staid to his losse He smote his thigh yet he wrastled upon one legge So must you continue wrastling with difficulties If in the night of some calamity if alone in that night if God should seeme to depart yea though he should strike and leave you maimed halting yet continue in the service Your valour and judgements have beene tryed now your constancy and patience is aymed at Christ saith we must pray alwayes Luk. 18.1 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 non defatigari faint not non evadere 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 beginne well and end ill begin in the spirit and end in the flesh To urge you to constancy I might urge your sufferings it was Pauls argument to the Galatians Gal. 3.4 Have you suffered so many things in vaine if it be yet in vaine If you should now be weary and faint before you be established you would lose all your sufferings and the fruite of your long and great paines As your owne sufferings so let Gods mercy ingage you to constancy It is the same Apostles argument 2 Cor. 4.1 Having received mercy faint not God hath preserved you covered you under his wings doe not therefore let your hearts sinke under your great burthens Or may that argument move with you 1 Cor. 15.58 Be ye stedfast and unmoveable alwayes abounding in the worke of the Lord for as much as you know that your labour is not in vaine in the Lord. The good that you have done is not small although not answerable to your desires Preserving a Kingdome from ruine We may say with the Prophet Isa 1.9 Except the Lord had left us such a remnant we had beene as Sodome and we should have beene like unto Gomorrah swallowed up of sinne and misery Besides the spreading of the light larger dispensing of the Word freedome from innovations All of these pretious mercies and many more have beene the fruite of your watchfull care and paines If we had no gaine here yet God would reward you hereafter Therefore be stedfast and unmoveable your labour is not in vaine in the Lord. Constancy will conquer God and man The Israelites overcame God Judg. 10.10 11. c. they cryed to him when they were oppressed he upbraided them with former mercies said flatly I will deliver you no more Nay which was worse bids them Goe to their Gods whom they had served let them deliver them God that uses to give liberally and upbraid none here he gives nothing but upbraidings They are not beaten off by this but reforme he more exactly renew their supplication Doe what thou wilt with us what seemes good unto thee Onely deliver us this day q d. What no more mercy must we suffer then doe what thou wilt Let us suffer under thy hands but deliver us from these Ammonites we never was under such cruell enemies as these deliver us this day In ver 16. his Soule was grieved he was wearyed broken by their importunity Goe on to seeke God he cannot hold out long prayers and importunities will breake his heart extort and force mercy from him we have wearyed him by sinne let us weary him by prayer We have beene impudent in transgression be impudent in seeking deliverance We have beene bent to perpetuall backe-sliding let us be as constant in suing for deliverance and so we shall be as Jacob As a Prince hast thou power with God and with men and hast prevailed Gen. 32.28 If it prevailes with God with men much more By this constancy of importunity Dalilah overcame Sampson Judg. 16. She desired to know where his strength lay he deceived her and mocked her divers times at last shee urged him close ver 15. How canst thou say I love thee when thy heart is not with me And she pressed him daily with her words and his Soule was vexed unto death ver 16. Luke 11.8 Though he will not rise and give because he is his friend yet because of his importunity he will rise Amicus ille quod petebatur fecit quia alter in petendo non defecit Aug. and give as many as he needeth Where neither love nor reason nor desert will gaine importunity will make restlesse Hold out Worthies Jacob had his wages denyed ten times God paid him at last largely so will he you if you continue waite patiently be stedfast The Kingdome is in a tottering condition stedfastnesse must beginne in your breasts Let me conclude this with Pauls words to the Thessalonians 1 Thess 3.8 England may use them to You We live if you stand fast in the Lord. Sixthly If you would give God no rest you must take none The best way to make God restlesse is to be restlesse in seeking our activity workes upon God Abraham had a hot service of it to quench the wrath of God kindled against Sodome and he was early at it Gen. 19.27 David when he had praying worke in hand Early will I seeke thee Psal 63.1 When he had workes of justice in hand he would dispatch it I will early destroy all the wicked