together with their Posterity and Country before them should not desire and beg the Divine Assistance to their Consultations In short whoever is against our Praying this day and upon this Occasion are no well wishers to Prosperity any day We are this day called together to pray for Gods Blessing upon the Consultations of the present Parliament and I know not the minds of others but according to the best of my judgment from this action these following thoughts must necessarily offer themselves to your minds First The Prevalency and Advantage of a good and Pious Example is herein very apparent Theodorick King of the Goths inform'd the Roman Senate Facilius esse eerrare naturam quam dissimilem sui Principem Rem Publicam formare that Subjects did commonly comport themselves suitably to the Copy their Sovereign set before them so that the Prince who desired successfully to commend Piety to his People must do it by virtue of his own practice In the Spring our King Solicited the Prayers of his People as knowing that God was the Lord of Hosts and now in Fall the Parliament request your Prayers as knowing that bur God is the God and giver of Wisdom Secondly From this days Fasting and Praying we may collect and be satisfied in the Wisdom of the Parliament If Solomon's Rule be true That the Fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom How wise are they who will not begin their weighty Affairs till they have Invocated his Blessing and Assistance It were unreasonable to expect the Blessing they fought not and as weak to believe their Consultations should be effectual if they were unblest They are not like the Jews for sending an Embassy to Egypt but for sending one to Heaven and therefore have ordred the concurrence of your Prayers with their own that thus joyntly wrestling with the God of Mercy you may obtain a blessing Our Saviour while in the flesh undertook no extraordinary work without Prayer and accordingly by Practice as well as Precept he commended this great duty to his Followers while others therefore question let us gratefully acknowledge their Wisdom who in this act of Devotion not only Imitate their Lord and Master but also look up unto him as the Author and Finisher of their Salvation as well Temporal as Spiritual Thirdly That we are this day met in the house of God by Prayer and Fasting to Supplicate a blessing upon the Consultations of the present Parliament this being the effett of their Address demonstrates their Humility no Impartial person can think otherwise than that the flower of the nation for Learning Wisdom and Experience are now in conjunction yet are they persons of that exemplary and admirable Modesty as they will not tolerate Self-confidence and I may say such is their Piety that they have learnt from the Spirit of God not to lean on their own understanding Prov. 3. 5,6 They desire to acknowledge God in all their ways and therefore invocate him and no doubt will Prosper the better for it The greater submission the more Grace God resisteth the Proud he opposeth the strength and infatuates the wit in which they confide but ever giveth grace to the humble They neither presume nor Glory in their own Abilities nor do they defie their Enemies upon the Imagination of what themselves can do though their power be truly great but you see their intentions are to meet them and their dark designs in the Name of the God of Israel they will like Hezekiah Isa 37.41 15. First repair to God and by Prayer and Humiliation endeavour the Appeasing his Wrath and then Provid against the threatnings of the Enemy they will take care to humble themselves before him who they believe will in due time exalt them If they defie their Enemies it is not because the Judgments of God are far above out of their sight but because in this act of Devotion God is in their sight his Goodness and Love his Wisdom and Power his Truth and Mercy are before their Eyes The God of Truth hath said it That he dwelleth with him that is of a Contrite and Humble Spirit Isa 57.15 To revive the Spirit of the humble and to revive the Heart of the Contrite one if he therefore dwelleth with one such we may well hope he will not withdraw his comforting and cherishing presence from a whole body of the same gracious temper Fourthly That we are at this time called together to offer up our humble and hearty Prayers that God would be Gracious unto and bless the great Assembly of Parliament argues likewise the Piety and sincerity of them that promoted this days meeting It is on argument they are not gathered together against the Lord nor against his Anointed for then had it been unpardonable Impudence to have Expected the Benediction of the Righteous God who is the great and best preserver of Religious Kings and Princes Jeroboam who had been false with God was driven more out of necessity than love to seek unto God in behalf of his sick Son but being Conscious of his own Hypocrisie observe his manner and way of seeking 1 Kings 14.2 He dispatcht his Wife upon his Errand for privacy and to be yet more private she must go in a disguise And thanks be to God we may well believe they who have this day put us upon seeking unto God have hearts right towards God they love him they love his worship they love the Government they love the People they really affect and desire our good or otherwise it had been no good policy to call a good God to their Council Time has been that Persons have strove hard and spent much to be chosen for the Service of their Countrey in Parliament but what Hearts did many of them come with The same as the Romans of old went to their Governments with Tanquam ad auream nussem as â—o a golden and profitable not a painful and laborious Harvest Too many accounted the house no other than Danae's Tower for if sitting there Jupiter did not dissolve himself and Kingdoms upon them in Golden showers his true service and interest seldom enter'd theâ—â— breasts They came its true upon their Summons but wherefore only in hopes to return like so many Jasons with every one a Golden Fleece but now we hear other things now you are by them desired to pray that God would inspire them from above that they may wisely unanimously and cordially consult what is best for God and their Kings Honour for their own and Countries good and safety Blessed are our Ears that hear ihese things hard our hearts if we believe them not and dull our Souls if we pray not that they may in due time be fulfilled Tho I acknowledg the true Love of God to be the properest and sweerest Inducement unto Prayer yet I also observe that many are Strangers to this Love and that the Spirit of their Devotion is barely Fear or Hope So that their Prayers
