to shorten it but in sin to provoke God to doe it Our season hath pantings and yet life in it although not health the Lord heare our prayers to recover it out of its fits of convulsion Is there no Balme in Gilliad that will doe it 2 Chron. 7.14 If my people which are called by my name shall humble themselves and pray and seeke my face and turne from their wicked wayes I will forgive their sin and heale their land 1. Argument The season of Peace and the seasonable praying for Peace hath been prescribed limited and terminated to all that have gone before us in relation to Persons Kings or Kingdomes Esaus season past he could never get a returne of the blessing although sought with teares The Gadarens could never get Christ over their water more Nor the Iewes a second season as yet to learne Christ loe I goe to the Gentiles Esa 6. Osea 3.4 I have forsaken my house I have left my heritage The Monarchy of the Babilonians and Syrians was transferred to the Medes and Persians The Macedonians to the Romans The Empire of Constantinople to the Ottoman Familie Joshua tooke ten stones out of Jordan and put other ten in the roome of them Secondly It is but just with God if none find any want of this pretious Iewell to shut up his cabinet and see who will seeke after it God alwayes substracts his mercies when they prove not usefull to us or wee ungratefull for them God knowes as well how to take them from us as tender them to us Hosea 2.3.9 Thirdly In relation to the Giver there can bee but a season expected It is the Mighty God King of Kings unto whom all the Nations of the earth are but as a drop of a bucket c. It becomes not Majesty to waite long upon the tender of their favours the Lord will give inward peace and outward peace but he will seasonably be sought to for it It is no dishonour for the greatest Monarch to attend his Majesty but unbecoming him to waite a moment on the greatest earthly Prince David esteemed it the height of his ambition to be a doore keeper under-value not then to be a receiver and in capacitie to enioy his favour Use of Exhortation If this be so that wee have but a Now for it I beseech you support your drooping soules because although neere yet is not our season past for yet wee heare of peace from the cryers of peace in publique God hath not yet forbid us with Jeremiah not to cry peace unto you cry for peace with mee Nay secondly by a strange kind of working on the heart his messengers day and night seeke peace for the three Kingdomes and your Majesty at the throne of grace you are heartily presented by many thousands of religious conscientious holy faithfull Subjects in both Kingdoms for peace to your soul c. nor hath the Lord stopt our mouths as Jeremiah's 11.14 as yet to say to us pray not c. Yea Thirdly the conditions of Peace and the Lords Propositions to be reconciled to him are by his faithfull messengers presented and by many accepted of the Lord incline your Majesties heart to signe for ever his and your Kingdomes good Yea it is your peoples hopes that you will with the Sun of righteousnesse gloriously arise with healing and peace under your wings to your three Kingdomes all sore wounded and in blood This doore of hope opened let all our seasonable prayers be presented for this blessing of Peace ply this work heartily I beseech you 1. Motive you have but a Now sor it much of the season spent a great journey and little time puts upon expedition and designe Davids former experience of the misery of warre puts him upon the designe of of Prayer for Peace Psal 122. O pray saith he for the peace of Jerusalem and he plies it night and day Finis operationis est opus 2 Motive There is yet Peace to be had for his people and although with Joseph for a time he hath spoken ruffely unto us Gen. 45.1 yet I am consident he yernes in his bowells to us he cannot contain himselfe longer ere he reveale himself unto us and although the Cup of affliction hath been for a time inour sacks mouth yet in the end it shall produce good to us Isa 63.8,9 Hee will not cast off his people when they rebelled he was wrath yet he said Surely they are my people I am their Saviour Wherefore I beseech you as the dumb son of Croesus when he saw his Father about to be slain though never before brake silence and cryed out violently the strings of his tongue being loosed Kill not King Croesus so upon the vision of the sad actings of these times breake silence and seasonably every one cry out Now the Lord of Peace himself give you peace alwayes by all meanes Thirdly Because we are all sharers in the Church and Kingdomes peace more or lesse every owner prayes and lookes after the safety of the ship the Church of God is the ship wherein our great joynt stock of Religion is imbarqued and wee all beare a great adventure It is at this day on a hazzardous voyage many seeming friends by their colours ready to betray it and what betwixt the Rocks of