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<DATE>2011-06-27</DATE>
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<NAME>Holly (Beeman) Smith</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>ENGLANDS Spirituall Langui&s;hing; <HI>WITH</HI> The Cau&s;es and Cure: Di&s;covered in a SERMON Preached before the Honorable Hou&s;e OF <HI>COMMONS,</HI> On their Solemn Day of FAST, at <HI>Margarets We&s;tmin&s;ter,</HI> June 28. 1648.</P>
<P><HI>BY</HI> THOMAS MANTON, <HI>Mini&s;ter of Stoke-Newington.</HI></P>
<P><HI>London,</HI> Printed by <HI>R. Cotes</HI> for <HI>John Clarke</HI> at the lower end of Cheap&s;ide, in the entrance to Mercers-chappel, 1648.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="dedication">
<PB REF="2">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>TO THE HONORABLE HOVSE OF COMMONS NOW <HI>A&s;&s;embled in Parliament.</HI></HEAD>
<P>_YOU were plea&s;ed to require my &s;er|vice on your late day of Fast, as you had done on the &s;ame occa|&s;ion, ju&s;t a Twelve-moneth be|fore: I de&s;ired to &s;peak <HI>&s;ea&s;o|nably then</HI> and <HI>now</HI> too: The Lord directed my thoughts then to a &s;ubject of <HI>peace,</HI> our <HI>di&s;tra|ctions</HI> were great; and now to treat of <HI>Zeal,</HI> our <HI>de|&s;truction</HI> (we fear) draweth nigh. The&s;e two things may well &s;tand together, <HI>Love</HI> and <HI>Zeal;</HI> and if men were wi&s;e<NOTE N="1" PLACE="marg">James 3.18.</NOTE>, the <HI>fruit of righteou&s;ne&s;s</HI> might be &s;own
<PB REF="3"><HI>in peace,</HI> and &s;uch <HI>concord</HI> effected between <HI>Brethren,</HI> wherein <HI>Religion</HI> may not <HI>&s;uffer:</HI> I know there are <HI>two Parties</HI> that will never be <HI>accorded, the &s;eed of the Woman,</HI> and <HI>the &s;eed of the Serpent;</HI> there will be enmity: But <HI>is not there a wi&s;e man among us? not one that &s;hall be able to judge between Brethren?</HI> I &s;peak not this to<NOTE N="2" PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 6.5.</NOTE> <HI>flatter</HI> with a <HI>generall offer;</HI> I have alwayes di&s;liked <HI>generall invectives</HI> again&s;t <HI>Errour,</HI> and <HI>generall Propo&s;als</HI> of <HI>Peace</HI><NOTE N="3" PLACE="marg">Qui pacem tract at non re|petitis conditio|nibus di&s;&s;idii, is magis animos dulcedine pacis fallit qu&agrave;m aequi|tate componit.</NOTE>; This were to deale in <HI>names</HI> rather then <HI>things,</HI> and to <HI>&s;educe</HI> the Soul into an <HI>hope</HI> of that, which is farre enough from being accompli&s;hed. Neither doe I &s;peak it to <HI>cool</HI> any mans <HI>zeal,</HI> the drift of this <HI>Sermon</HI> is to <HI>kindle</HI> it; <HI>Godline&s;s</HI> cannot be without an <HI>holy heat:</HI> tho&s;e that <HI>&s;uffer</HI> under <HI>per&s;ecution,</HI> will <HI>contend</HI> again&s;t <HI>delu&s;ion;</HI> that's but a <HI>duty;</HI> and 'twere to be wi&s;hed it were <HI>more done,</HI> and <HI>more regu|larly:</HI> Certainly <HI>&s;ome</HI> have been too <HI>&s;ilent</HI> whiles the <HI>truths</HI> of God have been made <HI>void</HI><NOTE N="4" PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">, &amp;c. Naz. Orat. de moderat. in di&s;put.</NOTE>; therefore we are farr from condemning any &s;uch vigorous oppo&s;ition of the pre&s;ent Errours. I onely mention it as an <HI>expre&s;&s;ion</HI> of my <HI>de&s;ires</HI> and <HI>hopes.</HI></P>
<P>For the pre&s;ent <HI>Di&s;cour&s;e,</HI> the &s;tile of it (I confe&s;s) is too <HI>turbid,</HI> and hath too much of <HI>inculcation</HI> in it, to be fit for the <HI>Pre&s;s,</HI> and therefore I &s;hould have ad|judged it to keep company with &s;ome other neglected Papers; But that in <HI>obedience</HI> to your <HI>Order,</HI> and <HI>con|de&s;cen&s;ion</HI> to the <HI>reque&s;ts</HI> of &s;ome <HI>Friends,</HI> I have now made it <HI>publick,</HI> and (my employment being much) am forced to &s;end it forth without <HI>refining:</HI> I doe not know what ble&s;sing the Lord (who&s;e power is u&s;ually<NOTE N="5" PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 12.9.</NOTE> perfected in weakne&s;s) may ordain by it, I de&s;ire to wait upon him, commending it to his Grace.</P>
<PB REF="3">
<P>In many things I have freely expre&s;&s;ed my &s;elf, and, po&s;sibly &s;ome may think, uncovered our <HI>own nakedne&s;s;</HI> the <HI>mouth of iniquity</HI> is &s;oon opened, and 'tis hard to &s;peak again&s;t the <HI>Sins</HI> of <HI>religious</HI> per&s;ons, without gi|ving &s;ome <HI>advantage</HI> to <HI>religions</HI> enemies. All that I &s;hall &s;ay to this, is, That <HI>offenders</HI> give the &s;candall, not the <HI>reprover:</HI> I confe&s;s, I like <HI>rouling in the du&s;t at Aphrah</HI><NOTE N="6" PLACE="marg">Micah 1.10.</NOTE>, that <HI>Gath may not know it;</HI> but when <HI>offen|ces</HI> are <HI>publique,</HI> 'twere an <HI>injury</HI> to religion to be <HI>&s;ilent;</HI> we cannot doe it a greater right then to declare and wit|ne&s;s again&s;t &s;uch <HI>mi&s;cariages;</HI> and therefore when the <HI>hou&s;e of Jacob</HI> offendeth, it mu&s;t be told its own with a<NOTE N="7" PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 58.1. opened to this purpo&s;e by Mr. <HI>Richard Vines</HI> in the morning.</NOTE> <HI>full throat;</HI> 'twill be our <HI>honour</HI> to &s;hake off the <HI>Vipers</HI> upon a di&s;covery, though they would &s;till &s;tick on: But for the <HI>enemies,</HI><NOTE N="8" PLACE="marg">Horatius.</NOTE> <HI>Null&aacute;ne habent vitia? immo alia haud forta&s;&s;e minora:</HI> are they &s;o <HI>innocent</HI> as to be able to<NOTE N="9" PLACE="marg">John 8 7.</NOTE> <HI>ca&s;t</HI> the &s;tone at us? &s;hall they that have <HI>wounds,</HI><NOTE N="10" PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">, Nazianz. de inimicis Eccle&s;iae, Orat. l. 13.</NOTE> upbraid us with <HI>skars?</HI> and they that <HI>halt downright,</HI> charge us with <HI>tripping?</HI> or the <HI>Blackmore</HI> object &s;pots to a <HI>fair woman?</HI> Let them fir&s;t pluck out their <HI>own beam,</HI> and then po&s;sibly they may under&s;tand what an <HI>injury</HI> it is, and a <HI>wicked malice</HI> to throw <HI>per&s;onall guilt</HI> in <HI>religions</HI> face; and out of a di&s;like of <HI>one Mor|decai,</HI> to &s;eek the de&s;truction <HI>of all the Jewes, E&s;th. 3.6.</HI> and to charge that upon <HI>the order,</HI> which is but the <HI>ju&s;t blemi&s;h</HI> of <HI>&s;ome per&s;ons</HI> &s;heltred under the <HI>name</HI> and <HI>pretence</HI> of it; As <HI>Nazianzen</HI> &s;peaketh of &s;ome, <GAP DESC="foreign">:<NOTE N="11" PLACE="marg">Naz. Orat. 14.</NOTE> That for &s;ome Bi&s;hops &s;ake accu&s;e Chri&s;tianity it &s;elf as an evill law.</P>
<P>For your &s;elves, (Right honourable) I be&s;eech you
<PB REF="4">remember <HI>Religion flouri&s;hing</HI> will be <HI>your defence;</HI> and that it is better <HI>tru&s;t God</HI> with your protection, then to fly to<NOTE N="12" PLACE="marg">Admonendi &s;unt pa<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">is Au|thores ne dum pacem nimis di|ligant &amp; cum omnibus quaera~t, con&s;entiendo perver&s;is ab Au|thoris &s;ui &s;e pace disjungunt, ne dum humana foris jurgia me|tuant, interni foederis di&s;cu&s;&s;i|one feriantur, Ambro&s;.</NOTE> <HI>ill Coun&s;els,</HI> or <HI>conde&s;cen&s;ions,</HI> whereby you may gain <HI>the re&s;pects of men:</HI> The Lord grant that you may live up to &s;uch a principle; and in the&s;e Times of vio|lence doe nothing <HI>unworthy of God,</HI> or <HI>of his Oath</HI> that is upon you: So prayeth</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Your meane&s;t Servant in the Lords work, <HI>THO. MANTON.</HI></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="sermon">
<PB N="1" REF="4">
<HEAD>Englands Langui&s;hing, WITH The Cau&s;es and Cure of it, di&s;covered in a Sermon Preached at <HI>Magarets We&s;tmin|&s;ter</HI> before the Honorable Hou&s;e of Commons on this Solemn Day of Fa&s;t, <HI>Iune</HI> 28. 1648.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL><HI>Revel. 2.3.</HI></BIBL>
<P>Bee watchfull and &s;trengthen the things which remain that are ready to dye, for I have not found thy workes perfect before God.</P></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>_IN Scriptures wherein the expre&s;&s;ion is any thing more difficult, wits are mo&s;t ranke and luxuriant, every one taking a liberty to af|fixe his owne &s;en&s;e there, where the true and genuine &s;en&s;e is not &s;o obvious and ea&s;ily found out: and becau&s;e two or three fal&s;e in|terpretations may bee a&s;&s;erted with equall probability, the Scriptures have &s;uffered as an uncertaine rule, or no&s;e of Waxe, ('tis the bla&s;phemy of the Papi&s;ts) which is ductile and plyable to every fancy and purpo&s;e. The truth, is
<PB N="2" REF="5">wee are more happy in <HI>di&s;covering fal&s;hood,</HI> then in <HI>clearing truth,</HI> and tho&s;e which come after can more ea&s;ily di&s;cern wherein o|thers have halted and are defective, then reach the truth them|&s;elves: I have alwayes looked upon that as a grave ob&s;ervati|on,<NOTE N="(a)" PLACE="marg">Ob&s;ervatum &s;eapius a Wendi|lino in lib. de caelo.</NOTE> <HI>Facilius e&s;t aliorum convellere &s;ententias quam &s;tabilire propri|am,</HI> Men are alwayes better at <HI>confuting</HI> then <HI>confirming.</HI> In which thought I am &s;trengthened by the cen&s;ure of <HI>Hierom</HI> on <HI>Lactantius,</HI><NOTE N="(b)" PLACE="marg">Lactantius qua&s;i quidam flunius Tullianae Eloquentiae, uti|nam tam no&s;tra potui&s;&s;et confir|mare quam fa|cile aliena de|&s;truxit.</NOTE> who ob&s;erved that his arguments were more valid and &s;trong which hee brought again&s;t fal&s;e wor&s;hips then tho&s;e other by which he confirmed the true; and<NOTE N="(c)" PLACE="marg">Hieron. Tullius lib. de nat. deo|rum.</NOTE> <HI>Tully</HI> wi&s;hed he could as ea|&s;ily <HI>find out the true God</HI> as <HI>di&s;prove the fal&s;e.</HI> Whether it be through that naturall de&s;ire that is in us, to blemi&s;h others, or from the weakne&s;&s;e and imperfection of our apprehen&s;ions, or from an ob&s;tinate prejudice again&s;t Divine Truths, or from Gods hi|ding and re&s;erving many things till the age next their accom|pli&s;hment, I will not now di&s;pute: I onely hint it, to &s;hew that therefore it is why men have di&s;puted &s;o unhappily, and with &s;uch variety about &s;ome difficult places of Scripture, alwaies ac|quitting them&s;elves with more honour, &s;ucce&s;&s;e, and &s;atisfacti|on in <HI>di&s;proving</HI> the opinion of <HI>others,</HI> then in <HI>vindicating</HI> and <HI>clear|ing</HI> their <HI>own.</HI></P>
<P>As this hath been the Fate of other Scriptures, &s;o e&s;pecially of this Booke of the Revelation, wherein there are as many<NOTE N="(d)" PLACE="marg">Quot verba, tot, Sacramen|ta. Hieron in praeif, ad Bib.</NOTE> <HI>my&s;teries</HI> as <HI>words,</HI> and all matters (as is u&s;uall in Prophe&s;ies) vailed under expre&s;&s;ions which are of a my&s;tick &s;en&s;e and inter|pretation. Above all other parts of the Booke the three fir&s;t Chapters are mo&s;t plain and ea&s;ie to bee under&s;tood, though here al&s;o difficulties want not: for my part I &s;hall not trouble you with the &s;everall thoughts of men about the&s;e Chapters, the noi&s;e of <HI>Axe</HI> and <HI>Hammer</HI> &s;hould not bee heard in the <HI>Tem|ple,</HI> the&s;e di&s;cu&s;&s;ions better become the <HI>Study</HI> then the <HI>Pul|pit.</HI></P>
<P>Let it &s;uffice to note that the main contents of them are &s;eve|rall Epi&s;tles &s;ent from Je&s;us Chri&s;t by <HI>John</HI> to the &s;even Chur|ches of <HI>A&s;ia.</HI> But here a doubt ari&s;eth, why a Catholique pro|phecy, &s;uch as is calculated for the Church in generall, and all ages of it, &s;hould begin with Epi&s;tles to the&s;e particular Chur|ches, what may bee the rea&s;on of this? An&s;wer, 'tis &s;o partly,
<PB N="3" REF="5">becau&s;e the Go&s;pel did here fir&s;t eminently flouri&s;h,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Foxius in Rom. pag. <HI>21. 14.</HI></NOTE> and the Spirit of God fore&s;aw that the malice of Satan would al&s;o fir&s;t power|fully invade and over-run the&s;e Churches, and &s;o ingage them to the wrath of God; partly becau&s;e of <HI>Iohns</HI> particular relation and Apo&s;tolicall pre&s;idency over the&s;e Churches, wherein the &s;pirit of God conde&s;cendeth to that naturall inqui&s;itivene&s;&s;e and de&s;ire that wee have to know what &s;hall become of <HI>our owne,</HI> and therefore being about to reveale to him the &s;tate of all the Chur|ches, he beginneth with tho&s;e to whom he &s;tood in particular bond and relation.</P>
<P>But why to the <HI>&s;even</HI> Churches in <HI>A&s;ia,</HI><NOTE N="e" PLACE="marg">See Aug. de civit. dei lib. <HI>11.</HI> cap. <HI>13.</HI></NOTE> &s;ince there were more planted in that tract and country? I an&s;wer again, it may be part|ly becau&s;e of the propheticall perfection of this number which is every where in Scripture &s;olemn and &s;acred, and with which the &s;pirit of God &s;eemeth mo&s;t delighted in this Prophecy, and therefore wee hear of &s;even Stars, &s;even Spirits, &s;even Candle|&s;ticks, &s;even Lampes, &s;even &s;eales, &s;even Angels, &s;even Trumpets, &s;even Vials, &s;even thunders, of the Dragon with &s;even heads, the City with &s;even Hills, the Bea&s;t with &s;even horns, and there|fore that the beginning of the Prophecy might carry pro|portion with the re&s;t of it, wherein all things are &s;et forth un|der the Typicall figure of this number, he writeth to the &s;even Churches in <HI>A&s;ia:</HI> and partly becau&s;e in the&s;e &s;even Churches (which were the mo&s;t eminent) there was found enough to repre&s;ent the &s;tate, Graces, evils of all Churches in all ages, and indeed the pattern and Type is &s;o compleat and perfect, that by an ea&s;ie and fair accommodation, it may be applyed to all other Churches that are not named here, for in them God was plea|&s;ed to give the World a Document and experience of all tho&s;e judgments and di&s;pen&s;ations which he would exerci&s;e towards other Churches offending and declining in the &s;ame manner.</P>
<P>One que&s;tion more, and wee have done with this generall view, and that is, Why all the&s;e Epi&s;tles are directed to the &s;everall <HI>Angells</HI> or re&s;pective Mini&s;tries of the Churches, &s;ince the drift of them concerneth the whole body of the people. I an&s;wer, either becau&s;e they were notoriou&s;ly guilty of the offences charged, and &s;o by example propagated their own taint &amp; prophanene&s;&s;e among the people; or through o&s;citancy and carele&s;ne&s;&s;e &s;uffered
