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<DATE>2012-11-12</DATE>
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<NAME>Jayanthi Reddy</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<IDG S="marc" R="UM" ID="A84686">
<STC T="W">F1487</STC>
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<VID>112834</VID>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>THE GREAT INTEREST OF STATES &amp; KINGDOMES.</P>
<P>The Second Part.</P>
<P>A Sermon Preached on a Publike Thanks|giving, on the 12^t^h^. of <HI>May,</HI> 1646. at <HI>Botolphs Alders-gate:</HI> And after (upon the de&s;ire of &s;ome friends) enlarged at <HI>Pauls</HI> Church in <HI>Covent-garden,</HI> on the Lords Day, <HI>May</HI> 17^t^h^. 1646.</P>
<P>By SIMON FORD, Mini&s;ter of the Go&s;pel at <HI>Puddle-Towne</HI> in <HI>Dorcet-&s;hire.</HI></P>
<Q><BIBL>PSAL. 105. 15.</BIBL>
<P>&mdash;<HI>He rebuked Kings for their &s;akes,</HI> Saying&mdash;<HI>Doe my Prophets no harme.</HI></P></Q>
<P>LONDON, Printed by W. WILSON, for <HI>Francis Eglesfield,</HI> and are to be &s;old at his &s;hop in <HI>Pauls</HI> Church|yard, at the Signe of the Marigold. 1646.</P>
<PB REF="2">
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="dedication">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>To the truely Noble, and publike-hearted PATRIOT, SIR WILLIAM WALLER, Knight, A Member of the Honourable Hou&s;e of <HI>COMMONS.</HI> This Sermon, and the Au|thors Prayers.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>Honoured Sir,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>_THAT this plaine Sermon <HI>ca&s;ts it &s;elfe,</HI> upon your <HI>Patronage;</HI> the <HI>Subject</HI> it handles, ju&s;tly <HI>challengeth</HI> at my hands. For, (be&s;ides that I am a <HI>debtor</HI> to your &s;elfe mainly, under God, for that ranke, what&s;o|ever it be (though of the <HI>lowe&s;t Forme)</HI> which I have had in the Schooles, and now have in the <HI>Society</HI> of the <HI>Prophets;)</HI> it is an obligation to me, that I &s;ee you (among your <HI>many imployments</HI> of meerely <HI>publike importance)</HI> &s;o cordially carefull of pre&s;erving <HI>unviolated</HI> this <HI>Intere&s;t of Intere&s;ts,</HI> the maine Subject of the&s;e Meditations.</P>
<P>Sir, 'tis to me, and to all tho&s;e who&s;e <HI>glory</HI> 'tis indeed, (though it is now, in &s;ome mouthes, grown a <HI>name</HI> of <HI>Scorne)</HI> to be <HI>old Di&s;ciples,</HI> that is, <HI>tried Saints,</HI> a matter
<PB REF="3"> of prai&s;e to that good God that <HI>principles</HI> &amp; <HI>pro&s;pers</HI> you, to behold the <HI>evenne&s;s</HI> of your <HI>&s;pirit</HI> carryed out in all conditions to the pro&s;ecution of <HI>publike Inte|re&s;ts</HI> with the &s;ame height of <HI>faithfulne&s;s</HI> &amp; <HI>fervency.</HI> To in&s;tance only in a few particulars; &s;eeing I know &s;uch a <HI>Di&s;cour&s;e,</HI> (if enlarged as it might be) though it might be very <HI>welcome</HI> to all <HI>under&s;tanding,</HI> and <HI>well-affected</HI> Readers be&s;ides; yet, to you it would re|li&s;h ill, who&s;e (in &s;ome &s;en&s;e) <HI>&s;upererogatory</HI> piece of <HI>worth</HI> it is, <HI>to be willing to doe well, without being de&s;i|rous to be told of it.</HI> Sir, we remember how in the <HI>Mar|tiall part</HI> of this Ages <HI>imployment,</HI> (notwith&s;tanding continuall oppo&s;itions <HI>of the fir&s;t Magnitude,</HI> both at <HI>home</HI> and <HI>abroad,</HI> the Lord ble&s;&s;ed your <HI>&s;mall incon&s;i|derable numbers</HI> of the <HI>wor&s;t furni&s;hed,</HI> and <HI>lea&s;t pai'd</HI> &s;ouldiers of any, with <HI>&s;ucce&s;&s;es,</HI> which the <HI>judgment</HI> of the <HI>late yeares</HI> thought &s;omewhat <HI>bordering</HI> on <HI>mira|cles;</HI> that you were the <HI>kingdomes Wall of Bra&s;&s;e</HI> (next our God) at <HI>Alton, Arundell,</HI> and <HI>Cheriton field:</HI> and (by Gods &s;peciall, never-to-be-forgotten, goodne&s;&s;e) a principall meanes of its pre&s;ervation: that you cheer|fully obeyed the call of the <HI>Hou&s;es,</HI> in a <HI>calme re&s;igna|tion</HI> of your <HI>Forces</HI> and <HI>Command,</HI> and &s;ate downe one of the chief <HI>Self-denying Members,</HI> without <HI>capitula|ting</HI> for <HI>pay,</HI> or <HI>giving</HI> any manner of <HI>encouragement</HI> to, or &s;o much as <HI>accepting</HI> of the <HI>de&s;ires</HI> of the <HI>&s;oul|diery,</HI> ea&s;ie enough to have been induced to <HI>follow ex|ample,</HI> and to <HI>mutiny</HI> for a <HI>di&s;pen&s;ation</HI> of the <HI>continu|ance</HI> of your <HI>command,</HI> as the &s;tirrings of <HI>many quieted</HI> by your <HI>wi&s;edome,</HI> and the <HI>wet eyes</HI> of <HI>more abundantly drencht</HI> by their <HI>affection,</HI> did largely te&s;tifie at your <HI>departure.</HI> And we hope &s;hall remember to Gods eter|nall prai&s;e, &amp; your perpetuall glory, that now in your
<PB REF="3"> meerely <HI>repre&s;entative Capacity</HI> you keep &s;teddy to your <HI>Principles</HI> of <HI>Con&s;cience</HI> and <HI>Honour, voting</HI> and acting from an <HI>impul&s;ive</HI> within your <HI>owne brea&s;t,</HI> without tho&s;e <HI>Springs</HI> and <HI>Wires,</HI> and <HI>weights,</HI> that only keep many mens <HI>motions regular;</HI> that in the&s;e dayes great <HI>ju&s;tles</HI> of <HI>&s;everally ingaged Parties,</HI> you re|taine &s;till the &s;ame <HI>unbya&s;&s;ed, Covenant-&s;pirit,</HI> and do not promote with a <HI>politick compliance,</HI> or <HI>act</HI> with a <HI>tumultuous precipitancy,</HI> the de&s;ignes of <HI>Je&s;uiticall in|cendiaries,</HI> whether of the <HI>line</HI> of <HI>Rome,</HI> or of <HI>Mun&s;ter,</HI> who <HI>concur</HI> in an endeavour of &s;etting a <HI>new fire</HI> on three kingdomes, ere the <HI>old</HI> be fully <HI>extingui&s;hed,</HI> for no other <HI>ends</HI> (that I know) but that (like that <HI>Mon|&s;ter Nero)</HI> they may &s;ing <GAP DESC="foreign">, in the heat, &amp;c. or <HI>&s;ee</HI> more <HI>new light</HI> in the <HI>flames</HI> of it.</P>
<P>But above all, that which renders you mo&s;t <HI>precious</HI> in the eyes of all that <HI>hate Babel,</HI> is; your <HI>&s;etled</HI> and <HI>con&s;tant affection</HI> to the <HI>Prophets of God</HI> (now the <HI>&s;corne</HI> of this (as * one well calls it) <HI>Chri&s;t-glutted,</HI> and <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mr. <HI>Shepherd</HI> in his <HI>Sound Beleever.</HI></NOTE> <HI>Go&s;pel-glutted Age,</HI> and trampled upon <HI>on all hands,</HI> as the very <HI>off-&s;couring of all things)</HI> of which, you dayly give &s;uch ample <HI>te&s;timony,</HI> that (I dare a&s;&s;ure you,) you have a large &s;hare in <HI>Prophets Prayers,</HI> and I hope will one day have (<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg"><HI>Mat.</HI> 10. 41.</NOTE> according to the promi&s;e) a liberall portion of the <HI>Prophets reward.</HI></P>
<P>And now, Sir, for the future, what&s;oever <HI>di&s;courage|ments</HI> you meet withall in the <HI>&s;ame good way,</HI> remem|ber <HI>him</HI> (I pray you) who <HI>endured the contradiction of &s;inners,</HI> and yet grew not <HI>weary</HI> of his <HI>worke,</HI> but <HI>car|ryed</HI> it on to <HI>perfection</HI> in de&s;pight of all the <HI>powers of darkne&s;&s;e.</HI> Go you, and do likewi&s;e: Tell the <HI>humorous</HI> world, that (although its <HI>experienced ficklene&s;&s;e</HI> gives you little rea&s;on to build much upon its con&s;tancy,
<PB REF="4"> yet) you will add <HI>one wonder</HI> more to its <HI>&s;even,</HI> to wit, <HI>that you are in this Lunatick age; the &s;ame man you were a yeare &s;ince.</HI> And I hope, when <HI>England</HI> hath recove|red its <HI>wits</HI> againe, when its <HI>Platonick yeare</HI> comes a|bout, and <HI>Errors Circle</HI> is run quite through, &s;o that <HI>ca&s;t Truthes,</HI> like <HI>&s;uper-annuated factions,</HI> &s;hall <HI>return.</HI> and become <HI>New-light</HI> again, (which I doubt not but it will be in time) it wil then &s;ee cau&s;e to acknowledge (to your honour, and theirs (who have with you) ob|tained <HI>grace</HI> to be kept <HI>faithfull)</HI> that tho&s;e who have <HI>&s;tood</HI> to their <HI>places</HI> and <HI>Principles</HI> in all this <HI>change,</HI> have done far better then tho&s;e <HI>fallen Angels</HI> among us, who have <HI>left their Stations,</HI> and <HI>run</HI> the <HI>ring</HI> of <HI>a|pinions,</HI> and <HI>parties,</HI> &s;o long, to <HI>returne</HI> at la&s;t, to the <HI>Point</HI> from whence they begun their <HI>irregular motion.</HI></P>
<P>I have onely one word more, and that concerns this homely <HI>piece</HI> of mine. Sir, in this <HI>Dedication,</HI> I hope you wil look upon <HI>my de&s;ire to te&s;tifie to the world how far you have obliged me;</HI> and the <HI>maine motive</HI> that put me upon the thoughts of it; and accordingly accept it. Yet I mu&s;t acknowledge that I have withall a <HI>plot</HI> upon your <HI>name,</HI> being per&s;waded, that (for its &s;ake in the <HI>front</HI> of this <HI>Epi&s;tle)</HI> many <HI>tran&s;ient</HI> Readers may be perhaps <HI>&s;tayed</HI> and <HI>intreated</HI> to <HI>read</HI> beyond the <HI>Title-page,</HI> &s;ome of whom might el&s;e perchance <HI>lay</HI> it <HI>by</HI> for a <HI>Pamphlet &s;ick of the extravagancies of this Age,</HI> it being owned by &s;o <HI>ob&s;cure</HI> an <HI>Author</HI> as is,</P>
<CLOSER><SALUTE>SIR,</SALUTE>
<SIGNED>Yours, and the Churches <HI>weake,</HI> but (to his power) <HI>faithfull</HI> Servant in the Go&s;pel, S. FORD.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="to the reader">
<PB REF="4">
<HEAD>To the Reader.</HEAD>
<P>_REader, though this <HI>&s;econd Part</HI> had not the honour to be &s;o publike from the <HI>Pulpit,</HI> as its elder brother, the <HI>fir&s;t,</HI> had; yet the judgement and importunity of &s;ome <HI>well affected to me,</HI> and the threatnings, and mi&s;-reports of others <HI>di&s;-affected to it and mee,</HI> have made it no le&s;&s;e publike from the <HI>Pre&s;&s;e.</HI> And yet (as thou mai&s;t perceive by my addre&s;&s;es in the Application) it was &s;ufficiently publique in the preaching too; there being as great a number of the Kingdomes and Cities <HI>Worthies</HI> pre&s;ent, as any Congregation, that I know, in <HI>London,</HI> affords upon the <HI>Lords Day.</HI> I confe&s;&s;e that I am one of the younge&s;t &s;onnes of the Prophets, which I plead for; and therefore I am apt enough to acknowledge again&s;t my &s;elfe, that I believe, this &s;ubject might have been farre better handled by many thou&s;ands of my Fathers and brethren: But my plea mu&s;t be that of <HI>Elihu,</HI> Job 32. <HI>I waited, but they &s;pake not, &amp;c.</HI> ver&s;e 16. and I could not be guilty of &s;o much unrighteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, as the detaining of &s;o nece&s;&s;ary a truth, when God had put it in my heart, would have invol|ved me in.</P>
<P>I have made &s;ome <HI>Alterations</HI> in <HI>Method,</HI> and &s;ome <HI>Additions</HI> in <HI>Matter,</HI> &s;ince I preached it; in the former I have plea&s;ed my &s;elfe; in the latter, I have &s;atisfied (I hope) divers of my hearers, who im|portuned that touch of controver&s;ie in the Conclu&s;ion; in which, I thought it onely nece&s;&s;ary, to fling a few pebbles of exceptions at that <HI>Goliah</HI> of the Anabapti&s;ts, and rigid Separati&s;ts, (their Argument for Separation drawne from our (fal&s;ely called Antichri&s;tian) Mini|&s;tery) which, I am confident, any di&s;|engaged Reader will &s;ay: have &s;o farre entred its Brazen <HI>forehead,</HI> as to lay it flat; and though it may &s;truggle for life in &s;ome after-cavills, (which I expect from the
<PB REF="5"> ho&s;t of that <HI>Phili<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2 letters">im)</HI> yet it will never &s;trut againe with its &s;peare like a <HI>Weavers Beame,</HI> and <HI>defie</HI> the Prophets of God, the Mini&s;tery of all the Reformed Churches, or <HI>the ho&s;ts of the living God,</HI> all the Saints that have been begotten, fed, &amp; tran&s;lated to glory under it.</P>
<P>I have not medled with any other, becau&s;e they all depend on the &s;ucce&s;&s;e of this; and this being over-throwne, they will bee contented (like &s;ome Heathen Nobles, of whom Travellers report, that they are killed when their King dyes, to doe him &s;ervice in another world) to fall to ground, and be buried with it.</P>
<P>I am (I ble&s;&s;e God) prepared to <HI>receive</HI> the great and furious <HI>charges</HI> of being too bitter again&s;t, and grieving the Saints. The Father tells me, 'tis no more than I mu&s;t expect. <HI>What wonder,</HI> &s;aith he, <HI>if when I &s;eek my Ma&s;ters lo&s;t &s;heep, I am now and then &s;cratched by the Briar-bu&s;h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">s of detracting tongues <NOTE N="a" PLACE="marg">Quid mirum, &s;i cum&mdash;do mini mei oves perditas dili|genter inquiro, &s;pino&s;arum lin|guarum v<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">pri|hus laceror! <HI>Aug. cont. Peti. lib.</HI> 30.</NOTE>! <HI>And &s;hall &s;til re&s;olve with that other Father,</HI> never to hunt for the good of being e&s;teemed milde, with &s;o great an evill, as the lo&s;&s;e of truth</HI> <NOTE N="b" PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">. <HI>Naz. Orat.</HI></NOTE>.</P>
<P>I hope, I &s;hall &s;tand the fir&s;t charge of the&s;e, under the &s;helter of that Buckler, which the Apo&s;tle hands to me in the command, <HI>Rebuke them &s;harply, &amp;c.</HI> Titus 1. 13.</P>
<P>To the la&s;t I returne this: That they do give a very weak evidence, that they are Saints, that will be grieved to heare the Mini&s;terie, by which they were called to be Saints, vindicated from the calumnies of ('tis to be feared, but) pretended ones.</P>
<P>And I mu&s;t by the way tell them, that thus object; that, I pray God, they have no more to an&s;wer, for <HI>grieving Prophets,</HI> (a greater &s;inne (I am &s;ure) though le&s;&s;e taken notice of) then I have, for <HI>grie|ving Saints.</HI></P>
<P>But, if Saints will be grieved, when <HI>they</HI> are la&s;hed, <HI>who are cal|led Saints to the di&s;grace of Saint&s;hip;</HI> I am not Ma&s;ter of their pa&s;&s;ions: and I am &s;orry &s;o &s;light and unconcerning a Matter, will trouble them; and more &s;orry they &s;hould thereby bring them&s;elves under the &s;u&s;pition of being guilty of that, which they cannot endure &s;hould be touched. I have no more to Preface at this time, but that I am,</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Thine, as far as becomes a Go&s;pel Prophet, S. FORD.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="sermon">
<PB N="1" REF="5">
<HEAD>THE GREAT INTEREST OF STATES and KINGDOMES.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<BIBL>PSAL. 105. 15.</BIBL>
<Q>&mdash;<HI>And doe my Prophets no harme.</HI></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>THIS P&s;alme &s;eemes to be intended for an <HI>Euchari&s;ticall commemoration</HI> of Gods mercies to <HI>I&s;rael.</HI></P>
<P>The&s;e mercies concerne</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. Their <HI>Ri&s;e; (Originall</HI> mer|cies) &amp; the&s;e in