superstition and Idolatry and the quicksands of blasphemy schisme and heresie it steeres sadly we nor our posterity cannot stand after the losse it will be their undoing for ever therefore now pray Think it sad to poyson a pond but a river much more Oh think of your posterity what truths streamed to us in our Fathers blood the Martyrs let it run to our posterity in ours or tears and let us protest against blasphemy and errors for jarring in Jerusalem is a sad and prodigeous Omen when the worshippers in Jerusalem were divided the common enemy prevailed Jer. 7.28 This is a Nation that receiveth not discipline truth is perished from them clean gone out of their mouths then read ver 33. Then I will cause to cease from the Cities of Judah and Jerusalem the voyce of mirth and gladnesse the land shall be desolate Jer. 8.19 The cry of the daughter of my people is great for feare of them of a farre Country Nay further that you may see the necessity of seasonable prayer you may observe our Saviour makes it a signe of the eternall ruine of the world Mat. 24.1,2,3 They say Master what signe wilt thou give us Take heed none deceive you for many shall come in my name and deceive many Many shall betray one another hate one another c. See Deut. 28.47,48,49,50 The divisions amongst the Primitive Christians in the Eastern Churches gave the Turk an opportunity to make them his vassals when the Divines of Bohemia and Germany fell to discord it proved a sad time and when the Pelagians had made their faction strong they set the whole Kingdome in a combustion The Lord give us deliverance from all
factions and fractions from the truth of Jesus Christ Fourthly it is an honourable designe and such become Christians it is noble to do good to one with the Samaritan but to doe good to a nation nay three nations is Heroicall and well becomes Majesty Therefore now pray yea excite all from Dan to Bersheba and let it be your motion to set apart a day of fasting and prayer that no apple of contention may grow in our Paradise of God his Church Every blessed action becommeth you this is not onely blessed in it self but makes you blessed Beati pacifici is intailed upon you Now as peace in Religion is the greatest blessing to a Kingdome so to beget or conserve this peace makes a man most blessed in a Kingdome and it is my soules desire you may be yet blessed of God and of your faithfull people Fifth Motive Our relation yea neere relation to the Church and State it is of us we of it The hurt of it will be our hurt the bloud shed in warre our bloud wounds our wounds It is a sad spectacle and moves much for a Captaine or Commander in Chiefe to see but a forlorne hope or a few scouts come off in bloud but to see a field spread with dead bodyes like dung as of late times a piercing calamity For a tender mother to see not a childe but all her children sicke puts her to an extacy of griefe and importunity to seeke remedy and that is the second sprigge of this Olive Branch viz. That seasonable and importunate prayer to God through Christ is a sure meanes to obtaine a firme lasting and well grounded peace And first I should discover to you what I meane by importunity and in a word it is a prayer that will take no nay of God that if bare asking will not serve wee will seeke if that doe not obtaine we will be so bold as to knocke that will not be put off with primitive silence or positive denyal or any contumelious reproach knowing well as I said before that Finis operationis est opus for Sions sake will not hold his peace nor for Ierusalems sake give God no rest till he make it the prayse of the earth And truely we had sped sooner had we prayed better not that prayer merits it but it 's Gods meanes to obtaine it There are severall defects in prayer and there are six or seaven sorts which will stand us in little stead First A Lazy prayer God cannot away to have men reporters when they should bee Petitioners Secondly Empty Prayers that are not full for prayer is a powring out of the whole hearth to God Psal 62.8 Now many powre out their wants but not their sins men should powre out their prayers like water not like Tar the greatest part sticking behind Thirdly Snatcht prayer many give God a ragg of prayer fitting your prayers to your businesses not a Kingdoms miseries or pressing necessities c. Fourthly Silent prayers neglecting that in our prayer which God lookes we should insist on Ps 32. David is said to roare for the disquietnesse of his heart and yet was silent in relation to his blood-shed Fifthly Seldome prayers An Hypocrite can sometimes pray but a good Christian prayes continually Dan. 3. Sixthly Lukewarme prayers Prayers that can never boyle out the scumme of sin or take away the rawnesse of our fleshly part Quifrigide orat oupit negari though you make many Esa 7. Seventhly By-thoughted Prayers like that unworthy Oratour invocating heaven looking to the Earth but in