will go right or stand long among us It is a great Trust which is this day to be committed to you your Advantages hereupon to do much for the Glory of God among his People by going before them and leading them in the way of the Lord are very Eminent And God hath answerable Expectations concerning you you may be for a Name and a Praise unto him and we may be so too by God's blessing on your Conduct This God expects and this is the Hope and Prayer of such as fear the Lord among us You have our hearty Wishes that God would be with you as he hath been with those that are gone before you That you may be as the Mountains that bring Peace and as the Hills that produce Righteousness to his People That your Wisdom Justice Courage Piety may be the safeguard of our Land and the Stability of our Times These are the things which duely improved will make you Rich Blessings Be intreated therefore to shine in the Improvement of them The Lord hath said Ye are Gods Psal 82.6 Let these Virtues appear as inseperable Properties of your Deity If you lack these things you cannot stand and we must fall I might remember you of many particulars by way of Motive As 1. You have the Care and Charge of a People whom God hath by special Favour taken to be his own Peculiar And such a Tâ—ust as this ought to be strenuously faithfully discharged The Lord our God hath by signal Protections and a stretched out Arm made these once dark corners of the earth a place of comfortable Entertainment to a Remnant of his faithful Servants and their Seed Here he hath intrusted us with the choise Mercies of his Word Ordinances we have had them enjoyed them in safety from all the Endeavours of such as with an envious eye and vexed Soul have beheld what God hath been doing for us and though we have sadly proved our selves ungrateful backsliding Children untrue to the Interest of the Gospel and Kingdom of Christ among us yet Oh! how are Covenant Mercies prolonged to us and how great are the Covenant Engagements and Obligations that we are continued under to this Day And what is the Lords end in all this but that we should be holiness unto him What doth God design but that we should shew forth his Praises who hath thus crowned us What doth the Lord look for from us but sach fruit as this And the Honour God puts upon you whom he makes the Rulers of his People the Authority which he doth vest you with is with Subserviency to this end God hath designed the Civil Government of his People to concenter with Ecclesiastical Administrations and though by different Mediums they are both levelled at the same end the maintaining of Piety and promoting of a Covenant walk with him That which is the Lords Aim in this should be yours also all your Conducts should center here This is the work that belongs to you in your Publick Capacities and it calls for your Wisdom and Justice and Zeal and Holiness if you would be found thus ruling with God and faithful with his Saints Hosea 11.12 2. Again Do net those palpable Declensions from the way of the Lord and Covenant Violations which we are manisestly guilty of loudly proclaim it necessary for you to bestir your selves with a holy Prudence and Zeal for the Cause of God among us Oh! how justly may the Lord complain of us that we are become the degenerate Plant of a strange Vine unto him Where is that Zeal for God and his ways that high esteem of Gospel Priviledges that faithful improvement of Sacred Ordinances that Care Concermnent for the Advancing of the Kingdom of Christ which things were once our praise Are not these great Interests miserably disregarded And Oh! what Irreligion Lukewarmness Prophanes and Immoralities have usurped their Room And doth not the Lord expect that the Leaders of his People should be their Reformers You have great Examples the Royal Presidents of Jehosaphat Hezekiah Josiah famous in this matter accepted and blessed of the Lord. let this then be your great Care to recover us a sinful sinning People from all our Apostasies And Oh! how much may you do by your Wisdom Piety Zeal and Justice Precept and Example Authority and Awe to awaken us and recover us again to the good wayes os God The Good Lord strergthen you yet more and more in all your endeavours for this and think upon you according to all that you have done and shall still be doing for his People 3. Further. Hath not the Lord himself been coming near to Judgment and pleading with and against his People It is obvious that God hath a Controversy with us and He is wrath with his Inheritance The tender mercy of God indeed doth spare us to this day many good and pleasant things yet in divers respects God hath been and is humbling us and bringing us low Tho' we may with thankful Admiration at the Divine Goodness say as the Psalmist Psal 78.38 concerning the Lords Dispensations towards 〈◊〉 Many a time turned He his anger away and did not stirâ— up all his wrath yet if we coâ—sider the Bloodshed and ruinous Devastations in some Places of this Land together with the languishing Sâ—ate oâ— the whole Country at this Day we may also take up the Psalmists complaint Psal 80.5 And say Thou feedest us with the Bread of Tears and givest us Tears to drink without measure