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. Gods <HI>Choy&s;e</HI> of them. v. 6, 7. <NOTE PLACE="marg">The Palme taken a&s;under.</NOTE></ITEM>
<ITEM>2. Gods <HI>Covenant</HI> with the~. v. 8. 9, 10, 11.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. Gods protecting <HI>Providence</HI> over them. v. 12, 13, 14, 15.</ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM>2. Their <HI>Race;</HI> in the con&s;ide|ration whereof they are againe led into
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. <HI>Egypt</HI> from the 15. to the 33. in which are &s;pecified
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. Gods <HI>Provi&s;ion</HI> for them from v. 15. to 24</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. Gods <HI>Propagation,</HI> and increa&s;ing of them. v. 24.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. Gods <HI>Miraculous work|ing our enlargement</HI> to them, from v. 24. to 39. And this mercy &s;o great, tis repeated a|gaine, v. 43.</ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM>2. <HI>Wilderne&s;&s;e</HI> from 39. v. to the 43.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. <HI>Caraan.</HI> v. 44. 45.</ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>The&s;e words are a part of the <HI>third</HI> branch of the <HI>fir&s;t</HI> Gene|rall, I&s;raels <HI>Originall-mercyes.</HI> And the piece of <HI>Originall-mercy</HI>
<PB N="2" REF="6"> held forth in them, is cut out by the Hi&s;toricall Narration of a &s;peciall protection of <HI>Abraham, Gen.</HI> 12. and 20. and <HI>I&s;aac, Gen.</HI> 26. whither I mu&s;t referre you.</P>
<P>In the whole ver&s;e there is a double charge given by God <NOTE PLACE="marg">Parts of the Text.</NOTE> unto <HI>tho&s;e Kings,</HI> in who&s;e power it lay, to injure the travel|ling <HI>Patriarchs.</HI></P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>Touch them not.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Harme them not.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>The per&s;ons concerning whom tis given are de&s;cribed by a double Character
<LIST>
<ITEM>Anointed.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Prophets.</ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P>Except you may perhaps thinke the la&s;t of both <HI>exegeticall</HI> to the fir&s;t, <NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg"><HI>De more P&s;altes po&s;teri|ori hemi&s;ti|chio explicat prius; tangere enim Chri&s;tos Dei non e&s;t ali|ud qua~ in Pro|phetis maligna|ri. A Lap. in Heb. c.</HI> 1. <HI>v.</HI> 9.</NOTE> <HI>Touch not.</HI> i. e. <HI>Harme not, touch not unju&s;tly; Mine A|nointed,</HI> i. e. <HI>My Prophets;</HI> in which I &s;hall not contend.</P>
<P>There is a &s;ufficient foundation to beare the building which I meane to rai&s;e upon the&s;e words, in that the charge here gi|ven concernes the &s;ame per&s;ons, in both branches; and &s;o, as <NOTE N="a" PLACE="marg">Et &s;i nondum unctionis erat u&s;us, Propheta tamen id reip&s;a fui&s;&s;e in Abra|hamo, &amp;c. te&s;ta|tur, quod Deus in Ceremoniis legalibus po&s;tea o&s;tendit. Calv. ad locum.</NOTE> <HI>Anointed Prophets,</HI> as well as <HI>Anointed Saints.</HI></P>
<P>Of the former branch of this <HI>Charge,</HI> concerning the per&s;ons under its <HI>Character,</HI> there hath beene enough &s;poken in a more &s;olemne Auditory by a <NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">M. Th. Good|win at a &s;olemn Fa&s;t, <HI>Feb.</HI> 25. before the hou&s;e of Com|mons.</NOTE> reverend Brother (if not too much at this &s;ea&s;on, by rea&s;on of the &s;trange pleas of the <HI>Advocates</HI> of <HI>Liberti<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">i&s;me</HI> now adaies, for a <HI>Toleration</HI> of all, how ever <HI>errone|ous, Schi&s;maticall,</HI> or <HI>Bla&s;phemous,</HI> who <HI>pretend to Anointing:</HI> as if the very name of <HI>Saints</HI> were a &s;ufficient <HI>Noli me tangere,</HI> an univer&s;all <HI>Protection</HI> to them from all <HI>Civill,</HI> or <HI>Church-cen&s;ures)</HI> to who&s;e pleas in behalfe of <HI>Anointed Saints</HI> (in ca&s;e he will ex|cept tho&s;e al&s;o out of that <HI>Charter of Liberty, who di&s;&s;olve the continuity of the Body by groundle&s;&s;e &s;chi&s;me,</HI> and breaking the <HI>Laws</HI> that keepe it united; as he hath tho&s;e, who by <HI>fundamentall Er|rors,</HI> and <HI>damnable Here&s;ies, &s;trike at,</HI> or <HI>hold not the head,)</HI> I can readily give my vote, and approbation.</P>
<P><NOTE N="b" PLACE="marg">The former branch limited.</NOTE> But concerning tho&s;e of both &s;orts, who now mo&s;t engro&s;&s;e the name of <HI>Saints,</HI> as if they had gotten a <HI>Patent</HI> from the <HI>King</HI> of <HI>Saints</HI> to that purpo&s;e; let them know, the Scripture never gives <HI>Magi&s;trates</HI> a &s;tricter charge concerning them, then it gives to <HI>Angels;</HI> and the&s;e (though they <HI>pitch their tents round about tho&s;e that feare God)</HI> have no other Orders given them
<PB N="3" REF="6"> (that I reade of) then, to keepe them in all <HI>their waies.</HI> If they de&s;troy foundations of Religion, and fight again&s;t its mo&s;t materiall principles, nay if they &s;traggle from the <HI>Body,</HI> when they &s;hould <HI>march clo&s;e</HI> in it; if when they &s;hould fight <HI>united,</HI> they will <HI>divide</HI> them&s;elves into <HI>Parties</HI> without <HI>command;</HI> if they &s;hall leape over the <HI>hedge of Order,</HI> and ride <HI>&s;couting</HI> after their owne &s;ingular <HI>humours,</HI> or <HI>plundering</HI> their brethren of the <HI>faith once delivered to the Saints;</HI> and &s;o endanger, not <NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 2. &amp;c. 13. 5. 6. 9. 2 Chro. 15. 12, 13.</NOTE> onely <HI>them&s;elves,</HI> but the <HI>body</HI> by their de&s;tructive doctrines, examples and practi&s;es; (and of this nature divers &s;up|po&s;itions more might bee added) &s;ure, the <HI>Civill Gods</HI> may <HI>touch</HI> them with a <HI>penalty,</HI> and the <HI>Church-Angels</HI> with a <NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Gal. 5. 12. Apoc. 2. 13. 20.</NOTE> <HI>cen&s;ure.</HI> And although the <HI>men</HI> may not be <HI>evill;</HI> yet <HI>Peter</HI> &s;uppo&s;eth they may <HI>bee,</HI> and <HI>&s;uffer,</HI> as <HI>evill-doers,</HI> as <HI>bu&s;ie-bodies,</HI> 1 <HI>Peter</HI> 4. 15.</P>
<P>If they break the <HI>Lawes</HI> of <HI>God,</HI> or <HI>mans,</HI> (the &s;ubmi&s;&s;ion unto which doth not contradict <HI>Gods) God,</HI> as he is not <HI>Author,</HI> &s;o he will not be <HI>Patron</HI> of <HI>Confu&s;ion,</HI> by exempting them from &s;atisfying the <HI>Lawes</HI> they have broken. And as <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith to the <HI>Jewes</HI> concerning <HI>Circumci&s;ion, Verily thy Circumci&s;ion pro|fiteth thee, if thou be a keeper of the Law; but if thou be a breaker of the Law, thy Circumci&s;ion is made uncircumci&s;ion, Rom.</HI> 2. 25. So I to them concerning <HI>Saint&s;hip.</HI> Verily thy <HI>Saint&s;hip</HI> profits thee, if thou be <HI>obedient</HI> to ju&s;t <HI>Lawes;</HI> but if not, now <HI>Saint|&s;hip</HI> mu&s;t not be thy <HI>Sanctuary;</HI> (as to thy <HI>Priviledge)</HI> thy <HI>Saint|&s;hip</HI> is <HI>un&s;ainted;</HI> and though (as <HI>Joab)</HI> thou fly to the hornes of that <HI>Altar,</HI> thou mai&s;t (without the <HI>Rebuke</HI> in the Text to thy <HI>Cen&s;urers)</HI> be taken from it, and be &s;afely puni&s;hed.</P>
<P>But I intend onely to <HI>touch</HI> at this <HI>Nolite tangere.</HI> The worke I have cut out for the &s;ubject of my Di&s;cour&s;e, and your atten|tion, is the latter <HI>branch</HI> of the <HI>Charge,</HI> which concernes the <HI>Patriarchs,</HI> as <HI>Prophets.</HI> And although that &s;ubject be le&s;&s;e <HI>popu|lar,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Explication of the latter clau&s;e</NOTE> and &s;o le&s;&s;e <HI>tooth&s;ome,</HI> or <HI>plau&s;ible,</HI> I hope my <HI>Text</HI> will bee my &s;ecurity.</P>
<P><Q>And doe my Prophets no harme.</Q>
<Q><NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg"><HI>Prophetas dicit non &s;olum quia Deus pro|pius &s;e illis patefecerat, &s;ed quia coele&s;tem Doctrinam fideliter propagarunt,</HI> Galv. ad locum.</NOTE> [Doe my Prophets no harme] Prophetas dicit, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></Q> (&s;aith reve|rend
<PB N="4" REF="7"> <HI>Calvin</HI> upon the place) He calls them <HI>Prophets,</HI> not onely for their nearer <HI>communion</HI> with <HI>God,</HI> but for their faithfull <HI>&s;preading</HI> the <HI>knowledge</HI> of <HI>God, [My]</HI> Prophets, that is, tho&s;e whom I have Commi&s;&s;ioned to &s;peake in my name. And this <HI>Ratio nominis,</HI> &s;uting with all alike <HI>commi&s;&s;ioned</HI> to the worlds end, makes the charge not <HI>peculiar</HI> to <HI>Patriarchall,</HI> but <HI>common</HI> to <HI>Pa&s;torall</HI> Prophets, to the worlds end. And &s;o the divine ca|veat here given to the&s;e Kings concerning the&s;e Prophets (as &s;uch) hath to me the force of an univer&s;all caution to all Ma|gi&s;trates, concerning all Gods Prophets. Doe the&s;e and all o|ther Prophets of mine <HI>[no harm]</HI> that is, no <HI>injury.</HI> No exemp|tion this, (no not for Prophets) from the <HI>power</HI> of the Magi|&s;trate, <NOTE PLACE="marg">The latter clau&s;e limited.</NOTE> (if &s;o, it would not &s;tand with the <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>Rom.</HI> 13. 1.) but from <HI>unju&s;t &s;uffering</HI> by, or under that <HI>power.</HI> And &s;ure wherein&s;oever <HI>God</HI> will <HI>owne</HI> them for his <HI>Prophets, whatever</HI> they doe in <HI>di&s;charge</HI> of their <HI>Commi&s;&s;ion,</HI> in that God will <HI>owne</HI> their <HI>wrongs.</HI></P>
<P>I &s;hall in the conclu&s;ion which I draw from the&s;e words, take <NOTE PLACE="marg">The Doctrine grounded.</NOTE> my ri&s;e from the Brothers <HI>ground,</HI> who hath di&s;patcht the preceding part of the Text; who layes this &s;uppo&s;ition for me, that this Rebuke of <HI>God</HI> to <HI>Kings,</HI> holds forth the <HI>grand In|tere&s;t of Kings, &amp; Kingdomes.</HI> Now if it be true of the former <HI>branch,</HI> the <HI>connexion</HI> tells me it is &s;o of the latter too. <HI>Que Deus conjunxit,</HI> &amp;c. What God hath joyned, I hope no man will divide. Nor &s;hall I: And therefore what&s;oever Intere&s;t the <HI>&V;&s;age</HI> of <HI>Saints</HI> concernes; that the u&s;age of Prophets concernes it as nearly, I &s;hall fir&s;t <HI>propound,</HI> then <HI>prove,</HI> then <HI>improve</HI> in this Propo&s;ition.</P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="Doct."> <HI>Whatever bee the great and high Intere&s;ts of Kings, States, and Kingdomes, on which their &s;afety, or ruine mo&s;t depends, there is none it concernes them more to look to, then the dealing well or ill with the Prophets of God.</HI></P>
<P>In the proofe of this point, whatever the afore&s;aid Au|thor <NOTE PLACE="marg">Proved,</NOTE> hath <HI>gleaned</HI> to &s;trengthen his <HI>Intere&s;t,</HI> I might make u&s;e of to confirme this. 'Twill be an Argument that may perhaps <NOTE PLACE="marg">By compari&s;on with the inte|re&s;t in reference <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">o Saints.</NOTE> conclude more then the Doctrine affirmes, that if the greate&s;t and mo&s;t flouri&s;hing Kingdomes, have been <HI>broken</HI> by their ill <HI>u&s;ing,</HI> or pro&s;pered by their <HI>well-u&s;ing</HI> the <HI>Saints</HI> of God: If
<PB N="5" REF="7"> God dealt with them, accordingly as they did with his <HI>Saints:</HI> much more may it be verified concerning the <HI>u&s;age</HI> of <HI>Prophets,</HI> where &s;uch flouri&s;hing Kingdomes have had to doe with them. And if God be &s;o tender of <HI>Saints,</HI> as <HI>Saints;</HI> &s;ure, hee will bee more tender of tho&s;e <HI>Saints</HI> that are <HI>Prophets</HI> too; &s;eeing they have not only an <HI>holine&s;&s;e</HI> of <HI>E&s;tate,</HI> but an <HI>ho|line&s;&s;e</HI> of <HI>Office,</HI> to endeare them to him: in that God lookes not on them onely as his <HI>Subjects,</HI> but takes care of them like|wi&s;e as his <HI>Amba&s;&s;adors.</HI> Sure if the <HI>King</HI> of <HI>England</HI> will re&s;olve on <HI>Peace</HI> or <HI>Warre</HI> with any Nation, according as they u&s;e any of his ordinary <HI>Subjects;</HI> hee will re&s;olve more effectually ac|cording to the entertainment of his <HI>Agents</HI> and <HI>Amba&s;&s;adours.</HI> So that what&s;oever can be &s;aid concerning <HI>Saints</HI> in this ca&s;e, concludes with double &s;trength concerning <HI>Prophets.</HI></P>
<P>But I need not be beholden to <HI>Compari&s;on</HI> for the proofe of a <NOTE N="1" PLACE="marg">1. From Scrip|ture.</NOTE> Truth &s;o <HI>po&s;itively</HI> confirmed in the whole Scripture, there being nothing in which it &s;peaks more fully then it doth to this Point. I &s;hall (though not enough read to fill my <HI>Bo&s;ome</HI> with &s;uch <HI>Collections,</HI> yet) endeavour to fill my <HI>hand;</HI> and tho&s;e I &s;hall make u&s;e of, &s;hall be &s;o cleare, and convincing that I hope I &s;hall be able to affirme (without an overvaluing my weake labour in this kinde) that the&s;e <HI>gleanings of Ephraim</HI> are not <HI>beneath</HI> the <HI>vintage of Abiezer (i. e.)</HI> that I have proved as much (at lea&s;t) for the <HI>Intere&s;t of Kings</HI> and <HI>Kingdomes</HI> in reference to <HI>Prophets,</HI> as hath already been for that to <HI>Saints.</HI></P>
<P>In the fir&s;t place, will you have a <HI>word</HI> for this <HI>Intere&s;t?</HI> 2 <HI>Chron.</HI> 20. 20. and <HI>Ier.</HI> 20. 11. (compared) will acquaint you there|with. <NOTE PLACE="marg">By po&s;itive expre&s;&s;ions of Scripture to this effect.</NOTE> In the former of the&s;e, you &s;hall find King <HI>Jeho&s;haphat</HI> encouraging, and directing his people, now ready to ioyne i&s;&s;ue with a numerous Army; (and you will conceive that at &s;uch a time, hee will minde them of that which mo&s;t concernes them) And what is that? why? you have Prophets, that en|courage you in Gods name, to confidence of &s;ucce&s;&s;e, &s;ee how you u&s;e them, beware you doe not di&s;tru&s;t them; <HI>Beleeve his Prophets, and yee &s;hall pro&s;per.</HI> In the la&s;t of the&s;e, you have <HI>Iere|miah</HI> the <HI>Prophet</HI> complaining of hard u&s;age from his <HI>per&s;ecu|tors.</HI> They rai&s;ed lyes upon him and watched <HI>advantages</HI> to defame him, but what collects he from this? &s;ee v. 11. my
<PB N="6" REF="8"> <HI>per&s;ecutors &s;hall be a&s;hamed (therefore i. e.</HI> becau&s;e they u&s;e a <HI>Pro|phet</HI> of God &s;o) <HI>they &s;hall not pro&s;per.</HI> Thus then, the u&s;age of the prophets of God hath a great influence upon the <HI>pro&s;pering,</HI> or <HI>not pro&s;pering</HI> of a people. And &s;ure then, they have no grea|ter <HI>Intere&s;t.</HI></P>
<P>Will you have the Te&s;timony of a Prophet concerning a Prophet? <HI>Elijab</HI> being now to be mounted to heaven in a fiery chariot, <HI>Eli&s;ha</HI> who &s;aw how hee would be wanted, &s;ends this <HI>Te&s;timony</HI> concerning him, in a <HI>Sigh</HI> after him. <HI>My father, My father, the Chariot of I&s;rael, and the hor&s;men thereof.</HI> 2. <HI>Kings</HI> 2. 12. And if you will have a <HI>Kings</HI> concerning <HI>Eli&s;ha him&s;elfe,</HI> you &s;hall &s;ee <HI>Ioa&s;h</HI> giving the &s;ame Te&s;timony of him <HI>ch.</HI> 13. 14.</P>