this case doe as Abraham Gen. 15.11 when the birds peck't his sacrifice hee husht them away so do thou that thy prayers may prove an acceptable service through Jesus Christ Quere Sir pray what need so much importunity Sol. First in relation to Gods Majesty as in Ezekiel 36. from ver 23. to ver 27. The Lord shews his people in misery rich mercies and full compensations that he hath in his hands but yet read ver 27. Thus saith the Lord God I will yet for all this be inquired after by the house of Israel to doe it for them c. We have an homely Proverb It is an ill dogge that is not worth a whistle We find little want of and lesse esteem that mercy we omit in prayer Princes freely contribute their favours but to Petitioners And God is the King of Kings and I am yet boy'd up with hope having hitherto rid out this storme on a good ground with the Sheare-Anchor of Faith that God will by all our evills refine us not ruine us correct us not destruct us and bring us all a pretious and refined people out of all our devouring flames both gracious and glorious Secondly in relation to mercy mercy appears best when we blazen out our misery it is a disgrace to mercy to come on the wing of lazie prayer Herculii duri celebrant Labores Samuel shall be dedicated to God that is obtained by prayer and that mercy made much of and hugg'd in the bosome that is obtained with the passion of the heart Thirdly In relation to our selves we would soone slight mercy if easily granted Esa 44.23 Soone gotten soone forgotten who prodigall away their estates sooner then they that never swet to gaine a penny Ier. 31.9 They shall come with weeping and with supplications will I lead them as a gentleman leads a begger that penny that a man hath begg'd for all day is not commonly idly spent away so if your Majesty and your three Kingdomes can but worke out their peace with God by prayer it will be the sweetest mercy that ever lay upon the pallates of our soules It will relish our spirits after all our bitter potions wee have taken to physicke us 2 Quere Why are not men more importunate in prayer Sol. Because most are Romanists in this point and esteeme prayer a pennance an irkesome thing Mal. 1.13 Behold you say what a wearinesse it is yee have snuffed at it saith the Lord. A man can never be found abounding in that is tedious to him to performe wee must count prayer a blessing if ever we will do good on it Blessings are highly prized I beseech you set a high price on this kinde of prayer 2 Many are Formalists and like the Peach that hath a ragged stone under a smooth skin so many under faire and specious shewes and pretences have strange selfe ends sinfull ends and much raggednesse of Spirit Now if I regard iniquity in my heart the Lord will not heare my prayer Thirdly Men are gentlemen-beggers they are loath to have the world know they want or would be beholding to any stand often upon this punctilio of Honour till they starve so of old have not we Abraham to our Father why should we be beholding to this Carpenters sonne Men are loath to be beholding to God through Christ and truely none are so miserable as they that hide their misery now it is good to move pitty to
AN OLIVE BRANCH Found after A Storme in the Northern Seas AND Presented to his MAJESTY in a Sermon at the Court in New-Castle By SAMUEL KEM a little before his Majesties going to HOLMBEY GEN. 8.10,11 And he stayed yet other seven dayes and againe he sent forth the Dove out of the Ark And the Dove came into him in the evening and loe in her mouth was an Olive sprig pluckt off So Noah knew the waters were abated HAGGAI 2.9 Thus shall the glory of the latter House bee greater then the former sayeth the Lord of Hoasts and in this place will I give peace saith the Lord of Hoasts Published according to Order LONDON Printed by J. D. R. I. for Andrew Kembe and are to bee sold at his shop at Margaret Hill next doore to the Talbot-Gate in Southwark 1647. TO THE KINGS MOST Excellent Majesty May it please your Majesty WHen the King of Kings had fasted forty dayes and forty nights hee was afterward an hungered although assisted by the deitie and then for any within knowledge of it to neglect administring to him a morsell had really concluded them guilty of the highest ingratitude and inhumanity Man lives not by bread alone but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God Which your long abstinence from in relation to publique administration hath put mee upon this bold attempt in tender compassion to your better part as to present you with a branch the fruit whereof will if savoured sensibly procure an appetite to those delicates which by more excellent hands are ready at your call to be served in unto you which degree of recovery will disrobe thousands of Gods people and your faithfull Subjects of their sad and sable thoughts and serve up their hearts to the highest degree of prayse that hath in relation