up the planks of the Vessel to build their own Cabins Remember you judge for God and shall be judg'd by him It was a condescending expression of the best of Princes to a late Parliament upon their Dissolution that during their Intervals in all his publick Resolves he should propose to himself what a Parliament would judge of them and if his actions would not bear that test it should be for want of judgement in him In every sentence you are to give remember the sentence you must receive and so pronounce that that you may not dread to undergo this Thus faithfully trading with the Talents of your piety Luke 19.17 and justice wisedom courage and integrity in the trust of the Government of this City God shall at last give you authority over many Cities 2. To the Citizens 2. To the City that is to the Citizens by a Metaâ—â—â—y of the continent for the contents Acts 13.44 the City that is the Inhabitants came together to hear the word And to you as therefore so conven'd I shall speak a word for the Lord and for the Watchmen There hath been formerly among you a great cry for truth and peace so great a cry that we lost both in the mist of that breath They are two Jewels that when gone are worth a siquis an enquiry Let us call home these banished too Let righteousnesse and peace meet and kisse each other 2 Sam. 14.13 Psal 85.10 Matth. 19.6 Gal. 5.12 And cursed be they that part what God hath put together I wish they were even cut off that trouble you in either Let me therefore exhort you to the prosecution of truth for the Lords and peace for the Watchman's sake and of both for your own sakes the safety of your City being the result of both 1. To get truth for Gods sake 1. Truth and if any shall put to me Pilate's question to Christ what is truth and hath more patience than he to stay for an answer John 18.38 that I shall give proper to our present purpose is that by truth is mean'd either the word of God thus his Law and Commandments are truth Psal 119.142 151. 2 Peter 2.2 or our conformity to that word called the way of truth That is truth of Doctrine this of life and practice Now 2 Peter 2.2 as the same Ocean takes various denominations from the severall shores it runs by so truth in cogitation is sincerity in communication veracity in conversation integrity And for these truths contend in Gods name Col. 3.16 Let the word of truth dwell plentiously in you not as a guest for a night or a servant for an Apprenticeship or a child during non-age but as the Master of the house even aeterno vestro for life Be frequent in searching these evidences for your freehold of grace and glory and so copy them out that they may be legible in your lives to him that runs Psal 51.6 Ephes 4.25 Prov. 12.19 Dan. 4.37 Let there be truth in the inward parts truth in thoughts And speak every one the truth to his neighbour truth in word called the lip of truth And let your works be the works of truth truth in deed It God's Omnipotency that he cannot lye Let it be yours that you can do nothing against the truth 2 Cor. 13.8 but for it Maxima summa est virtus neminem decipere It is the greatest chiefest virtue to deceive none Oh that all that hear me were thus Prov. 23 23. and alwayes thus virtuous Buy the truth and sell it not and never sell but bâ— it Let it as a thread in a neck-lacâ— of Pearl run through all your duties to God and man your worship let it be suited to the God you serve John 4.24 He is a Spirit and will be worshipped in spirit and in truth He that would not have the skin requires the heart in sacrifice And let your respect be to all the Commandements of God and all his Ordinances to the truth and all the truth and in the whole inward and outward man and this is integrity as it is deduc'd from timber that is strait without and sound within Take heed of that malicious proud sin Luke 12.1 that sowre and swelling leaven of the Pharisees hypocrisie that infectious Aguish vice first it trembles and then it burns Prov. 26.23 that potsheard cover'd with silver dross And be true in your civil contracts with men and let not Turks and Infidels rise up in judgment against you Let your Omer and Epha your Shekel and Cubit agree with those of the Sanctuary Your weights and measures correspond with those of the Standardâ— The Heathen used to chain their Gods in their Temples Fasten God by truth of holinesse to your Churches and truth of justice to your Shops and you have him a sure keeper of your City 2. Peace for the Watchmans sake 2. Having taken into your bosomes this Leah this eldest daughter of grace truth and it is fit she should have precedence Gen. 29.26 it being also not our custome to give the younger before the first born make roome too for the beautifull Rachel of peace so beautifull that she reflects a beauty on the feet of her messengers Rom. 10.15 This bigamy is not only lawfull but dutifull