I shall no need to mention those various Rebukes of Providence as Blastings and Mildews Droughts Unseasonable Frosts of late Sickness the Sword which you have so often in your Orders for Publick Humiliation piously directed us to take notice of as Tokens of the Lords Anger surely by these Providences God hath been loudly testifying against our Transgressions And we may read in them that of the Prophet Jer. 5.25 Your Sins have withholden good things from you We have a case fit and proper for us under our present Circumstances to propound and consider stated and resolved to our hand in Deut 29.23 24. Wherefore hath the Lord done thus unto this Land what meaneth the Heat of this great Anger Then men shall say because they have forsaken the Covenant of the Lord God of their Fathers And if this be a Day wherein the Lord is coming out against us in Judgment Oâ— How should you that are the Lords Substitutes bear witness in your places against the Transgressions which provoke him If you are thus a Terrour to Evil Doers it may be God will do no more terrible things in Judgment against us If you do wisely and courageously Execute Judgment who knows but it may divert the Lords Phinehas did so and the Plague was stayed Psal 106 30. 4 You do ordinarily I suppose I may say constantly bring your selves under the Sacred Bâ—nd of a Solemn Oath with impartiality fidelity to discharge the Trust committed
to you and so Rule this People according to the Laws of God and the King than which nothing can be a stricter tie to those that know and believe that the same God whom they have thus called upon to be a witness of the sincerity and integrity of their hearts in what they are undertaking will if they be either careless or false not suffer them to escape his Righteous Judgment and most severe Reflections 5 Shall I add this one consideration further both to stir you up to and strengthen you in your publick work It is this You have the Royal Favour of a most Gracious Soveraign whom the Divine Providence hath in a wonderful manner raised up and hitherto preserved to be the Bulwark of Religion and Property to the English Israel We are a little Branch of that Vine our Civil Life and Liberty is bound up in theirs we have felt the warmth of those benign Influences which have refreshed the wearied Land of our Fore fathers Sepulchres and as the Prophet Ezekiel speaks chap. 34.27 God hath broken the Bands of the Yoke that were upon us and delivered us out of the Hands of those that would have served themselves of us God who hath the Hearts of Princes in his Hand hath whatever our Enemies have endeavoured to the contrary given you Favour in the sight of the King You have in this respect great opportunity and advantage to be consulting and promoting the things which will be for the Glâ—ry of God the Interest of his Kingdom and the Weal of his People According as it is improved we may hope God will prolong it He will not take it well at our hands if it be neglected Give me leave then to say to you that are or may this Day be Rulers over us as once it was said to Ezâ—a chap. 10.4 This matter belongeth unto you It is your part principally to take care for the Improvement of such an Opportunity and ours to be with you in it When the Lord by whom Princes â—â—le maketh them Nursing Fathers to his People it opâ—â—eth a wide door of Liberty and Power to all that derive Authority from them to be in their respective places Rods of Strength for desending and encouraging the Good for suppresling and punishing the Wicked for promoting Piety and Rightcousness and if there be an heart wanting to improve such an advantage we may probably repent it when we can do nothing else Suffer then the Exhortation I beseech you in the words of the Lord which you have in Hag. 2.4 Be strong O Zerubbabel and work Do the work of your publick Capacities with Prudence Honour and Fidelity I am with you saith the lord of Hosts Thus if you approve your selves it will be Honour to God your Comfort our Weal and the rejoycing of all that love God his People There are a sew thingâ— which I would crave your Patience Honoured and much Respected that I may briefly recommend unto you as needful to be much in your Eyes and upon your Hearts if you would thus acquit your selves be Strong Rods to us at such a Day as this 1. Let the Interest of Religion and Holiness be your principal care Labour the reviving and promoting of it with all your strength This is both our Decus Tutamen we may truly say of this great Article that it is Articulus stantis et cadentis Nov Angliae It is this that engageth the Lord to deal gâ—aciously with his people and to be their Saviour in Isa 63.7 When the Church had reckoned up the Loving kindnesses of God many ways expressed we have in the following verse the consideration intimated upon which the Lord proceeded in deing those great things for his people verse 8. For he said surely they are my People Children that will not lie so â—e was their Saviour q. d. They will not be salse to my Covenant they will walk in my ways and keep my Commandments they will remember their Engagements and fulfil them and upon their so doing he had and would shew them his Salvation In this