to his glory and your good so far heard their prayers Thus thus Sir if your Majesty please to forsake your nets that intangle you deny your selfe and your self-reasoning audience that assault You and follow Jesus Christ in his ordinances the Prince of peace whose name is Councellor to advise you You may yet create all good men your cordiall friends and admit none to repine at your returne but the Gospells and Religions enimies Great Sir If this plainnesse bee an error it is my affection to your Majesties soule makes mee to erre and the prosperity of one fault hath made mee confident to commit a second for I professe I long after it and make it one part of my designe at the throne of grace that God would so sanctifie all your experiences for the time past that you may be a gratious Instrument for the advancing of his glorious will for the time to come And now the Lord grant you usefull profit in perusing my poore indeavours so as shall best sort both for the accomplishment of your owne eternall good and the Kingdomes just desires yea the Lord grant that as this sermon received grace from you in hearing it with reverent attention so it may increase grace in you by your serious intention And the Lord of peace peaceably salute you by it and grace you with all spirituall blessings till he bring you to injoy his and your peoples firme love your Parliaments councell and Heavens Glory which is and shall be the daily prayer of Gods Majesties poore Embassador to You in this Treatise of Peace and Your Loyall Subject SAMUEL KEM TO THE Right Honourable PHILIP Earle of Pembroke BAZILL Earle of Denbeigh and the rest of the Honourable Commissioners with His Majesty at Holmbey Right Honorable I May not without your leaves obtained approach his Maiesty in person or paper It is my duty to begge it May it please your Lordships to grant it I call God to record and my conscience is cleare I neither have nor will speake one word but for his glory and the furthering if possible the Kingdoms Peace and his Majesties good I ingenuously confesse if you search you may finde about me one Epistle superscribed to his Majesty but it is unseal'd and on purpose for your perusall For my selfe I am unworthy to come under that roofe being the meanest servant in my Masters Family yet this Testimony I have in Heaven I have ever desired to doe the best service I could in these sad times to promote the Peace of Church and State and although I have observed many men to have beene thought rare at an easie rate yet it hath beene a peece of my infelicity to multiply enemies by acting and speaking to my power to settle Peace and Truth Therefore as I implore your Lordships favour for your lilence so I humbly Petition your pardon for my boldnesse and present all your conditions daily to the Throne of Grace that as you have beene Pillers of Gods Truth so you may be prevailing Councellors with His Maiesty and be honored in your generations which is the hearty and constant prayer my Noble Lords and Gentlemen Of Your Obliged and Immutable Servant SAMUEL KEM TO THE Truly Noble Faithfull Vigilant and Valiant William Batten Esquire Captaine of His Majesties Ship the St. Andrew and Commander in Chiefe of the Fleet at Sea for the service of the King and Parliament Most Honored and Noble Sir I Shal desire to wave all Apologeticall expressions in relation to my selfe and the weaknesse of this piece You know that the quiet repose of the spiirit is the meanes to produce to the world such births as may inrich it with admiration and delight which my floating condition denyed mee the happines to injoy having my intellectualls so Searummaged that they returned me but darke unrefined notions the product wherof are these poore expressions void of all perfection unles the heat of your affection and Noblenes please to hatch them to some formed beauty worthy acceptation and to reduce the Chaos of my confusions to a serenity worthy the worlds meditation Hover therefore I beseech you with the wings of your protection over these feeble but syncere indeavours to promote in this Iuncto of time with his Majesty for a setled and well grounded Peace for which I have esteemed my life as a trifle in way of purchase and have for some yeares past waded through variety of difficulties to this end And although the inacountable and uncontroleable waters with their independent ragings sunke me to the eye of sense yet God provided something like a Whale that by a strange providence cast me on shore to behold that which I beleived and believing maintained Our Brethren of Scotland their integrity to Our mutuall Covenant and the Kingdomes safety and to act that which I never expected as a poore messenger from the Prince of Peace to salute his Majesty just before the comming of our Right Honourable Commissioners as a providentiall preparation to their invitation of him to take the Covenant and in this now of time to accept of the Olive Branch of Peace the best fignall betwixt King
