<!DOCTYPE ETS PUBLIC "-//UMDLPS//DTD EEBOPROOF 2.0//EN">
<ETS>
<TEMPHEAD>
<REVDESCR>
<CHANGE>
<DATE>yyyy-mm-dd</DATE>
<RESPSTMT>
<NAME>Emma Leeson Huber, Jonathan Blaney, Judith Siefring or Simon Charles</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
</RESPSTMT>
<ITEM>Added TYPEs to DIVs in order to validate. Proofed title page(s). Checked for N=""s. Checked for GROUP tags. Checked ^s. Reviewed structure. Checked division-marking material at heads and feet of divisions (HEADS, etc.). Checked for signatures. Checked placement and completeness of PBs. Checked for damage GAPs, #s, @s, --s, and UNCLEARs. Corrected 33 $s and $$word$$s etc. of 35. Converted 2 $$s to GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex". Checked spacing of foreign GAPs. Checked for EPIGRAPHs and ARGUMENTs. Checked for &amp;cs with incorrect spacing. Checked for LBs. Checked for startqs, endqs, oes, q;s, and Qs. Checked proofsheets and made corrections found there. Checked for CLOSERs, TRAILERs, and BYLINEs. Checked for missing page GAPs. DONE.</ITEM>
</CHANGE>
</REVDESCR>
</TEMPHEAD>
<EEBO>
<IDG S="marc" R="OX" ID="A85401">
<STC T="W">G1178</STC>
<STC T="T">E149_2</STC>
<BIBNO T="umi">99872810</BIBNO>
<VID>156711</VID>
</IDG>
<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1">
<PB REF="1">
<P>IRELANDS ADVOCATE: OR, A SERMON PREACHED VPON <HI>Novem.</HI> 14, 1641. to promote the con|tributions by way of lending, for the pre&s;ent reliefe of the PROTESTANTS party in IRELAND. In the Pari&s;h CHURCH of S^t. STEPHENS <HI>Coleman &s;treet</HI> LONDON, by the PASTOR there.</P>
<Q><BIBL>JUDGES 5. 23.</BIBL><P>Cur&s;e yee <HI>Meroz (&s;aid the Angell of the LORD)</HI> cur&s;e yee bitterly the Inhabitants thereof; becau&s;e they came not out to the helpe of the LORD, to the helpe of the LORD again&s;t the mighty.</P><P>But who &s;o hath this worlds goods and &s;eeth his Brother hath need, and &s;hutteth up his bowells of compa&s;&s;ion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?</P></Q>
<P><HI>LONDON,</HI> Printed for WILLIAM LARNAR, and are to be &s;old at his Shop, at the &s;igne of the <HI>Golden Anchor,</HI> neere <HI>Paules-Chaine.</HI> 1641.</P>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<PB REF="2">
<PB N="1" REF="2">
<HEAD>IRELANDS ADVOCATE: OR, A SERMON preached upon <HI>Novem.</HI> 14. 1641. to promote the con|tributions by way of lending, for the pre&s;ent reliefe of the <HI>Prote&s;tant</HI> party in IRELAND.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<BIBL>1 JOHN 3. 16.</BIBL>
<Q>Therefore we ought to lay downe our lives for the Brethren.</Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>_THE &s;ad and mo&s;t deplorable con|dition of our Brethren, profe&s;&s;ors of the &s;ame <HI>Faith</HI> and <HI>Religion</HI> with us, in the Kingdome of <HI>Ire|land,</HI> as it hath very lately bin re|pre&s;ented by Letters from thence unto us, is the occa&s;ion of turning me a&s;ide (for the pre&s;ent) from that Scripture that I had intended to have proceeded
<PB N="2" REF="3">
with, and of ca&s;ting me upon this; that &s;o, as wee have a great opportunity from Hel, we may have ano|ther from Heaven al&s;o, to excite and &s;tirre you up, to quit your &s;elves like the Children of GOD, and the redeemed of JESUS CHRIST, by drawing out the bowels of your compa&s;&s;ions readily and freely unto tho&s;e, that are, or ought to be as deare to you, as your &s;elves, and your owne Soules. The Author of this <HI>Epi&s;tle,</HI> was that Di&s;ciple and Apo&s;tle whom <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> loved, that is, loved in &s;peciall manner above his fellowes: who (it &s;eemes) as he received abun|dantly of the &s;weet fruites and expre&s;&s;ions of this af|fection in GOD, and in his Lord and Ma&s;ter JESUS CHRIST towards him, &s;o did he abound propor|tionably in his reciprocall affection towards GOD and JESUS CHRIST againe: the fire burned in vehemencie and &s;trength of heate according to the pile of wood that was layd upon it. And thus know|ing by a double experience, the infinite &s;weetne&s;&s;e and preciou&s;ne&s;&s;e of this affection: he labours more then all the re&s;t of the Apo&s;tles, to propa|gate and multiplie it in the hearts of the Chil|dren of GOD, both towards GOD, and towards one another. To pa&s;&s;e by all other pa&s;&s;ages in his writings, wherein hee labours to promote the cau&s;e and Kingdome of this heavenly affecti|on, in and neere about the Scripture read unto you, hee makes out with a high hand, and with many important arguments, to kindle this fire in the hearts of men, yea and to make it burne out into a vehement flame. <HI>Greater love hath no man</HI> (&s;aith our Saviour John 15. 13.) <HI>then this, that a man &s;hould lay down his life for his friend: and le&s;&s;er love then this ought no man to have</HI> (&s;aith <HI>John</HI> in effect in this place:) Therefore we ought al&s;o to lay down our lives for the <HI>Brethren.</HI> Not
<PB N="3" REF="3">
&s;o much as to mention any other of his argu|ments, adjoyning neere unto the text both before and after it, whereby hee pleades like an Angell of GOD, for &s;inceritie and truth and &s;ound|ne&s;&s;e of this affection we &s;peake of; in this 16 ver&s;e, being come to an argument or ground that hee &s;aw could beare it, he rai&s;eth his demands in this kinde very high; and tells them (in effect) not onely that it &s;tands them in hand, or that it is their duty &s;imply to love one another, no nor yet to love one another in deed and in truth; but to love one another to the height, or to the highe&s;t pitch and &s;treyne of this affection: <HI>we ought al&s;o to lay downe our lives for the Brethren;</HI> which is nothing el&s;e (being interpreted,) but (as was &s;ayd) to love one another with the fer|vente&s;t, and large&s;t, and deepe&s;t affections that our hearts will hold. True it is, &s;uch a demand as this, <HI>to lay down our lives for the Brethren</HI> ri|&s;eth very high (as was &s;ayd) but behold an ar|gument at hand, that will ju&s;tify it, and reduce it to a point of the greate&s;t rea&s;on, equitie and fairene&s;&s;e that can be. <HI>Herein</HI> (&s;aith hee in the former part of the ver&s;e) <HI>have we perceived or knowne love, that hee,</HI> that is, JESUS CHRIST <HI>layd down his life for us:</HI> as if he &s;hould &s;ay: this was love indeed, this was love in the glory and exaltation of it, that our Saviour CHRIST &s;o holy a per&s;on, &s;o wonderfull in Glory and all manner of excellencie as he was, who had no bond or ingagement either of duty or ex|ample upon him, &s;hould freely and willingly part with his life for our &s;akes, to accommodate and plea&s;ure us withall who were his enemies: but now for us, having &s;uch a patterne and example before us to conceive by, and &s;uch an infinite in|gagement
<PB N="4" REF="4">
upon us, as that love of CHRIST, is, and &s;uch an advantage likewi&s;e as the benefit re|dounding to us by that love of CHRIST is to facilitate and make ea&s;y any expre&s;&s;ion of love what&s;oever towards tho&s;e on who&s;e behalfe <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> &s;hall require it: it is no great matter in us, it is but matter of equitie and duty in us, to be &s;o farre rai&s;ed and carried out in our affections of love towards tho&s;e that are our Brethren in <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> and partakers of like precious Faith with us, as to lay down, and part with our lives for them. We &s;hall adde no more either for the dependance or meaning of the words.</P>
<P>We &s;hall from the pa&s;&s;age recommend onely this one generall point of Doctrine unto you: <HI>That</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Doct.</NOTE> <HI>the highe&s;t and deepe&s;t expre&s;&s;ions of love to tho&s;e that are Chri&s;ts, are but matter of duty from Chri&s;tians when they &s;tand in need of them.</HI> For we are to take the Apo&s;tles expre&s;&s;ion or inference here, with &s;uch a limitation as this: <HI>therefore we ought to lay down our lives for the Brethren, viz.</HI> if they &s;tand in need of them, or if we may accomodate and plea&s;ure them in any proportion or con&s;iderable good or benefit there|by, not that we ought actually to doe it at all times (for then we &s;hall be all bound to die immediatly) nor yet that we ought to doe it, when we may ac|commodate them in their nece&s;&s;ities otherwi&s;e, no nor yet to accommodate them in matters of lighter con&s;equence, though (haply) they cannot otherwi&s;e be gratified or provided for, however I conceive this to be a ca&s;e rarely incident, if incident at all, I meane that the common and ordinary affaires or ne|ce&s;&s;ities of Chri&s;tians &s;hould not po&s;&s;ibly be provi|ded for, but by the lives of other of their <HI>Brethren</HI> for them, but in this &s;en&s;e and upon the&s;e termes,
<PB N="5" REF="4">
