eye hath cost the world deare The touching of it hath cost the blood of the greatest Monarchs of many Kings and Princes of the earth It hath cost whole Monarchies Kingdomes and States the greatest the richest the strongest that ever the world saw their whole Estates Riches Glory and Peace True we reade often of the jealousie of God over his great name in respect of any pollutions and prophanation of it by other sins but we do not reade of his great jealousie but only for and over Jerusalem his Church but as concerning the case of Jerusalem wee reade of it twice in the same Prophet Zach. 1.14.8.2 As if God had a jealousie and a jealousie a two-fold jealousie a double and a single a greater and a lesse and the lesser jealousie he puts on and armes himselfe with when he went forth to execute vengeance for other sins but whē he sets forth against the enemies of his Church when he comes to plead Jerusalems cause with her adversaries his double jealousie now went on his great jealousie was reserved for causes of this nature as of highest and greatest importance for his glory Yea I shall say yet more that when men have put forth their hands to this worke I meane to afflict the Church of God upon the fairest termes upon greatest advantage or likelihood that can be conceived of doing any good upon it and making earnings of it I meane when they have seemed in doing it even to give the right hand of fellowship to God himselfe when he hath begun to punish them yet did never any man come off fairely from the worke God still found something or other against those that were his workmen and executioners which made a breach between him and them they never eate of their labours nor ever rejoyced in any of these works of their hand seldome any of their heads went downe in peace to their Graves An instance hereof we may see in the Aegyptians according to the Lords owne prediction long before how it would fall out Know for a surety saith the Lord to Abraham Gen. 15.13 14. that thy seed shall be a stranger in a Land that is not theirs and shall serve them and they shall afflict them foure hundred yeares notwithstanding the Nation whom they shall ferve will I judge c. And that God did not only foresee and foretell this that the Israelites should serve the Aegyptians and be in bondage but that himselfe had a speciall hand in it in bringing it to passe it is evident from Psal 105.25 where it is said that God turned their heart i. e. the heart of the Aegyptians to hate his people and to deale craftily with his servants because they began now to be corrupted in Aegypt and to displease him God tooke off the good will and the affections of the Aegyptians from them and yet we know how deare the Aegyptians paid for that worke and service the Israelites did them they had better have given double treble wages to other men to have made their Bricks then to have the people of God make them for nothing Other instances of like nature you may finde in Scripture Esa 36.20 if you reade Psal 78.61.2 with Psal 65.8 you shall finde a passage of like importance Rabsheka it is like lyed or at least spake upon a groundlesse presumption viz. because till then he had prospered when he told Hezekia's messengers that he was not come against Jerusalem without the Lord God had said to him destroy it But in Nebuchadnezzar King of Babel the case is plaine 2 Chron. 36.17 it is said expresly that God brought upon them the King of the Caldeans yet if you reade Ier. 50.17 18. besides many other places you shall finde he had his wages paid him in sorrow and desolation Israel is scattered as Sheep the Lions have driven him away First the King of Assyria hath devoured him and last this Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon hath broken his bones Therefore saith the Lord of Hosts the God of Israel Behold I will punish the King of Babylon and his Land as I have punished the King of Assyria c. So Iudges 3.12 you may reade the like of Eglon King of Moab it is expresly said that God strengthened his hand against Israel c. yet we know this medling with Israel was his ruine As for example of the just vengeance and fiery indignation of the Lord breaking out upon those who without any warrant or commission from him have evill intreated despitefully used oppressed and persecuted the Church of God these both in sacred Records and other Histories of the Church are without end or number There is not only a Cloud of such witnesses but the whole heaven is spread over with them and divers of them known unto all men So that it would be but time lost to produce them Therefore now I beseech you consider you that are enemies of the truth that have imbittered spirits against the holy City and Church of God consider and ponder with your selves the truth and weight of this motive There was no man ever spread a snare to take the People of God with but first or last if he continued his malice his owne foot was taken with it No man ever digged a Pit for such but fell himselfe into it no man ever attempted mischief against it and continued in it but it still returned upon him and fell on his own pate as David speaketh It was the argument the Lord Jesus Christ himselfe used to Paul when he tooke him hard at this worke busie in persecuting the Saints and meant to take him off from it Saul Saul why persecutest thou me Act. 9.5 It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 against sharpe pointed Irons as Goads or Nailes have teaching that a man cannot lift up his hand or heele against the meanest of the servants of God but with as much folly and madnesse and with as little hope of doing themselves good as he that shall stand chopping and dashing his naked hands or feete against the sharpest points of weapons or instruments made of Steele or Iron Pilates wives argument that she used to take of her husband from having any thing further to doe against Christ was that she had suffered many things that day in a dreame by reason of him Mat. 27.19 But the argument wherewith the Holy Ghost now presseth upon you to have no more to doe against these men is of greater efficacy not only one womā hath suffered many things in a dreame but a thousand thousands both men and women whole Nations and Kingdomes and States as was said Kings and Princes and mighty ones of the earth have suffered really full waking in deed and in truth the soarest and most grievous destructions the most fierce fiery and horrid judgements that the world hath seen To let all other instances passe only to mention that fiery storme and tempest which was the
