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<DATE>5-20-08</DATE>
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<NAME>John Latta</NAME>
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<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
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<P>Emmanuel: A THANKSGIVING-SERMON <HI>PREACHED</HI> To the Honourable Hou&s;e <HI>OF</HI> COMMONS Upon their Solemn day of prai&s;ing God for the victory obtained by the Parliaments Forces in SOUTHVVALES. In the Church of <HI>Margarets We&s;tmin&s;ter,</HI> May 17. 1648.</P>
<P>By STEPHEN MARSHALL B. D. Mini&s;ter of Gods Word at Finchingfield in E&s;&s;ex.</P>
<Q><BIBL>MICAH 4. 11, 12, 13.</BIBL>
<P><HI>Now al&s;o many Nations are gathered again&s;t thee that &s;ay, Let her be defiled, and let our eye look upon Zion.</HI></P>
<P><HI>But they know not the thoughts of the Lord, neither under&s;tand they his coun&s;ell; for he &s;hall gather them as the &s;heaves into the floor.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Ari&s;e and thre&s;h O daughter of Zion.</HI></P></Q>
<Q><BIBL>Rom. 8. 31.</BIBL> <P><HI>If God be with us, who can be again&s;t us?</HI></P></Q>
<P><HI>London,</HI> Printed by <HI>R. C<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="blotted" EXTENT="1 letter">tes</HI> for <HI>Stephen Bowtell</HI> at the &s;ign of the <HI>Bihle</HI> in Popes-head Alley, 1648.</P>
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<DIV1 TYPE="Parliamentary order">
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<OPENER><DATELINE><DATE><HI>Die Mercurii,</HI> 17 <HI>Maii,</HI> 1648.</DATE></DATELINE></OPENER>
<P>_ORdered by the Commons a&s;&s;embled in Parliament, That Sir <HI>John Trevour</HI> doe from this Hou&s;e give Thanks to Mr. <HI>Mar&s;hall,</HI> for the great pains he took in his Sermon he preached this day at <HI>Margarets We&s;tmin&s;ter</HI> before the Hou&s;e of Commons, (it being a day of publick Thank&s;giving for the Victory obtained by the Parliaments For|ces in <HI>Southwales:)</HI> And that he be de&s;ired to Print his Sermon, wherein he is to have the u&s;uall priviledge in Printing thereof.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>H. El&s;ynge Cler. Parl. D. Com.</SIGNED>
<POSTSCRIPT>
<P>I doe appoint <HI>Stephen Bowtell</HI> to Print my Sermon.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>STEPHEN MARSHALL.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</POSTSCRIPT></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="dedication">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>To the Honourable THE Hou&s;e of Commons A&s;&s;embled in PARLIAMENT.</HEAD>
<P>_IN obedience to your commands, I here humbly pre&s;ent to publique view, what you were plea&s;ed with ready affections lately to attend unto. In it is cleared how vain the attempts of all men are again&s;t the people and Cau&s;e of God; and the&s;e &s;ea&s;onable Mercies and Deli|verances may help to confirm us in waiting for the full accompli&s;hment of all the&s;e promi&s;es. I confe&s;&s;e for our unworthy walking, and little improving many like Mercies, we continue &s;till in a low condition, and lye under many heavie pre&s;&s;ures; our times are like that day in <HI>Zach. 14. Neither clear nor dark, not day nor night,</HI> we are ca&s;t down, but not for&s;aken of our God, no not <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Zach.</HI> 14. 6, 7. Jer. 51. 5.</NOTE> <HI>though our land be filled with &s;in again&s;t the holy One of I&s;rael,</HI> God &s;ill appears in the mount of our difficulties:
<PB REF="3">
Methinks this his gracious dealing &s;hews how willing he is yet to heal our back&s;lidings, to take away our iniquities, to doe us good, and to pre&s;erve and e&s;tabli&s;h us a people to him&s;elf. O! that God would now in the end teach this Nation to leave &s;truggling one again&s;t another for a cur&s;e, and all to joyn together to wra&s;tle with him for a ble&s;sing, and &s;eek him in his own Go&s;pel-way. O! that God would per&s;wade &s;uch of this Nation who are engaged again&s;t the cau&s;e of God, to leave plotting and contriving of De|&s;ignes, which &s;hall not pro&s;per, and in &s;tead thereof joyn hands with tho&s;e who de&s;ire to &s;ee the pro&s;perity of <HI>Zion.</HI> And that all who are engaged in this Cau&s;e of God, would labour to manage it in Gods own way; That they would remember their Covenant, what they have &s;worn and promi&s;ed; and by his grace &s;tudy to make it good, how abundantly &s;hould we finde the fruits of his loving kind|ne&s;&s;es &s;howred down upon us! That this may be the &s;tudy and endeavour of you all who repre&s;ent the whole Commo|nalty of this Nation; is the humble and earne&s;t prayer of</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Your humble Servant in Chri&s;t,
STEPH<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="faint" EXTENT="1 letter">N MARSHALL.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
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<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="sermon">
<PB N="1" REF="3">
<HEAD>A SERMON <HI>PREACHED</HI> Before the Honourable Hou&s;e of Commons at their Publick Thank&s;giving, <HI>May</HI> 17. 1648.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<BIBL>I&s;aiah 8. 9, 10.</BIBL>
<Q>A&s;&s;ociate your &s;elves, O ye people, and ye &s;hall be broken in pieces, and give eare all ye of far Countries, gird your&s;elves, and ye &s;hall be broken in pieces, gird your &s;elves, and ye &s;hall be broken in pieces, take coun&s;ell together, and it &s;hall come to nought, &s;peak the word, and it &s;hall not &s;tand, for God is with us.</Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>_THis Chapter doth containe a threat|ning <NOTE PLACE="marg">The Introdu|ction, &s;hewing the parts and &s;cope of this whole chap|ter.</NOTE> of two judgements; One a|gain&s;t the Kingdomes of <HI>Syria,</HI> and the Kingdome of <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> or the ten Tribes, that is in the foure fir&s;t Ver|&s;es, and the &s;umme of it is this, The Prophet had a young &s;on, the Lord bids him, at the Circumci&s;ion of his &s;on, name
<PB N="2" REF="4">
him, <HI>Maher-&s;halal-ha&s;h-baz,</HI> which &s;ignifies, <HI>Make ha&s;te to the &s;poil, make ha&s;te to the prey;</HI> and the Lord gives the rea&s;on of it, becau&s;e before that child &s;hould bee able to call, my Father, my Mother, before hee &s;hould bee able to &s;ay Dad or Mam, <HI>The riches of</HI> Dama&s;cus, <HI>and the &s;poile of</HI> Samaria <HI>&s;hall bee taken away before the King of A&s;&s;yria:</HI> and it came to pa&s;&s;e accordingly, for this Prophe&s;ie was about the third yeer of King <HI>Ahaz,</HI> and in the fourth yeer, which was the yeer after, a great part of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> was plunder'd and &s;poiled, and the King|dome <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Kings 16. 2 Chron 28</NOTE> of <HI>Syria</HI> was wholly broken. The &s;econd part of the chapter, begins at the fifth ver&s;e, and that containes a threatning of judgment, again&s;t the Kingdome of <HI>Iudah;</HI> and in it there are foure things remarkable: Fir&s;t,</P>
<P>Here is the cau&s;e of this terrible judgement, that God would bring upon the Kingdome of <HI>Iudah;</HI> Secondly, <NOTE PLACE="marg">1.</NOTE></P>
<P>Here is laid down, the judgement it &s;elf, what it &s;hould be; Thirdly, <NOTE PLACE="marg">2.</NOTE></P>
<P>Here is contained the deliverance of Gods people from <NOTE PLACE="marg">3.</NOTE> the judgement; and, Fourthly,</P>
<P>Here is laid down the u&s;es, that God would have made <NOTE PLACE="marg">4.</NOTE> of all this.</P>
<P>The cau&s;e of the judgement you have laid down, in the &s;ixt ver&s;e; <HI>Fora&s;much</HI> (&s;aith hee) as <HI>this people re|fu&s;eth</HI> (or &s;lights) <HI>the waters of Shiloah, which run &s;lowly, and rejoyce in Rezin, and Remaliahs &s;on,</HI> becau&s;e of this, that is in one word, becau&s;e of their infidelity, becau&s;e they did not re&s;t upon the Go&s;pell promi&s;es made them in <HI>Immanuel,</HI> that &s;alvation which hee had promi&s;ed to come from the hou&s;e of <HI>David,</HI> but &s;lighted it becau&s;e the hou&s;e of <HI>David</HI> was now low, and their neighbour Kingdomes of <HI>Syria</HI> and <HI>I&s;rael</HI> were more
<PB N="3" REF="4">
pompous and &s;tately, then <HI>Davids</HI> throne, therefore they regarded not the promi&s;es made to it, but would bee glad to bee like tho&s;e Kingdomes, who overtopt them; and to this end they made a confederacy with the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> that they might bee the better a|ble to cope with <HI>Rezin</HI> the King of <HI>Syria,</HI> and <HI>Pekah</HI> &s;on of <HI>Remaliah</HI> the King of <HI>I&s;rael:</HI> this the Prophet &s;ignifies in the words of refu&s;ing <HI>the waters of</HI> Shiloah <HI>that run &s;oftly,</HI> and <HI>rejoycing in</HI> Rezin <HI>and</HI> Remaliahs <HI>&s;on. Shiloah</HI> was a little River which aro&s;e at the foot of Mount <HI>Sion,</HI> whence ran flowly, and in a crooked chan|nell, which &s;ome thinkes it's called the <HI>Dragons Well,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Lapid. in lo|cum.</NOTE> <HI>Nehem.</HI> 2. 13. and this &s;mooth &s;tream was conveyed in &s;ome <HI>&s;ubterranean</HI> channells into that pool mention|ed, <HI>Iohn</HI> 9. 7. and was thence by pipes conveyed into the Kings Gardens and Orchards, and was of u&s;e to the whole City, yea and Temple of <HI>Ieru&s;alem:</HI> The &s;ame Ri|ver of <HI>Shiloah</HI> is that which the Prophet mentions, <HI>P&s;alm.</HI> 46. <HI>There is a River, the &s;treames whereof make glad the City of God, the holy place of the Tabernacle of the mo&s;t High.</HI> By this River the Lord &s;hadowes out the Kingdome of <HI>Sion</HI> and the hou&s;e of <HI>David,</HI> which now was in a mean and low e&s;tate, and therefore de&s;pi&s;ed by tho&s;e unbeleeving Jews; and it is u&s;uall with the Pro|phets, by Rivers to &s;ignify the adjacent Provinces, <HI>Egypt</HI> by <HI>Nilus, Babylon</HI> by <HI>Euphrates,</HI> &amp;c. Now for this &s;inne of their unbeleif, and relying upon an arme of fle&s;h the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> was this judgment to come up|on them. Then, Secondly,</P>
