Alicubi in Encyclop. free grace: my foul bleeds to think how this plaifter hath been poyfoned by Popish, Arminian, and Socinian interpretations. The holy Bible is that mould in which our hearts and lives fhould be caft: but where,alas,is our conformity thereunto? will this Book authorize fwearing, whoring, tipling, oppreffing, libelling, Sabbathbreaking and yet proh pudor! it hath been faid to authorize the laft. All the nitre and fope of Logick and Rhetorick that hath been used to that end, will never be able to fetch out the deep ftaine, which was contracted by teaching men to violate the fourth Commandment; Ila, 58.13. to call the Sabbath a delight, not in the Prophet Ifaiah's fenfe; but by turning the Lords day into a play-day. A libertie which, where it was taken as freely as given, might justly occafion the renewall of what Alftedius once faid concerning the Germanes, that if the day fhould be named according to their obfervation of it, Damoniacus potius quam Dominicus, it ought not to be called the Lords but the Devils day; because Satan had much more and better service done him in it than the Lord Jefus had. Shall I need to fpeak of that difrefpe&t which hath been caft upon fundrie faithfull Meffengers of the Covenant well nigh all the Kingdom over? I .fhall not. There is hardly any place in Europe that doth not fpeak of it; yea the Indies ring of this. It made the land of the Ammonites stinke before David, when he confidered the injurie by them done to his Embaffadors. We are Embassadours for Chrift, faith St. Paul of faithfull Ministers; I am afraid that for abuses offered to fuch this land yet stinkes before the Lord, and will continue fo to do till fuch as offered them be chaftifed. It was frange to fee how, not onely men of place, but bold Apparitors would crow over old Divines; how neare 1.Sam. 10.6. 2.Cor. 5. 20. they + 1 they were to becoming a facrifice that refused to bow to an Altar. Be it farre from me to beare false witnesse against a whole Nation; I will not, I dare not charge it with the guilt of forfaking the Covenant. But God, and fome mens confciences know what was intended. For there wanted not fome to hold Antichrists stirrup, and help him up; He was mounted and on his way for England. Bleffed be God, that kept him from entring; and we hope hath turned him back. Sure I am, our dealing falfely in the Covenant cannot be hid; t'is a leprofie ftill appearing in our foreheads. How readie were people to dance after every Innovators pipe! how forward were fome of our Churchmen to play before them! I fhall do fach men no wrong in applying to them what John Hus faid of old to his Bohemians concerning the Prelates and Priests of that age; Multa que illi ordinem dicunt Bellum Hussiomnium rerum in Chriftianifmo confufionem pariunt: Many ticum.p. 9. things which they pretend order and decency for, breed confufion in Christianitie; well if not in Chriftendome too. As for our being again ft the holy Covenant, it will admit of no apologie. If Antiochus were fo for taking away the daily facrifice, what fhall we fay of them that endeavoured the taking away of many Lectures, afternoon Sermons, and all use of conceived prayer in the Congregation If perfecuting the poore Jews made him fo in Gods account, how are they innocent that have forced fo many poore Saints to flee their country, and oppreft fo many others at home? New England and the Netherlands, besides our Courts and prifons here, bring in large Bils of Indicment for that fin, to which how impoffible is it for us of this Land to plead not guiltie ? Certainly, if we duely confider these things one by one, Zach, 2.5. one, and all together, the Lord our God hath caufe enough to bring warre upon us; but not more then we have need to make peace with him. A little of that, and fo an end. Honourable and beloved, fhould the Lord go on to profecute the avenging these quarrels of his Covenant, and to poure out his furie upon us in blood, as he hath begun to do, what a byword would England become, and an hiffing to thofe very Nations unto which it hath formerly been either a terrour or an help? whereas if God be at peace with us, and we at peace among our felves which would follow upon the other) we need not fear all the Nations of the earth: and that because God alone is a defence all-fufficient. Which will eafily cleare it felf to the understanding of all fuch as fhall take the paines to peruse a few Texts of Scripture, wherein they hall find the Lord compared to whatever is requifite for the defence and strength of a Citie. Would you have walls? I, faith the Lord, will be unto Ferufalem a wall of fire round about: not of stone, not of braffe, but of fire; fuch