immortality it selfe Though I have no ground of confidence to put any such great question unto you as Paul did and well might unto the Galatians to aske you What hath your felicity been since my comming and preaching the Gospell unto you yet this I cannot but professe and testifie to the world to the exaltation and praise of the grace of God that hath been given you by my dispensation of the Gospell towards you let the tree of interpretatiō fall which way it will whether to the North or to the South it shall neither hurt me nor you by the fall that you have rejoyced in my light and have been ready many of you if not to pluck out and give your eyes unto me yet in the best and readiest way of Christian expression to signifie and seale the truth life and power which you have seen tasted and felt in my Ministery And that which I know not how to draw aside to any other construction but only to make a demōstration and proofe of the naturalnesse of your affection towards me and towards the truth it self delivered by me though the iniquity of many hath abounded against both yet your love to neither hath waxed cold which crowne of praise I could willingly enrich yet seven times more and set it upon your heads when I had done if I knew how to worke upon it without seeming at least to soile others by way of complaint and to make men offenders for personall wrongs which is a straine of too much effeminatenesse in a Christian and little lesse then either an acknowledgement of the strength of other mens weaknesse or of the weaknesse of a mans owne strength Howsoever my silence whether upon this or other consideration will be found no treason either against the life or dignity of your Christian and worthy deportment therein there is one greater then all the world besides that will see that righteousness of yours fully rendred unto you in due time Truth is honest in her deepest poverty and distresse and whatsoever she borroweth or taketh of any man for her support or reliefe in prison she will pay double and treble when she recovers her liberty and entreth againe into her glory And feare not he that would not leave the soule of his Sonne in hell nor suffer his holy One to see corruption will be as mindfull of tender over his daughter Truth and will give her beauty for ashes in due season You I confesse have the advantage of me in opportunities many wayes for expressing your selves in point of affection The giving of carnall and outward things is both easier of interpretation and lesse liable to sinister construction then the dispensing of spirituall things is Ministers are oftentimes suspected to preach the Gospell out of envy or other pretences that are not good but no man gives either silver or gold but is presumed to doe it of good will Besides the work and labour of a Minister is looked upon by the most but as of a matter of course and that which he is bound to doe and no great thanke conceived to belong to it but the bestowing of a small matter where men are conceived to be free the rule of which freedome is generally made the silence of the Lawes of Land and State is no lesse then matter of admiration unto many and two mites cast into a Ministers treasury of free gift signifieth in the vulgar Dialect of men twenty thousands in affection Yea the diligence and faithfulnesse of good Ministers themselves successively who have abounded in this worke may well be conceived to have abated the esteeme of it with many and have caused it to seem now rather a 〈◊〉 of 〈…〉 then commendation Whereas on the other hand the generall basenesse and empty handednesse of men towards their Teachers sets off a slender liberality with much lustre and beauty as the scarcity of comforts and refreshings in hell make a drop of water to coole his tongue seem a great boone to the rich man Neverthelesse my trust and confidence is concerning you that are spirituall that you by the light partly of my labours and paines amongst you having served you now in the things of Jesus Christ well neare the terme of seven yeares partly of my Doctrine partly of my manner of life and conversation otherwise can plainly and perfectly reade it written in the Tables of my heart how deare you are unto me and how high and glorious my contentments and comforts are in such amongst you whose faces are set towards heaven and are resolved to take nothing in exchange for your soules I will not be further importune with you in pleading the cause of my indearments to you upon this occasion I had rather give you an accompt of my heart towards you in deeds then in words in power then profession Neither shall I ever be troublesome unto you for any greater measure of esteeme or approbation with you then what my carriage shall be reasonably valued at betweene a Pastor and his People If you will please to interpret this Dedication as a recommendation and testimony of mine especiall love care and respects