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<DATE>2007-10-19</DATE>
<RESPSTMT>
<NAME>Elspeth Healey</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<ITEM>Proofed text and corrected markup.</ITEM>
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<IDG S="marc" R="UM" ID="A77506">
<STC T="W">B4722</STC>
<STC T="T">E85_14</STC>
<BIBNO T="umi">99871709</BIBNO>
<VID>124124</VID>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>A
PARLIE
WITH THE
SWORD
<HI>ABOVT</HI>
A CESSATION,
As it was delivered in a SERMON
at a Publick Fa&s;t in the Church of
Great <HI>Yarmouth</HI> in <HI>Norfolk,
Decemb.</HI> 28. 1642.</P>
<P>By <HI>Iohn Brin&s;ley,</HI> Mini&s;ter of the Word, and Pa|&s;tour
of an adjacent Congregation.</P>
<P>Publi&s;hed for common u&s;e.</P>
<BIBL>2 SAM. 2. 26.</BIBL>
<Q>Shall the Sword devoure for ever? knowe&s;t thou not, that it
will be bitter in the latter end?</Q>
<P><HI>LONDON.</HI>
Printed by <HI>G. M.</HI> for <HI>John Burroughes,</HI> and are to be
&s;old at his Shop at the Golden Dragon neare the
Inner-Temple gate in <HI>Fleet &s;treete,</HI> 1643.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="dedication">
<PB REF="2" MS="y">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>TO MY
WORTHY FRIENDS,
The well Affected Inhabitants
of the Towne of Great Yarmouth.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>Much e&s;teemed in the Lord,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>_WHat you lately recei|ved
from the <HI>Pulpit,</HI>
take here from the
<HI>Pre&s;&s;e,</HI> that what
was then <HI>Tran&s;ient</HI>
in the <HI>Eare,</HI> may be now <HI>Permanent</HI>
to the <HI>Eye. Weake bodies</HI> which
are &s;ubject to <HI>Heart-tremblings</HI>
and <HI>faintings,</HI> u&s;e to have their <HI>Cor|dials,</HI>
or <HI>Strong-waters</HI> by them.
<PB REF="3">
To like purpo&s;e &s;erveth this <HI>Extract,</HI>
intended for an <HI>Aqua Coele&s;tis,</HI> for
the fortifying of your Spirits (in the&s;e
times of <HI>Common Danger</HI>) again&s;t
what ever feares or dangers you may
happily encounter with. If you &s;hall
have neede, make u&s;e of it; otherwi&s;e
let it remaine by you; I dare a&s;&s;ure you,
it will be no ill store. However, I &s;hall
leave it with you, and re&s;t</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Your &s;ervant in our Lord
Iohn Brin&s;ley.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="license">
<P>IT is Ordered by the Committee of the Hou&s;e of
Commons in Parliament concerning Printing,
the &s;eventh day of <HI>January,</HI> 1642 That this Booke
Intituled <HI>A parley with the Sword about a ce&s;&s;ation,</HI>
be Printed.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>JOHN WHITE.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="sermon">
<PB N="1" REF="3">
<HEAD>A
PARLIE WITH THE SWORD
about a CESSATION.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<BIBL>JER. 47. VER, 6, 7.</BIBL>
<Q><L><HI>VER.</HI> 6. O thou Sword of the Lord, how long will it
be ere thou be quiet? Put up thy &s;elfe into thy
&s;cabberd, re&s;t, and be &s;till.</L>
<L><HI>VER.</HI> 7. How can it be quiet? &s;eeing the Lord hath
given it a charge again&s;t <HI>A&s;hkelon,</HI> and again&s;t
the Sea &s;hoare; there hath he appointed it.</L></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>_THis whole Chapter,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Coherence.</NOTE> upon per|u&s;all,
we &s;hall finde it a Pro|phecie
again&s;t tho&s;e old ene|mies
of God, and his people,
the <HI>Phili&s;tins:</HI> So much the
fir&s;t <HI>ver&s;e</HI> thereof acquaints us
with. <HI>The word of the Lord
that came to</HI> Jeremiah <HI>the Pro|phet
again&s;t the</HI> Phili&s;tins, <HI>&amp;c.
The word of the Lord.</HI> And what <HI>Word</HI> was this? A
word of <HI>threatning,</HI> denouncing again&s;t them a judge|ment,
a terrible judgement, the <HI>Sword,</HI> the &s;word of a
forraigne enemy; &s;o you have it, <HI>ver&s;e 2. Thus &s;aith
the Lord, behold waters ri&s;e up out of the North, and &s;hall
<PB N="2" REF="4">
be an overflowing flood, and &s;hall overflow the Land,</HI> &amp;c.
What <HI>Waters</HI> were the&s;e? Why, the <HI>Armie</HI> of the <HI>Cal|deans</HI>
or <HI>Babilonians,</HI> which comming out of the North
&s;hould overrunne, overflow, and drowne that whole
Land with a &s;anguinarie deluge, a deluge of blood: &s;o
the third <HI>ver&s;e</HI> explaines it. <HI>At the noy&s;e of the &s;tamping
of the hoofes of the &s;trong Hor&s;es, at the ru&s;hing of his Cha|riots,</HI>
&amp;c. <HI>the Fathers &s;hall not looke backe unto their
Children for feeblene&s;&s;e of hands.</HI> Such &s;hould be the
feare and terrour that &s;hould &s;urprize them, that it
&s;hould even take away all naturall affections. So oft|times
in warre it commeth to pa&s;&s;e, where every one
is put to &s;hift for him&s;elfe, the Father forgetteth the
Childe, and the Husband the Wife. So &s;harpe is this
Sword, that it cuts in &s;under even the &s;traite&s;t bonds,
and neere&s;t relations.</P>
<P>This is the judgement here threatned again&s;t this Na|tion,
this people. For the further confirmation where|of,
that the <HI>Jewes,</HI> (for who&s;e &s;ake this Prophecie was
penned, and to whom it was directed) might not make
any doubt of it, the Prophet here in the clo&s;e of the
Chapter, the <HI>ver&s;es</HI> I have now &s;ingled out, breaketh
forth into a mo&s;t emphaticall <HI>Apo&s;trophe,</HI> turning his
&s;peech to the <HI>Sword</HI> it &s;elfe, <HI>parlying with it</HI> (as it were)
<HI>about a ce&s;&s;ation.</HI></P>
<P>In this <HI>Parlie</HI> two particulars are to be taken notice
of;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Divi&s;ion.</NOTE> An <HI>Expo&s;tulation,</HI> and a <HI>Revocation.</HI> An <HI>Expo|&s;tulation,</HI>
ver&s;e 6. <HI>O thou Sword of the Lord, how long,</HI> &amp;c.]
A <HI>Revoctaion</HI> correcting and an&s;wering that <HI>Expo&s;tula|tion,</HI>
ver. 7. <HI>How can it be quiet</HI> &amp;c.]</P>
<P>In each of the&s;e, take we notice againe of two par|ticulars:
In the former, the <HI>Thing</HI> expo&s;tulated with,
and the <HI>matter</HI> of the expo&s;tulation. The <HI>thing</HI> ex|po&s;tulated
with: the <HI>Sword;</HI> the <HI>Sword of the Lord.]</HI>
The <HI>matter</HI> touching which he expo&s;tulates with that
<HI>Sword,</HI> is a <HI>Ce&s;&s;ation. O thou Sword of the Lord, how
long will it be ere thou be quiet?</HI> In the latter, a <HI>Re&s;olu|tion,</HI>
<PB N="3" REF="4">
and a <HI>Rea&s;on.</HI> A <HI>Re&s;olution</HI> by way of an&s;wer to
his former <HI>Expo&s;tulation, How can it be quiet?]</HI> A
<HI>Rea&s;on</HI> of that <HI>Re&s;olution, &s;eeing the Lord hath given it
a charge again&s;t</HI> A&s;hkelon, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>You &s;ee the Particulars; I &s;hall touch upon them
as briefly as I may, beginning with the fir&s;t, which
&s;hall &s;erve as a key to let us in to all the re&s;t: The <HI>thing</HI>
which the Prophet here parlies, and expo&s;tulates with,
<HI>The Sword,</HI> the <HI>Sword of the Lord. O thou Sword of the
Lord.]</HI></P>
<P>The <HI>Sword,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Explication.</NOTE> what properly and litterally it is, I
&s;hall not need to tell you. It were much to be wi&s;hed
that it were not &s;o well knowne among&s;t us as at this
day it is. Improperly the <HI>Sword</HI> &s;till points out &s;ome
<HI>Judgement:</HI> Generally, any notable judgement. In
this &s;en&s;e under&s;tand we the word, <HI>P&s;alm.</HI> 7. 12.
where the P&s;almi&s;t &s;peaking of the wicked man, he
tells us <HI>that if he turne not, God will whet his &s;word.]</HI> i. e.
prepare for him, and execute upon him &s;ome terrible
judgement: In the &s;ame &s;en&s;e the Plague of <HI>Pe&s;tilence</HI>
is &s;ometime called the <HI>Sword,</HI> So you have it, 1 <HI>Chron.</HI>
21. 27. where, &s;peaking of the ce&s;&s;ation of the
<HI>Pe&s;tilence,</HI> it is &s;aid that <HI>The Lord commanded the An|gell,
and hee put up his &s;word againe into the &s;heath.]</HI>
Every notable, terrible judgement is a <HI>Sword.</HI> More
ra&s;trainedly, and peculiarly, the judgement of <HI>Warre.</HI>
This in phra&s;e of Scripture is mo&s;t commonly known
by the name of the <HI>Sword.</HI> And will you know the
rea&s;on of it? <HI>Illiricus</HI> gives it fitly. The <HI>Sword</HI> it is
<HI>Precipium organum belli:</HI> It is one of the chiefe&s;t in|&s;truments
of u&s;e and &s;ervice in the warres. In this
&s;en&s;e under&s;tand the word in the Text. <HI>O thou Sword.]</HI>
the <HI>Sword</HI> of a forraigne Enemy, the Armie of the
<HI>Caldeans</HI> or <HI>Babilonians,</HI> that &s;hould come up again&s;t the
<HI>Phili&s;tins.</HI></P>
<P>And this <HI>Sword</HI> the Prophet here calls the <HI>Sword of
the Lord,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Doct.</NOTE> <HI>O thou Sword of the Lord.] Such is the Sword,
<PB N="4" REF="5">
the judgment of warr, it is Gods Sword.</HI> So we find it in
Scripture not unfrequently called. Ezek. 21. 3. <HI>Be|hold
J am again&s;t thee, and I will draw forth my Sword
out of his &s;heath,</HI> &s;aith the Lord.] I&s;a. 34. 5. <HI>My
Sword &s;hall be bathed.]</HI> Againe v. 6. <HI>The Sword of the
Lord is filled with bloud.]</HI> Jer. 12. 12. <HI>The Sword of
the Lord &s;hall devoure from one end of the Land to the
other.]</HI> The <HI>Sword of the Lord,</HI> though in the hand of
<HI>Man. The Sword of the Lord and of</HI> Gideon, &s;ay they,
<HI>Judg.</HI> 7. 20. mark it, though in <HI>Gideons hand,</HI> yet <HI>Gods
Sword.</HI> Such was the <HI>Sword</HI> in the Text, <HI>The Sword of
the Lord,</HI> though put into the hand of the <HI>Babylonians.</HI>
So the Prophet <HI>Ezekiel</HI> explaines it, Ezek. 30. 25. <HI>When
I &s;hall put my Sword into the hand of the King of</HI> Ba|bell.]
