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<NAME>John Latta</NAME>
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<VID>155989</VID>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="Parliamentary order">
<PB REF="1">
<OPENER><DATE>Die Mercurij, 29. Iunij, 1642.</DATE></OPENER>
<P>IT is this day Ordered by the
COMMONS now a&s;&s;embled in
PARLIAMENT, That Sir <HI>Thomas
Barrington</HI> doe returne thanks to
Doctor <HI>Gouge</HI> for the great pains he
took in his Sermon this day preach't
at S^t. <HI>Margarets</HI> in <HI>We&s;tmin&s;ter</HI> at
the intreaty of the COMMONS
Hou&s;e of PARLIAMENT, this be|ing
the day of the publike Fa&s;t, and
that he be de&s;ired to Print his. Ser|mon;
and that no man pre&s;ume to
print it, but &s;uch as he &s;hall appoint,
till the Hou&s;e &s;hall take further Or|der.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED><HI>H. El&s;ynge,</HI> Cler. Parl, D. Com.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="appointment">
<P>I Appoint <HI>Io&s;hua Kirton</HI> to Print the fore-&s;aid
Sermon.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>WILLIAM GOUGE.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>THE
SAINTS
SVPPORT,
<HI>Set out in</HI>
A SERMON PREACHED
Before the Honourable Hou&s;e of
COMMONS a&s;&s;embled in PARLIAMENT.</P>
<P>At a publick Fa&s;t, 29. <HI>Iune,</HI> 1642.</P>
<P><HI>By</HI> William Gouge.</P>
<P><GAP DESC="foreign">.</P>
<Q><BIBL>ECCLUS. 49. 13.</BIBL>
<P>Among the Elect was <HI>Nehemiah,</HI> who&s;e renown is great.</P></Q>
<P><HI>LONDON,</HI>
Printed by <HI>G. M.</HI> for <HI>Jo&s;hua Kirton</HI> at his Shop in <HI>Pauls</HI>
Church-yard at the Signe of the white Hor&s;e,
MDCXLII.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="dedication">
<PB REF="2">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>TO THE
HONOVRABLE HOVSE
of COMMONS a&s;&s;embled
in PARLIAMENT.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>Mo&s;t worthy Patriots,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P><HI>_THE Wi&s;e-man among his ma|ny
approved</HI> Proverbes,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Prov</HI> 25 11. <GAP DESC="foreign"> Iuxta modus &s;uos. Merc. Quibus modia dici debet <HI>V<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="faint" EXTENT="1 letter">t.</HI> Tempore, &s;uo. <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="faint" EXTENT="1 word">.</HI></NOTE>
<HI>hath this choyce one,</HI> A
word &s;poaken upon his
wheeles (<HI>&s;o runnes the
Originall, or</HI> &s;et upon his
mea&s;ures, <HI>that is, as our Engli&s;h not unfit|ly
hath tran&s;lated it,</HI> fitly &s;poken) A word
fitly &s;poken, is the like Apples of Gold in pi|cutres
<PB REF="3">
of &s;ilver; <HI>pretious and plea&s;ant. Pre|tious,
as</HI> golden Apples: <HI>plea&s;ant</HI> as yel|low
Gold curiou&s;ly wrought and artificially wre|thed
in white Silver.</P>
<P>This <HI>Proverbe</HI> turned my minde to thinke
of &s;ome &s;ea&s;onable Theame, after notice was
given me, that by your Order, which to mee
is a Law, I was deputed to preach before
your Honourable A&s;&s;embly. And I thinke I
have hit upon a fit Subject, were I fit and able
to handle it as it is meet to be handled in &s;uch an A&s;|&s;embly.</P>
<P>It is the Patterne of a good Patriot.</P>
<P>A point pertinent in <HI>Generall</HI> and <HI>Particu|lar.</HI></P>
<P>In <HI>Generall,</HI> a Patterne or Example regi|&s;tred
and approoved in Sacred Scripture,
&s;hews</P>
<P>1. What is the good and acceptable will of God.</P>
<P>2.<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Si inveniun|tur exempla quae nos per re|ctan ducunt viam, &s;equen. da &s;unt. <HI>Hier.</HI> ad celant.</NOTE> What in like ca&s;e others are bound to doe.</P>
<P>3.<NOTE N="&dagger;" PLACE="marg">Excitamur in ipem, qua nos e|tiam ita po&s;&s;e vivere, qui ho|mines &s;um ex eo quod aliqui homines ita vixerunt, mi|nim&egrave; de&s;pera|mus. <HI>Aug</HI> de Trin. l. 8. c. 9.</NOTE> What may be done by &s;uch as will thorowly
&s;et them&s;elves to it.</P>
<P>4. VVhat, when it is &s;o done, may be pleaded
in an humble-&s;elf-denying manner before God.</P>
<P><PB REF="3">
In <HI>Particular</HI> this Example of <HI>Nehemiah</HI>
&s;hewes,</P>
<P>1. VVho is a good Patriot.</P>
<P>2. How he ought to behave him&s;elfe.</P>
<P>3.<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>Plut</HI> de Lib in&s;tit.</NOTE> VVhat difficulties and dangers attend him.</P>
<P>4. VVhat oppo&s;ition and contradiction hee is
like to meet with.</P>
<P>5. VVhat re&s;olutions become him.</P>
<P>6. On whom his confidence is to be placed.</P>
<P>Our times are in many things not much unlike to
the time wherein <HI>Nehemiah</HI> came to <HI>Jeru&s;alem.</HI></P>
<P>Grievances in State.</P>
<P>Corruptions in Church.</P>
<P>He did as much as in him lay (and that indeed
was very much) for redre&s;&s;ing of the one, and re|moving
of the other.</P>
<P>His patterne is not onely an <HI>In&s;truction,</HI> to
teach what is to be done: or an <HI>Incitation</HI> to &s;tir
up &s;uch as know what is to be done: but al&s;o a <HI>Iu|&s;tification</HI>
and <HI>Approbation</HI> of &s;uch as doe as
he did.</P>
<P><HI>And they may looke for &s;uch an end,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign"> &amp;c. Io&s;eph An<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="missing" EXTENT="1 letter">iq. Iul. l. 11. c. 5.</NOTE> <HI>as</HI> Io&s;e|phus
<HI>te&s;tifies that</HI> Nehemiah <HI>had. His te&s;timo|ny
is this,</HI> When <HI>Nehemiah</HI> had done mo&s;t
<PB REF="4">
magnificently many good things worthy of
prai&s;e, being an old man he died, and le&s;t
behind him the name of a gracious, ju&s;t and
bountifull man toward his owne Nation.</P>
<P>The Lord encline our great Kings heart to you, as
he did the heart of <HI>Nehemiahs</HI> King to him, and
&s;o worke by you, as he did by him: that every of
you may with &s;uch confidence &s;ay to your God, as he
did to his, <HI>Thinke on me, my GOD for good,</HI>
according <HI>to all that I have done for this Peo|ple.</HI>
This is, this &s;hall be, the prayer of</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Your daily Oratour<LB>
<HI>William Gouge.</HI></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="sermon">
<PB N="1" REF="4">
<HEAD>A
SERMON PREACHED
Before the Honourable Hou&s;e of
COMMONS, at the celebration of a
FAST 29. Iune, 1642.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL>NEHEM. 5. 19.</BIBL>
<P>Thinke upon me, my God, for good, according
to all that I have done for this people.</P></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>_THo&s;e two motives which en|duced
the good Patriot <HI>Nehe|miah</HI>
to preferre this Petition
to his God, have enduced
me to choo&s;e it for my Text,
to handle it before &s;o many
worthy Patriots as are now
met together to pre&s;ent their
humble &s;upplications to their God.</P>
<P>The two motives were the&s;e,</P>
<P>1. The many, great, good things which he had
done for the Church and State.</P>
<P>2. The many, great, de&s;perate dangers which
<PB N="2" REF="5">
he had met with, and knew he &s;hould further meet
with in pro&s;ecuting his good beginnings.</P>
<P>Whether there be not at this time the like occa&s;i|ons
for the repre&s;entative body of this Kingdome,
as one man, to pray and &s;ay, <HI>Thinke upon me my God
for good, according to all that I have done for this
people,</HI> let the times judge.</P>
<P>To this Text the more diligent heed is to be gi|ven,
in that it containeth the la&s;t memorable mat|ter
which the Holy Gho&s;t &s;aw meet to commend
to his Church in the old Te&s;tament. For the for|mer
part of it (wherein the maine &s;ub&s;tance of the
whole lyeth) is repeated in the la&s;t clau&s;e of this
Booke,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Neh. 13. 31.</NOTE> which is the la&s;t Booke of the old Te&s;ta|ment.
For all the Prophe&s;ies regi&s;tred in the old
Te&s;tament were before <HI>Nehemiahs</HI> time: which
thus appeareth. All but the three la&s;t were before
the Captivity of the <HI>Iewes</HI> in <HI>Babylon.</HI> Two of tho&s;e
la&s;t three,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezr. 5. 1. Hag. 1. 1. Zech. 1. 1.&mdash;7. 1.</NOTE> <HI>Haggai</HI> and <HI>Zechary</HI> uttered their Pro|phe&s;ies
about the time that the Temple was fini&s;h|ed,
in the foure fir&s;t yeares of <HI>Darius</HI> his reigne.
<HI>Malachi</HI> who is the la&s;t of all the Prophets prophe|cied
anone after the Temple was built,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Malachi, id e&s;t E&s;dras, po&s;t Aggeum &amp; Zechariam, qui &s;ub Dario pro|phet averunt, fu|i&s;se credendus e&s;t Hier in pro in Malach. Lege Clem A|lex Strom. l 1.</NOTE> as is evi|dent
by the maine &s;cope of his Prophecy: So as
he may well be thought to have uttered his Pro|phe&s;ie
in the daies of <HI>Darius,</HI> or in that time of <HI>Ar|taxerxes</HI>
reigne, wherein <HI>Ezra</HI> came fir&s;t to <HI>Ieru&s;a|lem.</HI>
For <HI>Malachi</HI> is &s;uppo&s;ed to be <HI>Ezra,</HI> and
called <HI>Malachi,</HI> becau&s;e he was the Lords Me&s;&s;en|ger.</P>
<P>As for the booke of <HI>He&s;ter,</HI> though it be placed
after this of <HI>Nehemiah,</HI> yet is it an Hi&s;tory of many
<PB N="3" REF="5">
yeares before: for the things therin recorded were
in the reigne of <HI>Aha&s;huerus,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Ho&s;t. 1. 1.</NOTE> of whom mention is
made, <HI>Ezr.</HI> 4. 6. He ended his daies foure&s;core
yeares before <HI>Nehemiah</HI> came to <HI>Ieru&s;alem.</HI> The
compiler of the bookes of the old Te&s;tament, had
more re&s;pect of the order of <HI>matter</HI> then of <HI>time</HI> in
placing <HI>E&s;ter</HI> after <HI>Nehemiah.</HI> For <HI>Ezra</HI> and <HI>Nehe|miah</HI>
are one continued Hi&s;tory, which &s;ets downe
the re&s;tauration of the <HI>Iewes</HI> after their captivity.