unto you the burden and weight I conceive of what you doe herein shall not need to lie more upon your affections then your judgements and those actions ever come of with best contentment and satisfaction to sober men that are so divided If you had not been the first of my care and affections these first fruits it is most like had not fallen to your portion There is little in what is here presented to your view but that which your eares have tasted already some yeares since You may by a fresh perusall of these things besides the direct benefit of the knowledge reaped from them be occasioned better to understand and consider the state and condition as well of your hearts as memories and to compare them together so as to finde out whether you be stronger in the one or in the other or in both strong or in both weake alike If you finde the sinewes strength and substance of these things in your inner man so that whilst you reade you seem to see the lineaments of the face of your owne soule as in a Glasse to reade the naturall history of your owne spirits this is a pregnant and precious signe unto you that your hearts are sound and their digestion of spirituall nourishment of the best If you meet with little here but what you were able before or without your reading to have uttered and given an accompt of this argues faithfulnesse in your memories also If you lie under the power of these things but have little or no command of the letter this demonstrates a defectivenesse or weaknesse in memory but soundnesse of heart which is the great praise glory and comfort of a Christian if the words passages and expressions remaine for the most part whole with you but the marrow and fatnesse the spirit and life of
cleaner innocency then other men Decius and Trajan two of the best and most moderate and just Emperours otherwise raised as cruell stormes of persecution against Christians as others that were seven times more loose and brutish So you may observe many amongst us that stand strictly upon a streightnesse and rectitude of Morall honesty doing no man wrong that will tythe Mint and Anise and Cummin very truly and exactly who yet carry the gall of Aspes under their lips to cast it forth upon the Children of God when they see their time and are alwayes in travell of mischiefe against them Those high Priests and Pharisees that hunted after the precious life of our Saviour were men that began to expostulate with Pilate the Governour and to take it ill at his hands that he would not so far honour and adore their integrity and uprightnesse as to proceed against Christ as an evill doer without knowing any other ground why he should proceed against him but only because such honest and just men as they had delivered him unto him Pilate then went out and said What accusation bring you against this man They answered and said unto him If he were not an evill doer wee would not have delivered him up unto thee John 18.29 30. And it may be these very bloody thoughts and purposes of such men against the Gospell may be a bridle in the jawes of their unrighteous and base dispositions and lust otherwise and keep them from any notorious breaking out in other cases They may by this meanes the better colour over and cover with a Cloake of civill honesty the foulnesse of their hatred and malicious practises against holy men I remember one observes well how the Romane State of old laboured to shadow and hide from the view of the world as well as they could a foule and base practise of theirs They had an evill eye upon Ptolomies great wealth and treasury as they had heard it to be and they knew not well how or upon what pretence to invade and seise upon it because Ptolomy was a friend and confederate with their State Friend or foe they were resolved not to lose such a booty and because they would put the best face upon the businesse they could they made Cato who was the great Patron of Justice in their State to be the Pablicus Praedo to be the great thiefe that should make the spoile for them Vt summa turpitudo facti authoritate viri aliquantulum tegeretur saith my Author That the notorious basenesse of the fact might be a little overshadowed by the credit and authority of the man that was the principall actor in it So I verily beleeve that the desires and intentions that many men have to oppresse the Church of God and to roote out the holy Seed from the earth and to do it in a more creditable way that they might be thought to doe nothing but that which is just and right and be countenanced by the world in their deed keepes many in awe from breaking out into many other base and notorious practises Who knows whether those two thiefes should have been crucified and put to death at all but especially at that time when our Saviour was crucified had it not been to make a pretence and beare the world in hand that there was the same justice and equity used in crucifying him in the midst that was in putting to death those on either hand But not to stand further upon this Therefore now let such men as either intend or practise evill against the Church of God or any member of it if they be worshippers of the goddesse Civill justice let them know and consider that they shall but blaspheme this goddesse of theirs by attempting any thing against these men in stead of washing their hands in innocency they shall now wash them in innocent blood For these are men that live peaceably by them and doe them no harme they take no mans Oxe nor Asse from them they are no enemies to the Civill peace and society of men they are no disturbers of the publique affaires of States and Kingdomes Nay they pray for the People and State wheresoever they live and they have intelligence with heaven with the