to have need of stirring up like unto that elegant metaphoricall decomposite of the Apostle unto Timothie Stir up the gift of God The graces of God being like fire must ever and anon be russled and stirred up else will grow cold 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Oh stirre up your selves Secondly being stirred up by prayers faithfull and fervent men lay hold on God And againe I sought for a man among them that should make up the hedge and stand in the gap before me for the land that I should not destroy it Our Saviour speaketh of offering violence to the Kingdome of Heaven and the violent taking it by force wherein prayer hath a speciall part for woe were it with many if bodily strength carried it away but the poorest and weakest Christian sicke in bed and scarce able to breathe yet by sighes and groanes may offer violence and take Gods kingdome by force and S. Paul beseecheth the Romanes For the Lord Iesus Christs sake and for the love of the Spirit that they would strive with him in their prayers to God for him He would have them pray but not coldly and negligently as the Papists mumbling and tumbling over their beads when their mindes are wandring about earthly occasions but hee would have them strive with God and put all their strength to it yea to strive to the shedding of bloud as the word signifieth Christ being in an agonie his sweat was as it were great drops of bloud Thus for confirmation of this Doctrine you have God and his Prophets in the old Testament and Christ and his Apostles in the new To this purpose sweet are the sentences of some of the Fathers An ancient one saith When prayers joyne together in devotions they doe as it were even band themselves together to encounter God And another saith The Saints have God so bound that he cannot punish without their permission and licence Loe loe the incomprehensible mercie and loving kindnesse of God towards such as truly feare and serve him making them in his goodnesse in his bottomelesse goodnesse I say so powerfull and mightie with him that their prayers are as it were bands to tie his hands and as a wall against him that hee cannot execute his anger though most justly deserved unlesse they will suffer him and as it were stand out of his way How may the consideration hereof make us exclaime O Lord what is man that thou art mindfull of him or the sonne of man that thou regardest him or as Iob hath it That thou doest set thine heart upon him Iob 7. 17. Will you see how powerfull Gods Saints are with God by their prayers I meane not to obtaine great blessings and doe great works the Scripture is so full in this I should finde no end but according to the Text and Doctrine raised in preventing threatned judgments to themselves or the Church of God Take a few selected out of many for instance When Iacob soresaw destruction threatned to himselfe and wives and children by his cruell and bloudie brother Esau comming out against him with 400. men then saith the Text was Iacob greatly afraid and distressed and falleth to prayer unto God for deliverance yea and with that fervencie that hee is said to wrestle with God and told him hee would not let him goe till hee had blessed him and in the end by his prayers and teares he prevailed and thereupon was his name changed from Iacob into Israel which signifieth a Prevailer with God the evill he feared was removed his brother that came out against him as fierce as a Lion when they met was as meeke as a Lambe yea hee confesseth hee saw his face as the face of God When the Amalekites came out against Israel and threatned their destruction Moses went up into the mountaine and prayed and when hee held up his hands in prayer unto God Israel prevailed but when he let downe his hands Amalek prevailed which sheweth that the push of Moses prayers did more than the pikes of all Israel besides When againe for that great sinne of worshipping the golden Calfe God before hee signified to Moses his purpose to consume them and blot out their names from under Heaven bade him let him alone yet Moses by prayer prevailed with God for pardon of their sinne and continuance of his favour whereof David speaketh thus He said he would destroy them had not Moses his chosen stood before him in the breach to turne away his wrath where he compareth Moses to a valiant Captaine who when besieging enemies have made a breach in the wall the Citie is like to be lost steppeth up into the breach and defendeth it which Moses did by the power of his prayer and turned away Gods wrath from his people Againe for the children of Israels murmuring against Moses and Aaron the plague beganne amongst them and there died foureteene thousand and seven hundred wherefore Moses commanded Aaron quickly to take fire from the Altar and put on incense and stand betwixt the living and the dead and so the plague ceased whereof in the Wisdome of Solomon we have an excellent paraphrase and fitting our purpose the blamelesse man made haste and stood forth to defend them and bringing the shield of his Ministerie even praier the propitiation of incense he set himselfe against the wrath and overcame the destroyer the words in the Greeke Text are verie significant 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 propugnavit hee fought valiantly hee brought forth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Arma Ministerij the weapons of his Ministerie and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he resisted wrath non vi sed precibus all the created powers in heaven and earth cannot resist God yet may a poore man by the power of his prayers turne away Gods wrath and procure an undeserved blessing and remove a most just deserved punishment As the young infant more prevaileth with the father or mother by a teare than the strength of arme so God pitieth us as a father hath more compassion than a mother he cannot but fulfill the desires of such as feare him David saw the Angell stretching his hand out upon Ierusalem to destroy it and yet by praier prevailed with God to spare it who said to the Angell It is enough stay now thine hand In that great tempest by sea when there was no hope of life yet Paul prayed and God gave him the lives of all that passed being to the number of two hundred threescore and sixteene soules so as though they made shipwracke and with the violence of the sea the ship was broken to peeces yet not one soule was lost all came safe to shore And if the praiers of one be so powerfull with God how much more the praiers of many being united Let Hesther and Mordechai and the Iewes fast and pray and then commeth most wonderfull deliverance to