In the old Law the Jewes were not to take a wife with her sister Lev. 18.18 to vex her But you cannot vex these sisters nor your selves worse than by parting them He is a Jew that would do it For truth without peace is a constant persecution and peace without truth is a wicked combination Peace is the walls and truth the Guard of a City and these are a mutuall a counter-security to each other Oh that this City like Jerusalem might be called the City of truth Zech. 8.3 Psal 122.3 Isai 59.14 And like Jerusalem might be as a City at unity in it self That truth might not fall in the streets by guile and extortion nor peace be shut out of your Church and City-gates by schisme and faction Weaken not the hands of your Magistrates by your intestine divisions and strife about words and things that profit not 2 Tim. 2.14 least you loose the substance of Religion Love in your bitter altercations about the dresse and shadow of it Indifferent Ceremonies Committing an undoubted sinne disobedience to the powers in waving a scrupled duty submission to a prescrib'd Forme of Worship where liberty of Conscience is not intrench'd on for the thing still remains indifferent there though liberty of practice be as it may be confin'd for unities and which is the hedg to that for uniformities sake Let me therefore prevaile with you since God hath vouchsaf'd you a mercy as much above your expectation as your merit in giving you Judges as at the first Isai 1.26 and Councellours as at the beginning that you would prove a City of righteousnesse
City Security STATED IN A SERMON Pâ—eached at St Pauls August 11th 1661. Before the Right Honourable THE LORD MAYOR By â—illiaâ— Bell B. D. late Fellow of St John Baptists Colledg 〈◊〉 and now Chaplain to his Majesty in his Tower of LONDON LONDON Printed for John Baker at the Sign of the Peacock in St Pauls Church-yard 1661. City Security PSALM 127. the latter part of the first Verse Except the Lord keep the City the Watchman waketh but in vain THere is a naturall necessitous humility lodged in persons of mean and low spirits men of no parts or no knowledge of their parts or who have no just esteem of them And there is an artificiall flagitious humility when like the Hawk men stoop for a quarry 2 Sam. 15.5 6. Thus Absalom stole the hearts of his Fathers subjects out at their mouths by his treacherous kisses And there is a penall calamitous humility when God trips up the heels of insolent persons such was that of proud Nebuchadnezzar Dan. 4.33 when devested of Empire and Reason Humiliatus erat quid humilis non erat humbled because not humble And there is a Celestiall gratious humility when men of eminent parts and place own God as the fountain of all they have and are that fills and feeds their Channells A royall virtue indeed when Kings acknowledge their Thrones to be set upon Gods foot stoole and though in all Causes and over all Persons as well Ecclesiasticall as Civill in their own Dominions Supream heads and Governours yet pay their ho … … nd fealty to the King of Kings in confessing they are all this under God and his Christ It is the method of proud men to compare themselves with their inferiours and as the Pharisee to cry out Lord what am I not like those that measure themselves by the declining Sun and so seem taller than they are But the humble person compares himself his power his wisdome his holinesse his honour with those of God and as the Publican cries out Lord what am I As those that measure themselves by the Sun at noon and their bedwarfd shadow and are more than they seem It is Moses his Title of Honour to be stiled Gods servant And Davids chief ambition to be a Nethenim in the house of God The threshold of whose Temple was a step above his Throne and he takes a degree to be a Porter at it Rev. 4.10 The Elders cast down their Crowns at the feet of God And as all subordinate Powers give in at the presence of the King as Stars return their light to the Sun at his arising so even Kings lower their Scepters when God exalts his since the best of them are but the off-sets thereof The most absolute Monarchs are thus far relative that they subsist by God there being no independency in reference to him There are no designes be the means or men that carry them on never so potent that come not to naught if blown upon by God Nor is any instrument so impotent that with God is not efficacious Phil. 4.13 This is the ground of St Pauls omnipotency I can do all things through Christ which strengthneth me Proud Babel that was raised in Rebellion against God was razed in confusion by him Zech. 4.6 7. But where not an Army nor strength but the Spirit of God builds there even the head stone is laid and the shouting is grace grace God blessed the Aegyptian Midwives Exod. 1.21 by his building them houses for their supporting the houses of the Israelites And he who blessed them for their work blessed them in it And as he suited the reward to the work so he suited the work to his own promise for he had pronounced that primitive blessing of Increase Gen. 1.28 and Multiply on that people and man cannot substract where God will multiply No nor yet multiply where he will substract He who keeps the key of David opens the barren Rev. 3.7 and shuts up the fruitfull Womb And as from one Vine one fertil Wife Psal 128.3 he can draw forth the blessing of Clusters of Children for him that feareth him Verse 1. 