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<DATE>2012-02-27</DATE>
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<NAME>Simon Charles</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed.</ITEM>
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<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>A SERMON Preached before His MAIESTIE AT CHRIST-CHVRCH IN OXFORD. On the 18. of April 1643.</P>
<P>By WILLIAM STAMPE Vicar of <HI>Stepney</HI> in the County of <HI>Middle&s;ex.</HI></P>
<P><HI>OXFORD,</HI> Printed in the yeare 1643.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="dedication">
<PB REF="2">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>TO THE MOST ILLVSTRIOVS PRINCE, CHARLES PRINCE OF WALES, DVKE OF CORNWALL, and Earle of CHESTER.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>SIR,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>_IT hath plea&s;'d your Highne&s;&s;e to com|mand this Sermon to the Pre&s;&s;e, and mee to be your &s;ervant: what you have ob|&s;erv'd from either, that might incline you to &s;o much grace and favour, I know not; unle&s;&s;e it were my plaine
<PB REF="3"> dealing with the Times. This (in|deed) your Highne&s;&s;e mentioned with a deep &s;ence and reli&s;h. Would God the madde world knew it. Cer|tainly it were enough to &s;top the foule mouthes of &s;ome: enough to warme the hone&s;t hearts of others. God Almighty &s;o compo&s;e the pre|&s;ent troubles of this State, that the Government thereof may &s;tand the &s;urer for this &s;haking; and continue and increa&s;e his graces in you for the glorious &s;upport thereof, when it &s;hall plea&s;e him to lay it upon your &s;houlders.</P>
<CLOSER>Thus prayes <SIGNED>Your Highne&s;&s;es mo&s;t obliged humble &s;ervant, WILLIAM STAMPE.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
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<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="sermon">
<PB N="1" REF="3">
<HEAD>A SERMON PREACHED before His MAjESTIE at <HI>Chri&s;tchurch</HI> in <HI>Oxford</HI> on Tue&s;day, the 18 of <HI>April,</HI> 1643.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL>ESAY 59. 1, 2.</BIBL>
<P><BIBL>1 </BIBL> Behold, the Lords hand is not &s;hortned, that it can|not &s;ave, neither his eare heavy that it cannot heare.</P>
<P><BIBL>2</BIBL> But your iniquities have &s;eparated betweene you and your God, and your &s;innes have hid his face from you that he will not heare.</P></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>_IN the precedent Chapter, we have the difference &s;tated be|tweene a religious, true fa&s;t; and that which is merely fi|ctitious and Hypocriticall. In this, we have the true ground why our fa&s;tings at &s;ome times become fruitle&s;&s;e, and our prayers un&s;uc|ce&s;&s;efull: Both common theames; yet neither of them un&s;ea&s;onable as our times now are. Ne|ver
<PB N="2" REF="4"> did any age produce more fa&s;ting, more preaching, more praying. Never did the&s;e holy exerci&s;es produce le&s;&s;e fruit. Looke we well up|on the fruites, and we mu&s;t be driven to con|clude (by an argument a <HI>po&s;teriori</HI>) that &s;ure &s;ome where or other, there hath been <HI>fa&s;ting for &s;trife, and debate, and to &s;mite with the fi&s;t of wicked|ne&s;&s;e:</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ay 48. 4.</NOTE> for of the&s;e bitter and accur&s;ed fruits have wee abundantly ta&s;ted, witne&s;&s;e every Cranny and Corner of two mi&s;erable di&s;tre&s;&s;ed King|domes: So that our devotion hath neither pre|vented Gods Judgments: nor (which is wor&s;e) Gods Judgments prevented our &s;innes. What betweene the Athei&s;t in heart (the &s;chi&s;maticall, factious, &amp; di&s;&s;embling Hypocrite;) and the A|thei&s;t in profe&s;&s;ion (the licentious, daring, &amp; re|&s;olved &s;inner) we are yet to fa&s;t, and yet to pray, and yet to pro&s;per, and prevaile with God: wee are (at be&s;t) but under the throes and pangs of our deliverance; not, but that God is as ea&s;ily in|treated at this day as ever he was &s;ince the Cre|ation; his power and propen&s;itie to releive <HI>Eng|land,</HI> and <HI>Ireland,</HI> is as great (at this day) as ever it was to releive his owne peculiar <HI>I&s;raell.</HI> The great incapacity we labour under, is from our &s;elves. <HI>Gods Controver&s;ie for &s;inne,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ho&s; 4. 1.</NOTE> is the Cau&s;e of all our Controver&s;ies among our &s;elves; his Mercy and Ju&s;tice are as immutable as him&s;elfe, and therefore if wee are not relieved, wee mu&s;t not blame him, but thanke our &s;elves. For <HI>Behold
<PB N="3" REF="4"> the Lords hand is not &s;hortned, &amp;c.</HI> This <HI>Text</HI> is de|livered by the Prophet, to prevent a mi&s;take which Commonly ari&s;es in the hearts of men, in their conceipts of God, and them&s;elves. For if we want what we would have, or feele what we would want, we rave and &s;torme, and impute the <HI>troubles of I&s;raell</HI> &s;ometimes, to <HI>Ahab</HI> the King, &s;ometime to <HI>Elijah</HI> the Prophet, nay &s;ometimes we pin them on God him&s;elfe; and in&s;tead of <HI>humbling our &s;elves under his mighty hand,</HI><NOTE N="a" PLACE="marg">1 Pet 5. 6.</NOTE> <HI>we be|have our &s;elves very frowardly in his covenant</HI><NOTE N="b" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 44. 17.</NOTE>.</P>