Gods people and destruction to their enemies Doth there come up an huge multitude of Moabites Ammonites and Mount Seir against King Iehoshaphat let but him proclaime a fast throughtout all Iudah and let them pray and God will make their enemies destroy one another and he and his shall looke on and only sing and praise God Oh Peter is in prison a great calamity is thereby threatned to the Church but if the Church make praiers to God for him the Angell of the Lord came with great power and glory into the prison and brake off Peters chaines opened the prison doores yea and made the iron gate open of it owne accord Loe how the praiers of Gods children are stronger than fetters and gates of iron Yea Christ is gone on high and hath left his Church what is now to be done let them continue in praier and doe their duty after the Holy Ghost commeth as this day witnesseth which and much more that might be said to this purpose doth abundantly confirme your raised Doctrine viz. That Gods faithfull servants by their praiers are powerfull with God to turne away and prevent threatned and imminent judgements to themselves or the Church of God which made zealous Luther say There is nothing omnipotent under God but faithfull praier This commandeth all things in heaven earth hell in all the elements aire fire earth water But it would not be amisse to search that we may know the reasons why the praiers of Gods servants are so powerfull with God and they are principally these two viz. First our praiers are not our owne as the worke of our reason will affections or any thing that is naturall in us but the operation of Gods owne Spirit in us For as for us we know not what to pray as we ought but the spirit it selfe maketh request for us and againe It is the spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba Father In nothing is there so evident demonstration of the spirit of God as in zealous praier To which purpose Gregory hath an excellent saying The Saints receive from God what they oppose to his blowes and as I may say from him it is whereby they lift up themselves against him and whereby they are enabled to resist him Iacob wrestled with God prevailed but it was God gave him the strength so to doe now God cannot but acknowledge the worke of his owne Spirit and therefore we know that whatsoever we aske of the Father according to his will he heareth us and our Saviour hath said Whatsoever yee shall aske my Father in my name he will give it you But the praiers of Turkes Iewes Idolaters Heretikes Infidels Hypocrites are of no power with God because such are not made by the Spirit of God the praiers of a wicked man are abominable and turne into sinne no more accepted of God than if he cut off a dogs necke God hath threatned that though such doe multiply their praiers hee will not heare them The second reason hereof is Gods owne free love and mercy who is pleased to make all the faithfull his favourites so as Haman nor any favourite could ever doe so much with those Monarchs and Kings that have set their love upon them as the least of Gods Saints may doe with the Lord for if earthly Kings be exceedingly offended favourites must give way Hamans face must be covered he shall never see the Kings face any more But though God be angry and have mustred his Armies yea and besieged and battered so powerfull are Gods servants that they can stand up in the breach and by their praiers turne away threatned judgements Oh who would not be such a Kings favourite who cannot deny any thing which is for his glory and their true good The more I thinke on this the more I am astonished that man poore miserable man weake sicke diseased vile and abominable in his owne eies despised of others yet should be such a favourite to the King of Kings Oh the free mercy and love of God! How should the consideration hereof ravish us This being so when the sinnes of a people are full and when the Lord is purposed to bring a judgement upon a people hee commonly maketh way thereunto As an earthly King purposing to doe a thing which he knoweth is displeasant to his favourite who would hinder him in it will make way by sending him out of the way or forbidding him to speake or some way taking him off So the Lord sometimes by taking to himselfe and calling out of this world such as else would stand in the gap whereof the Prophet Esay thus speaketh The righteous is taken away from the evill to come Thus God tooke away good King Iosiah that in his sonnes daies he might bring the threatned evill upon the Land And God tooke good S. Augustine when his City Hippo was besieged by the Vandals that he should not stand in the breach for them Or if he suffer them to live he restraineth them from praier as here he did our Prophet and rebuked Samuel How long wilt thou mourne for Saul seeing I have reiected him from reigning over Israel Or else he takes away the spirit of praier and doth suffer it to be dulled as that they cannot pray fervently as Esay complained that no man did stirre up himselfe to lay hold on God but as it were grew weary As then it is a most comfortable thing to see godly men to live and to see men zealous in preaching praying and serving God as when a storme commeth to see all men betake themselves to their tacklings as the Prophet saith to stirre up them selves to lay hold on God so is it a fearefull thing to see the righteous taken away by death or such as have beene zealous to become cold carelesse and negligent set all at six and seven let others care whom it doth more concerne and so post it over from one to another For hereby God even maketh way to the execution of some great judgement by removing such as might stand in the breach and stop his course And verily herein lieth no small part of our feare that within these few yeeres past God hath taken away a great number of his faithfull servants both Magistrates Ministers and Christian people and howsoever in his mercy he hath left a remnant some few Noahs and Lots Nehemiahs and Esaies that being sensible of Gods judgements doe warne this secure and unthankfull world lift up their hearts and hands with Moses against Amalek make intercession with faithfull Abraham mourne for the abominations of the Land wrestle and weepe with Iacob otherwise we had surely beene made long agoe as Sodome and like to Gomorrha yet alas what are these amongst so many prophane carelesse and secure sinners and how are these scorned and derided disgraced and discouraged how are such for signes