and Parliament if well grounded For whose experience doth not informe him what dismall confusion is as the worst of plagues upon us Even amongst those I meane who professe themselves to be Children of Gods owne Family Since the breach of the bond of Love amongst our selves how dispicable are Pastors to their sheepe how are the prophane and Irreligious strengthned in their impiety how doth the common adversary of Gods Truth jeare at this our folly and secretly as spectatours behind the curtaine make themselves sport to see us so violently and industriously acting for them what they could never effect with all their hellish plots for themselves to this day ruine if God prevent not to our selves and open a gap for them to enter and injoy prosperity It hath severall times affected and afflicted me to see so many dying and wounded bodyes conveying out their soules in streames of bloud but it hath lately afrighted me to see the very heart of true Piety vulturated since our fiery zeale to Christs honor is Monopolized into a consuming fire of envy malice undermining in zeale to our owne private ends each others honour And although I have never made Arithmatick my study yet I easily may sum up what all our divisions subdivisions and sad contentions amongst our selves when all professe to be Children of him of whom the whole Family in heaven and earth is named will amount unto viz. To Christs Kingdomes disbeautifying Satans inlarging by impiety superstition aad heresie For what ever it cost I would not have the Family want solid and sweet-refreshing fire yet would I not have any to be affected meerely with such blazes as are not serviceable but to set the whole house on fire which to prevent let us open the floud-gates of our soules and turne the sluces of our eyes heaven-ward implore the great God to settle Gospell Peace and Truth in his Majesties three Kingdomes and his Majesty in Truth to bee an happy instrument for the speedy setling that peace which may be for Gods glory his peoples settlement his Kingdomes inlargement his owne felicity and all good to his posterity This Sir is the prayer of him who is Yours faithfully In the service of the Gospel and for the good of his country as obleiged SAMUEL KEM AN Olive Branch found after a Storme in the Northern Seas 2 THESS 3.16 Now the Lord of peace himselfe give you peace alwayes by all meanes IT is the happinesse of the Church of God that although they cannot give peace yet they may get it and although they cannot settle it on earth they may seek it from heaven and they have this of Gods own minde for their incouragement that he thinks thoughts of peace towards them and to give them an expected end Esa 29. ver 11. and what is at any time most improbable to sense is visible to faith And my present vision is a ladder reaching from heaven to earth and this ladder is Christ by whom all our prayers have their passage to the Throne of grace and their rich and faithfull returnes made from Gods Treasury to supply all our wants Which hath put me upon this designe in the travell of my soule and I wish my words might have their passage through a river of teares and every sentence be swadled up in sackcloth and one and all of us appeare on this ladder as vile as dust and ashes that in his glorious interest we might in this season be found prevailers with God for this sweet mercy of Peace in relation to Your Majesty and your three poore lasserated distracted Kingdomes And as I have not valued my life so will I never think much of my labour although Pioneer-like to cast in any matter as rubbish and my self as dirt and clay to make up these Nationall breaches And of all effective meanes I finde none more speeding then prayer Esay 29.11,12,13 Then shall you call upon mee and you shall goe and pray unto me and I will hearken unto you and you shall seek me and finde mee when you shall search for me with all your heart And if ever it were seasonable now yea now is Gods time now your time now it s our time now its high time now or it may be at no time Now then if ever and now although never now what ever you doe nay now what ever you leave undone let all that have interest in God through Jesus Christ become importunate petitioners and heartily pray Now the very God of peace give you with him with us Peace alwayes by all moanes Thus hovering up and down upon the waters I have at last made discovery of an Olive Branch and what wee see by faith the Lord assist us as upon instruments in our severall actings to convey on the wing of prayer to the poore Ark the Church of God blown up and down by the tempestuous winds of Heresie and Malignancy that it may at last have hopes to settle on mount Ararat and be firmely established as mount Zion And having this Olive branch in my mouth give me leave to shew you the severall sprigs of it which will yeeld