we are all bound to lay down even our lives them|&s;elves for the <HI>Brethren</HI> in the Faith, when their ne|ce&s;&s;ities are great and &s;ore upon them, and the lay|ing downe of our lives may in likelyhood relieve them, or &s;tand them in &s;ome &s;peciall &s;ervice, and there is no other mea~es in appearance likely to do it. Therfore I include al the&s;e provi&s;o's and ca&s;es of ex|ception, in that clau&s;e in the Doctrine, <HI>when they &s;tand in need of them,</HI> laying it down thus, the highe&s;t and deepe&s;t expre&s;&s;ions of love to tho&s;e that are <HI>Chri&s;ts,</HI> are but matter of duty from their fellow Chri&s;tians, <HI>when they &s;tand in need of them.</HI> The point lies large and full in the Scripture read unto you: &s;o that we &s;hall not need to adde much for the further proofe of it. Take we only a Scripture or two. <HI>So then be|ing affectionately de&s;irous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the Gospell of God only, but al&s;o our own &s;oules</HI> (i. our lives) <HI>becau&s;e you were deare un|to us. 1 The&s;.</HI> 2. 8. We &s;ee the Apo&s;tle here very glorious and high in expre&s;&s;ing the tenor of his affe|ction towards this people: <HI>he was willing to have im|parted even his own &s;oule unto them, viz.</HI> if their con|dition had required it, if he had conceived that hee might have inriched them with peace or comfort by it. What&s;oever the inten&s;ne&s;&s;e or pitch of his affection towards them was, he could not a&s;cend higher then this, in a way of expre&s;&s;ion to them <HI>Greater love then this, i.</HI> a greater expre&s;&s;ion or te|&s;timony of love then this, <HI>hath no man</HI> (&s;aith our Sa|viour, as we heard) <HI>that a man lay down his life for his friend.</HI> Now then I demand, whether in ca&s;e <HI>Paul</HI> had actually performed, on their behalfe, what hee here profe&s;&s;eth him&s;elfe willing and ready to doe, that is, had indeed imparted his owne &s;oule unto them, whether (I &s;ay) he had &s;upererogated or no, or gone beyond the line of that which was his duty
<PB N="6" REF="5">
to doe? Doubtle&s;&s;e that commandement Luk. 10. 27. <HI>Thou &s;halt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy Soule, and with all thy &s;trength, and with all thy mind,</HI> reacheth the utmo&s;t extent and point of the utmo&s;t abilitie that is in man: neither is it po&s;&s;ible for any man to ri&s;e in any expre&s;&s;ion what|&s;oever of love either to <HI>God</HI> or man, above it. So then, if <HI>Paul</HI> in laying down his life for the <HI>The&s;&s;a|lonians,</HI> &s;hould have done no more then what <HI>God</HI> required of him, in ca&s;e their condition had required it, certainly he requires no le&s;&s;e of any man, when the nece&s;&s;itie of his Saints doe require it. Take a|nother Scripture from the &s;ame pen of &s;ome|what alike importance. <HI>Who now rejoyce in my &s;uffer|ings for you, and fill up that which is behinde of the af|flictions of Chri&s;t in my fle&s;h, for his bodies &s;ake, which is the Church,</HI> Col. 1. 24. The&s;e <HI>&s;ufferings</HI> of the Apo&s;tle for the&s;e <HI>Colo&s;&s;ians,</HI> that is, to accommodate them in the mini&s;tery of the <HI>Go&s;pell,</HI> though (as he &s;aith) <HI>he reioyced in them,</HI> yet (doubtle&s;&s;e) they tooke deepe of his outward man, and were grievous to the fle&s;h, and con&s;equently were great and weighty ex|pre&s;&s;ions of his love to them: and yet upon the ground lately mention'd, they were no more, then the demand of a good con&s;cience of him. Now <HI>Paul</HI> (and &s;o any other faithfull mini&s;ter of the <HI>Go|&s;pel</HI>) may be &s;aid <HI>to fulfill,</HI> or fill up, <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI> the remainders or wantings, or afterlings</HI> (as it were) <HI>of the &s;ufferings of Chri&s;t</HI> (to open this by the way) <HI>for the Churches &s;ake,</HI> when he de&s;i&s;ted not from his worke and imployment of preaching the Go&s;pell for any per&s;ecution, or out|ward lo&s;&s;e or trouble be &s;u&s;teyned thereby. There are two things (among&s;t many others) of ab&s;olute nece&s;&s;ity (according to the coun&s;aile and cour&s;e of <HI>Gods</HI> ordinary di&s;pen&s;ation) to accompli&s;h the &s;al|vation
<PB N="7" REF="5">
of his elect, of whom his body, that is, his Church con&s;i&s;ts. Fir&s;t, the making of a Go&s;pell. Secondly, the preaching or making knowne of this Go&s;pell. The Go&s;pell is no meanes of &s;alvation unto any man, except it be revealed and made known unto him. Now <HI>the Sufferings of Chri&s;t,</HI> were of ab|&s;olute nece&s;&s;itie to con&s;titute and make the Go&s;pell, and they are al&s;o of ab&s;olute and intire &s;ufficiencie this way: <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> wants no &s;ufferings to be added to his, or to come up in the reere to &s;econd his, for any &s;uch purpo&s;e as this, to perfect the Go&s;pell in|trin&s;ecally in any kinde. But becau&s;e the making of a Go&s;pell, though never &s;o compleate, rich, and ab|&s;olute, was not enough to effect and actuate the &s;al|vation of his Church, but the publi&s;hing and preach|ing of this Go&s;pell up and down the world, was fur|ther nece&s;&s;arie: hence it cometh to pa&s;&s;e, that the afflictions and &s;ufferings of <HI>Paul</HI> (and &s;o of other Mini&s;ters of the Go&s;pell) are nece&s;&s;arie too, over and above the &s;ufferings of <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> to bring the Church into an actuall po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of her glorie. For Satan, the <HI>God</HI> of this world, will be &s;ure to take a cour&s;e where he hath to doe, and as farre as the length of his arme will extend, that the Go&s;pell of <HI>Ie&s;us Chri&s;t</HI> &s;hall not be effectually, and with power preached in the world without the trouble, and per&s;ecution and &s;ufferings of tho&s;e, that &s;hall put forth their hand to that Plough, and breake up the fallow ground of the world with it. So that except <HI>Ie&s;us Chri&s;t</HI> &s;hould make the Mini&s;ters of the <HI>Go&s;pell</HI> willing to <HI>&s;uffer</HI> from the hands of the world, a&s;well as him&s;elfe did, his &s;ufferings, according to the platforme of the coun&s;ell of <HI>God</HI> touching the meanes of the <HI>Churches</HI> &s;alvation, would not accompli&s;h it. This interpre|tation might be further argued, and &s;trengthened, from that word in the originall, <GAP DESC="foreign">,
<PB N="8" REF="6">
which our tran&s;lation renders, I fulfill, or fill up: but this Engli&s;h doth not fil up the Greeke, the word hath a more emphaticall &s;ignification then &s;o. The word properly &s;ignifieth, <HI>ex adver&s;a,</HI> or <HI>ex oppo&s;ito ad|implere,</HI> that is, to fill up on the one &s;ide, as it were over &amp; again&s;t another, who likewi&s;e filleth up on the other &s;ide, or in another way. This force or impor|tance of the prepo&s;ition <GAP DESC="foreign"> is cleerely &s;eene, in that expre&s;&s;ion or phra&s;e of &s;peech u&s;ed by our Saviour him&s;elfe <HI>Luk</HI> 24. 17. where <GAP DESC="foreign"> &s;ignifi|eth to conferre together, or to &s;peake by way of an|&s;were or oppo&s;ition one to another. So that the Apo&s;tles meaning in this place &s;eemes to be this: that as CHRIST tooke up the one end, the fore|end (as it were) of tho&s;e &s;ufferings whereby the <HI>Church</HI> was to be &s;aved, and caried and bare that; &s;o he help'd to take up the other end, the hinder end (as it were) of the &s;ame &s;ufferings; this end being as nece&s;&s;ary to be taken up and borne by the Mini&s;ters of the <HI>Go&s;pell&punc;</HI> as the other was by the Author of the <HI>Gospel</HI> him&s;elfe, But this by the way. For further confirmation of the Doctrine, I only touch one Scrip|ture more, 1 Pet. 4 8. <HI>And above all things have fervent charitie</HI> (or, love) <HI>among your &s;elves.</HI> If it be the du|ty of Chri&s;tians to <HI>have fervent love among them&s;elves,</HI> doubtle&s;&s;e it is their duty al&s;o to manife&s;t this <HI>love,</HI> in the full proportion, and in all the dimen&s;ions of it, with expre&s;&s;ions &s;utable to it, and every waie com|men&s;urable with it, when opportunity requireth. <HI>A candle is not lighted to be put under a Bed or a Bu&s;h|ell</HI> (as our Saviour &s;peaketh) no more is an excellen|cie or fervencie of love injoyned the &s;ervants of <HI>God,</HI> to be di&s;&s;embled, or to be kept pri&s;oner in the hearts or &s;oules of men, but chiefly for this end and pur|po&s;e, that the heat, light and beauty of it, may be the comfort, riches, &s;trength and glory of the whole
<PB N="9" REF="6">