<PB N="4" REF="6">corruptions to creep in upon others, or el&s;e becau&s;e all di&s;pen&s;ations from Chri&s;t were to pa&s;&s;e through their hands to the Church, and &s;o the regular way of tran&s;mitting the&s;e Epi&s;tles, was by means of the <HI>Angel</HI> or Elder&s;hip.</P>
<P>Other generall Ob&s;ervations there are, but I quit them, de|&s;iring to fall upon the Epi&s;tle we have in hand. The Text is a part of the Epi&s;tle to the Church of <HI>Sardis,</HI> which was a flouri&s;hing and rich City, the Seate of the Kings of <HI>Lydia:</HI> in it you have.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="1"> An in&s;cription, <HI>To the Angel of the Church of Sardis, write:</HI> you &s;ee 'tis in&s;cribed as all the re&s;t are, to the <HI>Angell of the Church,</HI> that is, to the Mini&s;tery: who, becau&s;e of their &s;ub&s;erviency to the &s;alvation of the elect, and that re&s;emblance that is between their function and the Angels Office are expre&s;&s;ed by that term, and though they were many, yet they are expre&s;&s;ed in the &s;ingu|lar number <HI>Angel,</HI> to note their Union and combination in a body and &s;ociety. To this Angel <HI>write,</HI> in which word hee produceth his warrant and authority. Wee cannot threaten Churches in our owne name,<NOTE N="(f)" PLACE="marg">See <HI>Mr. Ie|&s;ops</HI> Sermon on the Angel of the Church of <HI>Ephe&s;us, pag.</HI> 12.</NOTE> Chri&s;t mu&s;t fir&s;t &s;ay, <HI>write;</HI> the <HI>Prie&s;ts</HI> under the Law were to have their eares tipped with <HI>blood, Exod.</HI> 29.20. Chri&s;t mu&s;t command and in&s;pire as he doth <HI>John</HI> here, <HI>write.</HI></P>
<P><MILESTONE N="2"> A de&s;cription of Chri&s;t the Author of this Epi&s;tle, <HI>The&s;e things &s;aith hee that hath the &s;even Spirits of God and the &s;even Stars;</HI> the &s;even Spirits, that is, the Holy Gho&s;t, who is called &s;o, be|cau&s;e of the plenty, perfection and variety of his gracicous ope|rations and influences; and therefore in the old Hymne of the Church, 'twas &s;aid to the Holy Gho&s;t, <HI>Tis &s;eptiformis munere;</HI> and 'tis &s;aid Chri&s;t <HI>hath</HI> the&s;e &s;even Spirits, that is, hath power to &s;end the Holy Gho&s;t, who alwayes acteth as Chri&s;ts Spirit with reference to his merit and interce&s;&s;ion, therefore 'tis &s;aid <HI>Ioh.</HI> 14.15. <HI>Hee &s;hall take of mine and &s;hew it you.</HI> Chri&s;t taketh this title upon him now to &s;hew that he had <HI>Spirit enough,</HI> to quicken <HI>dead Sardis,</HI> &s;even &s;pirits, when hee writeth to a langui&s;hing Church. The next part of the de&s;cription is, <HI>and the &s;even Stars,</HI> the&s;e are expounded, <HI>Revel.</HI> 1.20. <HI>And the &s;even Stars are the Angels of the &s;even Churches,</HI> &s;o that the &s;tars note the &s;ubordi|nate Mini&s;teries, which Chri&s;t is &s;aid to have, becau&s;e hee ap|pointeth
<PB N="5" REF="6">them, gifteth them, a&s;&s;i&s;ts them in their office and fun|ctions.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="3"> The occa&s;ion of the Epi&s;tle, which is taken from the &s;tate of the Church, which was well enough knowne to God, and therefore 'tis prefaced thus, <HI>I know thy workes,</HI> a phra&s;e that is u&s;ed to all the re&s;t of the Churches, but is mo&s;t proper to <HI>Sar|dis,</HI> who&s;e crime objected is <HI>Hypocri&s;ie</HI> and <HI>pretence:</HI> Oh how &s;hould it &s;tartle <HI>Hypocrites</HI> to heare God &s;ay <HI>I know thy workes!</HI> it im|plyeth Chri&s;ts &s;trict and &s;evere ob&s;ervation of what is done a|mong his people, his eyes are every where, but hee ob&s;erveth the Church, <HI>Cant.</HI> 6.11. <HI>Hee goeth downe into the Gardens to &s;ee the fruits of the vallies, to &s;ee whether the Vines flouri&s;hed, and the Pomegra|nates budded;</HI> phra&s;es which imply a narrow in&s;pection.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="1"> The &s;tate of the Church, is de&s;cribed two wayes,</P>
<P>By its repute and renowne among other Churches, they did judge and &s;peak well of her; <HI>Thou ha&s;t a name that thou live&s;t, (i.e.)</HI> thou art reputed to bee eminent for Faith Piety, and the power of godline&s;&s;e, and goe&s;t for an excellent Church in thine owne conceit and the opinion of others; a Church is then &s;aid to <HI>live,</HI> when it receiveth the <HI>grace of life,</HI> and expre&s;&s;eth <HI>the life of grace;</HI> and <HI>name</HI> is taken for repute and renown.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="2"> By the judgment of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, <HI>But art dead,</HI> thy condition is not corre&s;pondent to the report that goeth of thee, the Churches that judge well of thee are deceived, for though there be much <HI>profe&s;&s;ion,</HI> yet very little of the <HI>power</HI> of truth and god|line&s;&s;e is found in thee, which is here expre&s;&s;ed by <HI>death.</HI></P>
<P><MILESTONE N="4"> The next thing ob&s;ervable is the Coun&s;ell of Chri&s;t, and direction to this langui&s;hing Church, and that is in the ver&s;e read. <HI>Be watchfull and &s;trengthen the things that are ready to dye, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>In which Coun&s;ell of Chri&s;t to his Church you may ob|&s;erve,</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1 An excitation, <HI>Bee watchfull.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>2. A direction, <HI>Strengthen the things which remain, which are ready to dye.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>3. A conviction to &s;et on both the former parts, <HI>For I have not found thy workes perfect before God.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>The maine duty is in the middle, the fir&s;t part being laid down by way of preparative to it, and the third by way of rea&s;on
<PB N="6" REF="7">and enforcement: therefore though I &s;hall explaine the whole ver&s;e, yet I &s;hall &s;ingle out the middle clau&s;e, for larger and more &s;peciall di&s;cu&s;&s;ion.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="1"> I begin with the excitation, which (as I &s;aid) was laid down by way of preparation for the other duty. <HI>Be watchfull,</HI> (i.e.) looke to it, &s;ee whereunto the&s;e things will grow; &s;uch &s;ad be|ginnings, &s;hould make you con&s;ider and ob&s;erve your &s;innes, and provide again&s;t your judgements; holy-watchfulne&s;&s;e and ob&s;ervation is the fir&s;t &s;tep to amendment, and when people be|gin to under&s;tand the approaches of wrath, they are in a faire way to prevent them, there cannot be &s;uch a <HI>gray haire,</HI> or a &s;ad|der intimation of &s;wift de&s;truction, then a &s;ecure and carele&s;&s;e madvertency; the fir&s;t thing pre&s;&s;ed is, be watchfull.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="2"> You may looke upon the conviction, which is brought as a rea&s;on why they &s;hould watch or recover their former height in godline&s;&s;e, <HI>for I have not found thy workes perfect before God:</HI> whatever men thinke of them, they are not &s;o holy and intire as to be able to indure my tryall; things in a Scripture &s;en&s;e are &s;aid to bee <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>full</HI> and <HI>perfect,</HI> when they are <HI>&s;incere</HI> and <HI>&s;ound,</HI> without hypocri&s;ie and guile; and therefore <HI>Calebs</HI> inte|grity is expre&s;&s;ed by <HI>fulfilling after God,</HI> or <HI>following of God fully, Numb.</HI> 14.24. he under&s;tandeth &s;uch a perfect and full growth, as keepeth things from langui&s;hing or dying away.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="3"> The next thing now is the direction, or main duty pre&s;&s;ed, <HI>Strengthen the thinges that remaine which are ready to die;</HI> there were <GAP DESC="foreign"> &s;ome &s;orry remaines of Religion and godline&s;&s;e, to quicken or &s;trengthen; which, he addeth a rea&s;on <GAP DESC="foreign"> which &s;hall die; the &s;ame kind of Greek expre&s;&s;ion is u&s;ed concerning the Centurions &s;ervant, when he was at the point of death, which is expre&s;&s;ed by <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>Luke</HI> 7.2. they are even langui&s;hing and expiring, unle&s;&s;e you &s;trengthen and repaire them, they are utterly lo&s;t and gone: the word that ex|pre&s;&s;eth their duty is <GAP DESC="foreign"> &s;ettle or e&s;tabli&s;h them; which imply|eth, not only a care to keep them from expiration, but to recover them to their former height and radiancy; and therefore a like matter is expre&s;&s;ed by the Apo&s;tle <HI>Paul</HI> in another word, for he biddeth <HI>Timothy</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign"> &s;tirre or blow up the gift of God in him, 2 <HI>Tim.</HI> 1.6.</P>
<PB N="7" REF="7">
<P>There is nothing of difficulty in the clau&s;e, only it doth not &s;o ea&s;ily appear (&s;ince they are not &s;pecified in the Text) what are tho&s;e <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>tho&s;e remaines of Religion,</HI> which he urgeth them <HI>to &s;trengthen.</HI></P>
<P>How &s;hall we know what they are? <HI>An&s;w.</HI> It cannot be meant of <HI>per&s;ons,</HI> as &s;ome would have it, under&s;tanding it of the weak of the flock, for 'tis <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>things,</HI> not <HI>per&s;ons;</HI> and truly it mu&s;t be &s;omething concerning the <HI>vitalls</HI> of Religion; &s;uch which if revi|ved, would make them live and flouri&s;h again in the &s;ight of God and of the Churches; now <HI>Doctrinals</HI> it cannot be, for the rea&s;on rendred in the latter part of the Text, <HI>for I have not found thy works perfect before God,</HI> it is &s;ome decay in <HI>practicalls,</HI> thy workes <GAP DESC="foreign">, and if they had decayed in Doctrinalls, they could not have &s;o much as a <HI>name</HI> that they lived. And then <HI>meere di&s;ci|pline,</HI> it cannot be, for how&s;oever that be a great pre&s;ervation to godline&s;&s;e, and a con&s;iderable &s;take in Religions hedge, yet the corruption or intermi&s;&s;ion of di&s;cipline, cannot &s;o properly be termed the death of the Church, 'tis I remember (if<NOTE N="(g)" PLACE="marg">Brightman in Cant.</NOTE> &s;ome expound the place right) called the &s;leep of the Church. <HI>Cant.</HI> 6.2. <HI>I &s;leep but my heart waketh. Brightman</HI> applyeth it to the Church about the third century, which was <HI>watchfull</HI> over <HI>do|ctrine,</HI> the <HI>heart waked,</HI> but carele&s;ly dige&s;ted the corruption and degeneration of <HI>di&s;cipline,</HI> and therefore &s;he is &s;aid to &s;leep, but its no where called death; or &s;o it cannot be <HI>meer di&s;cipline,</HI> though &s;ome regard may be had thereunto. And therefore principally 'tis meant,<NOTE N="(h)" PLACE="marg">Re&s;tauran|tes zelum ardo|rem que pietatis quae in vobis effrixit &amp; pae|ne jam extincta e&s;t. Iac. Rex in Apoc.</NOTE> of &s;ome <HI>few poor relickes of langui&s;hing godline&s;&s;e,</HI> like &s;parkes under the a&s;hes which needed blowing up; the &s;umme of all is, I hope you will be &s;tirred up by this admonition to pre|vent your death, and utter langui&s;hing in Religion, that decayed godline&s;&s;e may have its former power, efficacy, and glory. I look upon the Text as a Coun&s;ell to a Church, not to private Chri&s;ti|ans, I confe&s;&s;e tis applyed to them by mo&s;t, becau&s;e it yeeldeth <HI>conceptus praedicabi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">es</HI> as they call them, much preaching matter concerning the langui&s;hing and decay of grace in Chri&s;tians.</P>
<P>I cannot &s;ay this is excluded, becau&s;e the <HI>part</HI> followeth the rea&s;on of the whole, but I rather looke upon it (and &s;o &s;hall handle it) in a publick regard.</P>
<PB N="8" REF="8">
<P>The Point is,</P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="Doct."><HI>That a &s;peciall way to &s;ave a Church and people from imminent and &s;peedy ruine is the repairing of decayed Godlyne&s;&s;e.</HI></P>
<P>'Tis Chri&s;t coun&s;ell to <HI>Sardis,</HI> le&s;t hee &s;hould <HI>come upon them as a thief,</HI> that is, bring a &s;uddaine and unthought of de&s;truction: give me leave to parallell it but with one place, and then I &s;hall proceed to the rea&s;ons; 'tis the coun&s;ell to <HI>Ephe&s;us, Revel.</HI> 2.5. <HI>Doe thy fir&s;t workes, or el&s;e I will come to thee quikly and remove thy Candle&s;tick, &amp;c.</HI> recovering Religion to its former height is made a meanes of preventing Gods comming in judgement, and 'tis there expre&s;&s;ed by <HI>fir&s;t workes,</HI> becau&s;e Religion at the fir&s;t com|ming is entertained with more genuine &s;implicity, and zealous earne&s;tne&s;&s;e (as &s;tuffes in their fir&s;t making are &s;trongly wrought) and is full of life and power, therefore <HI>doe thy fir&s;t Workes.</HI></P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="Rea&s;ons."><HI>Rea&s;ons,</HI></P>
<P><MILESTONE N="1"> Becau&s;e by this means you take away that which will be the cau&s;e of ruine, God delighteth to make the <HI>outward e&s;tate</HI> to car|ry proportion with the <HI>inword,</HI> as we decay in <HI>godlines,</HI> &s;o our <HI>out|ward happine&s;&s;e</HI> langui&s;heth, and the hand of mercy is &s;lackened; How ea&s;ily may a wi&s;e Chri&s;tian read his <HI>guilt</HI> in his <HI>condition,</HI> and from his <HI>outward</HI> decayes under&s;tand his <HI>inward?</HI> and truly 'tis &s;o in Common-wealths too, their fate followeth the &s;tate of Religion, God meeteth to us in our owne mea&s;ure, in&s;tances want not, <HI>Yee have for&s;aken mee, and therefore I have left you,</HI> 2 <HI>Chron.</HI> 12.5. Rulers rebell again&s;t God, and their people rebell again&s;t them, <HI>therefore is there a tumult among thy people, Ho&s;.</HI> 14.10. Friends are alienated and e&s;tranged from them, becau&s;e their hearts are fir&s;t e&s;tranged from God, there are <HI>confu&s;ions</HI> in the <HI>Church,</HI> and then what followeth? <HI>de&s;tractions</HI> in the <HI>State</HI><NOTE N="(a)" PLACE="marg">Metuendum erit ne qui Ma|gi&s;tratu conni|vente res novas in Eccle&s;ia mo|liri caeperint, eodem etiam re|pugnante cum ocea&s;io ferat idem quo&abque; in re|publica mo lian|tur. Theol. Mag. Brit. &s;ub fine &s;ent. de <HI>5.</HI> Art. in Hi&s;t. Syn. Dor.</NOTE>. 'Twas grave ad|vice which the <HI>Engli&s;h Divines</HI> gave the <HI>Dutch Magi&s;trate</HI> in the Synod of <HI>Dort:</HI> that they &s;hould take heed, le&s;t by their con|nivence at <HI>Church di&s;orders</HI> which they <HI>could</HI> help, they did not draw on <HI>State-tumults</HI> and <HI>factions</HI> which when they <HI>would</HI> they <HI>could not</HI> help. Truely this is Gods cour&s;e to retaliate with the creature; and (as I &s;aid before) to make their outward condi|tion an&s;wer their inward. <HI>Religion</HI> is as it were <HI>the Soule</HI> of the