King of kings who makes earthly Crownes to flourish upon the heads of Princes and who watcheth over Kingdomes and Nations for good for the wealth and peace of the places where they live Therefore let their enemies know whoever they be that they cannot but be unrighteous and unjust in all their practises against them Have thou nothing to doe with that just man saith Pilates wife to him It is a terrible thing to measure out unrighteous and hard measure to him that is just It is reported by some that the Jewes till this day impute that grievous judgement of God that hath lyen so heavy upon their Nation for so many generations from the destruction of their City Temple and State to the death of Simeon the just They may truly impute it to the death and murther of one that was just indeed But him they shall not acknowledge to be just till the time comes wherein they shall see him whom they have pierced When Stephen sought to aggravate the sin of those that put Christ to death and to represent it unto their consciences in the full proportion of it that they might the more easily apprehend it and consider of it he calls them the murtherers and betrayers of that just One. Acts 7.52 And Peter in like manner saith Act. 3.14 Ye denied the holy One and just and desired a murtherer to be given unto you which shewes that the consideration of the justnesse and righteousnes in those men whom they doe oppresse and seeke to destroy is an argument most likely to affect the hearts worke upon the consciences of wicked men Know ye not saith Paul 1 Cor. 6.9 that the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdome of God As if it were a sin of all others most apparently incompatible and inconsistent with the love and favour of God even in the judgement and conscience of naturall men And to draw the point a little to the present occasion those Children of the curse that thought to have undermined the foundations both of the Religion and People of God in the Land at once and to have turned up all by the rootes that thought to have blasted that glory and beauty of the Land with the black breath of their displeasure doubtlesse if they had but lookt the Religion and Men in the faces against whom they were drawing such an arrow as that was their bow would have fallen out of their hand at their feete they could never have been able 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to looke their owne hellish project in the face if they had but considered the innocency and righteousnesse of that Religion and that People against which the dint and fury of it was chiefly bent they would have relented in the greatest heate of their passion fury and indignation as Esau did towards Iacob his brother if they had but patiently considered of what spirit they had been both People and Religion whose ruine they had sworne and bloodily conspired Many good workes saith our Saviour to the Jewes have I shewed you from my Father Joh. 10.32 For which of these workes doe you stone me Implying that they could have no other reason to proceed with violence against him but only the good he had done amongst them So may the Religion State and People against which these firebrands of hell breathed out nothing but new-found death ruine and confusion say unto them They have done you many good offices for which of them must they be destroyed by such a barbarous and unchristian destruction They have nourished and harboured you in their land they have sought the conversion and salvation of your soules they have pardoned and passed by many foule and wicked practises of men of your party and faction before and have not executed the just severity of the Lawes upon them they have been tender of their lives and sought every way to doe them good It must be for some of these that the horrible pit of destruction must be prepared against us the Gun-powder and Billets and Barres of Iron must take vengeance on some good worke or other other unrighteousnesse other provocation against us can there none be found But as it was true that the Jewes did seeke to stone our Saviour to death for some or all those good workes hee had shewed them however they rejected such a charge with deep indignation for thy good workes we stone thee not but for blasphemy and Esay prophecied as much in effect long before Esa 53.9.33 And he made his Grave with the wicked he the people of the Jewes made his Grave with the wicked and with the rich and honourable they did seek to shame him and yet honoured him about his death and buriall the one they did out of their owne wicked and malicious disposition against him the other was done by them by an over-ruling hand of God and both that which they did according to their owne desires and that which God caused to be done according to his desire had the same ground and reason in the person of our Saviour viz. because he had done no violence neither was there any deceit found in his mouth the Jewes they could not endure his exquisite holinesse and integrity and therefore they laboured to quench the spirit of the glory of it and sought to disgrace it God on the other side he could not endure to see such absolute innocency altogether suppressed and therefore he would honor him and so they came to divide the matter between them as Esay excellently expresseth it but evident it is from this place that it was his perfect integrity and uprightnesse that drew out the malice of their spirits against him so doubtlesse it was the holinesse and purity of the Religion and people against whose faces that dreadfull engine of death was chiefly bent that both enraged the cursed spirits of these men against them and that drew that gracious and glorious deliverance out of the hand of God unto them FINIS