<P>The <HI>Expre&s;&s;ion</HI> implies it to bee the high <HI>engagement</HI> that lyes upon <HI>States</HI> and <HI>States-men,</HI> to looke to the keeping and protecting of their <HI>Prophets</HI> among them: There is nothing it more concernes <HI>Princes</HI> or people to looke to, then their <HI>Mili|tary provi&s;ions;</HI> (tis the &s;ecurity of a people) and the&s;e are <HI>Pro|phets. [Take &amp;c.]</HI></P>
<P>Will you have <HI>examples?</HI> &s;criptures are thronged with them <NOTE N="2" PLACE="marg">2. By Exam|ples.</NOTE> in all the <HI>Hi&s;toricall</HI> part. I &s;hal in&s;tance fir&s;t in <HI>Scripture Records of heathen Princes</HI> and <HI>Kingdomes;</HI> then I &s;hall give you a briefe <HI>Epitome</HI> of the Scriptures <HI>eccle&s;ia&s;ticall Hi&s;tory</HI> concerning it, and &s;o conclude the confirmation by te&s;timonies from the word.</P>
<P>The fir&s;t <HI>Prophet</HI> I finde taken notice of for his u&s;age among <NOTE PLACE="marg">Of Heathen Kings, King|domes, or both.</NOTE> <HI>Heathens</HI> is this <HI>Abraham.</HI> How God rebuked Kings for his &s;ake, the places I have already quoted wil abundantly &s;hew. And le&s;t you &s;hould &s;ay this care was taken of him only as of a common Saint; God him&s;elfe, when he declares how much <HI>Abimelech</HI> is concern'd in his u&s;age, tells him he is a <HI>prophet, and &s;hall pray for him. Gen.</HI> 20. 7. As if he &s;hould have &s;aid, thou do&s;t not know whom thou now ha&s;t in thy power. Did&s;t thou know what a <HI>Prophets prayers</HI> will doe with mee, thou woulde&s;t re&s;tore this man his wife; thou would'&s;t beware how thou u&s;ed'&s;t a Pro|phet. And truly the cau&s;e of a King, yea of a Kingdom may be &s;uch &s;ometimes, that the <HI>prayers of Prophets</HI> may have a great <HI>influence</HI> on the turning of it either way. Witne&s;&s;e <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> his often &s;tanding in the <HI>Gap:</HI> witne&s;&s;e Gods <HI>&s;topping Ieremiahs</HI>
<PB N="7" REF="8"> mouth, the <HI>la&s;t</HI> and &s;adde&s;t &s;ymptome of the peoples <HI>totall capti|vity,</HI> Jer. 7. 16. 11. 14. And by the way; I &s;hall conclude the State of that Prince, and his Kingdome <HI>de&s;perate,</HI> where I &s;ee the <HI>Spi|rit</HI> of prayer <HI>bound</HI> up in its Prophets; and pre&s;age a growing <HI>bappine&s;&s;e</HI> towards it, when I find them <HI>enlarged</HI> in <HI>mediating</HI> for it unto God. Sure, that State is <HI>blind</HI> to its Intere&s;t, that hath provoked God, by abu&s;ing Prophets, to &s;trike his Prophets <HI>dumbe.</HI></P>
<P>But to goe on. The next Prophet among <HI>Heathens</HI> was <HI>Mo|&s;es,</HI> and hee was &s;ent to <HI>Pharaoh</HI> to bring I&s;rael out of Egypt. Now <HI>Pharaohs</HI> and <HI>Aegypts</HI> Intere&s;t was <HI>double;</HI> to u&s;e the <HI>Pro|phet</HI> well, and &s;et the <HI>people</HI> free. <HI>Pharaoh</HI> now cro&s;&s;eth both the&s;e Intere&s;ts; <HI>detaines</HI> the people, and <HI>abu&s;eth</HI> Mo&s;es. Now if we may <HI>balance</HI> the&s;e Intere&s;ts, it may &s;eem his u&s;age of the Pro|phet did mo&s;t <HI>concern</HI> him. For although after many plagues, God were plea&s;ed to de&s;troy the fir&s;t borne, &amp; overthrow him and his Ho&s;t in the red Sea, to &s;et his people free; yet he never writes his <HI>di&s;plea&s;ure</HI> in &s;uch <HI>bloody characters,</HI> till the wretched King had driven <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> from his &s;ight, and commanded him <HI>to &s;ee his face no more,</HI> and threatned him death if he did, <HI>Exod.</HI> 10. 28. compared with the &s;equell.</P>
<P>Come we a little lower. <HI>Jonah</HI> is &s;ent by God with a me&s;|&s;age of de&s;truction to <HI>Niniveh,</HI> and the utmo&s;t re&s;pite hee was to give them was but <HI>forty dayes.</HI> One would have expected &s;uch an unwelcome me&s;&s;enger as he, &s;hould have rather found his <HI>death from</HI> them, then <HI>acceptance among</HI> them. But the wi&s;e King knew (though an Heathen) what concern'd him to doe. And to worke he goes. He entertaines the Prophet, and his me&s;&s;age &s;o well, that he commands a &s;olemn Humiliation, and there|withall &s;aves his City, which no other way could have re&s;cued from ruine. That was the great <HI>Intere&s;t</HI> of that City, and that well looked too, kept out the de&s;troyers.</P>
<P>[Take one word 200 concerning the <HI>New-Te&s;tament Pro|phets,</HI> and of how great concernment the u&s;age of them was to tho&s;e places where they came, let the great <HI>Go&s;pell Prophet</HI> him|&s;elfe te&s;tifie. It concernes them <HI>(&s;aith he that was annoynted with the oyle of gladne&s;&s;e above his fellows)</HI> as nearly, as it concerns them to well entreate God the Father, and my &s;elfe. For (&s;aith he)
<PB N="8" REF="9"> <HI>Whoever de&s;pi&s;eth you, de&s;pi&s;eth me, and whoever de&s;pi&s;eth me, de&s;pi&s;eth him that &s;ent me.</HI> Sure then the u&s;age of Gods Me&s;&s;en|gers is as great a point of State-Intere&s;t as any can be, to all, except tho&s;e that think them&s;elves then lea&s;t <HI>lo&s;ers,</HI> when they have <HI>lo&s;t</HI> their <HI>God.</HI>]</P>
<P>I &s;hall give you only one example out of the <HI>New Te&s;tament</HI> upon this Head. <HI>John</HI> Bapti&s;t &s;ent by God to <HI>prepare the way</HI> for Chri&s;t among the Jewes, begins to grow much in reque&s;t with <HI>Herod,</HI> an Heathen Sub&s;titute, appointed by the Romans to go|vern them. <HI>Herod</HI> carries him&s;elfe fairely a while towards <HI>Iohn</HI> Bapti&s;t, heares him gladly, and doth many things. And yet with tho&s;e many good things, he had many evill too: Many filthy vices he was guilty of, but the holy Gho&s;t takes notice of this <HI>above all the re&s;t; That he put</HI> John <HI>in pri&s;on.</HI> The Text fur|ther tells us how his freene&s;&s;e to the King in medling with his <HI>Herodias,</HI> rob'd him not only of his liberty, but his life. And a &s;econd rea&s;on why <HI>Herod</HI> &s;lew him, <HI>Jo&s;ephus</HI> &s;aith, was for feare of the people, becau&s;e they were ready to entertaine any new motion from one who&s;e word had &s;o great a &s;way with them <NOTE N="a" PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">. <HI>Ibidem.</HI></NOTE>. And &s;ee how deare it co&s;t him; the &s;ame <HI>Jo&s;ephus</HI> &s;aies, the Jewes lookt upon the victory that <HI>Aretas</HI> gained over him, and his Army, as cau&s;ed thereby <NOTE N="b" PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">. <HI>Lib. Iud. Ant.</HI> 18. <HI>cap.</HI> 7.</NOTE>. And how God met with him too in his Per&s;on, &amp; with that <HI>Herodias</HI> that wooed him to &s;o bloody an action, will appeare if wee con&s;ider what the Au|thors of the Centuries relate out of both <HI>Jo&s;ephus</HI> and <HI>Eu&s;ebius.</HI> That <HI>whori&s;h</HI> woman (how proper is the Scripture conjuncti|on of tho&s;e two qualities! <NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Ezek. 16. 30.</NOTE>) was no le&s;&s;e imperious; and out of her de&s;ire to command, envying <HI>Agrippa</HI> (her owne Brother) the honour of being a King, while her ince&s;tuous husband &s;ate a &s;taire lower, tempts him to a journy to <HI>Rome,</HI> to <HI>beg a Crown,</HI> and to compa&s;&s;e it more effectually, attends him thither. When he came thither, he found his plot &s;poiled by a prepared <HI>jealou|&s;ie</HI> again&s;t him; and his ambitious preparations for Royalty, proved the <HI>inditement,</HI> and a &s;entence to perpetuall exile, was the <HI>judgement</HI> pa&s;t again&s;t him by the Emperour. In which (be|cau&s;e &s;he had brought him to it) this Tempter was &s;o kinde as to accompany him. <HI>And &s;o</HI> (&s;ay the Centuria&s;ts) Herod <HI>by com|plying with the motions of an ambitious Whore, &s;tript of his goods,</HI>
<PB N="9" REF="9"> <HI>Countrey, glory at once, dyed mi&s;erably with her in Gallia</HI> (<NOTE N="c" PLACE="marg"><HI>Hac ratione arrogantis me|retriculae in&s;ti|gationibus ob|temperans He|rodes, cum ip&s;&acirc; bonis, gloria ac patri&acirc; exutus mi&s;errim&egrave; in Gallia vitam finiit. Cent. Magd. Cent.</HI> 1. <HI>lib.</HI> 2. <HI>c.</HI> 3.</NOTE>). Thus he that was <HI>afraid of</HI> John, <HI>and kill'd him out of a jealou&s;ie to &s;ecure his Command,</HI> thereby provoked God by a <HI>jealou&s;ie to out him of his Command.</HI></P>
<P>Let us in the next place, <NOTE N="d" PLACE="marg">2. Examples of tho&s;e within the Church.</NOTE> take a view of the u&s;age of <HI>Prophets within</HI> the Church. And in this you &s;hall &s;ee how tho&s;e Prin|ces, or Kingdoms, have thrived, that have offended again&s;t this <HI>Intere&s;t.</HI> I &s;hall (for <HI>methods</HI> &s;ake) branch this view into <HI>particu|lars;</HI> in which you &s;hall al&s;o &s;ee, when God thinkes his Pro|phets injured; by his &s;uiting &s;uch dealings of men towards them, with &s;uitable <NOTE N="e" PLACE="marg">Shewing the i&s;&s;ue of cro&s;&s;ing this Intere&s;t in harming Pro|phets.</NOTE> di&s;pen&s;ations of ju&s;tice, upon the heads of tho&s;e that &s;o deal with them: and &s;o I &s;hall &s;ave the an&s;wering of that que&s;tion, what it is to harm Prophets.</P>
<P N="1">1. How they have <NOTE N="f" PLACE="marg">1. Per&s;ons re|fu&s;ing only to hear them.</NOTE> &s;ped that have harmed Prophets only by refu&s;ing to heare them; let <HI>Zach.</HI> 7. 9, 10, 11, 12, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> be fir&s;t called in to give <HI>Evidence.</HI> The Lord had <HI>&s;ent</HI> to them (as him&s;elfe &s;aith) <HI>in his Spirit, by his Prophets, but they refu&s;ed to hearken, &amp; pulled away the &s;houlder;</HI> (it &s;eems 'twas doctrine they were loath to <HI>beare) and &s;topped their eares.</HI> Nay, they re&s;olv'd again&s;t hea|ring to any purpo&s;e, if they did heare; for they had before (by a wicked re&s;olution of rejecting what they thought would not tickle them) made <HI>their hearts</HI> like <HI>an Adamant,</HI> that is, <HI>Ser|mon-proofe,</HI> and <HI>conviction-proofe,</HI> le&s;t they &s;hould heare the <HI>Law.</HI> The Prophets were <HI>legall Preachers,</HI> and they would hear none of them; at lea&s;t armed them&s;elves with <HI>pride</HI> and <HI>prejudice,</HI> e|nough to render their labours ineffectuall upon them. But what great matter was this? Was it a bu&s;ine&s;&s;e of &s;o great con|cernment to them to heare, or not to heare, &s;uch men as plea|&s;ed them no better? Yes, they had better they had heard them, for God paid them in their own coyne. Well (&s;aith hee) they would not heare my Prophets, but I think I met with them; I remember there was a time when they <HI>called upon me</HI> to heare, &amp; I was grown as deaf as they; <HI>They cryed, and I would not heare,</HI> ver&s;. 13. <HI>I &s;cattered them with a Whirl-wind among the Nations which they knew not, &amp;c.</HI> ver&s;. 14. I &s;ent them where they had been as good to have been among <HI>deafe</HI> people as there, for they <HI>knew them not, and the land was de&s;olate after them.</HI></P>
<P>One te&s;timony more to this particular. That which is in this
<PB N="10" REF="10"> Chapter <HI>Hi&s;tory,</HI> is <HI>(Jer.</HI> 25. 3, 4.) <HI>Prophe&s;ie. The Lord</HI> &s;aith he to this people, <HI>hath &s;ent unto you all his Prophets, ri&s;ing early, and &s;ending them, but yee hearkned not, nor enclined your eare.</HI> And <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 9. 10, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> you have part of that doom threatned, which you had in that of <HI>Zachariah,</HI> related.</P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>Pre&s;cribers to Prophets.</HI> See to this purpo&s;e, <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 30. 10. <NOTE N="2" PLACE="marg">2. Pre&s;cribing to Prophets.</NOTE> The Lord makes a &s;ad complaint of that people; they were a <HI>rebellious people,</HI> ver&s;. 9. But how doth it appear? <HI>They &s;ay to the Seers, &s;ee not; and to the Prophets, prophe&s;ie not unto us right things, &s;peake to us &s;mooth things, prophe&s;ie deceits? Get yee out of the way, turne yee out of the path, &amp;c.</HI> 'Tis very unlikely they would dare &s;ay &s;o in down-right terms. No, it may be they &s;aid no more but, <HI>pray</HI> I&s;aiah, <HI>and the re&s;t of the Prophets doe not preach to us that which cro&s;&s;eth us in our way; cannot you be contented to preach practi|call truths to us, and not trouble your &s;elves with State-bu&s;ine&s;&s;es? what doth it concerne you, if we goe down to Aegypt for &s;ecurity and a&s;&s;i&s;tance?</HI> But you &s;ee how God interprets them, 'tis &s;aith hee, <HI>a bidding the Seers not to &s;ee, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>But what great matter is this? What matter of moment or concernment in giving the Prophets a <HI>preparatory le&s;&s;on</HI> of our owne? We hope all this is no <HI>harme</HI> to the Prophets, nor <HI>dan|ger</HI> to us. See whether God thinke &s;o too, <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 13, 14. Indeed? (&s;aith God) are you <HI>&s;woln</HI> &s;o great with <HI>pride,</HI> that you mu&s;t give <HI>In&s;tructions</HI> to my <HI>Amba&s;&s;adours?</HI> yea, and you &s;hall <HI>&s;well bigger</HI> yet, and that till you <HI>breake</HI> into <HI>minutula fru&s;tula;</HI> &s;uch <HI>&s;herds</HI> as are u&s;efull for nothing, <HI>no not to take fire from the hearth, or wa|ter from the Pit.</HI></P>
<P N="3">3. <HI>Deriders of Prophets,</HI> 2 Chron. 36. 16. This it &s;eemes that <NOTE N="3" PLACE="marg">3. Deriding Prophets.</NOTE> people were very well ver&s;ed in. But what is all that! if a peo|ple make them&s;elves <HI>merry,</HI> and plea&s;e them&s;elves a little with <HI>je&s;ting</HI> at <HI>Prophets?</HI> Indeed <HI>Solomon</HI> tells us 'tis a <HI>&s;port to a foole to do mi&s;chiefe, and there is a mad man that throwes about fire-brands,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 10. 23. 26. 29.</NOTE> <HI>arrowes, and death; and yet cries, Am I not in &s;port?</HI> But the&s;e mad men think not they <HI>jeere</HI> and <HI>&s;port</HI> them&s;elves out of their <HI>hou|&s;es,</HI> and <HI>e&s;tates</HI> by this <HI>mirth.</HI> Yet they doe &s;o. For though <HI>they</HI> be in <HI>je&s;t,</HI> God is in <HI>earne&s;t</HI> with them. They never left &s;cof|fing at Prophets till they had brought wrath <HI>(viz.)</HI> in the Captivity, upon them&s;elves <HI>without remedie,</HI> &s;aith the &s;equell of
<PB N="11" REF="10"> the ver&s;e. 'Tis a deare je&s;ting that co&s;ts a Kingdom all its mirth for ever after.</P>