<PB N="9" REF="8"><HI>Common-wealth,</HI> now the &s;tate of the body dependeth much upon the good temper of the &s;oule, it being lincked to it by the af|fections, as &s;o many pinnes and nayles; a troubled &s;oule di&s;|compo&s;eth the body, but a chearfull mind cureth it: &s;o Religion and godline&s;&s;e, as it thriveth, maketh us thrive, God challengeth his people to avouch one in&s;tance when ever they lo&s;t by it. <HI>Ier.</HI> 2.5. <HI>What iniquity have your fathers found in mee?</HI> and Ver&s;e 13. O yee Generation, have I been a Wilderne&s;&s;e or a land of darke|ne&s;&s;e to you? Did ever godline&s;&s;e doe you hurt? If you can, doe but produce one experience. If you will believe <HI>Polycarp</HI> upon his own tryall, and let mee tell you hee was an <HI>old Mna&s;on,</HI> and had much tryall of God; hee'le inform you,<NOTE N="(b)" PLACE="marg">Eu&s;eb Ec|cle&s;. Hi&s;t. lib <HI>4.</HI> cap. <HI>14.</HI></NOTE> <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> For my part &s;aith hee, I can &s;peak of 86. yeers, I have been his &s;ervant &s;o long, and he never did mee harm. And truely (notwith&s;tanding the prejudices that are abroad) wee may come in with the like atte&s;tation, Godly|ne&s;&s;e never did us harm, when it thrived and was vigorous, wee thrived, and &s;en&s;ibly felt the benefits of the power of it. See how God appealeth to men in this matter, <HI>Micab</HI> 2.7. <HI>Are the&s;e his doings? doe not my words doe good to him that walketh uprightly?</HI> &s;ee the meaning of that place a little; <HI>are the&s;e his doings?</HI> &s;peak|ing of the troubles, doe you think the&s;e are the fruits of Religi|on? Or of your indeavours for the advancement of it? No, your own &s;oules know that my words have done you good, yeelded you much comfort and deliverance, you were happy as long as you kept in that way. And therefore now if you would take a|way the cau&s;e of ruine, &amp; redre&s;&s;e the di&s;orders of the Common-wealth, repair the decayes of Religion, doe what you can to re|&s;tore that to its former power and efficacy.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="2"> Becau&s;e by outward &s;ucce&s;&s;e, God will vi&s;ibly declare his delight in &s;uch eminent workes as the&s;e are, and there|fore <HI>&s;etteth his beart</HI> to ble&s;&s;e and pro&s;per &s;uch a people, <HI>who &s;et their hearts</HI> to repaire decayed Religion: and God doth it the rather; <HI>partly,</HI> becau&s;e of the prejudice that is upon godline&s;&s;e, as men ca&s;t mo&s;t <HI>honour</HI> upon the <HI>parts mo&s;t uncomely,</HI> &s;o doth God mo&s;t <HI>ble&s;&s;ing</HI> and <HI>comfort</HI> upon <HI>a de&s;pi&s;ed grace,</HI> men accu&s;e it as the onely make-bate, and in the worlds eye 'tis the cau&s;e of want and &s;word and famine, <HI>Ier.</HI> 44.18. and therefore God atte&s;teth and
<PB N="10" REF="9">witne&s;&s;eth from heaven that 'tis the onely pledge of a ble&s;&s;ing, the more wee are prejudiced, the more free is God in honoring it: and <HI>partly,</HI> becau&s;e of his owne delight in it, 'tis a grace that giveth all to God, and therefore God doth all for it, hee dealeth with it as <HI>Caleb</HI> with his deare daughter <HI>Ac&s;ah,</HI> he giveth her <HI>the upper</HI> and the <HI>nether &s;prings,</HI> the ble&s;&s;ings of this life and that to come,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Io&s;hua 15.19 1 Tim. 4.8.</NOTE> for as all the motions and tendencies of godline&s;&s;e are to exalt God, &s;o all Gods aimes and di&s;pen&s;ations are to exalt godline&s;&s;e, and therefore is it that wee doe &s;o often hear of a ble&s;&s;ing upon all indeavours, (e&s;pecially &s;uch as are eminent and publicke) that looke that way: &s;ee <HI>Haggai</HI> 2.19. <HI>From this day forward will I ble&s;&s;e you,</HI> that is, from the day that they took care of the <HI>Temple,</HI> God would have them ob&s;erve if their hopes and happine&s;&s;e did not thrive from that day forward. So 2 <HI>Chron.</HI> 7.11. <HI>All that came into</HI> Solomons <HI>heart to make in his own hou&s;e and the hou&s;e of the Lord hee pro&s;perou&s;ly effected.</HI> Tho&s;e two cares thrive the better for one another, the <HI>Lords hou&s;e</HI> made him pro&s;per the better in building <HI>his own,</HI> for God is re&s;olutely in|gaged to let the World know what &s;hall bee done to the grace, which hee will honour; &s;o &s;ee <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 4.4. <HI>&V;pon the glory there &s;hall be a defence,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Compare Ex|od 15 9. with Ehe&s;. 5.27.</NOTE> by the <HI>glory</HI> is meant the Church reformed or made more holy, for that is the excellency and glory of it; God and his people being both <HI>glorious in holine&s;&s;e,</HI> now upon this glory there will bee a covering or defen&s;ive &s;helter, as there was of Badgers skins over the glory of the Tabernacle.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="3"> Becau&s;e this is the &s;traighte&s;t and mo&s;t direct way to &s;afety; in al other policies there are a great many &s;erpentine windings and intricacies, whereby the event is not halfe &s;o &s;ure and ea&s;ie, in de&s;perate ca&s;es 'tis be&s;t to take the ready way, and that is, the repairing of Religion; 'tis ill when <HI>Religion</HI> is <HI>but policy,</HI> but 'tis as it &s;hould bee, when our policy is Religion; though the trou|bles are <HI>by men,</HI> yet out work doth not &s;o much lye <HI>with man</HI> as <HI>with God,</HI> wee beginne at the right end, when wee beginne with him, for by making God a friend you may the better get in with men. To &s;et on this rea&s;on, take a few con&s;idera|tions.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="1"> Without God men can doe you no good, dependence on the Lord is the be&s;t &s;ecurity, and the &s;ure&s;t policy is tru&s;ting God
<PB N="11" REF="9">rather then men, they are weake and faithle&s;&s;e, and &s;o will faile you when there is mo&s;t need, the <HI>people</HI> are <HI>un&s;table as waters,</HI> and their re&s;pects are di&s;pen&s;ed with much uncertainty, to day they <HI>cry up,</HI> and to morrow they <HI>cry down</HI> things; to &s;ecure them|&s;elves they will de&s;ert them that have done tho&s;e mo&s;t good: as the <HI>Keilites</HI> were ready to give up <HI>David</HI> after hee had <HI>delivered</HI> them, a&s;&s;oone as <HI>Saul</HI> had any force in <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> 1 <HI>Sam.</HI> 23.11. if they keep true, their power to help may bee gone, God <HI>kindleth</HI> courage and <HI>quencheth</HI> it at <HI>plea&s;ure, Ezek.</HI> 7.14. <HI>They have blown the Trumpet to make all ready, but none goeth to the battaile,</HI> for <HI>my wrath is upon all the multitude thereof;</HI> there were great preparations, but their hearts failed them: Truly there is nothing pre&s;erveth States &s;o much as Gods power over the &s;pirits of men, &amp; nothing which you ought to regard and heed &s;o much as that: bodies with|out hearts are a di&s;advantage, and their hearts are in Gods hands; all outward &s;trength and &s;upport lyeth in the moveable re&s;pects of the people, for &s;o they are in them&s;elves, 'tis God one|ly that can fix and make them &s;ure.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="2"> With God men can doe you no harm, hee is with them that are carefull, to e&s;tabli&s;h and &s;et up his wor&s;hip and then they need not care who are again&s;t them, &s;ee 2 <HI>Chron.</HI> 28. there is a &s;tory of <HI>Sennacheribs</HI> comming up again&s;t <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> in the fir&s;t ver&s;e, the time is &s;pecially noted, <HI>after the&s;e things and the e&s;tabli&s;hment thereof,</HI> that is, after <HI>Hezekiah</HI> had e&s;tabli&s;hed the Wor&s;hip of God, which circum&s;tance is mentioned chiefly to note the oc|ca&s;ion of <HI>Hezekiahs</HI> confidence, for &s;ee how hee di&s;values him upon this, Ver&s;e 8. <HI>With him is an Arme of fle&s;h, but with us is the Lord our God.</HI> When yee are thus for God, God will bee with you, and then, what's <HI>du&s;t</HI> to the <HI>winde? Bryars</HI> and <HI>thorns</HI> to a <HI>devouring burning?</HI> An Arme of fle&s;h to the Lord our God? All the di&s;couragements of the creature come from the&s;e things, <HI>want of care</HI> to get intere&s;t in God, and <HI>want of skill</HI> to improve it; your Grand de&s;ign &s;hould bee to get God with you, and truely then you may &s;light the mo&s;t daring attempts. <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 8 <HI>chap.</HI> 9, 10. ver&s;es, <HI>A&s;&s;ociate your &s;elves, O yee people, and yee &s;hall bee broken in pieces, and give ear all yee of far Countryes, a&s;&s;ociate your &s;elves and ye &s;hall be broken in pieces, gird your &s;elves and yee &s;hall be broken in pieces, take coun&s;ell together and it &s;hall come to nought; &s;peak the Word and it
<PB N="12" REF="10">&s;hall not &s;tand, for God is with us.</HI> In a triumph of faith the Pro|phet laugheth at their vaine attempts. Hee challengeth not one|ly &s;ingle adver&s;aries that might &s;ooner bee di&s;&s;ipated, but &s;uch as were &s;trengthened by a combination of intere&s;ts and twi&s;ted into a league and a&s;&s;ociation, but all will not doe; <HI>yee &s;hall bee broken in pieces;</HI> againe he &s;peaketh to them, call in more &s;trength, come with more advi&s;ed care, <HI>yet yee &s;hall bee broken to pieces;</HI> if you will adventure once more and try the other 50 (as that wretched King did) and &s;ee if heaven will &s;mile on a third endeavor, yet &s;till the event &s;hall bee the &s;ame, <HI>yee &s;hall be broken in pieces;</HI> he addeth again,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 <HI>King.</HI> 1. <HI>chap.</HI></NOTE> <HI>take coun&s;ell together;</HI> that is, recollect your &s;elves, &s;ummon your be&s;t wits, that you may know wherein you have failed, and play your game the more wi&s;ely the next time, yet (&s;aith the Prophet) it &s;hal come to nought, your deliberate &amp; mature con|&s;ulations &s;hall have the &s;ame event with your ra&s;h and heady en|terpri&s;es, that is, all &s;hall bee di&s;appointed. The Prophet goeth on, <HI>&s;peake the word and it &s;hall not &s;tand,</HI> that is, when you have prepared the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, &s;o that you think all the devils in Hell cannot di&s;appoint you, yet God can, for hee &s;upo&s;eth their pre&s;umption growne &s;o confident, as that they &s;peak the word, that is, give out threats and boa&s;ts, and yet then it &s;hall not &s;tand, the rea&s;on is rendred in the clo&s;e of all; for <HI>Immanuel, for God is with us.</HI> Indeed there is the ground of all: God never made a creature or any combination of creatures that &s;hould be too hard for him, <HI>God with us</HI> is enough, you doe but &s;pit again&s;t the winde when you oppo&s;e tho&s;e with whom hee is, the drivell will bee returned upon your own face, <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 54.18. <HI>Surely they &s;hall gather together, but not by mee, who&s;oever &s;hall ga|ther together again&s;t thee &s;hall fall for thy &s;ake,</HI> there may bee tumults and confu&s;ions, but being <HI>without God</HI> there is <HI>little hope,</HI> and <HI>again&s;t God</HI> there is <HI>certaine ruine.</HI> The Heathens were con|vinced of this, they would not warre again&s;t a Nation till they had called out their <HI>Gods</HI> from them, <HI>Macrobius</HI> in his <HI>Saturnalia</HI> hath a chapter, <HI>de ritu Evocandi Deos,</HI> 'twas upon this errand that <HI>Balaam</HI> went to <HI>Balak</HI> to get away the God of <HI>I&s;rael, Numb.</HI> 23. Certainly nothing goes &s;o neer to the hearts of Gods people, as the in&s;ultations of their adver&s;aries, when they have lo&s;t their &s;hadow and the defen&s;ive pre&s;ence of their God, as when <HI>David</HI>
<PB N="13" REF="10">had falne &s;candalou&s;ly in the matter of <HI>&V;riah,</HI> his adver&s;aries boa&s;ted, <HI>now there is no helpe for him in God, Selah. P&s;al.</HI> 3.2. and this went to his &s;oule, &s;o &s;till our &s;candalous mi&s;carriages give the adver&s;aries hope that our &s;hadow is gone, &amp;c.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="3"> In having God, you have men too, hee can pre&s;erve friends, or awe enemies, and therefore &s;till I &s;ay to gaine the re&s;pects of men, the be&s;t way is to get in with God, <HI>Prov.</HI> 16.7. <HI>When a mans wayes plea&s;e the Lord, his enemies &s;hall be at peace with him;</HI> remember Gods power over the &s;pirits of men, and then you will &s;ee that your maine worke lyeth with him, <HI>Jacobs</HI> harde&s;t taske was with God, he <HI>wrestleth</HI> with God and findeth <HI>Embraces</HI> from <HI>E&s;au,</HI> reconcile your &s;elves to God, and take hold of his &s;trength, and then hee can take away the enmity of the crea<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">ure; God can recover lo&s;t hearts, pre&s;erve the re&s;pects of &s;ubjects in|tire to the &s;upreame powers; 'tis very notable that in the 34. <HI>Gen.</HI> the 30. ver&s;e, compared with 35. <HI>Gen.</HI> 1. When the mi&s;carriages of <HI>Simeon</HI> and <HI>Levi</HI> had made <HI>Iacob</HI> &s;tinke among the Inhabi|tants of the Land, and hee was afraid the <HI>Canaanites</HI> and <HI>Periz|zites</HI> would combine again&s;t him to &s;lay him, God biddeth him goe to <HI>Bethel</HI> and pay his vows. Such dy&s;a&s;ters &s;hould put him in mind of his Covenant; the performing of which was the be&s;t way to &s;upport him again&s;t his pre&s;ent feares: O con&s;ider, if a|ny have made you <HI>&s;tink in the land,</HI> your bu&s;ine&s;&s;e is to goe to <HI>Bethel</HI> and <HI>pay your Vowes: Force</HI> will not be &s;o great a &s;ecurity as <HI>godline&s;&s;e;</HI> Armies make long work, but God can &s;oon &s;till the <HI>rage of the people,</HI> and when he doth it, it is done in a more kindely way: the <HI>doore</HI> is more ea&s;ily opened by <HI>a Key</HI> then an <HI>Iron bar,</HI> and mens hearts &s;ooner gained by the power <HI>of God</HI> then <HI>men.</HI> God can cleare up your renowne, recover your glory and e&s;teeme a|gaine, calme the people and cau&s;e all to be &s;till. There are two things that are of great difficulty, and they are joyned in one ver. <HI>P&s;alm.</HI> 65.7. <HI>Hee &s;tilleth the noi&s;e of the Seas, and the tumult of the people,</HI> in the accompli&s;hing of either of the&s;e things, man is at the greate&s;t lo&s;&s;e, either in a&s;&s;waging the <HI>naturall</HI> or the <HI>met aphoricall</HI> waves, and therefore 'twas well done of that King, who to di&s;|prove his flatterers,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Carut<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">s.</NOTE> that had &s;oothed him with the greatne&s;&s;e of his command and Empire both by Sea and Land, cau&s;ed his chaire to bee &s;et neer the Sea &s;ide, and the waves beating upon it