<P>Here is the judgment which therefore &s;hall come upon them; becau&s;e that little River of <HI>Shiloah,</HI> would <NOTE PLACE="marg">2.</NOTE> not in their e&s;teem doe them good, would not comfort them, the Lord would bring them waters, broad e|nough,
<PB N="4" REF="5">
foraine waters, &s;uch as they de&s;ired but little for their good, he would bring the <HI>A&s;&s;yrian</HI> upon them, hee who they tru&s;ted in to be their deliverer, &s;hould come in, and be their &s;poil; <HI>Now therefore behold the Lord bringeth upon them the waters of the rivers &s;trong and many, even the King of</HI> A&s;&s;yria <HI>and all his glory; and he &s;hall come up over all his channels, and goe over all his banks, and he &s;hall pa&s;&s;e through</HI> Judah, <HI>he &s;hall overflow and goe over; he &s;hall reach even to the neck, and the &s;tretching out of his wings &s;hall fill the breadth of thy land Oh</HI> Emmanuel.</P>
<P>This terrible judgement is laid downe in two compari|&s;ons: one of a great river, or the &s;ea, that had broke over all his banks, a floud &s;hould &s;pread over all their land, and reach up to the very neck; the other compari&s;on is of an Eagle or fowl of prey, he &s;hould come and &s;pread his wings over the breadth of the whole land; the whole land of <HI>Iudea</HI> &s;hould at one time be over&s;pread by the mighty Army that <HI>Senacherib</HI> (whom they expected to be their Saviour) &s;hould bring upon them with a purpo&s;e to de&s;troy them; and in the clo&s;e of this threatning, there is an elegant Apo&s;trophe, he turns his &s;peech to Chri&s;t, he &s;hal &s;pread his wings over the breadth of <HI>thy land, O Immanuel;</HI> though it be thy land and thy people, <HI>O Emma|nuel,</HI> yet becau&s;e of their unbelief all this &s;hall come up|on them. This turning of his &s;peech to Chri&s;t &s;eems to be an indignity to Chri&s;t, that his land, under the notion of <HI>his</HI> land &s;hould be wa&s;ted by &s;uch a wicked King, but this appears to be added for two ends, one to &s;ignifie the certainty of the judgement, all that could po&s;&s;ibly be pleaded, why there &s;hould be any hope of keeping off the judgement was <HI>Emmanuels</HI> title to this land, but it &s;hall come though it be <HI>Emmanuels</HI> land; &s;econdly, this is ad|ded as a &s;ecret ground of comfort of deliverance, becau&s;e
<PB N="5" REF="5">
it was the land of <HI>Emmanuel,</HI> the land and people where <HI>Emmanuel</HI> was to be borne, and where he was to reign, where he had and would have his fire and furnace, his &s;eat <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="faint" EXTENT="1 letter">nd habitation, therefore their faith may expect delive|rance: the&s;e are the two fir&s;t parts of the Chapter; now my Text containes the third, which is the deliverance which the Lord would give them notwith&s;tanding their great unworthine&s;&s;e; but before I come to that, let me name this one le&s;&s;on, from the other two parts, namely,</P>
<P>That it is ordinary with God, when his people doe <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ob&s;erv.</NOTE> for&s;ake his promi&s;es, and tru&s;t to an arme of fle&s;h, he makes that arme of fle&s;h to bee their &s;courge, which they expected to be their helper; they had nothing that they would tru&s;t to again&s;t the&s;e two neighbouring Kingdomes, but the power of the King of <HI>A&s;syria,</HI> and this King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> &s;houd be their &s;courge to beat and almo&s;t to breake them in pieces: which is notably ex|pre&s;&s;ed 2 <HI>Chron.</HI> 28. 20, 21. <HI>Ahaz</HI> &s;ent all the trea&s;ure he could rap and rend, thereby to ingage the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria. And Tilgath-Pilne&s;er the King of</HI> A&s;&s;yria <HI>came to him, and di&s;tre&s;&s;ed him, but &s;trengthned him not, he helped him not:</HI> therefore</P>
<P>Let us learne, that when we do tru&s;t either to any <NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e.</NOTE> nation, to any Army, or to any Councell, and relie up|on them, with with-drawing our &s;elves from the grati|ous promi&s;es of God, we take the ready way to bring ruine and de&s;truction upon our &s;elves.</P>
<P>The third part of the Chapter, is that which I intend <NOTE PLACE="marg">The Text ope|ned.</NOTE> by the Lords a&s;&s;i&s;tance to treat upon; and that is, the de|liverance which the Lord was plea&s;ed to promi&s;e this un|worthy people in this 9, and 10. ver&s;es: for the under|&s;tanding whereof I would open two things; Fir&s;t,</P>
<P>The matter contained in the&s;e two ver&s;es: Secondly,</P>
<P><PB N="6" REF="6">
The manner, how the Lord is plea&s;ed to lay this down, and expre&s;&s;e it:</P>
<P>The matter of the two ver&s;es, containes the&s;e three Heads: Fir&s;t,</P>
<P>Here is a great con&s;piracie again&s;t the Church of God: Secondly,</P>
<P>Here is an eminent deliverance of the Church from this con&s;piracy: Thirdly,</P>
<P>Here is both the author of the deliverance, and the cau&s;e, why they &s;hould be delivered.</P>
<P>The con&s;piracie again&s;t them, is laid downe in the&s;e branches; Fir&s;t,</P>
<P>Here is the multitude of people, that were engaged in it, called, <HI>ye people, and ye of far Countries;</HI> a great many of them: Secondly,</P>
<P>Here is their <HI>a&s;&s;ociation,</HI> their meeting about their bu|&s;ine&s;&s;e; <HI>gather your &s;elves together, a&s;&s;ociate your &s;elves</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2.</NOTE> ye people, come and meet: Thirdly,</P>
<P>Here is the A&s;&s;ociation of their <HI>Councell; take coun&s;ell together;</HI> contribute every one what you are able to|ward <NOTE PLACE="marg">3.</NOTE> this de&s;igne: Fourthly,</P>
<P>Here is their agreement in the <HI>Conclu&s;ion; Speake the word,</HI> &s;et it po&s;itively downe, <HI>nemine contradicente,</HI> this <NOTE PLACE="marg">4.</NOTE> is the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e we will doe, and carry it on as one man: then</P>
<P>Here is the preparation likewi&s;e of their <HI>Armes; Gird your &s;elves,</HI> doe not only meet, and talke and agree, but <NOTE PLACE="marg">5.</NOTE> arme, and march, and goe on with your bu&s;ine&s;&s;e; all this is the preparation to the plot: Secondly,</P>
<P>Here is the defeat of this plot, and that is very nota|ble, even the di&s;&s;ipating of their coun&s;ells, the ru|ine <NOTE PLACE="marg">2.</NOTE> of all their enterprizes; A&s;&s;ociate your &s;elves, <HI>but ye &s;hall be broken;</HI> gird your &s;elves, <HI>but ye &s;hall be bro|ken;</HI>
<PB N="7" REF="6">
take coun&s;ell, <HI>but it &s;hall come to nought;</HI> &s;peak the word, &s;et downe your conclu&s;ion, that you'l never part from, yet all &s;hall not &s;tand, all &s;hall be a vain thing, it &s;hall not onely not take effect, but returne upon your owne heads, to your owne ruine, ye &s;hall be broken in pieces: Thirdly,</P>
<P>Here is the Authour of it, and in the Author the <NOTE PLACE="marg">3.</NOTE> cau&s;e; for <HI>God is with us:</HI> the Hebrew is, for <HI>Emmanuel;</HI> gather your &s;elves, gird your &s;elves, take coun&s;ell, &s;peak the word, all &s;hall come to nought, for <HI>Emanuel;</HI> that is, for it is <HI>Emmanuels</HI> cau&s;e that you oppo&s;e, it is <HI>Emmanu|els</HI> people, that you fight again&s;t; it is <HI>Emmanuel</HI> who is the Leader, the Generall of that Army, one that will out-wit you, and out-plot you, and out-fight you, one for whom you are too few, and he alone will be too ma|ny for you, it is again&s;t Chri&s;t, and you doe but kick a|gain&s;t the prickes; this is the matter of the&s;e two ver&s;es: then, Secondly,</P>
<P>Note likewi&s;e the manner, how the Lord is plea&s;ed <NOTE PLACE="marg">2.</NOTE> to lay this downe; which is done by &s;everall rhetoricall, and figurative expre&s;&s;ions: as Fir&s;t,</P>
<P>Here is an Apo&s;tophe; though the &s;peech bee in|tended <NOTE PLACE="marg">1.</NOTE> to his people, yet the Lord turnes him&s;elfe to the <HI>A&s;&s;yrians,</HI> who were comming again&s;t them; <HI>A&s;|&s;ociate your &s;elves, ye people, harken all ye of far Coun|tries:</HI> Secondly,</P>
<P>It is laid down in the way of an Irony, and of a Sarca|&s;me, <NOTE PLACE="marg">2.</NOTE> a bitter &s;coffe, the Prophet &s;ets down this whole bu&s;ine&s;&s;e by way of contempt of the&s;e enemies, that were ingaged in the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e; as if hee &s;hould have &s;aid thus, <HI>I know your devices, you have concluded what you'l doe again&s;t</HI> Ieru&s;alem, <HI>ingage you will,</HI> well <HI>be doing,</HI> goe <HI>on with your bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, point your rendezvouz,</HI>
<PB N="8" REF="7">
carry your Troopes and Regiments compleat with you, take an Oath of them all, re&s;olve what you'l doe, try your skill, doe your utmo&s;t, but it won't hold, it won't doe, you are too weak, you'l bee broken, you'l bee da&s;hed; Thus in a way of &s;corn the Lord is plea&s;ed to lay down this whole bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, and hee chu&s;es this manner of expre&s;&s;ing of it, partly, that hee might thereby upbraid the confidence of the Enemy, who thought their bu&s;ine&s;&s;e was &s;o &s;ure, that no check, much le&s;&s;e checkmate &s;hould ever bee given them; you thinke you are very &s;ure of your bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, you make no que&s;tion of carrying the day: and partly, in it hee would expre&s;&s;e likewi&s;e, the holy confidence of the Prophet, and with the Prophet of all the people of God, when they have got a promi&s;e from God, that they can under the Lords protection, &s;ecurely looke upon all the preparations that their enemies make a|gain&s;t them; for as it is the &s;peach of <HI>God,</HI> &s;o it is the &s;peech of the <HI>Church, Immanuel,</HI> God is with <HI>us,</HI> there|fore doe your wor&s;t again&s;t us, wee feare you not: this I take to be the &s;umme and the meaning of the words; Now out of the words many excellent in&s;tructions might bee learned: I intend but one, though I &s;hall point at &s;everall others: as Fir&s;t,</P>