of the Land that I may cut off all wicked doers from the City of the Lord Psalm 101.8 When he had Church-worke in hand I will not give sleepe to mine eyes nor slumber to mine eye-lids untill I finde a place for the Lord an habitation for the mighty God of Jacob Psalm 132.4 5. You must be restlesse till Jerusalem rest and be established We are sorry we must require such paines of you but glad to see your chearefull and indefatigable travaile God that cals you to it makes you willing and able for it Remember you are watchmen and they must not hold their peace night nor day Your waking is our sleepe your toyle our ease your trouble our peace You are like Gideons three hundred Judg. 7.5 that lapped water with their tongues as a dogge lappeth Tanquam canis è Nilo carptim cursim so doe you injoy your repasts as Jonathan pursuing his enemies a little honey with the end of a rod 1 Sam. 14.43 Goe on Worthies be yet more active more heavenly lesse earthy If you want comforts looke up to God and behold him saying Well done good and faithfull servants Let action be your rest let it be your meate and drinke to doe the will of God God cannot rest till you give over working he will worke with you so long as you worke for him Seventhly If you would give him no rest you must aske and desire largely of him for his Church God hath large thoughts toward Jerusalem Call unto me and I will answer thee and shew thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not Jer. 33.3 God will doe for his people abundantly above all that we can aske or thinke of Ephes 3.20 Beyond your prayers and thoughts much more beyond your indevours God hath given in more in some things then was aymed at and is resolved to out-goe any that are imployed for his Church Carve as largely as you will to
so as God may be affected and have no rest That 's our second thing and for our direction in it First We must be such whose persons are accepted and qualified Such the Prophet calls to the worke as make mention of the Lord such they had need to be men that make mention of the Lord in Truth men of particular interest in God Esa 48.1 and speciall acquaintance with him As for wicked men their Prayers are an abomination and so are all their services God cares not for the helpe of his enemies Such as are admirted to the present worke of the Lord had need be holy because they will have often occasion to come into his presence for assistance counsell direction incouragement and God will be sanctified of all those that draw neare to him God smote Uzzah for laying his hand upon the Arke for want of a Leviticall and ceremoniall holinesse how much more displeasing will it be for men to intrude themselses upon Gods worke without true and spirituall holinesse you cannot worke for God nor from God except you be in God not from divine strength nor to divine ends and so will want comfort and successe You are to conflict with spirituall enemies To wrastle with Principalities Powers the Rulers of the darknesse of this world against spirituall wickednesses in high places that I may allude to that of the Apostle 2 Cor. 10.4 Ephe. 6.12 And therefore you had need of spirituall weapons You are to helpe build a spirituall house so the Church is called 1 Pet. 2.5 And therefore need spirituall tooles You have Church-worke as well as Common-wealth-worke to remove superstition as well as oppression How can you tender the consciences of others if your owne consciences be not tender How will you provide sincere milke of the word for poore babes 1 Pet. 2.2.3 that cry to you if you have not tasted that the Lord is gracious You had need be as patriots of your Country so friends of Christ and children of the Kingdome Otherwise if God should prosper the worke in your hands and inable you to build up a mountaine of holinesse you would effect that which when you have done you could not affect Or doe as it is said of them that built Noahs Arke that they perished in the flood you may saye a poore Kingdome from shipwracke and perish in the condemnation of the world Grace is honourable and fits men for the most honourable service We may say of parts and learning that they have done vertuously Prov. 31.29 but Grace excelleth them all This is the first Men that will give him no rest must be men that know him and are knowne of him he will receive petitions by hands of them in office to him by servants and Secretaries Secondly They that will give God no rest must pray and worke in faith Faith workes upon his promise and so prevailes with him It is very powerfull James 5.15 The prayer of Faith shall save the sicke Faith hath a strange faculty to knocke at Gods doore yea at his breast goe into his presence plead and reason with him require an account of his Promise Power and faithfulnesse Where is thy promise in which thou causedst me to trust Yea to dive into his bowels and search into them Where are thy bowels Faith is as necessary in working as in praying Faith is mighty yea can doe what God can doe To beleeve is difficult but to him that beleeves Matth. 