<P>For the prevention of which, this text hath a double a&s;pect, with one eye it lookes upwards upon Almighty God, and there takes notice of an omnipotent <HI>hand,</HI> an attentive <HI>Eare,</HI> both poin|ted at with an <HI>Ecce, Bebold the Lords hand is not &s;hortned that it cannot &s;ave: neither his eare heavy that it cannot heare,</HI> with the other eye it lookes downeward, upon man: upon man at di&s;tance from his maker, upon man divorceing him&s;elfe from his God, and (by a &s;elfe Excommunicati|on) delivering him&s;elfe up into the power and government of Satan. So that we have here <HI>Ali|quid Dei,</HI> and <HI>Aliquid no&s;tri:</HI> that which belongs to God, de&s;cribed in the Negative, <HI>his hand is not &s;hortned, his eare is not heavy, &amp;c.</HI> (that is) he is al|waies one and the &s;ame God: That which be|longs to us, (and which indeed wee can onely call our owne) are our &s;ins; and not barely &s;innes but Iniquities too; and the&s;e with two de&s;perate
<PB N="4" REF="5"> Con&s;equences following clo&s;e at the heeles; one is, <HI>they ob&s;cure the light of Gods favourable Counte|nance:</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Lu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">. 16. 26.</NOTE> the other is, they make a <GAP DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 span"> be|tweene God and us; they make us (that which is &s;o odious in the very name) <HI>Seperati&s;ts;</HI> and of all <HI>Seperati&s;ts</HI> the wor&s;t, <HI>Seperati&s;ts</HI> from God. The&s;e are the naturall parts of the text, wherein I &s;hall breifely di&s;cover Gods power and propen&s;ity to releive his people, and afterwards enquire into the&s;e 3 particulars. 1. What it is that &s;eperates from God 2^l^y. Wherein God &s;eperates from us, 3^l^y. (which re&s;ults from both) in what con|dition we are when God is depated from us.</P>
<P><HI>Behold the Lords hand is not &s;hortned, &amp;c.</HI> The words are a large propo&s;all of mercy offered to all that will but make them&s;elves capable of it, namely, that God hath alwaies an attentive eare, and a ready hand, to releive tho&s;e that &s;hall ad|dre&s;&s;e them&s;elves unto him. Not that God hath either <HI>Hand or Eare</HI> in &s;trictnes of &s;peech, in both <HI>Humanum dicit,</HI> he &s;peakes to us (as the nour&s;e to the child) in that language, wherein we are be&s;t able to under&s;tand him. Nor is it a &s;ingle mer|cy that is here propo&s;ed, but mercy inge|minated; not <HI>hand</HI> alone, or <HI>eare</HI> alone, but <HI>hand</HI> and <HI>eare</HI> both: not an <HI>Hand Shortned,</HI> or an <HI>Eare heavy:</HI> but an <HI>hand</HI> &s;tretched out, an <HI>eare</HI> al|waies attentive. So that wee can no &s;ooner pre|&s;ent a prayer, but God immediately meets it with his eare, and whil&s;t the prayer is even en|tring
<PB N="5" REF="5"> into his eares, he meets and embraceth with his hand of mercy.</P>
<P>Againe, the mercies here propo&s;ed are of two &s;orts, either Spirituall mercies, &s;uch as concerne the inward man; or Temporall, &s;uch as concerne the pre&s;ervation of the outward: in both the&s;e re&s;pects <HI>the hand of the Lord is not &s;hortned.</HI> As for &s;pirituall mercies, I &s;hall onely &s;ay thus much in briefe, that God (in that Covenant of Grace which hee is plea&s;ed to make with his Creature) freely offers unto us his &s;onne, and in him all the Trea&s;ures of inexhau&s;tible mercy: No otherwi&s;e then a <HI>King</HI> by his Proclamation <HI>Royall,</HI> offers his mercy to tho&s;e rebels, that will but throw <HI>away</HI> their Armes, and come in and &s;ubmit them&s;elves to him, and his Government. But as tho&s;e Proclamations are &s;eldome without the Provi&s;o of a limited time: &s;o Gods mercies have their dates upon them; which if once expi|red, they are no longer mercies, but the heavy doomes of wrath and Judgement; like the &s;ame exhalation which di&s;tills at one time in a &s;weet; &s;oftning &s;howre; and at another time, by being detained too long, is hardned into a thunder|bolt. To the old world he gave a time of 120 yeares <HI>Gen:</HI> 6: 3: To the Citie of <HI>Nineve</HI> a time of 40 daies, <HI>Jonah</HI> 3. 4. To <HI>Jezabell</HI> a certaine &s;pace to <HI>repent of Her Fornication, Revel:</HI> 2: 21: To every &s;oule <HI>Horam prafixam,</HI> a certaine limited time <HI>Heb.</HI> 4. 7. And as he gives his word of Com|mand
<PB N="6" REF="6"> to the &s;ea, <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 104. 9.</NOTE> thus farre thou &s;halt come and noe farther: &s;o his word is gone out concerning every one of of us here pre&s;ent: Thus long my hand &s;hall not be &s;hortned unto you, Thus long yee have the Scepter of my mercy held out unto you: Thus long I am content to wait, and li&s;ten, to heare but &s;o much as a <HI>Quid feci,</HI> come from you: <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 8. 6.</NOTE> But not a minute longer then the limited time, the gla&s;&s;e is turned upon you, and there's no rever&s;ing the &s;entence after it is once pro|nounced. We know they were all virgins in the parable, and all of them alike <HI>&s;lumbered and &s;lept,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 25. 1.</NOTE> only the fooli&s;h ones, &s;tayed a little beyond their limited time. The time is, when God may and <HI>will be found:</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ay. 55. 6.</NOTE> The time will be, when God cannot, <HI>will not be found;</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 1. 28.</NOTE> when his hand will be &s;hortned and his eare heavy &amp;c. and then he that is <HI>filthy &s;hall be filthy &s;till,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Revel. 22. 11.</NOTE> and <HI>he that is unju&s;t &s;hall be unju&s;t</HI> for ever. <NOTE PLACE="marg">14. 13.</NOTE> And becau&s;e <HI>Non e&s;t no|strum, &amp;c.</HI> It is not for us to know when this time &s;hall be. How thrifty &s;hould we be of tho&s;e houres, which are but given us to prepare for that houre which neither <HI>Men,</HI> nor <HI>Angells</HI> know of? How &s;ea&s;onable and welcome &s;hould that hand of mercy be: which (like our Saviours un|to Saint <HI>Peter</HI>) offers at this in&s;tant to &s;ave mee from an eternall <HI>drowning?</HI> How precious and invaluable that moment, that gives me either a <HI>Bene</HI> or a <HI>Male Di&s;ce&s;&s;it</HI> to all eternitie? That part of time which is pa&s;t, will never wheele about a|gaine,
