the prayer what he exhorts them to pray for and that is the Peace of Jerusalem And here we have a great deal of matter comprehended and wrapt up in one word For hereby he seems to intend that they should pray for all kinds of Peace and Prosperity and Happiness to this City that Jerusalem might be no ways wanting herein but freed from all disquiet and evil and prosperous and happy in every respect This he shews in the ver following the Text v. 7. Peace be within thy Walls and Prosperity within thy Palaces This is his own prayer for it and we may reasonably conclude that there is as much intended in his exhortation to others And we may see that the word Peace is used for all kinds of prosperity and happiness in the Sacred Scriptures Deut. 29.19 saith Moses there of him whose heart should turn from the Lord And it come to pass when he heareth the words of this Curse that he bless himself in his heart saying I shall have peace tho I walk in the imagination of mine heart to add drunkenness to thirst hereby meaning that he should escape the curse and yet do well and prosper And saith Solomon 1 Kings 2.33 But upon David and upon his Seed and upon his House and upon his Throne shall there be Peace for ever from the Lord hereby meaning much the same that he hath expressed vers 45. And King Solomon shall be blessed and the Throne of David shall be established before the Lord for ever And saith Jezebel to Jehu 2 Kings 9.31 Had Zimri Peace who slew his Master Hereby intending as much as if she had said Did Zimri do well and prosper who slew the King his Lord and Master And saith the Prophet Micaiah to Ahab when he went to Ramoth-Gilead to War 1 Kings 22.28 If thou return at all in peace the Lord hath not spoken by me thereby intending as much as if he had said If thou return in safety and well and with good success And this was a common Salutation among the Jews to wish or pray God to give them Peace that is all Joy and Happiness And this our Lord ordered his Disciples to use when he sent them forth Luke 10.5 And into whatsoever house ye enter first say Peace be to this house By these and many more such like places we may see that this word Peace is used in a general way for all Prosperity and Happiness in every respect For freedom from all Disquiet and Misery and for a Prosperous Condition flourishing in all Joy and Happiness And indeed Peace seems to be the very Foundation and Ground work of all Prosperity and Happiness and without it there can be no true Happiness nor solid joy and comfort to any one In praying then for the Peace of Jerusalem we may conclude That the Devout and Royal Psalmist doth exhort and enjoyn them to make supplication to Almighty God for the good and welfare of it of all kinds That Jerusalem might become a Praise and the Glory of the whole Earth that it might become a quiet Habitation and enjoy all kind of Peace and Tranquility That it might enjoy all outward Peace and be free from the Invasions and Assaults of all forreign and outward Enemies That it might be so sheltered under the wings of Divine Providence that no Foe nor Adversary might come to cast up a Bank or to shoot an Arrow against it And that it might be terrified and disquieted with no fear nor apprehension of Danger from without We may conclude also that he willeth and requireth them to pray for all inward Peace and Quiet among themselves This he sheweth in his own Petition Ver. 7 saying Peace be within thy Walls Hereby then were they obliged to pray that Jerusalem might be free from all intestine Broils and Jars among themselves That there might be no Factions and Divisions therein to rent and tear it to pieces and to do more mischief than a Forreign Enemy That there might be no restless Sons of Belial therein to interrupt and disturb the blessed Peace of their Mother and to play the Viper and gnaw thro' and destroy the Womb that bare them That there might be no secret Grudges and disguised Malice and Heart-burnings among them any ways to threaten and annoy the happy Peace thereof But that Jerusalem might be as he saith Vers 3. builded as a City that is compact together That it might be firmly united together with true Love and hearty Good-will which are the strongest Cement and Band of all That in Jerusalem there might be the firmest Concord and Agreement imaginable and that all things therein might be carried on with the sweetest Harmony that could be We may also suppose that he intends that they should pray for all inward Peace and Satisfaction to every one's Heart and Mind That there might be no sorrow and grief of heart and discontent within Men's Breasts to gaul their Bowels within but that all might be calm and clear there and that every Man's heart might be set at rest as much as could be This is the sweetest Peace and most of all to be valued and that which must crown and compleat all other kinds of Peace and therefore we may reasonably suppose that it is to be comprehended in their Prayers that they were to make for Jerusalem We may conceive that he requires them to pray for the Peace thereof in all these three respects and for the good and welfare thereof of every kind That it might be prosperous and happy upon all accounts and might flourish and abound in all plenty and store and in every thing that is truly good and desirable That they should pray after his own form of Prayer Psal 144.12 That their Sons might be as Plants grown up in their youth That their Daughters might be as Corner-stones polished after the similitude of a Palace That their Garners might be full affording all manner of Store That their Sheep might bring forth thousands and ten thousands in their Streets That their Oxen might be strong to labour that there might be no breaking in nor going out And that there might be no complaining in their Streets That they should pray that such a blessing as God promised by the Prophet Jeremiah might be accomplished and fulfilled to them Jer. 33.10 11 That there might be heard therein the voice of joy and the voice of gladness The voice of the Bridegroom and the voice of the Bride The voice of them that should say praise the Lord of Hosts for the Lord is good for his Mercy endureth for ever and of them that should bring the Sacrifice of Praise into the House of the Lord. By praying for the peace hereof we may conclude that he requires and enjoyns them to pray in such a full manner as this Thirdly We have here the place for which he requires their Prayers and that is for Jerusalem Pray for the peace of Jerusalem This was the great