<P N="4">4. <HI>Permitters,</HI> or <HI>encouragers</HI> of <HI>fal&s;e Prophets.</HI> The great <HI>Patron</HI> <NOTE N="4" PLACE="marg">4. Permitting or encouraging fal&s;e Prophets.</NOTE> of fal&s;e Prophets in &s;cripture, was <HI>Ahab.</HI> A poore Prophet of the Lord could not <HI>looke abroad,</HI> but hee was charged, and per|&s;ecuted as a <HI>troubler</HI> of <HI>I&s;rael.</HI> The fal&s;e Prophets <HI>&s;warmed,</HI> no le&s;&s;e then 450, Ahabs, 400, <HI>Iezebels</HI> Chaplaines. 1. <HI>K.</HI> 18. 19. And when the King con&s;ults concerning war with Ramoth-Gilead, one <HI>Micaiah</HI> could not be heard, becau&s;e hee did not <HI>plea&s;e</HI> his Maje&s;ty: but the fal&s;e prophets were his great Ora|cles. But how God fitted him, and his Army, 1 <HI>Kings.</HI> 22. will fully declare. But I will &s;peake more to it anon.</P>
<P>The Prophet <HI>Ieremiah</HI> much in&s;i&s;ts upon this particular. <HI>Chap.</HI> 14. Hee tells us of &s;ome of them of whom God him&s;elfe, v. 12. witne&s;&s;eth <HI>they &s;pake lies in his name;</HI> but what becomes of them? <HI>by &s;word, and famine they &s;hall be con&s;umed.</HI> v. 13. But what doth this concerne the Kingdome, or Nation? &s;ee. v. 16. And the people to <HI>whom they prophe&s;y, &s;hall be ca&s;t out in the &s;treets of Ieru&s;alem, becau&s;e of the famine, and the &s;word &amp;c. for I will powr their wickedne&s;&s;e upon them.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Chap.</HI> 23. (almo&s;t throughout) God complaines of Pro|phets that &s;ent <HI>them&s;elves,</HI> and yet they would <HI>ape</HI> the true Prophets, and cry the <HI>Burthen of the Lord &amp;c.</HI> and this was grown Epidemicall, v. 34. <HI>Prie&s;ts, and people, and Prophets exerci&s;e</HI> their <HI>gifts</HI> promi&s;cuou&s;ly; &s;ee how God takes this at their hands, and the Toleration of it at the States: Not onely they, but the City are threatned ruine for it. v. 39. All rankes of men were out of the order in which God had placed them; they had turned Gods in&s;titutions up and downe, and God would turne <HI>them</HI> up and downe for it. God takes it as an high affront, whe~ they did them&s;elves, or &s;uffered others, to wrong his Husbandmen &s;o far, as to lay <HI>Common</HI> what hee him&s;elfe had <HI>inclo&s;ed.</HI></P>
<P N="5">5. <HI>Threatners of Prophets</HI> 2. <HI>Chro.</HI> 25. 15. <HI>Amaziah</HI> a wicked <NOTE N="5" PLACE="marg">5. Threatning Prophets.</NOTE> King had <HI>gained</HI> a <HI>victory</HI> over the Edomites, to the lo&s;&s;e of his <HI>Religion.</HI> Hee tooke the <HI>enemies captive,</HI> and yeilded him&s;elfe <HI>Captive</HI> to their <HI>Idols.</HI> God &s;ends a Prophet to him, and pleads the ca&s;e with him, &s;hewes him how unrea&s;onable tis to expect
<PB N="12" REF="11"> &s;afety from tho&s;e Gods that were now his <HI>Pri&s;oners.</HI> And how doth he entertain the Prophet? with a check, <HI>[Art thou of the Kings Coun&s;ell]</HI> and a threat; <HI>[Forbeare, why &s;hould&s;t thou be &s;mit|ten?]</HI> Here was no harme yet; but a threatning onely; and is that &s;o much?</P>
<P>But how doth God take it? &s;ee in the Prophets reply, and the &s;equell of the &s;tory. The Prophet &s;eeing him &s;o care|le&s;&s;e of his great Intere&s;t, askes no farther evidence, or <HI>Prog|no&s;tick</HI> of his &s;uddain <HI>ruine,</HI> and therefore is bold to tell him, <HI>I know that God hath purpo&s;ed</HI> [Orig. <HI>coun&s;elled</HI>] <HI>to de&s;troy thee, becau&s;e thou ha&s;t not harkned to my coun&s;ell.</HI> And a little after, the fooli&s;h man &s;tirres the coales that &s;et him and his Kingdome on fire, in provoking <HI>Joa&s;h</HI> King of <HI>I&s;rael, v.</HI> 15, 16, 17, 22, 23. <HI>&amp;c.</HI> He had better to have <HI>taken Coun&s;ell from God</HI> by his Pro|phet, then have provoked God <HI>to take Coun&s;ell again&s;t him.</HI></P>
<P N="6">6. <HI>Silencers of Prophets, Amos</HI> 7. It was in the dayes of <HI>Je|roboam</HI> <NOTE N="6" PLACE="marg">6. Silencing Prophets.</NOTE> the &s;onne of <HI>Joa&s;h</HI> (a wicked King, as you may &s;ee 2 <HI>Kings</HI> 14. 24.) when this Prophet prophe&s;ied. The matter of his Prophe&s;ie was the captivity of <HI>I&s;rael: Amaziah,</HI> Prie&s;t of <HI>Bethel</HI> takes him up for it, and accu&s;eth him highly for &s;edi|tion, unto the King, <HI>v.</HI> 10. 12. And (very likely by the command of the King) forbids him to preach any more in <HI>Bethel.</HI> This in|deed is an u&s;age &s;omething to the purpo&s;e. God &s;aith, <HI>Speak;</HI> A|maziah &s;aith, <HI>Speak not.</HI> And what &s;aith God now to <HI>Amaziah?</HI> &s;ee his doom, v. 17. <HI>Thy wife &s;hal be an harlot in the City, &amp; thy &s;ons, and thy daughters &s;hall fall by the &s;word, &amp;c.</HI> And what is the King|dome concerned in it? their &s;hare is no le&s;&s;e then to be <HI>captives forth of their land.</HI> Thou, &s;aith <HI>Amos,</HI> bid&s;t me goe forth of the Court, and prophe&s;ie: if I goe forth to prophe&s;ie, and mu&s;t not prophe&s;ie here, God &s;hall <HI>&s;end</HI> more after me: <HI>I&s;rael</HI> &s;hall go <HI>forth too</HI> out of their Land. And not many years after in <HI>Pekah's</HI> time, (the throne having &s;carce been warmed by any King of four, except <HI>Menahem)</HI> this Prophe&s;ie was in part fulfilled, 2 <HI>Kings</HI> 15. 29. and perfectly in his &s;ucce&s;&s;our, <HI>Ho&s;heas</HI> time, <HI>chap.</HI> 16. 6. 18, &amp;c. And as for <HI>Jeroboam,</HI> although the Hi&s;tory doe not tell us how he dyed, yet the Prophe&s;ie doth, in that <HI>Amos</HI> 7. and his &s;eed were di&s;po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed of the Throne; onely <HI>Zechariah,</HI> (becau&s;e the fourth from <HI>Jehu;</HI> to who&s;e &s;eed God had promi|&s;ed
<PB N="13" REF="11"> a &s;ucce&s;&s;ion for foure generations, as it appeares Chapt. 10. 30. and 15. 12.) was permitted to hold the Scepter &s;ix moneths, as appeares, <HI>ver&s;e</HI> 8. <HI>chap.</HI> 15.</P>
<P>Next, that you may &s;ee 'twas not onely <HI>Amaziah's</HI> u&s;age of <HI>Amos,</HI> that brought, (though it ha&s;tned) the peoples Captivity: You &s;hall &s;ee this judgement is threatned for the olde <HI>skore too.&mdash;Manet alt&acirc; mente repo&s;tum.</HI> God forgets not how they u&s;ed his Prophets in all ages, even from the dayes of <HI>Egypt:</HI> and now they &s;hall pay for it <HI>with a witne&s;se, Chapter</HI> 2. 12, 13, 14, 15, 16. <HI>I rai&s;ed up of your &s;onnes for Prophets, and of your young men for Nazarites,</HI> ver&s;e 11. <HI>Yee commanded the Prophets, Prophe&s;ie not,</HI> ver&s;e 12. <HI>Behold I am pre&s;&s;ed with you, &amp;c.</HI> 13. How God feeles Prophets wrongs! <HI>Therefore the flight &s;hall peri&s;h from the &s;wift, and the &s;trong &s;hall not &s;trengthen him&s;elfe, nor the mighty deliver him&s;elfe,</HI> ver&s;e 14. <HI>nor Bow-man, nor rider,</HI> ver&s;e 15. <HI>nor the &s;trong of heart,</HI> ver&s;e 16. This likewi&s;e was fulfilled in the captivity of the Tribes before mentioned.</P>
<P N="7">7. <HI>Impri&s;oners of Prophets.</HI> And now I mu&s;t look back once <NOTE N="7" PLACE="marg">7. Impri&s;oning Prophets.</NOTE> more upon <HI>Ahab.</HI> It was not enough for that <HI>wicked</HI> and <HI>wretched King</HI> to <HI>encourage and maintaine</HI> fal&s;e Prophets to af|front <HI>Micaiah;</HI> to <HI>refu&s;e to heare him</HI> out of prejudice: but when good <HI>Ieho&s;haphat</HI> had prevailed to have him advi&s;ed with, and he had declared the minde of God to him, he <HI>&s;uffers a fal&s;e Prophet to &s;mite him, and claps him up for his plain dealing,</HI> 1 <HI>Kings</HI> 22. 27. Now what became of this <HI>Ahab?</HI> God meets with him at la&s;t; <HI>Micaiah</HI> tells him, if <HI>he came home in peace, God had not &s;poken by him,</HI> ver&s;e 28. No! (thinks <HI>Ahab)</HI> I will try that once; I will &s;ee if I cannot prove this Prophet a lyer. He &s;hifts his habit, <HI>changeth cloathes</HI> with <HI>Jeho&s;haphat,</HI> and thereby diverts the greate&s;t force of the battell upon <HI>Jeho&s;haphat,</HI> mi&s;taken for the King of <HI>I&s;rael.</HI> But <HI>Ahab</HI> is not <HI>&s;afe,</HI> though he be <HI>&s;ecure</HI> in his <HI>di&s;gui&s;e,</HI> and <HI>Armour</HI> upon that. A certaine man mu&s;t <HI>draw a Bow at a venture,</HI> and <HI>&s;hoot,</HI> and the <HI>Arrow</HI> mu&s;t light on none of all the Army but <HI>Ahab,</HI> and on no other place about <HI>Ahab's</HI> body, but directly between the <HI>joynts of his Armour,</HI> ver&s;e 34. and the wound mu&s;t be mortall too: and thus for <HI>impri|&s;oning</HI> his Prophet God brought him to <HI>execution;</HI> and his <HI>Ar|my</HI> after a long conflict were faine to retreat, <HI>ver&s;e</HI> 36. Once
<PB N="14" REF="12"> more. The <HI>Holy Gho&s;t</HI> tells us, 2 <HI>Chron.</HI> 36. 16. that the Jewes did not onely <HI>mock,</HI> but <HI>mi&s;u&s;e</HI> the Prophets of God, till they brought upon them a remedile&s;&s;e captivity. Now among all the Prophets u&s;ages that ha&s;tned this calamity, it is more then probable, that the <HI>impri&s;oning Jeremiah</HI> by the Princes did <HI>po&s;te</HI> it forward; and God ('tis likely enough) <HI>gave up</HI> the <HI>City</HI> to <HI>deliver a Prophet:</HI> for when the <HI>&s;tore of bread was &s;pent in the C<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">|ty,</HI> and <HI>Jeremiah</HI> likely to &s;tarve, (as <HI>Jerem.</HI> 38. 9.) the City holds not out long after, and <HI>Jeremiah</HI> is pre&s;erved by the en|tring Enemy, <HI>chap.</HI> 39. 11.</P>
<P>8. <HI>La&s;tly, Murderers of Prophets.</HI> This was a &s;inne ordinary <NOTE N="8" PLACE="marg">8. Murthering Prophets.</NOTE> with the Jewes; and for this Chri&s;t bemoanes them, <HI>Matth.</HI> 23. 37. <HI>O Jeru&s;alem, Jeru&s;alem, thou that kille&s;t the Prophets, and &s;tone&s;t them that are &s;ent unto thee, how often would I have gathered together thy children as an henne, &amp;c.</HI> (that is, I by my Prophets, and by my &s;elfe would, if thou had&s;t <HI>knowne</HI> thy <HI>Intere&s;t,</HI> and <HI>taken</HI> that <HI>Protection</HI> by receiving, and obeying us) but thou (fooli&s;h people) art an <HI>enemy,</HI> and ever ha&s;t beene, to thy <HI>Inte|re&s;t</HI> in this great particular; 'tis that, at which thy <HI>hand</HI> is un|happily <HI>in,</HI> to <HI>kill</HI> Prophets. And this he makes good in ano|ther place, where prophe&s;ying of his owne death, he tells his Di&s;ciples, that <HI>Jeru&s;alem</HI> is &s;o <HI>fle&s;hed with killing Prophets,</HI> that a <HI>Prophet cannot peri&s;h out of Jeru&s;alem,</HI> Luke 13. 33. But the cry of <HI>bloud is loud;</HI> and the <HI>cry of Prophets bloud,</HI> of all other, <HI>mo&s;t clamorous.</HI> Chri&s;t therefore <HI>pre&s;ageth</HI> &s;o <HI>certaine</HI> a ruine to <HI>Jeru&s;alem</HI> for killing Gods Me&s;&s;engers, that he <HI>pronounceth</HI> it as <HI>pa&s;t. Verily your hou&s;e [is] left unto you de&s;olate.</HI> This &s;inne you are &s;o given to, (when by <HI>killing</HI> mee, and per&s;ecuting my Apo&s;tles, you &s;hall have <HI>filled</HI> up the <HI>mea&s;ure of the &s;innes</HI> of your Prophet-murthering Ance&s;tors, and your owne) &s;hall bring the <HI>Romans</HI> to your hou&s;es, and they &s;hall leave <HI>Jeru&s;a|lem</HI> a company of de&s;olate Walls in it, &s;hall make a wildernes (&s;o the <NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">.</NOTE> word &s;ignifies) of your hou&s;es, <HI>(i. e.)</HI> either of your particular habitations, or your <HI>glorious Temple;</HI> of which (as he el&s;ewhere &s;aith) <HI>There &s;hall not one &s;tone bee left upon ano|ther.</HI></P>
<P>How the&s;e <HI>Jewes</HI> ha&s;tned this de&s;truction to them&s;elves by putting to death <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> him&s;elf, &amp; per&s;ecuting his Apo&s;tles, the
<PB N="15" REF="12"> Sermon I have already quoted makes good abundantly. I &s;hall take no more notice of it here, then to ob&s;erve, that (as God prophecying concerning their oppo&s;ing <HI>Chri&s;t, P&s;.</HI> 2. takes no|tice mainly of their &s;pight again&s;t him as <HI>Gods Annointed,</HI> &s;o) he was mainly oppo&s;ed under his Offices of <HI>&V;nction;</HI> as a <HI>King,</HI> by <HI>Herod,</HI> as a <HI>Prophet,</HI> by high-Prie&s;ts, Scribes, and Phari&s;ees: who mainly con&s;ult to ruine him, becau&s;e they &s;aw him &s;o follow|ed, as <HI>John</HI> 12. 19. (which &s;eemes to me to be the ground of that con&s;ultation related againe which they took, <HI>chap.</HI> 11. 47.) upon which <HI>ver&s;e</HI> 53. they are &s;aid to plot his death.</P>
<P>And as for the Apo&s;tles, the maine ground of their &s;pleene to them, (which was murther too in their intentions, and Gods account) was, <HI>their teaching in his Name,</HI> as they confe&s;&s;e <HI>Acts</HI> 4. &s;o that Chri&s;t and his Apo&s;tles had their &s;hare in the Jewes malice, and per&s;ecution, <HI>as Prophets,</HI> as well <HI>as Saints;</HI> and how this bloud of former Prophets, and the&s;e did &s;ticke upon the skirts of that Nation, and how God tooke it, and what became of that bloudy people, the Apo&s;tle <HI>Paul prophe&s;ieth,</HI> and <HI>Ecle&s;ia&s;ticall</HI> &s;tories <HI>relate.</HI> The former tells us not onely the <HI>thing,</HI> but brings this as the <HI>cau&s;e</HI> to put all out of doubt, 1 <HI>The&s;&s;.</HI> 2. 15, 16. where &s;peaking of the <HI>Jewes,</HI> he tells us, that they, in <HI>killing the Lord Je&s;us, murthering their owne Prophets, per|&s;ecuting him, and his fellow-Apo&s;tles, and forbidding them to preach to the Gentiles, filled up their &s;innes.</HI> (It referres to the afore-cited &s;peech of Chri&s;t, where he bids them <HI>fill up the mea|&s;ure of their Fathers, viz.</HI> tho&s;e that killed Prophets, by cruci|fying him, and thus per&s;ecuting his Apo&s;tles.) <HI>And wrath was come upon them to the utmo&s;t,</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>[to the end] i. e.</HI> a <HI>finall wrath,</HI> a wrath that &s;hould <HI>&s;weep the Nation quite away,</HI> and make a <HI>cleane riddance</HI> of them. And as Chri&s;t prophecying of that de&s;truction of the Jewes by the <HI>Romans</HI> &s;peaks of it as pa&s;t, for greater <HI>certainty:</HI> &s;o 'tis remarkable the Apo&s;tle doth. And whether the&s;e Prophe&s;ies were true or no, Hi&s;tory tells us abundantly, to which (for brevities &s;ake) I referre you.</P>
<P>Now to draw all this proofe to an head, in one grand Syl|logi&s;me, thus.</P>
<P>That which being well looked unto, will advance the pro|&s;perity, bee the Chariots and Hor&s;e-men, keep out the De|&s;troyers
<PB N="16" REF="13"> of Princes and People; and which cro&s;&s;ed or neglected un&s;eats great ones, makes God con&s;ult to de&s;troy them, brings a &s;word upon them, puts God upon the expence of extraor|dinary Providences, to ruine them, will hinder the pro&s;pe|rity of a people, makes them de&s;pi&s;ers of God and Chri&s;t, &s;tops Gods eares to them when they pray, &s;catters them with a Whirle-winde, breaks them into &s;malle&s;t, and mo&s;t u&s;ele&s;&s;e &s;heards, brings remedile&s;&s;e wrath upon them, &s;ends them out of their land, takes off the flight from the &s;wift, &s;trength from the &s;trong, deliverance from the mighty, makes their hou&s;es de&s;olate, fills up their &s;innes, and brings wrath upon them to the utmo&s;t; that is the great <HI>Intere&s;t</HI> of Princes and Kingdoms, then which they have no greater.</P>
<P>But the u&s;age of the Prophets of God well or ill is influen|tiall upon Kings and Kingdomes in all the&s;e particulars. <HI>Ergo,</HI> 'tis as great an <HI>Intere&s;t</HI> as any unto them.</P>