<PB N="7" REF="6"> that which we thinke and pre&s;ume is yet to come, may peradventure never come, the on|ly time we can call our owne is the pre&s;ent, as yet <HI>his Hand is not &s;hortned, neither his eare heavy:</HI> It &s;hall be our wi&s;edome therefore, to make Gods time, our time, the time of his Grace: the time of our Reconciliation: and let this be thought upon at all times: That he that neglects the pre&s;ent time, in hopes of future, does for the pre&s;ent for&s;ake his owne mercy: and &s;hall &s;en&s;i|bly find him&s;elfe for the time to come, more hardned, more unworthy, if not uncapable of that mercy he hath &s;lighted.</P>
<P>2^l^y In regard of Temporall pre&s;ervations his <HI>Hand is not &s;hortned,</HI> &amp;c. The &s;ame hand of mercy which was a Convoy to the <HI>I&s;raelites</HI> in the Sea<NOTE N="a" PLACE="marg">Exod: 14. 2.</NOTE>, a Crane to <HI>Jo&s;eph</HI> in the pit<NOTE N="b" PLACE="marg">Gen. 37. 28.</NOTE>: to <HI>Ieremy</HI> in the Dungeon<NOTE N="c" PLACE="marg">Ier. 38. 13.</NOTE>, A protection to <HI>Daniell</HI> in the Den<NOTE N="d" PLACE="marg">Dan: 6. 23.</NOTE>, to the three children in the furnace<NOTE N="e" PLACE="marg">Dan: 3 27:</NOTE>: The &s;ame hand that had the <HI>windes in his fi&s;t</HI> <NOTE N="f" PLACE="marg">Pro: 30. 4.</NOTE> in 88: The &s;ame <HI>Digitus Dei,</HI> that pointed out that horrid, (though now we cannot &s;ay unparrallel|led) Con&s;piracie <HI>Novemb.</HI> 5: The &s;ame hand that &s;aved a Crowne, <NOTE PLACE="marg">The Battell at Edge-hill.</NOTE> and &s;heltered the Royall bloud Octob. 23. (at the apprehen&s;ion of which hazard our Trembling will be, (and our prai&s;es &s;hould be) as &s;trong and la&s;ting as our memories.) The &s;ame Canopy of good providence and protecti|on does as yet hang over us, if we doe not runne away from under it.</P>
<PB N="8" REF="7">
<P>And as it is with the <HI>Hand:</HI> &s;o is it likewi&s;e with the <HI>Eare;</HI> Certainely the Eare of the Almighty was very free, and open to our forefathers: that <HI>Jo&s;huah</HI> and <HI>Hezechiah</HI> could command the Sun to <HI>&s;tand &s;till</HI> or <HI>goe backe</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Io&s;h 110. 12.</NOTE> as they &s;hould direct: That <HI>Elijah</HI> had &s;o much power over <HI>I&s;rael</HI> and the Elements, <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 King. 20 10.</NOTE> that there could be <HI>neither raine nor dew for three yeares, but onely at his word:</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 King: 17 1.</NOTE> And that <HI>Moy&s;es</HI> had &s;o much power in prevailing with God, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Numb: 16.</NOTE> that he is intreated of God, not to in|treat for the people. And yet Saint <HI>James</HI> will tell ye the&s;e were but men: <NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">am: 5 17.</NOTE> men, <HI>&s;ubject to the ve|ry &s;ame pa&s;&s;ions, and infirmities with any of us.</HI> Our &s;innes have made all the difference that is be|tweene us. <HI>Behold his eare is not yet heavy, &amp;c.</HI> The Sunne is alwaies of the &s;ame &s;trength, and influ|ence, notwith&s;tanding an Ecclip&s;e, or interpo&s;i|tion of a Cloud: The needle of the Compa&s;&s;e leanes alwaies to the &s;ame point, be the weather never &s;o foule, or the di&s;tance never &s;o farre. Gods power is like the Sunne, allwaies in full &s;trength, <HI>there is nothing hid from the heate thereof:</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al 119 6.</NOTE> his propen&s;itie to helpe, like the needle of the Compa&s;&s;e, leanes alwaies one and the &s;ame way: But we mi&s;take our God, becau&s;e we mi&s;take our &s;elves; and (with the giddy apprehen&s;ions of tho&s;e that put to Sea) we thinke the Land goes away from us, when the truth is wee goe away from it.</P>
<P>God is an Eternall, and Immutable e&s;&s;ence, the
<PB N="9" REF="7"> two armes of his Mercy and Ju&s;tice, of equall dimen&s;ion and extent: never &s;o &s;trict in Ju&s;tice, but alwaies mercifull: never &s;o Gracious in mer|cie but alwaies Ju&s;t. Nor is it po&s;&s;ible he &s;hould bee otherwi&s;e at any time, then what hee hath beene from all Eternitie. <HI>Behold the hand of the Lord is not &s;hortned, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>This Doctrine of Gods immutability, laies a &s;trict charge upon the pulpit and the pre&s;&s;e, to be faithfull and impartiall in tho&s;e me&s;&s;ages that come from God. Our doctrine &s;hould not bee like the water in the weather-gla&s;&s;e, that ri&s;es and falls according as the winde &s;its. If God be alwaies the &s;ame, why &s;hould not his word be &s;o too? There is not under heaven, a more ug|ly and deformed creature then a changeling in the pulpit; And what ever men may hope to gaine, or &s;ave, in de&s;perate, and un&s;teady times; by wre&s;ting that which was never made to bow, <NOTE PLACE="marg">The Scripture.</NOTE> yet, &s;ure I am there's one text in Saint <HI>Iohns Re|vel.</HI> will not be wre&s;ted; That to the bold u&s;ur|per on Gods word, (either by <HI>Addition</HI> or <HI>Di|minution</HI>) <HI>God &s;hall adde all the plagues that are writ|ten in that booke, and &s;hall take away his part out of the booke of life. Revel</HI> 22, 18.</P>
<P>And (in the &s;econd place) it would bee no &s;hame for the zealous <HI>Sectarie</HI> to reforme the de|&s;perate errour of his way; who is now <HI>Ie&s;uite</HI> e|nough to contract, or dilate the Hand of Gods mercy, according as he &s;ees the pur&s;e open, and &s;hut, to the cau&s;e and him&s;elfe. He makes great