way they might hope for it but if they should prove lying unholy backsliding Children they would but deceive themselves to expect it Upon this ground hath the Lord been proceeding with our Fathers in time past and upon the same will he deal with us at this Day If we consider the things that were at the beginning when God first laid the Foundations of Gospel work in these Ends of the Earth if we remember the Wonders of old which we have heard and our Fathers have told us we may say of those Providences where by God through many Difficulties brought a Remnant of his faithful People into these remote corners of the World planted and preserved them here as David doth Psal 44.7 That the Lord did it By his Right-hand c. because he had a favour for them By great Deliverances and Salvations did the Lord manifest his Presence among them and Loving-kindness to them and they were all u pon this account Psal 22.4 Our Fathers trusted in thee they trusted and thou dâ—lst deliver them They had Holiness to the Lord Engraven upon their hearts designs and ways and God was with them If we are true to this Interest and Cause of God and walk in the Covenant of the Lord God of our Fathers it shall be well with us Exod. 20.6 But if there be a declining backsliding apostatizing Spirit in us if we give the Lord cause to take up that Complaint concerning us in Mal. 3.7 Even from the dayes of your Fathers ye are gone away from mine Ordinances and have not kept them Oh! what Presumption what Madness will it be for us to hope that as he was theirs so he will be our Saviour Alas How many are there that have forgotten forsaken this great Interest of the Lord among us Beyou intreated therefore who shall have the rule of this People to consider it and engage your hearts to the advancing of it Remember that there is a Solemn Covenant between God this his People God hath taken them to be his they have owned themselves to be the Lords upon this Foundation stand all our Mercies Priviledges Enjoyments whatsoever can contribute any thing to our present or suture Felicity and therefore the recovering of us from all our Apostasies and the maintaining promoting of serious Godliness among us should will be the chief Scope of such Rulers as make Conscience to Serve either God or his People 2. Express a high Veneration for and Regard unto Gods holy Ordinances Let them have all that Security from the Blasphemous Reproaches and Abuses of Ungodly men that either your Laws or your Examples can afford them If they that go before a People go out of this way sad Experience proves it but too natural a practice for them to follow their Leaders So Jeroboam the son of Nebat made Israel to Sin 1 King 16 26.
Valley of Vision that of the Sword is one And tho' considering it as the Rod of Divine Anâ—er it behooveth us to be deeply humbled under 〈◊〉 yet considering it as in the Hand of an unjust â—nemy in whose Heart it is only to destroy as is â—id of the Assyrian Enemy Isa 10.7 And so it 〈◊〉 a Duty both natural and religious to arm aâ—ainst it It is good Policy even in a Time of â—eace to follow Davids steps who commanded â—at the Children of Judah should be taught the â—se of the Bow 2 Sam. 1.18 And certainly to â—e deficient in this point when the noise of War is in our streets will be very unpardonable To be unprovided and secure too at such a time is a notable Judgment God forbid we should trust to our Bow to our Skill or to any arm of Flesh whatsoever we have as little pretences for it as any People under the Sun yet it behooves us to be up and providing for our selves and wherein we may to be up and doing for the succour of others We have many more instances than that of Laish to warn us of the Fate of those that dwell carelesly and at quiet in a time of danger Yet it is well worthy our noting what is said in that case as giving us one great reason of that Security Judg. 18 7. There was no Magistrate in the Land that might put them to shame in any thing You know also who were cursed for their Sluggishness and Backwardness to jeapord themselves in the High Places of the Field to help the People of the Lord against the Mighty Judg. 5.23 You know the Distresses of the Eastern Parts of the Country You frequently hear of the barbarous Cruelties of those Heathenish Miscreants that shed the blood of the Lords People I need not mind you of the Danger of our Sea Coasts the God of all Wisdom direct you that are our Leaders and the Captains of his Inheritance that you may discern the Times and know what may be requisite for our own safety and how far it may be Duty for us to expose and put our selves for ward in the Defence of the Common Interest oâ— God's People in this Wilderness That this Ruiâ— may not be advanced by any Neglect of ours or be under your Hand 13. Study Unity in your Councils Proceedings and in all your Managements You know the familar similitude whereby the Strength and Power of Concord is usually Illustrated A Bundle of Rods they can't be broken while they are taken together but are easily snap'd asunder when they are severed Vis unita fortior is an old Mâ—xim and true Divide Impera was hellish Policy from the Beginning and it is that which the World is