In who&s;e hands &s;oever, it is Gods Sword. E|ven
as the Sword of <HI>Magi&s;tracy,</HI> in who&s;e hands &s;oe|ver
it be found, yet &s;till it is the <HI>Kings Sword:</HI> In ac|knowledgement
whereof, it u&s;eth where he cometh
in Per&s;on, to be delivered into his hand. Thus this
Sword, in who&s;e hand &s;oever, &s;till it is <HI>Gods Sword. The
Sword of the Lord.]</HI></P>
<P>A truth which I might make good (if need were)
upon the&s;e two Swords, the <HI>Forraigne</HI> Sword, and the
<HI>Civill</HI> or <HI>Dome&s;ticke</HI> Sword. <HI>Ecce duo gladij, Loe here
are two Swords,</HI> as the Di&s;ciples once &s;aid to our Savi|our,
<HI>Luk.</HI> 22. 38. The <HI>Forraigne</HI> Sword, the Sword
of a Forraigne Enemy: The <HI>Civill</HI> or <HI>Homebred</HI> Sword
(of the two the &s;harper, being like the Sword of <HI>Go|liah,</HI>
which cut off his owne head) the Sword of a
<HI>Civill warre.</HI> Each of the&s;e, <HI>the Sword of the Lord.</HI> For
the former, the Text is expre&s;&s;e. <HI>O thou Sword of the
Lord,</HI> &s;aith the Prophet, &s;peaking of the Sword of a
Forreigne Enemy. And it is no le&s;&s;e true of the latter.
It is that which the Story tells us of the <HI>Midianites,</HI>
who being amazed by <HI>Gideons</HI> frightfull &s;tratagem, they
fell foule one upon another, not without a divine o|ver-ruling
providence. <HI>The Lord</HI> (&s;aith the Text)
<PB N="5" REF="5">
<HI>&s;et every mans Sword again&s;t his fellow,</HI> Judg. 7. 22. The
Sword whether <HI>Forraigne</HI> or <HI>Civill,</HI> &s;till it is the <HI>Sword
of the Lord.</HI></P>
<P>And well may it be &s;o called,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rea&s;.</NOTE> it is both of his <HI>choo&s;ing</HI>
and of his <HI>u&s;ing.</HI></P>
<P>1.<NOTE PLACE="marg">1</NOTE> Of his <HI>Choo&s;ing,</HI> his appointing. So are general|ly
all <HI>Rods, Heare the Rod and who hath appointed it,</HI>
Mic. 6. v. 9. God doth not leave it unto men to chu&s;e
their owne <HI>Rods.</HI> True it is, once he did it, and but
once that I remember. <HI>David</HI> having provoked God
by numbring of the people, the Lord &s;ends him his
choice of three <HI>Rods</HI> (a hard choyce) <HI>Famine, Sword,
Pe&s;tilence. J offer thee three things</HI> (&s;aith the Lord)
<HI>choo&s;e thou one of them, that I may doe it unto thee.]</HI>
2 <HI>Sam.</HI> 24. 12. But this is not ordinary. Ordinarily
God him&s;elfe makes choyce of the Rod, the judge|ment
wherewith he &s;triketh. And choo&s;ing it, he
cals for it. So he doth for <HI>mercies</HI> before they come.
<HI>J will call for the Corne,</HI> Ezek. 36. 29. And the like
hee doth for <HI>iudgements;</HI> this among&s;t the re&s;t, the
<HI>Sword;</HI> it never cometh before he calls for it. <HI>Lo I will
call for a Sword upon all the inhabitants of the Earth,
&s;aith the Lord of Hoa&s;tes,</HI> Jer. 25. 29. It is he that
calleth for the <HI>Forraigne Sword. In that day the Lord
&s;hall hi&s;&s;e for the Fly that is at the uttermo&s;t part of the
floods of</HI> Aegypt, <HI>and for the Bee that is in the Land
of</HI> A&s;hur, (&s;aith the Prophet, &s;peaking of the <HI>Egipti|ans</HI>
and <HI>A&s;&s;yrians,</HI> which God intended to bring a|gain&s;t
his people) <HI>I&s;.</HI> 7 18. And it is he which calleth for
the <HI>Civill</HI> or <HI>Homebred Sword. I will call for a Sword
again&s;t him</HI> (&s;aith the Lord, &s;peaking of <HI>Gog</HI> and <HI>Ma|gog</HI>
the principall enemies of the Church) <HI>and every
mans Sword &s;hall be again&s;t his Brother,</HI> Ezek. 38. 21.
The <HI>Sword,</HI> whether <HI>Forraigne</HI> or <HI>Civill</HI> it is a Rod of
<HI>Gods choo&s;ing,</HI> and in that re&s;pect may well be called his
<HI>Sword.</HI></P>
<P>2.<NOTE PLACE="marg">2.</NOTE> As of his <HI>Choo&s;ing</HI> &s;o of his <HI>&V;&s;ing;</HI> as of his <HI>cal|ling</HI>
<PB N="6" REF="6">
&s;o of his <HI>&s;ending,</HI> which he doth not without a
<HI>Charge:</HI> &s;o you have it in the Text. <HI>The Lord hath gi|ven
it a Charge again&s;t A&s;hkelon,</HI> &amp;c.] wherin the
Prophet gives a <HI>Rea&s;on</HI> why he calleth this Sword, <HI>The
Sword of the Lord;</HI> becau&s;e the Lord had given it a
<HI>Charge.</HI> So he doth where-ever the Sword cometh,
he giveth it a <HI>Charge,</HI> a <HI>Commi&s;&s;ion:</HI> not only a <HI>Per|mi&s;&s;ion,</HI>
but a <HI>Commi&s;&s;ion,</HI> and that under <HI>Seale.</HI> It is
that which <HI>Job</HI> &s;aith of all <HI>Afflictions</HI> and <HI>Judgements,</HI>
Job 33. 16. <HI>The Lord openeth the Eares of men even by
their cor<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="missing" EXTENT="1 letter">ections, which hee had &s;ealed. i. e.</HI> determi|ned;
&s;o the <HI>Geneva</HI> both reades and interprets that
place. God never &s;ends a judgement, but he <HI>&s;ealeth</HI> it,
giving it a <HI>Charge,</HI> a <HI>Commi&s;&s;ion,</HI> and that, as it were,
under <HI>Seale.</HI> So he doth by the Sword, which never co|meth
without a <HI>Commi&s;&s;ion,</HI> a <HI>Charge,</HI> and that from
God, who <HI>chargeth</HI> and ordereth it: 1. <HI>Whither it
&s;hall goe. 2. How farre it &s;hall advance. 3. How long
it &s;hall &s;tay.</HI> 4. And la&s;tly, <HI>What execution it &s;hall do.</HI>
In all which re&s;pects it may be well called, <HI>The Sword
of the Lord.</HI></P>
<P>1. It hath a <HI>Charge</HI> from God <HI>whither it &s;hall goe;</HI> to
what place, to what Kingdome, what part of that
Kingdome: &s;o much we may reade in the Text. <HI>The
Lord</HI> (&s;aith the Prophet) <HI>had given the Sword a charge
again&s;t</HI> Pale&s;tina, the land of the <HI>Phili&s;tines;</HI> and that
not only again&s;t the Country in generall, but again&s;t
&s;ome particular places in it. <HI>The Lord hath given it a
charge again&s;t</HI> A&s;hkelon, <HI>and again&s;t the Sea coasts.]