<P><HI>R.</HI> 1. Out of many <HI>Rea&s;.</HI> which might be brought, I &s;hal bring <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Proofe by Rea&s;ons. 1. From Gods Intere&s;t in the Prophets.</NOTE> onely three. 1. The fir&s;t relates unto <HI>God</HI> him&s;elfe, and &s;o is drawne from <HI>Gods Intere&s;t</HI> in the <HI>Prophets.</HI> And herein indeed, is the maine <HI>Empha&s;is</HI> of the charge in the Text, <HI>Doe [my] Prophets no harme.</HI> I have already &s;hewed you wherein Gods In|tere&s;t in Prophets appeares to be greater then in &s;ingle Saints, I &s;hall here onely make u&s;e of that truth againe as <HI>Argumen|tative</HI> to prove the Intere&s;t of which the Doctrine &s;peaks. Let us &s;uppo&s;e a mighty Monarch, that hath <HI>millions</HI> of armed men to command at an <HI>hour's warning,</HI> to <HI>revenge</HI> any injury, or af|front done to him; &s;ending <HI>Amba&s;&s;adours</HI> to &s;ome <HI>petty Princi|pality,</HI> his next neighbours, (not onely <HI>profe&s;&s;ed enemies</HI> to him, but <HI>Rebells</HI> again&s;t him) and entreating them to lay down <HI>Armes,</HI> to be <HI>ruled</HI> by his <HI>Lawes,</HI> and <HI>enjoy</HI> the <HI>priviledges</HI> of <HI>his Subjects;</HI> e&s;pecially when it lyes in his <HI>power</HI> to take <HI>a|way,</HI> and cut off, not onely their <HI>Provi&s;ions</HI> for <HI>Warre;</HI> but their <HI>lives</HI> al&s;o every moment. What now would you conclude to be that poore <HI>handfulls</HI> maine Intere&s;t? Would it not bee, to <HI>entertaine</HI> tho&s;e <HI>Amba&s;&s;adours</HI> courteou&s;ly, receive their Me&s;&s;age readily? and would they not offend again&s;t their maine Inte|re&s;t, if they &s;hould deny tho&s;e Amba&s;&s;adors <HI>Audience;</HI> if they &s;hould <HI>pre&s;cribe</HI> to them what to &s;ay; if they &s;hould <HI>deride</HI>
<PB N="17" REF="13"> them, and &s;uffer every <HI>factious, anarchicall tumultuous</HI> &s;pirit to <HI>write,</HI> and <HI>print,</HI> and <HI>preach</HI> Libells, and invectives again&s;t them, if they &s;hould allow &s;ome of their owne, (that doe not <HI>un|der&s;tand</HI> &s;o much as the <HI>language</HI> in which that <HI>Kings Articles</HI> for <HI>Accommodation</HI> and <HI>In&s;tructions</HI> for his <HI>Amba&s;&s;adors</HI> are writ|ten) to &s;tand up and tell tho&s;e Amba&s;&s;adours, they know their Ma&s;ters minde better then they, that they <HI>teach</HI> the people <HI>lyes,</HI> &amp;c. If they hereupon &s;hould <HI>threaten, &s;ilence, impri&s;on, put to death</HI> the&s;e <HI>Amba&s;&s;adours,</HI> would they not provoke this Mo|narch to <HI>pluck</HI> them up, <HI>root</HI> and <HI>branch,</HI> to leave their <HI>hou&s;es de|&s;olate,</HI> and fill them with wrath and vengeance to the <HI>uttermo&s;t?</HI> I need not apply &s;o plaine a <HI>Parable.</HI> Look into <HI>Matth.</HI> 21. 33, &amp;c. and 22, 23, &amp;c. and (change onely the me&s;&s;age of <HI>Invita|tion</HI> to the <HI>wedding</HI> in this, and that for <HI>fruit</HI> from the <HI>Vine|yard</HI> in that place into this concerning which I &s;peake a <HI>Trea|ty</HI> of <HI>Peace)</HI> what <HI>Chri&s;t intends</HI> in them to the <HI>Jewes,</HI> may be properly applyed to all Nations of <HI>Gentiles,</HI> to the end of the world, and may <HI>warn</HI> them to beware how they <HI>&s;light</HI> Gods Amba&s;&s;adours; and looke upon Oxen, and Farmes, and Mer|chandi&s;e, <HI>private</HI> Intere&s;ts, when God calls upon them for <HI>acknowledgements</HI> to his <HI>Sonne;</HI> how they think the <HI>cru&s;hing</HI> and <HI>taking</HI> Gods <HI>Me&s;&s;engers out of the way,</HI> will make them the <HI>Domi|ni fac-totum,</HI> the <HI>ab&s;olute</HI> Ma&s;ters of Gods <HI>Inheritance.</HI></P>
<P><HI>R.</HI> 2. <HI>In regard of the Intere&s;t tho&s;e Prophets have in God him|&s;elfe.</HI> <NOTE N="2" PLACE="marg">2. From the Prophets Inte|re&s;t in God.</NOTE> They have his <HI>engagement</HI> upon his <HI>honour,</HI> that he will take their <HI>wrongs</HI> as his <HI>owne,</HI> that he will interpret <HI>de&s;pi&s;ing them</HI> to be <HI>de&s;pi&s;ing him;</HI> that he will <HI>confirme the word of his &s;er|vants, and performe the coun&s;ell of his Me&s;&s;engers, I&s;a.</HI> 44. 26. that he hath <HI>&s;olemnly bound</HI> him&s;elfe to <HI>binde</HI> that in <HI>heaven by his</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 18. 18.</NOTE> <HI>Ratification,</HI> which they (take it either for a binding of <HI>Do|ctrine,</HI> or of <HI>Cen&s;ure,</HI> &s;eeing the&s;e <HI>Scepticall dayes</HI> will needs qu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">|&s;tion the <HI>union</HI> of both <HI>keyes</HI> in the <HI>&s;ame hand)</HI> &s;hal <HI>binde</HI> on <HI>earth</HI> by their <HI>Declaration</HI> according to their <HI>Commi&s;&s;ion</HI> from him.</P>
<P>Thence al&s;o, what God <HI>threatens</HI> a people <HI>to doe</HI> by his Pro|phets, they are &s;aid to doe, as <HI>Jer.</HI> 1. 10. where God &s;ets his <HI>Prophet over kingdomes to root out, and pull downe, and d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;troy, and throw downe, and build, and plant,</HI> i. e. <HI>to pronounce</HI> that doome again&s;t a people, which he intended to <HI>bring</HI> upon them.</P>
<PB N="10" REF="14">
<P> And the Apo&s;tle <HI>Paul</HI> tells us of a <HI>power,</HI> which he had <HI>not onely to throw downe imaginations, and every high thing that exal|teth it &s;elfe again&s;t the Knowledge of God, (viz.)</HI> that of his <HI>prea|ching:</HI> But a <HI>power,</HI> which he had al&s;o in <HI>readine&s;&s;e to revenge all</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 10. 6.</NOTE> <HI>di&s;obedience.</HI> Which <HI>power,</HI> if it be not a <HI>power</HI> of <HI>Church-cen|&s;ure,</HI> derived from <HI>Matthew</HI> 8. 18. (as &s;ome of the be&s;t Inter|preters expound it) mu&s;t needs bee a power of engaging <HI>GODS wrath</HI> again&s;t, and to the ruine of &s;uch di&s;obe|dient ones. And truely, by the way, the cryes of per&s;ecuted Prophets are <HI>loud ones;</HI> for my part, I &s;hould be loath any Na|tion or State, to which I wi&s;h well, &s;hould <HI>force</HI> Gods Prophets to goe to him, and <HI>complaine</HI> of their <HI>u&s;age,</HI> and put him to it upon his engagement to right them; and (as the Scripture &s;aith <HI>Elijah</HI> did) make Interce&s;&s;ion <HI>again&s;t them.</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 11. 2.</NOTE></P>
<P><HI>R.</HI> 3. The third Rea&s;on is drawne from the People them|&s;elves, <NOTE N="3" PLACE="marg">3. From the Intere&s;ts which people and Prophets have re&s;pectively each in the o|ther.</NOTE> and the <HI>relation Prophets beare to them.</HI> The People are the <HI>&s;heep,</HI> the Prophets are their <HI>&s;hepheards,</HI> their <HI>Pa&s;tours:</HI> Sure the <HI>Flocke</HI> is as highly concerned in <HI>having,</HI> and <HI>keeping</HI> a faithfull <HI>Shepheard</HI> as in any thing that can be imagined.</P>
<P>They are their <HI>Watchmen.</HI> A people have no greater inte|re&s;t in the time of <HI>war,</HI> or <HI>danger,</HI> then to look to their <HI>Guards,</HI> and encourage their <HI>Watchmen.</HI></P>
<P>They are their <HI>lights, burning and &s;hining lights.</HI> In a <HI>dark night,</HI> in a <HI>dangerous way,</HI> what concernes a <HI>Traveller</HI> more then to <HI>look</HI> to his <HI>light,</HI> to <HI>keep it in,</HI> and <HI>pre&s;erve it cleare?</HI> They a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">e their <HI>Salt,</HI> and there are <HI>putrifying</HI> dayes, <HI>corrupting</HI> times: Seducers, <HI>Children</HI> that <HI>are corrupters,</HI> like <HI>Fle&s;h-flies,</HI> &s;warme every where in the <HI>hot &s;ea&s;on</HI> of <HI>Contention,</HI> and endeavour to <HI>taint</HI> the <HI>&s;weete&s;t natures, mo&s;t tender hearts,</HI> and <HI>mo&s;t pretious Spirits.</HI> Sure, 'tis the Magi&s;trates (the good <HI>Hou&s;e-keepers)</HI> &s;peciall Intere&s;t to get as much of this <HI>Salt</HI> as may be, to <HI>pre&s;erve</HI> them from <HI>tainting;</HI> and to <HI>keep</HI> this <HI>Salt charily</HI> when they have it. There are divers other names of <HI>Relation</HI> in Scriptures that import as much, as <HI>Fathers, Stewards, Guides, &amp;c.</HI> But I think the Point a|boundantly proved; To <HI>improve</HI> it to you in Application is my next worke.</P>
<P>And in this I &s;hall addre&s;&s;e my &s;elfe to all tho&s;e that would
<PB N="11" REF="14"> pur&s;ue Englands great Intere&s;t &s;incerely, be&s;eeching them that <NOTE PLACE="marg">Applyed by</NOTE> they will look to this, one of the greate&s;t <HI>branches,</HI> and of the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Exhortation to all to looke to this Intere&s;t. Among &s;o ma|ny Intere&s;ts pur&s;ued.</NOTE> <HI>top-boughes</HI> of it, the u&s;age of Gods Prophets among them.</P>
<P>Beloved, there are many Intere&s;ts this day <HI>&s;tarted</HI> and <HI>pur&s;ued</HI> with a great deale of earne&s;tne&s;&s;e, &amp; it were well for the <HI>Peace</HI> and <HI>&V;nion</HI> of the&s;e Kingdomes, if &s;ome of them had been as the <HI>untimely birth of a woman that never &s;ees the Sun;</HI> at lea&s;t that they had never been taken up to tho&s;e u&s;es to which the <HI>Sons of divi|&s;ion</HI> now <HI>imploy</HI> them.</P>
<P>By the way, who&s;oever he was <HI>&s;ince our mutuall Covenant,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Some de&s;tru|ctive, becau&s;e dividing.</NOTE> fir&s;t named an <HI>Engli&s;h Intere&s;t,</HI> in <HI>oppo&s;ition</HI> to that of our <HI>neigh|bour Nation,</HI> it had been happy for both Nations in my judge|ment, <HI>if the knees had not prevented him,</HI> and <HI>the brea&s;ts had never given him &s;uck;</HI> and truly (for my part,) I have &s;o much <HI>Cove|nant-zeale</HI> yet <HI>glowing</HI> in my <HI>brea&s;t,</HI> that did I know him, I &s;hould think my &s;elf bound to <HI>di&s;cover, &amp; bring him to condigne puni&s;hment, as an Incendiary, Malignant, and evill In&s;trument, endea|vouring to divide one Kingdome from another, contrary to the &s;olemn League and Covenant.</HI> But among all the&s;e Intere&s;ts, let me ex|hort you to look to this <HI>piece</HI> of the <HI>highe&s;t</HI> Intere&s;t of all King|domes, and all the&s;e Kingdomes, which I have all this while in&s;i&s;ted upon.</P>
<P>Beloved it is a &s;ubject that a man would have thought for <NOTE PLACE="marg">Need to pre&s;s this Intere&s;t.</NOTE> &s;ome yeares &s;ince he &s;hould never have lived to &s;ee <HI>need</HI> to pre&s;s. But we are unexpectedly ca&s;t into &s;uch times, in which we had need <HI>contend earne&s;tly</HI> for every <HI>title of the ancient Go&s;pell,</HI> and when <HI>Truth</HI> it &s;elfe, and <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> &s;uffers the <HI>Di&s;pen&s;ers</HI> of <HI>Chri&s;ts</HI> truth cannot expect to be <HI>exempted.</HI> How &s;hall tho&s;e men <HI>&s;pare</HI> the <HI>Me&s;&s;engers</HI> of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, that <HI>exalt</HI> them&s;elves again&s;t <HI>Chri&s;t him&s;elfe? The Di&s;ciple is not above his Ma&s;ter, nor the &s;ervant above his Lord,</HI> &s;aith that <HI>Lord</HI> and <HI>Ma&s;ter,</HI> who&s;e <HI>&s;ervants</HI> it is our honour to be. Now &s;eeing there is a <HI>nece&s;&s;ity</HI> laid upon the Prophets of Chri&s;t to <HI>plead</HI> their owne <HI>cau&s;e:</HI> Brethren, beare with me if I <HI>lay</HI> out a few <HI>&s;ands</HI> upon that <HI>&s;ervice,</HI> and <HI>&s;acrifice</HI> a few <HI>words</HI> to the expected <HI>c<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">n&s;ure, prejudice,</HI> and <HI>mi&s;interpreta|tion</HI> of this <HI>Anti-mini&s;teriall</HI> generation. Mee thinkes 'tis a &s;ad thing Brethren, that tho&s;e Me&s;&s;engers of good tidings, and <NOTE PLACE="marg">This Intere&s;t was not &s;o &s;lighted as for|merly.</NOTE> Amba&s;&s;adours of peace, who not many yeares agoe you <HI>reve|renced</HI>
<PB N="20" REF="15"> as <HI>Angels</HI> of God, nay even <HI>received</HI> as <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t him|&s;elfe,</HI> of whom every one was no le&s;&s;e then a <GAP DESC="foreign"> a <HI>Diana newly dropt from heaven</HI> in your eyes, are now become the <HI>off|&s;cowring of all things, Antichri&s;tian Prie&s;ts,</HI> and I know not what el&s;e the tongues of <HI>Sectaries</HI> will create them: That among all tho&s;e that complaine of <HI>per&s;ecution,</HI> the Mini&s;ters of the Go&s;pel only, though they mo&s;t are, yet are &s;carce <HI>thought capable</HI> of <HI>be|ing per&s;ecuted:</HI> That among &s;o many <HI>Pleas</HI> for <HI>Toleration</HI> of e|very <NOTE PLACE="marg">&punc;Tis now.</NOTE> thing, the <HI>Mini&s;teriall calling</HI> is only e&s;teemed <HI>intolerable:</HI> That every <HI>&s;currilous Pamphleter</HI> dares make bold with our <HI>cal|ling,</HI> and <HI>Per&s;ons</HI> in <HI>Print,</HI> and proclaime to the world (to the di&s;grace of our Church &amp; Nation) this <HI>news,</HI> that in <HI>England,</HI> in <HI>London,</HI> the rare&s;t Mini&s;tery in the Chri&s;tian world, is <HI>per&s;e|cuted</HI> without controule by the pens of &s;uch <HI>mercenary Scriblers,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Aug. cant.</HI> Cre&s;. Gram. lib. 3. <HI>Quid re&s;ponde|re po&s;&s;ent non invenientes, &s;o|lito crebrius, &amp; audacius&punc; Cir|cumcellionum violentiis tur|bi&s;&abque; furenti|bus nos a praedi|canda Catho|lic&acirc; veritate &s;ua&abque; fallaci&acirc; convincend&aacute; deterrere coe|perunt.</HI></NOTE> that in divers places in the Kingdome, a godly Mini&s;ter (ex|cept he can be &s;o much &s;heep him&s;elf, as to let his <HI>flock</HI> be <HI>worried</HI> before his eyes, and &s;ay, or do nothing) can &s;carce <HI>preach</HI> with|out <HI>tumults,</HI> or <HI>come abroad</HI> without <HI>threatnings;</HI> that wee have rea&s;on enough to feare &s;uch u&s;age from &s;ome of tho&s;e <HI>&s;ticklers</HI> for <HI>confu&s;ion</HI> in our times, as the Father complaines of in his, <HI>viz. That when they know not how to an&s;wer us, they will terrifie or knocke us out of our Arguments,</HI> when, (which God forbid) their <HI>party</HI> is &s;o far <HI>Ma&s;ter</HI> of the <HI>power</HI> of the Kingdome as to <HI>dare at|tempt it</HI> <NOTE N="a" PLACE="marg">feared it may be more.</NOTE>. And for my part, if they <HI>come</HI> once to that pa&s;&s;e, I &s;hal be <HI>&s;orry</HI> to take the <HI>liberty</HI> of <HI>Con&s;cience</HI> they will then <HI>give</HI> me, who now plead mo&s;t for it them&s;elves.</P>
<P>And I pray what is the <HI>cau&s;e</HI> of all this <NOTE N="b" PLACE="marg">The preten|ces for it.</NOTE>? Truly they will tel us, they <HI>feare we will grow too high.</HI> And why is this feared? be|cau&s;e we would faine have <HI>Church-power</HI> di&s;penced, as it was in its fir&s;t <HI>in&s;titution,</HI> before there were <HI>Chri&s;tian Magi&s;trates.</HI> Be|cau&s;e we would faine keep <NOTE N="c" PLACE="marg">Examined, and &s;ome reall grounds di&s;co|red.</NOTE> our <HI>Fatherly bowels,</HI> and not be for|ced to u&s;e our people, as the wicked Monke did King <HI>John,</HI> to <HI>give them poy&s;on in a Sacrament,</HI> becau&s;e wee de&s;ire to have the power of <HI>Stewards</HI> (as we are) in the hou&s;e of God, to &s;ee that <HI>none but our Ma&s;ters Family dyet at our Ma&s;ters Table.</HI> And I feare in this particular, he that feares a <HI>godly Mini&s;ter</HI> would bee &s;o <HI>high</HI> as to <HI>&s;hut him out if</HI> he had &s;uch a <HI>power</HI> allowed him, hath cau&s;e to <HI>&s;u&s;pect</HI> him&s;elfe an <HI>Alien</HI> or a <HI>Dogge,</HI> not fit for that <HI>Ta|ble;</HI>