&s;ociety or body. The Greeke word <GAP DESC="foreign">, tran&s;la|ted <HI>fervent,</HI> properly &s;ignifieth, that which is exten|ded, or &s;tretched out at large, or at length: and doubt|le&s;&s;e the &s;pirit and &s;oule (as it were) of this injuncti|on or exhortation is, that there ought to be &s;uch a love vigent in the hearts of all beleevers, that &s;hould be able and ready upon all occa&s;ions of their Bre|threns nece&s;&s;ities, to doe execution (if need be) a great way off, and to &s;tretch out it &s;elfe in the fruites and expre&s;&s;ions thereof, beyond the line of the ordi|nary affections of men; as a fire that is very hot and hath much wood burning upon it, will warme men at a great di&s;tance from it. I forbeare the drawing together any more Scriptures, for this &s;ervice: the minde of them (I conceive) this way is better known unto us generally, then to require any anxious or long examination. Let us make forward to the grounds, and Rea&s;ons of the point.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> Fir&s;t, we ought to ri&s;e to the highe&s;t in our ex|pre&s;&s;ions of <HI>love</HI> to the Brethren in <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> when their conditions doe require it, becau&s;e <HI>God</HI> requi|reth this at our hands (as ye have heard.) It is one of the impo&s;itions of heaven upon us. It is a tribute of <HI>thankfullne&s;&s;e</HI> which <HI>God</HI> hath &s;aid upon the Great and rich commodity of <HI>&s;alvation</HI> by <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> to be paid <HI>toties quoties,</HI> as oft as the nece&s;&s;ities of our fellow-Beleevers call for it: <HI>We ought</HI> (&s;aith the Holy-Gho&s;t, in the words of the Text) <HI>to lay down our lives for the Brethren.</HI> Now the laying down of our <HI>lives</HI> (we know) is an expre&s;&s;ion of <HI>love</HI> that goeth very farre, and reacheth very high. So then, if we acknowledge a lawfull Authority and Soveraignty of Heaven over us in other things, and all things meet and fit to be done; every thing to be ju&s;t matter of <HI>duty</HI> that <HI>God</HI> requireth us: there is no with&s;tanding the truth of the Doctrine, which
<PB N="10" REF="7">
requireth the deepe&s;t and weightie&s;t expre&s;&s;ions of our <HI>love</HI> to our Brethren in <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> when they &s;tand in need of them.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> Secondly, Becau&s;e <HI>God</HI> doth not only require this at our hands, but he hath him&s;elfe begun unto us, in the highe&s;t and deepe&s;t expre&s;&s;ions of his <HI>love</HI> unto us; he hath provoked and ingaged us hereunto, not &s;o much by his own example, as by the choice of his Subject, upon whom he was plea&s;ed to ex|emplifie this exceeding <HI>love</HI> of his, in the highe&s;t demon&s;trations of it, <HI>viz.</HI> our &s;elves: <HI>So God loved the world (i.</HI> the inhabitants of the world, men) <HI>that he gave his only begotten Sonne,</HI> as <HI>John</HI> 3. 16. If <HI>God</HI> had &s;hewed the &s;ame <HI>love</HI> unto the lap&s;ed Angels, which he hath done unto Men; if he had lifted up the like <HI>horne of &s;alvation</HI> for them, there had bin the like Example; but there had not bin the like engagement, or provocation unto us, to ri&s;e to tho&s;e heights of &s;hewing <HI>love</HI> likewi&s;e, where he &s;hould appoint, as now there is: As the example of <HI>love,</HI> which he hath now &s;hewn to men, is not any &s;uch obligement upon the reprobate Angels, to &s;hew <HI>love</HI> any where, as it would have bin, had them&s;elves bin the object of this <HI>love</HI> of his.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> Thirdly, Like Father, like Sonne, <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t</HI> him&s;elfe hath walked in the <HI>&s;teps of his Fathers love,</HI> and hath gone as high in the declaration and ex|pre&s;&s;ions of his <HI>love,</HI> as the Father hath done in his. He hath given him&s;elfe, and offered up him&s;elfe in <HI>&s;acrifice</HI> upon the &s;ervice of the peace and happi|ne&s;&s;e of a mo&s;t mi&s;erable, wofull, and &s;infull world. For we mu&s;t not look upon the <HI>death</HI> and <HI>&s;ufferings</HI> of <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> &s;imply as the ran&s;ome and attonement of the world; nor as the <HI>gift</HI> of the Father only unto the world for the ran&s;ome of it, for then we &s;hall fall &s;hort in our reckonings: but further, as the free
<PB N="11" REF="7">
and glorious te&s;timony and pledge of the un&s;peak|able, and unconceivable <HI>love</HI> of <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> him&s;elfe unto the world. The Holy - Gho&s;t is very carefull to vindicate the honour and glory of the <HI>love</HI> of <HI>Ie&s;us Chri&s;t</HI> him&s;elfe in his <HI>death,</HI> and &s;o to recommend and &s;et forth the <HI>love</HI> of <HI>God</HI> the Father, in giving his Sonne unto the world, that he may not drowne, or quench, or prejudice in the lea&s;t mea&s;ure the glory of the <HI>love</HI> of <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> him&s;elfe herein. <HI>Here in perceive we love,</HI> (tho&s;e words of <HI>God,</HI> were not in the former tran&s;lation, neither are they found in the be&s;t Greek copies) <HI>that he</HI> i. e. <HI>Chri&s;t hath layd down his life for us</HI> (in the word immediately before the<NOTE PLACE="marg">Joh. 6. 51. 10. 18,</NOTE> Text) be&s;ides many like expre&s;&s;ions, wherby it ap|peares, that the <HI>death</HI> and <HI>&s;ufferings</HI> of <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> were not of <HI>con&s;traint</HI> or <HI>nece&s;&s;ity,</HI> as the typicall &s;acrifices of Bea&s;ts under the Law were, who had no inward principle to incline or make them willing to offer them&s;elves: they were faine to be drawn and drag|ged to the Altar&punc; by a &s;trong hand, and to be bound with cords to the horns thereof; otherwi&s;e there was no &s;acrificatorie death to be had of them: but the <HI>&s;ufferings</HI> of <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> were ab&s;olutely and intirely <HI>free,</HI> and con&s;equently <HI>excellent</HI> and high expre&s;&s;i|ons of his <HI>love</HI> unno us. And the truth is, were the frame of our <HI>hearts</HI> eminently &s;pirituall, and our apprehen&s;ions truly Noble, and keene in touch and ta&s;t of things of highe&s;t worth, and excellencie, the <HI>death</HI> of CHRITT would be more taking and tran&s;|porting with us, in re&s;pect of the Parent that brought it forth, I meane his <HI>love</HI> to the World, then in re|&s;pect of al the Children that are brought forth by it, I meane all the great benefits, and ble&s;&s;ings, and priviledges, that are procured and purcha&s;ed by it for the world. But generally, we are (even the be&s;t of us) no better then a generation of &s;pirituall pot|hunters,
<PB N="12" REF="8">
all for the prey, but little or nothing for the game.</P>
<P>So then, this is another ground or rea&s;on of the Point: we are bound to ri&s;e high in the expre&s;&s;ions of our <HI>love,</HI> when CHRIST &s;hall require it, becau&s;e we have received like mea&s;ure from his hand&punc; and where much is given, much may very lawfully and equally be required.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="4" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> Fourthly, by &s;uch excellent expre&s;&s;ions of your <HI>love</HI> to your <HI>Brethren</HI> in the Faith, as are required of you, you &s;hall glorifie the Name of CHRIST on earth, and convince the judgements and Con&s;ciences of ignorant and wicked men, that he is what he is, <HI>viz.</HI> the Sonne of <HI>God,</HI> and &s;ent into the world by him to be the Saviour thereof. Thus CHRIST prayes unto his Father for tho&s;e <HI>that &s;hall beleeve in him, that they may all be one, as the Father and he are</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Ioh.</HI> 17. 20&punc; 21, 23.</NOTE> <HI>one; &s;o that they al&s;o may be one in them,</HI> &amp; that for this end, <HI>that the world may beleeve that thou</HI> (meaning <HI>God</HI> his Father) <HI>ha&s;t &s;ent me:</HI> and &s;omwhat more plainly (ver&s;e the 23.<HI>) I in them, and thou in me, that they may be perfect in one, that the world may know (viz.</HI> by this their perfection, or being made per|fect in one) <HI>that thou ha&s;t &s;ent me, &amp;c.</HI> But what is there in this, in Beleevers being <HI>made perfect in one?</HI> (as our Saviours expre&s;&s;ion is) that &s;hould produce &s;uch an effect in the world, as is here attributed to it, <HI>viz.</HI> the making them to know, or the giving of them to under&s;tand, that <HI>God</HI> hath &s;enr JESUS CHRIST into the world: what proportion is there, betweene &s;uch an effect as this, and &s;uch a cau&s;e as that? I mu&s;t not &s;tand to open my &s;elfe at large in this: take a ta&s;t of what I would &s;ay fur|ther in two words. By being <HI>made perfect in one,</HI> our Saviour (doubtle&s;&s;e) meaneth, that entirene&s;&s;e and dearene&s;&s;e of affection that &s;hould be between
<PB N="13" REF="8">