<PB N="14" REF="11">without any reverence &s;aid, <HI>Loe as great a King as I am I cannot rebuke one wave:</HI> truely no more can Princes of them&s;elves, &s;till the tumult of the people, for they are both of an equall diffi|culty, and mu&s;t be left to the overruling power of God, the noi&s;e of the Seas and the rage of the people.</P>
<P>I come now to apply the point, wee have found that getting in with God,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Main u&s;e, which is ex|hortation.</NOTE> by e&s;tabli&s;hing Religion, and repairing the de|cayes of godline&s;&s;e, is a &s;peciall meanes of pre&s;ervation.</P>
<P>Oh then let us con&s;ider this with reflection upon our &s;elves, we are concerned in it, <HI>England</HI> heretofore was compared to <HI>Lao|dicea</HI> for its <HI>lukewarmne&s;&s;e,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>See</HI> Brightman in Apoc. cap. <HI>3.</HI></NOTE> it may bee compared to <HI>Sardis</HI> for its <HI>langui&s;hing.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Wee have a name that we live,</HI> our renowne is gone into all lands, for <HI>&s;avory</HI> and <HI>practicall Truths,</HI> but alas our <HI>Crowne</HI> is like to bee <HI>taken</HI> from us, and our <HI>glory</HI> layed in the <HI>du&s;t! Religion</HI> of late &s;eemeth to have lo&s;t all <HI>life</HI> and <HI>&s;pirit,</HI> and <HI>godline&s;&s;e</HI> to degenerate into a <HI>cold form,</HI> the <HI>Ordinances</HI> that er&s;t while were wont to <HI>open heaven</HI> and <HI>breake hearts</HI> through the abundance of <HI>&s;pirit</HI> that was in them, &s;eeme now to have lo&s;t all their <HI>converting power, Vi&s;ions</HI> are <HI>open</HI> and few <HI>gained,</HI> Chri&s;t is crucified before our eyes, but &s;ome fatall inchantment and effa&s;cination &s;eemeth to abide upon our Congregations, for few hearts are broken, few brought in to the obedience of the truth. The <HI>Engli&s;h Chri&s;tians</HI> heretofore were famous for their <HI>&s;evere</HI> innocency, <HI>&s;trict</HI> walking, <HI>con&s;tant</HI> Com|munion with God, <HI>undaunted</HI> zeale, <HI>&s;weet</HI> experiences, <HI>holy</HI> conferences and communications whereas now wee meet with few, but &s;uch as are (like the vaine men of <HI>I&s;rael</HI>) of a light &s;pirit, loo&s;e conver&s;ation, given to <HI>vain ranglings</HI> and <HI>di|&s;putes</HI> more then to <HI>practice,</HI> and <HI>holy life,</HI> and mea&s;uring Reli|gion not &s;o much by the <HI>power of godline&s;&s;e,</HI> as by <HI>form</HI> and <HI>faction</HI> and <HI>&s;iding with parties.</HI> God knoweth how unwilling I am to lay open our <HI>ownn kedne&s;&s;e,</HI> and to <HI>declaime</HI> again&s;t the <HI>times</HI> to which hee hath di&s;po&s;ed me, I know the nature of man is querulous and complaining, the unthankfull good one will alwayes bee com|mending the <HI>former times,</HI> and accu&s;ing his <HI>own,</HI> 'tis often the voice of di&s;content and peevi&s;hne&s;&s;e, <HI>the former times were better then the&s;e, Eccle&s;.</HI> 7.10. Be&s;ides, every trifling zeale vents its &s;elfe in loo&s;e invectives and flings, 'tis ea&s;y to rake in this puddle, and to
<PB N="15" REF="11">reproach our times with &s;uch crimes and allegations,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Tacitus.</NOTE> <HI>quae qui&s;que &s;uis temporibus objicit,</HI> (as hee ob&s;erved) with which every one upbraideth his owne age, therefore I &s;hall endeavour to make out the conviction more particularly for our humiliation and in&s;truction, my method is this. Fir&s;t,</P>
<P>I will &s;hew you wherein <HI>Godline&s;&s;e</HI> is <HI>decayed.</HI> Secondly,</P>
<P>How it came to pa&s;&s;e, what may be the <HI>occa&s;ions</HI> or <HI>cau&s;es</HI> of &s;uch a langui&s;hing. Thirdly,</P>
<P>What we &s;hall doe to <HI>repaire</HI> it, every one in his place, the <HI>people</HI> in their way, the <HI>Mini&s;tery</HI> in theirs, and <HI>you</HI> in that <HI>orbe</HI> and &s;pheare that is proper to you.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="1"> My fir&s;t work is to &s;hew that godline&s;&s;e is decayed, and where|in; I &s;hall doe that the rather, <HI>partly</HI> that it may help us to put our mouthes in the du&s;t, and to lye low in the &s;en&s;e of our &s;hame this day; <HI>partly</HI> becau&s;e we are all apt to call our <HI>de&s;igne</HI> godli|ne&s;&s;e, every party like the old <HI>Rogatians</HI> ingro&s;&s;e it to them&s;elves; for my part I looke upon it, as the highe&s;t <HI>&s;acriledge</HI> and <HI>peevi&s;h|ne&s;&s;e</HI> in the world for men to doe &s;o, to mea&s;ure <HI>Religion</HI> by their private <HI>intere&s;t</HI> and <HI>opinion,</HI> and as they thrive more or le&s;&s;e in the world, &s;o to judge or cry out of the ri&s;ing or fall of Religion: <HI>private conceits</HI> doe not de&s;erve &s;o <HI>glorious a name,</HI> and the <HI>godly par|ty</HI> is of a larger extent, then to be <HI>appropriated</HI> or <HI>confined</HI> within any one <HI>Sect</HI> and <HI>faction;</HI> alas! how often doe we mi&s;take <HI>&s;elf-love</HI> for <HI>zeale,</HI> and out of a blinde dotage to our <HI>owne opinions,</HI> think Chri&s;t &s;tandeth or falleth with our private <HI>mi&s;conceits</HI> and <HI>inte|re&s;ts!</HI> It was but a pre&s;umptuous arrogance in <HI>Ne&s;torius,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Di&s;perde me|cum haereticos &amp; ego tecum di&s;perdam Per|&s;as, &amp;c.</NOTE> to pro|mi&s;e heaven and victory &s;o lavi&s;hly to <HI>Theodo&s;ius</HI> the Emperour, if he would doe as he &s;ugge&s;ted; therefore to prevent all partiall claims, &amp; to wave the &s;u&s;pition of any &s;uch drift, I &s;hal fir&s;t &s;hew wherein the power of godline&s;&s;e is found to decay and langui&s;h even unto death, I meane that godline&s;&s;e which is commended to us in the word, and is the glory of our Religion and profe&s;|&s;ion, the ga&s;ping of it is many waies di&s;covered, but e&s;pecially by the&s;e things.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="1"> By the langui&s;hing of <HI>zeale,</HI> and the neglect of publick duties. Zeal is a grace &s;o rare, that we &s;carce know the nature and wor|king of it; for alas, to what a <HI>&s;tupidne&s;&s;e</HI> and <HI>cold indifferency</HI> in Religion are we come! though God be di&s;honored, <HI>truth</HI> violated,
<PB N="16" REF="12">the <HI>Sabbath</HI> prophaned, yet men are neither hot nor cold, <HI>Rev.</HI> 3.15. we content our &s;elves with a lukewarmne&s;&s;e and mam|bling of profe&s;&s;ion, midling it between Chri&s;t and the world, neither <HI>&s;uffering,</HI> nor <HI>doing</HI> any further then will &s;uite with our <HI>intere&s;ts,</HI> as if in hazardous ca&s;es we &s;hould <HI>locke on</HI> rather then <HI>interpo&s;e:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Iude 3.</HI> Non amat qui non Lelat. Aug. c<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">ntra Adi|mant. cap. <HI>13.</HI></NOTE> Where are tho&s;e that doe <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>contend earne&s;tly for the faith of the Saints?</HI> the glory of God? that mind Reli|on for Religions &s;ake? if we had more love, wee would have more zeale, if the heart were gained to <HI>Religion,</HI> we would have more <HI>heat</HI> and <HI>power,</HI> and not give up our &s;elves to &s;uch a <HI>&s;ecure o&s;citancy;</HI> the <HI>iniquity</HI> of the times &s;hould put us <HI>forward,</HI> not make us <HI>wor&s;e;</HI> A godly man &s;hould be like <HI>fountaine water, hot|te&s;t</HI> in <HI>cold<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;t weather; dead</HI> fi&s;hes may &s;wimme with the <HI>&s;treame,</HI> and every <HI>carnall</HI> heart walke according to the <HI>trade</HI> of <HI>I&s;rael:</HI> it de&s;erveth no thankes to be earne&s;t in duties, when there is no op|po&s;ition again&s;t them, but alas, as &s;oone as danger commeth, how are men di&s;couraged! it &s;hould not be &s;o, when the wicked prevaile, it's &s;aid of the godly man, <HI>Job</HI> 17.9. <HI>that hee &s;hall hold on his way, and hee that is righteous grow &s;tronger and &s;tronger:</HI> true grace and true zeale by an Antiperi&s;ta&s;is is <HI>be&s;t</HI> in the <HI>wor&s;t</HI> times, but it's otherwi&s;e with us, for our <HI>Magi&s;trates,</HI> &s;ome of them, when the day of God is prophaned, his name di&s;honou|red, his truth que&s;tioned, are like carele&s;&s;e <HI>Gallio's,</HI> troubled with none of the&s;e things, doe not come forth to the helpe of Chri&s;t; for our <HI>Mini&s;tery,</HI> many act no further then they are <HI>incouraged,</HI> and <HI>put on</HI> by an <HI>outward power,</HI> and will not ingage till all <HI>diffi|culties</HI> be fir&s;t removed by a <HI>&s;ecular arme;</HI> others leave them&s;elves at a loo&s;e liberty and indifferency to comply with all parties, and launch forth no further, then they may get to &s;hore again if a &s;torm ari&s;e; our <HI>people</HI> are in an un&s;etled he&s;itation ready to draw back upon every trouble, pleading for the <HI>&s;tumps of Dagon,</HI> and revolting in their hearts to the <HI>old wayes:</HI> and truly as yet the evill dayes are not fully come, &s;o that this grace is not thorowly ex|erci&s;ed, however a <HI>cold ind<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">fferency</HI> in &s;uch times, will in very e|vill times be a <HI>flat Apo&s;ta&s;ie;</HI> certainly this is clear already, that we are much gone off from our <HI>fir&s;t love:</HI> At the <HI>fir&s;t breaking out of Reformation,</HI> what heat and violence was there offered to the Kingdome of God? what zeale again&s;t the <HI>little foxes?</HI> every
<PB N="17" REF="12">mode&s;t appearance of errour? what an holy &s;orwardne&s;&s;e?<NOTE PLACE="marg">Metuendum e&s;t in po&s;trem mundi aetate magis hunc er|rorem gra&s;&s;atu|ram e&s;&s;e, quodaut nihil &s;int Reli|giones eut diffe|rant tantum vo|cabulis, Melanc. po&s;til. de Bapt. Chri&s;ti.</NOTE> where|as now we are at a &s;tand, the old world (like old men) every day lo&s;ing more of its heat and fervour; <HI>Melancthons</HI> prophe|cy is almo&s;t verified, for he (though he were a &s;ober and meek man, and indeed his fault was too much connivence, for by his &s;ilence <HI>Con&s;ub&s;tantiation</HI> prevailed) was &s;o &s;en&s;ible of the decay of zeal in his time, that he feared the world would come to ac|count Religion a matter of nothing, or a word-&s;trife not worthy mens regard and engagement, and truly it's even brought to that pa&s;&s;e.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="2"> By the <HI>in&s;ipid formality</HI> and <HI>dead heartedne&s;&s;e,</HI> that is found e|very where, we are without life in the wayes of God, little beau|ty of holine&s;&s;e, little circum&s;pection and &s;trictne&s;&s;e in life and conver&s;ation: <HI>Religion</HI> is like a <HI>river,</HI> it lo&s;eth in <HI>&s;trength</HI> what it getteth in <HI>breadth,</HI> now many come in, to profe&s;&s;e, their wal|kings are not &s;o awfull and &s;evere; when it's a <HI>&s;hame</HI> not to have &s;ome forme in Religion, many have but a forme, and do deba&s;e the holy profe&s;&s;ion, by mingling it with their pride, lu&s;t and a|varice, &s;o that it's not &s;o <HI>daunting</HI> and hath no &s;uch <HI>Maje&s;ty</HI> with it as formerly it had; a <HI>truly godly man</HI> is to be the worlds <HI>won|der,</HI> the worlds <HI>reproofe,</HI> the worlds <HI>conviction,</HI> the worlds <HI>won|der,</HI> 1 <HI>P<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">t.</HI> 4.4. <HI>they thinke &s;trange,</HI> &amp;c. you are to hold forth &s;uch <HI>mortification</HI> and <HI>&s;elfe-deniall,</HI> that the world may wonder; you are to weane your &s;elves, and bind up your affections from &s;uch ob|jects as do &s;o plea&s;antly and powerfully in&s;inuate with them, and ravi&s;h their affections; he &s;hould be too the worlds <HI>reproofe, Heb.</HI> 11.7. by building an Arke <HI>Noah</HI> condemned the world, you &s;hould be <HI>Mirrours</HI> to kill <HI>Ba&s;iliskes,</HI> and in the <HI>innocency</HI> of your lives, &s;hew them their owne <HI>filthine&s;&s;e;</HI> in &s;hort, your lives &s;hould be a <HI>reall reproofe</HI> and upbraiding to them; and then the worlds <HI>conviction,</HI> 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 14.25. you &s;hould walke &s;o, that they may &s;ee <HI>God in you of a truth,</HI> your <HI>conver&s;ation</HI> &s;hould be nothing el&s;e but a <HI>walking rule,</HI> and <HI>Religion exemplified;</HI> but alas, how vaine, carnall, &s;en&s;uall, are mo&s;t men, di&s;covering nothing of the power of grace, the beautie of holine&s;&s;e, and the efficacy of the new-nature, we may &s;ee much of <HI>man,</HI> but nothing of <HI>God</HI> in them, its even our de&s;cription, 2 <HI>Tim.</HI> 3.5. <HI>having a forme of godline&s;&s;e but denying the power thereof: denying the power,</HI> that is,