<PB N="21" REF="15"> and I am confident if &s;ome of the maine <HI>Whi&s;perers of this jealou&s;ie</HI> had windows in their brea&s;ts, it would be found, their <HI>maine feare</HI> is, either that they &s;hall be <HI>rejected</HI> as too bad, or el&s;e be <HI>enforced to become too good.</HI> It may be too our <HI>maintenance</HI> troubles others, who would be contented to <HI>&s;hare &s;takes</HI> with us, to bring us <HI>lower.</HI> But me thinks they might remember how they &s;ped that &s;aid in another ca&s;e; <HI>Let us kill the heir that the In|heritance may be ours.</HI> It may be others think the people will ne|ver be brought to <HI>wor&s;hip</HI> the <HI>Calves</HI> in <HI>Dan</HI> and <HI>Bethel,</HI> to reli&s;h <HI>illiterate,</HI> and <HI>mechanicke Preachers;</HI> and the <HI>lowe&s;t</HI> of the <HI>people</HI> will never pa&s;&s;e for <HI>Prie&s;ts,</HI> till the <HI>Prie&s;ts</HI> (as they call them) be made the <HI>lowe&s;t</HI> of the <HI>people.</HI> And it may be another &s;ort would faine bring the Ordinances of the Go&s;pell to the judge|ment of their Law-benches, where they would make a &s;hift to &s;et us by the eares, and make us fee for our Sacraments, as they do for our e&s;tates.</P>
<P>I be&s;eech you con&s;ider, (e&s;pecially you in who&s;e hands it is, <NOTE PLACE="marg">This Intere&s;t pre&s;&s;ed mainly upon Parlia|ment members.</NOTE> to <HI>encourage</HI> us, or to <HI>per&s;ecute</HI> us by a law) God calls to you this day, and this charge is yours, <HI>Do my Prophets no harme.</HI> I dare not think you wil <HI>vote</HI> us or <HI>enact</HI> us into a <HI>&s;uffering condi|on</HI> for <HI>preaching</HI> to you, or <HI>praying</HI> for you. But however, I be|&s;eech you beware how you come under being <HI>interpreted</HI> to <HI>doe</HI> &s;o, by not <HI>forbidding</HI> them that would <HI>cru&s;hus,</HI> and to their po|wer do <NOTE N="a" PLACE="marg"><HI>Qui non v<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">|tat pe<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">care, cumpo&s;&s;it jubet.</HI></NOTE>. I do not readily remember any but <HI>wicked Princes</HI> <NOTE N="b" PLACE="marg"><HI>Ahab, Jero|boam, Zedeki|ah. Naz.</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">.</NOTE> (that Scripture records) that <HI>&s;uffered</HI> good Prophets to be abu|&s;ed before their <HI>faces.</HI> Let me tell you freely, the people are <HI>gone</HI> as <HI>far</HI> in harming Prophets, as they <HI>dare goe without</HI> you. Some will not <HI>heare</HI> them, except they may <HI>pre&s;cribe</HI> to them. <HI>The &s;heep</HI> (as the Father ob&s;erves it, was an ab&s;urdity of his time) <HI>feede their Shepheards.</HI> Every one that hath the <HI>gift of Arrogance</HI> and <HI>Ignorance</HI> enough (contrary to an <HI>Ordinance</HI> of your own) takes a liberty of <HI>lawle&s;&s;e prophe&s;ying,</HI> and by that practice (to al who&s;e eyes a love of <HI>Anarchy</HI> hath not blinded) <HI>prophe&s;ies</HI> the <HI>ruine</HI> of this flouri&s;hing <HI>Church</HI> &amp; <HI>State,</HI> except your care timely prevent it. And what &s;corn is everywhere ca&s;t by Sectaries of all &s;orts not only upon all the <HI>Mini&s;tery of this Kingdom</HI> in <HI>generall,</HI> but upon an <HI>A&s;&s;embly,</HI> in w^c^h there is as much <HI>learning, holine&s;&s;e,</HI> &amp; <HI>gravity,</HI> as ever <HI>Europe</HI> (I think) could &s;hevv in a like number
<PB N="14" REF="16"> of men; and which &s;it by your <HI>Authority,</HI> and therefore in <HI>equity</HI> ought to have your <HI>protection;</HI> you need goe no farther for en|quiry, then the late <HI>whol&s;ome</HI> di&s;covery of the <HI>poy&s;on</HI> of <HI>A&s;pes</HI> under the <HI>lips</HI> of many of them, in the <HI>hi&s;toricall</HI> part of <HI>Gangre|na.</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Vid: Gangren. 2^d part 1 ecit: page, 155. 156.</NOTE> What threatning <HI>&s;peeches</HI> have proceeded from &s;ome of them, (the true Image of their <HI>bloudy thoughts)</HI> are they not written in the <HI>Records</HI> of him to whom <HI>vengeance belongeth?</HI> The all-&s;eeing God knows, what <HI>arrows</HI> and <HI>&s;words</HI> they continual|ly <HI>&s;peake,</HI> again&s;t the Prophets of the mo&s;t High: and we make no que&s;tion will one day <HI>retort</HI> them into their own brea&s;ts.</P>
<P>Thus far they goe, and farther they would proceed, no que|&s;tion, (or el&s;e they &s;trangely degenerate from their <HI>Grand&s;ires of Mun&s;ter)</HI> if you would but &s;leep a little, and let them <HI>play</HI> the <HI>Kings</HI> a while without <HI>controule.</HI> But God forbid that they &s;hould ever proceed &s;o far as to per&s;wade you to <HI>enable,</HI> or <HI>&s;uf|fer</HI> them to <HI>act</HI> what they have in their <HI>thoughts,</HI> again&s;t tho&s;e without whom, neither they, nor your &s;elves, had ever <HI>had</HI> the <HI>common enemy</HI> at &s;uch a <HI>lift,</HI> as (God be ble&s;&s;ed) you now <HI>have.</HI> I be&s;eech you pardon me this <HI>Character,</HI> and (&s;eeing 'tis a <HI>plau&s;i|ble Argument,</HI> which you have more then once bin urged with|all for favour to the <HI>rabble</HI> of all &s;orts of <HI>Sectaries, to minde you of the good &s;uch and &s;uch have done for you and the Kingdome,)</HI> give me leave a little to <HI>reflect</HI> upon the <HI>advantages,</HI> which by the means of the <HI>Mini&s;tery the Lord</HI> hath brought to the <HI>great worke.</HI></P>
<P>I &s;hall &s;ay no more, but this. That the people <HI>offered</HI> them|&s;elves &s;o <HI>willingly</HI> to your a&s;&s;i&s;tance, that they <HI>contributed</HI> their e&s;tates &s;o <HI>liberally,</HI> that they have <HI>adventured</HI> their <HI>lives</HI> &s;o <HI>vali|antly,</HI> that they have <HI>borne</HI> the <HI>length,</HI> and <HI>chances</HI> of <HI>Warre</HI> &s;o <HI>patiently, adhered</HI> to you &s;o <HI>con&s;tantly,</HI> that the <HI>City</HI> hath <HI>a&s;&s;i&s;ted</HI> &s;o <HI>cordially,</HI> that our <HI>Brethren</HI> came to our <HI>a&s;&s;i&s;tance</HI> &s;o <HI>readily,</HI> nay (let me add) that your <HI>owne hearts</HI> have been <HI>kept up</HI> &s;o <HI>re&s;o|lutely;</HI> the main meanes under God, (I dare &s;ay) hath been the <HI>concurrence</HI> of the <HI>faithfull Prophets</HI> of God with you, in this <HI>worke.</HI> Far from my brea&s;t be the thought that they &s;hall ever have cau&s;e to &s;ay with their Saviour: For <HI>which of the&s;e good works do you &s;tone us?</HI> Nay, I hope that you will one day <HI>&s;top</HI> tho&s;e <HI>blacke mouths</HI> that <HI>raile</HI> at them, and <HI>puni&s;h</HI> tho&s;e that <HI>de|&s;pightfully u&s;e</HI> them.</P>
<PB N="15" REF="16">
<P> I be&s;eech you that you will make &s;ome exemplary for rai|ling at our Calling; and therein vindicate an Ordinance of your own; <NOTE N="a" PLACE="marg">The Ordina~ce for ordination after quoted.</NOTE> &s;ee your own Ordinance put in execution, for the &s;ecuring of our Pulpits from the &s;urprizall of every in&s;o|lent mechanick; help us again&s;t the evil <HI>&s;pirits</HI> of the&s;e days, that &s;teale from us (as <HI>Au&s;tin</HI> complaines) our new-borne children, ere they can goe alone, and for the <HI>&s;ervice</HI> of their own <HI>belltes,</HI> make <HI>merchandize</HI> of their &s;oules. <NOTE N="b" PLACE="marg"><HI>Chri&s;tianos quos maxime Chri&s;ti nomine &s;educunt, jam per ip&s;ius Chri|&s;ti Evange lium natos inveniunt &amp; faciunt illos divitias &s;uas.</HI> Aug. 13. cont. Mani.</NOTE> Helpe us again&s;t tho&s;e &s;eeds-men of the evill one that creepe into hou&s;es, and &s;ow <HI>tares,</HI> where 'tis not in our power (though never &s;o watchfull) to prevent them. Suppre&s;&s;e tho&s;e &s;et private meetings, in which the&s;e <HI>Jeroboams</HI> Prie&s;ts vent their My&s;tery of Inquity: and which they in divers places of this Kingdome altogether again&s;t the mind, and without the knowledge, and privity of the Pa&s;tors, and at the time of publique Ordinances, frequent, and maintaine. Con&s;ider I pray you what the Father &s;aith in a like ca&s;e; de&s;iring the Magi&s;trate to &s;uppre&s;&s;e <HI>Apollinarius</HI> his meetings. Hee po&s;itively affirmes that if they permitted &s;uch Schooles of Errours, again&s;t their judgment, (for what ever ends of policy) it were in effect to <HI>proclaim their tenets orthodox, yea more orthodox then their own</HI> <NOTE N="a" PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>Naz. Orat.</HI> 46.</NOTE>; and either they mu&s;t know their errours, and permit them, or thinke them truths, and not embrace them; either of which I know not how a good Con&s;cience can brooke. <HI>It is a matter of great moment</HI> (&s;aith <HI>Nazianzen) to re&s;train men from murther, and puni&s;h for a|dultery, but 'tis more to make lawes for the &s;preading and pre&s;erving Religion, to ble&s;&s;e a people with &s;ound doctrine. Truly</HI> (as he goes on) <HI>the words of a Mini&s;ter are not able to do &s;o much, in conte&s;ting for fundamentall truths</HI> [even for the <HI>holy Trinity</HI> it &s;elfe, as he in|&s;tances in that place] <HI>as the commands of the Magi&s;trate; if hee by authority &s;top the mouths of tho&s;e that are &s;icke of &s;uch hereticall infe|ction, if he helps tho&s;e that are per&s;ecuted by them, if he re&s;traine the murtherers of &s;oules, and keep poor &s;oules from being murthered</HI> <NOTE N="b" PLACE="marg"><HI>Naz. Orat.</HI> 31. <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>&amp;c &amp; infra.</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>Naz Orat.</HI> 31.</NOTE>, his interpo&s;ing may likely be a meanes effectuall, and powerfull to that purpo&s;e. But e&s;pecially look to it that there may bee no cau&s;e given from any carriage of any of you, to make faithfull Mini&s;ters thinke, plaine truth will not bee as <HI>welcome</HI> to <HI>We&s;t|min&s;ter now</HI> as <HI>heretofore,</HI> con&s;idering that you have &s;o much
<PB N="24" REF="17"> cau&s;e to thanke God, that in this great worke you have had &s;o many <HI>plaine dealing</HI> Preachers about you, who have beene in|&s;trumentall to keepe up your &s;pirits in the <HI>lowe&s;t</HI> times, &amp; have continually <HI>advi&s;ed</HI> you to tho&s;e wayes which God hath ble&s;|&s;ed with &s;o much &s;ucce&s;&s;e, e&s;pecially in the point of the <HI>Cove|nant,</HI> in the <HI>quarrell</HI> whereof you have ever &s;ince the day you tooke it (for the mo&s;t part, con&s;tantly) <HI>pro&s;pered;</HI> and con&s;ide|ring too, that &s;ome that have Printed &s;editious, and traiterous <HI>Libels</HI> again&s;t you, are yet (as to any publike notice) <HI>unpuni&s;hed,</HI> one of them though que&s;tioned and in trouble, got too ea&s;ily off.</P>
<P>Con&s;ider I be&s;eech you, God hath now wonderfully pro&s;|pered you, and your Cau&s;e: Sure, there is no man will be &s;o <HI>wicked</HI> as to <HI>per&s;ecute</HI> his <HI>Mini&s;ters in token of thankefulne&s;&s;e to him.</HI> If there be, let him con&s;ider what God &s;aith to his own people, when they bragged, God <HI>had delivered them to do all manner of a|bominations,</HI> Jer. 7. 10. 12. 14, 15, 16. Neither will any (I hope) be &s;o unmindfull of his <HI>Covenant</HI> (however &s;ome <HI>aequivocate</HI> in it <HI>gro&s;&s;ely)</HI> as to tolerate tho&s;e who mu&s;t needs (according to their Hereticall and Schi&s;maticall Principles) out of <HI>mi&s;taken</HI> con&s;cience <HI>per&s;ecute Mini&s;ters</HI> (as Chri&s;t &s;aith &s;ome &s;hould his Di&s;ciples) <HI>and think they therein do God &s;ervice.</HI> What &s;ucce&s;s God hath given an handfull of them (among <HI>many thou&s;ands of o|therwi&s;e minded)</HI> in the <HI>Army,</HI> I hope &s;hall be no &s;tronger plea for an <HI>Antimini&s;teriall,</HI> and <HI>haereticall,</HI> then it is for the <HI>&s;canda|lous and profane party;</HI> with which the&s;e, and all <HI>Armies</HI> (e&s;peci|ally among the <HI>ordinary</HI> &s;ouldiers) mu&s;t needs abound, &amp; who have had as large <HI>hand</HI> too in their <HI>&s;ucce&s;&s;es.</HI></P>
<P>I am &s;ure, by the <HI>Covenant</HI> you may as lawfully &s;uffer both, as <HI>either.</HI> I know there are tho&s;e here in this City, that would <NOTE PLACE="marg">Vide Ma&s;ter <HI>Burroughs</HI> Ire|nicum. p. 130.</NOTE> faine take an Argument from the &s;ucce&s;&s;es that God hath given to his <HI>owne cau&s;e,</HI> in the hands of <HI>differently</HI> affected per&s;ons, to &s;et God in the <HI>head</HI> of an <HI>heterogeneous body,</HI> made up of as diffe|ring <HI>members,</HI> as <HI>Nebuchadnezzars</HI> Image was of differing <HI>me|talls,</HI> I meane a party made up of all kinds of Sectaries. I hope they will con&s;ider how the <HI>Cavalliers</HI> &s;ped, when upon their &s;ucce&s;&s;es, they <HI>bla&s;phemou&s;ly</HI> vaunted, that <HI>God was turned Caval|lier;</HI> and thereby be per&s;waded to beware, how they (as <HI>bla&s;|phemou&s;ly)</HI>
<PB N="25" REF="17"> thinke, <HI>he is now turned Sectary.</HI></P>
<P>Honourable Patriots give mee <HI>pardon</HI> for this digre&s;&s;ion in point of <HI>Method,</HI> I aske <HI>none</HI> in point of <HI>matter.</HI> Nor indeed is it &s;o altogether improper here. I am fully convinced, it con|cerns you as nearly as the Text concerns you; &s;eeing you can|not harme Prophets more, then by making the <HI>per&s;ecution</HI> of them <HI>legall;</HI> which you mu&s;t needs do, if you make a Law to tolerate tho&s;e <HI>wayes,</HI> who&s;e <HI>principles</HI> nece&s;&s;arily involve it.</P>
<P>I &s;peake not for <HI>idle, ignominious,</HI> or <HI>&s;candalous</HI> Mini&s;ters that are called Mini&s;ters <HI>in opprobrium Mini&s;terii,</HI> &s;uch as drive the <HI>bloody trade of damning &s;oules.</HI> Away to the <HI>dunghill</HI> with &s;uch <HI>un|&s;avory &s;alt.</HI> They may be employed any where <HI>cheaper</HI> to the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eo deteriores &s;unt, quia me|liores non &s;unt, qui meliores e&s;&s;e debuerunt. Salv.</NOTE> State that employes them, then in the <HI>Pulpit.</HI> Let their lot be <HI>&s;o much</HI> the <HI>heavier,</HI> by <HI>how much</HI> they &s;hould have beene <HI>better</HI> then they are, &s;eeing they are <HI>&s;o much the wor&s;e,</HI> (as <HI>Salvian</HI> &s;aith in another ca&s;e) <HI>becau&s;e they are no better, who &s;hould have been bet|ter.</HI> (I could wi&s;h they had not too many <HI>Patrons</HI> among tho&s;e, who thinke the continuing them, will &s;o <HI>corrupt our governe|ment, as to make a greater re&s;ort to their &s;eparated Congregations.)</HI> I thinke I &s;peake the thoughts of all the godly Mini&s;ters in the land, they will be &s;o far from charging you with <HI>harming</HI> Pro|phets for <HI>puni&s;hing,</HI> and <HI>putting out</HI> the&s;e, that they will thinke no action of yours will do them more <HI>right,</HI> then <HI>freeing</HI> them from &s;uch <HI>botches</HI> of that <HI>honourable calling.</HI></P>