them, their being made all one heart (as it were) and one &s;oule. <HI>Love</HI> (we u&s;e to &s;ay) is an affection of union: and when it is reciprocally and mutually fer|vent and &s;trong, and rai&s;'d to an excellent degree, though among&s;t never &s;o many, it makes a &s;trong con&s;olidation of all into one, &s;o that every one hath (in effect) the &s;ame &s;trength, and the &s;ame wi&s;dome, and &s;o every other perfection, which any other hath, yea or which they all have among&s;t them: In &s;uch a ca&s;e, one man &s;o perfected in one with others, though never &s;o many, hath as much of every thing that is de&s;irable or good, as they all have together. Now then when tho&s;e that be|leeve in JESUS CHRIST, are thus <HI>made perfect in one,</HI> thus intimatly and mightily affecting one ano|ther, that entercour&s;e of Love, and tho&s;e glorious expre&s;&s;ions of this affection, pa&s;&s;ing to, and fro, from time to time betweene them, cannot but be taken notice of by the world: and the interpretation of what they &s;ee and take notice of in this kinde, can lightly be no other (when their judgments and con&s;ciences are but in any mea&s;ure them&s;elves) then this, that that CHRIST, who&s;e Di&s;ciples and followers the&s;e men profe&s;&s;e them&s;elves to be, was (doubtle&s;&s;e) the Sonne of GOD, and hath appeared unto them, otherwi&s;e &s;uch an excellent Spirit of <HI>Love</HI> which we &s;ee and behold, could not worke in them As <HI>Nebuchadnezar</HI> and his Nobles &s;aw <HI>a fourth</HI> man in the Furnace, walking with tho&s;e three which he had ca&s;t in, <HI>who&s;e appearance was like the Sonne of God:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Dan. 3. 25.</NOTE> So in tho&s;e flames of love wherein the Saints and &s;ervants of JESUS CHRIST live and walke to|gether on Earth, there is a Spirituall vi&s;age or ap|pearance of one greater then they, even the appea|rance of their Great Lord and Ma&s;ter JESUS CHRIST him&s;elfe.</P>
<P><PB N="14" REF="9">We &s;hould an&s;were that objection here (but that we have no time.) But are there not many other facti|ons, or &s;ocieties of men in the world, that hold fa&s;t to|gether, &amp; expre&s;&s;e them&s;elves many times with much affection and cordialne&s;&s;e one towards another? ther|fore how &s;hould any expre&s;&s;ion of Love what&s;oever betweene tho&s;e that truly beleeve, be any argument or conviction unto men, that <HI>Ie&s;us Chri&s;t</HI> is he, that he is the Sonne of GOD, and &s;ent by him into the world? we mu&s;t re&s;pite the full an&s;were to this objection to &s;ome other time: Only you may plea&s;e to take a ta&s;t (in two words) of what would have bin further enlarged upon this occa&s;ion. It is true, there are many factions and parties and combinations of men in the world, that &s;eeme very deere, and deeply ingaged among&s;t them&s;elves, that are ready to &s;tand up to plead the cau&s;e one of another (per|haps) even unto blood. But here is the difference betweene the affection of love, which &s;eemes to rule in other Societies of men, and that which ruleth a|mong&s;t true beleevers, when they are perfected in one: the rea&s;on, ground, or roote of that affection or deerene&s;&s;e which reigneth among&s;t Chri&s;tians, is not any thing vi&s;ible, any thing &s;avoring of the fle&s;h, nor can their enemies, the men of the world, &s;atisfie their judgements or con&s;ciences in conceiving &s;o of it (though many times they &s;atisfie one another in &s;o &s;peaking) whereas the band wherewith other &s;ocie|ties of men are chain'd and link'd together, is al|waies &s;omewhat that is naturall, and which falls within the reach and comprehen&s;ion of a naturall un|der&s;tanding. So that the greate&s;t affection that is found among&s;t naturall men, leadeth the apprehen&s;i|on but to that naturall thing which is the ground and cau&s;e of it, and there it &s;tayeth: but that affection which is, or &s;hould be found among&s;t Chri&s;tians,
<PB N="15" REF="9">
carrieth the minde and thoughts of him that di|ligently inquireth into the originall and pedegree of it, unto a &s;upernaturall principle, which can be no other but <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> as might be &s;hewed more particularly, but time ha&s;teneth.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="5" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> By &s;uch deepe and deere expre&s;&s;ions of our <HI>love</HI> to the <HI>Brethren,</HI> we may be a meanes to open the eyes of the ignorant and blinde, and cau&s;e them to &s;ee and looke upon him, whom they have pierced with their &s;innes hitherto, e&s;pecially with the &s;inne of their un|beliefe. This rea&s;on runs pararell with the former, and depends (in part) upon it. Strange tongues (and &s;o other miracles) are for a &s;igne unto tho&s;e that be|leeve not (&s;aith <HI>Paul 1 Cor. 14. 22.) viz.</HI> for the con|viction of their unbeliefe, and (as it were) the opening of an effectuall dore unto them, to beleeve. Now &s;uch expre&s;&s;ions of <HI>Love</HI> as we &s;peake of betweene the Saints, are of the &s;ame kinde of importance and working, that tongues and miracles were. <HI>By this</HI> (&s;aith <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> John 13, 35.) <HI>&s;hall all men know that yee are my Di&s;ciples</HI> (that is, may know it hereby, that there is an aptne&s;&s;e in it to convince them hereof) <HI>if yee have love one to another.</HI> Now that which is a meanes to di&s;cover and prove men to be the Di&s;ciples of <HI>Ie&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> is a meanes likewi&s;e of great efficiencie and power, to prevaile with men that are yet &s;trangers and enemies to him, to become his Di&s;ciples al&s;o. For &s;uch a Ma&s;ter, were he known (and tho&s;e that know his Di&s;ciples, cannot lightly be ignorant of him) would draw Di&s;ciples apace after him.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="6" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> The command lies with the &s;ame weight and charge upon others al&s;o in&punc; re&s;pect of us, and our ne|ce&s;&s;ities: Indeed if <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> had &s;ingled out us, out of
<PB N="16" REF="10">
all the world, or any other parcell of beleevers, and had impo&s;ed that by way of duty, which the Text or Doctrine &s;peakes of, <HI>to lay down our lives, or to ri&s;e &s;o high in our expre&s;&s;ion of love unto the re&s;t of the Saints,</HI> and had not layd the &s;ame charge and commande|ment indifferently upon them, in re&s;pect of us, and our nece&s;&s;ities, the commandement might have &s;ec|med &s;omewhat hard, and the practi&s;e of it might have bin &s;tuck at; but now &s;ince he who hath in|gaged us to ingage our &s;elves &s;o deeply in the be|halfe of others, when they &s;tand in need, hath inga|ged them likewi&s;e to ingage them&s;elves proportio|nably for us, when we &s;tand in need; obedience unto the commandement, cannot but &s;eeme very e|quall and rea&s;onable, as well on our part in re&s;pect of others, as upon others in re&s;pect of us.</P>
<P>The Apo&s;tle taketh off the &s;eeming hard|ne&s;&s;e or offen&s;ivene&s;&s;e of that demand which he made to the Church of <HI>Corinth,</HI> for &s;omewhat a lar|ger contribution then ordinary, the nece&s;&s;ities of the Saints in other places requiring it for the pre&s;ent, by this very con&s;ideration or rea&s;on. 2 <HI>Cor&punc; 8. 13. For I meane not</HI> (&s;aith he) <HI>that other men be ea&s;ed, and you burdened: But by an equalitie: that now at this time your abundance may be a &s;upply for their want, that their abundance al&s;o may be a &s;upply for your want, that there may be equality.</HI></P>
<P><MILESTONE N="7" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> GOD hath endued tho&s;e that are his with power from on high to doe it, he hath furni&s;hed them with a new principle, out of which, by a due and con&s;cionable improvement of it in them&s;elves, they are able to afford all that is required of them in this kinde. So that if any man or woman (I meane that is borne againe, and is a childe of GOD) &s;hall finde their hearts low and ba&s;e and unworthy in this kinde, below the line
<PB N="17" REF="10">
and levell of that duty now pre&s;ented unto you, it is becau&s;e they doe not effectually <HI>&s;tirre up the grace of God within them,</HI> as the Apo&s;tle &s;omewhere &s;peakes, they bow downe their backs to the &s;ugge&s;tions of the fle&s;h, whereas their &s;trength were it put forth accordingly, would &s;erve them to goe up|right. Con&s;ider that one Scripture to this purpo&s;e. 1 Pet. 1. 22. <HI>Seeing you have purified your Soules in obeying the truth through the Spirit, unto un|feigned love of the Brethren; &s;ee that yee love one a|nother with a pure heart fervently.</HI> Here two things (among&s;t many others) are plainely implied. Fir&s;t, that no man is able out of any naturall principle to love the <HI>Brethren,</HI> that is, the Saints; <HI>the heart mu&s;t be purified through the word and Spirit of GOD toge|ther,</HI> that is, that ba&s;e and dro&s;&s;ie affection of inor|dinate &s;elfe-klove mu&s;t be purged away, before a man be able to lift up his heart to &s;uch a &s;pirituall and heavenly &s;ervice as this. Secondly that a man or woman having obtained &s;uch an excellent principle as this, a power of loving the Saints unfeignedly through the purifying of their hearts, are bound in a &s;peciall manner to give out them&s;elves fully and freely according to the nature, &s;trength, and impor|tance of this principle, to expre&s;&s;e them&s;elves in ex|cellent termes of love and re&s;pects unto them, as their nece&s;&s;ities &s;hall require it. This for the 7 and la&s;t rea&s;on. We addre&s;&s;e immediatly to the V&s;e and application of the Doctrine, we &s;hall be very briefe in particulars here.</P>