neither the Ability of devising what is fit and proper nor yet of uttering what he so finds devised till he hath received it from God nor are such precious Talents entrusted with all Persons indifferently Eccles 2.26 God giveth to a Man that is good in his sight Wisdom and Knowledg We are taught James 1.17 that every good and perfect Gift cometh from above and cometh down from the Father of Lights who if he sees fit to suspend his Light the sharpest Wits the most acute Judgments grope but in the dark That God should be the Fountain of Wisdom and Knowledg is a Principle all have assented to for even the very Heathen in all their Distress did usually apply unto their Gods for Direction and Help Nor are we left without sufficient Precedents of this nature Judg. 18.5 five Persons of the Tribe of Dan Men of Valour were sent out as Spies they confided not in their own Policy or Strength but like wise Persons desirous to discharge their Trust effectually they ask Counsel of the Lord whether the way they had design'd to go should prosper it was their Belief that God only knew and it was their Resolution to follow his Direction Again Jugd 20.18 Israel being to engage with the Tribe of Benjamin relied not upon their Numbers for they had often seen that the Battel was not to the Strong but trusted in the Counsel they should receive from God and therefore before the Battel was begun went up to the House of God and asked Counsel of God Let others therefore look to their Achitophel Machiavel Anaxagoras Panaetius or Polybius or to the Conclave of Babylon yet let your Eyes look up unto the Lord and beg hard for the Wisdom which is pure and peaceable and then shall your Enemies by their sitting hatch but a Cockatrice Egg or spin a Spiders Web God will frustrate their Devices and make their craftiest Projects of none effect while your own Counsellors shall be guided in the ways of Peace and Happiness Pray to God for he hath assur'd you Prov. 8.14 that Counsel sound Wisdom Understanding and Strength are his vain and fruitless Devices the Devil may furnish his Instruments with but sound Counsel and Wisdom is only from the Lord. 3. Pray to God heartily that he would give the Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding to the Honourable Houses of Parliament for God hath promised upon our praying to bestow this Blessing Hear how our Saviour reasons with the Jews Luke 11.11 they had been poison'd by entertaining some false Notions of God and were jealous of him in respect of his Love and Bounty to them our Saviour faith if you that are rash fiery and inconsiderate Creatures subject to sundry Passions and Humours have notwithstanding that Affection for your Children that you gratify them in what they ask provided it be useful and good to them why then should not your heavenly Father the God of Love and Mercy who is not subject to those Distractions and Changes which are incident to Flesh and Blood most freely give you the best things even the Spirit of Wisdom provided you ask as you ought if therefore we ask they shall receive For our farther Encouragement St. James from God hath told us James 1.17 that if any Man lacketh Wisdom he should ask it of God who giveth to all Men liberally and upbraideth not Fear no Reproach for asking your Petition shall not be thrown out provided it be delivered with Faith Humility and Fervency you shall not be brow-beaten for thus addressing but you may believe that he who hath told us he loveth a cheerful Giver is himself a liberal Benefactor Solomon being called to the Throne wisely considered the Weight of a Scepter and the Cares of a Crown and therefore in his first Petition that he made to God 1 Kings 3.9 he beg'd an understanding Heart Counsel and Direction from God to go in and out before so great a People that he might exert his Power to the right ends viz. God's Glory and his Subjects Good And if you read 1 Kings 4.29 30. God both heard and was well pleased with this Prayer he denied him not the Request of his Lips but gave him such a measure of Knowledg such a Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding that he thereby surpassed even to a wonder all his Contemporaries whether Friends or Foes Daniel and his three Companions made their Supplication before God for Wisdom they were in a difficult Post living in the midst of their Enemies and therefore needed Direction lest unhappily they gave occasion that the Name of God should be blasphemed their Prayer was answered Dan. 1.17 and notwithstanding they were but as Children for Years they became wiser than the Aged Thirdly To what ends we should thus Pray The great ends why we should pray for Counsel and Wisdom for these our Representatives we may find in the Prayer that the Church hath set out upon this particular occasion namely that by their Consultations Good may accrue to the Church of God Safety Honour and Welfare may be Established to the King and His Kingdoms and that all things may be so ordered and settled by their Endeavours upon the Best and Surest Foundations that Peace and Happiness Truth and Justice Religion and Piety may be Established among us for all Generations And what can any Man desire more than that the Church of God may flourish by means of true Religion and Piety that the King's Honour and Safety and His Kingdoms Welfare may be preserved by the upholding Truth and executing of Justice and these things thus happily Atchieved by God's Blessing upon their Counsels How Peaceful how Happy shall we and our Posterity be 1. One great end is for the good of the Church that by means of their Godly Wisdom Religion and Piety may flourish among us Religion and Piety that is Soundness of Doctrine and Holiness of Conversation As to the First that of Doctrine the un-erring Rule thereof is the Scriptures which if duly observed Heresies and Schisms would vanish from among us not but that either of these pretend Scripture in their Justification yet both are not sound in the Exposition of them and the distinction were easily made if Men would depart from their Pride and Conceitedness and with Modesty compare Scripture with Scripture and where after such comparison the Truth doth not so fully appear as might be wishd they would then ask Judgment of those Reverend Fathers of the Church whose Piety and Learning have passed without just contradiction for many Ages Chrysippus doating on his own Learning and Subtilty in Dispute boasted that he oftner wanted new Opinions than Arguments to defend them we have of late days heard of some of his Scholars It was the Opinion of some exemplary for Knowledge as well as Piety that Religion had but Three Grand Enemies Luke-warmness Prophaneness and Novelty with the first we have been a long time pester'd by the second never so much as of