<P>Tho&s;e I plead for, are the <HI>faithful, Orthodox, able,</HI> and <HI>con&s;ci|entious</HI> Pa&s;tors. U&s;e them well, as you love your &s;elves, and the Kingdome, which I am confident (if they <HI>peri&s;h</HI> from the Land) will not long &s;urvive them.</P>
<P>And now a word to you of the City, and all that feare God, and heare me this day. The Lord be ble&s;&s;ed, you have (for the mo&s;t con&s;iderable part of you) been the <HI>&s;hields and bucklers of the Prophets.</HI> And be you &s;o &s;till. My Text hath a charge for you too. I hope you &s;ee how the Prophets Intere&s;t and yours are intwi&s;ted each within the other. You cannot but know how &s;oon <HI>Mun&s;ters</HI> calamity followed the per&s;ecution of of its Mi|ni&s;ters. You know how a <HI>community</HI> of prophe&s;ying there u&s;h|ered in a community of e&s;tates, and plurality of Wives: and <HI>when</HI> their new-come Prophets had altogether expelled, or in|fected
<PB N="26" REF="18"> their &s;tanding Preachers; 'twas not long ere they fell to cut the throats, and rifle the hou&s;es of the wicked; that is, all tho&s;e that had not lo&s;t their <HI>Religion</HI> and their <HI>Wits</HI> like them&s;elves. <HI>Sleyden</HI> tells us that <HI>Thomas Muncer</HI> the fire-brand of <HI>Germany</HI> in its fir&s;t Reformation, began tho&s;e Combu&s;tions by preaching again&s;t <HI>Luther,</HI> and cutting out a middle way be|tween him and the Pope, to make <HI>Luther</HI> as odious on one &s;ide, as the Pope on the other &s;ide <NOTE N="a" PLACE="marg"><HI>Sleid. lib.</HI> 5. <HI>Com. Huc<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;cil. Al&s;tetum ubi eomnigra vit ille, coepit doce|re primum non &s;olum adver&s;as p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">n<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">ificem Ro|manum, &s;ed ip|&s;um quoque Lutherum; u|tri<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;que doctri|nam e&s;&s;e vi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">io|&s;am &amp; impu|ram, &amp;c.</HI></NOTE>. And a little after in <HI>Mun&s;ter</HI> 'twas voted an Ace beyond him, that of the two fal&s;e Pro|phets the <HI>Pope</HI> and <HI>Luther, Luther</HI> was the wor&s;t <NOTE N="b" PLACE="marg"><HI>Id lib.</HI> 10. <HI>Comm. Luthe|rum etiam &amp; Pontificem Ro|manum aiunt e&s;&s;e fal&s;os Pro|phetas. Luthe|rum tamen al|tero deterio|rem.</HI></NOTE>. And what were the &s;i&s;ter opinions unto this; and into what confu&s;i|on they quickly reduced the whole City and Countrey by <HI>decrying</HI> the <HI>Magi&s;trates</HI> as much, the &s;ame Hi&s;torian abun|dantly relates. Sure, that <HI>Generation</HI> hath hitherto had <HI>like good will</HI> to both <HI>Civill</HI> and <HI>Eccle&s;ia&s;ticall</HI> power. I cannot but take notice that M^r.*<HI>Tombes</HI> in his late <HI>examination</HI> of Ma|&s;ter <HI>Mar&s;hall's</HI> Sermon, (though he deny the <HI>nece&s;&s;ary depen|dance</HI> of the re&s;t of tho&s;e <HI>Muncerian</HI> and <HI>Mun&s;terian</HI> mi&s;carria|ges, upon the opinion of <HI>Antipaedobapti&s;me,</HI> in which point Ma&s;ter <HI>Mar&s;hall</HI> hath an&s;wered &s;ufficiently, yet) taking occa|&s;ion to lay downe &s;ome rea&s;ons upon which it may &s;eem no wonder, it was &s;o accompanied in tho&s;e dayes: among the re&s;t, he alledgeth their <HI>want</HI> of a regular <HI>Mini&s;tery:</HI> and hence I believe I may be bold to argue thus far; that whatever Sects are enemies to a regular Mini&s;tery (as mo&s;t of the Sectaries in <HI>Eng|land</HI> <NOTE N="c" PLACE="marg"><HI>But it is no marvaile that when men grow into Sects &s;uch things happen, o&s;pecially when the Reformation of an abu&s;e is denyed in an orderly Synodicall way.</HI> [In which yet (referring to Mun&s;ter) Ma&s;ter <HI>Tombes</HI> to excu&s;e the Anabapti&s;ts, without Autho|rity, cro&s;seth the Hi&s;tory that <HI>Sleyden</HI> tells us, l. 10. that before the Magi&s;trates of Mun&s;ter expelled them, by a Decree they allowed them a di&s;pute before them with the Mini&s;ters, which as the place would permit was an orderly Synodicall way; and afterwards offered them another, before learned, and able Moderators, which <HI>Rotman</HI> refu&s;ed] <HI>and the per|&s;ons that &s;eek it declaimed again&s;t, accu&s;ed, and accur&s;ed, and per&s;ecuted as Schi&s;maticks, and Hereticks, and unlearned and factious men,</HI> [marke the&s;e words; this is the plaine &s;tate of mo&s;t of our Sectaries in England] <HI>joyne with a di&s;contented party for fini&s;ter ends, &s;o that the men that hold an opinion have no regular Mini&s;tery nor orderly meetings to debate, or conclude of things among them&s;elves; and to agree upon a confe&s;&s;ion of their Doctrine to be by all avouched.</HI> Tombs Examin. page 24. Sect. 5.</NOTE> are, and mo&s;t Anabapti&s;ts of any) 'tis no wonder if they bring them&s;elves, and the places where they are, into &s;uch tur|bulent,
<PB N="27" REF="18"> and <HI>Antimagi&s;traticall</HI> practi&s;es. And truely, 'tis no wonder to me, when I con&s;ider that the <HI>Principles</HI> of their <HI>en|mity</HI> to Mini&s;tery will ea&s;ily be improved to an <HI>overthrow</HI> of <HI>Magi&s;tracy.</HI></P>
<P>Heare it I be&s;eech you, all you that love order; and believe it Citizens, (who&s;e <HI>Government</HI> hitherto hath been your <HI>Glo|ry)</HI> according to the&s;e mens <HI>principles,</HI> (as farre as they are plea&s;ed to di&s;cover them) you have no greater <HI>&s;ecurity</HI> for your <HI>&s;word,</HI> or <HI>&s;eat</HI> of <HI>Ju&s;tice,</HI> for your <HI>Chaines</HI> and <HI>Scarlet,</HI> then wee have for our <HI>Coats</HI> or our <HI>Pulpits.</HI> And &s;ure in their u&s;uall way of arguing, from a pretended <HI>flaw</HI> in our <HI>Calling,</HI> to a &s;corn of our <HI>Doctrine,</HI> a &s;urprizall of our <HI>Office,</HI> and a per&s;ecution of our <HI>Per&s;ons;</HI> though they doe not mention you in their <HI>premi&s;es,</HI> yet they may in the <HI>Conclu&s;ion;</HI> ('Tis ordinary with their Sophi&s;try, to bring more in the conclu&s;ion then is in the premi&s;es) and it will goe hard with them, if when they have begun with the <HI>Mini&s;ter,</HI> they do not end with the <HI>Magi&s;trate,</HI> &amp; when they have made the <HI>Mini&s;ter good man Prie&s;t,</HI> they will bid faire to make my <HI>Lord, Mr. Major</HI> <NOTE N="a" PLACE="marg"><HI>And how pro|bable this is &s;ee the di&s;pu|tation recorded in Gangraena.</HI> 2. <HI>Part. p.</HI> 17. <HI>where the A|nabapti&s;ticall Di&s;putants un|lorded the Lord Ma<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">or, &amp; called him in &s;corne, Ma&s;ter Major.</HI></NOTE>. For let any man tell me in &s;ober &s;adnes, whether by the <HI>Warrant,</HI> which they pretend from 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 4. 10. they may not as wel make them&s;elves <HI>Magi&s;trates,</HI> as they conclude them&s;elves <HI>Preachers.</HI> I know not if a mans &s;ole gifts authorize him to teach (though not by vertue of any office, yet out of <HI>charity;</HI> as they di&s;tingui&s;h mo&s;t ab&s;urdly, as if <HI>Charity</HI> would beare a man out in doing acts of office, with|out a <HI>Commi&s;&s;ion)</HI> why they may not be as <HI>charitable</HI> to the <HI>Lord Major and Court of Aldermen,</HI> as to us; e&s;pecially &s;eeing the <HI>manife&s;tation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withall:</HI> &amp; &s;ure there is a gift of <HI>Governing,</HI> as well as a gift of <HI>Prophecying.</HI></P>
<P>And let any man againe re&s;olve me whether if <HI>[Be not Lords over Gods Heritage]</HI> exclude us from all <HI>power</HI> in the <HI>Church; [Call no man Ma&s;ter upon earth;</HI> and, <HI>Dare any of you goe to Law be|fore an Infidell, and not before the Saints]</HI> doe not &s;hut you out from any in the <HI>State</HI> as well; e&s;pecially when they &s;hall <HI>vote</HI> you <HI>Infidels</HI> (as the <HI>Anabapti&s;ts</HI> have mo&s;t of you already in ef|fect) and your Government to be after the <HI>manner of the na|tions;</HI> as they have us <HI>Anticri&s;tian,</HI> and our government <HI>tyran|nicall.</HI>
<PB N="28" REF="19"> Adde to this, that your governement in your <HI>Families</HI> hangs in the &s;ame &s;tring; and why your <HI>&s;ervants</HI> may not take upon them to be your <HI>Ma&s;ters</HI> when they plea&s;e, that is, when they are per&s;waded they have a gift of <HI>governing</HI> better then you, I know not, if the former Argument be &s;ound: at lea&s;t, why not refu&s;e to call you Ma&s;ters, if the latter be valid.</P>
<P>Con&s;ider I be&s;eech you Citizens; you have <HI>borrowed</HI> from the whole <HI>Kingdom</HI> the choy&s;e&s;t <HI>Jewels</HI> they have. I believe you &s;ee, they will be called away from you fa&s;t enough, now the Countrey is open againe: if upon their departure, you have a <HI>famine</HI> of the word, it will perhaps be a <HI>vexation</HI> of &s;pirit to you to remember, if (which God forbid) you &s;hould entreat the&s;e <HI>Jo&s;ephs</HI> ill while you have them, whom God hath <HI>&s;ent</HI> before to &s;tore you, perhaps again&s;t &s;uch a time.</P>
<P>Sure it concernes you neerely to take that care for them which the Apo&s;tle <HI>Paul</HI> chargeth his <HI>Corinthians</HI> to take for <HI>Timothy,</HI> 1 <HI>Corinth.</HI> 16. 10. that they <HI>may bee among you without feare; that no man de&s;pi&s;e them.</HI> Let them have no cau&s;e to com|plaine of <HI>London,</HI> as <HI>Salvian</HI> doth of <HI>Carthage: The Athenians</HI> and <HI>Lycaonians them&s;elves would heare Paul;</HI> But in <HI>Carthage</HI> (&s;aith he) <HI>&s;uch &s;ervants of God cannot bee &s;een in the &s;treets with|out reproaches.</HI> Let not &s;uch u&s;ages be e&s;teemed no <HI>per&s;ecuti|on,</HI> becau&s;e 'tis not <HI>Man-&s;laughter;</HI> and faithfull <HI>Mini&s;tery</HI> the le&s;&s;e <HI>Martyrs,</HI> becau&s;e they are not <HI>murthered.</HI> Truely, that things are not come to that height, 'tis not becau&s;e the Per&s;e|cutors are not <HI>bloudy</HI> enough, but becau&s;e they are not <HI>Potent</HI> enough; <HI>and this kindne&s;&s;e is not the mens, but the Lawes</HI> <NOTE N="a" PLACE="marg"><HI>Intra Cartha|ginem appare|re in plateis &amp; compitis Dei fervos &s;ine contumelia non licuit. Per&s;ecutionem hanc &s;ui&s;&s;e non putant, qui a non &amp; occi&s;i &s;unt&mdash;&s;ed in &V;rbe illa, non tam hominum fueru~t hac beneficia, &s;ed legum. Salv.</HI> Another ad|dre&s;se to all together, con|cerning this Intere&s;t.</NOTE>. My Lords, Commons, Citizens, Brethren, all that heare me this day; doe you thinke you have any greater <HI>Intere&s;t</HI> then your <HI>Religion?</HI> I am &s;ure you <HI>&s;hould</HI> not; I hope you doe not. You are bid to <HI>contend earne&s;tly for the faith once delivered to the Saints</HI> <NOTE N="b" PLACE="marg">Jude 5.</NOTE>. As you love Religion look to the u&s;age of Gods Prophets. Were it not for them I know not, (things having been carried as they have (that I &s;ay no more) by &s;ome of the <HI>Civill</HI> and <HI>Martiall</HI> power) how many <HI>Articles</HI> of our <HI>Faith</HI> had remained <HI>unque&s;tioned</HI> by this time. Neither doe I know yet, whether in their private Congregations by
<PB N="17" REF="19"> &s;ome or other, they be not all <HI>undetermined.</HI> I have cau&s;e to be|lieve mo&s;t are. But &s;ure, that they yet dare not <HI>outface the light,</HI> 'tis no &s;mall fruit of the labours of the <HI>orthodox Prophets.</HI> Sure had our <HI>Pulpits</HI> (through our default) beene as open to them, as (by the fault of others) the <HI>Pre&s;&s;es</HI> have, you had &s;carce (as far as &s;ome could prevaile to rob you of them) had, left you, a <HI>God,</HI> a <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> an <HI>holy Gho&s;t,</HI> a <HI>Word of God,</HI> a <HI>Sacrament,</HI> nay (you had been &s;o far from being <HI>allowed</HI> to be <HI>Chri&s;tians,</HI> that) you had been <HI>denyed</HI> to be <HI>Men,</HI> and been <HI>unrea&s;onably</HI> &s;coft at for not <HI>renouncing</HI> your &s;oules.</P>
<P>Nay the&s;e <GAP DESC="foreign">, the&s;e <HI>depths of Sathan</HI> are not yet <HI>&s;ounded</HI> to the <HI>bottome.</HI> They do not yet tell you when they will leave <HI>robbing</HI> you. The <HI>innumerable incomprehen&s;ible Re&s;erve of New-light</HI> is the <HI>Gyges ring,</HI> by meanes whereof they walke in a <HI>cloud</HI> at noon-day, and keep their principles <HI>invi&s;ible</HI> <NOTE N="a" PLACE="marg"><HI>Quotidie Hae|retici immuta~t dogmata &s;ua. Deni&abque; &s;i vir Eccle&s;ia&s;ticus de Scripturis e|ruditus conten|derit contra e|es, &amp; Scriptu|ris &s;anctis coar|guerit eos, &s;ta|tim requirunt quomodo aliud novum dogma reperiant. Non quaerunt quo|modo &s;alventur&punc; &s;ed quomodo &s;uperent.</HI> Hier. in P&s;. 5.</NOTE>. <HI>To day they &s;it with us and judge with us, if the great drivers of the de&s;igne, and leaders of the rabble &s;o guide them: to morrow they &s;it, and vote again&s;t us, if the wind turn; and (which is wor&s;e) are not a&s;hamed to &s;ay and un&s;ay before the &s;ame Auditors</HI> <NOTE N="b" PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">. Naz. Orat. 32.</NOTE>. <HI>&amp;c. Quo teneam vul|tus mutantem Protea nodo?</HI> Thus they <HI>&s;hift</HI> tenets continually le&s;t you &s;hould take <HI>hold</HI> of them; and when you thinke you have them at an advantage, they &s;tep a&s;ide behind &s;ome <HI>aequivocation</HI> or other, and leave a <HI>cloud</HI> in your <HI>Armes</HI> in &s;tead of that you <HI>gra&s;ped</HI> at. Nor is this liberty taken only in things of <HI>&s;mal</HI> con|cernment, and of an <HI>indifferent</HI> nature. <HI>Here is the danger, and the wonder of it.</HI> There <HI>are as many Faiths abroad as fancies, &s;o ma|ny Faiths as de&s;troy all faith; yea, concerning God him&s;elf, every year, may every moneth begets a new Creed, the new undermines the olde</HI> <NOTE N="c" PLACE="marg"><HI>Periculo&s;um vobis at&abque; etiam mirabile e&s;t tot nunc fides exi&s;tere, quot voluntates, &amp;c. Sic plurimae coeperunt e&s;&s;e fides, ut nulla &s;it; imo vero annuae, men&s;truae&abque; de Deo fides de|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">ernuntur; novis &s;ubvertuntur vetera,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>Hilar. lib ad Con&s;tantium &amp; Con&s;t. Impp. de Arian.</HI></NOTE>. How (beloved) can you think it &s;afe for <HI>Religion</HI> now, to part with your <HI>orthodox</HI> Prophets, that <HI>hold fa&s;t the forme of &s;ound Do|ctrine,</HI> and have learning enough to <HI>confute the&s;e gain&s;ayers;</HI> for a rabble of <HI>bottomle&s;&s;e</HI> opinions, and opinioni&s;ts: the workings
<PB N="30" REF="20"> of who&s;e fancies are as re&s;tle&s;&s;e, and more <HI>unbounded</HI> and <HI>irregu|lar,</HI> then the va&s;t <HI>Occan,</HI> which hath its <HI>confines</HI> of motion ap|pointed, and an <HI>Huc u&s;&abque;</HI> to put a <HI>&s;top</HI> to its <HI>proud waves?</HI></P>