<PB N="18" REF="13">refu&s;ing and re&s;i&s;ting that inward virtue and force of godline&s;&s;e, by which the heart &s;hould be renewed or the conver&s;ation recti|fied. Po&s;&s;ibly there may be more <HI>light</HI> but le&s;&s;e <HI>heat,</HI> what <HI>Se|neca</HI> ob&s;erved of his times is true of ours, <HI>Bonie&s;&s;e de&s;ierunt, &s;icubi docti eva&s;erint,</HI> they were le&s;&s;e good when they were more learned: for now we rather <HI>di&s;pute</HI> away duties then <HI>practi&s;e</HI> them. Oh! 'tis &s;ad, this, when <HI>knowledge</HI> &s;hall devour <HI>good life</HI> and <HI>notion</HI> &s;poile <HI>knowledge;</HI> that of <HI>Hugo</HI> is but too ju&s;t a <HI>character</HI> of us, <HI>Amant lection<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">m,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Hugo lib. <HI>2.</HI> Mi|&s;cel. cap. <HI>52.</HI></NOTE> <HI>non Religionem, immo amore lectionis in odium incidunt Reli|gionis, mul<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">os video &s;tudio&s;os, paucos religio&s;os,</HI> &amp;c. many de&s;ire to know, few to live, yea knowledge &s;eemth to make men le&s;&s;e &s;trict and holy, for they di&s;pute away Religion, the more they under|&s;tand of it.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="3"><HI>Loathing of heavenly Manna,</HI> there cannot be a more proper di&s;covery of &s;pirituall langui&s;hing, &s;ick per&s;ons loath their food, and feed upon a&s;hes;<NOTE PLACE="marg">See <HI>Shepards</HI> Sound be&s;eever. pag. 250.</NOTE> &s;urely godline&s;&s;e is in the Wane when a people are <HI>Chri&s;t-glutted,</HI> and <HI>Go&s;pel-glutted,</HI> and are all for un|grounded <HI>&s;ubtleties, quinte&s;&s;entiall extracts</HI> and <HI>di&s;tillations:</HI> Oh how welcome were the <HI>fir&s;t appearances</HI> of light! tis a ble&s;&s;ing we know by the want of it; when we came newly out of darknes, who&s;e heart did not &s;ay within him <GAP DESC="foreign">, welcome &s;weet light? when it was a <HI>new thing,</HI> how &s;trangely did it affectus? but 'tis the unhappy fate of the Word to be di&s;pi&s;ed upon ac|quaintance, <HI>John</HI> 16.35. <HI>Yee rejoyced in his light,</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign"> for a &s;ea&s;on,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cant. 26.</NOTE> &s;ome &s;mall time, when fir&s;t hee began to &s;hine in their borders; to a <HI>gracious eye</HI> truths bed is <HI>alwaies green,</HI> as fre&s;h and flouri&s;hing at the la&s;t as at the beginning, but mo&s;t looke upon it with an <HI>adulterous</HI> eye and heart, love it whil&s;t 'tis <HI>new,</HI> nau&s;e|ate it after &s;ome acquaintance and knowledge of it; with what fa&s;tidious di&s;daine doe men de&s;pi&s;e &s;acred truths, if di&s;covered in their owne native beauty and &s;implicity? 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 2.6. <HI>we &s;peake wi&s;dome among tho&s;e that are perfect</HI> (&s;aith the Apo&s;tle) that is, a|mong growne Chri&s;tians, who can di&s;cerne <HI>beauty</HI> in a <HI>plain</HI> or|dinance, <HI>wi&s;edome</HI> in an <HI>Evangelicke &s;implicity;</HI> though there be no <HI>inticing words, &s;ublime &s;peculations,</HI> and <HI>exoticke conceits;</HI> but now carnall men are all for <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>depths</HI> as they &s;ay, 2 <HI>Rev.</HI> 24. that is, they account them great and <HI>deep my&s;teries,</HI> whereas the Spirit of God accounteth them <HI>illu&s;ions</HI> of <HI>Satan;</HI> &s;urely God wil
<PB N="19" REF="13">meet with &s;uch a wanton people. The <HI>Continuator</HI> of <HI>Sleidan</HI> &s;heweth, that before the great Ma&s;&s;acre in <HI>France,</HI> the Prote&s;tants were for a lu&s;cious wanton kind of preaching; truly we cannot ab&s;olutely determine what will become of us, only we have cau&s;e to fear that <HI>Con&s;cientious Sermon<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">,</HI> as much de&s;pi&s;ed as they are, may be a <HI>commodity deare</HI> enough in <HI>England</HI> ere long,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Sam. 3.4.</NOTE> and <HI>Vi|&s;ions</HI> may be le&s;&s;e <HI>open,</HI> that they may be the more precious.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="4"> Plaine Apo&s;ta&s;ie, and turning round to tho&s;e things which we hated in others before; as for in&s;tance, to <HI>Arminian, Anti&s;abbata|rian doctrines,</HI> &amp;c. which heretofore were made the characteri&s;tick note to di&s;tingui&s;h good per&s;ons and bad; I would not be under|&s;tood, as if I did thinke a thing &s;imply evill,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>See</HI> Paulus Di|aconus.</NOTE> becau&s;e held by &s;uch men, oppo&s;ition of image-wor&s;hip, was never the wor&s;e, be|cau&s;e the <HI>Monothelites</HI> fir&s;t &s;tirred in it, nor is the <HI>cro&s;&s;e</HI> the more <HI>holy</HI> becau&s;e the <HI>Me&s;&s;alians</HI> de&s;pi&s;ed it, neither is every thing evill becau&s;e taught by per&s;ons whom Religion maketh ju&s;tly odious; I only &s;peake now, as &s;uppo&s;ing other grounds, by way of ag|gravation, and to &s;hew how inexcu&s;able it is for us to judge o|thers, for the &s;ame things which we now doe our &s;elves, <HI>Rom.</HI> 2.3. And truly 'tis ob&s;ervable, that many, when the&s;e corruptions were &s;et on by violence, did &s;tubbornely enough bear up again&s;t the heat of oppo&s;ition, whereas now by erroneous in&s;inuations, their revolt is made facile, &s;o as they may come off from truth with the le&s;&s;e &s;hame and regret, and therefore doe now allow in them&s;elves tho&s;e errours, which formerly with &s;o much heat and &s;harpne&s;&s;e they oppo&s;ed in others. <HI>Deut.</HI> 12.29, 30. you &s;hall &s;ee there, of all &s;innes the Iewes were to beware of the way of the Heathens, whom God had ca&s;t out before them; hear the words, <HI>When the Lord thy God &s;hall cut off the nations from before thee, and thou goe&s;t and dwelle&s;t in their land; take heed thou be not en&s;nared by following them after they be de&s;troyed before thee.</HI> Truly we have the &s;ame <HI>nature,</HI> and having the &s;ame <HI>po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ions,</HI> may be ea&s;ily tempted to the &s;ame <HI>&s;innes;</HI> as pride, loo&s;ene&s;&s;e, ea&s;e, and errour, &amp;c. You that &s;ee that's brought as a great aggravation, 2 <HI>Kings</HI> 17.8. <HI>they walked in the way of the Heathen, whom the Lord had ca&s;t out before them,</HI> the&s;e opinions and practi&s;es have proved de&s;tru|ctive to others, and they will be fatall to us too; &s;uch Apo&s;ta|&s;ie is a &s;inne of a double dye, as being again&s;t <HI>former experience</HI> of
<PB N="20" REF="14">Gods judgments on others, and the <HI>former judgment</HI> of our owne Con&s;ciences, why were we &s;o keen again&s;t that in them, to which we are now revolted our &s;elves?</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="5"><HI>By the wounds</HI> Religion hath received <HI>in the hou&s;e of her friends,</HI> many have acted of late under the <HI>name</HI> and <HI>colour of Religion,</HI> as if they went on purpo&s;e to make <HI>godline&s;&s;e odious,</HI> and Religi|on <HI>&s;tinke</HI> in the land, engaging them&s;elves in all unwarrantable practices, odious and gro&s;&s;e here&s;ies, pro&s;tituting <HI>the holy profe&s;|&s;ion</HI> to all kind of impurities and injuries, whereby the mouth of iniquity is opened, the hatred of enemies ju&s;tified, their reproa|ches made good, and a great occa&s;ion and advantage given to wicked men to &s;peake evill of this way; 'twas the glory of Chri&s;tianity heretofore to be hated unju&s;tly,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Vide Tertull in Apol. Tali dedi|catore damnati|onis no&s;trae glo|riamur: qui enim Neronem &s;cit in<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">elligere po|te&s;t non ni&s;i grande bonum a Nerone damna|ri. Vide notas Franci&s;. Zephy|ri ibidem. Divina provi|denti&acirc; effectum ut Chri&s;tiana Religio eos ha|beret ho&s;tes, qui aliis virtutibus infen&s;i, &amp;c.</NOTE> and that only of the wor&s;t men, which was an argument of the goodne&s;&s;e and purity of it. That which <HI>Nero</HI> hateth mu&s;t needs be excellent, and the only fault that could be charged upon the primitive Chri&s;tians, was their Chri&s;tianity, they were ju&s;t and hone&s;t, good &s;ubjects and good neighbours (&s;aith <HI>Pliny</HI> the younger;) only they had their <HI>hymnos Antelucanos</HI> their morning meetings to prai&s;e their God; and <HI>Tertullian</HI> &s;aith, the Heathens were wont to &s;ay <HI>Cajus Sejus vir bonus ni&s;i quod Chri&s;tianus, Cajus Sejus</HI> was a good man, all his fault was, that he was a Chri&s;tian: you &s;ee &s;till their <HI>profe&s;&s;ion</HI> was their only <HI>crime.</HI> Nay, to come nearer home, the <HI>Bi|&s;hop</HI> of <HI>Aliffe</HI> in the Councell of <HI>Trent,</HI> confe&s;&s;ed that we had <HI>orthodoxos mores,</HI> but <HI>haereticam fidem,</HI> a <HI>good life</HI> but a <HI>had beliefe;</HI> and truly this was our glory when no evill could be charged up|on us, but our private <HI>opinion</HI> and <HI>profe&s;&s;ion;</HI> but alas now 'tis o|therwi&s;e, many of tho&s;e that <HI>profe&s;&s;e Religion,</HI> have done that which a <HI>morall Heathen</HI> would &s;carce doe, oh what a di&s;honour to Chri&s;t is this, that tho&s;e that pretend to him &s;hould be le&s;&s;e civil, ju&s;t, di&s;creet &amp;c! oh how is the holy profe&s;&s;ion expo&s;ed to the &s;hame and reproach of the adver&s;aries! how is Chri&s;t <HI>crucified</HI> and <HI>put to &s;hame</HI> again in your <HI>&s;candals!</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">(a) <GAP DESC="foreign">. Naz. orat. <HI>14</HI></NOTE> how will the <HI>Chams</HI> of the world laugh to di&s;cover this nakedne&s;&s;e! thus it hath been of old; the Apo&s;tle <HI>Peter</HI> &s;peaketh of &s;ome <HI>impure deceivers,</HI> by whom the <HI>way of truth was evil &s;poken of,</HI> 2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 2.1. thus the <HI>ancient Chri&s;tians</HI> were loaded with all kind of &s;corn and contempt, and hated for the <HI>Heretickes</HI> &s;ake, becau&s;e of the <HI>Gno&s;tickes</HI> they were
<PB N="21" REF="14">called <HI>luminum extinctores</HI> putters out of the candles,<NOTE PLACE="marg">(b) Tertul. in Apol.</NOTE> and doers of ob&s;cean thinges in the dark. The unclean conver&s;ation of the <HI>Pri&s;cilliani&s;ts</HI> made <HI>Pagans</HI> dete&s;t all <HI>Chri&s;tians,</HI> and by the rage of <HI>Maximus</HI> they fared all alike, <HI>malice</HI> will know no <HI>di&s;tinctione</HI> Alas,<NOTE PLACE="marg">(c) Dicimur Ch<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">i&s;tiani <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word">. opprobrium Chri&s;ti.</NOTE> what a &s;ad thing is this, that Religions <HI>owne friends</HI> &s;hould betray her, that you that are called Chri&s;tians, &s;hould be called &s;o to the di&s;grace of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, that you &s;hould give occa&s;ion to them that de&s;ire occa&s;ion, and make good all their reproa|ches!</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="6"> By Religions being made the &s;talking hor&s;e to every &s;elfe-&s;ee|king de&s;igne, many hold it forth only out of a de&s;ire to advance &s;ome private ends,<NOTE PLACE="marg">(d) Nunc male audiunt ca&s;ti|ganturque phi|lo&s;ophi no&s;trae &s;ectae quum tue|mur, quod ali|ter qu&agrave;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;api|entibus convenit vivant, &amp; vitia &s;ub obtentu no|minis celant. Lact. lib. de opi|ficio dei &s;ub ini|tio.</NOTE> to get preferment and honour in the world or &s;ome opportunity to inrich them&s;elves with the publicke &s;poiles: and truly this is very &s;ad, that every malicious, cove|tous or ambitious project, &s;hould be cloathed with this glorious pretence: thus the Apo&s;tle <HI>Peter</HI> &s;peaketh of &s;ome in his dayes, that abu&s;ed their profe&s;&s;ion, by making it a <HI>cloake of maliciou&s;ne&s;&s;e,</HI> 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 2.6. And <HI>Lactantius</HI> ob&s;erveth the &s;ame al&s;o of many in his time, who wounded the Chri&s;tian name and honour by u&s;ing it as a cover to their &s;inful and corrupt practices: and others &s;hew what prejudice was done to Religion, by the pride, de&s;ire of greatne&s;&s;e, and contention, that was between the Pa&s;tors and Profe&s;&s;ours of it; in&s;omuch that <HI>Diocle&s;ian</HI> thought that Chri&s;ti|anity was nothing el&s;e but a wretched device of wicked men,<NOTE PLACE="marg">(e) Eu&s;eb. lib. <HI>8.1.</HI></NOTE> &s;et a foot out of &s;ome private aimes; thus al&s;o <HI>Ignatius</HI> &s;peaketh of &s;ome that were <GAP DESC="foreign">, not <HI>Chri&s;tians</HI> &s;o much as <HI>Chri&s;t-&s;ellers,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">(f), Ignat. Epi&s;t. ad Trall.</NOTE> like <HI>Judas</HI> that followed Chri&s;t only to make gaine of him. I have brought the&s;e in&s;tances, becau&s;e they doe but give us the de&s;cription of many in our age, who make God <HI>to &s;erve with their &s;innes,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 43.24.</NOTE> and godline&s;&s;e to be only the &s;pecious out|&s;ide of every unclean intent, and worldly de&s;igne: thus poore Religion that delighteth to breath in the aire of <HI>&s;elf-deniall</HI> is made the u&s;uall &s;tale to <HI>&s;elfe-&s;eeking,</HI> and godline&s;&s;e that <HI>checketh</HI> carnall projects, by a vile &s;ubmi&s;&s;ion is forced to &s;erve them.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="7"> By the want of endeavours to propagate Religion, and to dif|fu&s;e it among&s;t others, true godline&s;&s;e, where it is powerfull, is of a diffu&s;ive and &s;preading nature, like leaven, till it hath pierced the whole lumpe, now what have wee done in this? either Chri|&s;tians
<PB N="22" REF="15">among their neighbours? Magi&s;trates in the Kingdome? or Ma&s;ters in their Families? for private Chri&s;tians, they &s;pend the heat and &s;trength of their &s;pirits in le&s;&s;er matters, and let the weightier goe, through divi&s;ion and &s;trife, forget edification, ma|ny renounce all care of <HI>them without,</HI> and whereas they might have &s;trengthened the hands of their brethren, that have acted in a publicke Reformation, what have they done? have they joyned as far as their private principles would give leave? endea|voured to bring the Kingdome onward to the way and will of Chri&s;t? And then for Magi&s;trates, have they been &s;o zealous as they &s;hould bee to propagate a religious Mini&s;tery throughout the Kingdome, to inlighten darke corners? there is not a better worke, nor more for your &s;afety.<NOTE N="(g)" PLACE="marg">Aug. lib. nov. de Civitate dei.</NOTE> <HI>Au&s;tin</HI> ob&s;erved that the Chri&s;tians ta&s;ted the violence of the <HI>Gothes</HI> and <HI>Vandalls,</HI> for that they were not careful to bring off the Heathens from their Idola|try: Such endeavours would bee your defence, and in the bu|&s;ine&s;&s;e of Religion nothing concerneth you more then this, but my chief aime under this head is to &s;peak of the <HI>neglect of Family duties,</HI> which is the great rea&s;on why Religion is decayed a|broad, the&s;e are the <HI>&s;prings</HI> and <HI>fountaines</HI> of the Country, <HI>Chur|ches</HI> were fir&s;t in <HI>families,</HI> where the <HI>master</HI> of the hou&s;e was the <HI>Prie&s;t,</HI> and the beauty and power of Religion is &s;till pre&s;erved there, and therefore next to Churches they require a chief care; Oh how excellent is it, when <HI>Churches</HI> are like to <HI>heaven,</HI> the <HI>A&s;&s;embly below</HI> like the <HI>great Congregation above,</HI> and <HI>families</HI> like <HI>Churches</HI> for their Religion,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 12.29.</NOTE> order and comeline&s;&s;e! You read of a <HI>Church</HI> in <HI>Philemons hou&s;e, Phil.</HI> 1. ver&s;e.<NOTE N="(h)" PLACE="marg">Melanet. in prf at. 5 Tom oper. Lutheri.</NOTE> <HI>Melancthon</HI> &s;aid of <HI>George</HI> Prince of <HI>Anhalt, Cubiculum ejus templum, Academia, Curia:</HI> that his chamber was an <HI>&V;niver&s;ity,</HI> a <HI>Court,</HI> and a <HI>Church,</HI> the latter becau&s;e of the in&s;tructions, Prayer and Wor&s;hip that was there: Religion fir&s;t decayeth in <HI>Families</HI> before in <HI>Churches,</HI> there|fore when the order of hou&s;es is &s;ubverted, duties neglected there, how &s;oon doth godline&s;&s;e decay abroad? I doe not know any one thing that God expecteth more from a religious hou&s;hol|der, I meane, in that capacity and relation, then the e&s;tabli&s;hment of Religion in his Family, <HI>Gen.</HI> 18.19. <HI>I know Abraham that he will command his children and his hou&s;hold after him to keep the way of the Lord.</HI> Mark, God reckoneth upon it as a duty that the god|ly