throughly versed in now a days Let your Agreement defeat the hopes of all that may thus attempt to practise upon you A Harmony in your Councils and Determinations is the best way to be answered with another in our Obedience 14 Be often recommending your selves in all the Affairs especially proper to your Places unto the Lord by earnest Prayer for his Assistance and Blessing He is a God of Wisdom Justice Power and Holiness would you be Strong Rods for the Defence and Rule of his People by Faith lay hold on his Strength and he will make you so You have been used thus to wait upon the Lord go on still Beg the Lords Direction Influence Blessing Do it heartily and he who hath made you ours will be your Guide He will be with you and make you the Repairers of our Breaches the Restorers of our Paths Isa 58.12 exceeding great Blessings â—o his Distressed People 2. The second Branch of the Exhortation concerns is all who are the Body of this People If it be such a Priviledge to have Strong Rods for Scepters to rule us and if the want of such cannot but be of fatal Consequence then How much doth it concern us to endeavour wherein we may the Procurement and Preservation of such a Publick Blessing We consult our own Good and which ought to be as dear to us the good of our Posterity when we do so Be you then exhorted for your own sakes and for their sakes to mind this thing That Civil Liberty of Election which you are this day assembled to exercise doth advantage many of you to be in this Respect eminently Serviceable to the Publick Weal let it then beâ— wisely improved Remember the Directions that have been given you and act in the fear of God that by the Blessing of the most High upon your prudent endeavours we may have no such cause as the Prophet in our Text of Lamentation And as you especially have a great Advantage to procure it so we have all of us a great Interest in such a general Blessing and are joyntly concerned to do all we can to advance this Common Felicity There are many things which for this end God expects of us all our neglect of which whatever prudent methods the most Sufficient and Able men may take to prevent it will certainly involve us in a most inevitable Ruine There may be Maladies in the Body which if they be not speedily healed will ruin the head and all Whatever the advantages are which Rulers have to promote the Peoples good whatever Pains they take to improve them yet Rulers themselves are but Second Caules and will fail in their endeavours and of their Aims as God shall with-hold his Blessing and that God oftentimes doth as a just Punishment of the Peoples Sins When any Detriment befals the State it is common for the Ministers of it to bear the Blame when as they many times least deserve it For if there be an Ungrateful Murmuring Proud Spirit a Mutinous Envious and Rebellious Spirit an Irreligious Spirit Prevailing among a People it is not all the Counsels of the Wisest nor Understanding of the Prudent nor Conduct of the most Sufficient men that can keep off Ruin from them Such a People may be miserable do their Rulers what they can It was not King Jesiahs Piety or Prudence however at the present it laid some kind of Restraint upon them that could divert the approaching lamentable Fate of that Stubborn Sinful People he had the rule of If there be never so skilful a Hand at Him the Ship that will not feel her Helm may stave upon the Rocks or Strand upon the Shore at last There is much of the Success of Government depending upon the suitable becoming behaviour of the People under it And this is it which we are all Exhorted to at this time Strong Rods are Rich Blessings God hath a Favour for that People on whom he bestows them But then we must remember the Tenure by which a People so Priviledged do hold them It is the same with that on which they have received their Authority from God Viz Quamdiu bene se gesserint When a People fail of their Duty and carry it unworthily
under the Command Conduct of such Rulers God hath wayes enough to discharge them to take them from such a People or iâ—â—he doth not so yet to cause that they shall not profit them For the Prevention of which I have but these few words to offer and so shall close Are Able and Faithful Rulers such Rich Blessings and would we contribute to this our Happiness then 1. Let us be thankful to God for such Mercies When the Lord gives Kings to be Nursing Fathers to his People as he promiseth Isa 49 23. Should not the Praises of the Lord resound throughout all the Gates of the â—ughter of Zion Do we also see such advanced to â—bordinate Places of Power Let us remember that 〈◊〉 Promotion is from God It is He that sets them up â—d 756 7. They are of Him Râ—m 13.1 And by Him â—y Rule Prov. 8.16 We cast the Lot but the Lord that 〈◊〉 on High hath the whole disposing of it Prov. 16 33. 