Both were written by <HI>Ezra,</HI> and of old called
<HI>the fir&s;t and &s;econd booke of E&s;dras:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Apud Hebraeos E&s;drae, Neem|ae&abque; &s;ermones in|unum volumen coartantur. Hie|ron in E&s;d. &amp; Neem prae&s;at. <HI>Ezr.</HI> 2. 2.&mdash;3. 8.</NOTE> yea by
the <HI>Hebrewes</HI> they were both brought into one
Volume.</P>
<P>For the fore&s;aid end of &s;etling the State of the
<HI>Iewes</HI> there were three &s;olemne commings of three
famous per&s;ons to <HI>Ieru&s;alem.</HI> The fir&s;t was of <HI>Ze|rubbabel,</HI>
who being a young man laid the founda|tion
of the Temple in the reigne of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and be|ing
an old man fini&s;hed it in the reigne of <HI>Darius.</HI>
The &s;econd was of <HI>Ezra,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">&mdash;6. 15.</NOTE> <HI>a ready Scribe in the Law
of</HI> Mo&s;es,<NOTE PLACE="marg">&mdash;7. 6.</NOTE> who&s;e comming was<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">After the re|turne of the Iews <HI>Cyrus</HI> raigned nine years, One <HI>Da|rius 36. Aha|&s;huerus</HI> 22. One <HI>Artaxerxes</HI> 40. Another <HI>Dari|us</HI> 19 Another <HI>Artaxerxes</HI> 7. before <HI>Ezra</HI> came. Neh. 5. 1. &amp;c.&mdash;13. 4.</NOTE> about one hun|dred
thirty and three yeares after the fir&s;t, in the
&s;eventh yeare of <HI>Artaxerxes.</HI> He came to in&s;truct
the <HI>Iewes</HI> in the Law of God. The third was of
<HI>Nehemiah,</HI> thirteene yeares after <HI>Ezras.</HI> The end
of his comming was to build up the City of God
and the wall thereof, that Gods people might ther|in
more freely ob&s;erve Gods Ordinances, and live
in &s;afety and &s;ecurity from their enemies. When
he came thither he found many Grievances in the
State, and corruptions in the Church. <HI>Tho&s;e</HI> he re|dre&s;&s;ed,
<HI>the&s;e</HI> he remooved: and withall &s;etled
<PB N="4" REF="6">
the <HI>Sabbaths Sanctification.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Ne. 13. 15, &amp;c.</NOTE></P>
<P>To &s;hew whence he received his courage to doe
what he did, notwith&s;tanding the &s;trong and great
oppo&s;itions again&s;t him, it is oft noted in this book,
that his heart was on his God, to whom on all oc|ca&s;ions
he preferred his prayer in the beginning, pro|gre&s;&s;e
and end of all.</P>
<P>So &s;oone as he heard of an occa&s;ion of going to
<HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Neh. 1. 4. &amp;c.</NOTE> he made his prayer to God. It was the
fir&s;t thing he did. Ever and anone was his heart
lift up unto God in the Progre&s;&s;e.<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Neh. 2. 4.&mdash;4. 4.&mdash;4. 9.&mdash;5. 19.&mdash;6. 14.&mdash;13. 14.&mdash;22.&mdash;29.</NOTE> Eight parti|cular
in&s;tances therof betwixt his fir&s;t and la&s;t pray|er,
are expre&s;ly noted in this Hi&s;tory. This Hi|&s;tory
is concluded with the &s;ame prayer that is in
my Text.</P>
<P>Thus you &s;ee how my Text is in&s;erted in the
mid&s;t of this Hi&s;tory, as a Demon&s;tration of the
Support whereon this Patriot re&s;ted, and whereby
he was encouraged in his good, great, difficult, dan|gerous
attempts.</P>
<P>May I in this Auditory have leave to give, <HI>meo
more &amp; modo,</HI> after my ordinary and plaine manner,
the <HI>Grammaticall</HI> Interpretation and <HI>Logicall</HI> Re&s;o|lution
of the Text, a more ready way will be made
thereby for rai&s;ing and pro&s;ecuting proper <HI>Theologi|call</HI>
Ob&s;ervations thereout.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign"></NOTE> therefore of the &s;ence.</P>
<P>The word tran&s;lated, <HI>Thinke,</HI> properly &s;ignifieth
<HI>Remember.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Neh. 1. 8.&mdash;6. 14.&mdash;13. 14.&mdash;22.&mdash;29.&mdash;31.</NOTE> So it is in other places tran&s;lated even
by the&s;e Tran&s;lators, and that &s;ix times in this book
applyed to God.</P>
<P>It importeth two things.</P>
<P><PB N="5" REF="6">
1. To keepe and hold fa&s;t in mind and memo|ry
what is once knowne. So it is oppo&s;ed to for|getfulne&s;&s;e:
as where the Law &s;aith, <HI>Remember and
Forget not.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 9. 7.</NOTE></P>
<P>2. To call againe to mind and memory what was
once knowne, but after forgotten: in which &s;ence
&s;aith <HI>Pharaohs</HI> Butler,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 41. 9.&mdash;40. 23.</NOTE> <HI>I doe remember my faults this
day.</HI> He had forgotten his faults, his impri&s;on|ment,
his dreame, the interpretation and i&s;&s;ue ther|of
(all which are implyed under this phra&s;e, <HI>The
chiefe Butler did not Remember</HI> Jo&s;eph, <HI>but forgat
him</HI>) But by the wi&s;e mens ignorance of the mea|ning
of <HI>Pharaohs</HI> dreames, hee remembred and
called to mind his faults, and what followed there|upon.</P>
<P>In the&s;e two re&s;pects a word derived from this
root is put for <HI>a Memoriall:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign"> Exod. 28. 12. <GAP DESC="foreign"> E&s;t. 6. 1.</NOTE> and for <HI>Records:</HI> by
which matters are &s;o kept and retained, as they are
not lo&s;t or forgotten: and by which if matters be
forgotten they may be againe called to mind, as
<HI>Mordecais</HI> faithfulne&s;&s;e to the King being forgot|ten,
was by the Kings hearing the <HI>Records</HI> brought
to his mind.</P>
<P>This act of <HI>Remembring</HI> is in &s;acred Scripture ap|plyed
to God and man.</P>
<P>To man properly in both the fore-mentioned
acceptions. As the two proofes doe &s;hew. For
to man it was &s;aid,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 9. 7. Gen. 41. 9.</NOTE> <HI>Remember and forget not:</HI>
and he was a man that &s;aid, <HI>I doe remember my
faults.</HI></P>
<P>To God it is mo&s;t properly applyed in the for|mer
&s;ignification. For he ever fa&s;t holds in memo|ry
<PB N="6" REF="7">
and never forgets what he once knowes:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. 15. 18.</NOTE> And
<HI>knowne unto God are all his workes from the beginning of
the world.</HI></P>
<P>Yea, al&s;o in the latter &s;ignification it is oft attri|buted
to God,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 44. 21.</NOTE> as where it is &s;aid, <HI>Did not the Lord
remember them? and came it not into his minde?</HI>
The latter phra&s;e &s;heweth that the act of remem|bring
attributed to God in the former clau&s;e, is
ment of calling to mind what was formerly known.
<HI>Iob</HI> oft calleth on God to <HI>remember</HI> him in this &s;ence.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iob 7, 7.&mdash;10, 9.&mdash;14, 13. <GAP DESC="foreign"></NOTE>
In this re&s;pect God is &s;aid to have <HI>Remembrancers:</HI>
to whom he thus &s;aith, <HI>Put me in Remembrance:</HI>
and to this end he is &s;aid to have a booke of <HI>Remem|brance.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">See Margin on I&s;a. 62. 6. I&s;a. 43. 26. <GAP DESC="foreign"> Mal. 3. 16 <GAP DESC="foreign">.</NOTE>
But &s;urely the&s;e things cannot be properly
&s;poken of God. They are to be taken <HI>tropically,</HI>
by way of re&s;emblance, after the manner of man.
When men having forgotten a friend, neglect him,
doe nothing for him, &s;uffer him to want, to be op|pre&s;&s;ed,
to lye in pri&s;on, or remaine in captivity,
but being put in mind that he is &s;uch and &s;uch a
friend, doe good to him and &s;uccour him, are &s;aid
to remember him: So God (when after long &s;uf|fering
his children to want &s;uch and &s;uch a ble&s;&s;ing,
or to lye under &s;uch and &s;uch a cro&s;&s;e, hee
be&s;toweth on them the ble&s;&s;ing which they &s;o
long waited for or freeth them from the cro&s;&s;e
under which they lay &s;o long) though he never
forgat them, but knew and &s;aw their want and
pre&s;&s;ure, is &s;aid to remember them. Thus he <HI>re|membred
Rachell,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 30. 22. Exod. 2. 24.</NOTE> who had long wanted a childe:
and the <HI>I&s;raelites,</HI> who had long lien under bon|dage.</P>
<P><PB N="7" REF="7">
In briefe <HI>Nehemiah</HI> by this phra&s;e, <HI>Thinke upon</HI>
or <HI>Remember,</HI> intendeth that God would &s;o deale
with him, as he him&s;elfe might have a&s;&s;urance and
others evidence, that God did thinke upon what he
did and well remember it.</P>
<P>This Petition he makes, not as doubting of Gods
good-will to him, but as re&s;ting on God for &s;ome
evidence thereof. For what beleevers expect from
God they pray for: and what they pray for, with
confidence they expect to receive.</P>
<P>To give further evidence of his &s;peciall a&s;&s;iance
on God, he re&s;traineth this act of Gods good-will
to him&s;elfe in particular,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign"></NOTE> by this clau&s;e, <HI>upon me,</HI>
and it carrieth this Empha&s;is, that though the Lord
regarded not them who te&s;tified no hearty affection
to him&s;elf, his hou&s;e or people, yet he would thinke
upon him who&s;e heart was &s;et on all the&s;e. <HI>Thinke
on me.</HI></P>
<P>The next clau&s;e, <HI>my God,</HI> doth yet further &s;et
out that his &s;peciall affiance on God.<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign"></NOTE> <HI>My,</HI> is an ap|propriating
particle: yet &s;uch an one as admits o|thers
that are of like quality. Nor this, nor the for|mer
particle of &s;peciality, nor <HI>Me,</HI> nor <HI>My</HI> is to be ta|ken
exclu&s;ively, as if he exempted all but him&s;elfe
from the&s;e priviledges, for before this, he de&s;ireth
God to think on others like him&s;elf,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Neh. 1. 11.</NOTE> thus, <HI>O Lord, I
be&s;eech thee, let now thine care be attentive to the
prayer of thy &s;ervant, and to the prayer of thy &s;er|vants
who de&s;ire to feare thy name.</HI> And though
<NOTE N="a" PLACE="marg">Neh 28, 18.&mdash;6. 14.&mdash;7. 5. 13. 14, 15, 29, 31.</NOTE> &s;ometimes he expre&s;&s;e the relation betwixt God
and him&s;elfe in the &s;ingular number, <HI>my God,</HI> yet
<NOTE N="b" PLACE="marg">Neh. 4, 4, 9, 20.&mdash;13. 18, 17</NOTE> other times in the plurall number, thus, <HI>our God,</HI>
<PB N="8" REF="8">
yea and in the &s;econd and third per&s;ons, thus,<NOTE N="c" PLACE="marg">Neh. 8. 9.</NOTE> <HI>your
God,</HI><NOTE N="d" PLACE="marg">Neh. 13. 26.</NOTE> <HI>his God,</HI><NOTE N="e" PLACE="marg">Neh. 12. 45.</NOTE> <HI>their God.</HI></P>
<P>He u&s;eth the fir&s;t per&s;on and &s;ingular number (<HI>my
God</HI>) to te&s;tifie the full a&s;&s;urance he had of his own
intere&s;t in God. He u&s;eth other per&s;ons and the
plurall number (<HI>His God, Our God, Your God, Their
God</HI>) to intimate the &s;trong per&s;wa&s;ion he had of
others like intere&s;t in God. The former is <HI>judici|um
certitudinis,</HI> an a&s;&s;ured knowledge: the latter
<HI>judicium charitatis,</HI> a charitable belief. That the&s;e
two may &s;tand together is evident by the&s;e phra&s;es
joyned together,<NOTE N="f" PLACE="marg">Ruth. 1. 16.</NOTE> <HI>Thy God &s;hall be my God:</HI><NOTE N="g" PLACE="marg">Ioh. 20. 17.</NOTE> <HI>I a&s;cend
to my God and your God.</HI></P>
<P>By the way take notice, that the mention which
I made of the &s;ingular number, hath re&s;pect to the
tran&s;lation,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>De i&s;tis decem nominibus lege</HI> Hier. <HI>Epi&s;t ad</HI> Marcel. See al&s;o the Churches con|que&s;t on Exod. 17. 15. Sect. 72.</NOTE> rather then to the originall, e&s;pecially
in the title <HI>GOD.</HI> For the Hebrew word is one
of tho&s;e ten titles which in &s;acred Sacred Scripture