1 Kings 11.3 so from seven hundred Wives and three hundred Concubines the product to Solomon was but a single Rhehoboam so farre as Scripture undertakes the Genealogy but one Grape from so many Vines and that too but such an one as men gather of Thornes who like Ivy plucked down the house he pretended to support Both the fruit of the common Womb the earth is Gods for The earth is the Lords and the fullnesse thereof Psal 24.1 and that of every particular one too of every Mother as well as that generall one Psal 12â— 3 for Children are the inheritance of the Lord and the fruit of the Womb is his reward So that there is neither fertility nor security plenty nor safety without God for except he build the house they labour in vain that build it Except he keep the City c. Which words are whether written by Solomon Scope of the Text. Eccl. 8.4 or by David for Solomon as is most probable the words of a King and there is power and truth in them as they are a proof of the necessary concurrence of divine providence to the undertakings of men And the procedure of the argument is a minore ad majus from the lesse to the greater that that providence is so particular as to extend to the Oeconomy of every private family except the Lord build c. that is Clarius Castalio in loc nisi augeat rem familiarem familiam unlesse he improve the estate and houshold haeredes liberos the heirs the children there can be no increase or improvement of either by any And yet that providence is withall so generall as to comprehend the polity of a whole City Except the Lord keep the City c. The name of a family shall rot unlesse God shall vouchsafe to preserve it by a numerous and perfume it by a gratious succession of generations And the City shall be buried in its own ruines for all its fortifications of dead earth its Walls and Towers and of living earth its Militia and Magistrates unlesse God shall supervise and blesse all Except the Lord keep c. Division The words are a modâ—l Proposition The Proposition The Watchman waketh but in vain The modus or limitation Except the Lord keep the City I shall not mangle the words by any more minute division of them that I may not part God from the City the Watchman from God vigilance from the Watchman nor successe from his vigilance But I shall speak to it by way of Explication and Application 1. By way of Explication in unfolding these four particulars First What is intended by the word Watchman Secondly What is meant by the City Thirdly What is the purport of this phrase of Gods keeping the City Fourthly I shall insist on what
a shield he cannot repell them as a Sword he must cut through them If as a breast-work he cannot bear off as a Cannon he must beat off the Assault The Centinell who is the forlorne of every Corps of Guard hath not only eyes to foresee and voice to intimate but his Muskett at a distance and his Sword at hand to resist the intrusion of an enemy And therefore is the Magistrate arm'd with a Commission that where he cannot hinder offences from a being he may obstruct their spreading by discountenancing vice in striking through the loynes of offenders And in these sences and for these ends the Magistrate is a Watchman or keeper for security of 2. City what The City The second term we promised the Explication of The word in the large acceptation of it signifies a Nation or Nations united under one Supreame Magistrate or Magistracy In the restraind and usuall sense of it It is a place encompassed with walls where men convene and cohabit for mutuall commerce security and society having particular subordinate Officers Charters and Laws of Governement The word hath other figurative senses but not pertinent here And THE City in every Nation signifies their Metropoâ—is as among the Ancient Grecians Athens with the latter Byzantium or Constantinople among the Romans Rome with us this of London and among the Jews Jerusalem suppposed to be the City intended in the Text. Though it is an universall truth and may be predicated of any whole Countrey or Kingdome and of every particular body politick Corporation or City therein that the Watchman or Magistrate thereof watcheth or waketh therefore but in vain Except 3. Lords keeping the City what The third expression needing Explication It was an antient superstition among those who knew