<PB N="23" REF="15">will perform, <HI>I know, &amp;c.</HI> and remember <HI>di&s;apointment</HI> is the wor&s;t <HI>vexation.</HI></P>
<P><MILESTONE N="8"> By oppo&s;ition and &s;narling at <HI>piety</HI> and <HI>purity,</HI> as the <HI>purity</HI> of Reformation, men are afraid to bee too heavenly, and reject <HI>Go|vernment,</HI> becau&s;e it would cro&s;&s;e their <HI>licentiou&s;ne&s;&s;e,</HI> and &s;o the <HI>purity</HI> that &s;hineth forth in the lifes of Gods &s;ervants,<NOTE N="(k)" PLACE="marg">From Ma|&s;ter <HI>Richard Vines</HI> of the A&s;&s;embly.</NOTE> you heard in the morning how apt an <HI>Engli&s;h Spirit</HI> is to hate <HI>godly|ne&s;&s;e</HI> under &s;ome other <HI>name,</HI> and how men that have but a <HI>Form,</HI> are wont to &s;narle at the <HI>power,</HI> and indeed the Apo&s;tle <HI>Paul</HI> ob|&s;erveth the &s;ame thing, 2 <HI>Tim.</HI> 3.3. with ver&s;e 5. <HI>having a form of godline&s;&s;e, de&s;pi&s;ers of tho&s;e that are good:</HI> the&s;e two de&s;criptions are u&s;ually coupled, <HI>Cain</HI> and <HI>Abell</HI> both &s;acrificed,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Iohn 3 12.</NOTE> onely <HI>Abells</HI> offering was the better, and therefore <HI>Cain</HI> maliced him, men doe not love to bee upbraided by others righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e; they would faine have their lazine&s;&s;e ju&s;tified by the common defects, <GAP DESC="foreign">, as <HI>Nazianzen</HI> &s;peaketh,<NOTE PLACE="marg">(l) Nazian. orat. in med.</NOTE> they would have none zealous and excelling, therefore tho&s;e that are conten|ted with a form will hate tho&s;e that have the power, we can look for no other, <HI>Gal.</HI> 4.27. <HI>Hee that was born after the fle&s;h, per&s;ecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even &s;o 'tis now.</HI> Wee may al&s;o adde, <HI>and &s;o 'tis now,</HI> and &s;o it will be; carnall Chri&s;tians will have &s;ome pretence or other, to per&s;ecute tho&s;e that are more godly, one great de&s;igne is (as you heard in the morning) to cry up a name under which this hatred may bee carried on the more covertly and &s;ecretly, &amp; u&s;ually it is taken from the party mo&s;t di&s;coun|tenanced, or which is mo&s;t publickly odious, or which hath mo&s;t di&s;honored their profe&s;&s;ion: thus when the <HI>Pri&s;cilliani&s;ts</HI> were ge|nerally hated, and indeed they de&s;erved it, other Chri&s;tians &s;ha|red in their mi&s;eries. <HI>Sulpitius Severus</HI> &s;peaketh of one <HI>Ithacius</HI> a Bi&s;hop who&s;e hatred again&s;t the <HI>Pri&s;cilliani&s;ts</HI> did &s;o far tran&s;|port him, that if any were of good life, &s;tudious of the Scrip|tures, he would &s;u&s;pect and bla&s;t him as a Pri&s;cilliani&s;t. I have read of one <HI>Sanpaulinus</HI> a <HI>French</HI> Martyr, who when hee reproved one for &s;wearing was pre&s;ently &s;u&s;pected of <HI>Lutherani&s;|me;</HI> and <HI>Bonner,</HI> if any did but mention the name of God with re|verence, tooke it for ground enough to call him <HI>Lollard:</HI> and true|ly 'tis even thus among us, the world hath gotten &s;ome names and pretences, under which they carry on their hatred again&s;t the
<PB N="24" REF="16">power of godline&s;&s;e the more &s;ecurely, and with the le&s;&s;e dread, &s;o that 'tis to bee feared, that if any be of godly Conver&s;ation, it will be enough to make him a <HI>Sectary, &amp;c.</HI> an enemie of the Kingdomes peace and quiet, when the name is once gotten up, mi&s;chiefe and malice (as I &s;aid) will make no di&s;tinction.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="9"> The late great increa&s;e of <HI>&s;candalous &s;innes,</HI> times of trouble are u&s;ually l<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">centious, and when <HI>penall lawes</HI> are &s;u&s;pended <HI>by force, wickedne&s;&s;e</HI> groweth <HI>impudent,</HI> and truly it is even &s;o among us to the confronting of authority, <HI>whoring,</HI> and <HI>&s;wearing,</HI> and <HI>drunkenne&s;&s;e</HI> and <HI>Sabbath prophanations</HI> abounding every where, yea <HI>more</HI> then formerly. We looked for purging the land and 'tis more <HI>defiled,</HI> when the pot boyleth the &s;cum is di&s;covered, Baths bring forth corruption (if it be in the body) into the skin, God hath beene <HI>reforming</HI> the Land, and our wickedne&s;&s;e <HI>appear|eth</HI> the more, <HI>Ho&s;.</HI> 7.1. <HI>When I would have healed I&s;rael, then the iniquity of Ephraim was di&s;covered, and the wickedne&s;&s;e of Samaria.</HI> God hath been correcting and amending us, and wee have been the more vile and &s;infull. Oh then how may the Kingdome fit downe like the Church in <HI>Micah</HI> and mourne, <HI>Micah</HI> 7.1, 2. <HI>I am as when they have gathered the &s;ummer fruits, as the grape gleanings of the Vintage, the good man is peri&s;hed out the of earth, there is none up|right upon the earth, they all lie in waite for blood, and hunt every man his brother by a net. Zeale</HI> is decayed, <HI>the power</HI> of godline&s;&s;e gone, the Word de&s;pi&s;ed, and wee are even growne as the peo|ple, whom God hath <HI>ca&s;t out</HI> before us, Religion hath received wounds in the <HI>hou&s;e of her friends,</HI> and is made a <HI>pretence</HI> to every ba&s;e de&s;igne, few &s;eek to <HI>propagate</HI> it, and it meets with much <HI>&s;narling</HI> and <HI>oppo&s;ition</HI> every where, and iniquity is now grown <HI>im|pudent.</HI></P>
<P>And thus I have done with my fir&s;t work, which was to &s;hew wherein Religion is decayed.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="2"> My next bu&s;ine&s;&s;e is to &s;hew you the <HI>occa&s;ions</HI> and <HI>cau&s;es,</HI> how we came thus to <HI>langui&s;h</HI> and <HI>decrea&s;e,</HI> that &s;o the <HI>guilt</HI> may lie at the <HI>right doore;</HI> and truly wee need not contend about that, but may every one of us <HI>&s;mite upon the thighs,</HI> and beare the &s;hame of our own iniquity.</P>
<P>Briefly then,</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="1"> For the occa&s;ions, the knowledge of them may &s;erve to &s;hame
<PB N="25" REF="16">us, with our unthankfulne&s;&s;e, they are two.</P>
<P>One is the late pro&s;perity which God of his mercy had given to his people, the Church,<NOTE N="(m)" PLACE="marg">Ecele&s;ia haeres Crcius. <GAP DESC="foreign">. Nazian. orat. <HI>3.</HI> de pace.</NOTE> who is the Heire of the Cro&s;&s;e, is &s;eldome able to manage and wield an outward happy conditi|on, I remember, <HI>(n) Nazianzen</HI> ob&s;erveth that it hath ever with more <HI>honor endured</HI> mi&s;ery then with <HI>&s;afety improved</HI> happines and &s;ucce&s;&s;e, that maketh us alwayes <HI>degenerate</HI> or <HI>divide;</HI> &s;ometimes <HI>degenerate,</HI> when <HI>Con&s;tantine</HI> favoured Religion, <HI>poy&s;on</HI> was &s;owen in the Church, Chri&s;tians began to loo&s;e their ancient &s;everity, and to looke after ea&s;e and honours and plea&s;ures in the World. When we have any thing in the <HI>World,</HI> we neglect out <HI>high hopes,</HI> and &s;o by little and little holine&s;&s;e decayeth and degenerateth into a meere pretence, which is onely retained, the better to colour over &s;ome carnall pur&s;uits and projects, whereas tho&s;e Chri&s;tians that meet with nothing but <HI>hard things</HI> in the world, and from the world, are more heavenly and holy: for the inward exerci&s;es of <HI>Mortification</HI> are much advantaged by their outward condition, and the world being <HI>crucified</HI> to them, they are the better <HI>crucified</HI> to the world, as <HI>Paul</HI> &s;peaketh,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Naz. ibidem.</NOTE> <HI>Gal.</HI> 6.14. <HI>(i. e.)</HI> it neither <HI>&s;mileth</HI> upon them nor they upon it: and as &s;ucce&s;&s;e maketh us to <HI>degenerate,</HI> &s;o <HI>to divide,</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign"> as hee &s;aid, a&s;&s;oone as the Church grew <HI>pro&s;perous</HI> it grew <HI>factious;</HI> like <HI>timber</HI> in the &s;un&s;hine wee are apt to <HI>warpe</HI> and divide from one another, or like<NOTE N="(&s;)" PLACE="marg">Quam re|porta&s;&s;ent tan|dem coronam &s;i per&s;titi&s;&s;ent in eadem m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">litia, nec ut efferati Elephantes ab ho&s;tibus con|ver&s;i contrivi&s;|&s;ent &s;uos. Brightman de Luthero &amp; Me|lancthone.</NOTE> <HI>Elephants</HI> returning from the heat of the battaile, wee tread downe our <HI>own troopes; pro&s;perity</HI> begets <HI>wantonne&s;&s;e,</HI> and <HI>wan|tonne&s;&s;e novelties,</HI> &amp; &s;o the people of God come to bee <HI>&s;cattered,</HI> and to goe into di&s;tinct <HI>heards</HI> and <HI>divi&s;ions,</HI> an evill ever <HI>fatall</HI> to Re|ligion, and yet it &s;eemeth <HI>connaturall:</HI> the Apo&s;tles them&s;elves, though <HI>Oracles infallible,</HI> could not wholly prevent it in their dayes; outward pro&s;perity then was a great occa&s;ion.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="2"> Another may bee <HI>openne&s;&s;e of Vi&s;ions,</HI> carnall hearts are &s;oone <HI>cloyed,</HI> I cannot tell how it commeth to pa&s;&s;e, but &s;o it is, the <HI>Word</HI> hath <HI>le&s;&s;e power</HI> when <HI>openly</HI> preached, a <HI>Go&s;pell-glutted</HI> &s;tomach doth often force God to provide &s;harpe remedies, either &s;ome <HI>great outward mi&s;ery,</HI> accompanied with the want and famine of the Word, and then any little thing is pretious, as &s;ee two places; one is <HI>Zech.</HI> 7.7. <HI>Yee &s;hould have hearkened to the former Prophets, when Ieru&s;alem was inhabited and in pro&s;perity, and the Cities thereof</HI>
<PB REF="17">round about her, and men inhabited <HI>the South of the plain.</HI> Mark, there is their <HI>full condition</HI> de&s;cribed, the Temple &s;tood, the City flouri&s;hed, the Suburbs was great, but then they hearkened not, but de&s;pi&s;ed the <HI>former Prophets,</HI> that is, the Prophets that prophe|cyed before the captivity, but now looke upon them in their <HI>em|ptine&s;&s;e,</HI> the other place, for that is <HI>Ezra</HI> 9.8. <HI>And now that the Lord hath &s;hewed us &s;uch grace to give us a naile in the holy place, &amp;c.</HI> Marke how welcome every little thing is to them then, a <HI>nayle in the holy place,</HI> is &s;uch a mercy, that is, to &s;ee one pin or nayle driven into the rafters of the Temple, whereas before they would not know their owne mercies, whiles that &s;tately Edifice &s;tood in all its glo|ry and beauty: times may come when the&s;e <HI>dewes</HI> will be preti|ous, and <HI>Sermon &s;howres</HI> &s;weet to <HI>thir&s;ty</HI> &s;oules, or, if this bee not, God may &s;end a <HI>darke Ezekiel,</HI> when a <HI>plaine Jeremy</HI> is de&s;pi&s;ed, Ordinances may bee carried in &s;uch an ob&s;cure notionall aery way, as to yeeld no efficacy and comfort. The&s;e are the occa&s;ions, but what are the cau&s;es of the langui&s;hing and decay of godli|ne&s;&s;e? I An&s;wer,</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="1"> That great divi&s;ion and di&s;&s;entiency that is among Gods owne people, when the <HI>language</HI> was divided, the <HI>building cea&s;ed,</HI> when Religion is <HI>controverted,</HI> it lo&s;eth its <HI>awe</HI> and <HI>force;</HI> 'tis ob&s;ervable that <HI>Acts</HI> 4.32, 33. when the people were of one heart and of one minde, <HI>then with great power gave the Apo&s;tles witne&s;&s;e to the Re&s;urrection of Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</HI> Marke that, <HI>with power;</HI> the Word came with command and authority upon the hearts of men, the <HI>World</HI> ea&s;ily &s;tumbleth at this <HI>rock of offence,</HI> the A&s;&s;ent is more loo&s;e and doubtfull when things are commit|ted to the uncertainty of di&s;putes, and &s;o doth not command|ingly check vitious inclinations: when the wayes of fle&s;h and blood, are backed with wit and parts, and made to &s;eeme a valu|able opinion, men are hardly gained.</P>
<P>Be&s;ides, godly men them&s;elves while they ingage with too much heat and zeale in their particular opinions, grow coole in piety and practicall duties, the &s;trength of their &s;pirits being di|verted, and carryed out &s;o di&s;proportionably to the le&s;&s;er mat|ters; God placed the <HI>Flaming Sword</HI> about <HI>Paradi&s;e,</HI> and the Go&s;pel calleth for violence in the <HI>matters of the Kingdome, Matth.</HI> 11.12. but wee u&s;ually mi&s;take our object, and mi&s;place our zeale upon &s;uch matters as have more of <HI>intere&s;t</HI> in them
<PB N="27" REF="17">then <HI>godline&s;&s;e,</HI> and are rather bu&s;ied in <HI>di&s;puting much,</HI> then <HI>doing much.</HI></P>