A&s;hkelon,</HI> one particular City of the <HI>Phili&s;tines,</HI> an in|land
City, <HI>paul&ograve; remotior</HI> (as <HI>Calvin</HI> notes upon it) a
little more remote from the Sea <HI>Coa&s;ts,</HI> viz. <HI>Tyre</HI> and
<HI>Sidon,</HI> of which the Prophet &s;peaketh, <HI>v</HI> 4. Maritine
Townes bordering upon the Sea. Now the Sword had
a <HI>Commi&s;&s;ion</HI> again&s;t each of the&s;e. Not only a generall,
but a particular <HI>Charge:</HI> &s;o hath it where ever it com|meth,
a <HI>Charge</HI> not onely to goe to &s;uch a Country,
<PB N="7" REF="6">
but &s;uch a part of that Country. A charge given it by
God.</P>
<P>2. As a Charge whither it &s;hall goe, &s;o <HI>How farre
it &s;hall advance:</HI> Whether it &s;hall goe to one part of
the Land, or through it: &s;o much we may picke out
of that threatning. <HI>Ezek. 14. 17. If I bring a Sword
upon that Land</HI> (&s;aith the Lord) <HI>and &s;ay, Sword goe
through the Land.</HI> This Sword, how well backed &s;oe|ver,
it can advance no further then it hath a charge, a
command to doe, and &s;o farre it &s;hall goe. This al&s;o
we may reade in the Text. The <HI>Sword of the Lord</HI>
had a charge again&s;t <HI>A&s;hkelon, and again&s;t the Sea coa&s;ts,]</HI>
it &s;hould not only touch the skirts of the Kingdom, but
the inland part al&s;o.</P>
<P>3. <HI>How long it &s;hall &s;tay</HI> where it cometh; whether
it &s;hall be only <HI>Tran&s;iens gladius,</HI> a <HI>tran&s;ient Sword,</HI> pa&s;|&s;ing
through the Land, or el&s;e <HI>Permanent,</HI> &s;taying and
abiding, making it the Seat of a warre. So much a|gaine
we may learne from the Text, where the Pro|phet
treating and <HI>Parlying</HI> with the Sword about a <HI>Ce&s;|&s;ation,
How long will it be ere thou cea&s;e?</HI> &amp;c.] In
the next ver&s;e he corrects and an&s;wers him&s;elfe, <HI>How
can it cea&s;e &s;eeing the Lord hath given it a charge?]</HI>
a <HI>Charge, viz.</HI> how long it &s;hall continue, and abide wa|&s;ting
and &s;poyling in that Land.</P>
<P>4. <HI>What Execution it &s;hall doe.</HI> This al&s;o the Sword
hath in charge from God: whether it &s;hall <HI>&s;ip</HI> and <HI>ta&s;te</HI>
of blood, or els be <HI>bathed</HI> and made <HI>drunke</HI> with blood.
Expre&s;&s;e and emphaticall is that of the Prophet <HI>I&s;ai,</HI> I|&s;a.
34. 5. <HI>My Sword</HI> (&s;aith the Lord) <HI>&s;hall be bathed or
made drunke in Heaven.]</HI> A notable expre&s;&s;ion. <HI>The
Sword is never made drunke upon Earth, but it is first
made drunke in Heaven.</HI> Fir&s;t made drunke in Heaven
in the <HI>Decree</HI> and <HI>Purpo&s;e</HI> of God, before it be made
drunke upon Earth in doing <HI>Execution,</HI> which is but
the Execution of that Decree. When God &s;ends a
Sword again&s;t a Nation, he giveth it a particular <HI>Com|mi&s;&s;ion,</HI>
<PB N="8" REF="7">
and that not onely again&s;t &s;uch or &s;uch a place,
but again&s;t &s;uch and &s;uch particular per&s;ons. So much
is intimated in that full expre&s;&s;ion, <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 65. 12. where
the Lord denouncing vengeance again&s;t tho&s;e rebelli|ous
ones, which had &s;topped their eares again&s;t his
Call, he tels them he would <HI>number them to the Sword.
Therefore will I number you to the Sword]</HI> marke it:
where God giveth over a people to the Sword, he doth
it not by the gro&s;&s;e, but by number and tale. <HI>Such as
are appointed to the Sword goe to the Sword,</HI> as the
Prophet <HI>Jeremy</HI> hath it, <HI>Ier.</HI> 15. 2. They, and none
but they. God giving over whom he plea&s;eth, and ex|empting
whom he plea&s;eth. The one &s;hall not e&s;cape,
the other &s;hall not be touched. It is the Lords pro|mi&s;e
to King <HI>Zedekiah,</HI> that notwith&s;tanding hee
&s;hould fall into the hand of his Enemies, yet he &s;hould
not peri&s;h by the <HI>Sword, Thou &s;halt not die by the
Sword,</HI> Jer. 34. 4. The like protection he giveth to
<HI>Ebedmelech the Black-moore,</HI> Jer. 39. v. la&s;t. <HI>Thou &s;halt
not fall by the Sword.]</HI> The Sword when it is &s;ent a|gain&s;t
a people, it is not left to the ca&s;ualty of <HI>Chance</HI>
or <HI>Fortune,</HI> nor yet to the will of him that u&s;eth it.
God him&s;elf giveth it a <HI>Commi&s;&s;ion,</HI> a <HI>Charge;</HI> a charge,
as whither it &s;hall go, and how farr it &s;hall go, and how
long it &s;hall &s;tay, &s;o what blood it &s;hall draw. And in
all the&s;e re&s;pects well may it be called, <HI>The Sword of the
Lord.</HI></P>
<P>To the&s;e let me adde yet one thing more. The
Sword where ever it goeth, <HI>it goeth upon Gods errand,
to avenge his quarrell.</HI> This is that which the Lord
telleth his people, <HI>Lev. 26. 25. I will bring a Sword upon
you that &s;hall avenge the quarrell of my Covenant.]</HI> Marke
it; The Sword is never un&s;heathed, it never goeth
forth upon any &s;ervice, but it is in Gods quarrell; to
take vengeance for &s;ome wrong, &s;ome affront, &s;ome
indignity offered to him, or to his people. To &s;uch
a purpo&s;e the Sword in the Text &s;erved. It was to
<PB N="9" REF="7">
goe forth to avenge the quarrell of God again&s;t the
<HI>Phili&s;tins,</HI> tho&s;e inveterate enemies to him and his
people, to take vengeance upon them for all the wrongs
and injuries that they had done to the <HI>Arke</HI> of God,
and to the people of God. Never doth the Sword goe
forth but upon &s;ome &s;uch quarrell. God hath fir&s;t a
<HI>Controver&s;ie with a Land,</HI> (as the Prophet <HI>Ho&s;ea</HI>
&s;peakes, <HI>Ho&s;,</HI> 4. 1.) before he &s;end the &s;word to de|cide
it. The <HI>Quarrell</HI> is his, and therefore the <HI>Sword</HI>
may well be called, <HI>His Sword. [O thou Sword of the
Lord.]</HI></P>
<P>A u&s;efull Point;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Application.</NOTE> and &s;o let it be to every of us. That
is the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e I mainly intend at the pre&s;ent, it being
mo&s;t &s;utable to the day, and occa&s;ion, which calls rather
for <HI>Application,</HI> then <HI>Doctrine.</HI> That it may be &s;o un|to
us.</P>
<P>In the fir&s;t place bring we home this generall Truth
to the particular ca&s;e of this Kingdome,<NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e 1.</NOTE> in the bowels
whereof there is a <HI>Sword,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Information.</NOTE> a &s;harpe Sword, wandring
and forraging, wa&s;ting and &s;poiling; It may be at
this very in&s;tant <HI>eating of Fle&s;h,</HI> and <HI>drinking of blood.</HI>
A Sword not unlike that in the Text, which begin|neth
at <HI>A&s;hkelon,</HI> reacheth to <HI>Tyre</HI> and <HI>Sidon,</HI> begin|ning
in the in-land parts of the Kingdome, extendeth
to the <HI>Sea Coa&s;ts,</HI> &s;ome whereof have already felt of
it, and the re&s;t being in daily expectation of it. Now
this <HI>Sword</HI> know we it to be, as it is, <HI>The Sword of the
Lord,</HI> and &s;o looke we upon it; which till we doe,
we are not capable of making a right u&s;e of it. It is
&s;o in all judgements, all corrections; till we come to &s;ee
God in them, wee &s;hall never make a &s;anctified, a
Chri&s;tian u&s;e of them. It is &s;o in this great, and &s;oare
judgement, (for &s;o indeed it is, no judgement pier|cing
deeper, <HI>The Sword reacheth: unto the &s;oule,</HI> &s;aith
the Prophet <HI>Jeremie, Jer.</HI> 4. 10.) Now that we may
make a right u&s;e of it, that u&s;e which God would
have us to make, give way to this conviction, acknow|ledging
<PB N="10" REF="8">
this to be Gods Sword.</P>
<P>True, it is in the hands of men, managed (as we
thinke) by them, but alas what are they? <HI>Instru|ments.</HI>
At the mo&s;t, <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>Living</HI> and <HI>Ra|tionall,</HI>
(I dare not &s;ay <HI>Rea&s;onable; Paul</HI> tells us of
<HI>Wicked</HI> and <HI>&V;nrea&s;onable</HI> men (&s;o our Tran&s;lation ren|ders
it, 2 <HI>The&s;.</HI> 3. 2.) but <HI>Rationall) Instruments,</HI> as
the Philo&s;opher &s;aith of Servants. A <HI>Living Sword</HI>
as the Father &s;aith of a <HI>Dog,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Greg. Ny&s;&s;.</NOTE> that he is <HI>Vivus hominis
gladius, A living Sword to his Master.</HI> Such are men,
&s;pecially wicked and ungodly men, to God. <HI>The
wicked which is thy Sword,]</HI> &s;aith the P&s;almi&s;t, <HI>P&s;alm.</HI>
17. 13.</P>
<P>And &s;o looke we upon this Sword which is abroad,
and at worke in &s;ome parts of this Kingdome already,
know we it to be <HI>Gods Sword;</HI> A Sword which hee
hath both called for, and &s;ent; having given it a War|rant,
a <HI>Charge</HI> whither to goe. He that here gave
the Sword a charge again&s;t <HI>Pale&s;tina,</HI> again&s;t <HI>A&s;hkelon,</HI>
and the <HI>Sea Coa&s;ts,</HI> hath now given it a charge again&s;t
<HI>England,</HI> and again&s;t the &s;everall places where either
it hath come, or &s;hall come. Looke we not then too
much at &s;econdary cau&s;es, at the <HI>Malignancie</HI> of what
ever <HI>spirits</HI> we conceive to have beene <HI>Incendiaries</HI> in
the State. Alas what are they? <HI>In&s;truments, Bellowes,</HI>
which may blow up, but cannot kindle a fire. Nor
yet attribute we too much to tho&s;e imaginary ob&s;er|vations
of <HI>fatall Revolutions,</HI> or <HI>Ominous Conjunctions</HI>
of tho&s;e heavenly Bodies. So farre the <HI>A&s;trologer</HI> go|eth
(upon what ground I know not.) A Chri&s;tian
mu&s;t goe further, not &s;taying his thoughts upon earth,
nor yet terminating his &s;ight in the vi&s;ible Heavens,
but looking through all, let him behold this <HI>Sword,
furbi&s;hed</HI> and <HI>bathed in the highe&s;t Heavens,</HI> the Heaven
of Heavens. So much God taught the people of the
<HI>Jewes</HI> by a &s;igne from Heaven, by that prodigious
<HI>Comes,</HI> that <HI>flaming Sword</HI> hanging perpendicularly,
<PB N="11" REF="8">
with the point downwards, over the City <HI>Hieru&s;alem</HI>
for a yeare together before the de&s;truction of it; there|by
&s;hewing them from whence the Sword &s;hould
come again&s;t them. I am not over-credulous of a
flying report which informes us of a like prodigie in
this Nation, a like Sword, hanging after a like man|ner
not many yeares &s;ince over the head of that place,
that <HI>City,</HI> which at this pre&s;ent is made the &s;eate of
the Warre. Sure I am, from thence it is, that the <HI>Sword</HI>
drops upon the head of a place, a Citie, a Kingdom.