<P>From the con&s;piracy that was in all the&s;e people, thus a&s;&s;ociating their per&s;ons, their coun&s;els, their trea|&s;ure, their armes, all for the ruine of the Church, and people of God; wee may ob&s;erve the wonderfull con|&s;ent that is found in the enemies of <HI>Zion,</HI> to ruin and de|&s;troy it: learn I &s;ay, <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Ob&s;er.</HI> 1. There is a con|tent and unitie in the ene|mies of the Church in their oppo|&s;ition again&s;t it.</NOTE></P>
<P>That <HI>there is a Concord, Harmony, and Vnity of Spi|rits, and endeavors in the enemies of the Church, to bring ruine and de&s;truction upon it.</HI> This is a truth that I &s;hall
<PB N="9" REF="7">
not need to prove, all the ages of the World have gi|ven &s;ufficient proof of it; Satan and his in&s;truments have appear'd in many &s;hapes, &s;ometime in the &s;hape of a <HI>Lion,</HI> &s;ometimes of a great <HI>red Dragon,</HI> &s;ometimes of a <HI>&s;ubtle Fox,</HI> &s;ometimes in the &s;hape of an <HI>innocent Lambe;</HI> but what ever their &s;hape bee, their purpo&s;e and worke hath ever been to make warre again&s;t the woman and her &s;eed, to endeavour by all means po&s;&s;ible, the ruine of the people of God, pur&s;uing it with dead|ly fury, and powring out flouds of malice and rage a|gain&s;t it. I know it could not be burthen&s;ome, if I &s;hould a little open the &s;everall wayes, that they have ta|ken; <NOTE PLACE="marg">The &s;everall wayes how they attempt it.</NOTE> &s;ome more &s;pirituall, &s;ome more carnall. Some more &s;pirituall, one while indeavoring to corrupt their lives, by drawing them to wickedne&s;&s;e: &s;ometimes to corrupt their faith, by drawing them to bla&s;phemies or here&s;ies: &s;ometimes to corrupt their wor&s;hip, by tain|ting it with idolatry and &s;uper&s;tition: &s;ometimes to break their union, by interrupting them with &s;chi&s;mes and di|vi&s;ions: at other times to interrupt and breake their &s;pi|rituall liberty, by putting bonds and yokes upon them, contrary to the Word; and at other times by out|ward means, by per&s;ecutions and open ho&s;tilities, by all the terrors, and threats, what&s;oever the hand, and tongue, and intere&s;t, and power of the Devill, and all his in&s;truments could ever bring to pa&s;&s;e, they never have cea&s;ed to endeavour by all po&s;&s;ible meanes to de&s;troy <HI>Immanuels</HI> people; this is a knowne truth.</P>
<P>The true ground is onely that inbred enmity and <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Rea&s;on.</HI> From their enmity again&s;t it.</NOTE> oppo&s;ition that is in the heart of all the &s;eed of the Serpent again&s;t the &s;eed of the woman, though no good rea&s;on at all, can be given why it &s;hould be &s;o, yet <HI>non</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 3. 15. Which pre|ceeds from three cau&s;es.</NOTE> <HI>amote, nec po&s;&s;um dicere quare;</HI> they doe not love them,
<PB N="10" REF="8">
they hate them, they mu&s;t endevour to de&s;troy them; there is an enmity again&s;t them: but yet becau&s;e no hatred found among&s;t rationall creatures, is without (at lea&s;t) &s;ome pretence of Rea&s;on, know yee that the Rea&s;on of their hatred, is grounded upon &s;uch things as the&s;e; the one is,</P>
<P>That the Church of Chri&s;t, is a terrible plague and <NOTE PLACE="marg">1.</NOTE> vexation to all the re&s;t of the World; I &s;ay, there is not &s;uch a plague to all the people of the world, as the Church of Chri&s;t is, and as Gods people are, becau&s;e the lawes and rules by which they walke, doe threaten no|thing but ruine and de&s;truction, to all tho&s;e that walke in other wayes; other people in the &s;everall wayes they walke in, if you let them alone in their wayes, they will allow you to promi&s;e your &s;elfe what you will in your wayes, their religions, and cour&s;es are good fellowes one to another, they can beare with them in their prin|ciples; but the people of God doe hold out that, which mu&s;t bee the onely rule, and they tell all the world, that if they walke not according to their rule one|ly, they will be damned, and de&s;troyed eternally, and &s;o they vex them; and therefore one notes well, that when <HI>Tiberius</HI> the Emperour of <HI>Rome,</HI> having heard of the miracles of Chri&s;t, did propound to the Senate of <HI>Rome,</HI> that Chri&s;t might bee wor&s;hipped as a God, as well as their other Gods were, the Senate upon &s;eri|ous con&s;ultation rejected it, becau&s;e (they &s;aid) if they entertain'd him, they mu&s;t ca&s;t out all the re&s;t, hee would &s;uffer none to bee God but him&s;elf; and there|fore in &s;tead of owning him to bee one of theirs, they per&s;ecuted him, and owned all the re&s;t: So it is, the two witne&s;&s;es you read of, <HI>Revel.</HI> 11. vexed all the men that lived upon the earth, by their Prophe&s;ies, all the &s;er|vants
<PB N="11" REF="8">
of God by their rules, their faith, their lives, their wor&s;hip, &amp;c. Throw fire and brim&s;tone in the faces of others, and therefore no wonder though they bee &s;o bitterly hated and oppo&s;ed Againe, another ground is,</P>
<P>That which Je&s;us Chri&s;t expre&s;&s;es, <HI>hee hath cho&s;en his</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2.</NOTE> <HI>people out of the World,</HI> as out of a ba&s;e, vile, and un|cleane <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn 15. 19. Iohn 17. 14.</NOTE> company, and upon his thus choo&s;ing, and cal|ling, they in their whole conver&s;ation and garbe, doe leave the re&s;t of the world, as unclean, vile and ba&s;e; and there can be nothing &s;o odious to a people as to bee &s;o left: If there were &s;ome among&s;t our &s;elves who&s;e whole worke and endeavour &s;hould bee to leave <HI>England,</HI> and carry away all that they have out of it, as from a ba&s;e people, and unworthy to bee loved or dwels withall, and &s;hould &s;eek their welfare in another Country, it were enough to turne the heart of all the Nation again&s;t them: this is the way of all Gods peo|ple, they cry down the glory of the world; the plea&s;ures of the world, the riches of the world, the honour and pompe of the world, they cry all down as a ba&s;e thing, and they profe&s;le, to lay up all their trea&s;ure el&s;e|where, and therefore the world cannot beare it: then add in the la&s;t place,</P>
<P>That all that is excellent in the Church, is invi&s;ible and undi&s;cernible by a carn all eye; they have in them <NOTE PLACE="marg">3.</NOTE> many things that will challenge re&s;pect and reverence, but they are not &s;een; all the out&s;ide is poore, and ba&s;e, and mean, and contemptible, unattended, unho|noured; and for &s;uch a poore low &s;ort of people to take &s;o much upon them, who have no worth in them, that others can di&s;cern, is intolerable, no marvaile that the world bee again&s;t them; this made the two Witne&s;&s;es
<PB N="12" REF="9">
&s;o hated, <HI>Revel.</HI> 11. that though they were but two, and they al&s;o cloathed in &s;ackcloth, yet they dur&s;t under|take to throw fire in the faces of all men, who lived up|on earth. Upon &s;uch grounds as the&s;e, there ever hath been in the hearts of all the enemies of the Church, an ince&s;&s;ant indeavour, and an unanimous confederacy, to ruin them, and de&s;troy them; I note this but for the&s;e two ends briefly; Fir&s;t,</P>
<P>That it may teach all the &s;ervants of Chri&s;t, all the people of God, what they mu&s;t look for in this world, <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>&V;&s;e</HI> 1. Therefore the the people of God, mu&s;t look for no quiet in this world.</NOTE> while their lot is to live among&s;t worldly men; they mu&s;t looke for no other, but plots, and con&s;piracies, and confederacies for their ruine; and let it not bee hard, It was &s;o with the Lord him&s;elf, <HI>Quod erat Chri&s;tus eri|mus Chri&s;tiani;</HI> What Chri&s;t was, we Chri&s;tians mu&s;t bee; and it is enough, to be like our Ma&s;ter, while hee hee lived upon earth, although hee never did hurt any, walked unblamably, pitied all, helped all that came to him, yet hee was not beleeved in his word, he was re|proached in his life, hated in his per&s;on, grieved in his Spirit, the whole way of the world went again&s;t him; and it mu&s;t and will bee &s;o with his &s;ervants, while there is a devill and a devilli&s;h &s;pirit in the world, the gates of hell will bee working, in one kind or other, <HI>Non &s;emper &s;aeviunt Nerones, &s;ed nunquam ce&s;&s;at diabolus,</HI> there are not alwayes raging <HI>Neroes,</HI> but there are alwayes devils and devilli&s;h men, every <HI>Abel</HI> &s;hall be &s;ure of a <HI>Cain,</HI> and the Congregation of Chri&s;ts people mu&s;t bee oppo&s;ed by the a&s;&s;ociation of Malignant enemies. But Second|ly,</P>
<P>That which I would faine leave with you is this, even a u&s;e of wi&s;dome; which all the &s;ervants of God <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>&V;&s;e</HI> 2. Therefore they &s;hould unite for their own &s;afe|ty.</NOTE> &s;hould learn, &s;ince there is &s;uch a confederacy and an
<PB N="13" REF="9">