fruite to provoke our spirituall appetites and such oyle as will not onely replenish our lamps to light us to Christ the Prince of Peace but possesse us of such inward injoyments as hence forward to walk with a cheerful countenance as possessed with it This Olive branch hath two more eminent sprigs The first is Peace its opportunity Now The second is Peace its gaining in this season by importunity by all meanes Or if you please to have it in smaller parcels you have First its season to be prayed for Now. Secondly the Donor The Lord of peace give you Peace Thirdly the Donum Peace Fourthly the Excellency of Gods peace above all other peace it is an alwayes peace and an everlasting peace Observation And now I hope you see that seasonable and importunate prayer to God by Christ is a sure way to obtaine a well-grounded and lasting yea an everlasting Peace The learned can tell you that there is no bodily action betwixt hic nunc and therefore the acting this duty will admit of no delay Now that 's the season Quere I but why such haste Sol. When I shall but tell you what peace is in the generall and shew you the distinct members you will be satisfyed nay not satisfyed without it In the generall Peace is the well-being of all other injoyments all other mercies suck their liveli-hood at the brest of peace It is the Mother of all prosperity in relation to Arts Sciences Trades all flourish or wither in peace her presence or absence It is the Milch-nurse of Religion it thrives not in divisions nor contentions Act. 12. When the Church had peace it increased exceedingly did you ever know a body with all the members out of joynt thrive when one is for Paul another for Apollos and a third for Cephas few or none more then
spread our miserable condition before the Lord and if ever there were more miserable visions since mans fall then the evills of our times I appeale to urge God to heale and helpe us Fourthly Men have strang conceits of prayer mean conceits of sinne a wrong conceit of God and a base conceit of importunity which I am inforced but to hint in relation to my time and this presence 3 Querie Whither our prayers have beeue or are prayers of Importunity Sol. If thou in the fashion and Image of thy soule have the stampe of Iesus Christ It is in all petitioning a great matter who petitions the Spirit of supplication is called the Spirit of Grace Vnumquodque operatur ut est The prayer of Moses a man of God mala conscientia bene spirare non potest Secondly It is the prayer of a pure conscience it was of old writ over the doore of the Temple let no impure conscience enter here all such petitioners were to weake to wing it above the clouds their prayers might well beat the aire but never arive to Knocke at the throne of Grace the activity and strength of prayer as grounded on Christs merits stil runs strongest in the channell of a good conscience Thirdly It is a prayer ful of reason Iob 23.1,2,3,4 I will fill my mouth with arguments A good Orator before God is a good Logitian shew God reason either from himselfe in relation to his promises or faithfullnesse or in Iesus Christ c. 4. It is a stout couragious prayer that will never give over but in victory either with supply or support In Scripture it is called Wrestling with God it is such a prayer as hath its affections rather inflamed then a bated by disdaines and denyalls Marke 7.24 It may in a holy sense be called an impudent prayer Luke 5.19 That man sees such necessity that being crowded out will come to Christ or untile the house And thus have I given you the reasons why we must pray for peace seasonably Secondly why we must pray importunately and what importunity in relation to prayer is in its imperfections and perfection I come now to shew you the fountaine from whom we must by this prayer fetch this great mercy of a safe and well grounded peace It is from the God of peace or Prince of peace from God through Iesus Christ Note I pray It is Jesus Christ is the sweet rise of all our rich mercies especially of this of peace Esay 11.1 and Chap. 12. all those mercyes in the 11 and 12 Chapter which they were to injoy flourish and spring forth of the root of Jesse And indeed peace is not a mercy if it come not from this fountain you may call meteors stars but they are of a more viscous substance that fire by an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in and out immediately you if ignorant may thinke a skinning over to be a cure but it will break out again 2 Sam. 11 Amnon thought he injoyed prosperity when hee was feasting but then death was present 2 Sam. 3.27 Abner thought all was peace when Ioab tooke him aside spake quietly to him but then he smote him under the fifth rib that he dyed For Asabel his brother It is a sweet thing when afflictions arise from Gods love and lead us to Jesus Christ for deliverance from them There are varieties of mercies and degrees of those varieties