It is that which <HI>Eliphaz</HI> in <HI>Job</HI> &s;aith of all <HI>affliction,</HI> all
<HI>trouble, It cometh not forth of the Du&s;t, neither doth it
spring out of the ground, Job</HI> 5. 6. Apply we it to
this great <HI>Affliction,</HI> this great <HI>Trouble, The Sword
cometh not out of the du&s;t, neither doth it &s;pring out of the
ground.</HI> Certainely the Originall of it is from Heaven.
However in the hand of Man, yet it is the <HI>Sword</HI> of the
Lord.</P>
<P>And is it &s;o?<NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e 2. Terror.</NOTE> And doe we &s;o apprehend and beleeve
it to be? <HI>Oh</HI> then &s;tand we in awe, and tremble be|fore
this Sword. <HI>The Lyon hath roared who will not
feare?</HI> &s;aith the Prophet <HI>Amos, Amos</HI> 3. 8. The Lord
God, the <HI>Lord of Hoa&s;tes</HI> hath drawne his Sword,
who &s;hall not tremble at it? <HI>The Sword of the Lord.</HI>
And what a Sword is his? Why a <HI>fore</HI> and <HI>great,</HI> and
<HI>&s;trong Sword,</HI> &s;o you have it de&s;cribed, <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 27. 1.
And being &s;o, who or what &s;hall oppo&s;e this Sword?
How &s;hall it be diverted? how &s;hall it be &s;tayed, qui|eted?
This it is which the Prophet here chiefly drives
at in the Text, where (as I told you) he &s;eemes to
<HI>Parlie</HI> with the <HI>Sword</HI> which was coming again&s;t the
<HI>Phili&s;tims,</HI> treating with it about a <HI>ce&s;&s;ation. O thou
Sword of the Lord, how long will it be ere thou be quiet?
Put up thy &s;elfe into thy &s;cabbard,</HI> &amp;c,] (Here give me
leave to returne a little to the Text, interweaving
<HI>Explication</HI> with <HI>Application,</HI> that the one may be as
the Woofe, the other as the Warpe.) This the Pro|phet
<PB N="12" REF="9">
&s;peaketh not in his own per&s;on, out of any <HI>com|mi&s;eration,</HI>
or &s;peciall <HI>affection</HI> that he bare towards
this people, being enemies to God and his people,
but rather (as M^r. <HI>Calvin</HI> noteth upon it) per&s;ona|ting
the <HI>Philistines</HI> them&s;elves, who, when they &s;aw
the Sword coming towards them, or bu&s;ie among&s;t
them, they would then begin (to u&s;e his words)
<HI>mulcere blanditijs,</HI> to <HI>flatter</HI> it, u&s;ing all carnall politick
wayes, and meanes of <HI>Treaties</HI> and <HI>Pacifications,</HI> &s;ee|king
and indeavouring either the diverting, or qui|eting
of it. But the Prophet tells them, all their at|tempts
and indeavours in this ca&s;e &s;hould be bootle&s;&s;e:
This Sword being <HI>the Sword of the Lord,</HI> and having a
<HI>charge</HI> from him, it would not be <HI>bribed,</HI> it would
not be per&s;waded, nor yet oppo&s;ed, or by any meanes
taken off, or quieted, till it had done the Execution
for which it was &s;ent. <HI>How can it be quiet &s;eeing the
Lord hath given it a charge again&s;t</HI> A&s;hkelon, <HI>&amp;c. There
hath he appointed it.] Appointed it.</HI> In this word <HI>Cal|vin</HI>
findeth a &s;peciall empha&s;is, and therefore renders
it not <HI>precepit ei,</HI> but <HI>Conte&s;tatus e&s;t ei.</HI> Not only, <HI>hee
commanded,</HI> or <HI>appointed</HI> the Sword unto that &s;ervice,
but he bound it to it by a kind of <HI>&s;olemne Conte&s;tation,</HI>
laying a &s;olemne <HI>Charge</HI> upon it, binding it as it were
by a <HI>Militarie Oath,</HI> or <HI>before witne&s;&s;e,</HI> as the word
(<HI>Tegnatha</HI>) may &s;eeme properly to &s;ignifie, <HI>viz.</HI> to
goe thither, and not to returne or be quiet, till it had
done the worke for which it was &s;ent; untill it had
over-runne, and utterly overthrowne that whole King|dome.</P>
<P>And O who knowes whether the Lord hath given
&s;uch a Charge to this Sword of his which is now come
among&s;t us? The Sword it &s;elfe, that is un&s;heathed,
and drawne; I, but the <HI>Charge,</HI> the <HI>Commi&s;&s;ion</HI> which
it bringeth with it, that is as yet in part <HI>&s;ealed.</HI> The
<HI>Lambs Booke</HI> in the <HI>Revelation,</HI> it was <HI>&s;ealed</HI> with <HI>&s;ix
&s;eales,</HI> Rev. 6. which were not to be opened all toge|ther,
<PB N="13" REF="9">
but one after another, &s;ome of them not yet
opened. Wee may &s;ay the like of this <HI>Commi&s;&s;ion</HI>
which the Sword hath brought with it, <HI>God hath &s;ea|led
it with divers &s;eales,</HI> &s;ome whereof are opened al|ready,
in tho&s;e &s;ad effects and con&s;equences which
it hath already produced; but who knowes what is
yet behind? How farre the Sword hath already gone,
and what it hath done, we &s;ee or heare of; but how
farre it may yet goe, how long it &s;hall continue a|mong&s;t
us, what execution it &s;hall doe, who can tell?
Certainely the <HI>Charge</HI> which God hath given it, it
will ob&s;erve, and who &s;hall &s;ay unto it, bee quiet?
how &s;hall it be oppo&s;ed? how &s;hall it be &s;tayed?</P>
<P>Alas, in this ca&s;e, all carnall wayes and meanes,
whether <HI>Power,</HI> or <HI>Policie,</HI> will be to little, to no pur|po&s;e.
If God have given the Sword a charge again&s;t
<HI>A&s;hkelon,</HI> it is not all their Land forces, their <HI>Ram|pires</HI>
and <HI>fortifications,</HI> that &s;hall keepe it from entring.
If he hath given it a charge again&s;t the <HI>Sea-coa&s;ts,</HI> it
is not all their Navall &s;trength, their <HI>wooden-walles,</HI>
their Sea Forces, &s;hall be able to keepe it off. If hee
hath given it a charge to goe through a Land, it is not
an Armie of <HI>Anakims,</HI> or <HI>Zanzummims,</HI> &s;uppo&s;e
every one a <HI>Goliath,</HI> that &s;hall be able to &s;top the cour&s;e
of it.</P>
<P>This I &s;peake, not to di&s;hearten, or di&s;courage any,
in the&s;e times of common danger, from u&s;ing any
lawfull wayes and meanes, for the &s;ecuring of them|&s;elves,
or the places where they live from forraigne,
or home-bred outrages. This we may doe, this we
ought to doe. But withall know we, that when we
have done what we can doe, yet, if the Sword come
backed with this charge, if the Lord have given it a
charge again&s;t a place (&s;uppo&s;e this place) as it will
not be bribed, &s;o neither will it be oppo&s;ed, or hindered
from doing that &s;ervice, that execution, for which it is
&s;ent.</P>
<P><PB N="14" REF="10">
In the feare of God then, let us no longer delude or
flatter our &s;elves, &s;uffer not <HI>vaine thoughts to lodge
within us,</HI> beare not our &s;elves upon any po&s;&s;ible or
probable hopes, or carnall confidences whatever.
Think not to &s;ay, the Sword is yet a farre off, in the
remote parts of the Kingdome; Alas, we &s;ee, or heare
what progre&s;&s;e it hath already made; how like light|ning
it hath runne from one corner of the Land to the
other; how it hath vi&s;ited parts as di&s;tant from the
fir&s;t breaking of it forth, as tho&s;e wherein we at the
pre&s;ent are. And who knoweth whether God hath
given it a <HI>Commi&s;&s;ion</HI> to goe through the Land? If &s;o,
be we a&s;&s;ured it will find a time to vi&s;it us al&s;o. If the
Sword come to <HI>A&s;hkelon,</HI> it can &s;oone vi&s;it the <HI>Sea coa&s;t.</HI>
Feede not our &s;elves with <HI>po&s;&s;ibilities;</HI></P>
<P>Nor yet with the &s;uppo&s;all of any &s;peciall <HI>&s;ecurity in
the place</HI> where we are. Alas were it never &s;o <HI>populous,</HI>
never &s;o <HI>&s;trong</HI> by <HI>nature</HI> and <HI>art,</HI> never &s;o well <HI>for|tified,</HI>
yet, if the Sword have a charge again&s;t it, all
will be nothing. <HI>The Lord hath given it a charge a|gain&s;t</HI>
A&s;hkelon, &s;aith the Text. <HI>A&s;hkelon,</HI> one of
the chiefe Cities of the <HI>Phili&s;tines,</HI> if not the <HI>Me|tropolis,</HI>
the <HI>head City,</HI> yet one of the chiefe, an
Imperiall City, the &s;eate of their Kings, where they
were wont to keepe their ordinary re&s;idence. So
much wee may collect from that of the Prophet
<HI>Amos, Amos</HI> 1. 8. where the Lord threatning ven|geance
again&s;t divers Cities in that Kingdome, a|mong&s;t
other he tells them, that he would <HI>Cut off him
that held the Scepter from</HI> A&s;hkelon. There was the
Kings Court; A Royall City, a populous and &s;trong
City, yet the Sword hath a <HI>Charge</HI> again&s;t it. It is
not the multitude of people, nor yet the &s;trength whe|ther
of Naturall or Artificiall Fortifications, that
&s;hall be able to keepe out the Sword, if the Lord
give it a charge to enter. This is the le&s;&s;on which the
Prophet <HI>Nahum</HI> reades to the inhabitants of <HI>Nineveh,
<PB N="15" REF="10">
Nah. 3 8. Ninoveh</HI> the Imperiall City of the <HI>A&s;&s;yrian Mo|narch,</HI>
for <HI>Circuit, People, Walles, Towers, Fortifications,</HI> all
incredible; yet, (what &s;aith the Lord?) <HI>Art thou better
then populous</HI> Noe, <HI>that was &s;cituate among&s;t the Rivers,
that had the waters round about it, who&s;e rampart
was the Sea, and her wall was from the Sea,</HI> &amp;c.] Marke
it, <HI>Noe,</HI> the City of <HI>Alexandria,</HI> (as it is generally
conceived,) a famous Port Towne in <HI>Egipt,</HI> for &s;ci|tuation,
(by the Prophets de&s;cription of it) not much
unlike that wherein we now are; &s;trongly fortified
both by <HI>Sea</HI> and <HI>Land;</HI> withall at that time &s;ecured,
and &s;trengthened by the <HI>Confederacies,</HI> and <HI>A&s;&s;ocia|tions</HI>
of potent <HI>Neighbours:</HI> &s;o it followes, <HI>ver.</HI> 9.