are as names attributed to God; and it is of the plu|rall
number. As all the other titles have their &s;igni|fications
and my&s;teries, &s;o this. It importeth a
plurality of per&s;ons: yet &s;o as in con&s;truction it in|timateth
an unity,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign"> Verbatim Dij creavit. <HI>Gen</HI> 1. 1.</NOTE> an unity in nature, the unity of
the Deity. For it is joyned with a verbe of the &s;in|gular
number: as in the fir&s;t &s;entence of the Bi|ble,
which in other languages may imply &s;ome
Grammaticall incongruity; but it expre&s;&s;eth a true
Orthodox, Theologicall My&s;tery: which God
from the beginning would have to be knowne for
his owne glory and Churches good. For (even our
enemies, wor&s;hippers of fal&s;e gods being Judges)
our God is &s;uch a God, as no other God could e|ver
<PB N="9" REF="8">
be imagined like unto him. Many of Gods
incommunicable properties and workes have
(though mo&s;t unju&s;tly and fal&s;ly) beene attribu|ted
to fal&s;e gods, as<NOTE N="h" PLACE="marg">O Pater &ocirc; ho|minum, <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="faint" EXTENT="1 letter">ivum&abque; aeternae pote, <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="blotted" EXTENT="1+ letters"> Virg. AEneid. 10.</NOTE> eternity,<NOTE N="i" PLACE="marg">Te&abque; omnipo|tens Neptune in|voco, Cic Tu&s;c. l. 4.</NOTE> omnipotency,
<NOTE N="k" PLACE="marg">Ovid Met l 1.</NOTE> creation of Heaven and Earth,<NOTE N="l" PLACE="marg">Ovis nutu &amp; arbitrio coeum, terra, mart&abque; reguntur, Cic ac Fin.</NOTE> divine provi|dence,
and other the like. But it never came into
the mind of any Idolater to imagine his God to be
three in one. The <HI>Trinity</HI> in <HI>Vnity</HI> is a my&s;tery of
my&s;teries, making much to the honour of him that
is knowne and believed to be &s;uch a God.</P>
<P>By it al&s;o we know and beleeve that the <HI>Spirit</HI>
which proceedeth from the <HI>Father</HI> and the <HI>Son,</HI> and
helpeth our infirmities, enableth us to doe the will
of God and e&s;tabli&s;heth us again&s;t all a&s;&s;aults, is
true God: and that the <HI>Sonne</HI> of God, the only
begotten of the <HI>Father,</HI> the <HI>Mediatour</HI> betwixt
God and man, is true God: and that the <HI>Father</HI>
to whom we have acce&s;&s;e for all needfull ble&s;&s;ing,
is true God. Thus we have not many gods for
many purpo&s;es; but one God for all turnes. One
to enable us to goe to the throne of grace: One to
mediate for us there: One to accept us there,
all one God. Is not this a comfortable my|&s;terie?</P>
<P>But this by the way.</P>
<P>That for which he de&s;ireth his <HI>God to thinke up|on
him,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign"> 2 Sam. 7 28. 1 Kin. 8. 66.</NOTE> is <HI>for good.</HI> The Hebrew word properly
&s;ignifieth <HI>goodne&s;se,</HI> and is &s;o tran&s;lated in &s;un|dry
places, oft in the <HI>P&s;almes</HI> and <HI>Prophets.</HI>
Some therefore here take it for a property in
God, and the cau&s;e or ground of his &s;aith and hope,
and of all ble&s;&s;ing: as if he had thus expre&s;&s;ed it,
<PB N="10" REF="9">
<HI>Thinke on me for thy goodne&s;&s;e &s;ake.</HI> This is in it
&s;elfe a good &s;ence, and an&s;werable to this of <HI>Da|vid,
Remember thou me for thy goodne&s;se &s;ake &ocirc; Lord.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;. 25. 7.</NOTE>
But in my Text the particle of relation to God,
(<HI>Thy</HI>) is not expre&s;t, and the propo&s;ition <GAP DESC="foreign"> expre&s;|&s;ed,
admits not that &s;ence.<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">. In bonum.</NOTE> Therefore the LXX.
Greeke Interpreters, the ancient Latine and &s;undry
other tran&s;late it as our Engli&s;h, <HI>for good:</HI> in like
manner is this very word with this prepo&s;ition tur|ned
(<HI>Gen.</HI> 50. 20.) <HI>unto good.</HI> Thus it &s;ets downe
the end why he would have God to thinke on him,
namely, &s;ome good, benefit, ble&s;&s;ing to him&s;elfe.
That this is here intended, is further evident by
that which followes, <HI>according to all that I have
done,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>Looke upon your books and yee will finde this
word, <HI>according,</HI> in another character, which &s;hew|eth
that it is not in the Originall, as indeed it is not.
Some therefore joyne the&s;e two words,<NOTE PLACE="marg">In bonum omni|um quae feci.</NOTE> <HI>good, all,</HI>
together, thus, <HI>for good of all that I have done.</HI> This
expo&s;ition might well &s;tand,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign"> Di&s;tinguit me|diam &s;ententi|am, &amp; re&s;pon|det colon.</NOTE> but that there is an
<HI>accent</HI> or <HI>pau&s;e</HI> annexed to the former word, which
di&s;tingui&s;heth &s;entences, or at lea&s;t the parts of a &s;en|tence.
Something therefore mu&s;t be under&s;tood
to make up the latter part of this &s;entence: and &s;ure|ly
our Engli&s;h hath hit upon the fitte&s;t &s;upplement,
as the ancient Latin,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Secundum om|nia.</NOTE> and &s;undry other languages.
The particle (<HI>according</HI>) here &s;upplied, is oft on
like occa&s;ions expre&s;&s;ed,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;. 62. 12. <GAP DESC="foreign"></NOTE> as where the <HI>P&s;almi&s;t</HI> &s;aith
to God, <HI>Thou rendere&s;t to every man according to his
workes.</HI> By this &s;upplement no merit, but the kind
or quality, and mea&s;ure or quantity of reward is
<PB N="11" REF="9">
intended.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 6. 7, 8.</NOTE> In regard of the <HI>kinde, what&s;oever a man
&s;oweth, that &s;hall he al&s;o reape.</HI> He that &s;oweth
wheat &s;hall reape wheat: he that &s;oweth tares &s;hall
reape tares: <HI>He that &s;oweth to his fle&s;h, &s;hall of the
fle&s;h reape corruption: but he that &s;oweth to the &s;pi|rit,
&s;hall of the &s;pirit reape life everla&s;ting.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 9. 6.</NOTE> In regard
of the mea&s;ure, <HI>He which &s;oweth bountifully &s;hall reap
bountifully.</HI></P>
<P>Therefore he adds the next generall particle <HI>All,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign"></NOTE>
for All compri&s;eth many things under it, and exclu|deth
not any at all.</P>
<P>That which he pleads of his owne doing in this
phra&s;e (<HI>that I have done</HI>) is not to be taken in refe|rence
to his owne ability in and of him&s;elf:<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign"></NOTE> but to
the manife&s;tation of the power of Gods Spirit in
him,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Zach. 4. 6. 1 Cor 15. 10.</NOTE> which God him&s;elfe thus expre&s;&s;eth, <HI>Not
by might nor by power, but by my &s;pirit,</HI> and Saint
<HI>Paul</HI> thus, <HI>I have laboured more abundantly then they
all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was
with me.</HI></P>
<P>For further amplification of what he did, he ads
the per&s;ons in who&s;e behalfe he did all that he did,
<HI>for this people.</HI> He meanes hereby the <HI>Iewes,</HI> a|mong
whom he then was, and thereupon as poin|ting
at them, he u&s;eth a double demon&s;trative par|ticle,
as if to the full it had bin thus expre&s;&s;ed,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign"></NOTE> <HI>for
this people,</HI> even <HI>this.</HI> Well might he &s;et this em|pha&s;is
upon that people, becau&s;e at that time they
were the only Church of God,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 19. 5.</NOTE> a peculiar trea&s;ure
unto him above all people.</P>
<P>Thus have you the plaine <HI>meaning</HI> of the Text.</P>
<P>The &s;umme of all in two words is,</P>
<P><PB N="12" REF="10">
<HI>Saints Support.</HI></P>
<P>Which is in one word <HI>GOD.</HI></P>
<P>This <HI>Support of Saints</HI> is &s;et downe in forme of a
Petition.</P>
<P>Therein is expre&s;&s;ed,</P>
<P>1. The <HI>Per&s;on</HI> petitioned.</P>
<P>2. The <HI>Point</HI> prayed.</P>
<P>The <HI>Per&s;on</HI> is &s;et out,</P>
<P>1. By his generall title, <HI>GOD.</HI></P>
<P>2. By his &s;peciall relation, <HI>MY.</HI></P>
<P>In the <HI>Point</HI> prayed for, ye may ob&s;erve,</P>
<P>1. The <HI>Kind</HI></P>
<P>2. The <HI>End</HI> of it.</P>
<P>The <HI>Kinde</HI> points at,</P>
<P>1. An <HI>Act</HI> de&s;ired of God, <HI>THINK VPON.</HI></P>
<P>2. The &s;peciall <HI>Object</HI> thereof, <HI>ME.</HI></P>
<P>The <HI>End</HI> is,</P>
<P>1. Generally propounded, <HI>FOR GOOD.</HI></P>
<P>2. Particularly amplified.</P>
<P>In the amplification are di&s;tinctly &s;et downe.</P>
<P>1. <HI>The</HI> Ground, THAT I HAVE DONE.</P>
<P>2. <HI>The</HI> Rule, ACCORDING TO.</P>
<P>3. <HI>The</HI> Extent, ALL.</P>
<P>4. <HI>The</HI> Re&s;traint <HI>or</HI> Limitation, FOR THIS
PEOPLE.</P>
<P>Thinke upon me, my God, for good, <HI>according</HI> to
all that I have done for this People.</P>
<P>The Ob&s;ervations hence ari&s;ings are the&s;e.</P>
<P>I. <HI>GOD is the Support of Saints.</HI> This Saint by
directing this his Petition to God, gives in&s;tance
hereof.</P>
<P>II. <HI>The LORD is a peculiar GOD to a Belee|ver.</HI>
<PB N="13" REF="10">
This appropriating particle, <HI>MY,</HI> being ut|tered
by a beleever in reference to God, evinceth
as much.</P>
<P>III. GOD hath Remembrancers. <HI>He that &s;aid to
God,</HI> thinke upon <HI>or</HI> remember, <HI>was &s;uch an one.</HI></P>
<P>IV. <HI>GODS mind is &s;oonest drawne to his owne.</HI>
He that could &s;ay, <HI>my God,</HI> was one of Gods owne
and thereupon was per&s;waded to &s;ay to his God,
<HI>thinke upon ME,</HI> in confidence that God would
&s;oon &s;o doe.</P>
<P>V. Prayer may be made for ones owne good. <HI>This
phra&s;e</HI> for good, <HI>intends as much.</HI></P>
<P>VI. <HI>Workes may be pleaded before GOD.</HI> So doth
he that in his prayer to God thus pleads, <HI>that I have
done.</HI></P>
<P>VII. <HI>Mans workes are the rule of Gods reward.</HI>
This is implied by the word fitly &s;upplyed, <HI>ac|cording.</HI></P>
<P>VIII. <HI>Every thing well done &s;hall be rewarded.</HI>
This generall particle <HI>All,</HI> extends to every good
work, and intends &s;uch an extent of reward.</P>
<P>IX. <HI>Good done to GODS people is mo&s;t accepta|ble.</HI>
Thus much is manife&s;ted, as by the expre&s;&s;ion
of <HI>this people,</HI> &s;o by the empha&s;is added thereto, <HI>this
people,</HI> even <HI>this.</HI></P>
<P>The&s;e are the principall intendments of this
Text.</P>
<P>That ye may the better di&s;cerne the true and ju&s;t
ground of all the&s;e points, and e&s;pecially of this Pa|triots
confidence, whereby he was enboldened to
put his God in mind, to <HI>thinke on him for good</HI> ac|cording
<HI>to all that he had done for his people.</HI> I &s;up|po&s;e
<PB N="14" REF="11">
it will not be impertinent, nor yet unprofita|ble
to give you a briefe view of &s;uch particular acts
done by him, as are in this booke di&s;tinctly &s;pecifi|ed
from the beginning to my Text. Hereby yee
may have a pertinent patterne for Ju&s;tification of
what ye have done, and direction for what remains
yet to be done: and withall ye may &s;ee in what
cour&s;es and cau&s;es yee may with confidence de|pend
on your God and &s;ay, <HI>Thinke on us our God
for good,</HI> according <HI>to all that we have done for
this people.</HI></P>
<P>1. The fir&s;t particular noted of him is an
inqui&s;itive di&s;po&s;ition after the State of the Church,
how it fared with her. So &s;oone as he heard that
<HI>Hanani</HI> and others were come from <HI>Iudah,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Neh. 1. 2.</NOTE> he <HI>asked
them concerning the Iewes, and concerning</HI> Jeru&s;a|lem.