harmony in the &s;pirits and endeavours of all the enemies of Gods people for their ruine; how &s;hould this provoke al the &s;ervants of Chri&s;t to a&s;&s;ociate and unite them&s;elves together, for their mutuall &s;afetie? certainly when <HI>Gebal,</HI> and <HI>Ammon,</HI> and <HI>Amalek,</HI> and the <HI>Phili&s;tines,</HI> and they that dwell at <HI>Tyre, A&s;her,</HI> and the children of <HI>Lot,</HI> are all confederate again&s;t Gods people, it were a &s;tarke mad|ne&s;&s;e for <HI>Ephraim</HI> then to bite <HI>Mana&s;&s;es,</HI> and <HI>Mana&s;&s;es</HI> to bite <HI>Ephraim,</HI> and both the&s;e to devoure <HI>Iudah;</HI> O how uncomely, and un&s;ea&s;onable a thing is it, to find the peo|ple of God divided one from another, and helping by their jealou&s;ies, and divi&s;ions, the hurt and raine one of another, at that time when there is one &s;oul and &s;pirit, po&s;&s;e&s;&s;es all their adver&s;aries to de&s;troy them; how &s;ad is it, that we cannot learne that wi&s;edome of our adver|&s;aries? looke over all the world, and you &s;hall find, that the generality of the world, are all children of <HI>Babel,</HI> children of confu&s;ion, have &s;everall intere&s;ts one from a|nother, can undermine one another, can fight one again&s;t another, yet they all can and doe <HI>convenire in hoc tertio,</HI> they all agree in this, that when there is a bu&s;ine&s;&s;e again&s;t the Church of God, they will all be one again&s;t it: Shall not the &s;ervants of God joyn together for their &s;afety? this duty of loving one another our Saviour pre&s;&s;eth up|on <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe&s;. 1. 4. Iohn 13. Col. 3.</NOTE> us by many arguments, we have one God, one Lord, one Faith, one Bapti&s;me, &amp;c. it was one of his la&s;t in|junctions, Love one another, it's the band of perfecti|on, &amp;c. yet all will not do it, our great enemy knowes how open we lye to him, when a &s;pirit of divi&s;ion is got in; they that have read the &s;tories of the Church, are able to prove it, that next to Apo&s;ta&s;ie from God, the divi&s;ions that have been found among&s;t Gods peo|ple, have been the greate&s;t means of their hurt and mi&s;|chief;
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God in mercy teach us now to learne our duty; &s;ure I am, this exhortation was never more needfull, and u&s;efull, then it is at this day, and unto this nation, where there are found a people, a godly people, for whom the Lord hath done admirable things, greater then which he hath not done &s;ince he brought <HI>I&s;rael</HI> out of <HI>Egypt,</HI> and now after God hath done all this for us, wee are <HI>tantum non</HI> &s;wallowed up, and &s;hould it prove &s;o, it mu&s;t lie up|on this, <HI>our divi&s;ions have undone us,</HI> when the Lord hath prevented our enemies, wee have undermined one ano|ther, and been jealous one of another, and hated one another, and that &s;o bitterly that I have often with &s;orrow thought, that in <HI>England</HI> this day, it is not much better, then it is in <HI>Turkie,</HI> in this re&s;pect; they who write of the &s;tate of the Chri&s;tians among the <HI>Turks,</HI> &s;ay this of them, that their divi&s;ions are &s;uch one again&s;t a|nother, and their hatred &s;o implacable, that they love the <HI>Turke</HI> better then they love one another, and that the <HI>Turke</HI> makes u&s;e of them as his in&s;truments, and infor|mers to ruine one another, and that if there were an Ar|my of the one &s;ide able to cope with an Army of the <HI>Turkes,</HI> he that &s;hall expect to have but one good wi&s;h from the re&s;t of the Chri&s;tians to accompany them, would be utterly deceived; which (&s;aith a learned ob|&s;erver) makes their bondage irrecoverable; Alas that we &s;hould be &s;o neer if in <HI>England,</HI> that the divi&s;ions that are got in among&s;t the &s;ervants of God, &s;hould make us like the Hieroglyphique of the Dragon and the Lion, figh|ting one again&s;t another, when the Griffin hangs over them to devoure them both when they have weakened &amp; wounded one another. This is our pre&s;ent &s;ad condition, God in mercy amend it; I have much adoe to keep off from further enlarging my complaint upon this wofull
<PB N="15" REF="10">
theam, becau&s;e our divi&s;ions (be&s;ide all other mi&s;chiefes which attend them,) hinder us from pri&s;ing and e&s;teeming deliverances and the mercies which God be&s;towes upon us, as in &s;uch a deliverance and mercy as we meet to prai&s;e God for this day; many, yea many hone&s;t and good men hardly know how to prai&s;e for it, when the in&s;truments of it are men from whom we are divided in our affections, le&s;t po&s;&s;ibly &s;ome &s;uch re&s;pect &s;hould be offered them as we like not: and thus God is deprived of his glory and we of our comfort. O the wofull fruits of our di&s;cord! Chri&s;t will not bear the&s;e things at our hands, he wil either make us one or none; I am per&s;waded he will either make us lay down the&s;e oru divi&s;ions, or he will give us up into their hands, who will make us agree in eating the bread of affli|ction, and drinking the water of affliction, make us agree in one common calamity with a witne&s;&s;e. Pardon this di|gre&s;&s;ion (if it be one) which the exigence of the times and our dangers, put me upon; I urge the&s;e things to &s;tir up your frequent prayers that God would be merciful unto us, that we might not thus pul down our hou&s;es with our owne hands. Thus from the fir&s;t part, the confederacy again&s;t the Church; the other I principally aime at, and that is,</P>
<P>The deliverance from it: where you have con&s;iderable <NOTE PLACE="marg">Second and third part of the Text, the Churches deli|verance and the cau&s;e of it.</NOTE> two things: Fir&s;t,</P>
<P>The deliverance it &s;elfe; the breaking of all the coun|&s;ells of their enemies, and the turning of all upon their own heads: and Secondly,</P>
<P>The cau&s;e of it; and that is <HI>Immanuel,</HI> he is the wor|ker of it.</P>
<P>Now though there be but one main le&s;&s;on, that I pur|po&s;e to handle, yet there are three or foure particulars, that I would hint and but little more then name; one is,
<PB N="16" REF="11">
that although the Lord had brought the&s;e <HI>A&s;&s;yrians</HI> up|on his people, and delivered his people into their hands, yet their rage, and cruelty, and fury again&s;t his Church did move God to turn his hand upon them, though he had imployed them to afflict, and cha&s;ti&s;e his people:</P>
<P>That the more rage and fury is in the enemies of the Church, the &s;ooner doth the Lord compa&s;&s;ionate the <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Ob&s;erv.</HI> 3. The rage and fury of the Churches ene|mies ha&s;ten the Churches deliverance. Deut. 32.</NOTE> mi&s;eries of his Church; there are very many examples of it, in the 32. <HI>Deuter. I &s;aid I would &s;catter them,</HI> &s;pea|king of the rebellions of his people, which had anger'd him; I &s;aid (&s;aith he) <HI>I would even &s;catter them into corners, I would make the remembrance of them to cea&s;e from among men, were it not that I feare the furie of their enemy,</HI> that he would exalt him&s;elfe too much again&s;t them: <HI>Senacherib</HI> is a famous in&s;tance of this, <HI>E&s;ay</HI> 10. God had &s;tirred him up to goe again&s;t his people, to take the &s;poil of them, and to tread them downe as the mire in the &s;treets: but <HI>Senacheribs</HI> rage grew higher, he would de&s;troy and utterly cut them off, he would do to <HI>Hie|ru&s;alem</HI> as he had done to <HI>Samaria,</HI> but even therefore did God compa&s;&s;ionate his people, and ruine this proud adver&s;ary: &s;o likewi&s;e, <HI>Zach.</HI> 1. 14, 15, 16. &amp;c. <HI>God was a little angry and di&s;plea&s;ed with his people, and the ene|mies helped forward the affliction,</HI> but <HI>therefore was God &s;ore di&s;plea&s;ed with their enemies, and even therefore did he returne to</HI> Hieru&s;alem <HI>with mercyes.</HI></P>
<P>Thus you &s;ee God compa&s;&s;ionates the mi&s;ery of his people, the more the rage and furie of the adver&s;ary is <NOTE PLACE="marg">Application.</NOTE> kindlled again&s;t them: And therefore (to apply this in a word or two) that which is to many in the&s;e dayes, is a wonderfull di&s;couragement of heart, I thinke rather &s;hould to be a ground of hope to us; I mean the extream rage and fury which appears in the &s;pirits of
<PB N="17" REF="11">
mo&s;t wicked men again&s;t &s;uch as fear God; I believe there was never &s;o much bloud, nor wrath, rage, nor fury, in the hearts of the enemies of Gods people as is this day to be found; they feare not to &s;peake it out, that not a man of them &s;hall live in the Kingdome, when once power comes into their hands; they hope the day is comming, and they make account to doe, as <HI>Pharaoh</HI> &s;aid he would do, when he followed the <HI>I&s;raelites</HI> into <NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 15. 9.</NOTE> the Red &s;ea, I will now overtake them, my <HI>wrath &s;hall be now &s;atisfied to the full upon them;</HI> now who knowes but the Lord will doe his people the more good for this; as <HI>David</HI> &s;aid of <HI>Shimei,</HI> when he cur&s;ed him, and they would have had him take off his head, No (&s;aith he) <HI>let him cur&s;e, it may be God will doe me good for his cur|&s;ing of me;</HI> the more pride, and wrath there is in the hearts of tho&s;e, that thinke to tread his people down, the more will God lay their in&s;olency to his heart.</P>
<P>Again, you may ob&s;erve here, with what &s;corne and <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Ob&s;erv.</HI> 2. With what &s;corn and con|tempt, God looks upon the preparations and forces of his Churches e|enemies.</NOTE> contempt the Lord doth &s;peake of all the preparations of man again&s;t his people; here was a mighty Army li&s;ted and rallied, gathered together, met at their rendez|vouz, yea, come into the Kingdome, and made account to carry all before them, but how di&s;dainfully the Lord &s;peakes of all their preparations; A&s;&s;ociate your &s;elves, goe your wayes on, you thinke to doe a great act, you make account to carry all, but it will not doe, it will not &s;tand; poore peoplel you reckon without your ho&s;t; thus the Lord (as the prophet &s;aith) &s;its in heaven, and laughs <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;. 22.</NOTE> at them; he &s;corns all their preparations, that they make again&s;t his &s;ervants: and truly the naming of it, &s;hould teach us to make the &s;ame u&s;e of it, that <HI>Luther</HI> did, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Application.</NOTE> Surely (&s;aith he) if Je&s;us Chri&s;t &s;it in heaven and laugh at them, we &s;hould be fooli&s;h on earth, to &s;it and cry for
<PB N="18" REF="12">
feare of them; for Chri&s;t well enough knowes what they can doe, and what they &s;hall doe, let us never trem|ble at that which Ie&s;us Chri&s;t laughes at. Ob&s;erve fur|ther,</P>