Abraham so am I are they the Prophets of God I am more in labours more abundant in stripes above measure in prisons more frequent in deaths often So much concerning his name His Tribe Levi his father Hilkiah a Priest his countrie Anathoth one of the Cities allotted to the Levites in Beniamin his Prophesie one of the greatest and his continuance long for the space of forty yeares But that which is precisely registred and most materiall for you to take knowledge of is the time when he prophesied which is said to begin in the thirteenth year of Iosiah King of Iudah and to hold on in the dayes of Iehoiachim and Zedekiah to the carrying away of Ierusalem into captivitie So then this Prophet was raised of God and sent to Iudah and Ierusalem after that the ten Tribes were carried away into captivity in a loving desire to save that Citie and Temple yet withall to reprove them for their sinnes yea to threaten them with captivitie also if they repented not In which his Ministerie he was seconded by Ezechiel Ioel Sophonie Habacuk and others who also labored in the same argument with him Oh see the goodnesse of God that by so many his Prophets did thus plainly foreshew their miserie reprove their sinnes the cause thereof that by repentance they might have repented and prevented it But see the obstinacie of the Iewes who being thus fairely and roundly dealt withall and warned by the example of Gods judgement on their brethren the ten Tribes now carried into captivity they would take no warning nor be reformed but proceeded from evill to worse extremely abusing Gods Prophets and specially our Prophet Ieremie wherefore at the last God sware he would make them desolate revealed unto Ieremie and bade him prophesie their carrying into captivity that God would do to Ierusalem as he had done to Shiloh and serue Iudah as he had done Ephraim in the verse immediately before yea and to assure him that it should be to remove the peoples odiū from him and to prevent discouragement in him in the words of my text he giveth a strait and expresse charge not to pray for them Therefore pray not for them for I will not heare thee q. d. Oh my servant sonne of man thou seest how wicked and sinfull this people is how neither my judgements on their brethren nor thy Ministery doth them any good but they grow worse and worse I therefore let thee know that I am stedfastly purposed to punish them and in the same kind I haue done their brethren and lay this house waste wherein they so vainly trust and lest thou shouldest thinke this sentence mutable I bid thee goe not about to hinder me or crosse me by thy prayer for it shall stand yea lest they should conceive a great fault in thee that thou art wanting in love and the testification thereof by prayer let them know and write it downe that I have forbidden thee to pray for them yea lastly lest thou shouldest poure out many prayers and supplications and cry to me for them with sighes and grones and teares and be discouraged because I heare thee not for these considerations and to prevent all these inconveniences take knowledge of it I charge thee pray not nor cry nor make intercession for them for I will not heare thee Oh an heavie charge I know not how it moved them but I am sure to reade it is enough to cast us all into a Balthazar 's fit make our countenance pale loose the joynts of our loynes and make our knees knocke one against another For doth it not concerne us as much as them Doth not the Apostle say All holy Scriptures are written for our learning and Are not examples of old written to admonish us on whom the ends of the world are come Assuredly it may be your owne case if England will not repent but provoke the Lord trust in vaine and lying words and not be warned by the fearfull judgements of God upon Bohemia Palatinate and other places hee may sweare in his just anger to be avenged and not heare his servants though they pray and cry for it I am no Ieremie no Prophet to threaten the like calamitie to you that is fallen upon your brethren but as one of Gods poore servants desirous to be faithfull and to be free from the blood of all men and to finde mercy in time of judgement I come unto you in the name of the Lord and from this Scripture to acquaint you with what I have received from the Lord not by vision or dreame but by revelation from the Word written plainly to lay before you your sinnes and to call upon you earnestly for repentance and a Christian use of Gods just judgements both abroad and at home lest in the end it be too late to pray and cry for you and the more to move your attention let mee tell you this is one of the fearfullest charges that we reade in all the Scriptures of God and a preparing of way to execution of one of the heaviest judgements of God upon his Church and people yea it is at least in appearance contrary to as many comforts as there are words in it As first call on me in the day of thy trouble and I will heare and deliver thee Oh what a comfort is that that though many troubles may befall Gods people and servants yet he hath commanded them to call on him and hath promised to heare and deliver them But this is fearfull God forbiddeth now pray not David saith that all flesh shall come to God by prayer that there is no respect of persons with God but the poore may as confidently pray to God as the rich and the base as well as the noble but this is fearefull that now his Prophet his sanctified Prophet may not come to him by prayer but is expresly forbidden pray not thou No prayers so acceptable unto God as those that are made unto him for his Church and people David biddeth us pray for the peace of Ierusalem and for encouragement saith they shall prosper that love it and therefore presently falleth to practise peace be within thy wals But here hee expresly forbiddeth his Prophet to pray for Iudah and Ierusalem pray not thou for this people The King of Ninivie commanded both man and beast to put on sackcloth and cry mightily unto God and was perswaded God would heare even the cry of bruit beasts and he did so A most comfortable story But here the Prophet is expresly forbid to lift up any cry for them Oh that is fearfull that God will heare no prayers though made with sighes and groanes which was Moses crying nor with lamentation and teares which was Davids crying no cry will now be heard yea no cry must now be made that is fearefull The Lord sometime did complaine
