rather to enquire what you should doe for time to come and how you might learne this Wisdome And truly it would fill a Volume to tell what every one should doe from what wee should redeeme our time and to what wee should redeeme it and by what meanes wee should doe it I dare not enter upon that discourse But there is one thing wherein I desire freedome that I might be as helpfull as I can to the Honourable Senate that hath called me to the service of this day Honourable and Beloved God hath cast your lot so that if you be rightly instructed in this one Lesson you may make our times differ as much from former times as Nebuchadnezzars Golden head did from the feet of iron and clay Golden times indeed might bee brought about if God vouchsafed but to teach you this one Lesson Your duties are many for whatsoever lies upon any other lies eminently upon you You are to doe all those things in every time that others are to doe and you are to doe many things that others cannot doe and may not doe That you may therefore know your duty give mee leave to represent before you the true face of our Times wherein wee live and shew what in these Times you have to doe and herein I will not presume to put any Prudentialls upon you we ought all to thinke that Prudentialls are better understood by you then by us but what shall I say shall God willing appeare to be matter of Conscience matters of necessity and things that may not bee left to liberty Know then our present times First in generall are such Times as I thinke never were before us in the World I may say of our times as the Prophet Joel saith in the 1 of Joel Heare O yee old men was it ever thus in your dayes or in the dayes of your forefathers I meane our times are so full of various administrations such a concurrence of all kinde of Providences and Administrations as seldome were ever knowne in so few yeares Wee have been sometimes full of hopes of recovery sometimes at the brinke of despaire sometimes dawnings of light by and by all clouded over againe with utter darknesse sometimes we see a people drawing nigh to God that hides his face from them by and by God drawing nigh to a people that run away from him such alterations such vicissitudes of all kindes of administrations that truly I may compare our times to the wind mentioned in the first of Ecclesiastes It whirles about continually now in the North and then in the South and never abides in one Point So hath it been with us for these foure or five last yeares this day of ours hath been like that day in the 14 of Zachariah neither night nor day nor light nor darknesse but a strange kinde of mixture of all these and in such various and uncertaine Times as these are what have the heads of our Tribes to doe I answer plainly all others with you and you with others are in such dayes to stand and behold the Workes of God viewing and admiring and adoring these Mosaick works these Checquer workes of God but it concernes you above all others to stand constantly upon your watch and employ all your Parts and Wisdome and Faithfulnesse lest a change of time take you upon a sudden As when a Ship is at Sea if it saile to the Westward and once get beyond the Canaries where the Sea sets constantly one way and state-winds blowing for so many Moneths together in one Point a moderate skill and care of him that guides the Helme wil carry them on with ease but in various winds and tumultuous Seas when they saile sometimes among Rocks and sometimes among Quicksands sometimes in Gulfes sometimes in the Ocean sometimes almost at the Shoare if the Pilot be not extreame skilfull and carefull himselfe his Barque and all that are with him are quickly cast away So I am assured is it now with us in these various administrations you that are our Pilots that sit at the Sterne must shew more then ordinary skill and diligence or we may quickly perish But More particularly there are seven severall Scenes of the Time if I may so call them or sorts of things that every day are acted upon our Stage and in every one of them I shal shew you what you that are the Heads of our Tribes have to doe First Our times are
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
better for you Did you then thus know the times did you then walke as wise men redeeming the times did you know what God expected from you in your places and have you done it O blessed yee if you have But I beseech you will it not rather appeare upon a true search that many of you in those dayes walked in the wayes of riot in uncleannesse in drunkennesse possibly in swearing in prophaning Gods holy time in opposing and scorning Religion was it not thus it behoves you to search did you not make your owne Families the Townes and Lordships where you lived the worse for you as so many Jeroboams causing Israel to sinne did not you thereby helpe to pull downe those judgements that have beene like to devoure and destroy this whole Land and if so have you beene humbled under these things have you since repented of them or do they still stand upon your score before that God that keeps an exact accompt of all the Talents that ever hee hath put into your hands I beseech you enquire into it but let me goe further and enquire whether since the time that God hath separated you from your brethren and by a notable providence called you out to be the heads of all our