<PB N="10" REF="8"> u&s;e of the Devils per&s;pective; whereof hee hath one end for the Pulpit, and another end for the Chamber. This in the Pulpit &s;hall pre&s;ent mer|cy contracted, or (like the character hee writes in) in &s;hort hand; That in the chamber &s;hall pre|&s;ent it both va&s;te, and neare; and under the pre|tence of <HI>Chri&s;tian Libertie,</HI> or &s;omething that mu&s;t go for zeale, &s;hall in&s;truct ye to &s;wallow a|ny kind of wickedne&s;&s;e what&s;oever. Thus by his &s;ubtle arguments drawne from the paucitie of the Elect, the difficulty of being &s;aved, at one time, and the Cheapne&s;&s;e of mercy at another, he fills his pur&s;e by the &s;ale of his Spirituall Comforts, and Saints with more confidence and freedome, then that Church he &s;o much de|claimes again&s;t.</P>
<P>La&s;tly, Let the dejected drooping penitent <HI>lift up his eies unto the hills from whence cometh his helpe;</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 121. 1.</NOTE> and from this text take a fayre pro&s;pect of mercy to his &s;aving Comfort: <HI>Behold the Lords hand is not &s;hortned, &amp;c.</HI> He hath given thee all the a&s;&s;urances of mercy thou can&s;t propo&s;e unto thy &s;elfe: he hath given thee his Royall word, his Covenant under hand and &s;eale, his many &s;a|cred prote&s;tations: nay, he hath bound him&s;elfe by Oath, to be reconciled, at what time &s;oever thou &s;halt turne and repent. Away then with tho&s;e feares and Jealou&s;ies, that make thee unca|pable of thy makers mercy. The Maje&s;ty of a King is never &s;o deeply wounded, as when Roy|all intentions, and Declarations become bla&s;ted
<PB N="11" REF="8"> by di&s;tru&s;t. And 'tis ju&s;t with God, that they &s;hould <HI>for&s;ake their owne mercy,</HI> that dare not tru&s;t it. The truth is, The weakne&s;&s;e of our faith, pro|ceeds commonly from the foulene&s;&s;e of our guilt, and the rea&s;on why we &s;tand in our owne light, and turne our backes upon Gods favoura|ble countenance, is becau&s;e <HI>our workes are the workes of darkne&s;&s;e,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Joh. 3. 19.</NOTE> and therefore we hate that <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">ight that will di&s;cover them.</P>
<P>Beware then of &s;hortning the good hand of God; Remember <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> at the rocke; <NOTE PLACE="marg">Num. 20. 10.</NOTE> and that great favourite that peri&s;hed at the gate of <HI>Sa|maria,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 King. 7. 2. 17.</NOTE> by the weight of that mercy he would not beleive. Though more mi&s;carry by pre|&s;umption, yet the more de&s;perate are they that ruine them&s;elves by their own de&s;pair. If there|fore <HI>thou &s;halt confe&s;&s;e with thy mouth the Lord Je|&s;us Chri&s;t, and beleive with thine heart that God hath rai&s;ed him from the dead;</HI> (and &s;teere thy cour&s;e according to this beleife) thou ha&s;t the <HI>Apo&s;tles</HI> warrant, <HI>thou &s;halt bee &s;aved, Rom.</HI> 10 9.</P>
<P>In the meane time (for the great extremities we labour under) the &s;ame Apo&s;tle a&s;&s;ures, that God is <HI>able to doe exceeding abundantly for us, above all that we can aske or think.</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe&s;. 3. 20.</NOTE> It may &s;eeme &s;trange: what? above all that we can aske or thinke? Sure that mu&s;t be a va&s;t circumference of mercy, that extends it &s;elfe beyond our thoughts; and if deliverances would come with thinking, we could &s;oone thinke our &s;elves into a better con|dition. But mi&s;take not; This hand of mercy is
<PB N="12" REF="9"> not held out to every idle, &s;quandring thought, every extemporary, indige&s;ted prayer: but con|fin'd to prayers qualified with faith; thoughts regulated by obedience; fa&s;ting governed by &s;incerity. 'Tis expected all the&s;e &s;hould move from <HI>a pure heart, a good Con&s;cience, and from faith un<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">ained.</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe&s;. 1. 5.</NOTE> <HI>Wee aske</HI> and <HI>receive not,</HI> and <HI>St James</HI> gives the rea&s;on, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Jam. 4. 3.</NOTE> <HI>becau&s;e we aske ami&s;&s;e;</HI> we thinke high, and thinke in vaine, becau&s;e (indeed) we doe little el&s;e but thinke: wee fa&s;t oft, and mi&s;|carrie when all is done; and the rea&s;on followes in the text, becau&s;e the ob&s;truction continues unremoved; Behold <HI>the Lords hand is not &s;hortned,</HI> neither <HI>his eare heavy:</HI> but <HI>your iniquities have &s;e|parated betweene you and your God, and your &s;ins &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t then, what it is that &s;eparates. Saint <HI>Paul</HI> makes the <HI>Quoere Rom.</HI> 8. 35. <HI>Who &s;hall &s;eparate from the love of Chri&s;t? &s;hall tribulation, or angui&s;h, or per&s;ecution, or famine, or nakedne&s;&s;e, or perill, or &s;word?</HI> If the&s;e would &s;eparate, we were but in a very ill condition, as our times now are; by the&s;e (indeed) faith may &s;eeme at &s;ome time &s;tupefied, or as it were &s;trangled for the time, it cannot be extingui&s;hed. (as there be many things that will ca&s;t into a traunce, that doe not &s;epa|rate the &s;oule from the body) Nothing from without can make this &s;eparation, the <HI>Enemies</HI> that mu&s;t doe it, <HI>mu&s;t be of our owne hou&s;e,</HI> of our owne cabinet and familiar acquaintance: the text calls them here by two names, <HI>Sinnes,</HI> and <HI>Iniquities:</HI> (that is) they are &s;everall &s;orts of
