<!DOCTYPE ETS PUBLIC "-//UMDLPS//DTD EEBOPROOF 2.0//EN">
<ETS>
<TEMPHEAD>
<REVDESCR>
<CHANGE>
<DATE>2012-01-01</DATE>
<RESPSTMT>
<NAME>Taryn Hakala</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
</RESPSTMT>
<ITEM>Proofed text and corrected markup.</ITEM>
</CHANGE>
</REVDESCR>
</TEMPHEAD>
<EEBO>
<IDG S="marc" R="UM" ID="A95064">
<STC T="W">T272</STC>
<STC T="T">E338_10*</STC>
<BIBNO T="umi">99861476</BIBNO>
<VID>159715</VID>
</IDG>
<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="license">
<PB REF="1">
<OPENER><DATELINE><DATE>Die Jovis, 28. Maii. 1646.</DATE></DATELINE></OPENER>
<P>IT is this day ordered by the Lords in Parliament a&s;&s;embled, That M^r. <HI>Taylor</HI> is hereby thanked for his great pains taken in the Ser|mon he preached ye&s;terday before their Lord&s;hips in the Abby Church <HI>We&s;tmin&s;ter.</HI> And he is de|&s;ired to print and publi&s;h the &s;ame, which is not to bee printed but by authority under his own hand.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>John Brown Cleric. Partiamentorum.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="license">
<P>I do appoint <HI>George Whittington</HI> and <HI>Nathaniell Brookes</HI> to print my Sermon.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Francis Taylor.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>THE DANGER OF Vowes neglected, AND The nece&s;sitie of REFORMATION: OR, A Sermon preached before the Right Honorable Hou&s;e of Lords, at a late &s;olemne Fa&s;t in the Abbey Church at <HI>We&s;tmin&s;ter, May</HI> 27. 1646.</P>
<P>By FRANCIS TAYLOR B. in D. Pa&s;tor of <HI>Yalding</HI> in <HI>Kent,</HI> and a Member of the A&s;&s;embly of Divines.</P>
<Q><BIBL><HI>PSAL. 50.14.</HI></BIBL>
<P><GAP DESC="foreign"> Pay thy Vowes unto the mo&s;t High.</P></Q>
<P><HI>Publi&s;hed according to Order.</HI></P>
<P><HI>LONDON,</HI> Printed by <HI>M. S.</HI> for <HI>Geo. Whittington,</HI> and <HI>Nath Brookes,</HI> at the Angel in Corn-hill, below the Exchange. 1646.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="dedication">
<PB REF="2">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE THE HOUSE OF PEERES A&s;&s;embled in <HI>PARLIAMENT.</HI></HEAD>
<P>_RIght Honourable, the&s;e pains were un|dertaken by your command, and your Order was the Midwife to bring them into the light. I hope my imperfecti|ons &s;hall finde a cover under the vaile of your authority. God knowes my hearts de&s;ire was to mind you of your &s;olemne Covenant, (which Lords be &s;ubject to a neg|lect of as well as meaner men) and to &s;tirre you up to a private Reformation, without which yee can look for no ble&s;sing upon your publick endeavours. Endeavour I be|&s;eech you to ca&s;t every little moat out of your own eyes, be|fore you goe about to ca&s;t the great beames out of the eyes of the Church and State.
<NOTE N="a" PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>Vajikra Rab. c.</HI> 5.</NOTE> <HI>It is an afflicted Citie,</HI> &s;ay the Jewes, <HI>who&s;e Phy&s;itian hath the Gout.</HI> The com|mon vote of the people will be,
<NOTE N="b" PLACE="marg">Luke 4.23.</NOTE> <HI>Medice, cura teip&s;um.</HI> Tho&s;e great things yee expect in Gods, doe them in your own
<PB REF="3">hou&s;es, that yee may be able to &s;ay with Jo&s;huah
<NOTE N="c" PLACE="marg">Jo&s;h 24.15.</NOTE>, <HI>I and my Hou&s;e doe &s;erve the Lord.</HI>
<NOTE N="d" PLACE="marg"><HI>Non &s;olum ob&s;unt vi<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="3 letters">&s;i principes, qu&ograve;d illi p&s;i cor|rum untur, &s;ed etiam qu&ograve;d corrumpunt; plu&s;que ex|emplo, qu&agrave;m pecca<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">o no<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">c<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">t.</HI> Cicero de Leg. l 3.</NOTE> Your vices and your peo|ples will be exemplary: &s;o will your graces. Be valiant to put to your helping hand to purge and &s;ettle Church and State.
<NOTE N="e" PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>Sab fol.</HI> 32.1.</NOTE> <HI>If the Shepheard be lame,</HI> &s;ayth the Talmud, <HI>the go its will ea&s;ily make an e&s;cape.</HI> So will all &s;orts of Delin|quents and Malefactors, if your Lord&s;hips goe &s;lowly to work. I be&s;eech you &s;tirre up your &s;pirits, and be forward to &s;ettle a religious Di&s;cipline in Gods Church, according to your covenant. Give not the people occa&s;ion to &s;ay, The let of Di&s;cipline is, becau&s;e great men cannot endure a through-reformation. The Lord that called you to &s;uch a pitch of ho|nour, and height of employment, make your Lord&s;hips worthy in&s;truments of his glory here, and fill you with glory in his own pre&s;ence in heaven. So prayeth</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Your Lord&s;hips humble &s;ervant in the Lord Francis Taylor.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="sermon">
<PB N="1" REF="3">
<HEAD>A SERMON PREACHED BEFORE The Right Honorable Hou&s;e of LORDS at a &s;olemne Fa&s;t.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL><HI>GENES. 35.1.</HI></BIBL>
<P>And God &s;aid unto Jacob, Ari&s;e, goe up to Bethel, and dwell there, and make there an Altar unto God, that ap|peared unto thee, when thou fleddest from the face of E&s;au thy brother.</P></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>_THE Book of <HI>Gene&s;is</HI> containes the Cradle of the world, and the In|fancy of the Church. The Story is brought down from the very Creation to <HI>Jo&s;ephs</HI> death. The mo&s;t remarkable Hi&s;tories are the lives of the three famous Patri|archs, <HI>Abraham, I&s;aac,</HI> and <HI>Jacob,</HI> &s;et out more largely then the re&s;t. In the&s;e yee have their manifold trials and deliverances. The Text is a part of <HI>Jacobs</HI> &s;tory:
<PB N="2" REF="4">We find him in a &s;ad po&s;ture, his daughter defiled, the <HI>Sbechemites</HI> &s;lain by his &s;ons, their Citie &s;poyled,
<NOTE N="a" PLACE="marg">Chap. 34.30.</NOTE> him|&s;elfe afraid le&s;t the Countrey ri&s;e up again&s;t him, and de&s;troy both him and his. In this heavie condition God appears unto him. The Text doth not expre&s;sly &s;et down when this apparition was, but the connexion of it to the former &s;tory, and the great need <HI>Jacob</HI> had of Gods appearing then, and
<NOTE N="b" PLACE="marg">Gen. 22.10, 11.14. &amp; <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">8.10, &amp;c.</NOTE> Gods u&s;uall manner of making the Saints nece&s;&s;ities his opportunities, per|&s;wade the Interpreters to beleeve, that it was pre&s;ent|ly after the &s;laughter of the <HI>Shechemites.</HI> And the vul|gar reads it, <HI>Interea,</HI> In the mean while. While <HI>Jacob</HI> was mu&s;ing what cour&s;e to take to avoid the rage of the neighbouring Canaanites, God appeares to him for his comfort. Neither is it &s;et down what manner of apparition this was, whether in a vi&s;ion by day, or in a dream by night. Sure it was not a me&s;&s;age &s;ent by a|ny Prophet to <HI>Jacob:</HI> and certain it is, it was not <HI>muta apparitio,</HI> a dumb &s;hew; but as <HI>Jacob</HI> had Gods pre|&s;ence <HI>ad erigendum,</HI> to comfort and li&s;t up his dejected &s;pirits, &s;o he had al&s;o his word <HI>ad dirigendum,</HI> to direct his wandring thoughts what &s;afe cour&s;e they might pitch upon. God dealt with his children then, as we doe with ours now; hee appeared to them and told them his will and plea&s;ure, that they might teach it to others: So we keep our children at home when they are young, and &s;peak to them our &s;elves; but when they are bigger, we employ them abroad, and let them know our mind by letters. That former cour&s;e of appariti|ons we mu&s;t not expect now. It is &s;ufficient that