<P>By this I hope you &s;ee how greatly your &s;elves, nay Re|ligion it &s;elfe, are <HI>Intere&s;ted</HI> in the u&s;age of your Pa&s;tors and Gods Prophets.</P>
<P>And now I had done, had I not cau&s;e to thinke &s;ome cavil|ving <NOTE PLACE="marg">An Appendix for the vindica|tion of our Mi|ni&s;tery again&s;t the common cavill that 'tis Antichri&s;tian, becau&s;e we had our Ordi|nation from Prelates.</NOTE> &s;pirits, wovld thinke to receive the <HI>charge</HI> in the Text, &amp; yet &s;ave them&s;elves <HI>harmle&s;&s;e</HI> by que&s;tioning the <HI>application,</HI> as not belonging to the <HI>Mini&s;ters of this Church;</HI> whom they will not own as men <HI>commi&s;&s;ioned by God,</HI> but <HI>Emi&s;&s;aries of Antichri&s;t, and therefore unlawfully called.</HI></P>
<P>I could in the fir&s;t place (but that the <HI>objecters</HI> and <HI>they</HI> in o|ther things <HI>agree</HI> &s;o well, that in <HI>this,</HI> there is little hope they will <HI>fall out)</HI> &s;et <HI>them</HI> and the <HI>Papi&s;ts</HI> by the eares about it. How &s;aith the <HI>Je&s;uite;</HI> are our Mini&s;ters true Mini&s;ters or no? No (&s;aith he) <HI>for they have not a calling from the univer&s;all Bi&s;hop.</HI> And how &s;ay you now Ma&s;ter <HI>Anabapti&s;t,</HI> are our Mini&s;ters true Mi|ni&s;ters or no? No (&s;aith he) <HI>for they are &s;ent by the Pope of Rome, and &s;o Anti-chri&s;tian.</HI> Friends agree among your &s;elves, what to <HI>object,</HI> and we wil <HI>an&s;wer</HI> you both together; or <HI>fall out</HI> among your &s;elves, and <HI>you</HI> will <HI>an&s;wer one another.</HI> But &s;ure as long as you &s;tand thus <HI>oppo&s;ite</HI> in your a&s;&s;ertions, one mu&s;t lye, and (be|cau&s;e the world know's not which) they will ca&s;t the lye at a venture, and truly &s;peake it <HI>hand&s;omer,</HI> and call it <HI>aequivocation</HI> or <HI>mentall re&s;ervation,,</HI> and you are <HI>both</HI> too well <HI>ver&s;ed</HI> in it to <HI>di&s;owne</HI> it.</P>
<P>But I &s;hall &s;peake a few words to the cavill it&s;elfe, and but a few; For I remember this is a <HI>Sermon,</HI> not a <HI>Treati&s;e.</HI> To cleare <NOTE PLACE="marg">The objection an&s;wered to the Parliament from their own Ordinance for ordination of Mini&s;ters, bea|ring date, Oct. 2. 1644.</NOTE> this particular, the <HI>ground</HI> of my exhortation to you, (my Lords and Gentlemen) I &s;hall not need. I will not thinke you have &s;et forth any thing as the re&s;ult of both <HI>Hou&s;es</HI> debates, which you were not fully &s;etled in. Nor will I thinke you are &s;o given to change, as to di&s;avow that now, which you have in a publique edict <HI>acknowledged.</HI> I read your &s;en&s;e of this Que|&s;tion in your <HI>Ordinance</HI> for <HI>Ordination,</HI> where in the <HI>Preamble</HI> you a&s;&s;ert, <HI>That no man ought to take upon him the office of a Mini|&s;ter untill he be lawfully called, and ordained thereunto; that this Or|dination,
<PB N="31" REF="20"> (that is, an outward &s;olemn &s;etting apart of per&s;ons for the office of the Mini&s;tery in the Church by preaching Pre&s;byters) is an Ordinance of Je&s;us Chri&s;t. That tho&s;e who have been formerly ordai|ned by Bi&s;hops, (&s;eeing that action was performed by them as Pre&s;by|ters, with the A&s;&s;i&s;tance of other Pre&s;byters) have an Ordination for &s;ub&s;tance valid, and not to be di&s;claimed by any that have received it.</HI></P>
<P>So that 'tis the <HI>&s;en&s;e of both Hou&s;es,</HI> that our Ordination (as by Bi&s;hops, the medium by which the <HI>Anabapti&s;ts</HI> prove us An|tichri&s;tian) is notwith&s;tanding <HI>according</HI> to an <HI>Ordinance of Je|&s;us Chri&s;t for &s;ub&s;tance, and con&s;titutes us Mini&s;ters of the Church of Chri&s;t, and capable of giving a like mi&s;&s;ion to others.</HI> What there|fore <HI>concerns</HI> you in the application of the charge in my Text, your own Ordinance fa&s;tens on you, and I hope it &s;hall never <HI>witne&s;&s;e</HI> again&s;t you. I per&s;wade my &s;elfe, &s;eeing you acknow|ledge us Mini&s;ters of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and &s;o Go&s;pell Prophets, to you I have not <HI>mi&s;applyed.</HI></P>
<P>To you <HI>Citizens</HI> and fellow <HI>Brethren,</HI> I &s;hall &s;peake as con|ci&s;ely <NOTE PLACE="marg">To the re&s;t.</NOTE> too as is po&s;&s;ible. If you are <HI>converted to Chri&s;t,</HI> and not to <HI>opinion,</HI> you mu&s;t needs come within the <HI>reach</HI> of the Apo&s;tles <HI>Argument.</HI> If the&s;e Mini&s;ters be not <HI>Apo&s;tles to others,</HI> yet they <NOTE PLACE="marg">Di&s;covering the undutifu|ne&s;s of the ob|jectors (mo&s;t of them) in &s;o ob|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">ecting. Que&s;tioning the con&s;eque~ce of the argu|ment.</NOTE> <HI>are to you.</HI> For mo&s;t of you are <HI>begotten by their Go&s;pell,</HI> and I hope no <HI>dutifull &s;onne</HI> will charge his <HI>Father</HI> with <HI>illegitimation.</HI></P>
<P>To others who thus argue, our <HI>Mini&s;tery</HI> is <HI>derived from An|tichri&s;t,</HI> that is, in their meaning, from Bi&s;hops in&s;talled by him, <HI>and 'tis therefore Antichri&s;tian;</HI> although the con&s;equence of that Argument be ju&s;tly <HI>obnoxious,</HI> (for 'tis not being deri|ved from per&s;ons having an Antichri&s;tian <HI>power,</HI> that makes a thing Antichri&s;tian, unle&s;&s;e it can be proved that the thing &s;o derived is <HI>derived</HI> by that Antichri&s;tian <HI>power;</HI> the <HI>&s;ame</HI> per|&s;ons may act by a <HI>double</HI> power, a legall, and an <HI>u&s;urped</HI> power; now 'tis not argument enough to prove this or that act they doe is an illegall act, becau&s;e done by one that <HI>u&s;urps</HI> an <HI>illegall power,</HI> becau&s;e &s;uch a per&s;on that hath a <HI>legall</HI> power too, may as well act by it; and this is in effect the Argument of the Parliament in the Ordinance before quoted) yet I pa&s;&s;e this. And an&s;wer:</P>
<P>The <HI>Antecedent</HI> cannot be <HI>proved,</HI> and 'tis only an <HI>affirmation,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Que&s;tioning the Antecedent upon good grounds.</NOTE>
<PB N="32" REF="21"> that our Mini&s;tery though con&s;ecrated by Bi&s;hops, was derived from Antichri&s;t. And it may be <HI>probable</HI> enough, and as pro|bable (I am &s;ure) as any thing they can bring to the contrary; (which is enough to invalidate this Argument) that (though for <HI>&s;ome ages</HI> pa&s;t, it were granted, that <HI>Bi&s;hops</HI> inve&s;ted by <HI>Popes,</HI> have been the <HI>Ordainers,</HI> and the Mini&s;tery hath had its &s;ucce&s;&s;ion from them) that there vvas <HI>Chri&s;tianity</HI> in <HI>Eng|land</HI> long before <HI>Popery;</HI> and the Mini&s;tery then may be &s;aid to be derived from <HI>beyond Popery;</HI> and 'tvvill be <HI>que&s;tionable</HI> vvhe|ther even tho&s;e Popi&s;h Bi&s;hops did <HI>all</HI> or <HI>any</HI> of them <HI>originally</HI> receive their <HI>Pre&s;byter&s;hip</HI> from <HI>Rome,</HI> or from that <HI>&s;ucce&s;&s;ion;</HI> though they received their <HI>Epi&s;copacy</HI> from <HI>Rome.</HI></P>
<P>Be&s;ides, &s;econdly, this Argument will ca&s;t as &s;trong <HI>jea|lou&s;ies</HI> upon the calling of <HI>all the pre&s;ent Mini&s;terie</HI> of all the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Shewing what mi&s;chiefes this Argument in|volves.</NOTE> <HI>Reformed Churches,</HI> &s;eeing Popi&s;h <HI>Ordainers</HI> have at one time or another <HI>interrupted</HI> the <HI>Order</HI> of <HI>Apo&s;tolicall &s;ucce&s;&s;ion,</HI> and then it will inferre, that at pre&s;ent in all, and in mo&s;t of <NOTE N="1" PLACE="marg">1. As &s;trong a ground of &s;u&s;|pen&s;ion of all the Mini&s;tery in the Chri&s;ti|an world at this time.</NOTE> them for &s;ome ages, there hath been no <HI>Mini&s;terie;</HI> and &s;o no lawfull <HI>Ordinances:</HI> and by the &s;ame Rea&s;on (as farre as we know the extent of <HI>Chri&s;tianity</HI> in the <HI>World)</HI> wee may argue in like manner, &s;eeing Antichri&s;t hath had his <HI>claw</HI> in every <HI>corner</HI> of it at one time or another as it is more then probable. And &s;o Chri&s;ts <HI>Promi&s;e</HI> to bee with <HI>Tea|chers</HI> and <HI>Baptizers</HI> (who mu&s;t have a lawfull call to make them capable of that promi&s;e) <HI>to the end of the World,</HI> would at this time, (there being no lawfull called Teachers and Baptizers &s;uppo&s;ed in the world; by this Argument) be little better then concluded a <HI>fal&s;ehood.</HI></P>
<P>Againe thirdly, I know not what &s;hould &s;top the&s;e men <NOTE N="2" PLACE="marg">2. A road-way to Anabap|ti&s;me, Seeking, and that in <HI>infinitum.</HI></NOTE> from <HI>Anabapti&s;me,</HI> or <HI>Sebapti&s;me,</HI> if they be not infected yet; or <HI>Seeking</HI> if they be, that thus object. For I take their &s;uppo&s;ition, and thus argue; either the <HI>Bapti&s;me</HI> which they received from this <HI>Mini&s;tery</HI> was <HI>valid,</HI> or <HI>null;</HI> if <HI>valid,</HI> they de&s;troy their <HI>po&s;ition,</HI> that our <HI>Mini&s;terie is unlawfull</HI> (for no <HI>act of office</HI> (as admini&s;tring a Sacrament) can bee <HI>valid</HI> from one that is not a <HI>lawfull Officer,)</HI> and I an&s;wer as the Father in a like ca&s;e, <HI>I acknowledge this Mini&s;terie upon</HI>
<PB N="33" REF="21"> <HI>the &s;ame grounds upon which they owne tho&s;e that are Baptized by it. And they prove them lawfull Mini&s;ters by admitting tho&s;e whom they have Baptized.</HI> <NOTE N="a" PLACE="marg">A Luciferian is brought in by <HI>Hierome,</HI> arguing thus. <HI>Si Ariani haere|tici &s;unt, &amp; hae|retici Gentiles &s;unt, &amp; Ariani Gentiles &s;unt; Si autem Ari|ani Gentiles &s;unt, &amp; con|&s;tat nullam &s;o|cietatem Ec|cle&s;iae e&s;&s;e cum Arianis,</HI> (i. e.) <HI>cum Gentilibus; manife&s;tum e&s;t ve&s;tram Eccle&s;iam quae ab Arianis,</HI> i. e. <HI>Gentilibus Epi&s;copos &s;u&s;cipit, non tam Epi&s;copos &s;u&s;cipere, quam de Capitolio Sacerdotes, ac per hoc Antichri&s;ti magis Sinagoga, quam Chri&s;ti Eccle&s;ia debet nuncupari.</HI> (I repeat this the more large, becau&s;e it expre&s;&s;eth to the full all the cavills of the&s;e dayes again&s;t our Calling and Churches.) To which the Father an&s;wers. <HI>Si Ariani (ut dicis) Gen|tiles &s;unt, &amp; Arianorum conventicula ca&s;tra &s;unt Diaboli; quomodo in-ca&s;tris Diaboli Bap|tizatum recipis? &amp; infra. Tu enim Epi&s;copum probas, quia ab eo recipis bptizatum.&mdash;ea|dem ratione Epi&s;copum ab Arianis recipio qua tu recipis baptizatum.&mdash;Quare ergo a nobis parietibus &s;epararis, cum in fide, &amp; Arianorum nobi&s;cum receptione con&s;entias?</HI> Heir. adv. Lucif.</NOTE>. If <HI>invalid;</HI> then they mu&s;t bee <HI>baptized againe,</HI> if they will keep any <HI>Church-fellow&s;hip;</HI> and then they mu&s;t either <HI>baptize them&s;elves,</HI> (contrary to the <HI>In&s;titution,</HI> and all examples of <HI>Scripture)</HI> or be <HI>Baptized</HI> by others: and how &s;hall they bee a&s;&s;ured of their <HI>Calling,</HI> or <HI>Bapti&s;me</HI> to whom they addre&s;&s;e them&s;elves, &s;eeing even they al&s;o mu&s;t be faine, either to derive it from one of the&s;e <HI>Mini&s;ters,</HI> or tho&s;e that were <HI>Baptized</HI> by them; (and &s;o the Argument touches them here againe) or <HI>them&s;elves.</HI> And hee that <HI>que&s;tions</HI> thus farre is to <HI>&s;eek</HI> indeed, and may, for a|ny thing I know be a <HI>Seeker in infinitum.</HI></P>
<P>But I forget that this mu&s;t not bee a Treati&s;e, but a Ser|mon: onely this I have added to &s;top the <HI>mouthes</HI> of &s;ome that perhaps would have &s;hifted all the re&s;t off from their backs, if they had <HI>mi&s;&s;ed it.</HI></P>
<P>To returne to you (beloved) and end in a few words: I <NOTE PLACE="marg">Conclu&s;ion.</NOTE> be&s;eech you doe not onely <HI>not harme</HI> your Mini&s;ters, but en|courage them, and a&s;&s;i&s;t them. You have <HI>Covenanted,</HI> not one|ly to <HI>root out all Errour, Here&s;ies, Schi&s;me, Prophanene&s;&s;e, &amp;c.</HI> but to <HI>a&s;&s;i&s;t all that doe &s;o. A&s;&s;i&s;t</HI> your Mini&s;ters, who&s;e <HI>maine worke</HI> it is. They have well led you the <HI>way,</HI> (you of the City e&s;pecially) by <HI>repre&s;enting the evills of Toleration;</HI> &s;econd them in this.</P>
<PB N="36" REF="22">
<P> <HI>Petition</HI> for <HI>renewing the Ordinance for Ordination,</HI> that you may have a greater <HI>&s;upply</HI> of &s;uch Prophets, and <HI>&s;uc|ce&s;&s;ion</HI> too.</P>
<Q>&mdash;<HI>&V;t &s;imili fronde&s;cat virga metallo.</HI></Q>
<P>Still <HI>&s;eeke</HI> out and puni&s;h <HI>irregular A&s;&s;emblies,</HI> and <HI>&s;editi|ous Preachers and Practi&s;ers,</HI> and feare not the <HI>Bug-Beare</HI> word of <HI>Peh&s;ecuting Saints,</HI> when they are out of the way of <HI>Saints.</HI> This doe, <HI>And the good hand of the LORD hee upon you for good.</HI> If this <HI>Exhortation</HI> bee any way <HI>beneficiall,</HI> I have my <HI>end,</HI> let <HI>God</HI> have the <HI>Glory;</HI> if not, I have done my <HI>Duty;</HI> and if Prophets <HI>fare ill,</HI> after &s;uch a <HI>warning,</HI> by the pro|curing, or neglect of any of you, who ever you be that that <HI>heard,</HI> or <HI>reade,</HI> this Sermon; I a&s;&s;ure my &s;elfe it will bee a <HI>record</HI> again&s;t you.</P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
<BACK>
<DIV1 TYPE="errata">
<P>REader, &s;eeing the Author, by rea&s;on of his di&s;tance from <HI>London,</HI> and ab&s;ence from the pre&s;&s;e, thereby occa&s;ioned, could not be afore-hand with the Printer in preventing &s;ome mi&s;takes, he is forced to &s;et the&s;e after|hand intimations heer, or to prevent thine.</P>
<P>Page 1. Branch the Analy&s;is according to the &s;ence, (&s;ome particulars be|ing mi&s;carryed by the reference. p. 6. at <HI>[Take, &amp;c.]</HI> &s;hould bee in&s;erted that which p. 7, 8. is &s;o inclo&s;ed []. p. 8. conceive the quotation in the Margin above the <HI>ibidem.</HI> p. 17. dele with. l. 11. p. 28. r. u&s;age; it, Mini|&s;ters. p. 29. undermined. p. 32. l. 1. r. conferred. infr. lawfully called.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="license">
<PB N="37" REF="22">
<P> REader, thou art pre&s;ented with Apples of Gold, in Pictures of Silver; a Treati&s;e in Vindication of the Mini&s;trie, from ba&s;e a&s;per&s;ions daily ca&s;t upon their Per&s;ons, their Calling. It is no great mat|ter to us to be accounted the filth of the World, the off-&s;cowring of of all things; the Apo&s;tles were &s;o, and Chri&s;t our Ma&s;ter; But there is no &s;mall danger to thee to account us &s;o: If it be the <HI>great Intere&s;t</HI> of States to protect the <HI>Saints;</HI> it is of farre greater concernment to doe the <HI>Prophets no harme.</HI> The&s;e things were preached, now printed, not to <HI>&s;hame,</HI> but <HI>warne</HI> thee.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Imprimatur, JA: CRANFORD.</SIGNED>
<DATELINE><DATE><HI>Sempt.</HI> 7. 1646.</DATE></DATELINE></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</BACK>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