me and drunkards made songs of me yet for thy part still wrestle with God the prayer of one righteous man availeth much with God if it be fervent one Moses stood in the gap and one Phinehas turned away the wrath from all Israel Phinehas prayed and the plague stayed and Lot by his prayer saved Zoar Gen. 19. 22. But how ever God dealeth thou shalt bee sure to deliver thine owne soule God hath a tender eye to all such as are affected at the testimonies of his anger Before the six destroying Angels are sent forth one clothed in linnen with a writers inke-horne by his side is bid go thorow the midst of the Citie set a marke upon the foreheads of all them that sigh and crie for the abominations of Ierusalem then are the Angels sent forth to destroy but yet with this charge Come not neere any man on whom is the marke And againe before the foure destroying Angels went forth an Angell having the seale of the living God cried to them with a loud voice Hurt nothing till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads Before the floud come God will provide for Noahs safetie he will not only direct him to prepare an arke but himselfe wil see him in yea and shut him in himselfe would not suffer or trust any other to doe it but would have the locking and sealing of the doore with his owne hand and shall Lot perish in Sodome whose righteous soule had beene so vexed with their uncleane conversation No no he shall have warning to be gone yea if hee stay too long they will take him by the hand and draw him away neither can they doe any thing till hee bee safe in Zoar And histories report that before the last and finall desolation of Ierusalem there was a voice heard amongst the Christians Goe forth to Pella goe forth to Pella which so soone as ever the Christians had done and that they were safe there the Citie was sacked and the wrath of God poured out upon it to the uttermost You have heard how God advanced Daniel in Babylon and miraculously delivered him out of the Lions den and the three children from the fierie furnace But what need wee goe further than our present prophesie for the clearing of this point Doth it availe Ieremie that he hath so bitterly wept mourned and lamented and prayed unto God Yes yes because hee had beene so faithfull God provided well for him for Nebuchadnezzar himselfe gave charge to Nebuzaradan his chiefe steward to looke well to Ieremie and doe for him as he would and let him goe whither he would and indeed he did so putting him to his choice whether he would goe to Babylon and receive kindnesse there or stay in Iudah and because he desired rather to stay in Iudah hee gave him victuals and a reward and let him goe whither hee would so as he found a great deale more favour from the enemies than hee did from his owne Princes and people Yea and worthie to be noted Ebedmelech who had spoken good to the King and beene a meanes to deliver him out of the dungeon God promised him his life for a prey Ierem. 39. ult And Gedaliah whose father Ahikam had beene his great friend and saved his life Ier. 26. ult And Baruch his Scribe and others that feared God and had beene Ieremies friends and encouragement even these had their lives given for a prey were left behinde in the land and Gedaliah the sonne of Ahikam made their governour in Mizpah Oh thus the Lord hath many wayes to deliver his out of troubles and miseries and hee will doe it if it be for his glorie and their good if otherwise hee be pleased to wrap them up in the common calamitie yet even that shall turne to the furtherance of their salvation and God will so enrich them with patience and comfort in assurance of Gods love that in such miserie they shall bee most happie How ever things goe it shall bee well with the just The Doctrine being thus confirmed the reasons thereof rendred and objection against the practise thereof removed it now followeth to consider what are the testimonies whereby Gods servants doe witnesse to others and specially to God and their owne soules that they are amongst the small number of such as doe take Gods anger and judgements to heart And they are of two sorts viz. common to all Gods good servants and speciall or proper to some sorts of them the common testimonies are of two sorts private and publike private testimonies are praier and intercession helped with fasting and humiliation that so they may pray the more fervently and cry mightily unto God to spare his people No sooner did God reveale to Abraham his purpose to destroy Sodome but he fell instantly to praier and most vehemently importuned him to spare them When did God ever manifest to Moses his conceived anger against his people and threatned a judgement but Moses was downe on his face crying to the Lord contending with him and urging of him for his name and glory grace and goodnesse mercies promises oath and covenant to forgive and spare When Nehemiah heard of the misery of Gods people and Ierusalem he sate downe and wept and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven The second are more publike and are either of gesture as in Nehemiah or words when every man and woman according to their places and gifts doe call on others of their families or neighbours to humble themselves and seeke to prevent the judgement threatned So Mordechai when he heard of the bloudy Decree that was passed was not contented to put on sackcloth and mourne in secret but went into the midst of the City and cried with a loud and bitter cry and made it knowne to Hesther and Hesther would have all the Iewes in Shushan to fast too The Prophet saith All such as feared God stirred up one another by speaking often to one another saying feare the Lord This is it the Apostle aimeth at Exhort one another daily whilst it is called to day lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulnesse of sinne and provoke one another to love and good workes Heb. 10. 24. And so the shipmaster wakened Ionah and bade him call upon his God Iona. 1. 6. The more proper and speciall testimonies concerne two sorts of Gods servants viz. the Minister and Magistrate The faithfull Minister of God testifieth that he taketh to heart the anger of God and threatned judgement by three things First by lifting up his voice like a trumpet and giving warning for which purpose they have the titles of Seers and Watchmen I have set watchmen upon thy wals O Ierusalem They must have eies in their heads and from their watch-tower see anger and