〈◊〉 that our Choice is also of Gods Appointment If â—ey be of our desiring they are of His giving And as â—hen others bear rule over a People it is a Signal of â—ods Displeasure under which they ought to Mourn 〈◊〉 when our Rods are Strong it is a Fruit of the Lord's â—avour and He ought to have the Praise In Psal 72. â—fter the Psalmist had in a Prophetical Contemplation â—lebrated the happy State of the Common-Weal of â—rael in a Day when they enjoyed the Blessing which â—e Doctrine speaks of for the Glory of which Felicity â— is considered as a Type of Christ's Kingdom closeth â—l with Repeated Acclamations of Praise and Honour 〈◊〉 God as the Authour of it at v 18.19 Blessed be the â—ord God the God of Israel who only doth wondrous things â—nd blessed be his glorious Name for ever and let the whole â—arth be filled with his Glory Amen Amen 2. Let us highly Prize and Honour them That Preâ—ept of the Apostle with Reference to Rulers Ecclesiastiâ—al is of as great Force in this case 1 Thes 5.13 Where â—e chargeth us to esteem them that are over us very â—ighly and undervalued Mercies are not like to be long continued Consider it and be Wise We have not many such to spare certainly then it is our Prudence â—nd Interest not to provoke the Lord to remove them Again let our high Esteem of them be testifyed by an honourable Deference towards them The Apostle Paul â—aith concerning them Rom. 13.7 That Honour is to be rendred them They are Gods Psal 82.6 And as such there is a Civil Worship and Reverence due to them both in Word Action Speak no Evil of Dignities Abhor that Unchristian way of Detraction Backbiting and Slander If they are God's Vicegerents certainly it must be a Crying Sin and Shame for us thus to treat them Do our Enemiâ—s charge us that this is the way wherein we have been used to requite those that with greatest Pains have travailed for the Publick good Let us refute this Slander and if we can do no more yet at least Let us Love Honour such as have Rule over us 3. Take we Care that we don't make them or provoke them to be other wise As they are sometimes Accessory to our Sins when they either connive at us doing them allow us in them or indulge us afterwards so shall we be to their Male-Administrations if we seek to corrupt discourage pervert and disbhearten or any way weaken them There was a very Laudible Spirit in the People when they said to Ezra Chap. 10.4 Arise This matter belengeth unto thee we also will be with thee be of good Courage do it And that matter did accordingly Succeed very happily But when there is a perverse Spirit of Dislike and Contradiction in us to thwart the Counsels and controul the Methods of such as are intrusted with the Care of the Publick if those Counsels prove abortive and those Methods vain it is no more than may reasonably be expected and we may thank our selves for it 4. I shall not exceed the Bounds of my Commission and I hope neither those of your Patience if I put you in Remembrance That you be Subject to those that are set over you St Paul left this in Charge with Titus respecting his Cretians Tit. 3 1. And it is a Duty as Obvious to the light of Nature so also positively enjoyned us in the Word of God Eccl. 8 2. I Counsel thee to keep the Kings Commandment and that in regard of the Oath of What can be more Express than that of the Aâ—le Peter 1 Pet. 2.13 14 Submit your selves to every â—inance of man for the Lords sake whether it be to the â—g as Supreme or unto Governours as unto them that sent by them The General Precept of Obedience Apostle doth here particularly apply with Respect â—ll Degrees of Authority both Supreme Subordinate 〈◊〉 so plainly declareth it to be the Mind of God v. 15. so is the Will of God That a man must Violate Reaâ— Conscience to gain say it The Apostle Paul urgâ— the same Duty in his Epistle to the Romans Chap. 1. Let every Soul be subject unto the higher Powers And â—weth that the Christians Obligation thereunto hath its â—ginal from a Power which no man can dispute but is utmost Peril v. 2. Whosoever therefore resisteth the â—er resisteth the Ordinance of God and they that resist 〈◊〉 receive to themselves Damnation We might argue 〈◊〉 as the Apostle doth in the Context v. 4. From the â—mon good which shall then flourish when there is â—irit of Wisdom Prudence Judgment in those that 〈◊〉 of Subjection in others upon this Account must needs be Subject as the Apostle adds v. 5 â—mly for wrath but for Conscience sake There are but â— things that can rationally be pretended to dispense 〈◊〉 this Obligation The First is when the Commands â—â—en do cross the Will of God And the Second is â—n the Authority commanding is not Legal As to First It is a ruled Case Act. 5.29 God is to be obeyed or than men Active Obedience is due where it may with a safe Conscience else not yet here All enâ—ours are to be carefully used to assure our selves â—he Repugnancy which we conceive to be between â—s Divine Humane be not onely in our Imaginaâ— for otherwise while we pretend to obey the Lord â—efusing Obedience unto men we shall be found which without doubt is the unhappy Condition of some disobedient both to God man As to the latter viz. The Illegality of the Authority Commanding I shall only say That whatever disputes there may be about the various Methods that are in use among men for the Designation of Persons to Places of Authority or about those that are Vested with Authority whether they came righâ—fully by it or no certainly they that have the Liberty or Electing their own Rulers have the least Reason to insist upon this