He him&s;elfe was in a &s;afe and &s;ecure place:
He had the favour of the greate&s;t Monarch then
on Earth: yet he thought not that enough: hee
mu&s;t know how the Church doth. By this en|quiry
he came to know what otherwi&s;e, it may
be, he &s;hould never have knowne: and then the
Church might have wanted all that good which
he did for it.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ignoti nulla cu|ptilo.</NOTE> What eye &s;ees not or eare heares
not, heart rues not. Naturall men are in a mo&s;t
woefull plight: But becau&s;e they know no|thing
of it, they are no whit mooved with
it, nor care to &s;eeke any redre&s;&s;e for it. Ma|ny
doe nothing for the Church, becau&s;e they know
nothing of the Church. Be we therefore inqui|&s;itive
after it.</P>
<P>2. That which he heard of the Churches di&s;|tre&s;&s;e
<PB N="15" REF="11">
wrought much compa&s;&s;ion in him:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Neh. 1. 4.</NOTE> For he
<HI>&s;ate down and wept, and mourned certain dayes.</HI> By
this &s;ympathy he &s;hewes him&s;elf a true member of
the Church.<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 12. 26.</NOTE> <HI>If one member &s;uffer, all the members
&s;uffer with it.</HI> This cannot but be&s;eem the be&s;t.
For of God him&s;elf it is thus &s;aid,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iud 10. 16. I&s;a. 63. 15. Ho&s;. 11. 8.</NOTE> <HI>His &s;oul was grie|ved
for the affliction of I&s;rael.</HI> In &s;uch ca&s;es <HI>his bow|ells</HI>
are &s;aid to <HI>&s;ound: and his heart</HI> to be <HI>turned with|in
him.</HI> Art thou Lord &s;o affected, and afflicted at
our mi&s;ery, and we no whit moved with our own
or others di&s;tre&s;&s;es?<NOTE PLACE="marg">Amo. 6. 1, &amp;c.</NOTE> <HI>Woe,</HI> &s;aith the Prophet, <HI>woe to
them that are at ea&s;e,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>that stretch them&s;elvs upon
their couches, and eate the Lambs out of the flock: that
chant to the &s;ound of the violl: that drink wine in
bowles, and annoint them&s;elvs with the chief ointments:
but they are not grieved for the affliction of</HI> Jo&s;eph.
What good can be expected from &s;uch &s;encele&s;&s;e
di&s;po&s;itions? That compa&s;&s;ion which was wrought
in this Patriot, &s;et him on work, to do all that good
which he did for the Church. <HI>Let this mind be in you,
which was al&s;o in him.</HI></P>
<P>3. Before he attempts any thing, he goes to
God. Fir&s;t to God, then to the King. <HI>I prayed,</HI>
&s;aith he,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Neh. 1. 4.</NOTE> <HI>before the God of Heaven.</HI> This made all
that he did &s;o &s;ucce&s;&s;efull as it was. <HI>Saul,</HI> though
an hypocrite, could make this apology for his over|ha&s;ty
&s;acrifice,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Sam. 13. 12.</NOTE> <HI>The</HI> Phili&s;tines <HI>will come down now
upon me to</HI> Gilgal, <HI>and I have not made &s;upplication to
my God.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">A Love princi|pium.</NOTE> The very Heathen did u&s;e to begin all
with their God. Should not we Chri&s;tians &s;o doe
with our God? I am confident ye &s;o doe: and
thereupon with confidence I may &s;ay, Go on, and
pro&s;per.</P>
<P><PB N="16" REF="12">
4. He added one kind of prayer to another: to
his daily, ordinary prayers, he added extraordinary.
The phra&s;e of praying <HI>day and night,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Neh. 1 6.</NOTE> implies his
con&s;tant morning and evening prayer, wherein he
was ever mindfull of the children of <HI>I&s;rael.</HI> His <HI>&s;u|&s;ting</HI>
was an evidence of extraordinary prayer.<NOTE PLACE="marg">&mdash;4. <GAP DESC="foreign"></NOTE> This
particle, <HI>now,</HI> or <HI>this day,</HI> prefixed before <HI>day and
night,</HI> &s;heweth that in this day of extraordinary
prayer helped by fa&s;ting, he omitted not his ordi|nary
morning and evening devotion. Thus much
was prefigured in the Law.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ex. 29 38, 39. Num. 28 3. <HI>&amp;c.</HI></NOTE> For every day one
Lamb was to be offered <HI>in the morning,</HI> and another
<HI>at even:</HI> on their fea&s;t dayes they had other &s;o|lemn
&s;acrifices enjoyned, yet &s;o as with tho&s;e ex|traordinary
&s;acrifices they joyned their daily mor|ning
and evening burnt offering. In the 28. and 29.
Chapters of <HI>Numbers,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Numb. 28. 10, 15, 23, 24, 31. &amp; 29, 6, 11, 16, 19, 22, 25, 28, 31, 34, 38.</NOTE> where tho&s;e extraordinary
&s;acrifices on their &s;everall dayes are expre&s;ly &s;et
down, this provi&s;o (<HI>be&s;ide the continuall burnt offe|ring</HI>)
is fifteen times repeated. Ordinary and ex|traordinary
prayer joyned together, will adde life
and power each to other. Ordinary morning pray|er
may prove to be a good preparation to the ex|traordinary
ordinance: and the evening ordinary
prayer a means of calling our failings in the extra|ordinary
to mind, of craving and obtaining pardon
for the &s;ame, and procuring a ble&s;&s;ing in all. As for
extraordinary prayer quickned with fa&s;ting, it was
never performed (if at lea&s;t it were rightly perfor|med)
without &s;ome more then ordinary ble&s;&s;ing.
That Dvell, which cannot otherwi&s;e be ca&s;t our,
may be <HI>ca&s;t out by prayer and fa&s;ting.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 17. 21.</NOTE> <HI>What therefore
<PB N="17" REF="12">
God hath joyned together, let no man put a&s;under.</HI></P>
<P>I might here di&s;tinctly &s;et out the particular
branches of his powerfull prayer, as,</P>
<P>1. His &s;olemn preamble,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Neh. 1. 5.</NOTE> whereby he &s;heweth
how his mind was &s;o fixed on Gods greatne&s;&s;e and
goodne&s;&s;e as it had wrought a mixture of feare and
faith.</P>
<P>2.<NOTE PLACE="marg">&mdash;6.</NOTE> His humble confe&s;&s;ion of &s;inne: of his own
&s;ins, of the &s;ins of his fathers hou&s;e, yea and of the
whole hou&s;e of <HI>I&s;rael.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s; 32. 5. Pro. 28. 13. 1 Ioh. 1. 9. Neh. 1. 8, 9.</NOTE> This, penitently done, is
the ready way for obtaining mercy and pardon.</P>
<P>3. His pre&s;&s;ing Gods own promi&s;e, whereby he
te&s;tifieth on what ground his faith was founded.</P>
<P>4. His pleading that &s;peciall relation which was
betwixt God and them for whom he prayed, thus,
<HI>The&s;e are thy &s;ervants,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">&mdash;10.</NOTE> <HI>and thy people.</HI> By this he gives
proof that the mark he aimes at is Gods glory.</P>
<P>5. His putting God in mind of his former dea|ling
with them, thus, <HI>whom thou ha&s;t redeemed,</HI> &amp;c.
This &s;hews, that by God him&s;elf, and his former
dealing with them, he is put on to commend their
cau&s;e to him.</P>
<P>6.<NOTE PLACE="marg">&mdash;11.</NOTE> His quickning of his own &s;pirit, by his earne&s;t,
ardent expre&s;&s;ion of his mind.</P>
<P>But it being my purpo&s;e only to cull out &s;uch
di&s;tinct acts of his as moved him to put God in
mind of him for good, it might hinder my purpo&s;e
to in&s;i&s;t on every particular circum&s;tance in tho&s;e
&s;everall acts, that are recorded of him.</P>
<P>I return therfore to my principall purpo&s;e.</P>
<P>5. His heart was ready on the &s;udden to be rai|&s;ed
to God. For when the King gave him occa&s;ion
<PB N="18" REF="13">
to make his mind knowne to him,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Neh. 2. 4.</NOTE> he in&s;tantly <HI>pray|ed
to the God of Heaven:</HI> Not by turning a&s;ide and
uttering any words to God, but by lifting up
his heart to God. This is called an ejaculation of the
&s;pirit: when the &s;pirit within a man ca&s;teth up a
&s;udden de&s;ire to God. This &s;udden de&s;ire might
be, that God would direct him in ordering his de|&s;ire
to the King, and that God would encline the
Kings heart to grant his de&s;ire. So much was be|fore
thus expre&s;&s;ed, <HI>Grant me mercy in the &s;ight of
this man,</HI> meaning the King. This may be as fer|vent
and prevalent, as a &s;olemne prayer uttered with
the mouth, witne&s;&s;e that ejaculation of <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> &s;pirit,
when he was in the midde&s;t of the people, and en|couraging
them again&s;t <HI>Pharaohs</HI> furious ho&s;te that
hotly pur&s;ued them: He then uttered no words of
prayer, yet of that ejaculation, or inward de&s;ire,
&s;aith God,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 14. 15.</NOTE> <HI>why crie&s;t thou unto me?</HI> which phra&s;e
implyeth great fervency. This frequently and
heartily u&s;ed argueth an heavenly mind, and holy
familiarity with God. This is one way whereby
we may pray <HI>alway, continually,</HI> even by the readi|ne&s;&s;e
of the heart to pray at all times, in all places,
on all occa&s;ions, when we are alone, or in compa|ny,
in conference, reading, &s;tudying, working,
or doing any other lawfull thing. Thus may I now
in preaching, pray: thus may you even now in
hearing, pray. A&s;&s;uredly, if we were well di&s;po|&s;ed
hereunto, we might have much better &s;ucce&s;&s;e
in many things we doe, then we have. What good
&s;ucce&s;&s;e had this Patriot hereupon? God mooved
the King to grant what&s;oever he de&s;ired.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Neh. 2. 8.</NOTE> In &s;en|ding,
<PB N="19" REF="13">
in delivering Petitions to the King on earth,
<HI>Pray to the GOD of Heaven,</HI> as <HI>Nehemiah</HI> did.</P>
<P>6. Together with all &s;orts of prayer to God,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Neh. 2. 5.</NOTE> he
u&s;eth humane helps. He gratefully acknowledgeth
the Kings former <HI>favour:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">&mdash;7.</NOTE> He humbly &s;upplica|teth
<HI>leave</HI> to goe to <HI>Iudah:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">&mdash;8.</NOTE> he de&s;ireth a &s;afe con|voy:
he craveth the Kings <HI>Letters</HI> patent for all
u&s;efull and needfull Timber out of his Forre&s;ts.