Doe we poure out our soules in instant praiers and supplications with sighs and groanes unto God for ourselves and his Church and as our callings and gifts enable and give leaue doe we stirre up and provoke others to doe so If this be so it is happy and I cannot but comfortably assure myselfe there are thousands and ten thousands that doe so yea how abundantly have men and women in this Land in this Countrey and in this City declared their love to the Gospell and compassion to the poore distressed Saints that professe it which I doubt not but God hath registred in his booke and will in his good time remunerate with a large recompence of reward and I trust we shall yet see Ierusalem in prosperity and peace upon Israel How ever it please God to deale yet all such shall finde grace mercy and peace with God let such cast their care on God for he careth for them But let me lament that there are too too many amongst us Atheists Papists prophane and irreligious persons as senslesse as blocks and stones of their sinnes Gods anger and Gods judgements who being called to weeping and mourning baldnesse and girding of sack-cloth make songs on those that doe so Psal 69. Doe-slay oxen and kill sheepe and for their parts eat flesh and drinke wine Tell them of the afflictions of Gods people they sit drinking still let Shushan bee in never so great perplexitie yea eat the calves out of the stals and lambs out of the flocks drinke their wine in bouls annoint themselves with best ointment and invent to themselves instruments of musicke like David but are not sorrie for the afflictions of Ioseph Yea I would there were not too many Edomites who rejoyce in the calamitie of the Church and say There there so would we have it persecute and take them there is none to deliver them there is no helpe for them in God Downe with it downe with it even to the ground who would be glad that all religion and the professours were utterly ruined and rooted out and all as prophane as themselves Tell them of their sinnes they doe not know any such things nor beleeve that any are better than themselves Threaten them with judgements pestilence famine sword they make a mocke Let us eat and drinke for tomorrow we shall die The Prophets words are but winde tomorrow shall bee as to day and much more abundant Esay 56. ult Or else desperately say Let God hasten his worke even his great worke that wee may see it Or else presumptuously say I shall have peace though I walke in the stubbornnesse of mine heart and adde drunkennes to thirst no evill shall happen to me Others are secure for They have made a covenant with death and are at agreement with hell when the overflowing scourge shall passe thorow it shall not come neere them they have made lies their refuge and under falshood have hid themselves Others are angrie with the Prophets that threaten as they accused Ieremie to the King that the world was not able to beare his words that hee discouraged the people and was never well till he was in prison Ierem. 38. 4. Thus they put off the evill day farre from them and approach to the seat of iniquitie going from evill to worse without all feare of God or man hating to bee reformed Oh prophane Atheists Belly-gods and Worldlings know that it is not for your sakes that God spareth it is for his servants sakes amongst whom yee live that yee enjoy so large a share in many good blessings of God such as yee despise and make a mocke of yea extremely hate and persecute are they that stand in the breach and turne away Gods judgements but if our sinnes grow so full and God make way for his fierie wrath by taking away such and that his judgements doe breake out you shall not escape nay you shall drinke deepe of the cup of Gods wrath yea sucke and wring out the verie dregs of the same you shall finde your staves to be but broken reeds and all your shelter for defence lying falshood and vanitie shift and shuffle and flie whither you will you shall not bee able to flie from his vengeance though you could dig to hell as the Prophet speaketh yet Gods hand would fetch you thence though climbe up to Heaven hee would pull you downe though hide your selves in most secret caves and under rocks and mountaines yet even there shall his vengeance finde you out flie whither you will he will command the sword the pestilence and famine to pursue you with terrour of heart and trembling of conscience the Lord will ever and everie where set his face against you for evill and not for good till hee hath rooted out your names from under Heaven destroyed you from off the face of the earth and cast you into hell the place prepared for the Devill and all reprobate ones If therfore thou desirest to finde mercie and comfort Repent be sorrie for thy sinnes mourne that thou hast displeased and offended God tremble to thinke of his judgements doe thy best endevour to prevent them for how soever it shall please God to deale such and such only shall bee most happie And so much for the second Doctrine It followeth The third Doctrine is That Gods faithfull servants are verie powerfull with God and as his deare favourites by their prayers to prevent and turne away judgments and calamities from themselves and Gods people This Doctrine I raise from the word Pagarg which signifieth to resist or withstand as Ierome translateth it Non mihi obsist as Doe not withstand me for the word in native proprietie intendeth a kind of force or violence One place shall serve amongst many for to enlighten this point this word is used in the booke of Iudges where Zebah and Zalmunnah entreat Gedeon Rise thou and fall upon us and is by metaphor frequently ascribed unto prayer wherin Gods servants use an holy force and violence unto God in their deprecations which thing also our English translation signifieth Doe not intercede which is properly a Latine word and signifieth to come betwixt and so to let hinder withstand or prohibit the doing of a thing As if God had more plainly said according to the originall and Translations I am purposed that this people shall be carried into Captivitie and doe not thou by thy prayers come betwixt me and them to let hinder withstand or resist mee The Doctrine thus naturally and properly raised is well fortified and backed by many other both positive and exemplarie Scriptures The Prophet Esay complaining of the great want of prayers doth it in this forme There is none that calleth upon thy name that stirreth up himselfe to take hold of thee First observe how in times of greatest need Gods servants may be so dull as