<NOTE N="c" PLACE="marg">Ho&s;ea 8.2.</NOTE> God hath
<NOTE N="d" PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">. <HI>Macar. Hom.</HI> 39.</NOTE> written to us the great things of his law for our direction; and it is our &s;in if we count them as a &s;trange thing, and long after apparitions, as if wee were &s;till in the infancy of the Church.</P>
<PB N="3" REF="4">
<P> The ground of ob&s;ervation is explication; wherein the more pains is to be taken, becau&s;e our Interpreters trouble us with many Topographicall &s;cruples, and Metaphy&s;icall &s;peculations.</P>
<DIV2 TYPE="section">
<HEAD><GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>Ari&s;e.</HI></HEAD>
<P>Some conceive that God hath re&s;pect to the po|&s;ture of <HI>Jacobs</HI> body, who might now be laid in his bed. Others, that God looks at the &s;adne&s;&s;e of his heart, which was ca&s;t down within him. The former thinke that <HI>Jacob</HI> is called out of his bed; the other &s;uppo&s;e he is called out of his dumps. The truth is, the He|brew word in the Scripture u&s;e of it, doth not nece&s;&s;a|rily imply either; it rather calls upon men to prepare them&s;elves to goe about the work which God enjoyns them. So when
<NOTE N="e" PLACE="marg">1 Kings 21.18.</NOTE> God bids <HI>Elijah</HI> to <HI>ari&s;e and goe down to meet Ahab:</HI> and al&s;o to
<NOTE N="f" PLACE="marg">2 Kings 1.9.</NOTE> <HI>ari&s;e and goe up to meet the me&s;&s;engers of Ahaziah;</HI> he intends no more then that he &s;hould &s;et him&s;elfe about that work. Neither doth it appeare, that <HI>Eliah</HI> was at that time either laid in body, or troubled in mind.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="section">
<HEAD><GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>Goe up.</HI></HEAD>
<P>Neither doth this word argue that <HI>Bethel</HI> was higher by &s;ituation, then <HI>Shechem:</HI> for in Scripture phra&s;e both <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>to goe up,</HI> and <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>to goe down,</HI> are often u&s;ed onely for going on, or forward, without re&s;pect to the various &s;ituations of the places mentioned, higher or lower. So God &s;aith,
<NOTE N="g" PLACE="marg">Ezek. 26.3.</NOTE> <HI>O Tyrus, I will cau&s;e many Nati|ons to come up again&s;t thee.</HI> We know that <HI>Tyrus</HI>
<NOTE N="h" PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>In the heart of the &s;eas,</HI> Ezek. 27.4.</NOTE> &s;tood on the Seas; and we read that men
<NOTE N="i" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 107.23.</NOTE> <HI>go down to the Sea.</HI> And <HI>Sennacharib</HI> King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> is &s;aid to
<NOTE N="k" PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 36.10. See the like 2 Sam. 2.1. &amp; 5.19.</NOTE> <HI>come up</HI> a|gain&s;t all the defenced Cities of <HI>Judah,</HI> yet it doth not appeare that <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> was lower in &s;ituation then the land of <HI>Judah.</HI> And on the other &s;ide, <HI>Jephtha's</HI> daugh|ter
<PB N="4" REF="5">de&s;ires
<NOTE N="l" PLACE="marg">Iudg. 11.37.</NOTE> to goe up and down upon the mountaines to bewaile her virginity for a time: that is no more then to goe from one place to another on the hills. And
<NOTE N="m" PLACE="marg">Iudg 15.11. See the like 1 Sam 33.6. 2 Sam 2<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">.21 2 Kings 8.29. Jer. 18.<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">. and 21.1.</NOTE> three thou&s;and men of <HI>Judah</HI> are &s;aid in the o|riginall to goe down to the top of the rock <HI>Etam,</HI> which the Tran&s;lators have carefully rendred <HI>went.</HI> So that as the former word <HI>Ri&s;e</HI> required a preparation for the journey, &s;o this word <HI>Goe up,</HI> requires a pro|gre&s;&s;e in it till he come there. He mu&s;t neither be di&s;|couraged from undertaking it, nor give it over before he have fini&s;hed it.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="section">
<HEAD><GAP DESC="foreign">. <HI>To Bethel.</HI></HEAD>
<P>But why is <HI>Jacob</HI> commanded to goe to <HI>Bethel?</HI> God needs not give any rea&s;on of his commands: his will is to us a rule. Yet the equity of this command, and Gods indulgence to <HI>Jacob</HI> herein, appears by the&s;e fol|lowing con&s;iderations: Fir&s;t, by this means <HI>Jacob</HI> was carried away out of the &s;ight of his enemies; his very being among them would have been a perpetuall eye|&s;ore to them, and the &s;ight of him and his a daily pro|vocation to revenge. Secondly, the very name of <HI>Be|thel</HI> might be a comfort to <HI>Iacob:</HI> it &s;ignifies <HI>Gods hou&s;e;</HI> and whither &s;hould Gods people goe for con&s;olation and protection, rather then to Gods hou&s;e? Thirdly, him&s;elfe had found comfort there in former troubles, as appeares in the end of the Text. Fourthly and la&s;t|ly, there he might perform his vow to God,
<NOTE N="n" PLACE="marg">Chap. 28.10</NOTE> which he had vowed many yeares before, and hitherto negle|cted. This God &s;eems to have an e&s;peciall eye upon in this command, as appeares by the en&s;uing words, <HI>Make there an Altar, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P><GAP DESC="foreign">. <HI>And dwell there.</HI> That is, make it thy habi|tation for a time. Others read it, <HI>&s;tay,</HI> or <HI>tarry there;</HI> to
<PB N="5" REF="5">wit, till thy vow be performed. So the word is u&s;ed, 2 Sam. 10.5. <HI>Tarry at Iericho untill your beards be grown, and then return.</HI></P>
<P><GAP DESC="foreign">. <HI>And make there an Altar.</HI></P>
<P>God doth not intend the bare &s;etting up of an Al|tar, but that when hee had built it, hee &s;hould offer &s;a|crifices on it, and acknowledge Gods mercy to him in providing &s;o liberally for him, and protecting him from the fury of his brother <HI>E&s;au.</HI> So did <HI>Abraham</HI>
<NOTE N="o" PLACE="marg">Gen. 13.18. compared with chap. 22.2.9.</NOTE> in the plain of <HI>Mamre</HI> build an Altar, not to look upon it doubtle&s;&s;e, but to offer &s;acrifices. And in this man|ner of wor&s;hipping God, que&s;tionle&s;&s;e his po&s;terity were bred up. And to what purpo&s;es were places a|mong us appointed for religious exerci&s;es, if none were there performed?</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="section">
<HEAD><GAP DESC="foreign">. <HI>Unto God.</HI></HEAD>
<P>There is a great que&s;tion among Interpreters, why God &s;hould &s;peak him&s;elfe here in the third per&s;on, and why he &s;aith, <HI>Unto God,</HI> and not <HI>Unto me.</HI> Some Writers both
<NOTE N="p" PLACE="marg"><HI>Vide Augu&s;t. Quae&s;t. in Gea. Quae&s;t.</HI> 110. <HI>&amp; Willet in Text.</HI></NOTE> ancient and modern, pick out of it, the Divine nature of our Saviour Chri&s;t, and the Trinity of Per&s;ons in the Godhead. Some would have God the Father to be the &s;peaker, and to direct <HI>Jacob</HI> to the wor&s;hip of his Son Chri&s;t, the &s;econd Per&s;on in the Trinity. Others, that Chri&s;t &s;hould appeare to <HI>Iacob,</HI> (who in the judgement of our Divines, was the per&s;on that u&s;ed to appeare to them in the old Te&s;tament) and call upon him to build an Altar to God the Fa|ther. Doubtle&s;&s;e wee have plain places &s;ufficient in Scripture to prove Chri&s;ts Divine Nature, and the Trinity of Per&s;ons, and therefore need not to pre&s;&s;e this place to that end, le&s;t we doe as weak builders,
<NOTE N="q" PLACE="marg"><HI>Debile &s;un|damen<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">um fallit opus.</HI> Wainflaet. de Gram.</NOTE> lay &s;o infirm a foundation, that the whole building