Christ is the first step and the highest of those degrees and we ought not to be satisfied till we have them from the love of God in Christ It was a great and rare vision Jacobs ladder Every step was a mercy above another but that which ravished Jacob was that they came from God by the way of Jesus Christ the Ladder First in relation to Reallity of Peace in him it is Yea and Amen and an alwayes Peace Other peaces are meere Spectrums shaddows apparitions like Sodomes apples appeare beautifull to the eye touch it it vanisheth to dust Like a candle gives light for a time but goes out in a stinck This is as a house built on a rock others as on a foundation of sand I beseech you now lay a good foundation on Gods Peace Secondly in relation to the discovery of peace there is no light but the light that â—…mes from the Sun of righteousnesse by which we can see the excellency of it as to desire it or to receive it In his light we see light If we see it not come streaming in his blood it is not a well-grounded Peace It comes as from an enemy to an enemy And as heaven it self would not be heaven if Christ were not present so will Peace be no peace if Christ be not the Originall of it The glory of the Mount was Christs presence Thirdly we have no right or title to Peace but by him There was no mercy founded for us before Jesus Christ All that share in it are usurpers now what is it to weare rich apperell and owe for it liable to arrests every moment and to injoy peace and to account for it to God for eternity Fourthly If wee looke to the workings of mercy for unlesse we have them from this fountain no mercy can be sanctifyed unto us Peace it selfe will harden not soften we shall abuse it not rightly use it it fats us to wrath not feeds us to perfection Men may rise from a sick bed and a bed of warre but they cannot goe away and sin no more They cannot take up their couch and follow Christ they may promise faire but are not able to performe but upon this ground Fiftly Hee made it his designe from all eternity to bee so and all the accumulated excellencies and riches that he received in the God-head of his father hee layed out and expended to this very end that hee might be the meanes to convey peace from God the father to us for hee needed none for himselfe Use of Exhortation To all in the practice of this duty of seasonable and importunate prayer to designe by the activity of faith First to discover Jesus Christ look out for Christ as Mariners at Sea for a Land-mark to their Port Where they are to lade Riches for a good Voyage If you can see the Fountain water is at hand If you can see the Sun there is light to guide you in the way See Christ Peace will come easily you need not question lower favours God will never stick to give your Majesty or England Peace if he give you the Prince of Peace this is but as the Earnest to the Bargaine Settle Christ in the three Kingdomes and you settle Peace I 'le warrant you and all blessings needfull below him This will make Gospel Peace and Truth Staple Commodities But if Naomi goe out of the Country Ruth will not stay behinde If Christ ascend in a Cloud the Disciples will be gazing upward and restlesse till they be with him Riches honour c. all are at his heeles and
formally follow Jesus Christ It is but one word but it is big-bellyed with many many mercies Peace crownes the years with goodnesse and her paths drop fatnesse It is or should be the felicity of the Saints on earth and the glory of the Angels in Heaven The Jewes custome was when they wished all happinesse they used onely this expression Peace be with you There is something in this to affect us towards it that all our endevours Councells Examples may act to this end I am sure it was Davids practise to pray for peace for the Church when he might have preferred his own ease and Kingship Psal 51.18 Be favourable to Zion build up the walls of Jerusalem then shalt thou accept the sacrifices of righteousnesse q.d. he will accept of no services in divisions Moses practise was for this Davids counsell Pauls studies were bent to remove divisions and settle order and peace in the Church of God 2 Tim. 2.23,24 Avoyd foolish questions the servants of the Lord must not strive Sathan is best known by his cloven foot And the Pythagorians have set a note of infamy on the figure of two because it first parts from unity To conclude in generall as the life of old Jacob was laid up in the life of the lad Benjamin so all our happinesse is inmantled in this Peace with our God and with one another More Particularly Peace is distinguished by these three notions Externall Internall Eternall It is of very large extent in Scripture First I finde it used to expresse the making up of that great breach betwixt God and Man Christ reconciling us to God is stiled our Peace-maker For he is our peace Ephes 2.14 Who hath made both one 15 having abolished in his flesh the