<PB N="13" REF="9"> &s;innes, and &s;everall degrees in &s;inne: what the&s;e Iniquities were, and what a mi&s;cheivous influ|ence they had upon the Common-wealth of <HI>I&s;|rael,</HI> may be &s;eene in the ver&s;es immediatly fol|lowing the text; <HI>Their hands were defiled with in|nocent bloud: their lips blacke with lies: their tongues</HI> furr'd <HI>with murmuring,</HI> their hearts &s;o mi&s;chei|vous that they <HI>hatch'd Cockatrice eggs:</HI> they <HI>wea|ved the Spiders web, their feet &s;wift to &s;hed bloud,</HI> the <HI>way of peace they knew not, they made them&s;elves crooked paths,</HI> that who&s;oever went along with them might not know peace: this the extract of their Sinne; and therefore their puni&s;hment followes, <HI>They groaped as men without Eyes, and &s;tumbled at noone day, they roared all like Lions, and mourned like Doves, and &s;ate in de&s;olate places like dead men, &amp;c.</HI> In the &s;eventh of <HI>Ier.</HI> 12. God com|mands his people to take notice what he had done to <HI>Shiloh</HI> (<HI>the place of his name, the dearly belo|ved of his &s;oule</HI>) <NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 12. 11. Jer. 12. 7.</NOTE> onely for the wickedne&s;&s;e of tho&s;e that dwelt there; and the Iudgment wee read of in the fir&s;t of <HI>Sam.</HI> namely, the <HI>Arke</HI> of God (which had continued among them almo&s;t 300 yeares) was taken by the <HI>Phili&s;tines,</HI> their Prei&s;ts &s;laine, and their people mi&s;erably di&s;|comfited; 1. <HI>Sam.</HI> 4. 11.</P>
<P>The time will not give me leave to pre&s;ent ye with ob&s;ervations taken from Gods dealing with the old world, with <HI>Sodome,</HI> and <HI>Gomorrha,</HI> with <HI>Egypt, Ninive, Ieru&s;alem,</HI> with &s;ome neigh|bouring Kingdomes of late yeares; or to com|pare
<PB N="14" REF="10"> our peace and plenty, with that of <HI>Samaria,</HI> and <HI>Ieru&s;alem;</HI> The light of our knowledge, with that of <HI>Chorazin</HI> and <HI>Beth&s;aida;</HI> The &s;innes of our nation, with the villany of <HI>Gibeah,</HI> when there fell by the &s;word three&s;core and five thou&s;and; <NOTE PLACE="marg">Jud. 10.</NOTE> The pride of our nation, with <HI>Davids</HI> ambition, when there fell by the pe&s;tilence &s;eventy thou|&s;and; <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Sam. 24. 25.</NOTE> The rebellion of our nation, with that of <HI>Corah</HI> and his company, when there fell by the &s;ame plague 14 thou&s;and and 7 hundred, be&s;ides tho&s;e which the fire and a &s;trange death devour|ed. <NOTE PLACE="marg">Num. 16.</NOTE> I &s;hall onely adde a double aggravation of our &s;innes, wherein we have out-&s;tripped all that ever were before us.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t (as if in all the mire of our forefathers there had, not beene roome enough for us to wallow) we have fulfilled that of the Apo&s;tle, and have approved our &s;elves exqui&s;ite <HI>inventors of evill things, Rom.</HI> 1. 30. Witne&s;&s;e our new in|ventions to finde out &s;trange &s;innes, <HI>Peccata ali|ena naturae, aliena Gratiae,</HI> mon&s;ters in nature, pro|digies in Chri&s;tianity; witne&s;&s;e our new devi&s;'d exce&s;&s;es in diet and apparell, and our new mint|ed oathes and execrations, banded without blu&s;hing in every corner of our &s;treetes.</P>
<P>And &s;econdly, I finde it recorded by the P&s;almi&s;t (though with no great honour to the <HI>I&s;raelites</HI>) <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 78. 34.</NOTE> that when God &s;lew them, then they &s;ought him, though before they did not; 'Twere well if but &s;o much could be &s;aid of us; God hath &s;laine us, now almo&s;t a
<PB N="15" REF="10"> twelve-month together, every day brings in the report of a new &s;laughter &s;ome where or other, nay very probable it is, that God is &s;laying even whil'&s;t I am &s;peaking; <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Reading, Lich|field. Leedes, Manche&s;ter,</HI> all be&s;ieged at that time.</NOTE> and yet, I feare, we are yet to &s;eeke our God: At fir&s;t (indeed) he only held the rod of his indignation over us, and threatned a long time to &s;trike, that he might not &s;trike at all; and when he did begin to draw bloud, he did it rather like a phy&s;ician, then an executioner. But now, that we have provoked him to draw more bloud, then the body can well &s;pare; and &s;ome of the be&s;t bloud too; now that the axe is laid to the roote of all that's deare unto us (our Soveraigne, our religion, our lawes, liberties and lives being all in dan|ger) Is there an adulterer the le&s;&s;e <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 7. 9.</NOTE> <HI>walking in the twilight?</HI> Is there an oath the le&s;&s;e, darted a|gain&s;t the Maje&s;ty of heaven? Is there any abatement of &s;inne, any improvement of grace under all our &s;tripes? Sure, I may rather con|clude, that the tides of &s;inne are farre more high, and overflowing under Judgement, then ever they were under mercy: <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 2. 4.</NOTE> <HI>his mercy</HI> did not <HI>lead us</HI> before, nor doe his Judgements as yet drive us to amendment. And therefore what can we conclude, but that without infinite mercy (the way whereof we cannot &s;ee in Gods revealed will) our &s;innes are ripe, and we are hard|ned to a &s;wift de&s;truction. I know this is har&s;h, and unplea&s;ing; but I know al&s;o, that the&s;e are no times for the pulpit to pre&s;ent fine-&s;pun opi|nions,