and us therein That he would look down from Heaven Psal 80.14 and behold and visit this vine and the vineyard which his right hand hath planted that it may not be cut down and burnt up with fire That he would set watchmen upon the walls of our Jerusalem Is 62.6 which should never hold their peace day nor night but always give warning at the approach of any evil that it might be prevented and to make supplication to the Lord that he would defend our beloved City therefrom And now are we earnestly to pray unto Almighty God for the preventing as much as may be such judgments and calamities as do now hang over our heads and which we have justly deserved That our Candlestick may not be totally removed and that God may not send such a famine upon us as he threatens by the Prophet Amos 8.11 Behold the days come saith the Lord God that I will send a famine in the land not a famine of bread nor a thirst for water but of hearing the words of the Lord Such a spiritual famine of the word of God are we to pray to be delivered from and that God would preserve his pure Religion to us and keep us from all idolatrous practices and sinful errors in Religion That we may be delivered from the devouring Sword and that our Land may not be turned into a field of blood and a valley of slaughter That we may not hear the sound of the Trumpet and Alarm of war and be commanded as it is Joel 3.10 to beat our plowshares into swords and our pruning hooks into spears That our corn may not be given to be meat for our enemies and the Sons of the stranger may not drink our wine for which we have labored but that they that have gathered it may eat it and praise the Lord Is 62.8 That we may not as it is Is 65.22 build and another inhabit and plant and another eat the fruit thereof and that we may not labor in vain and bring forth for trouble That violence may not be heard in our Land Is 60.18 wasting nor destruction within our borders but that our walls might truly be called Salvation and our gates Praise To God are we to make supplication that he would not cause the Pestilence to cleave unto us nor smite us with any consuming sickness and disease That he would not send a famine upon us and cause us to be smitten with blasting and mildew and make the Heaven that is over our head as brass and the Earth that is under our feet as Iron nor give our substance and labor to be consumed by the locusts and caterpillers and such Armies of his That our Church and Kingdom may be preserved from these and from all other Plagues and Judgments that we have justly deserved are we to make supplication to Almighty God that we may endeavour to prevent them as much as may be We are also to make our humble and hearty prayers to Almighty God for the removing and taking away of such Calamities and Evils as our Church and Kingdom now do or at any time hereafter shall ly under That he who is the God and Father of mercies would at all times look down in mercy upon them and in his good time deliver them from all their distress and misery That there may not be such a time when the children shall be come to the birth and there shall not be strength to bring forth 2 Kings 19.3 when we shall call upon God for succour and help and he will not hear us but that according to Solomon's prayer 1 Kings 8.52 his eyes may be open unto the supplication of his servants and of his people to hearken unto them in all that they call for unto him That his Church and Faithful Servants may be preserved in this and in all other fiery Tryals that shall befal them and from falling away from him and that they may not be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow and misery but may find help and comfort from above when they can meet with none here below That God would remove from us all spiritual blindness and carnal security that we may know and mind the things which belong to our Peace before they are quite removed from our eyes and it be too late That we may not be like the Church of the Laodiceans of whom it is said Rev. 3.17 Thou sayest I am rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing and knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked that we may not be in such an insensible and miserable condition as this but may see what great need we have to repent and amend That God would do good in his good pleasure unto our Zion Psal 51.18 and build the walls of our Jerusalem That he would heal all our dismal Breaches and Divisions and reconcile all our Dissensions which so much disturb our Peace and threaten us with farther misery That he would not prepare more work for the greedy and devouring Sword but that we may all study and practise his Gospel of Peace and Love and that every man may dwell safely under his vine and under his Fig-tree as it is said that Judah and Israel did all the days of King Solomon 1 Kings 4.25 For the removing of these and all other afflictions and miseries that we are sensible that our Church and Kingdom do now or hereafter may ly under are we to make supplication to Almighty God and to intreat him that he would look down in mercy upon them and heal all their wounds and maladies in his good time And these things we are to pray for according to the Prophet's form Jer. 14.7 O Lord tho' our iniquities testify against us do thou it for thy Name 's sake for our back-slidings are many we have sinned against thee And not for our own sakes but for his great mercy's â—ake and for his dear Son Christ Jesus's sake are we to intreat him for the preventing of Judgments and for the removing of such miseries and and sufferings as do at any time befal our Church and Kingdom We are also to supplicate the divine Goodness of Almighty God for our Church and Kingdom that he would be pleased to continue to them such Mercies as they enjoy and that he would grant to them such Blessings and good things as they want and stand in need off That our Church and Kingdom may enjoy all manner of Peace and Prosperity in such a full manner as I have before described That God would make good to the Christian Church that in the Prophet Isaiah 62.1 That for Zion's sake he would not hold his peace and for Jerusalem's sake he would not rest until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth That the Gentiles might see the righteousness thereof and all Kings it's glory That it may be a Crown of Glory in the hand