<PB N="6" REF="6">fall to the ground: or as wilfull Souldiers, who de|fend a weak Fort again&s;t a &s;trong enemy, and &s;o are vanqui&s;hed. It is clear that God &s;peaks of him&s;elf of|ten in the third per&s;on, where no &s;uch my&s;tery is in|tended; as when he &s;aith, that
<NOTE N="r" PLACE="marg">Gen. 18.19.</NOTE> <HI>Abraham</HI> will teach his hou&s;hold, and they &s;hall keep the way <HI>of the Lord,</HI> that <HI>the Lord</HI> may bring upon <HI>Abraham</HI> that which he hath &s;poken of him. And,
<NOTE N="&s;" PLACE="marg">Gen. 18.14.</NOTE> <HI>Is any thing too hard for the Lord?</HI> God is no more tied to give an account of his words, then of his actions. He may &s;peak of him&s;elfe as he plea&s;eth. Yet I doubt not but many rea&s;ons of this phra&s;e may be given, which may yeeld profit unto us.</P>
<P>As fir&s;t, God may &s;peak thus of him&s;elfe for cer|tainty &s;ake, that <HI>Iacob</HI> might know who &s;pake to him, and to whom he was to build an Altar; that hee need not &s;ay with <HI>Saul,
<NOTE N="t" PLACE="marg">Acts 9.5.</NOTE> Lord, who art thou, Lord?</HI> Nor with <HI>Samuel</HI>
<NOTE N="u" PLACE="marg">1 Sam. 3.4, 5.</NOTE> run to <HI>Eli</HI> when God called him. Secondly, for Maje&s;ty &s;ake: &s;o in the third Commandment, God doth not &s;ay, Thou &s;halt not take my Name in vain: but, thou &s;halt not take the Name of <HI>the Lord thy God</HI> in vain. And in the fourth, The &s;eventh day is the Sabbath of <HI>the Lord thy God.</HI> It was a &s;trong argument to di&s;&s;wade them from di&s;honoring Gods Name, and per&s;wade them to the ob&s;ervation of the Sabbath, be|cau&s;e they both did belong, not to any mortall man, King, or Emperour, but to that glorious Lord who was their God. Thirdly, for intere&s;t &s;ake; that it might appeare that God had an intere&s;t in <HI>Iacob</HI> by rea&s;on of his former appearing to him in his troubles, and therefore de&s;erved a journey and an Altar at his hands. So God bids <HI>Abraham</HI> to offer <HI>I&s;aac</HI>
<NOTE N="x" PLACE="marg">Gen. 12.2.</NOTE> his &s;on, putting him in mind what intere&s;t hee had in him. Fourthly, for equity &s;ake, that it might appeare to be
<PB N="7" REF="6">a very ju&s;t and equall &s;ervice, that God required of <HI>Iacob,</HI> although the &s;peaker had not been that God, nor <HI>Jacob</HI> ever made a vow to build an Altar to him. And therefore God neither &s;peakes of him&s;elfe in the fir&s;t per&s;on, nor names <HI>Jacobs</HI> vow, but onely limits both the per&s;on and the vow unto him. I conceive the&s;e rea|&s;ons to be &s;ufficient and u&s;eful, and proceed to the next words.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="section">
<HEAD><GAP DESC="foreign">. <HI>That appeared unto thee.</HI></HEAD>
<P>The &s;tory is in the twenty and eight chapter; &s;ee there the apparition &s;et down at large.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="section">
<HEAD><GAP DESC="foreign">. <HI>When thou fledde&s;t.</HI></HEAD>
<P><HI>Jacob</HI> was then in a &s;ad e&s;tate, an exile as it were from his fathers hou&s;e by the malice of his brother <HI>E&s;au,</HI> for|&s;aken by all his friends, forced to go &s;eek for &s;ub&s;i&s;te~ce in forein Countries: yet now is the time that God chu|&s;eth to appear unto him, &amp; not formerly when he had both friends and comfort in his fathers hou&s;e. So that <HI>Jacob</HI> might have &s;aid then, as <HI>David</HI> doth afterwards,
<NOTE N="y" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 27.10.</NOTE> <HI>When my Father and my Mother for&s;ook me, then the Lord took me up.</HI> God is like a faithfull friend, who &s;tands to his, when they have mo&s;t need of him. Not like to Courtiers, who follow the Sun of mens pro&s;perities (as
<NOTE N="z" PLACE="marg"><HI>A&s;picis ut veniant ad candida tecta columbae. Accipiant nullas &s;ordida turris aves,</HI> Ovid. Tri&s;t. l. 1. Eleg. 8.</NOTE> <HI>Pigeons</HI> fly to new whited hou&s;es) and for&s;ake them in the dark &s;hadow of their adver&s;ities.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="section">
<HEAD><GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>From the face.</HI></HEAD>
<P>Mens ill affection towards others appears in their faces. So did <HI>Labans</HI> appear to <HI>Jacob
<NOTE N="a" PLACE="marg">Gen. 31.2.</NOTE>. And Jacob be|held the countenance of Laban, and behold, it was not to|ward him as before.</HI> Hence it is that we are afraid to abide in the pre&s;ence of &s;uch as hate us, becau&s;e we ex|pect
<PB N="8" REF="7">mi&s;chiefe daily from them, which we &s;eek to pre|&s;ent by flying out of their &s;ight. Such coun&s;ell <HI>Re|becca</HI> gives to her &s;onne <HI>Jacob</HI> to goe to her bro|ther <HI>Laban,</HI>
<NOTE N="b" PLACE="marg">Gen. 27.43, &amp;c.</NOTE> till <HI>E&s;aus</HI> fury were over, and then he might return in &s;afety.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="section">
<HEAD><GAP DESC="foreign">. <HI>Of E&s;au thy brother.</HI></HEAD>
<P><HI>Jacob</HI> might well think that that God which would not &s;uffer a brother to hurt him then, would not per|mit the Canaanites to &s;poyle him now.</P>
<P>The &s;umme of all is, as if God &s;hould have &s;aid to <HI>Jacob,</HI> I know thou art in great di&s;tre&s;&s;e, and I will not for&s;ake thee: Prepare thy &s;elfe for a Journey: thinke that all the&s;e things are come upon thee for the neg|lect of thy vow; goe now therefore to <HI>Bethel</HI> and per|form it. It is a very ju&s;t and equall thing, that thou who neede&s;t and looke&s;t for help from me now again, &s;hould&s;t goe build an Altar to me there as thou ha&s;t promi&s;ed, and &s;hould&s;t offer &s;acrifice and thankes to me. When this is done, I that did deliver thee before from <HI>E&s;au</HI> thy brother, will al&s;o &s;afeguard thee again&s;t the&s;e Canaanites.</P>
<P>Out of which words thus interpreted, ari&s;e naturally the&s;e foure pro&s;ititions &s;utable to the time, and profi|table for this pre&s;ent occa&s;ion of our meeting.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t,
<MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Ob&s;erv."> that Gods deare &s;ervants &s;ometimes are very forgetfull of their vowes made even to God him&s;elfe.</P>
<P>Secondly,
<MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Ob&s;erv."> that this forgetfulne&s;&s;e is an occa&s;ion of many and great troubles to them.</P>
<P>Thirdly,
<MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Ob&s;erv."> that God will at length rub up their me|mories, and put them in mind of their vowes.</P>
<PB N="9" REF="7">
<P> Fourthly, that in performance of vowes,
<MILESTONE N="4" UNIT="Ob&s;erv."> and in times of Reformation, God looks for his part fir&s;t.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="section">
<HEAD>For the fir&s;t.</HEAD>
<P><MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Doctr."> Gods dear &s;ervants &s;ometimes are very forgetfull of their vowes made even to God him&s;elfe.</P>
<P>A man may ju&s;tly wonder, why <HI>Jacob</HI> had not per|formed his vow before now. God had freed him from <HI>Labans</HI> pur&s;uit, and &s;ent <HI>Laban</HI> quietly back again. God had delivered him from <HI>E&s;au's</HI> oppo&s;ition, and &s;ent <HI>E&s;au</HI> away in peace. What hindred <HI>Jacob</HI> from going to <HI>Bethel?</HI> He might as ea&s;ily have gone thither as to <HI>Shechem;</HI> Sure nothing hindred him, but his own forgetfulne&s;&s;e: and that is &s;o much the more &s;trange, becau&s;e God him &s;elfe had put him in mind of his vow in direct terms, when he commanded him to returne home, and promi&s;ed to ble&s;&s;e him.