Ethiopia <HI>and</HI> Egipt <HI>were her &s;trength, it was infinite,</HI>
Put <HI>and</HI> Lubim, (Affrica <HI>and</HI> Lybia) <HI>were thy helpers;]</HI>
Yet all this could not &s;ecure her. <HI>Yet was &s;he carried
away, &s;he went into captivity,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>v.</HI> 10. I &s;hall not
neede to make the <HI>Application:</HI> It applies it &s;elfe,
teaching us not to repo&s;e any confidence in any <HI>Locall
Advantages,</HI> or <HI>Neighbouring A&s;&s;ociations.</HI></P>
<P>Nor yet in any <HI>Per&s;onall Protections,</HI> which men
in &s;uch ca&s;es are very ready to forge unto them&s;elves,
promi&s;ing to them&s;elves a <HI>Per&s;onall &s;ecurity</HI> in the
mid&s;t of <HI>Common Calamity.</HI> This the <HI>great</HI> men of
the world are very ready to doe. But alas upon what
ground? If God once give the Sword a charge again&s;t
them, it is not Greatne&s;&s;e, it is not Honour, it is not
E&s;tate &s;hall buy, or beare off the blow. I remember
what the Lord &s;aith to <HI>Job</HI> concerning <HI>Behemoth,</HI> the
<HI>Elephant</HI> (as it is thought,) <HI>Job 40. 19. Hee is the
chiefe of the wayes of God,</HI> (the chiefe&s;t among&s;t the
Bruit Creatures) yet, <HI>Hee that made him can make
his Sword approach unto him.]</HI> Though man dareth not
come nigh him, yet God hath the &s;ame command
over him, that he hath over the meane&s;t of his Crea|tures.
Let it be applyed to the <HI>Behemoths</HI> of the
world, the great men, the mighty men, who are
<PB N="16" REF="11">
oft-times a terror to their underlings; let them know,
that <HI>Hee which made them, can make his Sword approa<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">h
unto th<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="missing" EXTENT="1 letter">m;</HI> which if it doe, it will put no di<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="missing" EXTENT="1 letter">ference
betwixt them, and others. It is that which <HI>David</HI>
bids the Me&s;&s;engers &s;ay unto <HI>Joab</HI> upon the death of
valiant and worthy <HI>&V;riah. The Sword devoureth one
as well as an other.</HI> 2 Sam. 11. 25 In this like him
that &s;endeth it, <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>No respecter of per&s;ons;</HI>
not regarding <HI>Age, Sex, Condition.</HI> A tru<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">h which
the Prophet &s;ets forth mo&s;t fully in that elegant Al|legorie,
<HI>I&s;a.</HI> 34. 6, 7. <HI>The Sword of the Lord is filled
with blood, it is made fat with the blood of the Lambs, and
the Goates, with the fat of the kidnies of the Rammes,
&amp;c]</HI> Marke it, <HI>Lambs, Goates, Rammes,</HI> denoting
per&s;ons of all ages, all conditions: <HI>Young</HI> as well as
<HI>Old, Rich</HI> as well as <HI>Poore.</HI> I, <HI>the &V;nicornes &s;hall come
downe with them,</HI> and the <HI>Heighfers,</HI> (&s;o the Geneva
re<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">des it, though I confe&s;&s;e not &s;o properly, the word
being there Ma&s;culine, not Feminine, <HI>Parim,</HI> not
<HI>Paroth,</HI> not <HI>Heighfers,</HI> but <HI>Bullocks</HI>) the <HI>Bullocks</HI> with
the <HI>Bulls,</HI> as the new Tran&s;lation hath it, meaning
thereby the mighty, and rich men of the Times, which
&s;hould fall by the Sword as well, and as &s;oone as any
other. But what then? &s;hall <HI>Women</HI> be exempted?
Not &s;o. The Prophet <HI>Amos, Cap. 4. v.</HI> 1. in&s;i&s;ting in
the &s;ame allegorie, he threatens the very &s;ame judge|ment
again&s;t <HI>Kine,</HI> as the Prophet <HI>E&s;ai</HI> had done a|gain&s;t
<HI>Bullocks,</HI> and <HI>Bulls Heare this word ye Kine of
Ba&s;han,]</HI> where the word (as <HI>Pagnine</HI> ob&s;erves) is
Feminine, not <HI>Parim,</HI> but <HI>Paroth,</HI> not <HI>Bulls</HI> or <HI>Bul|locks,</HI>
but <HI>Kine</HI> or <HI>Heighfers;</HI> meaning thereby (as he
interprets it) <HI>Pingues &amp; Potentes foeminae,</HI> the <HI>high
fed, pampered Dames of</HI> Samaria', who gave them|&s;elves
over unto &s;en&s;uall, and voluptuous cour&s;es; And
them he threatens there with a &s;hare in that common
judgement, they &s;hould feele of the Sword, or flye be|fore
it as well as others; So it followeth, <HI>ver.</HI> 3.
<PB N="17" REF="11">
<HI>Ye<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;ha'l goe out at the breaches, every Cowe at that
which is before her, i. e.</HI> The women &s;hould be put
to a confuted flight, to &s;hift for them&s;elves, as well
as any other. So impartiall an Officer will the
Sword &s;hew it &s;elfe, when it commeth to doe ex|ecution,
it &s;hall ob&s;erve the Charge given it again&s;t
whom&s;oever, proceeding according to the warrant
which it hath received, not &s;paring any which by
divine appointment are de&s;tinated to it, bee they
what they will. <HI>The fourbi&s;hed Sword</HI> in Ezek. ca.
21. 10. <HI>It despi&s;eth the rod of my Sonne, as every
Tree</HI> (&s;aith the Lord) the <HI>Scepter,</HI> as well as the
<HI>Coulter,</HI> putting no d<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">fference betwixt <HI>Prince</HI> and
<HI>Pea&s;ant.</HI> And no wonder. It is <HI>the Sword of the
Lord&punc;</HI> O then, let us feare and tremble before <HI>this
Sword;</HI> knowing that it is no carnall way or means,
w<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="2 letters">ther <HI>Power</HI> or <HI>Policie,</HI> that &s;hall divert, or hin|der
this Sword from doing <HI>that execution,</HI> which God
hath given it in charge.</P>
<P>But yet in the 3d.<NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e 3.</NOTE> place, whil&s;t we feare and trem|ble,
<HI>Let not our hearts melt before it;</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Comfort.</NOTE> be we not wholy
di&s;mayed or di&s;heartned at it; &s;till remembring, it is
<HI>the Sword of the Lord.</HI> Not the Sword of <HI>Man.</HI>
True, it is put into his hand, but yet not his Sword.
Remember, Man is but the <HI>In&s;trument,</HI> the <HI>Executioner</HI>
in this &s;ervice. Which yet maketh this judgment the
more terrible, becau&s;e <HI>Man</HI> hath &s;o much an hand in
it, as he hath. It was <HI>Davids</HI> rea&s;on, why of tho&s;e
three great evils, he cho&s;e the <HI>Pe&s;tilence,</HI> as the lea&s;t;
<HI>Pe&s;tilence</HI> rather then the <HI>Sword,</HI> in the one he had to
deale only with <HI>God,</HI> in the other with <HI>Man. Let us
fall into the hands of the Lord</HI> (&s;aith he) <HI>for his mercies are
great, and let me not fall into the hands of man,</HI> 2 Sam.
24. 14. <HI>Pe&s;tilence</HI> is Gods owne more Immediate
&s;treake: In warre (though that be his worke al&s;o,
yet) he maketh u&s;e of <HI>Man</HI> as his <HI>In&s;trument.</HI> Now
with God there are <HI>mercies,</HI> I <HI>great mercies,</HI> but with
<PB N="18" REF="12">
man oftimes there are none, <HI>Homo homini Lupus,</HI> nay
<HI>Daemon.</HI> Man is &s;ometimes to man little better then a
<HI>Woolfe,</HI> a <HI>Devill,</HI> a mercile&s;&s;e Enemy. Wee know
what the <HI>Wi&s;e man</HI> &s;aith of the <HI>wicked man,</HI> Prov. 12.