<P><MILESTONE N="2"> The emba&s;ting and ema&s;culating the Ordinance of Preach|ing: <HI>hunger</HI> &s;eeketh <HI>food,</HI> but <HI>lu&s;t dainties</HI> and <HI>quailes;</HI> when Prea|chers provide for mens <HI>lu&s;ts</HI> rather then their <HI>con&s;ciences,</HI> Religion is emba&s;ed, &amp; lo&s;eth power. A Mini&s;tery that &s;tayeth in the <HI>paint of words</HI> will beget but <HI>painted grace,</HI> when we come in the <HI>demon&s;tra|tion of the Spirit,</HI> we come in <HI>power,</HI> 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 2.6. <GAP DESC="foreign"> with plain and &s;olid conviction, <HI>this is the &s;inne, this the cur&s;e and mi&s;ery.</HI> When the thread of the Go&s;pel is &s;o <HI>fine &s;pun,</HI> 'twill not <HI>cloath</HI> a naked &s;oule, <HI>notion</HI> eateth out all <HI>&s;aving knowledge,</HI> the Apo&s;tle &s;peaks of a <GAP DESC="foreign"> 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 6.20. <HI>oppo&s;itions of &s;cience fal&s;ly &s;o called,</HI> by which they thought to <HI>better</HI> the Go&s;pel, but did in|deed <HI>deba&s;e</HI> it: &s;uch niceties <HI>enervate</HI> godline&s;&s;e, make it weak and le&s;s in power; we mu&s;t take heed then of deba&s;ing this Ordinance to an <HI>effeminate delicacy,</HI> it &s;hould &s;till be <HI>ma&s;culine</HI> and generous, full of <HI>Spirit,</HI> and <HI>power from on high.</HI> I would not bee mi&s;taken as if I did plead for a lazy carele&s;ne&s;&s;e in managing the Word, I know that God concurreth with mans diligence, and if wee would not have the people loath the Word, wee &s;hould painfully provide it for them; every <HI>Scribe that is in&s;tructed for the Kingdome of God,</HI> that is, that would doe &s;ervice in the Church of God, <HI>mu&s;t bring forth out of his trea&s;uries things both new and old, Matth.</HI> 13.52. that is, although not new truths, yet <GAP DESC="foreign">, old <HI>Truths</HI> in a new <HI>way,</HI> otherwi&s;e repre&s;ented to the imagina|tion or fancy, to take of that <HI>taedium</HI> or naturall &s;atiety that is in us, that wee may not loath them as <HI>Coleworts twice &s;od,</HI> but that truths may &s;till have a fre&s;h look upon the con&s;cience and affecti|ons. This may be done, but wee mu&s;t take heed of <HI>ungrounded ni|ceties, &s;ubtle notions,</HI> that beget onely <HI>&s;peculation</HI> and doe not &s;tirre up to <HI>practice.</HI></P>
<P><MILESTONE N="3"> An <HI>undue</HI> preaching of the Go&s;pel, <HI>poy&s;on</HI> conveyed in &s;o <HI>&s;weet a wine,</HI> maketh the cup the more deadly; by this means,<HI>Religion</HI> it &s;elfe is made to bee of <HI>&s;ins &s;ide,</HI> and the <HI>grace</HI> of God plyable to <HI>carnall</HI> conclu&s;ions; and indeed when the truths of God that &s;hould <HI>convince of &s;inne,</HI> are debauched to &s;o vile a purpo&s;e as to <HI>countenance &s;inne,</HI> men can the better overcome <HI>remor&s;e</HI> of con&s;ci|ence, and doe &s;inne with the <HI>le&s;&s;e regret,</HI> out of a pre&s;umption, that
<PB N="28" REF="18">the <HI>Go&s;pel</HI> is of their &s;ide, <HI>Jude</HI> Ver&s;. 3. <HI>They turne the grace of our God into wantonne&s;&s;e,</HI> they debauch the <HI>grace of God,</HI> that is, the Do|ctrine of grace, make that yeeld countenance to their lu&s;ts, and &s;o men father their <HI>Ba&s;tards</HI> upon the <HI>Spirit,</HI> and &s;inne <HI>cum pri|vilegin</HI> by a <HI>licence</HI> from heaven. When tho&s;e that &s;hould have been Prophets cryed <HI>peace, peace,</HI> &s;ee what <HI>Jeremy</HI> &s;aith, <HI>Jer.</HI> 4.10. Ah <HI>Lord God, &s;urely thou ha&s;t greatly deceived this people, in &s;aying they &s;hall have peace.</HI> 'Twas done in Gods name by the fal&s;e Prophets, and they were as &s;ecure as if God him&s;elfe had &s;aid &s;o: Wee would willingly have the Go&s;pel <HI>over Go&s;peld,</HI> and hear in the eare of liberty, therefore I am per&s;waded there is no one thing hath hindered the power of godline&s;&s;e, care of duty, <HI>humbling of &s;oules,</HI> &s;o much as this, undue preaching of the Go|&s;pel.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="4"> Publicke liberty and connivence that maketh &s;in <HI>more common</HI> and &s;o <HI>le&s;&s;e odious,</HI> outward re&s;traints keep men that are evill from di&s;covering of it, and though it bee the priviledge of divine pre|cepts to <HI>convert the &s;oule, P&s;al.</HI> 19.7. yet the commands and autho|rity of men may much hinder the <HI>diffu&s;ion</HI> and <HI>di&s;&s;emination</HI> of &s;in and errour; 'tis good to ob&s;erve the &s;everall <HI>guards</HI> that God hath put upon a man to keep him from &s;inne (&s;o prone are wee to it:) there are <HI>inward guards,</HI> Spirit, Word and Con&s;cience; there are <HI>outward guards,</HI> the Mini&s;tery, the Church, and the Magi&s;trate; all which are as in his &s;tead to bee an <HI>awe</HI> to &s;in|ners, more e&s;pecially it is &s;aid of the Magi&s;trate that hee is <HI>the Mini&s;ter of God to bee a terrour to evill doers, Rom.</HI> 13.3, 4. Now when their &s;word is &s;heathed up, and nothing is &s;etled, wicked men lo&s;e all awe and re&s;traint, and doe what is <HI>right in their own eyes, Judges</HI> 21.25. as 'tis &s;aid there they did, when there <HI>was no King in I&s;rael,</HI> that is, no exerci&s;e of Government to re&s;train publicke di&s;orders, (for as yet their Government was not <HI>Mo|narchicall</HI>) then all goeth to wrack, iniquity groweth impudent, and Religion is borne downe, <HI>Solomon</HI> &s;aith, <HI>Prov.</HI> 20.8. <HI>A King that &s;itteth upon the throne of judgment &s;cattereth away all evill with his eyes:</HI> that is, when Magi&s;trates imploy and draw out their power, they &s;catter evill, as the Sun &s;cattereth mi&s;ts.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="5"> Another cau&s;e may bee want of <HI>Catechi&s;ing,</HI> by which means truths would be more revived, and kept fre&s;h and &s;avory in the
<PB N="29" REF="18">thoughts, and &s;o have the more awe upon us. <HI>Martyrology</HI> and <HI>Catechi&s;ing</HI> were two of the mo&s;t &s;ucce&s;&s;efull engines again&s;t Po|pery. Truths worke mo&s;t when we di&s;cerne that <HI>Cognation</HI> and <HI>kin,</HI> by which they touch and re&s;pect one another; <HI>indi&s;tinct knowledge</HI> doth but di&s;po&s;e to <HI>error</HI> or <HI>loo&s;ene&s;&s;e;</HI> Sermon <HI>hints,</HI> an <HI>hint</HI> here, and an <HI>hint</HI> there, doth not &s;o much good, for men of weaker conceits cannot &s;o ea&s;ily di&s;cerne how one truth is in|ferred from another, and what analogy and proportion there is between them, and &s;o are ea&s;ily overcome by more &s;ubtile and &s;tronger wits; or el&s;e not di&s;cerning that faire complyance that is between practical and comfortable truths, grow loo&s;e: certain|ly Religion would be more propagated if this exerci&s;e were re|vived. We are debtors to <HI>wi&s;e</HI> and <HI>unwi&s;e, Rom.</HI> 1.14. and Chri&s;t that bade <HI>Peter</HI> feed <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>his &s;heep,</HI> bade him al&s;o feed <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>his lambes, John</HI> 21.15, 16. For want of this pattern of &s;ound words, and the&s;e conde&s;cen&s;ions to weake ones by this exerci&s;e, many mi&s;chiefs have abounded among&s;t us to the great dammage of Religion and godline&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>The&s;e are part of the cau&s;es, others might bee mentioned, but I &s;hall forbeare: you will &s;ay then, What remedy? there|fore I &s;hall proceed to the next thing, which is to &s;hew you,</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="3"> What we &s;hould doe to <HI>&s;trengthen the things that are ready to die,</HI> or to repaire decayed godline&s;&s;e; give mee leave to &s;peake a word,</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="1"> To all in generall, as we are Chri&s;tians; &s;everall things are ne|ce&s;&s;ary; let me point at a few.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="1"> Oh that we would all joyn together, <HI>qua&s;i manu fact&aacute;</HI> ('tis <HI>Ter|tullians</HI> word) in an holy con&s;piracy to befiege heaven by pray|ers, untill more <HI>Spirit</HI> and <HI>life</HI> be powred out, and in greater abundance; God hath &s;aid,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 2.15.</NOTE> that he will <HI>powre out his Spirit upon all fle&s;h;</HI> oh beg it for <HI>England,</HI> goe to him that hath <HI>the &s;even Spirits,</HI> to look upon <HI>another dead Sardis.</HI> God mu&s;t <HI>offer violence</HI> to us, ere we can <HI>offer violence to the Kingdom;</HI> 'tis the mighty <HI>quick|ning Spirit,</HI> that mu&s;t revive us in our <HI>langui&s;hings;</HI> that which car|rieth the &s;oule to <HI>God,</HI> mu&s;t come from <HI>God,</HI> waters can ari&s;e no higher then their &s;pring: Religion is like the pure <HI>Ve&s;tall flame,</HI>
<PB N="30" REF="19">which if it went out, was to be kindled only by a <HI>&s;un-beam;</HI> oh then let us goe and wait before God, for tho&s;e <HI>&s;even Spirits,</HI> tho&s;e mighty and quickning operaions! the <HI>Spirit</HI> came upon Chri&s;t in the appearance of a <HI>dove,</HI> to &s;hew his <HI>meekne&s;&s;e,</HI> but up|on the Apo&s;tles in <HI>cloven tongues of fire,</HI> to &s;hew the <HI>might</HI> and <HI>force</HI> that is in his operations.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="2"> Let us &s;tudy how we may more honour and adorne Religi|on, by a godly and peaceable walking before God and men. Every <HI>Chri&s;tian</HI> &s;hould be the Go&s;pels <HI>ornament,</HI> as an <HI>Hypocrite</HI> is the Go&s;pels <HI>di&s;grace, Tit.</HI> 2.10. <HI>adorne the doctrine of God our Savi|our:</HI> let the world know there is more in Religion then pretence and policy, whiles hypocrites and &s;uch as &s;eek them&s;elves betray the honour of Religion, doe you advance it, let them &s;ee there are true <HI>&s;tarres</HI> as well as glaring <HI>mete ors,</HI> your lives &s;hould make God glorious, 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 2.9. hold forth the <HI>prai&s;es</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>of him that hath called you,</HI> let them read God in you of a truth, and be not di&s;tingui&s;hed &s;o much by a <HI>party</HI> and <HI>profe&s;&s;ion</HI> as by <HI>holine&s;&s;e, Tertullian</HI> &s;aith of the ancient Chri&s;tians, <HI>Non aliunde no&s;cibiles quam de emendatione vitiorum,</HI> their <HI>di&s;tinction</HI> was their <HI>innocency.</HI> When divers Libertines had di&s;honoured Religion, and walked unworthily in their relations, <HI>Peter</HI> pre&s;&s;eth the true Chri&s;tians to good con&s;cience and more hone&s;t walking, 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 2.12. and 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 3.16. indeed both tho&s;e Chapters are to this purpo&s;e, this will bee a <HI>reall</HI> confutation, and then God will give you prai&s;e in the land of your &s;hame; haire cut will grow again, if the roots remain,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Zeph. 3.19.</NOTE> and though the razor of cen&s;ure hath brought baldne&s;&s;e and reproach upon the head of Religion, yet its good name will grow and flouri&s;h again, and they wil be a&s;hamed that <HI>fal&s;ly accu&s;e your godly conver&s;ation.</HI> Oh, brethren at &s;uch times we &s;hould walke with more care! it's a &s;mart que&s;tion that <HI>Nehem.</HI> 5.9. <HI>Ought yee not to walke in the feare of our God, becau&s;e of the repreach of the Heathen our adver&s;aries?</HI> when your lives are thus &s;leek and innocent, this dirt will not &s;tick.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="3"> Stirre up your &s;elves, and provoke one another to more for|wardne&s;&s;e in dead times: we &s;hould &s;trive who &s;hould be fir&s;t, and exceed in godline&s;&s;e, you know that noted place, <HI>Heb.</HI> 10.24. <HI>Let us con&s;ider one another, to provoke unto love and good workes;</HI> this is <GAP DESC="foreign"> an holy contention, when we contend who &s;hall be
<PB N="31" REF="19">mo&s;t forward in the matters of God; we often provoke one a|nother to carnall &s;trife, to exce&s;&s;e in vanity; oh when doe wee &s;harpen and whet each others graces? the <HI>&s;onnes of the coale,</HI> how doe they <HI>inkindle</HI> one another, and &s;trengthen each others hands in wickedne&s;&s;e? &s;ee how the Idolaters are de&s;cribed, <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 41.6, 7. <HI>They helped every one his neighhour, every one &s;aid to his brother, Be of good courage. So the Carpenter incouraged the Gold&s;mith, and hee that &s;mootheth with the hammer, him that &s;miteth on the Anvill, &amp;c.</HI> the prophet &s;peaketh of the time, when the Go&s;pel was &s;ent to the <HI>I&s;les,</HI> ver. 1. that is, to the <HI>European Countreys</HI> which are u&s;ual|ly expre&s;&s;ed by <HI>I&s;les</HI> in <HI>I&s;ay.</HI> Now as &s;oon as they li&s;tned to this Doctrine, downe went the pictures and the images, but there being &s;ome hope offered of their re-erection, they come and &s;trengthen one anothers hand, <HI>Be of good courage,</HI> they hoped to bring up their craft and way again with pompe and triumph: Oh when they &s;trenghthen one another, will not you?<NOTE N="(a)" PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign"> Naz. orat. <HI>13.</HI></NOTE> <HI>Nazi|anzen</HI> was wont to call the enemies of the Church <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>the common reconcilers;</HI> becau&s;e when they unite and &s;upport one another again&s;t the Church, it doth but invite the people of God to a more clo&s;e union, and free communion with one ano|ther; this would be an excellent way to prevent the decayes of love and piety.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="4"> Delight in, &amp; wait upon the powerful mini&s;tery of the word, <HI>The prophets prophe&s;ie lies, and the people love to have it &s;o, Ier.</HI> 5.31. A vaine <HI>people</HI> do but incourage a vain <HI>Mini&s;tery.</HI> Doe not delight then in a glozing di&s;pen&s;ation, 'twil be &s;ucce&s;&s;ele&s;&s;e, frothy &s;pe|culations, morall &s;trains do no good, the people begin to grow weary of &s;avory and &s;ound knowledg; the <HI>te&s;timony</HI> of the <HI>Wit|ne&s;&s;es,</HI> was a <HI>torment</HI> to the <HI>dwellers on the earth, Rev.</HI> 11.10. power|full preaching is their burden. The lazy world would faine lye upon the bed of ea&s;e, draw the curtains and re&s;t, and therefore <HI>light</HI> is trouble&s;ome, men begin to thir&s;t and pant for the old <HI>un&s;avory morall &s;traines,</HI> which remain in wary generalls, and do not irritate, the Lord may give you your de&s;ire, but remember that's a <HI>carnallitch</HI> that mu&s;t be <HI>clawed,</HI> and the times will be &s;ad, when men cannot <HI>endure &s;ound doctrine,</HI> 2 <HI>Tim.</HI> 4.3.</P>
<P>I have doe with my addre&s;&s;e to the people.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="3"> I &s;hall &s;peak a word to the Mini&s;tery, I am the wor&s;t of a thou|&s;and