All the&s;e were lawfull meanes: and &s;uch meanes
are the hand of Gods providence, whereby hee
bringeth matters to pa&s;&s;e. It is true indeed, that
<HI>man liveth not by bread alone:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 8. 3.</NOTE> meanes <HI>alone</HI> with|out
Gods ble&s;&s;ing doe no good. <HI>A&s;aes</HI> fault con|&s;i&s;ted
not &s;imply in this,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Chr. 16. 12.</NOTE> that in his di&s;ea&s;e he &s;ought
to the <HI>Phy&s;itians,</HI> but in this, that <HI>he &s;ought not to the
Lord</HI> A <HI>woe</HI> is denounced again&s;t tho&s;e <HI>that take
coun&s;ell,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 30. 1.&mdash;31. 1.</NOTE> <HI>but not of the Lord, and that cover with a
covering, but not of his Spirit.</HI> But true al&s;o it is,
that where meanes are meet to be u&s;ed, God will
not bring matters to pa&s;&s;e without meanes. In the
great danger wherein <HI>Paul,</HI> and all in the Ship with
him were, God promi&s;ed that there &s;hould be no
<HI>lo&s;&s;e of any mans life among them:</HI> yet <HI>when the
Ship-men</HI> (who are an e&s;peciall meanes of helpe in
feare of wreck) <HI>were about to fly out of the Ship,</HI> Paul
<HI>&s;aid, except the&s;e abide in the Ship, ye cannot be &s;a|ved.</HI>
It will therefore be our wi&s;dome to ob&s;erve
in the matters that we enterprize, what lawfull
meanes may be helpefull thereto, and with prayer
to u&s;e the &s;ame. By u&s;ing meanes without prayer
we pre&s;ume: by praying without the u&s;e of means
we tempt God.</P>
<P><PB N="20" REF="14">
7. He goes him&s;elf to the place where he inten|ded
to doe good.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Neh. 2, 11.</NOTE> <HI>I came to Ieru&s;alem,</HI> &s;aith he. The
de&s;ire that he had to have the worke throughly
don, moved him to goe him&s;elfe about it, and not to
put it off to others. If men of place and power,
who wi&s;h well to Church and State, were &s;o min|ded,
there would not be &s;o many mi&s;carriages in
weighty matters,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 King 4 30.</NOTE> as oft fal out. The <HI>Shunamite</HI> would
not leave the Prophet, till he him&s;elfe went to her
childe. His &s;ervant went with his &s;taffe, but effe|cted
nothing; When he him&s;elfe came, the deed
was &s;oone done. A difference betwixt a Gentle|man
that holdeth his land in his owne hands, and
&s;car&s;e rai&s;eth up &s;o much as the ordinary rent
amounts to, and the Farmer, who be&s;ide the rent,
rai&s;eth up a good livelihood, herein lyeth; That the
Gentleman lying in bed, or following his plea&s;ures,
&s;aith to his &s;ervants, <HI>Goe Sirs,</HI> intending that they
&s;hould goe about his worke: But the Farmer &s;aith,
<HI>Gaw Sirs,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Oculus Domini pa&s;cit equum.</NOTE> that is, <HI>Goe we,</HI> together, or goe with
me. This Proverbe, <HI>the eye of the Ma&s;ter makes the
hor&s;e fat,</HI> intendeth as much. This may be a good
patterne to you Governours, to us Mini&s;ters, and
to all that have the charge of matters of mo|ment.</P>
<P>8. He him&s;elfe taketh an e&s;peciall view of the
ruines of <HI>Ieru&s;alem.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Neh. 2. 13.</NOTE> <HI>I went out by night,</HI> &s;aith he, <HI>and
viewed the wals of</HI> Jeru&s;alem, <HI>which were broken
downe,</HI> &amp;c. He had heard thereof before: but now
he was an eye-witne&s;&s;e; and this increa&s;ed his com|pa&s;&s;ion,
enflamed his zeale, and &s;tirred him up
more diligently and throughly to repaire the ru|ines,
<PB N="21" REF="14">
and make up the breaches which he had &s;een
with his owne eyes. Sight of di&s;tre&s;&s;e is of great
force to worke on the affections, and to procure
&s;uccour.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 10. 33.</NOTE> The Samaritan <HI>who came where the wounded
man was,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Tu de&s;ceude iudaginis &s;tu|dio, ne quid &s;it quod &s;allat, aut lateat. Ambx. de Pateiach. Abr l. 1. c. 6.</NOTE> <HI>and &s;aw him, had compa&s;&s;ion on him,</HI> and &s;uc|coured
him. Doe ye likewi&s;e what ye can, to take
&s;peciall notice of the particular ca&s;es of &s;uch as are
in di&s;tre&s;&s;e, that nothing beguile you, nothing be
concealed from you. Goe to pri&s;ons, vi&s;it the &s;icke,
ca&s;t your eyes on mi&s;erable objects.</P>
<P>9. He puts others in mind of that which he and
they &s;aw:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Neh. 2. 17.</NOTE> and &s;tirres them up thereby to be a&s;&s;i&s;tant
to him, in the&s;e words, <HI>ye &s;ee the di&s;tre&s;&s;e that we are
in,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>Come, and let us build up the wall,</HI> &amp;c. This he
did to &s;tirre up &s;uch a &s;pirit in many others, as he
him&s;elfe had, and to obtaine their help: that &s;o the
great worke might the better goe on. For <HI>many
hands make light worke.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Multorum ma|nibus grande le|vatur onus.</NOTE> The fruit and benefit hereof
is di&s;tinctly &s;et down in the third Chapter. Where|fore
thinke it not enough (in great matters, which
of and by your &s;elves ye cannot to purpo&s;e accom|pli&s;h)
think it not enough to doe, even to the utter|mo&s;t
what lyes in your owne power: &s;tir up others
to be aiding and a&s;&s;i&s;ting to you. This ju&s;tifies your
Prote&s;tation, your Sub&s;idies, Pole-money, Land|rate,
Loanes, and other meanes u&s;ed for a&s;&s;i&s;tance
from others in the weighty works you have in hand.</P>
<P>10. He manife&s;teth invincible courage again&s;t
&s;uch adver&s;aries as &s;ought to bla&s;t all his good in|tents
and endeavours.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Neh. 2. 19 20.</NOTE> <HI>When</HI> Sanballat <HI>and others
laughed them to &s;corne, and de&s;pi&s;ed them, he with a</HI>
confident &s;pirit <HI>&s;aid, The God of Heaven he will pro|&s;per
<PB N="22" REF="15">
us; Therefore we his &s;ervants will ari&s;e and build.</HI>
Behold his courage, behold the ground thereof.
<HI>We will ari&s;e and build.</HI> O undaunted Spirit! <HI>God
will pro&s;per us:</HI> a &s;ure and &s;afe ground. If in any thing
ye imitate this Patriot, herein imitate him. Be not
di&s;couraged by adver&s;aries.<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 16. 9.</NOTE> <HI>Where God openeth a
great and effectuall doore to his &s;ervants, there will be
many adver&s;aries:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Phil. 1. 28.</NOTE> But <HI>in nothing be terrified by them:</HI>
and that ye may in nothing be terrified by them, &s;o
place your confidence on God, as ye may in faith
&s;ay, <HI>The God of Heaven he will pro&s;per us.</HI></P>
<P>The third Chapter di&s;tinctly de&s;cribeth the a&s;&s;i|&s;tance
that was afforded by others in fencing the
City, and is an expre&s;&s;e demon&s;tration of the bene|fit
of helpers, &s;et downe in the ninth branch. I there|fore
pa&s;&s;e over this Chapter, that I may ha&s;ten to
my Text.</P>
<P>11. In an holy zeale, and ju&s;t indignation, he im|precates
vengeance again&s;t proud, &s;cornfull, im|placable
enemies of Gods Church, in this manner,
<HI>Turne their reproach upon their owne head,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Neh. 4. 4.</NOTE> <HI>and give
them for a prey in the land of their captivity, and cover
not their iniquity,</HI> &amp;c. I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e that the im|precations
of holy men recorded in &s;acred Scrip|ture,
are &s;harp, two edged tooles: not for every ones
handling. When Chri&s;ts Di&s;ciples would have
<HI>commanded fire</HI> (as <HI>Eliah</HI> did) <HI>to come downe from
Heaven to con&s;ume the</HI> Samaritans,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 9. 54. 55.</NOTE> <HI>he rebuked them,
and &s;aid, Ye know not what manner of &s;pirit ye are of.</HI>
Particular imprecations again&s;t particular per&s;ons
are not for every &s;pirit; but for &s;uch extraordinary
&s;pirits, as Prophets and Apo&s;tles had: Yet thus
<PB N="23" REF="15">
farre may every faithfull &s;pirit te&s;tifie his holy zeal
in this very kind of imprecation, by an indefinite
extending it again&s;t &s;uch as are indeed mi&s;chievous
and irreconcileable enemies of the Church. But
becau&s;e <HI>Saul</HI> may prove a <HI>Paul,</HI> and a <HI>per&s;ecutor</HI> may
prove a <HI>preacher</HI> of the Go&s;pell, we may not
imprecate again&s;t any particular per&s;ons, yet again&s;t
their mi&s;chievous practi&s;es we may.</P>
<P>12. Them whom he incited to a&s;&s;i&s;t him, he en|couraged,
and that by the &s;ame ground of encou|ragement
whereby he him&s;elfe was encouraged.