not God Mr Gregorâ—â— in the croud of those thâ—â—â—â— thousand they worshipped for God 2 Sam. 5.6 8. The Lord keepeth the City to ascribe a Genius to every Nation and City and to build their Cities under the most propitious configuration of the Heavens which they called the Ascendent of the City Under the influence of a second constellation they erected a Statue of brasse into which they called by Magick as the Devill made them believe the Fortune of their City which so confin'd they dispos'd in some recessefull and safe place of the City and on the preservation of that Statue they supposed their own and their Cities depended Such was the Trojan Palladium and such were the blind and lame 2 Sam. 5.6 8. mentioned in Samuel wherewith the Jebusites did Garrison their Fort against David Not impotent persons as some have too lamely and blindly asserted set in scorn as defendants good enough in a place so impregnable for such Davids soul would have pittied rather than hated as he is there said to do them And their naturall or accidentall defects would not have secluded them from Verse 8. 〈◊〉 his Palace as those lame and blind were Id. which was open to Mephibosheth though conscious of one of those imperfections 2 Sam. 9 13. It was congruous to the pride of Persian Monarchs to forbid entrance into their Courts to persons cloath'd in sackcloath least they should cloud Esther 4.2 and damp their mirth and luxury But David who was a man after Gods own heart and the heart of God is compassion could not therefore so distasse them But these were Images the tutelary Gods of the place which the Jebusites call blind and lame not as intimating their own esteem of them but repeating the Israelites upbraidings of them as such suitable to the Character David gives of them They have eyes and see not blind Psal 115.5 7 feet and walk-not lame And throughout that Psalm it is therefore worth your perusall at leisure the Penman thereof sets up the Lord in opposition to all those false Gods Luke 11.22 Who by his binding that strong man arm'd in his own Palace shewed that the Devils are subject to him by their migremus hinc their quitting possession when and wherever his commands seal a Lease of Ejectment on them and that there is no sorcery against Jacob Numb 23 2â— Heb. 7.25 nor divination against his Israel He is able to save to the uttermost them that rely on him a sure repositary of his peoples confidence In his hands no danger out of them no safety No presuming then on Idols that are not so much as the Image of God no nor yet on Magistrates which are but so much Not on Idols which are the work of our hands nor on men though they are the work of his hands For except the Lord keep c. 4. The Text proved Which is the fourth and last particular and indeed the all of the Text which we promised to evidence by Precedents and Arguments 1. By instances 1. By Precedents that so it hath been And truely History sacred and prophane domestick and forreign is full of instances Take the word City in its largest bounds of Empires Nations and Commonwealths against how many of these and how often hath God writ his Mene Mene Tekel Vpharsin he hath numbred Dan. 5.25 weighed divided and cass'd them The four Monarchies Assyrian Persian Grecian Roman The Histories of every Nation will assert this truth to their Readers in the many and great changes they offer to view Take the word City in its limited and usuall sense for a place encompassed with walls and the time would faile me should I insist on the particular Tradegies of those only recorded in Sacred Writ that have fallen under the displeasure of the Lord Babel Sodom and Gomorrah Admah and Zeboim the City of Hamor for the rape of Dinah Jericho Ai Tyre and Sidon Gibeah Damascus Samaria Babylon a Deut. 1.28 The Cities of Canaan wall'd up to Heaven b 2 Chron. 14.14 The Cities about Gerar of Aroer c Deut. 3.4 the Cities of Og. All those of the d 1 Chron. 20.3 Ammonites and e 2 King 3 25. Moabites and f Judg. 20.48 Benjamin Ashdod Gath and Ekron of the g 1 Sam. 5. Philistims with those many that sunk under the weight of the Prophets heavy burdens And the dolefull ruines of Jerusalem we may take a view of through the holy pâ—â—spective of Jeremy's tears and Threnody And its last irrecoverable devastation described by Josephus an eye-witnesse of the fulfilling of our Saviours prediction on the Temple and the enlargement thereof to almost the whole City whereof scarce one stone was left upon another When God had empounded the greater part of the Nation within those walls at the feast of the Passeover where there was an account given in of two hundred fifty six thousand five hundred Paschall Lambs slain and at the rate of ten at least to a Lamb there was in the City then no lesse than two millions five hundred sixty five thousand purifiâ—d male Jews Jews besides strangers and