<NOTE N="c" PLACE="marg">Gen 31.13.</NOTE> <HI>I am the God of Be|thel</HI> (&s;aith he) <HI>where thou anointed&s;t the pillar, and where thou vowed&s;t a vow unto me.</HI> But <HI>Jacob</HI> had got a quiet habitation at <HI>Shechem,</HI> commodious for him and his cattell, and there he tarries till God fire him out. <HI>Di|nah</HI> is ravi&s;hed, he and his in danger of de&s;truction, and yet he thinks not of going to <HI>Bethel</HI> till God bids him. This is noted by Interpreters to be the fir&s;t vow mentioned in Scripture. Hence it is, that <HI>Jacob</HI> is cal|led by &s;ome of them, <HI>Voterumpater,</HI> the father of vows. Yet this fir&s;t vow is &s;trangely neglected when it might ea&s;ily have been performed. We cannot think any wor&s;e of <HI>Jacob,</HI> then of <HI>Pharaohs</HI> Butler, who
<NOTE N="d" PLACE="marg">Gen 40.23.</NOTE> forgat <HI>Jo&s;eph,</HI> and remembred him not, though he did very well de&s;erve to be remembred.</P>
<P>But what may be the rea&s;on that good men &s;hould
<PB N="10" REF="8">be &s;o forgetfull of God? It is no marvell if wicked men forget him: they u&s;e God as men u&s;e Phy&s;itians, &s;end for them when they are &s;ick, and &s;light them when they are well. But it is &s;trange that good men who love God, &s;hould &s;o much neglect him.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="section">
<HEAD>The Rea&s;ons may be the&s;e:</HEAD>
<P>Fir&s;t,
<MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> becau&s;e of that naturall wound our memories have received by the fall of our fir&s;t parents. For as our under&s;tanding is naturally filled with folly, our wills with cro&s;sne&s;&s;e to all goodne&s;&s;e, our affections with peevi&s;hne&s;&s;e; &s;o our memories with forgetfulne&s;&s;e of holy things. And this forgetfulne&s;&s;e remains after re|generation. For as the under&s;tanding, will, and affecti|ons are not perfectly clean&s;ed and cleared in this world: &s;o is not the memory neither. This may ea&s;ily make us forget vowes as well as other good duties.</P>
<P>Secondly,
<MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> becau&s;e of length of time between the vow made and to be performed. We pray and vow to God in our difficulty; it may be long before that i&s;&s;ue come that we expect, and &s;o our vowes are for|gotten. This was <HI>Jacobs</HI> ca&s;e; hee had been twenty yeares with <HI>Laban</HI> &s;ince his vow was made, and &s;o had let it &s;lip out of his mind.</P>
<P>Thirdly,
<MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> becau&s;e of multitude of bu&s;ine&s;&s;es, which Gods &s;ervants are &s;ubject to as well as other men. They have bodies, wives, children, &s;ervants, to take care for as well as others: they have goods, cattell, e&s;tates to look after as well as wicked men. The thoughts of worldly affairs, as they hinder them much in other matters of piety: &s;o likewi&s;e in payment of vowes.</P>
<P>Fourthly,
<MILESTONE N="4" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> becau&s;e of many and &s;trong oppo&s;itions they find in their pilgrimage. <HI>Jacob</HI> had no &s;ooner left <HI>Labans</HI> hou&s;e, but pre&s;ently
<NOTE N="e" PLACE="marg">Gen. 31.22, 23.</NOTE> <HI>Laban</HI> pur&s;ues him, and
<PB N="11" REF="8">quarrels with him. He hath no &s;ooner di&s;mi&s;&s;ed <HI>La|ban,</HI> but
<NOTE N="f" PLACE="marg">Gen. 32.6.</NOTE> <HI>E&s;au</HI> his brother comes out with an Army a|gain&s;t him. When <HI>E&s;au</HI> was gone, he feares the <HI>Ca|naanites,</HI> le&s;t they &s;hould all ri&s;e up to de&s;troy him, becau&s;e of the wrong done to the <HI>Shechemites.</HI> This might be one occa&s;ion of <HI>Jacobs</HI> forgetting his vow. And &s;o it may be to us al&s;o, who &s;hall meet with op|po&s;ition as well as he.</P>
<P>I &s;hall omit the Application, till I have handled the other points, and proceed to the &s;econd ob&s;er&s;ation.</P>
<P>The forget fulne&s;&s;e of performing vowes,
<MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Doct."> is an occa|&s;ion of many and great troubles.</P>
<P>This <HI>Shel. Jarchi</HI> conceives to be the cau&s;e of all the&s;e troubles. He brings in God &s;peaking to <HI>Jacob,</HI> and &s;aying,
<NOTE N="g" PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign"> Shel. Jar. in Text.</NOTE> <HI>Becau&s;e thou ha&s;t &s;taid long in the way, thou art fined, and this trouble is befallen thee concerning thy daughter.</HI> The word he u&s;eth is u&s;ed for a fine &s;et on de|linquents heads by the Judges. So &s;aith <HI>Mo&s;es,
<NOTE N="h" PLACE="marg">Deut. 22.19.</NOTE> They &s;hall amerce him in an hundred &s;hekels of &s;ilver.</HI> So this Authour looks upon God as a Judge impo&s;ing the&s;e troubles upon <HI>Jacob</HI> as a fine for the neglecting of his vow. So <HI>Ferus</HI> on the Text,
<NOTE N="i" PLACE="marg"><HI>Nil mirum, qu&ograve;d adver&s;a tibi contige|rint cum ba|ctenus tam diu di&s;tuleris votum.</HI> Ferus in Text.</NOTE> <HI>No wonder that cro&s;&s;es have befallen thee, &s;eeing thou ha&s;t &s;o long deferred the pryment of thy vow.</HI></P>
<P>We find in Scripture, that the people of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> were puni&s;hed with
<NOTE N="k" PLACE="marg">2 Sam. 21.</NOTE> three years famine, becau&s;e <HI>Saul</HI> not out of his zeale to God, but to plea&s;e the people, had &s;lain &s;ome of the Gibeonites, contrary to the
<NOTE N="l" PLACE="marg">Jo&s;h. 9.15.</NOTE> oath made to them by <HI>Jo&s;hua,</HI> and the Elders of I&s;rael; yet was this vow
<NOTE N="m" PLACE="marg">Jo&s;h. 9.4.</NOTE> fraudulently gotten by lying and de|ceit. Neither did <HI>Saul</HI> ever take this vow him&s;elf. We read further of <HI>Samp&s;on,</HI> that he was a
<NOTE N="n" PLACE="marg">Judg. 13 5.</NOTE> Nazarite to God
<PB N="12" REF="9">from the womb. It appeares in the law that the Naza|rites
<NOTE N="o" PLACE="marg">Numb. 62.5.</NOTE> took a &s;olemne vow; their haire was not to be cut. <HI>Samp&s;on</HI> did not purpo&s;e to break this vow, but be|ing overcome with lu&s;t by <HI>Dalila's</HI> per&s;wa&s;ion gives an hint how his vow might be broken. The fearfull con|&s;equences hereof appeare in the &s;tory of the <HI>Judges.</HI>
<NOTE N="p" PLACE="marg">Judg. 16.21.25.</NOTE> <HI>Samp&s;on</HI> is taken by the Phili&s;tines, his eyes put out, he is bound with fetters of bra&s;&s;e, grinds in the pri&s;on|hou&s;e, and is made a laughing &s;tock to tho&s;e that dur&s;t not look upon him before.