He was encouraged by his confidence on God;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Neh. 2. 20.&mdash;4. 14.</NOTE> and
thus he encourageth others, <HI>Be not ye afraid of them,
remember the Lord, who is great and terrible.</HI> To &s;uch
a purpo&s;e tends this of the Apo&s;tle,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 1. 4.</NOTE> <HI>God comforteth
us in all our tribulations, that we may be able to comfort
them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith
we our &s;elves are comforted of God.</HI> Ye that are &s;trong,
doe what ye can to &s;trengthen others: Ye who&s;e
&s;pirits are lofty and &s;teddy, lift up and hold up the
&s;pirits of others: put courage into others, ye that
are men of courage. This was Chri&s;ts advice to
<HI>Peter,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 22. 32.</NOTE> <HI>When thou art converted, &s;trengthen thy bre|thren,</HI>
&amp;c.</P>
<P>13. In an extraordinary ca&s;e he u&s;eth extraordi|nary
diligence and vigilancy.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Neh. 4. 8, 11, 12</NOTE> The manifold mi&s;|chievous
plots of their adver&s;aries &s;hewed their
danger to be more then ordinary.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver. 0, 16, 17, 20, 21, 23.</NOTE> In this ca&s;e, <HI>he &s;et
a watch again&s;t them day and night: One halfe of his
&s;ervants wrought in the worke, the other halfe held of|fen&s;ive
and defen&s;ive weapons. Every workeman
wrought with one hand, and with another held a weapon,
<PB N="24" REF="16">
they had a trumpet to draw them all to the place of dan|ger;
they daily watched from the ri&s;ing of the Morning
till the Starres appeared: none of them put off their
cloathes, &s;aving that every one put them off for wa&s;hing.</HI>
Is not now the more then ordinary paines, watch|ing,
loo&s;ing meales meat, defen&s;ive provi&s;ion, and
diligence u&s;ed by our Parliament, is it not every
way warrantable and commendable? Have we any
cau&s;e to complaine thereof? Have we not ju&s;t cau&s;e
to ble&s;&s;e God therefore?</P>
<P>14. He redre&s;&s;es home-grievances. He thought
it not enough to &s;ecure the City from publike ene|mies,
unle&s;&s;e al&s;o he ea&s;ed the common people from
the oppre&s;&s;ion of their Governours.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Neh. 5. 1, &amp;c.</NOTE> For <HI>there was
a great cry of the people and of their wives, again&s;t their
brethren the Iewes,</HI> who were Governours, and had
power over them. The particulars of their com|plaints
are expre&s;ly related.<NOTE PLACE="marg">&mdash;6, &amp;c.</NOTE> This good Patriot
heares them all, is much offended at the wrong|doers,
advi&s;eth about redre&s;&s;e, and &s;o orders the
matter, that for the wrong done, re&s;titution and &s;atis|faction
is made; and for the future, order is taken
that there be no more &s;uch grievances.</P>
<P>Ye that ju&s;tly have obtained the name of <HI>good
Patriots,</HI> and have begun to redre&s;&s;e many grievan|ces,
goe on in that good worke, till through Gods
ble&s;&s;ing and your endeavours it be brought to &s;ome
good perfection, as <HI>Nehemiah's</HI> was. Heare com|plaints,
receive Petitions, examine Accu&s;ations, pu|ni&s;h
Delinquents, cau&s;e re&s;titution of that which
is uniu&s;tly taken away, and &s;atisfaction for that
which is wrongfully done, to be made.</P>
<P><PB N="25" REF="16">
Ye are now the great Judges of this land:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iudex &amp; Ara idem: pariter enim ad utru~&abque; confugiunt qui inturia afficiu~|tur. Archite dict. <HI>Iob</HI> 29. 12.</NOTE> and of
old it was &s;aid, that the Altar and Iudge are as one,
in that &s;uch as are wronged fly to the one and the
other for &s;uccor. Such was <HI>Iobs</HI> practi&s;e. <HI>I delivered,</HI>
&s;aith he, <HI>the poore that cryed, and the fatherle&s;se, and
him that had none to help him.</HI> Remembrance hereof
much comforted him again&s;t his friends unju&s;t ca|lumnies
in the depth of his great mi&s;eries.</P>
<P>15. He relieved &s;uch as were in di&s;tre&s;&s;e. It was
not a phara&s;aicall brag, but a knowne truth, which
he thus profe&s;&s;eth of him&s;elfe,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Neh. 5. 8.</NOTE> <HI>We after our ability
have redeemed our brethren,</HI> &amp;c. To him it &s;eemed
not &s;ufficient to redre&s;&s;e the wrongs which others
had done, and to take off the heavy burdens
which others had laid upon the backs of their
poore brethren (which was a great privitive good)
unle&s;&s;e al&s;o po&s;itively be relieved with money,
corne, and other nece&s;&s;aries, and that <HI>gratis,</HI> &s;uch as
were in need.</P>
<P>Hereby we &s;ee how farre our works of mercy
ought to extend. This to the life is thus exempli|fied
by a Prophet,<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 58. 6, 7.</NOTE> in the name of the Lord: <HI>Is not
this the Fa&s;t that I have cho&s;en, to loo&s;e the bands of wic|kedne&s;se,
to undoe the heavy burdens, and to let the op|pre&s;&s;ed
goe free, and that ye breake every yoake?</HI>
(Though this be mo&s;t properly meant of redre&s;&s;ing
&s;uch wrongs, as men them&s;elves doe, yet may it
al&s;o be extended to redre&s;&s;ing the wrongs which
others do; but for the point which we have in hand,
marke what followes) <HI>Is it not to breake thy bread to
the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are ca&s;t out,
to thy hou&s;e,</HI> &amp;c. This is the extent of charity.</P>
<P><PB N="26" REF="17">
16. He brought them to a &s;olemne covenant and
oath to binde them to that good order that he had
made,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Neh. 5 12.</NOTE> le&s;t they &s;hould &s;tart from it. It is thus ex|pre&s;&s;ed,
<HI>I tooke an oath of them that they &s;hould doe ac|cording
to their promi&s;e.</HI> (Their promi&s;e was this, <HI>We
will re&s;tore them, and will require nothing of them: &s;o
will we doe as thou &s;aye&s;t.</HI>) Yea he made a terrible im|precation
again&s;t every one that performed not this
promi&s;e. He feared lea&s;t in his ab&s;ence, when he
&s;hould in the time limited returne to the King, they
would returne to their former exactions and oppre&s;|&s;ions.
Therefore he would hereby re&s;traine them.
A pious and prudent cour&s;e. The like cour&s;e we read
to be taken by <HI>A&s;a,</HI> who bound his people by <HI>Co|venant</HI>
and <HI>Oath</HI> to remaine faithfull with the
Lord.<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Chr. 15 12. &amp;c.</NOTE></P>
<P>This is the rather to be noted for ju&s;tification and
commendation of the cour&s;e which both Hou&s;es of
Parliament have taken, about bringing mo&s;t of this
Land into a &s;olemne Covenant. The Lord make
men faithfull in keeping it, and give a happy i&s;&s;ue
thereto.</P>
<P>17. For the peoples good in their nece&s;&s;ity he
remitted of his own right. For he was by the King
<HI>appointed a Governour;</HI> and Governours had allow|ances
due to them, which former Governours had
taken: By rea&s;on hereof they were <HI>chargeable to the
people, and had taken of them bread and wine, be&s;ide forty
&s;hekels of &s;ilver</HI> (that is,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Neh.</HI> 5. 14, 15. Siclus S Scrip|turae po~derabat &s;tateremunum, &s;eu &s;emiunciam Shind.</NOTE> five pounds &s;terling; for a
&s;hekell is halfe an ounce, which makes two &s;hil|lings
&s;ixe pence: They exacted the fore&s;aid <HI>bread
and wine,</HI> that is, all manner of provi&s;ion,
<PB N="27" REF="17">
(<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign"> Po&s;t argeti fi|clos, po&s;l quam accepi&s;sent ab eis 40 &s;iclos ar|genti, olim con|&s;tituros ancibus pro victu &s;uo. Vatabl Summumius &s;umma tniuria. Ci. Offic l &amp; Orat pro Mur.</NOTE> be&s;ide the <HI>forty &s;hekels,</HI> which was their &s;et al|lowance)
<HI>But,</HI> &s;aith he, <HI>from the time that I was appoin|ted
to be their Governour, I and my brethren have not
eaten the bread of the Governour.</HI> He renders this rea|&s;on
hereof, <HI>becau&s;e of the feare of God.</HI></P>
<P>They therefore that feare the Lord will be like
minded: they will not over-&s;trictly &s;tand upon
their right, e&s;pecially in times of nece&s;&s;ity, and
ca&s;es of extremity. Over-&s;trict &s;tanding upon right
may prove a great oppre&s;&s;ion.</P>
<P>18. He, though a Governour, did beare a part in
that which he required others to doe. <HI>I al&s;o,</HI> &s;aith he,
<HI>continued in the worke of the wall:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Neh 5. 16.</NOTE> <HI>neither bought we
any Land: and all my &s;ervants were gathered thither
unto the worke.</HI> He had done much for them through
the Kings favour to him,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Neh. 2. 8.</NOTE> and through that power
and authority which the King had given him: For
he obtained for them as much timber as was need|full
out of the Kings Forre&s;t: He drew on others
that were able to help on the building of the wals:
He made &s;peciall provi&s;ion for their &s;ecurity again&s;t
their adver&s;aries: He did many other good turnes
for them; yet &s;o long as there remained any thing
which might further be done by him or his, all that
he had done, though it were much, &s;eemed to him
too little.</P>
<P>A worthy patterne this is to &s;uch as have done
much good, to ob&s;erve whether yet there be any
thing wherein they may doe more good,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 6. 9.</NOTE> <HI>Let us not
be weary in well doing.</HI></P>
<P>19.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom 12. 13. 1 Pet. 4. 9. Neh. 5. 17.</NOTE> He was <HI>given to Ho&s;pitality,</HI> and <HI>u&s;ed it with|out
grudging.</HI> For <HI>there were at his Table one hun|dred
<PB N="28" REF="18">
and fifty of the</HI> Jewes <HI>and Rulers, be&s;ides tho&s;e
that came unto them from among the Heathen.</HI> So
as he entertained all of all &s;orts:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 13. 2.</NOTE> &s;uch as had their
habitations thereabouts, and &s;uch as were &s;trangers
and came out of other countries. Thus he made his
entertainment not onely a worke of <HI>courte&s;ie</HI> in af|fording
it to Neighbours and Rulers, who might
have provided for them&s;elves: but al&s;o of <HI>charity</HI>
in extending it to &s;trangers. How bountifull he
was therein is made evident by the daily provi&s;ion
prepared for tho&s;e purpo&s;es, as <HI>one Oxe, &s;ix choice
Sheepe: al&s;o Foules once in ten daies, and &s;tore of
all &s;orts of wine.</HI> Ho&s;pitality to &s;trangers as well
as others,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 18. 1, &amp;c.&mdash;19. 1. &amp;c. Heb. 13. 2. Mat. 25. 34, 35.</NOTE> is &s;o acceptable to God, as he &s;ent <HI>An|gels</HI>
with ble&s;&s;ed tydings to be gue&s;ts to &s;uch per|&s;ons:
and Chri&s;t reckons up this worke of charity
in &s;peciall and by name among tho&s;e which he doth
mo&s;t abundantly recompence.</P>
<P>I will conclude this particular with that exhorta|tion
which Chri&s;t gave upon anothers act of Ho&s;|pitality,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 10. 37.</NOTE>
<HI>Goe and doe likewi&s;e.</HI></P>
<P>20. What&s;oever hee did, hee did in re&s;pect to
God. Hee expected no reward from man: nor
did he propound any bie-ends to him&s;elfe: nor
did any thing on bie-re&s;pects. My Text gives a
plain demon&s;tration hereof. For therby we &s;ee that
his mind was fixed on his God. On God he cals to
think upon him, from God he expects his reward
for all that he had done. How many <HI>Nehemiahs,</HI> how
many good and zealous Patriots would this and o|ther
Kingdomes have, if we had many men of place
and parts &s;o minded? Every one that minds God
<PB N="29" REF="18">
in every good thing that he doth, and expects his
reward from him, in &s;uch a way, after &s;uch a man|ner