as travellers through a wilderneffe ufe to make to fecure themselves from wilde beafts. Would you have Forts The Lord is my rock, and my fortreffe,my strength, and my bigh tower. Pfal. 18.2. Would you have a broad river begirting a Citie fo walled and fortified? fuch also is God, Ifa. 33.21. The glorious Lord will be unto us a place of broad rivers and ftreams. Want you armes? He is in ftead of all weapons, both offenfive as the fword, and defenfive as the shield, Deut. 33. laft. Happy art thou O Ifrael, who is like unto thee, a people! Saved by the Lord the Shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thy excellency. Want you Sentinels? God will both watch and ward. Ifa.27.3. Ithe Lord do keep it, I will water it every mo ment, ment, left any hurt it, I will keep it night and day; (peaking of his vineyard the Church. Want you Souldiers? The Lord is a man of warre, the Lord is his name. Exod. 15.3. yea the Lord alone is a whole armie of men; Van and Reare both. Ifa. 52. 12. The Lord will go before you, and the God of Ifrael will be your rereward. Wherefore, to ufe the Prophet Amos exhortation, Prepare to meet thy God, O Amos 4. 12. England. He is now upon his march, as David was againft Nabal and his familie: prepare to meet him as Abigail did with confeffions, petitions, deprecations ;all in a way of fuch humilitie as becomes the addreffes of flesh and blood. We fhould alwayes humble our felves under 1. Pct. 5. 6. the mightie hand of God; moft of all when there is in it a fword, a drawn fword, as now there is. Son of man, prophefie and fay, Thus faith the Lord, fay a fword, a sword is Sharpned and alfo fourbished; it is fharpned to make a fore flaughter; it is fourbished that it may glitter: fhould we then make mirth? Ezek. 21.9, 10. No; but then we should make it our bufineffe to make our peace. Now the rode to this fo defireable peace with the Lord our God, left any should mistake his way, lies through the fields of faith, prayer, and new obedience. We must first beleeve, for being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jefus Chrift, Rom. 5. I. He is the onely peace-maker,the great reconciler of God to us by his blood, and of us to God by his Spirit. Where faith lives, it will breathe in devotion. So God would have it, Ifa. 27. 5. Let him take hold of my strength. that he may make peace with me, and he shall make peace with me. That expreffion implyes a wrestling in prayer, if you compare it with Ifa. 64. 7. There is none that calleth upon thy Name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: and that in Exod. 32. 10. where God faith to praying E 2 Mofes Adam, in vit. Theol. G man.p.x. Mofes as to one that had taken hold of his ftrength, and held his hands, Let me alone, that I may confume them. Certainly never more need of devotion then now. When our Saviour was in hus agonie fweating water and Luk 22, 44. blood, the Evangelift tells us he prayed more earnestly. The Church of Chrift is now in her agonie, fweating blood in great abundance: wherefore pray in the holy Ghoft, O all ye that have received the Spirit of grace and fupplication in any meafure, and again I fay pray in the holy Ghoft. Vitus Theodorus speaking of the prayers Luther made in reference to a Diet at Ausburge, wherein matters were like to go against the Proteftants, wrote Apud Melch. thus, Non dubito quin illius preces magnum momentum ad defperatam hanc caufam Comitiorum fint allatura: He doubted not but Luthers devotion would go near to turn the ftreame. Were the caufa Comitiorum the Parliaments and Kingdomes caufe much more defperate then it is,and in a more deadly fwoune, praier is of force to fetch it again, and to re-eftate an out-caft people in the favour of God. But then fuch as have this hope, mult purifie themfelves, and follow Eliphaz his advise, Job 22.21.Acquaint now 2 King. 9.22. thy felf with him and be at peace: otherwife as fehu faid, what peace ·So long as the whoredomes of thy mother are fo many? would we begin to walk with God, as Enoch of old and Noah did, he would quickly put an end to his walking contrary unto us. Mr. Fax ob ferves, that in King Edward the fixth time the English put to flight their Enemies in Mufcleborough-field the felf-fame day num, edit laft, and houre wherein the Reformation enjoyned by Parliament vol.z.p.669. was put in execution at London, by burning of idolatrous Images. Such a dependance hath our fucceffe upon our obedience. I conclude with that of the Prophet, Ifa. 1. 19, 10. If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: but if ye refufe and rebell, ye shall be devoured with the fword; for the month of the Lord hath poken it. Gen.5.22. and As and Mo FINI S. |