<NOTE N="q" PLACE="marg">2 Sam. 15.7</NOTE> <HI>Ab&s;olom</HI> abu&s;eth a vow, that under pretence thereof he may deprive his father both of kingdome and life.
<NOTE N="r" PLACE="marg">2 Sam 18.15.</NOTE> This co&s;t <HI>Ab&s;olom</HI> his deare&s;t life. The King of Judah
<NOTE N="&s;" PLACE="marg">Ezek. 17.13.16.</NOTE> had vowed obedience to the King of Babylon; he breaks this vow, and God pa&s;&s;eth this &s;entence on him, that <HI>hee &s;hould die in the land of that King who&s;e covenant he had broken.</HI> Will God be thus &s;evere for breach of a vow made to a mor|tall man, and an heathen King, what will he do then for breach of vows made unto him&s;elf?</P>
<P>It is time to come to rea&s;ons for the proofe of the point; wherein I &s;hal de&s;ire to be &s;omwhat large, in re|gard of the weight of the matter, and the pre&s;ent need.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t,
<MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> God is deeply offended w^t^h &s;uch as perform not their vows. And when God is angry, what can his chil|dren look for from him, but the blows &amp; &s;tripes of an angry father? That God is much di&s;plea&s;ed with &s;uch per&s;ons, appeares by many arguments that may be ta|ken out of the fifth chapter of <HI>Eccle&s;ia&s;tes.</HI> For
<NOTE N="t" PLACE="marg">Eccle&s; 5.4, 5.6.</NOTE> fir&s;t, God gives no day. He that makes a vow, mu&s;t not de|ferre the payment of it. Secondly, God calls them fooles that doe deferre the payment of vowes. And who doubts but parents are angry when they give &s;uch terms to their children? Thirdly, hee &s;aith, <HI>God
<PB N="13" REF="9">hath no plea&s;ure in them:</HI> that is, hee is very angry; as in the third commandement, <HI>God will not hold him guiltle&s;s that taketh his name in vain:</HI> that is, hee will hold him very guilty. And in <HI>Elies</HI> reproof of his &s;ons,
<NOTE N="u" PLACE="marg">2 Sam. 2.24.</NOTE> <HI>It is no good report,</HI> &s;aith he, <HI>that I heare:</HI> that is, it is a very bad one. For they were no &s;mall &s;ins, that were reported of them, as
<NOTE N="x" PLACE="marg">1 Sam. 1.14.15.22.</NOTE> robbing God of the fat of his offerings, and lying with the women at the doore of the Tabernacle of the Congregation. So on the contrary, when the P&s;almi&s;t &s;aith, that
<NOTE N="y" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 51.17.</NOTE> <HI>God wil not de&s;pi&s;e a contrite and a broken heart;</HI> he means, God will account highly of it, and largely reward it. Fourthly, he &s;aith, <HI>It is better not to vow at all, then not to pay.</HI> Who doubts but a man is angry when he heares him chiding with his neigh|bour, and &s;aying; I had rather you never had promi|&s;ed me &s;uch a good office, then to fail when I looked for it? Fifthly, he calls it <HI>&s;inne</HI> in plain terms, <HI>Suffer not thy mouth to cau&s;e thy fle&s;h to &s;in.</HI> And is not God angry at &s;in? Sixthly, it is &s;uch a &s;inne as God will not have covered with the vail of an error. <HI>Neither &s;ay thou be|fore the Angel, that it was an error.</HI> Seventhly, hee pro|fe&s;&s;eth expre&s;sly, that God is angry at it; <HI>Wherefore &s;hould God be angry at thy voyce?</HI> Eighthly, hee gives a reall demon&s;tration of Gods anger, <HI>Why &s;hould hee de|&s;troy the work of thy hands?</HI> Is not God angry when hee layes &s;nares for men as we doe for wild bea&s;ts to catch and de&s;troy them?
<NOTE N="z" PLACE="marg">Pro. 20.29.</NOTE> <HI>It is a &s;nare</HI> (&s;aith <HI>Solomon</HI>) <HI>to the man who devoureth that which is holy, and after vowes to make enquiry.</HI> Ask <HI>David</HI> who rains &s;nares upon un|godly men, and he will tell you, it is the Lord.
<NOTE N="a" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 11.6.</NOTE> <HI>Upon the wicked he &s;hall rain &s;nares.</HI> Ask <HI>Ezekiel</HI> who brings covenant-breakers into &s;nares, and he will tell you, it is God.
<NOTE N="b" PLACE="marg">Ezek. 17.20</NOTE> <HI>I will &s;pread my net upon him, and he &s;hall be ta|ken
<PB N="14" REF="10">in my &s;nare.</HI> Is not God very angry with tho&s;e whom he cur&s;eth? We read in <HI>Malachi,
<NOTE N="c" PLACE="marg">Mal. 1.14.</NOTE> Cur&s;ed bee the deceiver which hath in his flock a
<NOTE N="d" PLACE="marg">That is, a &s;ound male. <HI>Elleip&s;is</HI> of the epithire, as <HI>I|&s;ai</HI> 1.18 <HI>wooll,</HI> for <HI>wh<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">e woll;</HI> and <HI>I&s;ai</HI> 5.4. <HI>grapes</HI> for <HI>good grapes.</HI></NOTE> male, and voweth and &s;acrificeth unto the Lord a corrupt thing.</HI> And a &s;trong rea&s;on, yea double one is added; Fir&s;t, becau&s;e God is a great King, and will not be dallied with by his &s;ubjects. And &s;econdly, becau&s;e his Name is dreadfull among the heathen, and therefore &s;hall not be di&s;honored by his own people. God keeps covenant faithfully him|&s;elf.
<NOTE N="e" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 111.5.</NOTE> <HI>He will ever be mindfull of his covenant.</HI> Gods co|venant is called <HI>an everla&s;ting covenant, and a covenant of &s;alt,</HI> 2 <HI>Chron.</HI> 13.5. And as men who &s;trictly keep day them&s;elves, are &s;oone&s;t angry with &s;uch as doe not: &s;o Gods care of keeping, will make him a &s;harp revenger of breach of covenant in others.
<NOTE N="f" PLACE="marg">Ezek. 17.59</NOTE> <HI>Therefore thus &s;aith the Lord God, As I live, &s;urely mine oath that he hath de|&s;pi&s;ed, and my covenant that he hath broken, even it will I recompence upon his own head.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly,
<MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> God will bring many troubles upon neg|lecters of vowes, becau&s;e his Church and people who are neer and deer unto him, may both be offended and hurt thereby. No doubt it was a great griefe to <HI>David</HI> and other godly men, that
<NOTE N="g" PLACE="marg">2 Sam. 21.1.</NOTE> <HI>Saul</HI> had broken the vow made to the <HI>Gibeonites;</HI> and it appeares it brought much trouble to <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> even a famine of three yeares one &s;ucceeding another.</P>
<P>Thirdly,
<MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> God rai&s;eth up enemies to afflict tho&s;e that neglect their vowes, as the
<NOTE N="h" PLACE="marg">Iudg. 16.20.</NOTE> <HI>Phili&s;tines</HI> again&s;t <HI>Samp&s;on.</HI> So here <HI>Jacob</HI> was afraid le&s;t God would have done the like to him, as appeares in the end of the former chap|ter. And the&s;e enemies God makes to doe his work, when they think they do their own. The King of <HI>Baby|lon</HI> though he went only to revenge his own quarrel on
<PB N="15" REF="10">the King of <HI>Ludah,</HI> yet he brings him
<NOTE N="i" PLACE="marg">Ezek. 17.20.</NOTE> into Gods net for a puni&s;hment of his perjury.</P>
<P>Fourthly,
<MILESTONE N="4" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> becau&s;e there is a kind of perjury in fai|ling in performance of vowes. I will not &s;ay that oathes, and vowes, and covenants, are all one in every circum&s;tance: but certainly they are cou&s;en germans at lea&s;t, and can hardly be &s;eparated.