<PB N="16" REF="11"> as ornaments to be worne only in the eare; <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezek. 3. 17.</NOTE> 'Tis <HI>the watchmans duty</HI> to give <HI>timely warn|ing,</HI> and there is a woe re&s;erved for that &s;piritual phy&s;ician that <HI>skinnes over the wounds</HI> of <HI>Gods peo|ple to their</HI> hurt, <HI>&s;aying, Peace, peace,</HI> whil'&s;t iniqui|ties do &s;eparate. <NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer 6. 14.</NOTE> For when the &s;word hath done his command, pe&s;tilence and famine &s;hall be called in to performe theirs: nay (as if all the written wrath of God were not enough to &s;tartle us) the 28 of <HI>Deut.</HI> &s;peakes of <HI>unwritten plagues.</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 28. 61.</NOTE> So that there &s;hall never want a plague to find out that people that &s;tand out in rebellion a|gain&s;t God; And 'tis little le&s;&s;e then Athei&s;ticall to beleive, that God will give over puni&s;hing till we give over &s;inning.</P>
<P>So that, as (in the my&s;tery of our Redemp|tion) it was not the malice of the cheife prei&s;ts; nor the blindne&s;&s;e of the people; nor the iniqui|ty of <HI>Pilate;</HI> nor the treachery of <HI>Iudas;</HI> but our &s;innes that drew our Saviour into that dreadfull Agony of his pa&s;&s;ion: &s;o in the my&s;tery of that providence which hangs over us at this day, it is neither the errour, nor treachery of coun&s;els; nor the de&s;tructive factions &amp; divi&s;ions among them&s;elves; nor the ignorance of a &s;educed peo|ple, and infatuated nation; nor the wild-fire of &s;edition, thrown abroad with &s;o much art and indu&s;trie; at all which we &s;o much &s;torme and rave; no, Gods me&s;&s;enger mu&s;t bid you looke &s;ome other way, into your &s;elves, into your own bo&s;omes: they are your owne iniquities, that
<PB N="17" REF="11"> have unhing'd our goodly frames of Govern|ment, and drawne the Church and State into that dreadfull Agony under which it now la|bours: But <HI>your iniquities have &s;eparated, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, wherein God &s;eparates. Fir&s;t God withdrawes from a people in the generall, by <HI>withholding all good things from them, Ier:</HI> 5. 25. Such is the na&s;tie &s;tench of &s;inne, that it turnes Allmighty God cleane out of his way of mercy, (ju&s;t as a man changes his walke, when he &s;ees a &s;tinking carrion throwne in his way) God will walke with us no longer then wee walke with him, and <HI>if we for&s;ake him, he al&s;o will for&s;ake us,</HI> 2. <HI>Chron:</HI> 15. 2.</P>
<P>Secondly, God withdrawes, by withholding the pre&s;ence of his protection, and <HI>Except the Lord keep the City the watchman waketh but in vain.</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al: 127. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">:</NOTE> When God is &s;o highly di&s;plea&s;'d with his peo|ple as to put them out of his protection, &s;ee what follows; <HI>A Lion out of the forre&s;t &s;hall &s;lay them, &amp; a Woolfe of the wilderne&s;&s;e &s;hall de&s;troy them, a Leopard &s;hall watch over their Cities, becau&s;e their tre&s;pa&s;&s;es are many, and their rebellions are increa&s;ed, Ier:</HI> 5. 6. Of &s;o great e&s;teeme was this pre&s;ence of God in <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> his time, that the <HI>I&s;raelites</HI> dur&s;t not march one foote without it; <HI>If thy pre&s;ence goe not with us, carrie us not from hence, Exod,</HI> 33: 15.</P>
<P>Thirdly, God may very properly be &s;aid to withdraw, when he takes away his Deputies, <HI>the men of his right hand,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al: 80: 17:</NOTE> tho&s;e vi&s;ible Gods to whom he hath entru&s;ted the government of his people. And however, &s;ome have (more then) thought,
<PB N="18" REF="12"> that tho&s;e may well enough be &s;pared, (and are at this day acting their opinions) yet &s;ure I am they are not guided by that &s;pirit, who hath left it upon record, <HI>for the tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions of a land many are the Princes thereof. Prov.</HI> 28. 2. And of tho&s;e foure things which <HI>Agur</HI> ob&s;erves to breed the greate&s;t di&s;quiet in a State, the fir&s;t and cheife is <HI>a Servant when he raigneth,</HI> Prov: 30. 22.</P>
<P>Fourthly; God withdrawes, by withholding the pre&s;ence of his Truth. His Go&s;pell, and his ordinances are continued, but according as they are u&s;ed. in the Prophet <HI>Jeremies</HI> time, <HI>The Pro|phets prophe&s;ied lies, and the Prei&s;ts bare rule by the &s;word, and the people were very well content, nay they loved to have it &s;o, Jer.</HI> 5. la&s;t; And though <HI>Iere|my</HI> were <HI>I&s;raells</HI> prophet at that time, who&s;e of|fice was to pray for them, yet God gives him an expre&s;&s;e command to the contrary, <HI>Thou &s;halt not pray for this people, nor lift up a crie, or pray|er for them. Ier:</HI> 7 16. God hath not &s;o entaild his <HI>Go&s;pell,</HI> or perpetuated his <HI>Church,</HI> to any one place, or people, but that he can remove it when he plea&s;es. Tis an herbe will grow in any part of the world under the ble&s;&s;ing of him that plants it; And when he hath ju&s;t cau&s;e given him, 'tis very likely he will tran&s;plant it to a &s;oyle that will an&s;wer the husbandrie he be&s;towes upon it. And why not <HI>India</HI> as well as <HI>England?</HI> I dare not &s;ay, the viciou&s;ne&s;&s;e of our lives will totally excu&s;e their want of faith: yet &s;ure I am, the na|turall &s;quare of the very <HI>Indians,</HI> is enough to condemne our want of obedience; He that &s;aid
<PB N="19" REF="12"> <HI>Lo I am with you alwaies, even unto the end of the world;</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat: 28: 20:</NOTE> &s;aith al&s;o in another place, <HI>Remember from whence thou art fallen. and Repent, and do thy fir&s;t worke, or el&s;e I will come quickly, and remove thy can|dle&s;ticke out of his place, except thou repent. Rev.</HI> 2. 5.</P>