17.20 nothing is impossible If ye have faith as a graine of mustard seed ye shall say unto this mountaine Remove hence to yonder place and it shall remove And nothing shall be unpossible unto you Faith as a graine of Mustard-seed parva humilis small of no account but it must be as Mustard-seed acris fervida it must be lively have acrimony and vivacity and then it may remove mountaines It is an Hyperbole and here is the summe of it what ever may be to the glory of God or the good of his Church be it never so difficult Faith will effect it Yea a little active faith shall doe great things a graine remove a mountaine Although things be as stout and unyeelding as mountaines as strong and firme as mountaines as ancient as the everlasting hils yet faith may remove them if they stand in the way of Gods glory You may read of the nobleacts of Faith Heb. 11. Amongst other wonders in ver 33. By Faith men overcame Kingdomes If faith could conquer Kingdomes can it not preserve Kingdomes and reforme them Faith workes by that power that accounts the Nations as a deep of a Bucket Isa 40.15 as the small dust of the ballance and 〈◊〉 take up the Isles as a very little thing Therefore in all your great consultations act in faith Faith will keepe you to a rule and so make you exact in justice Faith will waite upon God for a command and so will never be found in any unwarranted course It saith as Moses to God Exod. 33.15 If thy presence goe not with me carry us not hence Faith will have a finger of direction and then doubts not of a hand of protection It will have a word of precept and then distrusts not another of promise Faith will goe forth in no strength but Gods not in the strength of parts policy or multitude as David went out against the Philistine not with sword speare and shield But saith he I come against thee in the name of the Lord of Hoastes See now he couches himselfe under this name of God by Faith when he was beset with dangers Psal 118.9 10 11 12. It is better taâ—â—ust in the Lord then to put confidence in Princes He makes a wise choyce Princes may erre and faile but I le take part with God and his cause being thus resolved for God rather then men though Princes he proposes his enemies ver 10. All Nations compassed me about No lesse then Nations against buth yea all Nations and they compassing him about Well let the 〈◊〉 he knew whom he had beleeved In the name of the Lord will I destroy them They come upon him againe with renewed strength and malice ver 11. They compassed me about yea they compassed me about he kept to his first strength In the name of the Lord will I destroy them His adversaries are more inraged ver 12. They compassed me about as Bees Bees for multitude winged with fury armed with weapons stings yet they could not afright nor weary his faith his old shield was sure For in the name of the Lord I will destroy them Faith would make us impregnable invincible Take therefore Davids resolution in another place Psal 44.67 I will not trust in my bow neither shall my sword save me But thou hast saved us from our enemies and hast put them to shame that hated us Faith onely can furnish you with weapons fit for those you have to deale with Your adversaries are Antichristian
they that will deale with such must come armed with the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony Apoc. 12.11 And faith onely knowes how to use these You should carry the blood of the Lambe alwaies about you weare it in your hearts and thinke you have to doe with the enemies of that Christ that shed his blood for you against those that trample that blood under their feet by their superstition and prophanenesse such as are bloody enemies that thirst for the blood of Saints Faith will strengthen your hearts by the Word of God and assure you that in all your paines you worke in the belly of a promise and what you doe is to make God faithfull you are doing that which he hath promised to doe himselfe advance his Sonne and pull downe his enemies You want establishing mercies If you will not beleeve you shall not be established Isay 7.9 You want conquering mercies This is the victory that overcommeth the world even your Faith Nothing can stand against Faith Resist the devill stedfast in Faith and he will flye from you If God give more faith we need not feare more difficulties We may say as Paul I can doe all things through Christ that strengtheneth me Philip. 