<NOTE N="k" PLACE="marg">P&s;al 119.106.</NOTE> <HI>I have &s;worn</HI> (&s;aith the P&s;almi&s;t) <HI>and I will perform it, that I will keep thy righteous judgements.</HI> And was not that oath a vow?
<NOTE N="l" PLACE="marg">Gen. 3.48.50. <HI>Tumulus re|&s;tu, Deus te&s;tu. Tumulus &s;acra|menta<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">iter, quia &s;ignum e&s;t te&s;ti&s;i|cans de re gefia ad po&s;teri. aten<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">. Deus propri&egrave;, quia te&s;tatur in con&s;cientiam de pacto into, &amp; at|te&s;tabitur &s;uis iu|diciis, &amp; vindicta adver&s;ur periures.</HI></NOTE> God is called to beare witne&s;&s;e of the covenant be|tween <HI>Laban</HI> and <HI>Jacob,</HI> and &s;o is the heap of &s;tones al|&s;o, yet with a great deale of difference; the heap is a witne&s;&s;e &s;acramentally, as it were; it remained as a to|ken of that league. But God is properly called to wit|ne&s;&s;e, as one who heard all their words, and would te|&s;tifie the truth to both their con&s;ciences, and by judge|ments on the party that &s;hould break it. He that vows and payes not, is a perjured per&s;on, &s;aith
<NOTE N="m" PLACE="marg"><HI>Voven<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> &amp; ne~ &s;olvens peierat.</HI> Bern de praec. &amp; di&s;pen&s;. cap. 20.</NOTE> <HI>Bernard.</HI> This perjury makes our &s;ins the greater, e&s;pecially in tho&s;e things that we ought to do, if we had never vow|ed them, as cyphers added to a figure, may make one a thou&s;and. Perjury is a &s;in odious to the <HI>Turks</HI> and <HI>Ma|hometanes.
<NOTE N="n" PLACE="marg">See the <HI>Tur|ki&s;h</HI> hi&s;tory.</NOTE> Amurath</HI> when <HI>Uladi&s;laus</HI> by the per&s;wa&s;ion of <HI>Julian</HI> the Popes Legat, had broken his covenant with him, and fought again&s;t him, drawes the Articles out of his bo&s;ome, &amp; calls upon Chri&s;t for vengeance on his perfidious &s;ervants. In this battell were &s;lain both the King and the Cardinall; over whom the Au|thor of the <HI>Complaint of Hungery</HI> infults, &s;aying,
<NOTE N="o" PLACE="marg">I n<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="3 letters"> Iulia|ne, &amp; dic Reg<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> tuo apud <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">feres, Haereticis fidem non e&s;&s;e &s;ervan|dam. Quaerela Hungaria.</NOTE> <HI>Goe now Julian, and tell thy King in heil, that he need not keep faith with heretickes.</HI> Yea, this &s;in was odious in the ve|ry heathen;
<NOTE N="p" PLACE="marg"><HI>Senatorum i<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">|nus perfidia Car|thaginen&s;ium i<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">|&s;e&s;tus &s;ucclamat, per ques Deos fo<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">|dos acturi e&s;&s;ent, cum <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">o<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> perquos anto ictum fefelli&s;&s;ens: Per co&s;dem, inquit A&s;drubal, qui <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">am infe&s;ti fun<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">aedera violanti|b<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="2 letters">.</HI> Livius Hi&s;t-ab urbe cond lib. 30.</NOTE> When the <HI>Carringinion</HI> in a low e&s;tate &s;ent Emba&s;&s;adors to <HI>Rowts,</HI> to defire conditions of
<PB N="16" REF="11">peace, one of the Senators offended at their former perjury, demands by what God they would &s;wear, (for they had deceived tho&s;e gods by whom they had for|merly &s;worn) <HI>A&s;drubal</HI> an&s;wers, by the &s;ame Gods that &s;it &s;o heavie upon them that break covenants: When <HI>Ti&s;&s;aphernes</HI> had obtained a truce from <HI>Age&s;ilaus,</HI> and had &s;worn that in that &s;hort time he would procure li|berty for the Grecian Cities in <HI>A&s;ia;</HI> but contrary to his oath gathered &s;ouldiers to fight again&s;t him: <HI>Age|&s;ilaus</HI> kept the truce till the time expired, and then &s;ent a me&s;&s;age of thanks to <HI>Ti&s;&s;aphernes</HI>
<NOTE N="q" PLACE="marg"><HI>Habere &s;e magnam ip&s;i gratiam qu&ograve;d perjurio Deos &s;ibi infe&s;tos reddid<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;&s;et, Graetis ver&ograve; belli &s;ocios,</HI> Xenoph. c. 4. vitae Age&s;il.</NOTE>, that by his perju|ry hee had made the Gods his enemies, and engaged them to a&s;&s;i&s;t the <HI>Grecian</HI> Army in the war. We read al&s;o that one <HI>Epicidides,</HI> going to enquire at the Ora|cle of
<NOTE N="r" PLACE="marg"><HI>Iu&s;iurandi &s;ed filia nomi|nis expers, Trunca pedu~, manuumque celerrima, &s;ed tamen in&s;tat, per&s;equitur&abque; virum dum &s;tirpem fund|tus omnem bau&s;crit.</HI> Nic. Chron. Hi&s;t. Imp Manuel. Com.</NOTE> <HI>Delphos,</HI> received an an&s;wer, <HI>That perjury would pur&s;ue a man till it had rooted out all his po&s;terity.</HI> So odi|ous was this &s;in to men altogether ignorant of the true God. And do we marvell then, that God &s;ends plagues upon his people for neglect of vows made to him&s;elf?</P>
<P>It is now high time to come to the third ob&s;ervati|on, which is this:</P>
<P>God will at length rub up the memories of his &s;er|vants,
<MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Doct."> and put them in mind of their vowes.</P>
<P>God doth not &s;traightway deliver <HI>Jacob</HI> out of his trouble, but calls upon him fir&s;t to perform his vow made to him for former mercies. As
<NOTE N="&s;" PLACE="marg">Gen. 41.8, 9.</NOTE> <HI>Pharaohs</HI> Butler is put in mind of his neglect of <HI>Jo&s;eph,</HI> by <HI>Pharachs</HI> dream; &s;o God finds a way to put his in mind of their vowes.</P>
<P>Two things I have to do: Fir&s;t, to &s;hew, how God doth this. Secondly, why he doth it.</P>
<P>For the fir&s;t, <HI>How God doth it.</HI></P>
<PB N="17" REF="11">
<P> God rubs up their memories, fir&s;t, by troubles,
<MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Means."> cala|mities, fear of wars: So he deals here with <HI>Jacob. Bella Deiflagella,</HI> wars are Gods &s;courges. And parents of|tentimes make their children call to mind their faults, by taking away their victuals, and whipping them.</P>
<P>Secondly,
<MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Means."> if the hearts of Gods children be not yet &s;o intelligent as to under&s;tand Gods meaning by his blows, he will open their eares, and tell it them in his word: So he doth here to <HI>Jacob,</HI> he tels him his fault, but very gently, he doth not upbraid him with perju|ry, nor call him a vow-breaker; nay not &s;o much as names his vow, but in&s;inuates it rather, that <HI>Iacob</HI> might &s;ee, God &s;ought not to &s;hame him, but to amend him. We mu&s;t not look for &s;uch revelations now: but God often meets with us in the mini&s;tery of his Word, and makes us &s;ee tho&s;e faults in our &s;elves which we little dreamed of, and covenant-breaking among the re&s;t. Many wicked men marvell to hear Gods Mini&s;ters rip up their &s;ecret faults, as if they were in their bo&s;omes: good men I hope will &s;ooner be informed by them.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="section">
<HEAD>For the &s;econd, <HI>Why God doth it.</HI></HEAD>
<P>Fir&s;t,
<MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> becau&s;e Gods name and honour &s;uffers in their forgetfulne&s;&s;e. Vowes are made for the <HI>honor of God.</HI> But if they be not performed, God is not honored by them, nay he is di&s;honored, as being &s;lighted by his own people.</P>
<P>Secondly,
<MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> becau&s;e God de&s;ires and delights in the good of his people. So &s;ings the <HI>P&s;almi&s;t,
<NOTE N="t" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 35.27.</NOTE> Let the Lord be magnified, who hath plea&s;ure in the pro&s;perity of his &s;er|vant.</HI> Now he knows that our forgetfulne&s;&s;e and un|thankfulnes wil hinder us of much good, &amp; bring ma|ny judgments upon us; which to prevent, God puts us in mind of our vows and covenants.</P>