<P>By way of In&s;truction (in the fir&s;t place) we may<NOTE PLACE="marg">V&s;e. 1. In&s;truction.</NOTE> from the Doctrine ob&s;erve &s;undry particulars. As</P>
<P>Fir&s;t that the minde and good plea&s;ure of JESUS CHRIST, concerning his Saints and people on Earth, is, that you &s;hould be a &s;ocietie or body of men and women in the world, animated and quick|ened
<PB N="18" REF="11">
(as it were) mooved and acted by a &s;pirit of love, as the life or &s;oule of it, that you &s;hould a|bound in this affection, above all other &s;ocieties of men what&s;oever. Doubtle&s;&s;e he that commands us to lay down our lives one for another, commands us al|&s;o by a commandement involv'd and wrap'd up in this commandement, to maintaine a Spirit of mo&s;t ardent and burning affection towards one another. A man can never be in&s;tructed or taught to die willingly by any other teacher or teaching what&s;oever, but by <HI>Love,</HI> yea and that &s;uch a <HI>Love,</HI> of &s;uch a conquering and commanding power, that it mu&s;t tread downe the &s;trength of a thou&s;and loves and de&s;ires be&s;ides, yea and many of the&s;e of &s;overaigne &s;trength and power al&s;o. To require a man <HI>to lay downe his life for the Brethren</HI> out of any other ground or princi|ple what&s;oever, then out of an affection of love to them, and that tran&s;cendently glorious, is (in effect) to bid him gather grapes of thornes, or figges of thi|&s;tles.</P>
<P>Secondly, This likewi&s;e is by way of in&s;truction ob&s;ervable from the Doctrine, That men doe but that which is their duty in this kinde, when they are enlarged in the greate&s;t mea&s;ure, in the expre&s;&s;i|ons of their love towards their Brethren: if they &s;hould give all their goods, and part with their whole &s;ub&s;tance to them, yea, if they &s;hould lay downe their necks, and jeopardie their lives for their &s;akes, yet there is nothing to boa&s;t of in all this: they are never-the-le&s;&s;e to remaine vile and little in their own eyes. If their right hand doth never &s;o much in this kinde, yet &s;hould not their left hand know any thing at all of it. Heights of duty &s;hould no waies prejudice or hinder the depths of humili|tie. <HI>So likewi&s;e yee</HI> (&s;aith our Saviour to his Di&s;ci|ples)
<PB N="19" REF="11">
<HI>when you &s;hall have done all things that are com|manded you, &s;ay, we are unprofitable &s;ervants: we have done that which was our duty to doe.</HI></P>
<P>Ob&s;erve Thirdly (by way of In&s;truction) what gratious and ble&s;&s;ed provi&s;ion the Lord JESUS CHRIST hath made, for the poore and weake, and di&s;tre&s;&s;ed ones in any kinde in his Church. Hee hath ingaged the rich and &s;trong, and tho&s;e that are at libertie and that have meanes of reliefe or &s;up|port in any kinde, in their hand, to be ready at all times to mini&s;ter unto them. The nece&s;&s;ities of any, as farre as they are made knowne, are a &s;ummons from Heaven to call the re&s;t to looke after them and relieve them. If this royall Law were duly ob&s;er|ved in the Church of CHRIST, one &s;ufferer &s;hould create and rai&s;e up many relievers; neither &s;hould there be heard the complaint or crie of any man &s;inking, whil&s;t there remaines any one &s;wim|ming. It is a &s;igne, that the minde of CHRIST is not fulfilled by his body, if there be one member<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 11. 21.</NOTE> hungry, whil&s;t another is drunken, if there be want in any place, before there be want in all.</P>
<P>Fourthly, (we are yet in the way of in&s;truction) If the highe&s;t and deepe&s;t expre&s;&s;ions of our love to the Saints, be but matter of duty in us, as their nece&s;|&s;ities may determine it; then is it not any di&s;charge of a mans duty, nor to be counted obedience unto GOD, or unto the Lord JESUS CHRIST, when the nece&s;&s;ities of your Brethren being great and &s;ore upon them, men &s;hall mini&s;ter unto them in a &s;paring, pinching, and contemptible manner: when the condition of the Saints requires (it may be) the one halfe of our &s;ub&s;tance, and we ca&s;t in two mites into their trea&s;ury: when their exigences
<PB N="20" REF="12">
call us to lay downe our lives for them, and we are willing onely to be&s;tow the parings of our nailes up|on them. Doubtle&s;&s;e to mini&s;ter unto the nece&s;&s;i|ties of the Saints upon &s;uch termes as the&s;e, is no better obedience, nor any whit a more acceptable &s;ervice unto GOD, then that of <HI>Saul</HI> was, when being commanded to &s;mite <HI>Amaleck,</HI> and to de&s;troy utterly all that appertained to them, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> he only de|&s;troyed that which was vile and nought worth a|mong&s;t them, but &s;pared <HI>Agag</HI> the King, and all the be&s;t of the &s;heepe and oxen, and all that was good 1. <HI>Sam.</HI> 15. 3. 9. As <HI>Saul</HI> was rejected by GOD, and that with much indignation, and arre&s;ted from Hea|ven with a writ <HI>of rebellion</HI> &s;erved upon him by the hand of the Prophet <HI>Samuel,</HI> for &s;uch an abu&s;ing of the commandement of GOD, which yet to him&s;elfe &s;eem'd a &s;ufficient and plau&s;ible obedience: So is it more then to be feared that many men plea&s;e them|&s;elves, and are lifted up in a &s;elfe admiration, for do|ing that in a way of charitie and reliefe unto the <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">aints, which being interpreted by GOD, is rather a reproach and mockerie to his plea&s;ure and com|mand that way, then any obedience or &s;ubjection to it.</P>
<P>La&s;tly (for In&s;truction:) if the highe&s;t, and deep|e&s;t expre&s;&s;ions of love to the Saints, be but matter of duty, when their nece&s;&s;ities require them: then is not that which any man po&s;&s;e&s;&s;eth in the things of this world, whether e&s;tate, liberty, life, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> &s;o much to be look'd upon, as a mans owne (to &s;peake pro|perly) as the Churches and hou&s;hold's of Faith. GOD we &s;ee both in the Text and Doctrine delivered, who hath an ab&s;olute Sovereigntie of right and power to di&s;po&s;e both of our per&s;ons and of all we have, hath intere&s;&s;ed <HI>the Brethren,</HI> that is, the whole commu|nion
<PB N="21" REF="12">
and Brotherhood of the Saints, both in our per&s;ons, and in our po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ions. The nece&s;&s;ities of the Saints are &s;ealed and confirmed from Heaven, as a lawfull right and title to &s;uch proportions and &s;hares in our e&s;tates, and in any other meanes of help and &s;upport that we are able to afford, as are pro|portionable to them, and of a con&s;iderable impor|tance to relieve them. That civill right or propri|etie we have in our po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ions, is not by Chri&s;tians to be looked upon, or pleaded in Barre to that Spiri|tuall right which all the Saints have in them al&s;o.</P>
<P>Secondly, The Doctrine affords matter of Re|proofe<NOTE PLACE="marg">V&s;e 2 for Reproofe.</NOTE> al&s;o, and that of foure &s;orts of men. The fir&s;t are tho&s;e that will needs be numbred among&s;t the righteous, yea are ready to thinke them&s;elves evilly entreated, and hardly dealt with, if they have not their place a&s;&s;igned them at the upper end of the Table among&s;t the Hou&s;hold of Faith, if they be not looked upon as the true &s;ervants of <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t</HI> (at lea&s;t) and yet are as a dry, and barren wilderne&s;&s;e to the Saints, and looke upon this family of Heaven as &s;trangers unto them, e&s;pecially when they &s;tand in need of an helping hand from them in any kinde. A little affliction falling upon a &s;ervant of GOD where|in their helpe is required, puts him quite out of their knowledge; as <HI>Davids</HI> nece&s;&s;itie made <HI>Nabal</HI> that he did not know him. 1 <HI>Sam. 25. 10. Who is Da|vid? and who is the &s;onne of I&s;hai?</HI> If <HI>David</HI> had bin a great Courtier, or the Sonne of <HI>I&s;hai</HI> a favourite of King <HI>Saul,</HI> it is no otherwi&s;e like, but <HI>Nabal</HI> could have knowne him well enough. But perceiving that his knowledge of him in &s;uch a condition, and &s;treight as he was now in, would be chargeable to him, and co&s;t him &s;ome of his bread, and of his fle&s;h, he would by no meanes owne his knowledge of him.