4.13 Dye under enemies or live to conquer them Therefore beleeve and you shall see the glory of God Joh. 11.40 and Jerasalem a praise in the earth Thirdly If you would give God no rest you must in praying and doing quit your selves and seeke the glory of God and the good of the Church First you must not seeke your selves Selfe is too base and low a thing to move a God with as at all times so now especially selfe must be below your thoughts and not worth your meanest considerations You especially I speake to whom God hath taken up into the mount as Moses to doe his businesse and to bring to us just and righteous lawes You must now doe as the Church is exhorted to doe Psal 45.10 11. Forget thy Fathers house thinke not of raising your estates advancing your selves or your posterity So shall the King greatly desire thy beauty The King of heaven will take pleasure in you and he will make the King on earth delight in you Would you overcome difficulties without labour first to overcome your selves You can doe nothing great and honourable so long as selfe hath any power in you Selfe and sinister ends would blast and undermine your consultations and divide you into as many wayes as you are men If every man should seeke his owne and not the things of Iesus Christ which would be a mischeife that hell it selfe could not parallel to speake our thoughts we feare no treason but selfe If you continue all to seeke the glory of God you will be too strong for any power either to divide or breake The first step of Israels deliverance was Moses stepping out of him selfe Heb. 11.24 25 26. He refused to be called the sonne of Pharaohs daughter God would not imploy him till he had learned to refuse Court offers Chusing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God then to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season A good patterne for publike persons rather be poore with honesty and a good cause then rise by Apostasy And had he not continued faithfull and constant in selfe-denyall Israel had beene lost Exod. 32.10 It was a hard pull God was angry and would have consumed Israel there was nothing lay in the way but Moses his sincerity and faithfulnesse to the cause If he could be wrought off the businesse was at an end God himselfe tries him Let me alone c. and I will make of thee a great Nation I will make thee great and raise thy house to a Nation But Moses is deafe to such offers he will not be taken off so he pursues his worke faithfully nothing will serve him but Israels deliverance such faithfulnesse to the cause of God had you need have The Apostle tels us 1 Tim. 6.9 They that will be rich fall into temptation and asnare and into many foolish and hurtfull lusts which drowne men in perdition and destruction If you will be rich or great you will have temptations and fall and drowne too in perdition You and Cause and Kingdome and all will drowne and perish if selfe-ends bias you Saul went right a while till faire Agag and the fat of Amaleh lay in his way till a rich booty turned him from his obedience see the story 1 Sam. 15. and the dangerous consequence of it What ever pretence he had for his sinne in sparing those wicked enemies of the Church that the people would have it and it was for sacrifice yet saith Samuel to him ver 26. Thou hast rejected the Word of the Lord and the Lord hath rejected thee from being King over Israel Neither people nor false piety nor pity can excuse neglect of Justice in Governours If you would doe great things for God Ier. 40.5 you must not now seeke great things for your selves Indeed you must be above the world and your selves You had need be more then men such as John Baptist was your worke is like his to pull downe mountaines and exalt vallies to make crooked things straight and rough things smooth And as he had so you have to deale with a generation of Vipers Now our Saviour shewes by way of question what he was not and what he was Matth. 11.7 8 9. What went you out to see a reed shaken with the wind No he was no light unstable man that would fluctuate and vacillate at every wind of threatning greatnesse What went you out to see A man cloathed in soft rayment No such they are in Kings houses John was no such man he could not suite Herods humour nor flatter his sinnes He would not alter his habit of Camels haire the Court could not change him What then went you out to see a Prophet Yea I say more then a Prophet Such should you be neither shaken with threatnings nor won by softnesse men stedfast in justice yea Counsellers and more then Counsellers As you may not seeke your selves so you must seeke the honour of God that 's the way to be more then men in our actions to be divine in our ends All other ends are too low for the meanest man much more for so great a Councell This is the way to prevaile with God â—he readily imbraces any proposition this way If any man have a designe to advance his name what ever be the impediments it must prosper for you cannot have a thought this way but God will second it He can as soone desert himselfe as those that worke for his glory If you find any thing that may exalt his Majesty and he give you a heart faithfully to desire it be it what or where it will you need not despaire though it lye under mountaines of Kingdomes you shall thresh them to dust Isa 41.15 though