<P>I proceed to the la&s;t point.</P>
<PB N="18" REF="12">
<P> In performanes of Vowes,
<MILESTONE N="4" UNIT="Doct."> and in times of Refor|mation, God looks for his part fir&s;t.</P>
<P>God doth not bid <HI>Iacob</HI> go &s;hift for him&s;elfe in this troublous time, nor enquire out the kindred of the <HI>Shechemites</HI> to re&s;tore their goods to them, but he bids him <HI>goe build an Altar to God.</HI> And <HI>Iacob</HI> accordingly goes about it. This is the method of Gods command|ments; the fir&s;t Table contains <HI>duties to God:</HI> the &s;e|cond, <HI>to our &s;elves, and our neighbours.</HI> This is the me|thod of our prayers; our Saviour reacheth us fir&s;t to pray for the <HI>honour of Gods Name, Kingdome</HI> and <HI>Will,</HI> be|fore we pray for <HI>daily bread, pardon of &s;innes,</HI> or <HI>power a|gain&s;t temptations.</HI> This is the method of our Faith, in the Articles whereof, and mo&s;t Confe&s;&s;ions, we fir&s;t profe&s;&s;e what we beleeve concerning <HI>God,</HI> and then concerning <HI>our &s;elves.</HI> This is the method of our Co|venant, both in the Preface, looking fir&s;t at the <HI>glory of God, and the advancement of the Kingdome of Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> and then at <HI>our own priviledges;</HI> and in the body of it, the two fir&s;t Articles concerning <HI>Religion,</HI> and the fol|lowing ones concerning our <HI>Liberties.</HI> This was the method of the ancient <HI>Romans,</HI> as <HI>Diony&s;ius Halicarna&s;|&s;eus</HI> reports. There are three things, &s;aith he, that make a State happy,
<NOTE N="u" PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></NOTE> fir&s;t, the care of religion; &s;econdly, of temperance and ju&s;tice in peace; thirdly, of military di&s;cipline in war. The <HI>Romans</HI> were carefull of religi|on in the fir&s;t place, they provided Temples &amp; Altars for their Gods; and this they conceived to be a main rea&s;on of the large extent of their Empire. <HI>Solomon</HI> was longer in building his own hou&s;e: but he builded Gods hou&s;e fir&s;t, as appears, 1 <HI>King.</HI> 7.1. 2 <HI>Chron.</HI> 8.1.</P>
<P>For the rea&s;ons briefly. The fir&s;t is, becau&s;e God is more worthy to be regarded then our &s;elves: therfore
<PB N="19" REF="12">the love of God is called,
<NOTE N="x" PLACE="marg">Mat. 22.37, 38, 39.</NOTE> <HI>The fir&s;t and great commande|ment:</HI> and we are commanded <HI>to love God with all our heart, &s;oule, and mind,</HI> but our &s;elves and our neighbours in a lower degree of love like the former, but not equal to it. From God we have all that we have here, or hope for hereafter; and the fountain mu&s;t be preferred before the &s;treams, the &s;ea before the rivers.</P>
<P>The &s;econd is, becau&s;e that is our care properly,
<MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> <HI>To honour God.</HI> It is Gods care to provide for our &s;ouls &amp; bodies: not but that we may u&s;e the means for the good of either, looking for a ble&s;&s;ing from God; but not in the fir&s;t place: our prime care mu&s;t be for <HI>Gods Glory.</HI> When a ma&s;ter enters into covenant with a &s;ervant, he looks that he &s;hould take care of his work, and leave the care of provi&s;ions to his ma&s;ter. So doth God look for the like at our hands. Fir&s;t obedience to God, then faith in God. I have done with the Doctrinall part, and come to the Practicall.</P>
<P>Here is fir&s;t of all,
<MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="U&s;e"> a le&s;&s;on of <HI>Humiliation</HI> fit for the day, to bewail among our other &s;ins, our &s;luggi&s;hnes, in not remembring tho&s;e things which concern our own &s;afety. I am afraid, le&s;t we be in <HI>Jeru&s;alems</HI> ca&s;e, that
<NOTE N="y" PLACE="marg">Luke 19.42.</NOTE> in this our day we know not the things that be long to our peace. And may we not then expect <HI>Jeru&s;alems</HI> end? Our forgotten vowes &s;hould fetch &s;ighes from our hearts, and tears from our eyes this day. Many of us (I doubt) may with <HI>Pharaohs</HI> Butler, cry out,
<NOTE N="z" PLACE="marg">Gen. 41.9.</NOTE> <HI>I do remem|ber my faults this day.</HI> Weep, I be&s;eech you, that refor|mation &s;o long &s;ince vowed, goes no fa&s;ter on. It is a &s;igne the body is much out of order, when &s;o &s;trong a Purge as a National vow and covenant works no bet|ter; and let them weep mo&s;t who are greate&s;t, and nee|re&s;t to God, and &s;o mo&s;t concerned in it. Lordly tears may become this day as well as common ones. We are
<PB N="20" REF="13">met for this end, let us not mi&s;&s;e of our end; el&s;e all the labour of this day will be lo&s;t. I doubt not but every one of us, even the greate&s;t and the be&s;t, may find &s;ome|what in our &s;elves, that may hinder our vowed refor|mation, if we would look well into our own &s;ouls. The Lord &s;hew it us what ever it be, and give us grace to repent of it.</P>
<P>Secondly,
<MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="U&s;e"> here is a le&s;&s;on of <HI>Meditation.</HI> Think of|ten of your vow and covenant; for the rea&s;on why men, e&s;pecially good men, neglect it, is, becau&s;e they think not often and &s;eriou&s;ly of it. Our Saviour Chri&s;t ap|pointed the Bread and Wine in the Sacrament of the Lords Supper, to be the &s;ignes and remembrances of his death to us. A thing &s;o beneficiall to us one would think &s;hould need no remembrance, but &s;hould always be fre&s;h in our minds. So &s;hould our covenant, that hath proved, and is like to prove &s;o beneficiall to three Kingdoms; yet we had need often to call it to mind. God by <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> often calls upon the <HI>I&s;raelites</HI> inthe wil|dernes, to remember
<NOTE N="a" PLACE="marg">Deut. 4.9.10, 20.</NOTE> the things which they had &s;een, and not to forget the great things God had done for them. Surely, we had need often to call upon our own &s;ouls, to think of our vowes made unto Almighty God; we would be loath that God &s;hould forget his covenant to us,
<NOTE N="b" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 12.4.1, 2, 3.</NOTE> <HI>Our enemies would then &s;oon &s;mallow us up.</HI> Why do we then forget our part of the covenant?</P>
<P>Thirdly,
<MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="U&s;e"> here is a le&s;&s;on of <HI>Acknowledgement,</HI> to teach us to impute any continuance of our troubles to our neglect of our covenant: very few have mended them|&s;elves, fewer their families, and &s;ewe&s;t of all have en|deavoured to amend the publick, according to the tru&s;t repo&s;ed in them. Somewhat of our &s;elves is &s;ought af|tor of mo&s;t men, even in the very work of reformation. Our plow goes along with Gods; we look for a &s;hare
<PB N="21" REF="13">of pro&s;it, or honour in the work, and doe it not with a &s;ingle eye out of love and re&s;pect to God: We would joyn God and the world together. And hence come many rubs and hinderances of the great work of refor|mation. We &s;hould therefore this day not only bewail our &s;luggi&s;hne&s;&s;e in regard of the &s;infulne&s;&s;e of it, but al&s;o in re&s;pect of the &s;ad effects of troubles, feares and jealou&s;ies, that yet attend upon our non-perfor|mance of our vows. A di&s;ea&s;e can never be cured, till the corrupt humour which cau&s;eth it, be known, and purged away; nor our Church and State troubles re|moved, till we have bewailed our remi&s;ne&s;&s;e, and amen|ded it, which is the next u&s;e in order, and without which weeping will do no good at all.</P>
<P>Fourthly, here is a le&s;&s;on of <HI>Incitement,</HI>
<MILESTONE N="4" UNIT="U&s;e."> to per&s;wade us to be careful to pay our vows for time to come; el&s;e mu&s;t we daily expect new and greater troubles and &s;or|rows. But it will be objected, We have performed our covenant: have not we pulled down Popery and Prela|cy, de&s;troyed Cro&s;&s;es and Altars, moruments of &s;uper|&s;tition, and cut the chroat of innovations? Well, go on, have we yet rooted out &s;chi&s;me &amp; here&s;ie? have we &s;lain prophanone&s;&s;e and impiety?