as <HI>Nehemiah</HI> did, may with like confidence &s;ay
to God, <HI>Thinke on me my GOD for good,</HI> accor|ding
<HI>to all that I have done for this people.</HI></P>
<P>By this recollection of the principall acts of this
Patriot, you &s;ee what remarkable matters he did:
what difficulties and dangers hee pa&s;&s;ed thorow,
what encouraged and emboldned him to &s;tand a|gain&s;t
&s;o many, mighty, malignant adver&s;aries
as he met withall, and what was the happy i&s;&s;ue of
all. Hereby al&s;o you may further &s;ee what be|comes
worthy Patriots to doe:<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign"> (virtutem intelligit) <GAP DESC="foreign">, &amp;c. He&s;iod.</NOTE> what dangers and
difficulties they may meet withall: (for what ex|cellent
worke is not environed with many difficul|ties,
yea and dangers too?) with what courage
and con&s;tancy they ought to &s;tand again&s;t malig|nant
parties: on whom they may &s;ecurely place
their confidence: and on what ground any one
may &s;ay, <HI>Thinke on me, my GOD, for good,</HI> ac|cording
<HI>to all that I have done for this people.</HI></P>
<P>Thus have I brought you againe to my Text:
which (as you heard before) affords many con&s;ide|rable
Ob&s;ervations. So much time hath bin &s;pent
in &s;etting out the patterne of a worthy Patriot, as
there can be no expectation of handling all the nine
Doctrines collected out of this Text. The fir&s;t is
the chiefe&s;t of all and comprizeth the pith of all the
re&s;t within it. May I have liberty and ability to
touch upon it, I will give place to my reverend
Brother, that with greater &s;trength may hold out
the &s;olemnization of this daies humiliation.</P>
<P><PB N="30" REF="19">
The fir&s;t Ob&s;ervation is this,</P>
<P>God is the Support of Saints.</P>
<P>1. He is a <HI>Support,</HI> becau&s;e he is <HI>God.</HI></P>
<P>2. <HI>He</HI> is &s;o to <HI>Saints,</HI> becau&s;e he is a <HI>peculiar God</HI>
to them.</P>
<P>3. <HI>Saints</HI> know it to be &s;o, in that they are <HI>Gods
Remembrancers,</HI> and call upon him to <HI>thinke</HI> upon
them.</P>
<P>4. <HI>Saints</HI> with more confidence re&s;t on God for
Support, becau&s;e his mind is &s;oone&s;t drawne to
them: whereupon every <HI>Saint</HI> &s;aith to God, <HI>thinke
upon me.</HI></P>
<P>5. Their expectation of <HI>good</HI> from God further
&s;hewes, that they take him for their Sup|port.</P>
<P>6. Their pleading of their workes before God,
gives further proofe to the point.</P>
<P>7. The rather in that their works are the rule <HI>ac|cording</HI>
to which God rewards them.</P>
<P>8. And in that he rewardeth <HI>every</HI> good worke
of theirs.</P>
<P>9. And finally, in that God hath mo&s;t and be&s;t
re&s;pect to that which is done to <HI>his people.</HI></P>
<P>Thus you &s;ee how the eight &s;ub&s;equent Doctrins
have an eye to the fir&s;t: &s;o as I had cau&s;e to &s;ay,
that the fir&s;t compri&s;eth the pith of all the re&s;t
within it. I come now directly and di&s;tinctly to
handle it by it &s;elf. It is this,</P>
<P><HI>God is the Support of Saints.</HI></P>
<P>Many, many Epithites attributed to him in &s;a|cred
Scripture, are as &s;o many proofs of the point:
&s;uch as the&s;e,<NOTE N="a" PLACE="marg">P&s;. 14 6.</NOTE> <HI>Refuge,</HI><NOTE N="b" PLACE="marg">&mdash;31. 2.</NOTE> <HI>Hou&s;e of defence,</HI><NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">&mdash;6 13.</NOTE> <HI>Shelter,</HI>
<PB N="31" REF="19">
<NOTE N="c" PLACE="marg">P&s; 18. 2.</NOTE> <HI>Fortre&s;se, high Tower, Buckler, Rocke,</HI><NOTE N="d" PLACE="marg">&mdash;119 114.</NOTE> <HI>Hiding place,</HI>
<NOTE N="e" PLACE="marg">I&s;a 49. 26.</NOTE> <HI>Saviour, Redeemer,</HI><NOTE N="f" PLACE="marg">P&s;. 40 17.</NOTE> <HI>Deliver</HI><NOTE N="g" PLACE="marg">&mdash;54. 4.</NOTE> <HI>Helper,</HI><NOTE N="h" PLACE="marg">Heb. 11. 6.</NOTE> <HI>Re|warder,</HI>
yea<NOTE N="i" PLACE="marg">P&s;. 27. 1.</NOTE> <HI>Salvation,</HI><NOTE N="k" PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 1. 30.</NOTE> <HI>Redemption,</HI><NOTE N="l" PLACE="marg">P&s; 115. 9.</NOTE> <HI>Help,</HI><NOTE N="m" PLACE="marg">Gen. 15. 1.</NOTE> <HI>Ex|ceeding
great Reward.</HI> The&s;e latter Epithites being
in the ab&s;tract (whereby is &s;hewed that all Salva|tion,
Redemption, Helpe and Reward ari&s;e only
and wholy from him) add much Empha&s;is to the
point.</P>
<P>There are two e&s;peciall grounds thereof.</P>
<P>1. Saints taking God to be their Support.</P>
<P>2. Gods undertaking to bee to his Saints,
what they take him to be.</P>
<P>To him on all occa&s;ions they have recour&s;e for
Support: and He an&s;werably &s;upporteth them that
have recour&s;e to him. He never faileth them that
&s;eek him.</P>
<P>Three things move Saints to take God for their
Support.</P>
<P>1. The many enemies and dangers whereunto
they are here &s;ubject. This world is a wilderne&s;&s;e
of wild and ravenous Bea&s;ts. All &s;orts of wicked
men are tho&s;e wild and ravenous Bea&s;ts: they are
as Lyons, Tigers, Bears, Wolves, and &s;uch like.
Saints are as Sheepe and Lambes. In allu&s;ion here|unto
&s;aith Chri&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 10. 16.</NOTE> <HI>Behold I &s;end you forth as Sheepe in
the mid&s;t of Wolves.</HI> This their condition in this
world makes them &s;eeke for a Support.</P>
<P>2. Their owne manifold infirmities by rea&s;on of
the fle&s;h which they carry about them. They are
(to u&s;e the woman of <HI>Tekoahs</HI> phra&s;e) <HI>as water &s;pilt
upon the ground,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Sam. 14. 14.</NOTE> <HI>which cannot be gathered up again:</HI>
or to u&s;e a more pertinent compari&s;on, <HI>They</HI> are as
<PB N="32" REF="20">
a Vine full of mo&s;t &s;weet and u&s;efull fruit, yet &s;o
weake, as it cannot &s;tand of it &s;elf, without a frame,
or &s;ome other &s;upport to beare it up. The weake|ne&s;&s;e
of Saints makes them &s;eek for a &s;trong &s;upport:
which they know God to be.</P>
<P>3. The impotency and di&s;ability of any creature
to helpe and &s;upport them.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezek. 20. 6, 7.</NOTE> All creatures are as
reeds, weake, brickle, full of teeth: if they be lea|ned
upon they will &s;oone breake and teare the fle&s;h
of &s;uch as leane upon them. So as it is not onely
unu&s;efull and in vaine, but al&s;o dangerous and da|mageable
to re&s;t on meere creatures for a &s;up|port.</P>
<P>More then three things move God to be for his
Saints, what they take him to be: as</P>
<P>1. That ancient love which of his owne good|will
he did beare to them before they were, yea be|fore
the worlds were. This doth the Apo&s;tle lay
downe as the ground of all tho&s;e &s;pirituall ble&s;&s;ings
wherewith God ble&s;&s;eth us, Eph. 1. 3, 4, 5, 6. This
he makes the ground of Gods <HI>quickning us toge|ther
with Chri&s;t,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 2. 4, 5, 6.</NOTE> <HI>and of his rai&s;ing us up together,
and making us &s;it together in heavenly places in
Chri&s;t Ie&s;us.</HI></P>
<P>2.<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor 6. 20 1 Pet. 1. 19. Heb. 9. 12</NOTE> That price which the Sonne of God hath paid
for them, which was his own <HI>precious blood.</HI> Here|by
<HI>he obtained eternall redemption for them.</HI></P>
<P>3.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 8 34. Heb 7. 25.</NOTE> That continuall <HI>interce&s;&s;ion</HI> which he maketh for
them at the right hand of his Father. Hereby hee
procureth continuance of Gods favour to them.</P>
<P>4. That &s;tamp or impre&s;&s;ion of Gods image,
which the Holy Gho&s;t hath &s;et in them,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph 1 13.&mdash;4 30.</NOTE> and wher|by
<PB N="33" REF="20">
by they are <HI>&s;ealed unto the day of Redemption:</HI> Here|by
God knoweth them to be his.</P>
<P>5. The many promi&s;es which God hath made
to them of caring and providing for them, and of
protecting them from all dangers and evils,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 10. 23.</NOTE> and
<HI>faithfull is he who hath promi&s;ed.</HI></P>
<P>6. Their faith in re&s;ting upon tho&s;e promi&s;es.
This makes them put God in mind thereof, as <HI>He</HI>
did,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;. 119. 49.</NOTE> who thus &s;aid, <HI>Remember thy word</HI> (meaning
his word of promi&s;e) <HI>upon which thou ha&s;t cau&s;ed
me to hope.</HI></P>
<P>This Act of Saints in taking God for their &s;up|port
is an evidence of that <HI>wi&s;edome and prudence
wherein God,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Information in the wi&s;dom of Saints who take God for their &s;upport. Eph. 1. 7, 8.</NOTE> <HI>according to the riches of his grace,
hath abounded towards them.</HI> For &s;uch as are not a|ble
to &s;tand of them&s;elves, to &s;eeke a Support, and
&s;uch an one as of it &s;elfe can &s;ufficiently &s;upport
them, &s;o as they need &s;eeke to no others, is que&s;ti|onle&s;&s;e
an e&s;peciall part of prudence. But &s;uch a &s;up|port
the Lord is. For</P>
<P>1.<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Chr. 19 9.</NOTE> The eyes of the Lord runne to and fro through|out
the whole Earth to &s;hew him&s;elfe &s;trong in the
behalfe of them, who&s;e heart is perfect towards him:
<HI>&s;o as he is not, he cannot be ignorant of the needs
or di&s;tre&s;&s;es of any of his Saints.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 3. 7.</NOTE> I have &s;urely &s;een
the affliction of my People, <HI>&s;aith the Lord.</HI></P>
<P>2. As <HI>the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Pet. 3. 12.</NOTE>
<HI>&s;o his eares are open to their prayers.</HI> What cry &s;oe|ver
they make to him in their di&s;re&s;&s;e for &s;uccour
and &s;upport, he heareth.</P>
<P>3. He is ready and forward to doe what he &s;e|eth
to be needfull and u&s;efull for them, <HI>I know their
<PB N="34" REF="21">
&s;orrowes, and I am come downe to deliver them,</HI> &s;aith
the Lord to his people that were in di&s;tre&s;&s;e. Ma|ny
promi&s;es hath he made for granting their de|&s;ires.<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 50. 15.</NOTE>
The more to &s;et out Gods forwardne&s;&s;e in
granting his Saints de&s;ires,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Dan. 9. 23.</NOTE> an <HI>Angell</HI> &s;ent from
God to <HI>Daniel</HI> while he was praying, thus &s;aith, <HI>At
the beginning of thy &s;upplication the Commandement
came forth,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 65. 24.</NOTE> &amp;c. and the Lord him&s;elfe, thus, <HI>be|fore
they call I will an&s;wer, and whiles they are yet
&s;peaking I will heare.</HI></P>
<P>4.<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 86. 15. Ier. 31. 20.</NOTE> He is full of compa&s;&s;ion: in &s;o much as <HI>his
bowels are troubled</HI> for his children when they are in
any di&s;tre&s;&s;e: thereupon he maketh this inference,
<HI>I will &s;urely have mercy upon them.</HI> Nothing &s;oo|ner
moves any to &s;uccour and &s;upport, then com|pa&s;&s;ion.
It is oft noted to be the cau&s;e of that ready
&s;uccour which Chri&s;t in the daies of his fle&s;h affor|ded
to all that came to him, that he <HI>had compa&s;&s;ion
on them,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 14. 14.&mdash;15 30. ark. 1. 41.</NOTE> and was <HI>moved</HI> therewith.</P>
<P>5. Hee is able to &s;upport his in their greate&s;t
weakne&s;&s;es,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 7. 13.</NOTE> and to deliver them out of their great|e&s;t
di&s;tre&s;&s;e. <HI>Behold</HI> (&s;aith the Lord) <HI>I am the Lord
the God of all fle&s;h.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 32. 27. Luk. 18. 27.</NOTE> <HI>Is there any thing too hard for
me? The things which are unpo&s;&s;ible with men are
po&s;&s;ible with God.</HI></P>
<P>6. As God <HI>is might in &s;trength,</HI> &s;o in <HI>wi&s;edome.