mercies and deliverances that he vouchsafeth to his Church Rev. 11.16 17. And the four and twenty Elders saith he which sat before God on their seats fell upon their faces and worshipped God saying we give thee thanks O Lord God Almighty which art and wast and art to come because thou hast taken to thee thy great Power and hast Reigned That is because in a wonderful and miraculous manner thou hast preserved and delivered thy Church and Servants and defeated and destroyed their Enemies For all the mercies and blessings that are vouchsafed to the christian Church in general or to that part of it wherein we are more nearly concerned or to our own Land and Nation are we to be rruly thankful to Almighty God and to Laud and Praise him for them All the good that befals the Protestant Church and our Land and Nation is to be matter of thanksgiving and rejoycing to us To see the Christian Church enlarged and exalted on high and what the Prophet saith of it fulfilled in an eminent manner Mic. 4.1 To see the Christian Church thus exalted above all and the Heathen world thus a flocking to it To see an inclination and willingness in all men to become obedient to the Gospel and to practise the things that it requires To see Kings to become the nursing-Fathers of the Christian Church Is 49.23 and their Queens the nursing Mothers thereof and to bow down to her with their faces towards the earth and to bring their riches and treasures to her To see the Light of God's countenance to shine upon the true Protestant Church and to see that completed which our Lord saith Rev. 3.9 Behold I will make them of the synagogue of Satan which say they are Jews and are not but do lye behold I will make them to come and worship before thy feet and to know that I have loved thee To see the Protestant Church blest in such a manner and all the Enemies thereof ashamed and confounded in all their enterprizes and designs against it and instead of triumphing over it to come and bow down before it To see our Kingdom a peaceable and quiet Habitation and disturbed with no apprehensions of dangers from without nor with any contentions or divisions within To see Truth and Righteousness to flourish therein and to see it blest with health and plenty To see all men to study Love and Peace and to see us so happy as to be all joyned together in one Worship and Communion that as St. Paul saith Rom. 15.6 That we may with one mind and one mouth glorify God even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ To see these things fulfilled should be great joy and gladness of heart to us and fill our mouths with Songs of thanksgiving to Almighty God for the same These things should be our earnest desires and the subject of our hearty prayers to God and it should be great pleasure and delight to us to see them in some good measure accomplished and fulfilled That God may have his due Honour and Praise unanimously returned him every where throughout the whole Christian Church Seventhly and lastly We are to suffer for the Good of our Jerusalem the Christian Church when God shall require it of us and call us thereto by his divine Providence that ordereth all things and over-ruleth all that is done here below Though our blessed Lord hath suffered for us and there is no need of any more Sacrifice to purge away our Sins as if there were any insufficiency in that For saith the Apostle Heb. 10.14 by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified Yet there remained something of the sufferings of Christ behind which were to be undergone by the Apostles and pious Men afterwards for the sake of the Church in conformity to what our Blessed Lord had suffered for it This the Apostle sheweth Col. 1.24 Who now rejoyce saith he in my sufferings for you and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake which is the Church For the sake of the mystical Body of Christ the Church doth he shew that he suffered And saith he to the Corinthians 2 Cor. 1.6 And whether we be afflicted it is for your consolation and salvation which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer And saith he to Timothy 2 Tim. 2.10 Therefore I endure all things for the elects sake that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory And he sheweth that he did not know but that he might be offered upon the service of the Church of the Philippians Phil. 2 17. Yea and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith saith he I joy and rejoyce with you all So highly could he suffer for them and do it too with joy and rejoycing And he exhorts Timothy to be ready to undergo sufferings for the sake of the Gospel and Church of God 2 Tim. 1.8 Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord saith he nor of me his prisoner but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the Gospel according to the power of God And St. John tells us plainly that seeing Christ hath laid down his Life for us we ought also to lay down our Lives for the good of others as Christ hath done for us though not for an expiatory Sacrifice like his 1 Jo. 3.16 Hereby saith he perceive we the love of God because he laid down his life for us and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren This great act of love and mercy to us is to be an example to us to teach us to shew such to others and to lay down our Lives for the good of others and of the Church of Christ when it will be beneficial to them and God shall require this service at our hands By these and such places we may see that we are to suffer for our Jerusalem the Church of Christ when our sufferings will be beneficial to it if we will not be wanting in our love and duty towards it The words of the Text do not fully declare this but yet we see that other places of the Scriptures do If our hearts are so fully set upon our Jerusalem the true Protestant Church as they should and if we do earnestly desire the Peace and Good and Welfare thereof as we ought Then are we to give what assistance we can towards them by these and such lawful ways as these And likewise towards the Peace and Prosperity of our Kingdom and Nation II. We have here in the Text a promise and assurance of a blessing of Prosperity to them that truely loved Jerusalam They shall prosper that love thee All those that did bear true love and hearty good-will to Jerusalem the City of the great King where his magnificent Temple was and shewed a pious Zeal for it and were