<PB N="22" REF="13">
Such a condition, wherein a man &s;hall &s;tand in neede of the helpe of another is, in the interpretation of a ba&s;e clo&s;e-fi&s;ted generation among&s;t us, an evidence again&s;t him, that he doth not belong to CHRIST Ala&s;&s;e, how farre are the&s;e from laying downe their lives for their Brethren, and con&s;equently from be|ing Chri&s;tians, who can acknowledge none for Chri|&s;tians, but tho&s;e that have no need of them at all? when <HI>Lazarus</HI> &s;hall be ca&s;t out of <HI>Abrahams</HI> bo&s;om, the&s;e &s;hall goe thither in his &s;tead.</P>
<P>Secondly, There is another &s;ort of Profe&s;&s;ors too, which though they &s;eeme not altogether &s;o bad as the former, yet their prerogative above them were a deere bargaine of the Widowes two mites, if it were to be bought with them. The&s;e are &s;uch, who though they will not be &s;eene to &s;it out in the ne|ce&s;&s;ities of the Saints, when others are in, yet they will play but at very &s;mall game (as we &s;ay) to re|lieve them: they neither con&s;ult with the greatne&s;&s;e, or depth of the Saints nece&s;&s;ities, nor with the ful|ne&s;&s;e or &s;uperfluities of their own e&s;tates, but with the narrowne&s;&s;e, and &s;eantne&s;&s;e of their owne ba&s;e di&s;po&s;itions: This is the only Oracle they inquire at, and by which they are regulated in all they doe for the Saints, upon any occa&s;ion what&s;oever. They have a forme of giving (as the Apo&s;tle &s;peakes of &s;ome that have <HI>a forme of knowledge</HI>) which neither mends, nor paires, neither ri&s;eth nor falls, nor any waies alters by any difference or occa&s;ions, or op|portunities what&s;oever. If the fit of charitie be up|on them, they will give a&s;much to a vagrant beg|gar by the way &s;ide, as they will to &s;ave the lives of ten thou&s;and Saints: and no great matter neither to the one, or towards the other. If men be <HI>rich in the things of this world,</HI> and not <HI>rich in good workes</HI>
<PB N="23" REF="13">
<HI>too,</HI> they are not like <HI>to lay hold of eternall life.</HI> 1 Tim. 6. 19. We know the rich young-man in the Go&s;|pell, though he was neere unto the Kingdome of he|ven, yet becau&s;e he would not &s;ell all that he had, and give liberally to the poore, being required to do it, ne|ver entred thereinto. For rich men under the <HI>Law</HI> that had great heards of Cattell and flocks of &s;heepe, and Goates, to have brought Turtles, or young-Pi|geons for their offering, had been a prophanation of the Temple, and de&s;pi&s;ing of GOD. And &s;o for men of great e&s;tates to have ca&s;t in 2 mites into the Trea&s;ury, as the poore Widdow did, had rather bin a co~tumelie or affront put upon that &s;ervice or cu&s;tom of offering, then any expre&s;&s;ion of charitie or devotion. <HI>Cur&s;ed be the deceiver</HI> (&s;aith the Lord him&s;elfe by his Pro|phet) <HI>which hath in his flock a male, and voweth and &s;acrificeth unto the Lord a corrupt thing.</HI> Mal. 1. 14. And is it not a &s;in of very neere affinitie with this, and &s;o obnoxious to the &s;ame Cur&s;e, when men that are able to relieve by thou&s;ands, and the extremities of the Saints call for reliefe by thou&s;ands, &s;hall yet mini&s;ter reliefe but by tens, yea and &s;car&s;ely by this proportion?</P>
<P>Thirdly, another &s;ort wor&s;e then both the former are &s;uch, who are &s;o farre from managing an affecti|on of love to the Saints with tho&s;e high, and excel|lent expre&s;&s;ions we &s;peake of, even when the great|e&s;t need requires, that to keepe their bread and wa|ter, and credit too, are &s;till ready to bla&s;pheme the pouertie or hard condition of the Saints in any kind, as if they were of a ba&s;e originall and de&s;cent; as if they alwaies proceeded either from negligence, &s;loathfulne&s;&s;e, ra&s;hne&s;&s;e, want of di&s;cretion and fore|&s;ight, or the like. Becau&s;e men have no minde or will in this ca&s;e to part with their money, nor are yet
<PB N="24" REF="14">
willing to make any part of &s;atisfaction for that ba&s;ene&s;&s;e with their names and reputations; they have no waies to bring both the&s;e ends together, but by in&s;imulations a&s;per&s;ions and &s;undry imputati|ons to render tho&s;e unworthy, who&s;e nece&s;&s;itous condition calls upon them for reliefe. Thus <HI>Na|bal</HI> &s;ought to make a covering for his owne &s;hame in refu&s;ing to &s;upplie <HI>David</HI> in his extremitie, of that wicked in&s;imulation or reproach ca&s;t upon <HI>David,</HI> as that he &s;hould be &s;ome &s;ervant run away from his Ma&s;ter. 1 <HI>Sam. 25. 10. There be many &s;ervants now a|daies that breake away every man from his Ma&s;ter:</HI> Out of the&s;e impertinent premi&s;&s;es, this ba&s;e minded wretch thought he might lawfully and commenda|bly inferre this conclu&s;ion: therefore there was nei|ther rea&s;on nor con&s;cience why he &s;hould part with any thing to <HI>David.</HI> The like &s;pirit of ba&s;e in&s;inu|ations again&s;t the Saints in di&s;tre&s;&s;e is taken in by that other uncleane &s;pirit of covetou&s;ne&s;&s;e which reignes in the hearts of many among&s;t us, to defend him a|gain&s;t the ju&s;t &s;mitings both of con&s;cience, and of the tongues of men.</P>
<P>Fourthly (and la&s;tly for reproofe) tho&s;e are yet wor&s;e then the former (if wor&s;e may be) who in|&s;tead of loving the Saints fervently, and with a pure heart, and with all demon&s;trations and rich expre&s;|&s;ions of this love as occa&s;ion requires, are &s;till &s;narl|ing and biting, and vexing them, with injuries, re|proaches, backbitings, and all manner of evill entreat|ings. And yet there are of this generation al&s;o, that mu&s;t be honoured before the Elders of their people too, with the Names, and reputations of good Chri|&s;tians. Any thing (it &s;eemes) will &s;erve for the pre|&s;ent to make Chri&s;tians and Saints of: Hey, and Stub|ble, and wood will &s;erve to beare the name, and out|&s;ide
<PB N="25" REF="14">
of Chri&s;tianity, a&s;well as &s;ilver, gold, and preci|ous &s;tones: but when they &s;hall be made to pa&s;&s;e through the fire of <HI>Gods</HI> judgement, then that Hey, and Stubble, and wood we &s;peake of, will make no more Chri&s;tians, but ba&s;e hypocrites, and accur&s;ed unbeleevers only. How farre are the&s;e men from that &s;treyne of Chri&s;tianity, which is required of all men in the Doctrine, from mini&s;tring richly, &amp; with a large heart, and with an open hand to the nece&s;&s;ities of the Saints, when their daily practi&s;e is to give them gall, and vinegar to drinke, &amp; to bring pre&s;&s;ures, and to heap &s;orrowes upon their head? in&s;tead of making their beds for them in their &s;ickne&s;&s;e, they ca&s;t them into beds of &s;ickne&s;&s;e and &s;orrow. If the mini&s;ters of Satan be Angells of light, &s;uch men as the&s;e are good Chri&s;tians: and when <HI>God</HI> &s;hall<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eze. 16. 53.</NOTE> bring againe the Captivity of <HI>Belzebub</HI> and his An|gells, and re&s;tore them to their fir&s;t e&s;tate in Heaven, the&s;e &s;hall have part and fellow&s;hip in Heaven with them.</P>
<P>A third and la&s;t V&s;e of the Doctrine, &s;hall be for<NOTE PLACE="marg">V&s;e 3 for Exhortation.</NOTE> exhortation, and that to all tho&s;e that meane to doe any good, upon the profe&s;&s;ion and trade of Chri&s;ti|anity, that de&s;ire to rai&s;e them&s;elves for ever by it: The duty I &s;hall recommend unto you, is only this, that you would make it matter of con&s;cience (as well as you doe any other duty in the world, as to ab&s;taine from Murder, Drunkenne&s;&s;e, Adultery, or the like,) yea that you would make a &s;olemne worke and labour of it, to abound in that &s;weete and hea|venly affection of love towards the Saints, and to give full and free te&s;timony and account thereof both unto <HI>God</HI> and men, as their occa&s;ions &s;hall from time to time require. Quit your &s;elves in this kinde, (I be&s;eech you) as the Di&s;ciples and followers of him, who when the nece&s;&s;itie of the world (and of your
<PB N="26" REF="15">
&s;oules particularly) required it, and could not be &s;aved without it, freely emptied him&s;elfe of all his greatne&s;&s;e and glory, and poured out his deere&s;t &s;oule an offering for it; and was content to take re&s;t and peace and glory in rever&s;ion, when as otherwi&s;e he might have had them in pre&s;ent po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion. In a word, that you will count nothing of all you po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e in this world deere unto your &s;elves, that your love to the Saints may reigne and triumph in all the rich and glorious and high expre&s;&s;ions thereof, as the con|dition of any of the&s;e &s;hall require. Particularly (to turne in a little to that &s;peciall occa&s;ion, which hath drawn out my heart and &s;oule unto you this day, in this &s;ubject) that you will vindicate your &s;elves for Chri&s;tians indeed, and your love to the Saints and &s;ervants of JESUS CHRIST, like it &s;elfe, by your ready and free, and liberall contributions by way of lending (for your love for the pre&s;ent is not put to any greater triall then this) to redeeme the lives and liberties and e&s;tates of your poore <HI>Brethren</HI> the <HI>Prote&s;tants</HI> in <HI>Ireland</HI> (if GOD will yet vouch|&s;afe to honour your zeale and forwardne&s;&s;e in this kinde, with &s;uch an honourable vouch&s;afement as this) out of the mercile&s;&s;e hand of tho&s;e cruell, blood thir&s;tie and implacable enemies both theirs and your's, that Butcherly, and bloody faction of <HI>Rome,</HI> who are now gathered together like an Ar|my of chafed Beares, and fierce Lyons again&s;t them, in an heate and ec&s;tacie of revenge, and being led on by that Prince of darkne&s;&s;e, that great roaring Lyon the Devill, have their hands lifted up on high, to &s;lay and kill, and to de&s;troy, to commit all manner of in|&s;olencies, and barbarons outrages, as they &s;hall be in|&s;pired, and taught by that God of this world whom they &s;erve in this &s;pirit of revenge, which now po&s;|&s;e&s;&s;eth them. The con&s;iderations, and motives