and wonders in Israel Esay 8. 18. and generally wished they were taken out of the way as those that trouble the world and if it were not for them it would be well and we should have merry times Oh unthankfull world oh wretched and unthankfull world that wilt not acknowledge but hate and persecute such as stand in the breach and resist God! Well know if ever all the Noahs be is the Arke and all the Lots out of Sodome if all these swallowes have once taken their flight there will come the coldest and wofullest winter that ever the Church amongst us felt and endured But of this more anon Let us now proceed to the uses of this Doctrine whereof the first is Seeing Gods servants are powerfull with God to prevent judgements threatned to themselves and others and seeing Gods judgements are not only threatned to our selves and in fearefull measure executed specially on our brethren in other Countries let us practise this Doctrine stirre up our selves by most humble hearty and devout praiers to lay hold on God and as it were resist him in his course and not let him goe till his indignation be overpast Doe you professe your selves the servants of God and will you not doe this Doe you beleeve God will heare your praiers and yet will yee not pray Oh be not wanting to your selves and to the Church of God in this In some things Kings and Princes may doe the Church of God good wherein subjects cannot in other things Ministers may doe that good which common Christians cannot in other things rich men may doe that good that poore cannot in other things strong and able men may doe that good which weake and feeble and impotent cannot yea in many things men may doe that good which women cannot but in this all men and women may doe alike good by praier for the good of Gods Church What can we doe more easily or more fruitfully It may be we have not silver gold food raiment but none so poore of Gods Saints as have not praier If we were rich the poorer sort are only thereby releeved but by praier we doe good to all even the richest Againe whereas some other duties require the presence of friends and all of them season and opportunity it is never out of season to pray yea therewith even in the twinckling of an eie we may helpe such as are thousands of miles off Oh fie on our dulnesse then specially the members of Christ to whom we cannot otherwise doe good so greatly standing in need hereof that we should so seldome and coldly if at all helpe them with our praiers specially God so calling upon us for it and giving such comfortable assurance we shall be heard If an earthly Prince should make Proclamation to all his subjects that if they would come to the Court and make suit they should all of them have Lordships houses lands mannors offices imagine what riding and running there would be how would they thinke him most worthy to beg his bread yea to starve through want if he would not goe and aske But that the King of heaven hath commanded us to pray and promised whatsoever good thing we shall aske in his Sonnes name according to his will we shall have it for this life present or a better hereafter for our selves or others and we see how well others have sped yea our selves have had great experience of Gods goodnesse in this kinde and it may be God hath cut us and others short and threatned much evill and all because he would provoke us to pray as delighting to be importuned and wrestled with Yet all this will not serve to provoke us so to pray as we ought It may be sicknesse hunger thirst nakednesse temporall losses and crosses may make us sometimes cry unto God but who doth strive with God for the best things for themselves And to speake according to the nature of my Text How is Ierusalems good generally forgotten It may be we may beare her a good will and for fashion or custome as we walke and talke with others let good wishes fall rejoice when we heare good newes shake heads shucke the shoulders and sigh when we heare evill tidings and yet how few doe thus farre testifie their love but who even of her best friends frequently and fervently publikely and privately at least thrice a day with Daniel looketh toward Ierusalem and for Ierusalem whetting the edge of our zeale and devotion by premeditation of what an happinesse it were and how greatly to Gods honour and glory that Ierusalem should prosper and what a misery and dishonor to God that she should goe to wracke and ruine helping our weaknesse with abstinence and fasting as Nehemiah and Hesther and the Iewes did that so we may cry mightily unto God and resolved with the woman of Canaan to take no nay the Lord shall never be rid of us we will never cease knocking at heavens gate till he heare and helpe Oh where are these friends Why doth the Church of God suffer so much evill Why doth she lie open to the execution of such fearefull judgements Because Gods faithfull servants give way and doe not stand in the breach for her to resist God There was a curse yea a bitter curse laid upon the inhabitants of Meroz because they did not helpe the Lord against the mighty Iudg. 5. 23. And no lesse curse doth lie on the Inhabitants of any Place and Countrey when the Lord is in armes that doe not by their prayers helpe the poore weake Church against God that doe not lay hold on him and resist him but suffer him to crush and destroy The greatest victories and deliverances that ever we read of were obtained by fasting and prayer yea seldome if ever was the Church in any trouble and danger and delivered but it was procured by prayer and surely it is not without divine providence and grace that Gods Ministers doe so labour to stirre you up for even that sheweth God hath a great blessing in store for his Church if his servants would but aske it of him Wherefore I say againe Pray pray pray for the welfare of Ierusalem they shall prosper that love it Wherefore God hath sent me to you and to call on all that heare me this day Pray pray pray and to make you excuselesse if yee neglect it And that mine exhortation hereunto may bee the more waightie and powerfull I will deliver it in the words of the holy Prophet Zephanie our Prophets fellow-labourer who having in the first chapter threatned the heavie and severe iudgements of God against Iudah for her sinnes That the Lord would utterly consume all things from the land man and beast fowles and fishes and that the great day of the Lord is neere and hasteth greatly when the waightie man shall crie bitterly for it is a day of wrath a day of trouble and distresse a day of wastnesse and