10. <HI>The mercies (the tender mercies, the bowels) of
the wicked are cruell.</HI> And if their <HI>Mercies</HI> be <HI>cruell,</HI> how
great is their <HI>Cruelty?</HI> As our Saviour &s;aith of the Eye
which is the light of the Body; <HI>If that be darke how
great is that darkene&s;&s;e?</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 6 23.</NOTE> So, if the very bowels (the
proper &s;eat of tenderne&s;&s;e and compa&s;&s;ion) be cruell, &ocirc;
how great is <HI>that cruelty?</HI> In this regard it mu&s;t be ac|knowledged,
warre is the more dreadfull judgement,
more terrible then either <HI>Famine</HI> or <HI>Pe&s;tilence,</HI> both
which ordinarily are attendants upon the <HI>Sword.</HI> Man
hath an hand in the one, not &s;o in the other. Yet know
we, and know it to our comfort, man hath not &s;o an
hand, but that God hath an hand in it too, I, the chie|fe&s;t
hand. God doth not &s;o put the Sword into the
hand of man, as to leave the managing and handling of
it wholy unto him. No, &s;hould it be &s;o, Gods peo|ple
mu&s;t looke but for little mercy, no favour, no|thing
but the height and quinte&s;&s;ence of <HI>Cruelty.</HI>
But here is the Comfort: man is but the <HI>In&s;tru|ment,</HI>
God him&s;elfe the <HI>principall agent,</HI> ruling, o|ver-ruling,
handling that Sword which he puts in|to
the hand of another. So the <HI>Geneva</HI> Tran&s;lati|on
readeth that of the Prophet <HI>Ezekiel,</HI> Ezek. 21.
11. Where the Prophet &s;peaking of <HI>that &s;harpe
Sword,</HI> which the Lord would put into <HI>the hand
of the Babylonians,</HI> arming them again&s;t his people;
<HI>He hath given it</HI> (&s;aith he) <HI>to be furbi&s;hed that hee
may handle it.</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> Marke it. God in giving the
Sword into the hand of man, doth not give it out
of his owne hand. He giveth it to him, <HI>ad tenen|dum
in vol&acirc;</HI> (as <HI>Montanus</HI> renders the words ac|cording
to the Originall) <HI>to hold in his hand;]</HI> but
not to u&s;e as he plea&s;eth. Even as a <HI>writing-Ma|&s;ter</HI>
<PB N="19" REF="12">
puts a penne into the hand of his young Schol|ler,
which yet him&s;elfe guideth: Thus God puts
the Sword into the hand of man, which yet him|&s;elfe
handleth. Man <HI>holdeth it,</HI> God <HI>handleth it:</HI>
Man being but (as I &s;aid) Gods <HI>In&s;trument,</HI> his
<HI>Sword.</HI> As the Sword is to man, &s;o is man to
God. <HI>The wicked who is thy Sword,</HI> in the place
fore-named, <HI>P&s;alm.</HI> 17. 13. Now the Sword, though
a &s;harpe and dangerous weapon, yet it wounds not,
it hurts not, unle&s;&s;e hee which weareth it &s;trike
with it. Wicked men &s;uppo&s;e them never &s;o &s;harp
&s;et again&s;t the Church, and people of God, though
<HI>Swords,</HI> nay <HI>Razours</HI> (&s;o the Prophet calls that <HI>A&s;|&s;yrian
Monarch, Novacula mercenaria,</HI> or <HI>conducti|tia,</HI>
a <HI>Razour</HI> which God had <HI>hired</HI> to <HI>&s;have</HI> his
people with, I&s;a. 7. 20. <HI>In that day &s;hall the LORD
&s;have with a razour that is hired,</HI> &amp;c.] yet cannot
they draw the lea&s;t <HI>droppe of blood,</HI> or take off the
lea&s;t <HI>haire</HI> from any, unle&s;&s;e God him&s;elfe make u&s;e
of them to that end. He it is that handles this <HI>Sword,</HI>
that <HI>&s;haveth</HI> with this <HI>Razour.</HI></P>
<P>A &s;overaigne Con&s;olation and Cordiall, again&s;t
the <HI>terrours of the Sword (terrours;</HI> which Gods
people may be &s;ubject too. <HI>Terrours by rea&s;on of the
Sword &s;hall be upon my people</HI> (&s;aith the Lord) <HI>Eze.</HI>
21. 12.) to keepe the heart from fainting, mel|ting.
Let it be taken downe and dige&s;ted by eve|ry
of us. There is a Sword, a &s;harpe Sword a|broad,
and at worke at this day in this and the
Neighbour Kingdome. Many parts in both it hath
already vi&s;ited, and it <HI>threatens</HI> the re&s;t. Some
blood it hath already drawne, and it &s;eemeth yet
to thir&s;t after more; doing terrible executions
where it commeth: A <HI>Razour</HI> indeed, &s;having to
the <HI>quicke.</HI> Yet let not the hearts of the Lords
people <HI>melt</HI> before it. Remember we who&s;e Sword
it is, <HI>The Sword of the Lord.]</HI> And what? <HI>Our
<PB N="20" REF="13">
Fathers Sword?</HI> and in <HI>the hand of our Father?</HI>
Beare we up our &s;pirits. A Ch<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1+ letters">d, how ever at the
fir&s;t &s;ight of a glittering Sword comming high him,
he &s;tartles and runnes away, yet if it be in the hand
of his Father, that quiets him, and makes him the
more confident, that that Sword &s;hall not hurt
him. The Sword which is drawne among&s;t us, it
is a <HI>glittering</HI> and a <HI>terrible Sword,</HI> I cannot blame
nature for &s;tartling at it. Yet con&s;ider we in who&s;e
hands it is; even in the hand of our heavenly Fa|ther.
And if <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 word">, this Sword, though never &s;o <HI>gree|dy
of fle&s;h</HI> and <HI>thir&s;ty of blood,</HI> yet it &s;hall neither
goe, nor doe, <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 word"> hither, and what he will have
it. This <HI>Sword</HI> hath received his <HI>Charge</HI> from God,
and that <HI>Charge</HI> it &s;hall ob&s;erve, and that exactly.
It was <HI>Balaams</HI> &s;peech (I remember) to the &s;er|vants
of <HI>Balack,</HI> Numb. 22. 18. <HI>If</HI> Bal<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="missing" EXTENT="1 letter">ck <HI>would
give me his hou&s;e full of &s;ilver and gold</HI> (a tempt<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="missing" EXTENT="1 letter">ng
Bribe) <HI>J cannot goe beyond the word of the Lord my
God, to doe le&s;&s;e or more.</HI> And why could he not?
Why, God had put a bridle into his mouth. The
&s;ame God hath in like manner put a <HI>Bridle</HI> into
the <HI>mouth of the Sword,</HI> &s;o as it cannot goe beyond
the word of the Lord, to doe le&s;&s;e or more then
he hath given it in <HI>Charge;</HI> To doe <HI>le&s;&s;e,</HI> it will
not be <HI>bribed;</HI> and to doe <HI>more,</HI> it will not be <HI>hired.</HI>
The <HI>Charge</HI> which it hath received from the Lord, it
will, it &s;hall, it mu&s;t ob&s;erve.</P>
<P>1. <HI>Going to no place but where he &s;ends it.</HI> It is
not without a divine Providence that it is come
into this Kingdome. What places in the Kingdom
it hath hitherto vi&s;ited, it hath had a <HI>Charge</HI> again&s;t
every one. It neither hath nor &s;hall vi&s;it any, with|out
a divine, both <HI>Permi&s;&s;ion,</HI> and <HI>Commi&s;&s;ion. The
Sword maketh a Progre&s;&s;e, rides Circuit upon Earth;
I, but the Ge&s;ts are &s;et downe in Heaven.</HI> To this
place it &s;hall come, not to that. He that hath &s;aid
<PB N="21" REF="13">
unto that ma&s;terle&s;&s;e element, <HI>Hitherto &s;halt thou
come, but no further, and here &s;halt thou &s;tay thy proud
waves, Job</HI> 38. 11. Hee hath &s;aid as much to the
<HI>Sword, Hitherto &s;halt thou come, but no further, and
here &s;halt thou stay thy proud rage.</HI> To this place,
this Country, this City, not to that. For an in|&s;tance
hereof, reade but that 19. Chap. 2 <HI>Kings.</HI> You
&s;hall there &s;ee the <HI>A&s;&s;yrian Monarch</HI> with <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 word"> pui&s;|&s;ant
Army in the Field, marching again&s;t <HI>Jeru&s;alem,</HI>
with a full purpo&s;e, and rea&s;olution to &s;acke it, to
de&s;troy it; but what &s;aith the Lord? See it, <HI>ver.</HI>
32, 33. <HI>Thus &s;aith the Lord&punc; the King of</HI> A&s;hu<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> <HI>he
&s;hall not enter into this City, nor &s;hoote an arrow there,
nor come before it with a &s;hield, nor ca&s;t a Banke a|gain&s;t
it: By the way that he came, by the &s;ame &s;hall
hee returne,</HI> &amp;c.] The Sword though never &s;o
&s;trongly backed or put on, yet it &s;hall neither en|ter,
nor come to any place, but where that
God, who&s;e Sword it is, hath given it a charge
to goe.</P>
<P>2. Where it doth come it &s;hall <HI>abide no longer</HI>
then according to the Commi&s;&s;ion, and Charge
which it hath received. That God who hath &s;et
downe a cour&s;e and order for the <HI>ri&s;ing</HI> and <HI>&s;etting</HI>
of <HI>that Martiall Planet</HI> in the Heavens; at &s;uch an
houre it &s;hall <HI>ri&s;e,</HI> &s;o many houres it &s;hall be above
the <HI>Horizon,</HI> at &s;uch an houre it &s;hall <HI>&s;et;</HI> hee
hath al&s;o by a like providence ordered the <HI>ri&s;ing</HI>
and <HI>&s;etting,</HI> the <HI>comming</HI> and <HI>going</HI> of the <HI>Sword,</HI>
which wandereth upon Earth. And this Order
and Command the Sword &s;hall ob&s;erve. If <HI>Joab</HI>
blow the <HI>Trumpet</HI> and &s;ound a <HI>Retreat,</HI> the whole
<HI>Army</HI> retires, <HI>Every man to his Tent,</HI> 2 Sam. 20. 22.