<PB N="27" REF="15">
that may &s;trengthen your hand to this &s;ervice that is recommended to you, are both more in number and greater in weight and con&s;equence by farre, then I am able to expre&s;&s;e. Give me leave to touch you with &s;ome few of them.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, that faction of Hell, the Romi&s;h party, are of a very formidable &s;trength and power among&s;t them: they were &s;ome while &s;ince reported to have bin an Army of about 30000 fighting men, and to be daily increa&s;ing, and gathering greater numbers unto them. They have already taken many &s;trong Townes and Ca&s;tles, and have made them&s;elves Lords and Ma&s;ters of them: and many Captaines, and other Officers that have bin trained up, and ex|erci&s;ed in Warres, are &s;aid to have come over from beyond the Seas unto them, to a&s;&s;i&s;t them in their enterprize: In &s;o much that the feare and dread of them is fallen and ready &s;till to fall upon many, that they have and are likely every day more and more to revolt and fall in unto them. So they are not like to be re&s;i&s;ted, or with&s;tood but with an high hand. The &s;trength and power of the enemy, which is &s;o formidable to your Brethren, and in it &s;elfe al&s;o&punc; let it not (I be&s;eech you) be contemptible in your eyes, but gaine proportionably upon your hearts and &s;oules to con&s;ider them.</P>
<P>Secondly, the <HI>Prote&s;tant party</HI> of your Brethren, are but very weake in compari&s;on of their enemies, they are but few in number, in re&s;pect of the &s;warms of tho&s;e Anti-Chri&s;tian hornets that ne&s;tle among&s;t them: and that which is yet of &s;adder con&s;iderati|on, they are but naked, and unarm'd, and no waies appointed or provided to defend them&s;elves; ha|ving not long &s;ince had their Armes, and meanes of
<PB N="28" REF="16">
defence, mo&s;t cruelly taken from them, by him, who hath made &s;ome part of attonement for that and o|ther his outrages, with his head. In which re&s;pect they are but as a flock of Kids, before an Ho&s;t, or Army of Lyons. Let this con&s;ideration al&s;o of the weakne&s;&s;e of your Brethren, &s;trengthen the hand of your love and make tender your re&s;pects unto them.</P>
<P>Thirdly, their enemies are of a bloody, barbarous, and revengefull &s;pirit: all mercie, pittie, and compa&s;|&s;ion, yea humanitie it &s;elfe is hid from their eyes: there is neither age, nor &s;ex, neither young-men, nor Maids, neither old-men, nor Babes, but all are one before the rage of their cruelty. They have &s;hut up all the bowells of their compa&s;&s;ions as it were with barres of yron, that neither cries nor teares, nor mi|&s;ries, nor extremities, nor the Law of GOD, nor the Lawes of men, nor the Lawes of nature or huma|nitie it &s;elfe, can doe any thing to open them. I be|&s;eech you let the &s;hutting up of the compa&s;&s;ions of the enemies of your Brethren again&s;t them, be the opening of your compa&s;&s;ions &s;o much the more free|ly, &s;o much the more abundantly unto them.</P>
<P>Fourthly, they are deeply, indeed mo&s;t de&s;peratly ingaged to goe through with their enterprize, and are under a vow, to make as cleere riddance of <HI>Pro|te&s;tants</HI> and <HI>Prote&s;tant Religion</HI> out of the Kingdome, as their lying Legend reports that their Saint <HI>Patrick</HI> made of Serpents &amp; Toades, &amp; al venimous creatures. They have made a covering of their breaden God, wherewith to hide all repentance from their eyes: &s;o that all relentings, all doubtings, all faintings or feeblene&s;&s;e of &s;pirit, all hanging down of hands from the worke in hand, are no le&s;&s;e then deadly &s;ins with them&punc; if they looke backe from the Plough
<PB N="29" REF="16">
whereunto they have now put forth their hand, they are afraide they &s;hall fall into Hell immediatly. That God and creature of theirs which they make of bread is among&s;t them of as great authori|ty and power, as the Poets made the Rivers Styx in Hell, to be among their Heathen God's, when they &s;ware by it: <HI>Timor et Deus ille Deorum e&s;t.</HI> It is the in&s;piration of their Religion and teachers, that it is no le&s;&s;e then damnable &s;inne, and to be puni&s;hed with Hell fire, once to doubt or que&s;tion whether it be meritorious or no, to murder, <HI>Kings</HI> and <HI>Princes,</HI> when the advancement of the Catholique cau&s;e re|quireth it. I be&s;eech you let the height of their re|&s;olutions, and the depths of their ingagements to doe evill, be both heights and depths of ingage|ments and re&s;olutions unto you, to doe good, to the countermanding (if it be po&s;&s;ible) of their evill.</P>
<P>Fiftly, they have already con&s;ecrated them&s;elves unto the Devill and his &s;ervice upon the lives and blood of many of the &s;ervants of GOD, your Bre|thren in the <HI>Faith,</HI> hewing, and hacking &s;ome in pieces (as it were on purpo&s;e to quench, and &s;mother all &s;parkes of humanity that might yet be alive in their bre&s;ts) after they had murdered them, and by other mo&s;t barbarous villanies, and outrages com|mitted upon them; &s;etting them&s;elves a coppie (as it were) for their future proceedings, and giving tho&s;e that yet remaine to under&s;tand, what mea&s;ure they mu&s;t expect, and looke for, if they make re&s;i|&s;tance, and meane to keepe their Religion. I be&s;eech you let the lives, and cruell and cur&s;ed u&s;ages of tho&s;e that have already peri&s;hed by their inter|cede &amp; mediate with the bowells of your compa&s;|&s;ions on the behalfe of the remnant which is yet left.</P>
<P>Sixtly, It is the holine&s;&s;e, purity, and truth of
<PB N="28" REF="17">
<GAP DESC="duplicate" EXTENT="1 page">
<PB N="29" REF="17">
<GAP DESC="duplicate" EXTENT="1 page">
<PB N="30" REF="18">
that Faith and Religion which your &s;elves profe&s;&s;e, and wherein you hope to be &s;aved, that hath kin|dled that fire of hatred and revenge in tho&s;e <HI>Romi&s;h</HI> &s;pirits, which is now broken out, rageing and de|vouring, as you have heard. The&s;e &s;ervants of <HI>God</HI> who&s;e cau&s;e we now pleade before you, are for no other cau&s;e, nor in any other re&s;pect made the mi&s;e|rable objects of the wrath and furie of their enemies, expo&s;ed to that fiery &s;torme and tempe&s;t of blood that hangs over their heads, but becau&s;e they are your Brethren, and Profe&s;&s;ors of the &s;ame Precious <HI>Faith</HI> with you: They &s;uffer not as evill doers, but only becau&s;e they have given the right hand of fel|low&s;hip unto you in the things of GOD, and of the Lord JESUS CHRIST. I hope the power of that Religion which you profe&s;&s;e, will &s;et you on fire to make up the breaches, which the Profe&s;&s;ion of it hath made, or further &s;hall make upon others.</P>
<P>Seventhly, Con&s;ider, that the cau&s;e, for the main|tenance whereof you are now &s;ollicited, being &s;o cleerely and intirely as it is, the cau&s;e of your Reli|gion, and you of this Citie looked upon as the great|e&s;t Friends, as the &s;olemne&s;t and mo&s;t &s;erious Profe&s;|&s;ors which it hath not only in this, but in all other Kingdomes al&s;o under Heaven, and withall many of you being of knowne e&s;tates and &s;ufficient abilities to doe much for it in that way, which is now expe|cted from you; if then you &s;hall now di&s;cover any backwardne&s;&s;e in mini&s;tring to the nece&s;&s;ities of it, if you &s;hall give the lea&s;t &s;u&s;pition to the world, that your e&s;tates are competitors for your hearts with your Religion, if your contributions towards the maintenance of it &s;hall either fall low, or come off heavily from you, you &s;hall much quench the glory and e&s;teeme of it in the hearts of
<PB N="31" REF="18">
men, and repre&s;ent it unto the world as a Religion weake and contemptible and of a doubtfull a&s;&s;ure|anc, upon the &s;ervice whereof &s;ilver and gold were too great to be &s;acrificed. The truth is, that the op|portunity that is before you, enableth you to &s;et the prize and e&s;timate of your Religion, at what rate, or height you plea&s;e: you have the world at &s;uch an advantage to compell them to thinke highly and honourable of that truth which you profe&s;&s;e, the lo&s;&s;e and neglect whereof would be an inexpiable &s;treyne of unworthine&s;&s;e in you, and which you can hardly ever redeeme, no though you &s;hould &s;acrifice your &s;elves and your whole e&s;tates in the flames of the greate&s;t zeale for it afterwards. Nay if you &s;hall &s;inne again&s;t the Crowne and dignitie of the Religi|on you profe&s;&s;e, by being remi&s;&s;e, and low and cold in the &s;ervice recommended unto you, all the Pro|fe&s;&s;ors it hath in the world be&s;ides, though they &s;hould ri&s;e up in their might and cloath them&s;elves with double zeale to doe their uttermo&s;t for it, will not be able to build up what you will throw down, nor exalt the glory of it according to the mea&s;ure of your aba&s;ements. Therefore if your Religion be of that ine&s;timable worth and value whereof you have given information unto the world hitherto by your profe&s;&s;ion of it, &s;eale to the&s;e informations of yours this day, and rejoyce in free and liberall contributi|ons over it: cau&s;e your &s;ilver and gold to doe hom|mage to it, and to acknowledge the Divinity of it.</P>
<P>Eightly, Your zeale and open-handedne&s;&s;e for the reliefe of the di&s;tre&s;&s;ed, may &s;trike a dampe of feare and teror into the hearts of their enemies, when they &s;hall either by hearing of &s;eeing, come to know it, and &s;o weaken their hand to their work. When they &s;hall perceive what deep and deere intere&s;t in your hearts and affections tho&s;e have,
<PB N="32" REF="19">