<P>La&s;tly (and which includes all the re&s;t) God withdrawes, by divorcing him&s;elfe from his people; the phra&s;e ye have <HI>Ier:</HI> 3. 8. <HI>I gave her a bill of Divorcement</HI> (&s;aith God of <HI>rebellious I&s;raell</HI>) an expre&s;&s;ion borrowed from tho&s;e, who by matri|moniall contract, have lived a long time toge|ther, with mutuall joy and comfort, till &s;ome high mi&s;demeanour breakes out, which hath noe other remedy but a divorcement. And this &s;hould be a word of terror and amazement; for the covenant once di&s;&s;olved betweene God and us, our joynture is all forfeited, all the pledges of his love to be returned, <HI>his &s;ilver and gold, and the faire jewells</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezech: 16: 17:</NOTE> of his wi&s;edome, grace, and mercy, to be delivered up; A Divorce at once ca&s;heires us of all relations to God; <HI>If any man draw backe, my &s;oule &s;hall have no plea&s;ure in him. Heb:</HI> 10. 38.</P>
<P>And 'tis not <HI>prateritio</HI> (a pa&s;&s;ing by) but <HI>&s;epa|ratio,</HI> a word that &s;peakes a farre wor&s;e conditi|on. Better we had never met under the &s;ame roofe, then to be parted afterwards; Better wee had never <HI>ta&s;ted the good word of God, never knowne the way of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb: 6: 5: 2 Pet: 2: 21:</NOTE> then after the knowledge thereof, to turne away, and for&s;ake it. A Divorce proves ever &s;candalous, to one &s;ide or other; the memory of a better, doubleth the mi&s;ery of a wor&s;e e&s;tate, and the highe&s;t aggravation of hels
<PB N="20" REF="13"> torment lies in <HI>poena Damni,</HI> the remembrance of what we once were, the contemplation of what we might have beene.</P>
<P>Wee have &s;eene how God withdrawes; It were well we would con&s;ider when he with|drawes too: but herein is our blindne&s;&s;e, that God is often with us, by the vi&s;ible hand of his mercy and protection, whil&s;t with &s;lumbring <HI>Iacob and Samuel,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen: 2<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"> 16: 1 Sam. 3: 7:</NOTE> we are not aware of it: And &s;o at other times, God withdrawes and will not go forth with us, nor have any thing to doe with our de&s;ignes, and yet with infatuated <HI>Samp&s;on,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Jud. 16: 20:</NOTE> we are ignorant that <HI>God</HI> and our <HI>&s;trength</HI> are <HI>both depar|ted.</HI> that we may therefore be throughly awake|ned to this danger, we are to con&s;ider in the la&s;t place what condition wee are in, when God is departed from us.</P>
<P>When&s;oever God departs from a people, or a Citie, or a &s;oule, he leaves &s;inne, and guilt all|waies behind him; <HI>If thou doe&s;t well &s;halt thou not be accepted?</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen: 4: 7:</NOTE> but if otherwi&s;e <HI>Sinne lies at the doore.</HI> and if Sin lie at the doore, we know what to ex|pect from &s;uch a porter, namely, That every mercy &s;hall be excluded, and every Judgement &s;hall be let in upon us.</P>
<P>The Prophet <HI>E&s;ayes</HI> Judgment &s;hall be let in: <HI>I will take away the hedge of my vineyard, and it &s;hall be eaten up, and I will breake downe the wall thereof, and it &s;hall be troden downe; I will lay it wa&s;te, it &s;hall not be cut nor digged, but briers and thornes &s;hall grow up, and I will command the cloudes that they &s;hall not raine upon it, E&s;ay.</HI> 5. 5.</P>
<PB N="21" REF="13">
<P>The Prophet <HI>Ieremies</HI> Judgment &s;hall be let in, <HI>Ier.</HI> 13. 13. <HI>I will fill the inhabitants of Ieru&s;alem with drunkenne&s;&s;e, and I will da&s;h them one again&s;t another, e|ven the fathers again&s;t the &s;onnes,</HI> (the ju&s;t character of our unhappy times) brother again&s;t brother, City again&s;t City, County again&s;t County, and yet the delu&s;ion &s;o &s;trong, and bewitching, that (with <HI>Demetrius</HI> his rout) <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 19: 32:</NOTE> the major part (in many pla|ces) know not wherefore they are come together.</P>
<P>The Prophet <HI>Malachies</HI> Judgment &s;hall be let in, I will not only powre out my Judgments, but <HI>I will cur&s;e even your Ble&s;&s;ings, yea I have cur&s;ed them already, Mal:</HI> 2. 2. Your Invocations &s;hall become provoca|tions. Your Sacraments &s;hall return ye charg'd with more guilt: Your Pulpits in&s;tead of teaching you <HI>to lead a peaceable and quiet life in all godlines and hone&s;ty,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Tim: 2: 2:</NOTE> &s;hall traine you up into rebellion again&s;t God and your King: And that meeting (&s;o long thir&s;ted after to have clinched and fa&s;tned religion and govern|ment) &s;hall prove a <HI>Petar</HI> (an engine of mi&s;cheife) to teare all in peices. In &s;hort, when once our iniquities have driven away our God; that long roll of judge|ments, that &s;tands upon record <HI>Deut:</HI> 28, will (as &s;o many writs) be &s;erved upon us: every mi&s;cheife will have his full blow at us; &amp; in all this extremity that which &s;hould be our &s;helter, will prove our &s;nare.</P>
<P>To &s;hut up all; what hath been thus declared in the generall, mu&s;t now be applied to every man in his owne particular. When God is driven out of the heart by &s;in, the devill is at that very in&s;tant invited to come and take po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion; this <HI>earthly tabernacle</HI> of ours will not be long without a tenant. <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Sam: 16: 14:</NOTE> <HI>Saul</HI> is not &s;ooner di&s;po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed of the good, then po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed of