pray heartily for the welfare of Ierusalem and then stand still and see the salvation of God who hath meanes that we see not to accomplish his act his strange act and to bring to passe his worke even his strange worke A second use is to love honour and make much of such as are so gracious and powerfull with God as to stand in the breach and to withstand and remove threatned judgements Oh let Noah the Preacher of righteousnesse have double honour let Lot be loved that doth grieve his righteous soule let us make great reckoning of Moses that standeth in the breach to stay the Lords anger for as was said of Elijah These these are the chariots and horsemen of Israel These these are the protection of the Church and fortification of the Land These are to us as Paul was unto them in the ship with him the saving of houses and goods lives and liberties it is for the godlies sake that dwell amongst us that the Gospell and our gracious King and Governor peace and prosperity with all other our blessings are continued unto us if it had not beene for their sakes we may well assure our selves the full viols of Gods wrath as in the Powder Treason or otherwise had long since beene powred downe upon us And here give me leave upon so just occasion to reprove the unthankfulnesse of the world towards such as under God are a singular meanes of our preservation Never were Noah or Lot more mocked scorned and derided than the godly in these daies disgraced and loaded with all indignities as the men unworthy to live in the world who if they humble their soules with fasting and put on sack cloth they that sit in the gate speake against them and the drunkards make songs of them Psal 69. And when it pleaseth God to take them away by death they are as glad thereof as the inhabitants of the earth were for the death of the two witnesses who reioiced and made merry and sent gifts one to another Alas that this foolish world should be such an enemy to its best friends and from whom it receiveth most good Oh little doe wicked men know what a treasure they lose in the death of a good man how open then they lie to the lash of Gods judgements when he is gone that used to stand in the breach It was said of Elijah as you heard that he was the chariots and horsemen of Israel And it was said of godly S. Ambrose Bishop of Millaine and of whom Theodosius the Emperour pronounced That hee onely knew Ambrose worthy to be called a Bishop That he was the wals of Italy and Stilico the Earle said his death did threaten destruction to Italy And indeed how Italy hath beene harrowed and brought to desolation by the fire and sword of barbarous Nations the Goths Hunnes and Vandals and made the Theater of most lamentable Tragedies Histories doe report In places where enemies are up in Armes chariots and horses are in great request and when enemies besiege there is great regard had to the wals if they have breaches made in them and none to defend or fall downe flat as the wals of Iericho did those Cities must needs be surprised Now good men are as the wals of the Common-wealth City or Towne where they dwell if it were not for them the judgements of God would breake in and destroy them How are such to be esteemed Noah was as a wall to the old world and no sooner in the Arke but the floud came and destroyed them all Lot was as a wall to Sodome and no sooner in Zoar but fire and brimstone fell and consumed them all The Christians were as the wall to Ierusalem and no sooner in Pella but Ierusalem was surprised and sacked No sooner had Iosiah his eies closed that he might not see the vengeance but be taken to rest as God had promised but straightway the wofull tragedy of Iudah and Ierusalem beganne Wherefore the Prophet complaineth that good and mercifull men are taken away and men doe not take it to heart as a great losse and fearefull prognostication of evill For conclusion seeing Gods servants are so powerfull with God and that only by praier and we doe not know how to pray as we ought ourselves but it is the Spirit which helpeth our infirmitie and maketh us cry Abba Father And God hath promised to give his Spirit to them that aske it As every good gift commeth downe from the Father of lights so specially this most excellent proper and peculiar gift of praier I pray you observe that whereas the Lord by his Prophet promiseth I will destroy all the Nations that come against Ierusalem he presently addeth in the next words as the meanes whereby so great a favour is procured I will poure upon the house of David and upon the Inhabitants of Ierusalem the spirit of grace and of supplication Where note first what is the lot and condition of all the persecutors of Ierusalem that first or last they shall be destroyed Secondly that the meanes whereby destruction is procured of the enemies of Ierusalem Gods Church and people is praier Lastly that this gift of praier commeth downe from God it is his gift he will poure out the spirit of supplications and verily as there is no gift more necessary and usefull none more rare how poore are some in this that are rich in some other graces I know God giveth this in measure to some more and some lesse according to his good pleasure And God forbid I should discourage any and specially novices and younglings for it is most cleare that even the sighs and groanes of a faithfull penitent soule are loud and shrill cries in the eares of God short ejaculations God be mercifull unto me God blesse his Church God prosper his Gospell God convert or confound the enemies of his Church and Truth even these uttered not for forme fashion vse custome but fervently heartily are most excellent and powerfull praiers yet herein we are not to rest but to seeke after a growth in this as in other graces of the Spirit and never to cease begging of God till in good measure according to the Scripture phrase even in the language of Canaan we be able to expresse our owne wants and the wants of his Church and in his owne words to crave such blessings and graces as we or his people doe stand in need of Standing in the breach with his owne weapons of gracious Covenant and Promise and Oath in one hand and urging his owne Arguments of truth grace glory Oh this is an excellent gift indeed and this is the way to bring destruction upon the enemies of Ierusalem and whosoever seeketh this grace shall in good measure obtaine it and as any receive let them use it and they shall to their great comfort see a blessed increase of