<P>That when the Lord doth think upon deliverance for his afflicted people, it is nothing of their worth, but on|ly <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Ob&s;erv.</HI> 3.</NOTE> the intere&s;t of <HI>Immanuel,</HI> which prevailes with God; here the Lord had &s;tirred up an enemy to come again&s;t them, and they came, and when they thought to doe great matters, the Lord would not let them, but would turne all upon their owne heads; and why? <HI>for Imma|nuel, Immanuel is intere&s;&s;ed in it,</HI> not the worthine&s;&s;e of Gods people, as he often &s;aith it; be it knowne to you, <HI>I doe nothing of all this for your &s;akes, be you a&s;hamed and confounded, it is for my own names &s;ake which I work for;</HI> I regard the glory of my Son, Chri&s;ts intere&s;t will bring deliverance, when the unworthines of the Church would rather call for vengeance. 'Tis true, God dearly loves his people, they are to him as the apple of his eye, King|domes and nations are nothing to him in compari&s;on of his people, but 'tis no worth in them, nothing of their owne, which commends them to him, they often lye in their blood which yet is a time of love to him, and &s;hould he forbeare healing and helping till their worthine&s;&s;e cal'd for deliverance it would, never come, 'tis that love wherewith he hath loved them in <HI>Immanuel,</HI> which <NOTE PLACE="marg">Application.</NOTE> brings all; therefore though we &s;hould be humbled and even tremble at the thought of our pre&s;ent unworthines, yet &s;hould Gods people comfortably hope and wait, that for Chri&s;ts intere&s;t in our pre&s;ent cau&s;e and worke, deliverance will come.</P>
<P>Before I come to the chiefe le&s;&s;on, point at one more,</P>
<P><PB N="19" REF="12">
That when the greate&s;t inundations of mi&s;eries doe flow in upon the Church, yet the Lord &s;ets bounds to them, that they cannot go &s;o far as the enemy would: here the waters &s;hould come up to the chin, but yet not over head and eares; the Lord often afflicts his people, but he will not give them up to a totall &s;poile, and de&s;olati|on; all the&s;e things de&s;erve to be handled more fully, but the time will not allow it; I come now therefore to that onely le&s;&s;on, that I intend more full to in&s;i&s;t upon; and that is this,</P>
<P><HI>Immanuel, our ble&s;&s;ed Saviour, doth turne all the plots</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Ob&s;erv.</HI> 5. The main ob|&s;ervation from the deliverance and the author of it.</NOTE> <HI>and con&s;piracies, that are again&s;t his Church, upon the heads of the contrivers, and makes them for the &s;alvation, and deliverance of his people:</HI> that is the le&s;&s;on,</P>
<P>That all the a&s;&s;ociations, and plots that are again&s;t Gods people, Je&s;us Chri&s;t doth &s;o order the matter, that <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ie&s;us Chri&s;t turns the mo&s;t de&s;perate de|&s;ignes of his Churches ene|mies upon their own heads, &amp;c.</NOTE> in the re&s;ult and event, they &s;hall be all turned upon the heads of the adver&s;aries; and for the welfare of tho&s;e that are his &s;ervants: there is no one argument in the whole booke of God more frequently repeated in vari|ous in&s;tances, then this doctrin which I have propoun|ded: that of <HI>Aegypt,</HI> of <HI>Si&s;era,</HI> of <HI>Senacherib,</HI> of <HI>Ha|man,</HI> of the con&s;piracie again&s;t Chri&s;t; and a hundred others more, &s;ome relating to the Church in generall, &s;ome relating to particular godly men, in all of them the Lord hath ever made it good, that the mi&s;chief intended <NOTE PLACE="marg">This cleared by five conclu|&s;ions gathered out of the text.</NOTE> again&s;t his people, turns upon the heads of the contrivers. But to make it a little clear to you, I pray you note the&s;e four or five conclu&s;ions, which all lie in my Text: Fir&s;t, <NOTE PLACE="marg">1.</NOTE></P>
<P>That all the plots and con&s;piracies, that wicked men <NOTE PLACE="marg">God and our Lord Ie&s;us Chri&s;t hath a hand in contri|ving all the de|&s;ignes that are again&s;t his peo|ple.</NOTE> have again&s;t the Church and people of God, Je&s;us Chri&s;t hath a hand in the contriving of them: here was <HI>Senache|rib,</HI> he and his people had confederated and a&s;&s;ociated
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in this plot: but God &s;ent him, ver&s;e 7. <HI>Now therefore the</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Conclu&s;ion.</HI> 1. Chri&s;t hath a hand in contri|ving every plot that is again&s;t the Church.</NOTE> <HI>Lord bringeth upon them the King of</HI> A&s;&s;yria: the Lord had determined how far he &s;hould goe, how hee &s;hould &s;pread over all the land, <HI>and his waters &s;hould reach up to the neck:</HI> in the next Chapter but one, in the 10 <HI>I&s;a.</HI> God &s;aith of him, <HI>I &s;ent him again&s;t them, though he did not thinke &s;o:</HI> So al&s;o in the 4. of <HI>Micah, Many nations are gathered together again&s;t thee, &amp;c.</HI> but it followes pre|&s;ently, <HI>I gather them as &s;heaves;</HI> &s;o in the famous ca&s;e of the death of Chri&s;t, <HI>Herod</HI> and <HI>Pontius Pilate</HI> with the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 4 26, 27, 28.</NOTE> <HI>Gentiles</HI> and the people of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> were gathered together again&s;t the Lord and again&s;t his Chri&s;t, but it was to do what Gods hand and coun&s;ell had before determined to be done. Secondly,</P>
<P>In this contrivement, Je&s;us Chri&s;t intendeth one thing, <NOTE PLACE="marg">2.</NOTE> and the enemies intend another thing, each of them <NOTE PLACE="marg">Chri&s;t intends one thing, the enemy another thing.</NOTE> working according to their owne principles; that you have plain here, the <HI>A&s;&s;yrian</HI> comes in, his intent is to &s;wallow up all, the Lords intent is, that he him|&s;elf and all his company &s;hal be broken to pieces; thus <HI>Io|&s;ephs</HI> brethren thought evill again&s;t him, but God meant good to him; thus <HI>Pharaoh</HI> intended the extirpation of <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> by that which God intended their propagation; <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 50. 20. Exod. 1. 12. He&s;ter 3. 1. Micah 4. 12, 13.</NOTE> thus <HI>Haman</HI> intended the ruine of <HI>Mordecai</HI> and all the <HI>Iewes,</HI> when God intended light and gladne&s;&s;e and a good day to them; thus the nations <HI>Micah</HI> 4. intended to tread down <HI>Zion,</HI> when God intended they them&s;elves &s;hould be thre&s;hed out: and a hundred examples more might be given, but I can only point at the&s;e things. Thirdly,</P>
<P>That Je&s;us Chri&s;t doth very frequently let the de&s;igns <NOTE PLACE="marg">3.</NOTE> of the adver&s;aries of his Church goe on, with a great <NOTE PLACE="marg">Chri&s;t often lets them goe on till they think to attain their end.</NOTE> deale of &s;ucce&s;&s;e and pro&s;perity, untill they think them|&s;elves
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cock-&s;ure of the whole bu&s;ine&s;&s;e: this you may &s;ee in the Text here, they came with &s;uch a mighty Ar|my, that they made no que&s;tion of carrying all before them, made account all was their own; thus <HI>Pharaoh</HI> went <NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 15. 9. He&s;ter. 10. 8, 9.</NOTE> on till he was confident his wrath &s;hould be &s;atisfied up|on them, <HI>Exod.</HI> 15. So <HI>Haman</HI> had got his decrees &s;igned by the Kings letters, which by the law of <HI>Per&s;ia</HI> was irre|vocable; thus was <HI>Peter</HI> kept in pri&s;on untill the very <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 12. 7.</NOTE> night before he &s;hould be executed: and &s;o in abundance of other de&s;igns again&s;t the Church you may &s;ee the like, though it is very true that &s;ometimes the Lord cru&s;hes them in the egge, and will not let them break out into Serpents; yet very often (as we &s;ay in the Gunpowder-trea&s;on) there wanted nothing, but to put the match to the powder, and the blow had been given; &s;o God lets the plots and contrivements of the enemies of his Church, go on, untill they make account that there be no way in the world to &s;top them, or to prevent them; &s;o that if Gods people be delivered, <HI>their &s;oules mu&s;t e&s;cape as a bird out of the &s;nare of the Fowler.</HI> The next conclu|&s;ion is,</P>
<P>That when the enemies make account all is &s;ure, that <NOTE PLACE="marg">4.</NOTE> they que&s;tion not, but the day is their owne, then doth <NOTE PLACE="marg">Chri&s;t defeats them when they thinke them&s;elves mo&s;t &s;ure. Acts 20. 12 &amp;c.</NOTE> the Lord in &s;ome unexpected way, da&s;h all their plots, bring them to nothing; thus God defeated <HI>Pharaoh, Exod.</HI> 15. thus was <HI>Haman</HI> defeated, thus was the con|&s;piracy again&s;t <HI>Paul</HI> defeated, <HI>Acts.</HI> 26. a hundred in&s;tan|ces might be given, but I &s;hall only open one &s;imilitude which God u&s;e to &s;et down the manner of the de&s;tru|ction of <HI>Nineveh, Nahum</HI> 1. 10. <HI>Nineveh</HI> was then the head of this <HI>A&s;&s;yrian</HI> Empire, and God expre&s;&s;eth the ru|ine of <HI>Nineveh</HI> thus, <HI>when they are folden together, like thornes, and when they are drunken like drunkards, then
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&s;hall they be devoured as &s;tubble fully dryed;</HI> that is, when their plots are curiou&s;ly weaved, and &s;et &s;o, that no man &s;hall dare to touch them, no more then he would touch a wreath of thornes; they have &s;o contrived the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e that they would faine &s;ee the man that dur&s;t appeare a|gain&s;t them; <HI>They are folded together as thornes, and when they are drunken like drunkards,</HI> that is, they are drunken with pride and confidence of their &s;ucce&s;&s;e, they can hardly &s;peak or goe, they are &s;o drunken with confi|dence, when they are come thus to the top, <HI>then &s;hall they be devoured like dry &s;tuble,</HI> &s;ome way or other fire will be put to the thatch of the hou&s;e, and &s;et it a burning, and in a moment all is gone off. Thus <HI>when the enemy is come in like a floud, the &s;pirit of the Lord lifts up a &s;tandard a|gain&s;t him.</HI> Thus God delights to take his time, when <NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;a <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="faint" EXTENT="1 letter">9. 19.</NOTE> they are at the highe&s;t, and feare the lea&s;t, then God breaks their de&s;ign; the la&s;t conclu&s;ion is,</P>