If God the great <HI>Generall</HI> &s;hall &s;ay to the Sword, <HI>Put
up thy &s;elfe into thy &s;cabbard,</HI> it &s;hall <HI>Re&s;t and bee
&s;till.</HI></P>
<P>Thirdly, As it is ordered for the &s;tay of it, &s;o
<PB N="22" REF="14">
for the <HI>Execution,</HI> what it &s;hall doe; what <HI>Per&s;ons</HI>
it &s;hall <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 word">, what <HI>blood</HI> it &s;hall draw, Even as a
<HI>Surgeon</HI> in letting of blood, he is ordered by his
<HI>Phy&s;itian,</HI> what <HI>veyne</HI> he &s;hall &s;trike, in what part
of <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="missing" EXTENT="1 letter">he body, and how many <HI>ounces of blood</HI> he &s;hall
take: So the Sword, which God maketh u&s;e of,
as his <HI>Lancet</HI> to open a <HI>veyne</HI> in a Kingdom, in a
Towne, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> it is ordered by him what per&s;ons it
&s;hall <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 word">, what inci&s;ion it &s;hall make, how deep
it &s;hall goe, how many, not onely ounces, but
dropps of blood it &s;hall draw. In all which it is
not left to the will of him that &s;trikes with it;
much le&s;&s;e to <HI>Chance</HI> and <HI>Fortune.</HI> True, the i&s;|&s;u<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="missing" EXTENT="1 letter">s
of Warre to us they may be <HI>Ca&s;uall,</HI> not &s;o to
God. Even tho&s;e <HI>Bullets</HI> which in the heat of
&s;ervice are let fly at randome, yet every one hath
his Charge, his Charge (as from man, &s;o) from
God, a Charge from Heaven, what marke it &s;hall
&s;trike, what <HI>Execution</HI> it &s;hall doe. In the battle
at <HI>Ra<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1+ letters">oth Gilead, a certaine man</HI> (a common Soul|dier)
<HI>drew a Bow at a venture</HI> (&s;aith the Text)
<HI>which &s;mote the King of</HI> I&s;rael, 1 <HI>King.</HI> 22. 34. That
act to him it was <HI>ca&s;uall,</HI> not &s;o to God who direct|ed
the <HI>Arrow,</HI> to the <HI>white,</HI> to the fa<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1+ letters">re&s;t marke in
the Field, conducted <HI>that Me&s;&s;enger of death</HI> into the
&s;ides of Maje&s;ty it &s;elfe. The Sword cannot &s;trike,
but when and where God bids it; neither can it draw a
drop of bloud more then it hath a charge from Heaven
to doe.</P>
<P>And, if &s;o; Let not then the hearts of the
LORDS people (as I &s;aid) <HI>melt</HI> within them;
as <HI>Rahab</HI> tells the Spies that the hearts of the men of
<HI>Jerico</HI> did, when they heard of the <HI>I&s;raelites</HI> comming
again&s;t them; <HI>when we heard it, our hearts did melt</HI>
(&s;aith &s;he) <HI>and there remained no more courage in
us.</HI> Jo&s;h. 2. 11. Let them not be inordinately moo|ved
or &s;haken with the wind of di&s;tru&s;tfull, di&s;tract|full
<PB N="23" REF="14">
feares and terrours: As it is &s;aid of <HI>Ahaz,</HI> and
his people, when they heard of the &s;trong confe|deracies
that were made and intended again&s;t them,
<HI>The heart of the King was mooved</HI> (&s;aith the Text)
<HI>and the hearts of his people, as the trees of the For|re&s;t
are moved with the wind,</HI> I&s;a. 7. 2. No rea&s;on,
why the hearts of Chri&s;tians &s;hould be &s;o mooved,
they being not wholly left to the hazard of Warr.
True it is, nothing more hazardous then Warre.
<HI>Belli alea</HI> (&s;aith the Proverbe.) <HI>A pitcht Battle is
but like a game at Tables,</HI> where though &s;omething
be left to the skill of the Game&s;ter, in the playing
and ordering of his <HI>Men,</HI> yet the &s;ucce&s;&s;e depends
much upon the <HI>Lot:</HI> Or like a <HI>Set at Tennis,</HI> a
playing at the <HI>Hazard.</HI> But yet not wholly <HI>hazar|dous.</HI>
He who <HI>dispo&s;eth of the Lot when it is ca&s;t in|to
the lappe,</HI> Prov. 16&punc; 33. and by his generall provi|dence
directeth every <HI>Ball</HI> that &s;lieth into the <HI>Hazard,</HI>
he al&s;o di&s;po&s;eth of all the events, and i&s;&s;ues of warre,
though to us never &s;o ca&s;uall, never &s;o hazardous. Here
is <HI>Comfort.</HI></P>
<P>To which in the fourth and la&s;t place,<NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e 4.</NOTE> let mee
adde a word of Advi&s;e or Coun&s;ell,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Coun&s;ell.</NOTE> and &s;o I &s;hall
draw towards a Conclu&s;ion. Is this Sword <HI>the
Sword of the Lord?</HI> Hence learne we then, <HI>whither
to apply our &s;elves.</HI> I &s;uppo&s;e there is none of us
here pre&s;ent, but would be willing to doe &s;ome|thing
for the quieting and &s;tilling of that <HI>Sword,</HI>
which is now abroad in the Kingdome, at lea&s;t for
the keeping of the dint from our &s;elves. <HI>Love to
our Country</HI> inforceth the former, and <HI>&s;elfe-love</HI> the
latter. Now would we know what to doe? why
<HI>Apply we our &s;elves to God</HI> for both. The Sword
is his: For the quieting of it, apply we our &s;elves
unto him, &s;eeking to make p<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="missing" EXTENT="1 letter">ace with him. So
did the men of <HI>Tyre and Siaon</HI> when they heard
that King <HI>Herod</HI> was di&s;plea&s;ed with them, &s;o di&s;|plea&s;ed,
<PB N="24" REF="15">
as that hee intended to <HI>make warre</HI> upon
them (&s;o much the word &s;ignifieth, <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>He
bare an Hostile minde towards them</HI>) they pre&s;ently
<HI>Came with one accord to him,</HI> and having made a
friend at Court, <HI>they de&s;ired Peace,</HI> Acts 12. 20.
There is none of us, but mu&s;t needs take notice
of a like di&s;plea&s;ure conceived in Heaven again&s;t
us of this Nation, God him&s;elfe being <GAP DESC="foreign">,
<HI>ho&s;tily minded</HI> again&s;t us, <HI>making warre</HI> upon us.
(This he may doe upon, and again&s;t his owne
people; he did it again&s;t <HI>I&s;rael.</HI> I&s;rael <HI>rebelled and
vexed his holy Spirit, and therefore was hee turned to
be their enemie, and he fought again&s;t them,</HI> I&s;a. 63. 9.
The like he doth again&s;t us at this day, having drawne
his Sword already, nay already <HI>Bathed it in blood.</HI>) Now
in this ca&s;e what &s;hall wee doe? why, apply wee our
&s;elves unto him, who&s;e Sword this is, and &s;eek to make
peace with him.</P>
<P>Not but that wee both may and ought in this
ca&s;e to apply our &s;elves unto <HI>Men</HI> al&s;o, &s;eeking in
humble wi&s;e to them, for the quieting of this
Sword, that it may upon honourable and comfor|table
tearmes bee put into the Sheath againe, by
tho&s;e hands into which at the pre&s;ent GOD hath
put it. A motion (as wee under&s;tand) now
on foote in diver&s;e parts of the Kingdome, and
accur&s;ed bee hee that &s;hall not bee willing to lend
his be&s;t indeavours to the furtherance of &s;o good
a de&s;igne. This wee may doe, this wee ought to
doe. But alas all this will bee to little purpo&s;e,
unle&s;&s;e peace bee made in Heaven fir&s;t. This
Sword, it is the <HI>Sword of the LORD,</HI> and there|fore
unle&s;&s;e hee command it into the Scabbard,
all our <HI>Petitions</HI> and <HI>Supplications</HI> to men will bee
of little availe. Vnle&s;&s;e hee give the word, it is
not all the <HI>Power</HI> or <HI>Policie</HI> in the world that can
put it up, or make it quiet. However, &s;hould it
<PB N="25" REF="15">
be per&s;waded into the &s;heath for a time, yet, unle&s;&s;e
Peace be made in Heaven, and that a firme Peace,
it will not abide there, it will be like <HI>Joabs Sword,</HI>
2 <HI>Sam.</HI> 20. 8. ready to <HI>fall out of the &s;heath</HI> alone.
And therefore let it bee the joint de&s;igne of e|very
one of us to &s;eeke, and indeavour a <HI>Pacification</HI> in
Heaven, to make peace with God, and that for the
whole Kingdome (if it may be;) however, every of us
for our &s;elves.</P>
<P>1.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Meanes.</NOTE> To which purpo&s;e (in the fir&s;t place) <HI>Humble
wee our &s;elves before that GOD whom wee have pro|voked.</HI>
If any thing will move GOD to put up
his Sword, &s;urely it will be this. Man that hath
but any drop of mercy and compa&s;&s;ion in his bowels,
if his enemie fall downe at his feete, ca&s;t away his
Armes and beg for <HI>Quarter,</HI> &s;o &s;ubmitting him&s;elfe
wholy to his mercy, if hee may &s;hew mercy, hee
will not deny it. Surely, with the LORD our
GOD there is <HI>mercy.</HI> It was <HI>Davids</HI> rea&s;on why
hee would rather fall into the hands of <HI>GOD</HI> then
of <HI>Man, His mercies are great:</HI> With him there
are bottomle&s;&s;e <HI>Bowels</HI> of unexpre&s;&s;able, unconcei|vable
mercy: All the <HI>Mercy</HI> that is to be found dif|fu&s;ed
through the <HI>Bowels</HI> of all the mercifull Men
and Women in the world, is but a drop, not a drop
to that Ocean. And &s;hall wee fall downe before
him, humbling our &s;elves at his foote-&s;toole, and
&s;hall hee not have compa&s;&s;ion on us? O try, and &s;ee
what this cour&s;e will doe. If this will not &s;ave us,
we are, in the outward appearance, but lo&s;t men and
women; Our condition being &s;uch as wee may
well &s;ay with <HI>Jeho&s;haphat</HI> in that great &s;trait, 2 <HI>Chron.</HI>
20. 12. <HI>Wee know not what to doe, but our eyes are to|wards
thee O LORD.</HI> In this ca&s;e, that we may
prevaile with God, that his Bowels may be &s;tirred
with compa&s;&s;ion towards us, O let us fall downe at
his foot-&s;toole <HI>Humbling</HI> our &s;elves in the <HI>Confe&s;&s;ion
<PB N="26" REF="16">
of our owne &s;innes and the &s;innes of the Nation, acknow|ledging
the Righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of Gods judgements again&s;t
us.</HI> This is the way which the LORD puts his
owne people upon, promi&s;ing them that by this
meanes they &s;hould be able to divert, and turne the
edge of the Sword. See it, <HI>Levit. 26. 40. If they
&s;hall confe&s;&s;e the iniquity of their Fathers, with the Tre&s;|pa&s;&s;e
which they tre&s;pa&s;&s;ed again&s;t mee; And that al&s;o
they have walked contrary unto mee, and that I have
al&s;o walked contrary unto them,</HI> &amp;c <HI>If then their
uncircumci&s;ed hearts bee humbled, and they then ac|cept
of the puni&s;hment of their iniquity;</HI> What then?