Zion God will adde as much more he is resolved no Creature shall equall him in love to his Church Take heed of being low spirited for God of haltings and halvings in Reformation Wee have seene the mischiefes of such a way already yea many times we lose all because we would be contented with some The Prophet was angry with Joash that when he was to smite the Syrians he smote but thrice 2 King 13.18 19. God honours and prospers them that doe all his will Jehu did much was very zealous but the Text sayes He tooke not heed to walke in the Law of the Lord God of Israel with all his heart For he departed not from the sinne of Jeroboam 2 King 10.31 And the evill effect it had is noted in the next vers 32. In those dayes the Lord began to cut Israel short The same measure that you mete to him he will mete to you as you sow in spirituals you shall reape in carnals if you cut Reformation short he will cut your priviledges and the Kingdomes peace short It is safe and successefull to aime at great matters for God We may thankefully imbrace what we can get but seeke no lesse than perfection Magna audent quoniam magni sunt qua audent obtinent Bern. They that are truely noble and magnanimous they will attempt great things for God and what they doe attempt they shall obtaine Thinke of no lesse then making Jerusalem a praise in the earth despaire not to see her in all her beauty and brightnesse In outward things use your discretion be as moderate as you see cause but in the cause of God Moses his resolution is worth imitation he would not leave a hoofe behinde him In this case Jehoshophat gives good Counsell to his Judges the Lord write it in your hearts 2 Chron. 19.6 Take heed what you doe for you judge not for man but for the Lord. Thirdly Wherein should this labour be imployed I shall be your remembranceâ— onely for two things Doe them and God will doe the rest To make Jerusalem a praise in the Earth First You must set up light This is as you have heard a chiefe pait of the Churches beauty advance the light of powerfull Preaching and that will advance the Truth Religion Peace Christ and all The Hieroglyphicke of life amongst the Egyptians was light a burning lampe and though ignorance be the Mother of Romish devotion such lampes are the life of Religion powerfull Preaching It was the worke of some to doe all they could to put out the light the most horrid hellish and unnaturall wickednesse that can be to deny men the joy and comfort of our soules the more malicious they were in suppressing of it the more paines must be taken in freeing of it You have done much this way and intend more our prayers shall joyne with your indevours That the Word may runne and be glorified 2 Thess 3.1 That it may be said of England as it was of Antioch Act. 13.49 The Word of the Lord was published throughout all the Region Nothing so excellent but 〈◊〉 are displeased with it The light is offensure to sore eyes Some complained of Prometheus for reaching the use of fire as the Poets say and many amongst us Preach against Preaching But they that quarrell with the light Act. 13.48 quarrell with Christ himselfe who is the Light of the Gentiles Men complaine against the Seers as Isay 30.10 11. See not prophesie not right things But their anger is against him that sent them let them speake out and they say Cause the holy One of Israel to cease from before us The light it selfe stands in the light of their wicked wayes as the Angell in Balâ—â—ms way to his sinne and that 's the reason They hate the light because their workes are evill Men father divisions upon the light when as the present distractions and mistakes are because it is but halfe day the mist is not quite dispelled Darkenesse causes divisions and those most dangerous as quarrels in the night The more â—â—stours and Teachers and the Worke of the Ministery the nearer we come to the unity of the Faith Let light scatter and it will pull downe the Kingdome of darknesse You and the Truth and Christ have no such enemy as ignorance Secondly Advance holinesse This is another winning and prevailing blessing Oh that Righteousnesse might be as waves of the Sea And then our Peace will be as a River Isay 48.18 Labor for holy Laws holy worship holy Sabbaths holy