it Oh most gracious good God wee humbly thanke thee that though our sinnes be many great and grievous yet thou hast not suddenly rooted us up and destroyed us as we have deserved but hast for many and many yeares from thy word and workes of mercy and justice on our selves and others warned us Thou never gavest greater and fairer warning to any people than thou hast done to us But seeing thou art a God of justice and when thy patience is long abused and no meanes will serve thou visitest indeed and in dreadfull manner Lord give us grace to take to heart thy threatned judgements and stirre up all thy faithfull servants that they may stand in the breach to turne away thine anger from us yea Lord give to all us that have heard thee this day the spirit of praier and supplication that by our lips and lives we may cry unto thee And because Atheisme and Popish Idolatry are the common plagues wherewith thou dost scourge a people who doe not receive the love of the truth nor walke worthy the glorious Gospell vouchsafed unto them Lord deliver us from these plagues grant thy Gospell a free and powerfull passage and increase every where the love and obedience of it that such judgements as are threatned for contempt of it may be removed and thou maiest continue a good God to us and ours to the comming of Christ Amen For I will not heare thee It is very common in the Scriptures of Old and New Testament to promise and threaten the grant or deniall of mens praiers in this forme of hearing or not hearing One place of Scripture selected out of a great multitude may serve for proofe of this Wee know that God heareth not sinners but if any man be a worshipper of God and doth his will him he heareth So then the meaning of not hearing is God will denie what the Prophet should thus begge of God If the Prophet contrary to his charge should make his suit unto God to spare his people and preserve them from captivitie hee would not heare hee would not grant his desire he should but sinne against God himselfe and doe the people no good God was now unchangeably resolved Iudah should into captivitie as well as their brethren the ten Tribes he was resolved to cast them out of his sight as he had done the whole seed of Ephraim and it were bootlesse for the Prophet to pray against this which he signifieth thus I will not heare thee Indeed it is true that the judgements of God are commonly conditionall as God himselfe hath said At what time I shall speake concerning a nation and concerning a kingdome to plucke up to pull downe and destroy it if that nation against whom I have pronounced turne from their evill I will repent of the evill which I thought to doe unto them And in threatnings sometimes the condition is expressed as divers times God threatneth his people thus If ye walke contrary to me and will not hearken unto me I will punish you seven times more Sometimes the condition is not expressed but necessarily understood as when Ionah threatned Ninivie Yet fortie dayes and Ninivie shall be destroyed the fortie dayes came and Ninivie was not destroyed God changed his revealed will because the concealed condition was kept for Ninivie repented and therefore must not be destroyed Yea the same judgement which at the first threatning may be conditionall yet afterwards may become absolute and unavoidable as the destruction of Sodome was at the first conditionally threatned and therefore Abraham so farre prevailed with God that if there were but ten righteous persons found in it he would spare them for those tens sake but that condition failing it was in the next place absolutely threatned the Angels said to Lot The Lord hath sent us to destroy this City and we will destroy it It might be the case of this people if when Gods servants reproved them for their sinnes and threatned them with captivity they had repented in sackcloth and ashes peradventure the Lord would have heard them and repented of the evill But seeing they would not be reformed but grew worse and worse and unto all their other sinnes adding this crying one of evill entreating yea most shamefully abusing Gods servants who dealt faithfully with them to bring them to the sight of their sinnes and repentance honouring and esteeming none but the false Prophets who preached peace and pleasing things God is now resolved to bring a heavie judgement even the sword of the enemie upon them and to give them over into captivity revealeth this purpose to his Prophet Ieremy The Land shall be desolate the earth shall mourne and the heavens above be blacke I have spoken it I have purposed it and will not repent neither will I turne backe from it Yea to make it if it were possible more sure he told him He had sworne by himselfe that house wherein they so trusted should become a desolation And to adde yet more waight thereunto expresly forbiddeth the Prophet to pray cry or make intercession to him in behalfe of the people in this kinde assuring him if he should he would not heare him or grant his request The sense being given and that which might be said against it prevented now I raise your fourth and last lesson for instruction viz. That such may be the sinnes of Gods deare Church and people in generall and of his faithfull servants in particular that he will bring some temporall judgement upon them and he will not heare themselves nor others for them in this kinde This being a Doctrine which doth so exceedingly concerne us even as much as all our lives and livelihood bodies and goods come to is not sleightly to be regarded but in the holy feare of God to be advisedly considered of and taken to heart In the handling whereof I purpose to spend all my labours here and elsewhere this day For method and order wherein and helpe of memory there being so much now to be delivered I will first sufficiently prove it from both positive and exemplary Scriptures that all of us may see and acknowledge the truth of it Secondly declare the reasons thereof that we may see how just and true God is therein Thirdly search what are those sinnes which doe so exasperate and provoke God that he will not spare that so we may take heed of them Fourthly and lastly I will make application to our selves and search whether those sinnes be found amongst us and remove such objections as may be made against it and accordingly presse the use unto you And all these I will deliver with such plaine evidence as I have received from the word which hath onely power over the soule and conscience First then let us see how the word of God maketh this doctrine good First take knowledge that the Scriptures are most