Tribes have you since that time knowne the times in reference to your duties It is now above six yeers since many of you have beene called to this worke one of the greatest workes that mortall men have beene imployed in these many hundreds of yeers a work wherein you have beene assisted not onely with the prayers and teares of those that feare God throughout the Christian world but with the states and blood of many and God himselfe hath carried you in his bosome and made you the most remarkable handfull of men that I thinke this day breath upon the earth in regard of the mercies that hee hath shewed you and in this time certaine I am hath put into your hands as many golden opportunities not onely required as many duties but put as many golden opportunities into your hands to establish our wretched kingdome and to rescue a decayed lukewarme Apostatized Church as ever were put into the hands of a Parliament Now beloved have you known your times and taken your opportunities I know it well that you have wrestled with huge difficulties infinite oppositions and I know that oft-times the perversnesse of a Patient poysoning his owne disease or wounds may frustrate the care of the best Physitians and God forbid that that which is onely your misery should ever bee imputed to you as your sinne but suppose upon a diligent search any of you that are called to bee our wise men to know the times for us that at your doore it should lie in great part that our miseries are not yet healed how sad would that bee To this end I most humbly pray you inquire if upon a diligent search there should bee found among you any who at this day live in the same sinfull riotous ungodly wicked conversation that they led before God called them to this publique service that after your solemne oath with your hand lifted up to the most high God for the reformation of your wayes that you should bee found still with Zimri and Cozbi to live in those sinnes for which God is judging this Nation Were this to know the times and what Israel hath to doe Suppose further there should bee found amongst you any such as should ordinarily neglect the publique service and turne your backs upon it to attend your own private affaires after that the Kingdome hath put into your hands whatsoever under God is pretious and deare unto them were this to know the times and what Israel hath to doe Suppose there should bee found amongst you any that should seeke advantage to themselves out of publique calamities or should sinfully helpe to undoe those for whom they are called to bee Saviours were this to know the times Suppose that any of you should bee found unjust in judgement and favour an unrighteous man in his cause either for corrupt gaines or out of opposition to them you like not and so prostrate the untainted honour of the Parliament to the reproach of the adversaries the scandall of the Nation the teares and griefe of them who love you were this to know the times and what Israel hath to doe Suppose it should bee found that there should bee any that in matters of Religion should side with a partie for corrupt and sinfull ends and make Religion but an Engine to carry on some other sinfull designe were this to know the times and what Israel had to doe Suppose yet further that upon a diligent search there should be found among you any that doe retard matters of the greatest moment that the setling of Religion should bee obstructed by you that many people abroad are remisse in it because they judge you have no heart to it were this to know the time and what Israel hath to doe Suppose that the cries and teares of the oppressed I meane not the fatherlesse and widowes whom I am confident the Houses of Parliament would helpe this very day if it lay in their power but the cries of some oppressed by Committees or others in the Countrey should come up to you and seeke for succour and it should bee found that some of you should patronize the wrong-doers and keepe them off from comming to a hearing and thereby from redresse were this to know the times and what Israel had to doe Honorable and Worthy doe not mistake mee I am farre from saying it is so I onely suggest these things to your owne search and if in naming the particulars I mistake any of them God knowes it is with the same singlenesse of heart wherewith Job sanctifyed his Children sacrificed for them saying Peradventure my sonnes have sinned and cursed God in their hearts sure I am it concernes you all to search and try for if it should be so wee are all like to smart for it for as he said of the Roman Senate Ita nati est is ut bona malaque vestra ad rempub. pertineant Your condition is such that your good and your evill is the good and evill of the Commonwealth it belongs to us all and should the great God find any of you walking thus unworthy of the great trust hee hath committed to you when hee hath put as it were the fates of his Church and Kingdome in your hands under him to dispose of them hâ—s wrath would bee kindled against you these things would lie very heavy upon your score and wee and you should dearely rue it Sure I am there is not a man of us but for some or other of these things hath just cause to lay his hand upon his heart with sorrow and to put his mouth in the dust and this day to bee very deepely humbled and abased before God And this is the first Use a Use of