families For a holy Court and then holinesse will be in fashion For holy Universities and then they will be filled not with sonnes of Beliall but with sons of the Prophets But above all for a holy Ministry From the Prophets of Jerusalem is prophanenesse gone forth into all the Land Jer. 23.15 and from them must the people learne holinesse And a holy Magistracy if God would restore our Judges as at first Let us injoy faithfull Moseses Joshua's c. Then should we be called the City of righteousnesse the faithfull City Isay 1.26 Nothing but sinne can hurt us and sinne will not onely make all your good purposes of Reformation abortive but Gods too Jer. 18.9 10. At what instant I say concerning a Nation and Kingdome to build and plant it if it doe evill in my sight that it obey not my voyce then will I repent of the good wherewith I said I would benefit it Seeke first the Kingdome of God in light and helinesse and then all other things shall be administred unto you What ever difficulties hinder the execution let these be first in your intentions These directions God hath given you by me a weake creature I hope you need not much to quicken you Iudg. 5.9 We desire with Deborah to blesse the Lord that made the governours of Israel to offer themselves willingly Remember the place God hath called you to the Kingdome is in a broken and shatterd condition you are our watchmen we say to you as Moses to Hobab Num. 10.31 in the Wildernesse thou art to us instead of eyes you are our eyes to see our dangers and our hands to defend us from them We cannot better expresse that trust that lies upon you then God himselfe hath done concerning Moses Exod. 4.16 thou shalt be to him instead of a God Governours are stiled Gods in Scripture but those best deserve it that are delivering rulers such was Moses such to us instead of a God are you and then thinke you what Wisdome justice firmnesse and stability is required in you The trust is heavy our expectations great and the account will be dreadfull If you were alone in this worke you would sinke under it but God hath promised his presence and God is in you of a truth It is the sword of the Lord and the sword of Gideon Gods people see it with comfort his enemies shall feele it with shame What the people observed of Ionathan we may observe in you 1 Sam. 14.45 he hath wrought with God this day so you have and so you will we hope and then Gamaliels words will hold Act. 5.39 if it be of God you cannot overthrow it You labor with God and for God because you labour for Zion you travaile for her that travailed with you For the Church that must stand and prosper Christ hath promised the gates of hell shall not prevayle against her not the gateâ— in which was their strength in the gates the elders sat and so their polity as well as their strength was in the gates yet both shall not prevayle against the Church God is gone before you travailing in the greatnesse of his strength challenging countries Isa 63.1 and people he saith I will divide Shechem mete out the valley of Succoth Gilead is mine over Edom will I cast out my shooe c. Psal 60.6.7.8 And the prayers of Gods people are gone like the Arke before the campe of Israel three dayes journey to seeke out a resting place Num. 10.33 they are before you preparing your way hewing downe difficulties It is safe following such a conduct And God hath made the people willing in the day of his power Psal 1â—0 3 That of the Psalmist is considerable Psalm 47.9 The Princes of the people are gathered together the marginall lection is the voluntary of the people the generous of the people God hath the hearts of all men in his hand And the shields of the earth belong unto the Lord The Militia of the world is his And all these shall second them that seeke his glory and Zions Peace Therefore proceed chearefully to make use of this sweete opportunity to honour God and heale our breaches Heaven we hope is bigge with blessings The Tabernacle of God is comming downe to dwell with men what ever darke clouds appeare let us continue praying waiting labouring beleeving God will at last establish and make Jerusalem a praise in the earth FINIS Die Mercurii 29. Junii 1642. IT is this day Ordered by the Commons now Assembled in Parliament that Sir Thomas Barrington doe returne thankes to Mr. Sedgwicke for the great paines he tooke in the Sermon he Preacht this day at St. Margarets Church in Westminster at the intreaty of the Commons House of Parliament this being the day of the publicke Fast And that he be desired to Print his Sermon And that no man presume to Print it but such as he shall appoint till the House shall take further Order H. Elsynge Cler. Parl. D. Com. I appoint John Bellamy and Ralph Smith to Print my Sermon WILLIAM SEDGVVICKE