<P>That when God breaks their de&s;ignes, hee delights to <NOTE PLACE="marg">5.</NOTE> break them&s;elves, not onely to fru&s;trate their de&s;ignes, <NOTE PLACE="marg">When Chri&s;t breaks his ene|mies plots, he often breaks them&s;elves al&s;o.</NOTE> but to ruine them too, and deliver his people; &s;o it is here, <HI>A&s;sociate your &s;elves, gather your &s;elves, gird your &s;elves, take coun&s;ell, but &s;till you &s;hall be broken to pieces, ye &s;hall be broken to pieces, ye &s;hall be broken to pieces,</HI> three times it is in one ver&s;e; all breaking to pieces, ruin and de&s;tructi|on to them, and &s;alvation, and deliverance to Gods peo|ple: Thus was it to <HI>Pharoah</HI> and his hoa&s;t, thus was it <NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 1. 4. Iudges 15. Iudges 8. P&s;al. 3. 11. Iudg. 5 <HI>ult.</HI></NOTE> to <HI>Si&s;era</HI> and his army, thus was it to <HI>Oreb</HI> and <HI>Zeeb,</HI> who peri&s;hed at <HI>Endor,</HI> and became like dung upon the face of the earth, thus with <HI>Senacharib</HI> and his great Army, thus with all the Nations who were gathered together to defile <HI>Zion,</HI> and thus &s;hall it be with all the enemies of the Church, <HI>&s;o let all thine enemies peri&s;h O Lord.</HI> Could the time permit me, I would a little further
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in&s;truct you, out of the word, in the &s;everall wayes, how <NOTE PLACE="marg">The &s;everall wayes how Chri&s;t delivers his Church and ruines their enemies.</NOTE> Je&s;us Chri&s;t u&s;es to affect this, which are all unexpected wayes unto his enemies; they are &s;uch as the&s;e,</P>
<P>Sometimes the Lord doth make &s;ome diver&s;ion &s;or them; calls them off that they cannot goe on though they fully purpo&s;'d it: 2 <HI>Kings</HI> 19. 7, 8. <NOTE PLACE="marg">1.</NOTE> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Kings 19 7, 8.</NOTE></P>
<P>Sometimes the Lord doth infatuate their coun|&s;els, that they goe a &s;imple way to worke in a bu&s;i|ne&s;&s;e, <NOTE PLACE="marg">2.</NOTE> that el&s;e might bee carried ea&s;ily, <HI>E&s;ay</HI> 19. <NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;a 19 20, 12.</NOTE> 20, 12.</P>
<P>Sometimes the Lord doth breed divi&s;ions among&s;t them&s;elves, that they who thought to de&s;troy Gods <NOTE PLACE="marg">3.</NOTE> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Chron 20.</NOTE> people, help to de&s;troy one another; 2. <HI>Chron.</HI> 20.</P>
<P>Sometimes the Lord &s;trikes into them a &s;pirit of <NOTE PLACE="marg">4.</NOTE> terror, and amazement, that they doe not know whence <NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ay 13. 8.</NOTE> it is, nor why it is, and yet their courage is wholly gone, and &s;o God threatned it &s;hould be both to <HI>Niniveh</HI> and <HI>Babylon, E&s;ay</HI> 13.</P>
<P>Sometimes the Lord &s;tirres up other creatures to <NOTE PLACE="marg">5.</NOTE> doe it; the Wind, the Sun, the Stars, nay it may be <NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod 8&punc; 9, 10.</NOTE> the very <HI>in&s;ecta animalia, Exod.</HI> 8. 9, 10. the Rats and Mice, and Frogs, and &s;uch poore creatures, and &s;o delivers his people, as he did <HI>Ieremiah</HI> out of a dun|geon by rotten rags.</P>
<P>Sometimes the Lord Je&s;us doth it, by his own imme|diate <NOTE PLACE="marg">6.</NOTE> hand, as in my Text here; the hand of the Lord <NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ay 9. 6. E&s;ay 3. 7.</NOTE> doth it as with devouring fire; So hee did again&s;t <HI>Senacharib;</HI> the Angel of God &s;ent a plague, that in one night kil'd a matter of nine&s;core thou&s;and: <HI>E&s;ay</HI> 9. 6. and <HI>E&s;ay</HI> 1. 3. 7.</P>
<P>Sometimes the Lord doth it by giving mighty &s;trength unto a handfull of his own people, to bee able to tread <NOTE PLACE="marg">7.</NOTE> downe, and to breake through huge ho&s;tes of them
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who made account to lick them up, as the Oxe &s;hould lick up a little fodder, <HI>Iudges</HI> 1. <HI>Kings</HI> 20. there are plen|tifull examples of all the&s;e; &s;uch wayes as the&s;e doth Je&s;us Chri&s;t delight to turn the plots of all the ene|mies of the Church upon their owne hands, and for his peoples deliverance; the ground of it in one word, is this,</P>
<P>It all comes from that infinite love that Je&s;us Chri&s;t <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>R<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="faint" EXTENT="1 letter">a&s;on.</HI> From the ten|der love and regard Ie&s;us Chri&s;t bears to his people.</NOTE> beares to his people; my Text hath it, you mu&s;t be bro|ken to pieces, for <HI>Immanuel;</HI> it is <HI>Immanuels</HI> land, it is <HI>Immanuels</HI> cau&s;e, it is <HI>Immanuels</HI> people: the tender love that Chri&s;t beares to his people, is the cau&s;e of all this, though they are altogether unworthy of it; <HI>With an everla&s;ting love have I loved thee,</HI> in <HI>Ier.</HI> 31. 3. there|fore <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 31. 3. E&s;ay 43. 4.</NOTE> with loving kindne&s;&s;e will I thus draw thee; and in the 43. of <HI>I&s;aiah, Since thou wa&s;t pretious in mine eyes,</HI> (&s;aith God) that is, &s;ince I &s;et my heart upon thee, <HI>I will give men for thee, and people for thy life:</HI> the Lord cares not to give a mighty Army of enemies for the ran&s;ome of them that are pretious in his eyes: and in another place, I'le make them of the Synagogue <NOTE PLACE="marg">Revel. 3. 9.</NOTE> of Satan, fall at thy feet, and they &s;hall know that I have loved thee; for their &s;akes is hee <HI>Immanuel,</HI> for their &s;akes is al power in heaven and earth committed to him, <HI>the Father judgeth no man,</HI> that is, the execution of all the Soveraigne authority of God; is now put into the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh 5. 22.</NOTE> hands of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, for this very end, God hath given <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe&s;. 1. 21,</NOTE> him to be the head over all things <HI>to the Church,</HI> they are all to be &s;ubordinate for the good of the Church, his onely work and de&s;ign is the welfare of his Church, upon the Church hee hath &s;et his heart, the Church he carries in his bo&s;ome, his Church he hath writ upon the palmes of his hands, and the tablet of his brea&s;t, and
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hee being furni&s;hed with all the power of God, and all the wi&s;dome of God, and all the righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of God, it can bee no otherwi&s;e but that all de&s;ignes and plots that are again&s;t the Church mu&s;t bee da&s;hed and come to nought, according to that promi&s;e in the latter end of the 54. of <HI>I&s;aiah, No weapon that is formed again&s;t</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ay 54. 17.</NOTE> <HI>thee can pro&s;per, but every tongue that ri&s;eth up again&s;t thee in judgement thou &s;holt condemn, this is the heritage of all Gods people, &s;aith the Lord:</HI> the&s;e things I know you are not unacquainted with, I &s;hall now wind it up with an Application in two or three u&s;es, and they are all of them &s;uch u&s;es which the Lord teaches his people to make of it, in this very Chapter; the fir&s;t is,</P>
<P>A word of Caution, becau&s;e all plots and con&s;piracies again&s;t the Church mu&s;t come to nothing, therefore <HI>&s;ay</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>&V;&s;e</HI> 1. Therefore let all men feare to have any hand again&s;t Gods people.</NOTE> <HI>you not, a confedracy with them that &s;ay a confederacy;</HI> this u&s;e of Prophet makes of it in the 12. ver&s;e, a&s;&s;oon as the Lord had made this promi&s;e, <HI>He pre&s;ently with a &s;trong hand in&s;tructs him not to walk in the way of that people, &s;aying, &s;ay not a confederacy with them, that &s;ay a confede|racy,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Ver&s;e</HI> 12.</NOTE> that is, when others doe either out of ill will again&s;t Gods people, or from ba&s;e feare, or any other principle whatever, a&s;&s;ociate them&s;elves with the churches ene|mies do not you joyn in that confederacy with them the &s;ame caution I give you, let it bee a watch-word to all of you, to beware how you have your hand in any de&s;igne that is again&s;t the cau&s;e and people of God, for certainly in it you can contrive nothing but your owne ruine; <HI>Ahitophel</HI> was a wi&s;e man and hee would joyne with <HI>Ab&s;alon,</HI> po&s;&s;ibly onely out of policy, becau&s;e hee &s;aw <HI>Ab&s;alon</HI> was the ri&s;ing &s;tar, and the people were di&s;|contented with <HI>Davids</HI> government, and factions were &s;pread, and this man was like to carry it, and what be|came
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of this wi&s;e man? God turned his coun&s;ell into fooli&s;hine&s;&s;e, hee twi&s;ted a halter to hang him&s;elf, and that was all; Thou mai&s;t by &s;uch plots kindle a fire to burn thy owne hou&s;e, thou mai&s;t furbi&s;h a &s;word to run into thy owne bo&s;ome, but all thy contrivements and joynings with them, how wi&s;e or cunning &s;o ever they are, mu&s;t turn upon thy own head to thy ruin, if thou have any thing to doe with them; therefore as <HI>Pilates</HI> wife &s;ent to him, <HI>have thou nothing to doe again&s;t that ju&s;t man,</HI> &s;o &s;ay I to you, have you nothing to do again&s;t Gods Servants, it is a dangerous and a wretched thing to be ingaged again&s;t them, it's a wretched thing to carry the devill in ones brain, to be plotting mi&s;chief, but to be un&s;ucce&s;&s;efull in attempts, yea to advance and doe good to them whom men would de&s;troy, and them&s;elves to peri&s;h for their labour, this is mi&s;erable, many a man with <HI>Samp&s;on</HI> would bee content to peri&s;h upon con|dition, that they whom they oppo&s;e might peri&s;h with them, but that cannot be here, no plot will take, therefore let them alone, meddle not again&s;t tho&s;e men for who&s;e &s;ake God will be ingaged again&s;t thee: this is one u&s;e, The &s;econd is,</P>