<HI>Then will I remember my Covenant with</HI> Jocob,
&amp;c. <HI>and I will remember the Land.</HI> Wee heere
&s;ee both the <HI>Coun&s;ell,</HI> and the <HI>promi&s;e.</HI> Take wee
the one, and re&s;t upon the other. Confe&s;&s;e wee
our owne &s;innes, with the &s;innes of our fore|fathers,
(which GOD by way of temporall
judgements, both in Ju&s;tice may, and often doth
vi&s;it upon Po&s;terity.) Withall <HI>Accept wee the pu|ni&s;hment
of our iniquity,</HI> acknowledging GOD to
be Ju&s;t and Righteous in what ever hee hath
done or &s;hall doe again&s;t us. So doing, doubt
wee not but GOD will yet <HI>Remember his
Covenant</HI> with his people, and wee may hope he
will yet <HI>remember the Land, returning</HI> and <HI>Repen|ting,</HI>
and <HI>leaving a Ble&s;&s;ing behinde him,</HI> Joel 2 14</P>
<P>Secondly, Thus Humbling our &s;elves for tho&s;e
&s;innes which have beene the provokers of this Wrath,
the Cau&s;es of this Evill, Indeavour wee (in the &s;e|cond
place) <HI>to put them away, to wa&s;h our hands of
them. Wa&s;h yee, make you cleane, put away the evill
of your doings from before mine eyes.</HI> I&s;a. 1. 16. It is
not hee that <HI>Confe&s;&s;eth,</HI> but hee that <HI>Confe&s;&s;eth and
For&s;aketh that &s;hall have Mercy,</HI> Prov. 28. 13. This
doe we for our &s;elves; this indeavour wee for the
Kingdome. Till <HI>Jonah</HI> be ca&s;t over-board, the &s;torme
<PB N="27" REF="16">
will not cea&s;e, the Sea will not be quiet. Till <HI>She|ba<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">s</HI>
head be throwne over the <HI>walles, Joab</HI> will
not &s;ound a <HI>Retreat.</HI> Till the crying <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="3 letters">es of
the Land be taken away by a <HI>Nationall Reformation,</HI>
wee cannot expect that the &s;torme of GODS
wrath &s;hould cea&s;e, or the growen Sea of the pre|&s;ent
di&s;tempers among&s;t us &s;hould be quieted. E|very
of us then indeavour this great worke; one|ly
ob&s;erving our <HI>stations.</HI> Publick per&s;ons in their
places, and private per&s;ons in theirs. Every
one beginning at home, at his owne heart, owne
life. See what is to bee found there that may
bee charged with the maintenance of this pre&s;ent
Warre; and finding it out, di&s;charge it: Which having
done,</P>
<P>Thirdly, Then (in the next place) <HI>Strike wee a
New Covenant with our GOD.</HI> Certainely, they
have not beene much mi&s;taken who have both
thought and &s;aid, <HI>That it is a Covenant bu&s;ine&s;&s;e which
the Sword cometh about.</HI> I meane not &s;o much the
<HI>Formality,</HI> as the <HI>Reality</HI> of a <HI>Covenant.</HI> To <HI>avenge
an Old Covenant</HI> which hath bene broken, to <HI>Re|quire
a New Covenant</HI> which may be kept. And is
it this that the Sword cometh about? Why let
us, in the feare of GOD, give it what it would
have, that it may depart from us. Every of us
in our particulars bewaile our frequent breaches of
former Covenants, made in <HI>Bapti&s;me,</HI> renewed in
the <HI>Supper of the LORD:</HI> and this day &s;trike wee
a <HI>New Covenant</HI> with and before the LORD:
Withall indeavouring (as much as in us lyeth)
the renewing of a <HI>Nationall Covenant,</HI> that the
whole Kingdome may be bound and engaged to a
Clo&s;er <HI>cleaving to the LORD,</HI> and walking
with him, in an <HI>univer&s;all &s;ubjection to all his
Ordinances, an univer&s;all obedience to all his Commande|ments.</HI></P>
<P><PB N="28" REF="17">
Surely this will bee found the be&s;t, and onely
way to procure mercy (if it may bee) for the pub|lick.
However, it will be a &s;ure way to procure
&s;ecurity, and &s;afety to our &s;elves; either to keepe
off the Sword, that it &s;hall not come nigh us, not
touch us. It is <HI>Eliphaz</HI> his &s;peech in <HI>Job,</HI> Job 5.
15. <HI>The LORD &s;aveth the Poore from the Sword.]
The Poore;</HI> what the <HI>Worlds Poore,</HI> &s;uch as are out|wardly
<HI>Poore?</HI> Not &s;o, (alas, they are frequent|ly
made a forlorne hope, &s;acrificed to the fury of
the Sword, to dull, and blunt the edge of it:) But
<HI>GODS Poore, the Poore in Spirit,</HI> &s;uch as <HI>Hum|ble
them&s;elves before the LORD,</HI> (as the Geneva
glo&s;&s;e explaines it.) Or if it doe touch us, yet it
&s;hall not hurt us. It &s;hall be unto us but as our <HI>Hea|venly
Fathers Red Hor&s;e,</HI> (&s;o it is called in the <HI>Re|velation,</HI>
Chap. 6. ver. 4.) &s;ent by him to bring
us home to him&s;elfe; to convey us into his pre|&s;ence.</P>
<P>Fourthly, For which (in the fourth and la&s;t
place, to clo&s;e up all, time and &s;trength being
&s;pent) having done as afore-&s;aid, then <HI>Let us make
the LORD our tru&s;t.</HI> Another meanes, and a &s;pe|ciall
one, to &s;ecure us from the <HI>Sword, To tru&s;t in
GOD.</HI> Not in <HI>Man:</HI> not in <HI>Power,</HI> or <HI>Policie.</HI>
The&s;e wee may u&s;e, but tru&s;t not in them; Which
if wee doe, it will be the next way to betray us.
It is that which the LORD threatens again&s;t the
<HI>Jewes,</HI> Jer. 5. 15, 17. <HI>Loe I will bring a Nation up|on
you from farre,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>And they &s;hall impoveri&s;h
(or Plunder) thy fenced Cities wherein thou tru|&s;ted&s;t,
with the Sword.</HI> The next way to have a
Kingdome, a City, a Towne &s;acked, and plundered,
is to tru&s;t in the &s;trength of it. But make wee the
LORD our &s;trength, our tru&s;t. So doing (if good
for us) hee will &s;ecure us, wee &s;hall not feele of
the Sword, or not fall by it. It is that which the
<PB N="29" REF="17">
LORD promi&s;eth to <HI>Ebedmelech,</HI> Jerem. 39. 8.
<HI>I will &s;urely deliver thee, and thou &s;halt not fall by the
Sword:</HI> Why? <HI>Becau&s;e thou ha&s;t put thy tru&s;t in mee,
&s;aith the LORD.</HI> What he there promi&s;eth to him
in particular, <HI>David</HI> upon the &s;ame ground in Gods
Name promi&s;eth to all Gods people, <HI>P&s;alm. 37.
ver.</HI> ult. <HI>The LORD &s;hall deliver them from the
wicked, and &s;ave them, becau&s;e they tru&s;t in him.</HI>
No &s;uch way to engage GOD to worke delive|rance
for us in any &s;trait, as this, <HI>To tru&s;t in him.</HI>
This will <HI>David</HI> doe in his greate&s;t &s;traites, when
<HI>The foundations were de&s;troyed,</HI> (as hee &s;peaketh,
<HI>P&s;alm. 11. 3.) or out of cour&s;e,</HI> all things out of
cour&s;e in the Kingdome, &s;o as &s;eemingly there was
little hope of &s;afety left for <HI>David;</HI> his <HI>Enemies</HI>
by way of <HI>in&s;ulting,</HI> or his <HI>Friends</HI> by way of <HI>advi|&s;ing,</HI>
they <HI>&s;aid unto his &s;oule, Flye yee as a Bird to your
Mountaine,</HI> ver. 1. willing him to betake him&s;elfe,
and his Family, to &s;ome place of &s;ecurity, and no
longer to re&s;t upon the promi&s;e; but what cour&s;e
doth he re&s;olve to runne? Why, <HI>In the LORD
put I my tru&s;t,</HI> ver. 1. The ca&s;e at pre&s;ent is ours:
The <HI>Foundations</HI> in this Kingdome are <HI>out of cour&s;e,</HI>
the dreadfull Commotions in it threatning ruine to
it. In this ca&s;e <HI>Carnall rea&s;on</HI> will be dictating, and
&s;ugge&s;ting unto us, as they to him, <HI>Flye wee as a
Bird to our Mountaine,</HI> &amp;c. Seeke we out &s;ome pla|ces
of <HI>Refuge</HI> and <HI>Safety</HI> for our &s;elves, and ours. But
tru&s;t we not to this coun&s;ell. <HI>In the Lord put wee our
tru&s;t:</HI> &s;o doing, doubt not of &s;ecurity. It is <HI>Davids</HI>
&s;peech, which he &s;pake out of his owne experience,
and I &s;hall conclude with it: <HI>The Lord is a Buckler to
all tho&s;e which tru&s;t in him,</HI> P&s;al. 18. 30.</P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