enmity Rom. 5.1 Being justified by faith we have peace with God Secondly For quietnesse in conscience which is a fruit of this peace Rom. 14.17 when the commings of his smiling mercyes on the soule when the storme of our contracted guilt is over and a sweet calme in the Spirit that we may see his face Thirdly For mutuall concord betwixt man and man Phil. 4.2,3 Forbearing one another in Love Indeavouring to Keepe the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace Psal 34.14 Depart from evill doe good seeke peace and pursue it And had I time whilst I am on this subject I could desire to melt into teares and present You with the sad actings of these times obvious to my owne experience Fourthly For the presence of all outward blessings and mercies to a people Ephes 6.23 Peace be to the brethren Which how farre from us we all know and therefore full time to make towards them in the travels of our soules Fifthly For the publicke tranquillitie and quiet estate of a Church when not troubled within by blasphemies schismes and heresies nor without by persecuting enemies Psal 122.6 O pray for the peace of Ierusalem Acts 9.31 Then had the Churches rest or peace throughout all Iudea and Gallile and Samaria were edefyed walking in the feare of the Lord and comfort of the Holy Ghost and were multiplyed Sixtly For the Tranquillity of the State when free from forraigne and civill warre 2 Kings 20.19 said good King Hezekiah is it not good if Peace and Truth be in my dayes Ier. 9.7 seeke the peace of the City c. Seaventhly Security from alarms all Armes and dangerous effects of warre In the peace thereof you shall have peace Eightly For an happy union by way of Covenant before God betwixt the King and his people 2 Chro. 15. And they entred into Covenant to seeke the Lord God of their Fathers with all their heart and soule and all Iudah rejoyced at the oath and he was found of them and the Lord gave them peace round about which the Lord perswade your heart unto this day for Iesus Christ sake And thus have I showne you the spriggs of this branch and the pathway for a sound peace and the extent of Peace in the duty of prayer in this opportunity First Now God be freinds with every one of you in â—esus Christ Secondly The Lord give you peace in conscience a demonstration of it make your conscience freinds with you Thirdly make you friends one with another Fourthly Multiply all blessings on you inward and out ward Fifthly send quieT in the Church Sixtly send quiet in the State and Kingdome from enemies Seaventhly Send freedome from alarms and ease from taxes c. Eightly A mutuall agreement and covenant betwixt King and people And thus have you the spriggs extended I now come to the season fore-goeing all this prescribed Now you may review the Observation That seasonable and importunate prayer to God through Christ is a sure way to obtaine the gift of a firme setled and well grounded peace with God and man You are to know I therefore adde seasonable prayer because there are as well unseasonable as unreasonable prayers abroad in the world it was the folly of the Virgins that they cryed Lord Lord open unto us so late there is a season wherein God gives this gift and there is a season wherin he will not give it There is a time for every thing but there is an end of that time There is a time when God is neere and a time when he is farre off Esay 55 Omnia tempus habent and as true in this season omnis qui querit invenit The Prophet preaching before King Manasses prayes him to seeke while he may be found call whilst he is neere in some time if Moses Noah Santuel should pray he will not grant Oh that we had the art to hit this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this joynt of time I pray consider that place in Luke 19.41,42 If thou hadst knowne even thou at least in this thy day but now these things are hid from thine eyes You cannot have roses in winter when the Angell moved the waters then was the nick of time to steppe in else they might lye long enough for a healing when the Lord said seek my face then King Davids soule Ecchoed Lord thy face doe I seeke To misse a tyde or a winde is to loose a voyage in the 2 Cant. The Church drousily neglecting her season in the 3 Chap. Seekes it night and day but ver 1,2 found him not Stephanus is his apologie for Herodotus reports the practise of the warlike Scythian upon his tender of quarter aptly Truly our season and time of prayer for Peace is but like the Jewes feastes some lasted longer then others yet none all the yeare Sentences have their periods I and ut sententiae sic regna The old world had a season of one hundred and twentie yeares Israell in the Wildernesse but fortie yeares was hee grieved with that generation in Luke 13. but three yeares to the fig-tree under the Gospell so you see as meanes hath been more excellent the season hath been shorter Not that it is in the power of man