<PB N="22" REF="14"> the evill &s;pirit; and whither that evill &s;pirit will lead we may gue&s;&s;e if wee looke after the herd of &s;wine, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mar: 5: 13:</NOTE> or rather indeed to a more dangerous lake then that wherein they <HI>peri&s;hed, a lake of fire and brim&s;tone, where the worme never dieth, nor the fire &s;hall ever be quenched.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Revel: 19: 20: Mar: 9: 43:</NOTE> </P>
<P>How much then does it concerne us, to &s;eparate from that betimes, which otherwi&s;e, will make an eternall &s;eparation betweene God and us? e&s;pecial|ly in times of hazard, and perplexity; with what confidence might we advance again&s;t the enemy, were but our drunkennes, our prophanene&s;&s;e, &amp; the poy&s;on of the whori&s;h woman bani&s;hed our quar|ters? (be&s;ides the &s;candall given to the cau&s;e) &s;ure, our &s;trength would not be the le&s;&s;e; without que&s;ti|on, our &s;ucce&s;&s;e would be every day more vi&s;ible and apparent; <HI>when thou goe&s;t out with an army,</HI> be &s;ure to <HI>keepe thee then from all wickedne&s;&s;e,</HI> &s;aith <HI>Moy&s;es, Deut:</HI> 23: 9. The meaning is not that wickedne&s;&s;e may be di&s;penced with at another time; 'tis &s;piritu|all advi&s;e tending immediately to thine owne pre|&s;ervation; for when thou goe&s;t into the feild, thou goe&s;t betweene the jawes of death, within the reach of the Cannon, thou art likely enough to take leave of this world; Let not thy mind then be &s;o much upon thine honour, or thine enemie, as to forget what &s;pirituall armes thou ha&s;t on, to pre&s;erve thy &s;oule from eternall ruine. Thou wilt not march out, without thine armes: and wilt thou leave thy God behind thee? He that can &s;o ea&s;ily want his God, gives ju&s;t cau&s;e to &s;u&s;pect, he was never yet throughly acquainted with him.</P>
<P>'Twas wont to be a proverbe; Let him that can|not pray go to &s;ea and learne; and why not into the
<PB N="23" REF="14"> feild and learne? And yet are the hazards of warre &s;o far from &s;tartling the military man, that as if (together with his commi&s;&s;ion) he had a di&s;pen&s;ati|on to be more de&s;perate, and daring in his &s;ins, then any other man; he makes Lu&s;t, and Rapine, e&s;&s;enti|all to his profe&s;&s;ion; the mo&s;t prodigious oathes, but as &s;o many nece&s;&s;ary accents of pa&s;&s;ion belonging to the duty of his place; as if indeed he were re&s;ol|ved on Hell, &amp; were practiceing aforehand to cur&s;e &amp; bla&s;pheme. Beleive it, the weight of Damnation is no whit le&s;&s;ened, by dandling the name of it upon the tongue; nor can I &s;ee how they can hope to be pre&s;erved of God who wi&s;h them&s;elves confound|ed of him every houre. Though God will not heare the prayers of wicked men, yet 'tis likely e|nough he will heare their cur&s;es, and bring them home too, <HI>like water into their bowells, and like oyle in|to their bones;</HI> nay 'tis pa&s;t being likely; 'tis mo&s;t certaine he will, ther's a text for it, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 109: 18. I know not whether we &s;hall more admire, or pitty tho&s;e bold (not valiant) among&s;t us, that dare goe forth to meet their eternall condition, with hearts more hardned, then the Armes that cover them. The cau&s;e (indeed) requires our lives, it doth not require our &s;oules, 'tis no honour to venture them. Nay little do we think how much our evill lives de|&s;troy, what with our lives we offer to maintaine. 'Tis &s;aid in the fir&s;t P&s;alme: <HI>That what&s;oever the godly man doth it &s;hall pro&s;per.</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al: 1: 3:</NOTE> Methinkes that &s;hould be of great e&s;teeme (as our times are) that would make e|very thing to pro&s;per in our hand. Sure it has more vertue, then the <HI>Philo&s;ophers &s;tone,</HI> that will turne e|very thing we touch into a ble&s;&s;ing: and let no man
<PB N="24" REF="15"> thinke to pro&s;per otherwi&s;e; for he that may &s;eeme to pro&s;per in his wickedne&s;&s;e, may do well to take notice that he lies under the greate&s;t judgement that can be named on this &s;ide hell: as having no &s;ence of judgment till it cannot be rever&s;'d, nor ever awake|ned till the fire be all about his eares. And there|fore whil'&s;t ye are ingag'd in warre, be &s;ure ye make your peace with God; and take heed of giving your &s;elves that deadly wound, that will never be cured unto all eternity: give no <HI>cau&s;e to the enemies of the Lord to bla&s;pheme,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Sam: 12: 14:</NOTE> and <HI>let not your good be evill &s;poken of,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom: 14: 16:</NOTE> the goodne&s;&s;e of your cau&s;e be &s;u&s;pected and &s;ullied with the foulne&s;&s;e of your &s;ins: le&s;t whil'&s;t you appeare for your Soveraigne (and in him for your &s;elves) by your pur&s;es, and your per&s;ons, ye plat thornes in his crowne &s;ome other &s;ecret way, and (unwittingly) wound that righteous cau&s;e, which cannot, will not thrive, but by holy addre&s;|&s;es unto Almighty God.</P>
<P>It hath been &s;hewed, what it is that &s;eparates from God: wherein God &s;eparates from us: &amp; how mi&s;e|rable we are when God is departed from us. What remaines then? but that we &s;o demeane our &s;elves in the pre&s;ence of God, whil'&s;t <HI>his hand is not &s;hort|ned, neither his eare heavy,</HI> that upon all occa&s;ions we may have free and open acce&s;&s;e unto his eare: and may find that hand of mercy, (which hath hitherto beene enlarged almo&s;t to a miracle) con&s;tant, and propitious, to us and our de&s;ignes. That God may alwaies owne us for his &s;ervants here in this life, and acknowledge us for his Saints in that which is to come. Which God of his infinite mercy grant, &amp;c.</P>
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