who&s;e confu&s;ion and ruine they hope to reape as the recompence and reward of their pre&s;ent rebellions, this may, cut the &s;inewes, and &s;trength of their expe|ctation this way, and take off the fiery edg of their pre&s;uming confidence. The interpretation of what you &s;hall doe in this kinde like your &s;elves, may be of much more con&s;equence to your friends, then the text it &s;elfe. I be&s;eech you give not tho&s;e bloodthir|&s;tie wretches any &s;cope or libertie of hope or thought, but that tho&s;e who&s;e lives and fortunes they &s;eeke to ruine and trample under foot, are a ge|neration very precious in your eyes, and that your hearts are fully &s;et and bent upon their pre&s;ervation and deliverance. Little (perhaps) doe you thinke or imagine, of how rich a concernment &s;uch a con|ceipt as this begotten in the &s;pirits of their enemies, may be for the peace and &s;afety of your friends.</P>
<P>Ninthly, By ca&s;ting on &s;ufficient quantities of wa|ter to quench the fire that is kindled in that King|dome, you may prevent the kindling of the like, or a wor&s;e, in your own. <HI>Jreland</HI> is not unfitly termed, a back doore into <HI>England:</HI> and of what di&s;mall por|tendance it mu&s;t needs be to you and your Nation, to have the Pope keeper of the keyes of your back dore, I &s;hall not need to repre&s;ent unto you. If <HI>Jreland</HI> e|ver be brought under the power of the <HI>Romi&s;h</HI> facti|on, the Sun of <HI>Englands</HI> pro&s;peritie will &s;uddainly be darkened in the mid&s;t of the Heavens thereof: that Land and Kingdome will receive immediate con&s;ecration from the triple Crowne, for a Sanctu|ary unto tho&s;e that &s;hall undertake or attempt the ruine or mole&s;tation of this: it will &s;o one be a re|ceptacle for <HI>Ijm</HI> and <HI>Oijm,</HI> I meane for the furies and firebrands of <HI>Rome,</HI> to lodge in. Be&s;ides, the neigh|bourhood of &s;uch a confederate Kingdome as <HI>Ireland</HI> will be, if ever that generation of vipers we &s;peake
<PB N="33" REF="19">
of, &s;hould Lord it there, will foment and cheri&s;h tho&s;e &s;eeds of &s;editions, Trea&s;ons, con&s;piracies, and Rebellions, which are &s;owne in the natures and di&s;|po&s;itions of that Popi&s;h gang among&s;t our &s;elves. If you let <HI>Ireland</HI> goe, the peace and &s;afety of your own Land and Nation (it is much to be feared) will &s;oone follow after it. I be&s;eech you be not backward to do the be&s;t you are able for tho&s;e who are now recom|mended unto you: that which you &s;hall part with, may be the price of the redemptio~ of your own land.</P>
<P>Tenthly, There is no better foundation can be trea&s;ured up for your &s;elves again&s;t an evill day, then by a compa&s;&s;ionate and tender con&s;ideration of tho&s;e that are in di&s;tre&s;&s;e, in the meane &s;ea&s;on. Bow|ells of compa&s;&s;ion towards the afflicted, make the be&s;t &s;helter and covert from a &s;torme and tempe&s;t, of any other materiall what&s;oever. By the &s;ame &s;hield which you &s;hall hold forth to defend others from evill, you &s;hall protect your &s;elves al&s;o. The Scripture is abundant in the te&s;timonie of this truth. <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed is he that con&s;idereth the poore: the Lord will deliver him in the time of trouble. The Lord will pre|&s;erve him and keepe him alive&punc; &amp;c.</HI> P&s;al. 41. ver. 1. 2. you know not what evill times, what daies of dark|ne&s;&s;e GOD may yet plea&s;e to bring upon your Land and Nation: take heed I be&s;eech you, lea&s;t by leav|ing your Brethren naked to that &s;torme and tempe&s;t which now threatens them, and in part lyeth &s;ore and heavy upon them, you do not con&s;ult nakedne&s;&s;e to your &s;elves, again&s;t the day wherein the like &s;torme or tempe&s;t &s;hall fall upon you&punc; <HI>He &s;hall have iudgment without mercie, that &s;heweth no mercie.</HI> Jam. 2. 13. Take heed, he that hath &s;aid i<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">, will do it accordingly.</P>
<P>La&s;tly, to make my motion unto you greater then deniall (if it may be) be plea&s;ed to con&s;ider this one thing further, that if you &s;hall deale unworthily in
<PB N="34" REF="20">
that worke of <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> whereunto you are now called, and &s;hall love the wages of unfaithfullne&s;&s;e, and re|&s;olve to keep your money by you, notwith&s;tanding the importunate and loud cries of your Brethrens blood and lives for it, you may ju&s;tly feare that it will &s;oone alter the property of it; and that, that which was life and &s;trength unto you hitherto, will from henceforth be but labour and &s;orrow, in com|pari&s;on. What&s;oever <HI>God</HI> calleth for at any time at the hands of any man for his glory, if it be denyed unto him; whether it be a mans credit, friends, liberty, e&s;tate, life, or what&s;oever, it &s;eldome or never pro&s;|pers; nor is it &s;elfe afterwards any more unto him. There may well be an in&s;inuation or breathing of this truth, in that of our Saviour, <HI>He that will &s;ave his life</HI> (and &s;o his credit, e&s;tate, liberty, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> when the Go&s;pell and my affaires require it) <HI>&s;hall lo&s;e it:</HI> mean|ing (haply) that after &s;uch a &s;aving it, a mans life will be no more it &s;elfe, no more a <HI>life,</HI> but rather a <HI>death</HI> to him, and &s;hall never have the like content|ment or &s;weetne&s;&s;e in it, which it had before. I be|&s;eech you put this con&s;ideration al&s;o to heart with all the former. What&s;oever it be that <HI>God</HI> now re|quireth of you for the &s;upport of his cau&s;e and &s;ervants, it is to little purpo&s;e, I meane in re&s;pect of the fle&s;h it &s;elfe, or any outward accommodation, for you to withhold it, or to deny it unto him: This call of <HI>God</HI> for it, hath made it good for nothing, but for con&s;ecration: it is no more for any civill or naturall u&s;e or &s;ervice unto you, till <HI>God</HI> hath bin &s;erv'd by it, and &s;hall returne it againe into your bo|&s;omes. That bread which <HI>God</HI> commands to be ca&s;t upon the waters, will certainly mold and putrifie, if it be not ca&s;t upon them: but if his voyce be obeyed concerning it, &s;o that it be <HI>ca&s;t upon the waters</HI> ac|cordingly, when it &s;hall be found and taken up
<PB N="35" REF="20">
againe from the waters (as his promi&s;e is it &s;hall be) it &s;hall be unto the owners, or him that ca&s;t it, as the bread of Angels: there will be more nouri&s;hment and &s;weetne&s;&s;e in one mor&s;ell of it, then in full tables of other provi&s;ion.</P>
<P>All the&s;e things duly weighed, I be&s;eech you con|&s;ider what you have to doe in the &s;ervice propoun|ded and recommended to you. It will be of &s;ad con|&s;equence unto you to &s;eek out pretences and excu|ces, why you &s;hould not willingly take this yoake upon you: the exigencie of the occa&s;ion is &s;uch, that no pretences or rea&s;ons what&s;oever are to be knowne or once regarded again&s;t the motion that hath bin made unto you. It &s;eldome or never falls out, but if <HI>God</HI> hath one reque&s;t to make to us, the fle&s;h and the world have another to make in oppo&s;i|&s;ition and barre to it; and that (for the mo&s;t part) very plau&s;ible and &s;atisfactory to the Con&s;cience of him that de&s;ires to decline the worke and &s;ervice of <HI>God&punc;</HI> Nay rather if pretences and excu&s;es &s;hall offer them&s;elves unto you, hide them from your eyes, and bury them like your dead, out of your &s;ight: tread them downe under your foot as oft as they offer to ri&s;e up again&s;t you to trouble you in your way. Wife and Children, and charge, and poverty, and want of moneys, and occa&s;ions of disbur&s;ments otherwi&s;e, with a thou&s;and other &s;uch in&s;inuations as the&s;e, mu&s;t with Sathan him&s;elfe be commanded to get them behind us: the&s;e are not to be admitted into this con&s;ultation. <HI>Ireland</HI> mu&s;t be look'd after, and provided for, as if we had neither Wives, nor Children, nor charge, nor were poore, nor wanted Moneys, nor knew what to doe with our Money otherwi&s;e. Vniform and &s;tanding occa&s;ions, are but nences, in the pre&s;ence of great exigencies, and pre|cipitate exigences, and precipitate occa&s;ions. And know
<PB N="36" REF="21">
that you are not your &s;elves, except you be more then your &s;elves, and above your &s;elves in this worke: you do not that which you are able to doe, and con&s;equently not that which is your duty to do, except you do more then you are able to do, upon &s;uch an occa&s;ion as this. <HI>To their power, I beare them record</HI> (&s;aith <HI>Paul</HI> concerning the Churches of <HI>Macedonia) yea, and beyond their power they were</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 8. 3.</NOTE> <HI>willing of them&s;elves.</HI> The meaning is not (as perhaps the face of the leter &s;eemes to import) that they were de&s;irous &amp; willing to have done more then they did, in ca&s;e they had bin better provided: but that out of an abundant willingne&s;&s;e that was in them to pro|mote &s;uch a &s;ervice as was now propo&s;ed to them, they &s;tretch'd them&s;elves in their contributions, be|yond what the line of their outward e&s;tates would well beare. We know that exigencies and extremi|ties, and ec&s;tacies of feares in other kinds, will intend and rai&s;e the naturall &s;trength and abilities of men far above them&s;elves. In a plunge of danger, and by the help &amp; advantage of &s;ome great feare, many have bin able to leap ditches, and to take up weights, and to run with that &s;wiftne&s;&s;e, which by their &s;tanding &s;trength &amp; abilities they were never able to do. And doubtle&s;&s;e &s;uch a &s;piritual exigencie as is now pre&s;en|ted to us, if we tooke the impre&s;&s;ions of it kindly &amp; fully, would rai&s;e the powers of grace al&s;o within us above them&s;elves, and enable us to worke miracles, in compari&s;on of our ordinary expre&s;&s;ions of our &s;elv's, it would make <HI>even our mo&s;t extreme poverty</HI> (in ca&s;e our poverty were &s;uch) <HI>to abound to the riches of our liberalitie;</HI> as the Apo&s;tle records concerning the Churches of <HI>Macedonia</HI> which we &s;peake of. <HI>The Lord grant that the efficacie and power of what hath bin &s;aid unto you, may be found in your deportments and be|haviour in that great worke that is before you.</HI></P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