<P>A u&s;e of comfort; becau&s;e <HI>Immanuel</HI> was with his people, <HI>therefore</HI> &s;aith he, <HI>Feare not their feare, be not di&s;|mayed,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>&V;&s;e</HI> 3. Ver&s;. 12, 13, 14. 17. Therefore let Gods people &s;tay upon Chri&s;t in all dark &amp; difficult times.</NOTE> <HI>&s;anctifie you the Lord of ho&s;ts in your heart, he will be a &s;anctuary to you, tru&s;t in him though he hide his face from the hou&s;e of I&s;rael;</HI> In many words the Prophet here doth animate and incourage the &s;ervants of God, in their greate&s;t confu&s;ions which can po&s;&s;ibly lie upon them, not to let their faith in <HI>Immanuel</HI> goe, but beare them&s;elves upon him in the mid&s;t of all difficulties; This al&s;o would I a little pre&s;&s;e upon you, becau&s;e the Lord is thus engaged, and will order all things for the ru|ine
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of his enemies, and the good of his &s;ervants, therefore in the mid'&s;t of all our darkne&s;&s;es and difficul|ties, hold your faith &s;trong in <HI>Immanuels</HI> promi&s;es, which are many, hold you to them, and feare not any feare of man; I confe&s;&s;e, when in my weakne&s;&s;e, I look upon the condition of the&s;e three Kingdomes of <HI>En|gland, Scotland,</HI> and <HI>Ireland,</HI> there is not in reference to the people of God, a &s;adder &s;pectacle upon earth, pre|&s;ented to my eye; Clouds of confu&s;ion hang over all our heads, wee may &s;ay of our troubles, as <HI>Leah</HI> &s;aid, when &s;hee had a &s;on born, &s;hee called him <HI>Gad,</HI> Behold (&s;aid &s;hee) a troope cometh; Troopes of mi&s;ery break out again&s;t us, and threaten the people of God in all the&s;e three Kingdomes; the adver&s;aries of the cau&s;e that we have beene engaged in, were never more, never &s;o full of fury, never &s;o diligent, they are like unto the Frogs, that came out of the mouth of the <HI>Dragon,</HI> and the fal&s;e Prophet, and the Bea&s;t, that were to gather all the Kings of the earth to battaile again&s;t the Lambe, &s;et|ting their confederacies, and &s;ending their Emi&s;&s;aries into every corner; into every corner of <HI>France,</HI> of <HI>Hol|land,</HI> of <HI>England,</HI> and <HI>Scotland,</HI> and <HI>Ireland,</HI> where ever any confederacy may bee rai&s;ed; and wee at home are a mo&s;t pitifull, divided, disjoynted people, even we who have owned and joined in Gods cau&s;e, as if wee were the children of <HI>Cadmus,</HI> making it our worke to thru&s;t our &s;words into one anothers bowels; or like the brethren of <HI>I&s;hmael,</HI> every mans &s;word is again&s;t us, and our &s;word again&s;t them; &s;o that when I look upon the difficulties, and dangers that doe inviron us, &s;eri|ou&s;ly I &s;ee no more probability of our with&s;tanding the invading ruine, then it is for a levell of &s;and to with&s;tand a Torrent of water, that comes running upon it, I &s;ay
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thus it appeares to mee when I look upon the&s;e things, with carnall eyes: I can then &s;ee no way, but the wo|fulle&s;t confu&s;ion breaking in upon us, which a Kingdom can be plunged in, e&s;pecially that the godly party are even like to be given up for a &s;poile, and a prey; all our foun|dations are out of joynt, and our whole hou&s;e &s;eemes falling; but what then? Mu&s;t we therefore &s;it downe, and de&s;paire? No, for <HI>Immanuel,</HI> becau&s;e of <HI>Immanuel</HI> wee may beare up our hearts &s;till; and to encourage you, I pray you carry home, the&s;e foure or five medita|tions: Fir&s;t,</P>
<P>Know you for certain, that there is not one of all the&s;e bu&s;ine&s;&s;es, not any of the&s;e de&s;ignes and plots that are in <NOTE PLACE="marg">1.</NOTE> hand again&s;t us, but the be&s;t friend wee have in heaven and earth, hath &s;tirred them all; no man could offer at you, &s;o much as a drawne Dagger, if Je&s;us Chri&s;t did not draw it, and put it into his hand: and truly Gods people need not feare any great hurt from any de&s;igne that Je&s;us Chri&s;t hath his hand in; the clouds which Je&s;us Chri&s;t rai&s;eth will all drop fatne&s;&s;e, that is one, Chri&s;t hath contrived them all, and you may therefore look for good from them; Secondly,</P>
<P>Know for certaine that in the greate&s;t rage and fury that ever is found among&s;t wicked men, <HI>Immanuel</HI> hath <NOTE PLACE="marg">2.</NOTE> a negative voice; hee is not onely privy to all the coun&s;els that are, but he hath a negative voice in them too: If hee &s;ay <HI>nay,</HI> all their yeas are: not worth a far|thing, to advance their bu&s;ine&s;&s;e; wee u&s;e to &s;ay to the Papi&s;ts, that if a generall councel could be called in Chri|&s;trendome, no good could bee expected from it, if the Pope bee allowed to have a negative voyce, for certain|ly hee will never pa&s;&s;e any thing that &s;hall be again&s;t the Church of <HI>Rome:</HI> Je&s;us Chri&s;t hath this negative
<PB N="29" REF="18">
voice; you may demand over whom hath Chri&s;t a negative voice? I tel you,</P>
<P>Over the Sun; hee <HI>&s;aith to the Sun, doe not &s;hine;</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">1.</NOTE> though the Sun be prepared as a Gyant to run his race, if <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iob 7.</NOTE> Chri&s;t doe but &s;ay, doe not &s;hine, the Sun puts his head in a cloud. <NOTE PLACE="marg">2.</NOTE></P>
<P>He hath a negative voice over the Seas; if he &s;ay to the Seas, goe not there, the raging waves of the Sea cannot &s;tir; it is an ob&s;ervation that <HI>Ba&s;il</HI> hath upon <HI>Egypt,</HI> that the land of <HI>Egypt</HI> lies lower then the red Sea, that the red Sea, is higher then the land of <HI>Egypt,</HI> &s;o that there is no rea&s;on can be given why the red Sea doth not drown all <HI>Egypt</HI> and &s;wallow it up, every day, but onely the Lord doth not give his voyce to it; he hath &s;aid to the waves of it, <HI>Hitherto ye &s;hall come, and here yee &s;hall turne back</HI> up on a levell ground; yea runne away from a lower ground, and when the waves roare, he but &s;aith, <HI>peace, bee &s;till,</HI> and hu&s;heth them as a child.</P>
<P>Chri&s;t hath a negative voice over the Devill; If <NOTE PLACE="marg">3.</NOTE> the Devill would but goe into a hog, and Chri&s;t &s;ay, no, you &s;hall not goe, he cannot enter into a Swine.</P>
<P>Hee hath a negative voyce over all mortall men; in <NOTE PLACE="marg">4.</NOTE> all their plots and con&s;piracies; If hee &s;ay, it &s;hall not &s;tand, it is to no purpo&s;e: certainly Beloved, wee may beare up our hearts comfortably upon &s;uch grounds as the&s;e; yea, Thirdly, as Chri&s;t contrives all, and hath a ne|gative voice in all; &s;o,</P>
<P>All the&s;e doe but work his work: hee is not onely <NOTE PLACE="marg">3.</NOTE> one of them, but they are all his Agents too; hee hath &s;ome worke to doe, whatever it bee wherein hee im|ploys them, and though hee let them worke according to their principles, yet they all worke the work of the Lord, the devills in hell worke the worke of Chri&s;t, as
<PB N="30" REF="19">
well as the Angels in heaven; the Pope of <HI>Rome</HI> works the worke of Chri&s;t, as well as a faithfull Mini&s;ter in a Pulpit doth; I mean not that they doe it from right principles, or doe it according to rule, but <HI>de facto,</HI> they doe nothing but what Chri&s;t will have done, as the <HI>Iews</HI> and <HI>Romans</HI> did <HI>in crucifying Chri&s;t,</HI> when they hung him upon the cro&s;&s;e, they did nothing, but what the Lords coun&s;ell had determined to bee done before <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 4. 28.</NOTE> the foundations of the World were laid; Nay I adde in the la&s;t place, to &s;trengthen you, that as they work all of them the Lords work; So</P>
<P>The Lords work &amp; de&s;ign is, <HI>the good of his Church,</HI> the calling, the purging, the pre&s;erving, the building, and nou|ri&s;hing, <NOTE PLACE="marg">4.</NOTE> and growth of the Church, is all the work that Je|&s;us Chri&s;t hath to doe, when that is done, the world ends, and he re&s;ignes up the Kingdome into his Fathers hand; now certainly if we can beleeve all the&s;e things, may not our hearts re&s;t quiet? May not wee (if wee be ingaged in a good cau&s;e, may not wee I &s;ay) with comfort and confidence, put it into the Lords hand, and let him doe what hee will? I am per&s;waded the ground of all the diffidence and di&s;couragement that is found among&s;t the people of God this day, ari&s;es from their ignorance of the intere&s;t of Je&s;us Chri&s;t in the&s;e publick affaires, and I know al&s;o that to tho&s;e men that are but Politicians, and carry carnall and worldly de&s;ignes of their own, &s;uch a le&s;&s;on as this can be of no u&s;e, nor &s;tay to them, for Je|&s;us Chri&s;t is again&s;t them; but for tho&s;e that have a &s;pi|rituall eye, and would bee glad to have &s;ome prop to lean upon, this may &s;tay and quiet their hearts; they may comfortably &s;et down this conclu&s;ion, their Adver&s;ary may have great power and &s;trength, but the Church hath <HI>Immanuel;</HI> they have the wealth of the World,
<PB N="31" REF="19">
the Church hath the wealth of <HI>Immanuel,</HI> the wi&s;dome, care and goodne&s;&s;e of <HI>Immanuel;</HI> they have the whole world to joyn with them, but we have Je&s;us Chri&s;t with us, and that's more; <HI>non e&s;t con&s;ilium contra Dominum;</HI> there is no coun&s;ell, nor &s;trength again&s;t the Lord: there|fore &s;tay, and quiet your hearts with the&s;e things, e&s;pe|cially this might &s;tay us again&s;t our feares of having this tender plant of Reformation bla&s;ted and &s;poiled by the many enemies who oppo&s;e it, it hath been Chri&s;ts ordi|nary way to let his enemies &s;et again&s;t his worke, when its but a tender plant, when in all likelihood it may bee mo&s;t ea&s;ily &s;poil'd, and he orders it &s;o purpo&s;ely to make men &s;ee and know that when they have vented their ut|mo&s;t rage, and done their wor&s;t, hee will carry it on in de&s;pight of them. I conclude this u&s;e in the Prophets words in this place, Sanctifie the Lord in your hearts, fear not mens feare, looke to Chri&s;t, even though hee hide his face, one word &s;poken by him, can and will in due time quiet all the&s;e &s;tormy waves: and then Thirdly, with which I will end, This le&s;&s;on is applyed here by the Prophet likewi&s;e,</P>