His under&s;tanding is infinite.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Iob 36. 5. P&s;al. 147. 5.</NOTE> He be&s;t knoweth when
to &s;upport his and how: yea and how long to con|tinue
his &s;upport to them. If at any time he &s;eeme
to leave them to them&s;elves, he doth it purpo&s;ely,
prudently, for good ends to good u&s;es. And even
then when he &s;uffers them to lye under afflictions, he
<PB N="35" REF="21">
&s;o wi&s;ely &s;upporteth them, as they are enabled to en|dure
it, and are not overburdened: Witne&s;&s;e he that
&s;aid, <HI>We are troubled on every &s;ide, yet not di&s;tre&s;&s;ed; we
are perplexed,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 4. 8, 9.</NOTE> <HI>but not in de&s;paire; per&s;ecuted, but not for|&s;aken;
ca&s;t downe, but not de&s;troyed:</HI> Yea through his
wi&s;edome (<HI>as at first he commanded the light to &s;hine
out of darkne&s;se,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 4. 6.</NOTE> &s;o) he bringeth much good to
Saints out of their troubles. <HI>For we know that all
things worke together for good to them that love God.</HI>
This by good experience he found to be true in
him&s;elfe,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 119. 7.</NOTE> who &s;aid, <HI>It is good for me that I have been
afflicted.</HI></P>
<P>The&s;e con&s;iderations of the notice that God hath
of his peoples &s;tate and ca&s;e, of his hearing their
prayers, of his forwardne&s;&s;e to grant their de&s;ires, of
his compa&s;&s;ion at their di&s;tre&s;&s;e, of his power and
ability to help, and of his wi&s;edome in ordering the
&s;ea&s;on and manner of &s;uccour: The&s;e and other like
con&s;iderations give a cleare and evident demon&s;tra|tion,
that God is a &s;afe, &s;ure, and &s;ecure &s;upport,
whereby the wi&s;edome of Saints is manife&s;ted in
taking him for their &s;upport. In this therefore re|&s;pect,
as in many others,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut 4. 6.</NOTE> it may be &s;aid of them,
<HI>Surely this is a wi&s;e and understanding people.</HI></P>
<P>On the other &s;ide,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Demon&s;tra|tion of their folly who take not God for their &s;upport.</NOTE> it mu&s;t needs be a part of egre|gious
folly and plaine dotage, to confide in, or tru&s;t
unto any other &s;upport then this God. Yet mo&s;t in
the world are &s;uch doting fooles: As,</P>
<P>1.<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 14. 1.</NOTE> <HI>Athei&s;ts,</HI> who <HI>&s;ay in their hearts there is no
God.</HI> Surely they who deny him to be, will not re&s;t
on him for &s;upport.</P>
<P>2. <HI>Pagans,</HI> who being ignorant of the one onely
<PB N="36" REF="22">
true God, place their confidence on &s;uch things as
never were, never had any true being, but were
meere phanta&s;ies and imaginations of mens vaine
braine. Such as <HI>Baalim, A&s;hteroh, Dagon, Mo|lech,</HI>
and &s;uch other as are mentioned in &s;acred
Scripture: And <HI>Iupiter, Iuno, Apollo, Diana, Mer|cury,
Venus,</HI> and multitudes of the like reckoned
up by the heathen.<NOTE PLACE="marg">He&s;iod in Osoyor.</NOTE> One of their Poets reckoneth up
about thirty thou&s;and of them: Others more.</P>
<P>3.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Purch. Pilgr. <HI>of</HI> A&s;ia, l. 4. c. 1.</NOTE> <HI>Indian Savages,</HI> who make the Devil their
&s;upport, and adore him, that he may not hurt them
and their cattell. A part of their countrey is called
<HI>Terra Diaboli,</HI> the <HI>Devils Land.</HI> To retort upon
the&s;e in their owne kinde, Not onely <HI>no hurt,</HI> but
<HI>good,</HI> is to bee expected from &s;uch as are adored, as
it is in my Text, Thinke upon me <HI>for good.</HI></P>
<P>4. <HI>Papi&s;ts,</HI> who make the innumerable company
of Angels, the ble&s;&s;ed <HI>Virgin Mary, Apostles, Con|fe&s;&s;ors,
Martyrs,</HI> and all that their Popes have cano|nized:
Whereof &s;ome may be accounted, &s;uch as
the forementioned Gods of the <HI>Pagans,</HI> meere <HI>phan|ta&s;ies</HI>
and imaginations; and others, without breach
of charity, may be judged to be damned wretches
in Hell.</P>
<P>5. <HI>Worldlings,</HI> who re&s;t on mortall men, and
earthly meanes, which are all like to the foremen|tioned
weake reed full of teeth.<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 31. 1.</NOTE> The Prophet de|nounceth
a <HI>woe</HI> again&s;t &s;uch.</P>
<P>6.<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Sam. 16. 21. and 17. 1, &amp;c. 1 Sam. 17. 8. &amp;c.</NOTE> <HI>Self-boa&s;ters,</HI> who tru&s;t to them&s;elves, to their
owne parts, or to that command which they have
over others: As <HI>Achitophel</HI> who relyed on his own
wit;<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 10. 8, &amp;c.</NOTE> <HI>Goliah</HI> on his owne &s;trength; the <HI>A&s;&s;yrian</HI> on
<PB N="37" REF="22">
the great command which he had: &s;o others to other
things; all which turne to their ruine.</P>
<P><HI>Of all the&s;e, and others like to the&s;e, I may, con|cerning
the ca&s;e in hand, take up the Prophets pa|theticall
Exclamation,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 2. 12, 13.</NOTE> Be a&s;toni&s;hed, O ye Heavens at
this and be ye horribly afraid, be ye very de&s;olate, &s;aith
the Lord: For my people have committed two evils;
they have for&s;aken me the fountaine of living waters,
and hewed them out ci&s;ternes, broken cisternes that can
hold no water.</P>
<P>As for you that have been &s;o farre enlightened
as to know God to be the onely &s;ure and &s;afe &s;up|port,<NOTE PLACE="marg">3 Exhortation to u&s;e God as a Support.</NOTE>
and thereupon have been moved to take him
for your &s;upport, be now further in the name of this
God exhorted, to u&s;e him as a &s;upport. U&s;e him as
a <HI>Refuge, Shelter, Hou&s;e of Defence, Fortre&s;&s;e, high
Tower, Buckler, Shield, Rock, Hiding place.</HI> The&s;e re|&s;emblances
will affoord good help for making a
right u&s;e of the Lord in this very point, as he is a
&s;upport to his Saints.</P>
<P>1. A <HI>refuge</HI> is a place for &s;uch as are in danger to
fly unto for &s;uccour and &s;ecurity. Such were the Ci|ties
of Refuge among the Jewes. When a man was
unju&s;tly &s;u&s;pected of wilfull murder, and hotly pur|&s;ued
by the avenger of bloud, he made all the &s;peed
he could to the City of Refuge. There was his
cau&s;e rightly judged, there might he be &s;ecure. Doe
you al&s;o fly to God in all undue &s;u&s;picions and un|ju&s;t
accu&s;ations. In him you may be &s;ure to have
your cau&s;e righted, and your per&s;ons &s;ecu|red.</P>
<P>2. A <HI>Shelter</HI> is for &s;uch as in their journey are over|taken
<PB N="38" REF="23">
taken with &s;howres of rain, with haile, &s;now, &s;torm
or tempe&s;t: In &s;uch ca&s;es, if a traveller e&s;py a &s;helter,
he will make ha&s;te to it. God hath undertaken to be
<HI>a covert from storme and raine.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 4 6.</NOTE> When the raging
raine of oppre&s;&s;ion, or &s;torme of per&s;ecution, or
violent tempe&s;t of any malignant oppo&s;ition fals
upon you, &s;helter your &s;elves under the covert of
your God.</P>
<P>3. An <HI>Hou&s;e of Defence,</HI> or <HI>Ca&s;tle,</HI> or <HI>Fortre&s;&s;e,</HI> or
<HI>High Tower,</HI> are all for &s;afety again&s;t armies of ene|mies
that compa&s;&s;e us about, and be&s;iege us, and
would utterly de&s;troy us, if we had not &s;uch a place
of &s;afety. Now the Lord is indeed an high and
&s;trong Tower, an impregnable Ca&s;tle: abide there|fore
in him, and feare not, though multitudes of
enemies doe on every &s;ide &s;et again&s;t you. They are
&s;afe whom the Lord doth keep.</P>
<P>4. A <HI>Buckler</HI> or <HI>Shield</HI> is of &s;ingular u&s;e to keep
off pu&s;h of pike, &s;troake of &s;word, force of dart,
arrow or bullet that &s;hall be flung, or &s;hot again&s;t us:
So faith in God will keep off all a&s;&s;aults of Satan,
even all the <HI>fiery darts of the Devill;</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 6. 16.</NOTE> much more the
furious, envious, and malicious words and deeds of
wicked men.</P>
<P>5. A <HI>Rocke</HI> is a firme and &s;ure foundation. An
edifice that is well erected and &s;etled on it, cannot
be overthrowne.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat 7 24, 25.</NOTE> Though <HI>the raine de&s;cend and the
flouds come, and the wind blow, and beat upon that hou&s;e,
yet it fals not becau&s;e it is founded on a rock.</HI> For appli|cation
of this Metaphor, note what Chri&s;t &s;aith of
him&s;elfe as he is a rocke:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat 16. 18.</NOTE> <HI>Vpon this rocke will I build
my Church, and the gates of hell &s;hall not prevaile again&s;t
it.</HI></P>
<P><PB N="39" REF="23">
Againe, a rock being in the Sea remains immove|able:
The &s;tronge&s;t tempe&s;ts and violente&s;t waves of
the Sea cannot &s;hake it, much le&s;&s;e overthrow it.
If therefore any who have &s;uffered &s;hipwracke lye
floating on the Sea, and e&s;pye a rocke, they will
make to it: &s;o in our greate&s;t troubles, and mo&s;t de&s;|perate
dangers, let us get to God the rocke of our
&s;alvation, and we may be &s;ure to be &s;afe.</P>
<P>6. An <HI>hiding place,</HI> is that wherein in many bea&s;ts doe
repo&s;e them&s;elves on all occa&s;ions: As a Connies
burrow, a Foxes hole, a Lyons den: when they are
there they thinke them&s;elves &s;afe: There therefore
they u&s;e to &s;leep; there they u&s;e to carry the prey
they get, and there to eat it: if they be hunted, or
fear any danger, they wil make thither as fa&s;t as they
can: If they be hurt or wounded, there they u&s;e to
licke them&s;elves whole: yea in the&s;e their hiding
places they die for the mo&s;t part, if at lea&s;t they be
not &s;urpri&s;ed, and kild when they are out of their
den or hiding place. Seeing it plea&s;eth the Holy
Gho&s;t to attribute unto God this re&s;emblance of<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 119. 114. <GAP DESC="foreign"></NOTE>
&s;afety (For the P&s;almi&s;t &s;tileth God his <HI>hiding place:</HI>
and the Prophet a <HI>covert</HI>) give me leave in Chri&s;ts
phra&s;e to &s;ay unto you,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Latibulu~ meum. <HI>I&s;a</HI> 4. 6. <GAP DESC="foreign"></NOTE> <HI>Behold the bea&s;ts of the field:</HI>
Behold them in this particular,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ab&s;contio.</NOTE> and u&s;e God your
hiding place, as they u&s;e their holes and dennes.
On all occa&s;ions repo&s;e your &s;elves on him, and re&s;t
&s;ecure in him when ye &s;leep, when ye wake. Have
ye good &s;ucce&s;&s;e in your affairs? (as the bea&s;t thinks
he hath when he gets a prey) goe to God to re|joyce
in him, and to give the prai&s;e to him. Doe thy
affaires &s;ucceed ill? even then al&s;o goe to God, to
<PB N="40" REF="24">
mourne in him, to powre out thy &s;oule into his bo|&s;ome.
Art thou hunted or per&s;ecuted? fly
to God for &s;uccour and protection. Art thou abu|&s;ed,
wronged, or hurt? To God for redre&s;&s;e and
right. In peace and trouble, in hope and feare, in
&s;afety and danger, in all ca&s;es, on all occa&s;ions have
recour&s;e to God, live in God, die in God.</P>
<P>Doe this the rather, becau&s;e as followeth in the
next ob&s;ervation.</P>
<P>The Lord is a peculiar God to a beleever.</P>
<P>But my time is &s;lipt out, and I find my &s;trength to
faile, and you find my voice to fall, willingly there|fore
I give place to my reverend brother: Only let
us fir&s;t call upon God for his ble&s;&s;ing upon that
which hath been delivered, and give
him thanks for his gracious
a&s;&s;i&s;tance.</P>
<TRAILER>FINIS</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