<PB N="32" REF="20">to direct others, only I &s;hall take the liberty in all humility to &s;ugge&s;t my thoughts. Much may be done by you to the repai|ring of decayed godline&s;&s;e.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="1"><HI>Chri&s;t</HI> mu&s;t &s;till be preached, that's the main truth, that kee|peth in the <HI>life</HI> of Chri&s;tianity; the more <HI>Evangelicall</HI> di&s;pen&s;a|tions are, the more <HI>powerfull;</HI> our beloved mu&s;t &s;till be kept as a <HI>bundle of Myrrhe</HI> next our hearts, 1 <HI>Cant.</HI> 13. &s;till fre&s;h and fra|grant in the thoughts, all the comfort and &s;upport of a Chri&s;ti|an dependeth upon that, this is the very &s;pirit and flower of any Mini&s;tery, and therefore 'tis &s;aid <HI>Apoc.</HI> 19.10. <HI>the Te&s;timony of Je&s;us is the Spirit of prophe&s;ie,</HI> it is not only the <HI>beauty,</HI> but the <HI>life</HI> of any di&s;pen&s;ation; I know many thinke this needle&s;&s;e, for as I &s;aid before, the <HI>indi&s;tinct,</HI> and <HI>undue</HI> preaching of Chri&s;t, is the cau&s;e of all the <HI>loo&s;ene&s;&s;e</HI> and <HI>vanity</HI> into which Religion is degenerated. I but I adde here, that this di&s;pen&s;ation is &s;till need|full, the fooli&s;h world is apt to flye into extreames, &s;ome are all for doctrines of Chri&s;t, others will heare nothing of him, becau&s;e the&s;e &s;weet truths have been &s;o much mi&s;applyed. Popery got up by this pretence, they would not open that gap of <HI>free-grace</HI> to the <HI>people; Paul</HI> would preach the righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of Chri&s;t though many did abu&s;e it, <HI>Rom.</HI> 3.8. <HI>&s;ome &s;launderou&s;ly report that we &s;ay, Let us doe evill that good may come thereof, who&s;e damnati|on is just;</HI> the meaning is, &s;ome gave out that <HI>Paul</HI> taught that they might &s;inne freely, that God might have the more glory in pardoning; which is expre&s;&s;ed there, by <HI>doing evill that good may come of it;</HI> now &s;aith the Apo&s;tle <HI>their damnation is ju&s;t;</HI> that is, if they undoe them&s;elves with &s;uch a vile conceit, they may thanke them&s;elves, they never learned it from me; if poy&s;on be &s;ucked out of the flower, thanke the &s;pider, and if <HI>precious liquor</HI> be &s;owred, 'tis becau&s;e of the <HI>uncleanne&s;&s;e</HI> of the ve&s;&s;el. <HI>Mu&s;culus</HI> in one of his bookes had &s;aid, That no places were &s;o prophane and irreligious, as tho&s;e where the Go&s;pel had been preached; or words to that effect. And <HI>Contzen</HI> a Je&s;uite crieth out upon this, <HI>Hi &s;unt Evangelici Doctores,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Adam Contzen in <HI>Mat.</HI> c. <HI>24.5.</HI></NOTE> &s;ee the fruit of <HI>Prote&s;tanti&s;m</HI> and <HI>Go&s;pel-preaching!</HI> Many are of his &s;pirit, maligne and &s;launder a Go&s;pel-di&s;pen&s;ation; Alas, we are not <HI>in the place of God,</HI> to prevent mi&s;|apprehen&s;ions; it is our duty to keepe this truth fre&s;h in the thoughts, to offer it as a <HI>bundle of Myrrh</HI> to the Spou&s;es bo&s;ome.</P>
<PB N="33" REF="20">
<P><MILESTONE N="2"> Humbling doctrines mu&s;t be duly pre&s;&s;ed, <HI>John Bapti&s;t levelled</HI> mountaines, and in his dayes much <HI>violence</HI> was offered to the Kingdome, <HI>Mat.</HI> 11.12. and indeed, &s;till <HI>John</HI> mu&s;t goe before <HI>Je&s;us;</HI> like the day-&s;tar before the &s;un, <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> led the people in the <HI>wilderne&s;&s;e,</HI> before <HI>Jo&s;hua</HI> led them into the land of <HI>Canaan;</HI> we mu&s;t awaken fir&s;t by a <HI>&s;en&s;e of wrath,</HI> or el&s;e they will not care for a <HI>&s;ight of mercy;</HI> the people did not de&s;ire a <HI>Mediatour</HI> till they heard the <HI>thundring, Exod.</HI> 20.18.19. and 'tis Gods u&s;uall method to &s;uffer us to be <HI>dead to one law,</HI> ere we are <HI>alive to another, Gal.</HI> 2.19. fir&s;t to make us under&s;tand the <HI>&s;evere obligation</HI> that is upon us by the <HI>Covenant of workes,</HI> ere wee are brought into a <HI>better hope</HI> by <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t;</HI> God is never truly <HI>exalted</HI> in the &s;oule till man be <HI>humbled; Dagon</HI> mu&s;t <HI>fall</HI> and be <HI>broken,</HI> if the <HI>Arke</HI> bee <HI>&s;et up.</HI> The Lord diggeth <HI>deep,</HI> when he meaneth to rai&s;e the building <HI>high,</HI> and when hee will bring off the &s;oule to Chri&s;t powerfully, he bringeth them out of them&s;elves by godly &s;orrow. This is the drift and &s;cope of the whole Scriptures, and therefore I u&s;e the le&s;&s;e of argument in this matter.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="3"> Among other parts of godline&s;&s;e, it &s;eemeth to be mo&s;t nece&s;|&s;ary now to pre&s;&s;e the <HI>duties of relations:</HI> I &s;ay, to pre&s;&s;e Chri&s;ti|ans to carry them&s;elves holily in their civill relations: no way provideth for the di&s;charge of the duties of relations, &s;o much as Chri&s;tianity, or Religion, and none have failed in them &s;o much as religious per&s;ons of late, &s;o that a great deale of di&s;ho|nour hath come to God, and a great deale of prejudice to Re|ligion,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Dent exercium talem qualem doctrina Chri&s;ti milites e&s;&s;e ju&s;|&s;i, tales Provin|ciales, tales Pa|rentes, tales Do|minos, talet Fili|os, tales Servos, tales Reges, ta|les Iudices, tales denique debito|rum redditores, &amp; exactores ip|&s;ius fi&s;ci, &amp;c. Aug. ad Marcelo ep. <HI>5.</HI></NOTE> by our unworthy walking in our civill relations, the Go&s;pel or law of Chri&s;t requireth that the&s;e civil re&s;pects which we owe to men, &s;hould be di&s;charged, as in and to the Lord, and that we &s;hould turne duties of the <HI>&s;econd table,</HI> into duties of the <HI>fir&s;t;</HI> that is, performe <HI>civil</HI> re&s;pects upon a <HI>religious</HI> ground. So that it hath been the glory and honour of Religion heretofore, to yeild the <HI>be&s;t</HI> children, the <HI>be&s;t</HI> &s;ubjects, the <HI>be&s;t</HI> Kings, the <HI>be&s;t</HI> husbands and wives in the world. Therefore <HI>Augu&s;tine</HI> maketh a challenge to all the world, <HI>Dent exercitum talem quatem doctrina Chri&s;ti milites e&s;&s;e ju&s;&s;it,</HI> Let all the world (&s;aith he) yeild &s;uch Children, &s;uch Subjects, &s;uch Souldiers, &s;uch Servants, &s;uch an Army, &s;uch Provincialls, Judges, Kings, &s;uch faithfull ones, when they have been intru&s;ted with the publicke moneys; (but
<PB N="34" REF="21">alas, the ca&s;e is quite otherwi&s;e, of late none wor&s;e then they, none more apt to di&s;honour God in <HI>relations,</HI> to di&s;turbe civill peace, to re&s;i&s;t Magi&s;tracy upon every di&s;-&s;atisfaction, and to make every di&s;content the ground of commotion and di&s;obedience, therefore to teach men to improve their relations for the glory of God and good of Religion, mu&s;t needs bee &s;ea&s;onable, that if it be po&s;&s;ible wee may repair that <HI>incomparable lo&s;&s;e,</HI> which Religi|on hath &s;u&s;tained this way.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="4"> Learn that holy art of <HI>compounding</HI> peace wieh purity, that nei|ther may lo&s;e its due re&s;pect, that we may neither hazard Reli|gion by <HI>&s;ilence</HI> nor <HI>eager contention; Holine&s;&s;e</HI> and <HI>peace</HI> are daughters of the &s;ame &s;pirit and may bee reconciled, you finde them often coupled in Scripture, <HI>James</HI> 3.17. <HI>The wi&s;dome that is from above is fir&s;t pure and then peaceable: purity</HI> mu&s;t have the precedence in your endeavours, but <HI>peaceablene&s;&s;e</HI> mu&s;t not altogether bee &s;hut out; &s;o <HI>Mark.</HI> 9.30. Have &s;alt in your &s;elves and peace one with another, <HI>Salt</HI> and peace bee <HI>&s;avoury,</HI> but not too tart and <HI>au&s;tere.</HI> I will not <HI>direct</HI> my Brethren, I doe onely <HI>&s;ugge&s;t</HI> it.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="3"> One Word now to the Magi&s;trate, and I have done, Oh con|&s;ider this matter appertaineth to you, <HI>to strengthen things that are ready to dye,</HI> to repaire decayed godline&s;&s;e, this challengeth a chief care, yea <HI>the fir&s;t place</HI> in your debates; as in the Commandements, <HI>Spirituall</HI> duties have the precedency of <HI>Morall.</HI> In the name of Chri&s;t then let me be&s;eech you,</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="1"> To bee holy and godly in your <HI>own per&s;ons,</HI> Oh how &s;ad will it bee for your &s;oules in the day of the Lord, if you &s;hould be im|ployed in the Reformation of <HI>others</HI> and not bee reformed <HI>your &s;elves,</HI> that you &s;hould be like <HI>Noah's &s;hipwrights</HI> that frame an <HI>Arke</HI> for others and peri&s;h in the waters your &s;elves, or like the <HI>Jews</HI> that directed the wi&s;e men to <HI>Bethlehem,</HI> but went not them|&s;elves thither to wor&s;hip <HI>Chri&s;t!</HI> O con&s;ider you are the <HI>fir&s;t &s;heets</HI> of the Kingdom, others are printed after your <HI>copy,</HI> if the fir&s;t &s;heet be well &s;et, a thou&s;and more are &s;tamped with ea&s;e: &s;ee then that the power of Religion prevaile over your own &s;ouls: that after you have done good to others you may not be <HI>ca&s;tawayes:</HI> How can men think you are &s;incere in e&s;tabli&s;hing of Religion, if it hath made no impre&s;&s;ion on your own hearts? Scandalous Mi|ni&s;ters and wicked Magi&s;trates doe but pull down with one hand what they &s;et up with the other.</P>
<PB N="35" REF="21">
<P><MILESTONE N="2"> If you would repaire Religion and promote godlyne&s;&s;e, give incouragement to a godly Mini&s;try, you &s;ee when Chri&s;t wri|teth to the Church to repaire godline&s;&s;e, he directeth it to the <HI>Angell,</HI> Oh let there bee an Angell in every Church, Chri&s;ts &s;trength lyeth in his mouth, <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 49.2. That's the Sword by which hee overcometh the World, 'tis the weapon hee u&s;eth a|gain&s;t Antichri&s;t, the <HI>Spirit of his mouth,</HI> as <HI>Gideon</HI> overcame the <HI>I&s;raelites</HI> by <HI>lampes in pitchers,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2 <HI>The&s;.</HI> 2.11<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"></NOTE> &s;o doth Chri&s;t by <HI>lampes and pit|chers,</HI> and therefore the Apo&s;tle calleth it light, or trea&s;ure <HI>in an earthen ve&s;&s;el;</HI> Oh then maintaine the lampe that they may bee a meanes in the hand of God of maintaining godlyne&s;&s;e in the Kingdome, let there bee (as I &s;aid) an <HI>Angell</HI> in every <HI>Church,</HI> a <HI>light</HI> in every <HI>&s;ocket,</HI> a <HI>&s;tarre</HI> in every <HI>orbe,</HI> if you looke abroad you will find many continued through favor &amp; mediation of friends,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Brightman in L<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">c.</NOTE> <HI>Qui nihil babent in vita Angelicum aut in doctrina Evangelicum,</HI> that have nothing <HI>Angelicall</HI> in their life or <HI>Evangelicall</HI> in their do|ctrine.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="3"> Heartily e&s;tabli&s;h an holy Government in the Church, <HI>order</HI> and <HI>di&s;cipline</HI> is the <HI>fence</HI> of <HI>Religion,</HI> and a Church well governed is <HI>terrible as an Army with Banners, Cant.</HI> 6.4. that is, full of beau|ty and &s;trength, Armies ordered are comely and in a capacity to fight, the pre&s;ent <HI>decayes</HI> are by <HI>confu&s;ion,</HI> 'tis &s;aid <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 68.35. <HI>Thou art terrible out of thy holy places,</HI> in the order and beauty of the Church God is mo&s;t terrible, when wor&s;hip is pure and regu|lar it impre&s;&s;eth a dread and a reverence upon men.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="4"> Countenance godly per&s;ons, they are a Kingdomes be&s;t &s;ecu|rity, <HI>Zech.</HI> 12.5. and the Governours of <HI>Judah</HI> &s;hall &s;ay in their hearts, The inhabitants of <HI>Ieru&s;alem</HI> are my &s;trength in the Lord of Ho&s;ts their God. Mark, you &s;hould call them your &s;trength, they ingage a ble&s;&s;ing; when <HI>Lot</HI> was in <HI>Sodome, Sodome</HI> was in <HI>Lot,</HI> this is one of your chief duties, to &s;ee that godline&s;&s;e live peaceably, wee are bound to pray for you upon this ground, <HI>Pray for them that are in Authority, that wee may leade a quiet and peaceable life in all godline&s;&s;e and hone&s;ty,</HI> 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 2.4. Oh look to it then, that religion may have a quiet abode, or el&s;e you wil not.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="5"> Honour and &s;weeten Religion by &s;ome relea&s;e of the peoples burdens, Belly arguments doe worke much upon them, <HI>Ier.</HI> 44.17. <HI>Wee will burn incen&s;e to the Queen of heaven, for then wee had
<PB N="36" REF="22">plenty of victualls, and were well and &s;aw no evill.</HI> They mea&s;ure Religion by their outward concernments, and judge of wayes by their burdens and troubles. The oppre&s;&s;ion of &s;ome Prote|&s;tant princes in <HI>Germany</HI> was a &s;candall to the Reformation, no|thing &s;tirreth up vulgar hatred and introduceth violent changes &s;o much as this: the people are like the <HI>read of Egypt,</HI> if wee lean too hard, they doe not <HI>&s;upport</HI> but <HI>pierce,</HI> and oppre&s;&s;ion is like an iron in the fire, 'twill <HI>burn</HI> their fingers that hold it: I confe&s;&s;e this is &s;omewhat out of my way, therefore I was the more loath to &s;peak in it, but it being for Religions &s;ake, I hope you will pardon an humble motion.</P>
<P>I &s;hall but hint two Motives to &s;et on all and conclude,</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="1"> Is that in the 3. ver&s;e of this Chapter, le&s;t I <HI>come as a thief,</HI> oh con&s;ider Chri&s;t may &s;teale upon you, when hee taketh off his re&s;traint from a people, and they break out into <HI>tumults,</HI> 'tis a &s;hrewd &s;igne, you know what faction was ruined by tumults, 'tis an unhappy pre&s;age.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="2"> The next is taken from the 4. ver&s;e, <HI>Thou hast a few names that have not defiled their Garments.</HI> God taketh notice of tho&s;e few names that are zealous for him in <HI>dead times,</HI> that minde the ad|vancement of piety whil&s;t others deba&s;e it, they &s;hall <HI>walke with mee in white;</HI> either God will provide an Arke of &s;afety for you, for the pre&s;ent, or give you heaven, which &s;hall make amends for all.</P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
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