<P><HI>For duty,</HI> therefore &s;aith hee, <HI>Bind up the te&s;timonie,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>&V;&s;e</HI> 3. Exhortation: Therefore keep Chri&s;t with us and we are well e|nough. V. 16. 19, 20.</NOTE> <HI>and &s;eale up my Law among&s;t my Schollers, and when any &s;ay to you, &s;eek to Witches, or Wizzards, or</HI> they that have <HI>familiar Spirits, goe not after them;</HI> but hold to <HI>Im|manuels</HI> te&s;timony, the plain meaning of it: is this, that becau&s;e the &s;alvation and deliverance of the Church from all dangers, comes onely from <HI>Immanuel,</HI> there|fore wee &s;hould bee carefull to ingage <HI>Immanuel</HI> to us, hold clo&s;e to his rules, bind up <HI>Immanuels</HI> te&s;timonies, &s;eale them up, that is, ratifie and confirme them, let them onely be of authority among his &s;chollers, goe no<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="faint" EXTENT="1 span">ayes of humane policies, u&s;e not any devilli&s;h
<PB N="32" REF="20">
arts, look not &s;uccour in any unlawfull way, but hold you clo&s;e to the rules of Chri&s;t, that <HI>Immanuel</HI> may own you, and you are well enough; this is the la&s;t u&s;e I &s;hall make of it, becau&s;e the Lord Je&s;us doth thus order all things for the welfare and good of his Church and people, therefore if we would bee &s;afe, let us engage Je&s;us Chri&s;t clo&s;ely, let us hold him with us, and wee are well enough; and herein Honorable and beloved, I more e&s;pecially direct my &s;peech to you that are called to be the great Councell of the Kingdome, according to my poore under&s;tanding, you never &s;tood in more need of help, then you doe at this day, your enemies are very many, and full of rage and fury; and your friends truely, they are but few, and they divided among&s;t them&s;elves, they are jealous one of another, and many of them jealous of you, and what advice, to give you, &s;o to &s;teere your coun&s;els and cour&s;es, to give that &s;atisfaction, which (I think) you would bee glad to doe to hone&s;t men, di&s;&s;enting one from another; the Lord knowes I cannot imagine, what it &s;hould be, it is a hard thing to &s;ay in the&s;e difficulties, what you &s;hould doe, in the wayes of humane wi&s;dome, to &s;atisfie the people, and to &s;ettle and &s;ave the King|dome; but I am &s;ure my Text doth furni&s;h mee with &s;omewhat upon which I can pawn what ever is pretious to mee, and venture my everla&s;ting comfort upon it, if the Lord direct you to take that cour&s;e, you may yet &s;ave your &s;elves, and this Kingdome, that is, hold <HI>Immanuel</HI> to you, bind up <HI>Immanuels</HI> lawes and te&s;ti|monies, let Je&s;us Chri&s;t but be ingaged with you, and he hath wayes to fetch all about again, beyond what the heart of man can think of; Truly the mercy which this day wee prai&s;e God for, is a great pledge and <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="faint" EXTENT="1 word">
<PB N="33" REF="20">
to us, how ea&s;ily the Lord could doe it, when with a&s;mall handfull &s;uch a thing was done, and at &s;uch a &s;ea&s;on able time, when (I am confident) the Malignant enemies throughout the Kingdom, had &s;et and appointed to have had ri&s;ings in every corner of the land, (which I con|ceive is the rea&s;on; why they &s;o cry it down as an un|truth, that they might hold up the &s;pirits of them, who run in the &s;ame way) a little check to our Forces there, would probably have made evill affected men in forty places of the Kingdome to have appear'd &s;uddenly; Now the Lord comming in thus unexpectedly, and da&s;hing them thus ea&s;ily, lets us &s;ee how &s;oone hee can turn the &s;tream; That you may therefore ingage <HI>Immanuel</HI> to own you, I be&s;eech you receive this hum|ble advice, which I give you in his Name, doe you obey his will in it, I dare promi&s;e you, he will yet be with you, and doe all your work for you.</P>
<P>Humble your &s;elves deeply under that hand of God, which is gone out again&s;t you, God hath now layed you <NOTE PLACE="marg">1.</NOTE> very low; it's true, there was never Parliament of <HI>En|gland,</HI> upon which God hath powred &s;o many favours, &s;o many deliverances and victories, and it's as true that there was never Parliament upon which God hath pow|red &s;o much &s;corne; the glory and honour of Parlia|mentary Authority, &s;eems now utterly lo&s;t, and like the lo&s;t innocent &s;tate of man, never more to be repaired, but by an <HI>Immanuel,</HI> none but Je&s;us Chri&s;t is able to repaire this di&s;honour, and reproach, &s;corn, and hatred, which is ea&s;t upon the Parliament, now if you expect any repara|tion from him, you mu&s;t put your mouth into the du&s;t, humble your &s;ouls, acknowledg the Lord to be righteous in all the contempt that he hath powred upon you, and that you have de&s;erved far wor&s;e at his hands then hee hath done unto you.</P>
<P><PB N="34" REF="21">
Look into your own hearts &amp; lives, enquire whether you walk as a people whom <HI>Immanuel</HI> may bee the head and leader of; whether you be a company that Je&s;us Chri&s;t may take any plea&s;ure in or delight to regard and pro&s;per you in your wayes: Inquire whether there be not found a|mong&s;t you many who never knew Je&s;us Chri&s;t, nor any &s;aving work of his upon your own hearts, whether there be not adulterers among you, men that keep harlots, whe|ther there be no haters of goodne&s;&s;e, unju&s;t men, and op|pre&s;&s;ors, Bla&s;phemers, and Drunkards; pardon this plaine language, you know other people talke the&s;e things, I doe not charge you with them, but I profe&s;&s;e, if you in|tend <HI>Immanuel</HI> &s;hould look towards you, you mu&s;t look into your hearts to &s;ee whether the&s;e things be not &s;o, if they be, labour by his &s;trength to ca&s;t them out; by un|fained repentance for the Lord delights not, (though he knowes how to make u&s;e of all) to ble&s;&s;e men that will walke in wayes &s;o contrary to him; and</P>
<P>In your Parliamentary wayes if you would have <HI>Im|manuel</HI> be with you, look that all your proceedings bee <NOTE PLACE="marg">3.</NOTE> according to the rules of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e&punc; you cannot be ignorant of the reports of many, it may be &s;ome of them ill affected men, it may be &s;ome others of them through mi&s;take have &s;uffer'd and &s;o are prejudiced again&s;t you, but you cannot but know that there are reports overall the Kingdom, how that in &s;ome of the Committees there is as great oppre&s;&s;ion and inju&s;tice as was ever found in the High Commi&s;&s;ion, and Star-chamber, tho&s;e Courts that God hath defiled like <HI>Tophet;</HI> Make an inquiry after the&s;e things; for beleeve it, if &s;uch things be found among&s;t you, and that through &s;infull neg|ligence or carele&s;ne&s;&s;e, they bee not looked into, and amended, the Lord will not regard you, and you
<PB N="35" REF="21">
and wee are a lo&s;t people, if <HI>Immanuel</HI> own you not: And la&s;tly,</P>
<P>Looke (I be&s;eech you) to <HI>Immanuels</HI> cau&s;e above all things el&s;e, if you would have him; own your cau&s;e, <NOTE PLACE="marg">4.</NOTE> bee you faithfull in his cau&s;e, and to this end looke back into the Vowes and Covenants you have made, into the &s;olemn oaths you have &s;worn, in the time of your di&s;tre&s;&s;e, with hands lifted up to the mo&s;t High God; remember how many promi&s;es you have made concerning Reli|gion, in matters of Faith, Wor&s;hip and Government, whether the Oaths of God which are upon you are per|formed, and <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="blotted" EXTENT="1 letter">ake into your thoughts, as neere as you can remember, the coun&s;ell that hath been given you either by the A&s;&s;embly of Divines you have called to at|tend that &s;ervice, or by any other Mini&s;ters of God, whom you have called to Preach upon the&s;e &s;olemne dayes, and know ye that what coun&s;ell from <HI>Immanuel</HI> hath been given mu&s;t bee obeyed, you mu&s;t not &s;quare his coun&s;els to &s;erve your owne de&s;ignes, but all your de&s;ign mu&s;t bee to advance his cau&s;e and Kingdome, hee will not have any Agitators in his Army, that &s;hall give check and lawes to him, but he will be Lord of all, or he will break all; therefore for the Lords &s;ake, make Chri&s;ts cau&s;e the cau&s;e of Religion, the cau&s;e of Wor|&s;hip, the cau&s;e of Ju&s;tice, the cau&s;e of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, make it yours, and promote it &s;eriou&s;ly &amp; unanimou&s;ly, and if there have been got in among&s;t you, any factions or divi&s;ions, any driving of parties, or &s;iding with this or the other, becau&s;e you would have your part goe well, throw them all in the du&s;t, lay them a&s;ide, know not the meaning of being of &s;uch a party, or &s;uch a party, but with a &s;ingle heart do that which Chri&s;t would have you doe, and hold to it, Vote not one thing this
<PB N="36" REF="22">
day to plea&s;e one party, and then another thing, another time, to plea&s;e another party, but let your Rule bee the &s;ame, and your heart be right, and alwayes the &s;ame. Honored and Beloved, if you take this cour&s;e, <HI>Immanuel</HI> will owne you, but if you try other wayes, hee knowes how to break and da&s;h all your de&s;ignes, all your hope is onely in him: I conclude with that &s;peech of the Pro|phet <HI>Azariah,</HI> 2 <HI>Chron.</HI> 15. 2. <HI>The Lord is with you, while ye be him, and if yee &s;eek him, hee will bee found of you, but if ye &s;or&s;ake him, he will for&s;ake you,</HI> and if the Lord for&s;ake you, ye are lo&s;t: Con&s;ider what I have &s;aid, and the Lord give you under&s;tanding in all things.</P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
<PB REF="22">
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