<NOTE N="c" PLACE="marg">1 Sam. 15.14.</NOTE> <HI>What meares then the low|ing of the owen, and the bleating of the &s;heep?</HI> Are nor many now-a-days of <HI>Gallio's</HI> religion?
<NOTE N="d" PLACE="marg">Acts 18.14, 15, 16, 17.</NOTE> If it were a matter of right or wrong to men, they would meddle in it; but if it be a matter of religion, <HI>Gallio</HI> cared for none of tho&s;e things. The <HI>Turks,</HI> if a man <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">a&s;phe me <HI>Mahamet,</HI> put him to death without mercy; but if he bla&s;pheme God, they only &s;courge him with rods. And being de|manded a rea&s;on, they an&s;wer, <HI>That God can right him|&s;elf, but Mabomet cannot.</HI> It may bee many now are willing enough to put off Gods cau&s;e to the day of judgement, &s;o theirs may be righted now. I am afraid
<PB N="22" REF="14">that many may this day &s;ay with <HI>Naaman, In this thing the Lord pardon me,</HI> that although I have not countenan|ced here&s;ie, &s;chi&s;me, or prophanene&s;&s;e in my own per|&s;on, yet I have not been &s;o carefull as I might, to pull it down by my authority in others. It is not good to be &s;o bu&s;ie for the Lord of ho&s;ts, it is good &s;leeping in a whole skin. Which of us can &s;ay with <HI>Elijah,
<NOTE N="e" PLACE="marg">1 Kings 19.10.</NOTE> I have been very zealous for the Lord of ho&s;ts; for the children of I&s;|rael have for&s;aken thy covenant?</HI> Or with <HI>Jehu,
<NOTE N="f" PLACE="marg">2 Kings 10.16.</NOTE> Come with me, and &s;ee my zeal for the Lord? Jehu</HI> was an hypocrite, yet he
<NOTE N="g" PLACE="marg">2 Kings 10.18, 30.</NOTE> <HI>rooted Baal out of I&s;rael,</HI> and obtained the King|dome for his po&s;terity to the fourth generation. But if that were done, and here &s;ies, &s;chi&s;mes, &s;ects, and pro|phanene&s;&s;e pulled down by publick ordinances; have we &s;et up a Church government in the Kingdome nee|re&s;t to Gods word, and the pattern of the be&s;t refor|med Churches? Let no man tell me that we covenanted onely to pull down the former government, but not to &s;et up a new form in the room of it, and that the hono|rable Hou&s;es mu&s;t interpret the covenant, who impo|&s;ed it, and not we that took it. Be it &s;o, yet are we con|fident, that the honorable Hou&s;es will never give a &s;en&s;e of the covenant contrary to common &s;en&s;e, &s;uch as this is; we covenant to bring three Kingdoms to the neere&s;t conjunction and uniformity in <HI>a form of Church Government,</HI> that is, we intend only to pull down Epi|&s;copacy, &amp; then let every Sect &s;et up what government they plea&s;e. Pulling down joyntly, will not bring us to <HI>one form of Church government,</HI> it leavs &s;cope enough for 20 kinds of Church government, &amp; 10000 errors to be taught co~trary to Gods word, to the pulling down of Gods Church. Wil that interpretation give &s;atisfactio~ to the co~&s;cience of a moral man? If not, as I am co~fident it will not, how &s;hould it then &s;atisfie the con&s;cience of
<PB N="23" REF="14">a religious man, unle&s;s it be bia&s;&s;ed by &s;elf-ends before? It is like the glo&s;&s;e on <HI>Gratian,
<NOTE N="h" PLACE="marg"><HI>Statnimus.</HI> i. <HI>Abrogamm.</HI> Di&s;t. 4. c. <HI>Statuimus.</HI></NOTE> We enact, that is, we ab|rogate it, and forbid it;</HI> or that on the <HI>Code,
<NOTE N="i" PLACE="marg"><HI>Que magis.</HI> i. <HI>Que mius.</HI> Glo&s;&s; ad Cod. l. 3. de Iudiciis. <HI>Quoties.</HI></NOTE> How much more,</HI> that is, <HI>How much le&s;&s;e. But be not deceived, God is not
<NOTE N="k" PLACE="marg">Gal. 6.7. Gr. <GAP DESC="foreign">. <HI>e&s;t autem</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>&agrave; &s;ub&s;an|nantium geflu tractumvocabulu~ quod Latine na|&s;o adunco, five excu&s;&s;o &s;u&s;pende|re,</HI> uti Flaccus, &s;erm. lib. 1. &s;at. 6. &amp; Per&s;ius &s;at. 1.</NOTE> mocked.</HI> Give me leave to pre&s;&s;e you with a &s;imilitude or two, to per&s;wade you to more diligent and carefull performance of your vow and covenant for the time to come, that &s;o yee may expect a greater ble&s;&s;ing from God, and an end of our pre&s;ent calamities.
<NOTE N="l" PLACE="marg"><HI>Quicun&abque; com|modatam pecu|niam credito|ri reddiderit, &s;ibi reponit. Non dif|ficile enim homo cum opus fuerit, quodlsbes impe|trat &s;i foeneratori &s;uo celeri &s;a|&s;atu factiono re|&s;ponait. I&s;le vero quem per&s;idia ar|gust, &s;emper cre|ditoris &s;ui ianna~ clau&s;am <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">nvenet, &amp; quamv is fre|quenter pul&s;et &amp; &s;upplicet, ri&s;tas a<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> vacuus cum in|crepatione rece|dis.</HI> Valerianu<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> Suppo&s;e &s;ome one of you had a rich &amp; kind neighbour, of whom he might borrow mony when&s;oever he needed; pro|vided that he repaid it at his day; &s;o might he be bold to come again and borrow greater &s;ums. But if he break his day, he may come again &amp; again, knock often at the doore, and no man let him in; intreat, and yet goe away empty, &s;ad, and with reproachfull &s;peeches. This is your ca&s;e. If yee perform your vowes, yee may be bold to come to God as often as ye will in the greate&s;t trou|bles. But if yee neglect them, yee may
<NOTE N="m" PLACE="marg"><HI>Non Des u|&s;ihus nece&s;&s;arium e&s;t quod in tribu|lationibus pro|mittis. Ob hoc &agrave; <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">e tuum munus quaeritur, ut sp&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> fulgees tuo auro, ip&s;o tuo niteas argente, <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="2 letters">&s;e tuis gemmis orueris ip&s;e tuo &s;irico ve&s;tiaris. Tuis donis tuam vu&s;e Deus animam compo<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="2 letters">, quam vi<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="2 letters">t ant &s;uperbia, au<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> nequitia, and a veritiae, <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 word"> luxuria vitio depravatam.</HI> Valetianus.</NOTE> ask, and be de|nied; &s;eek, and not find; knock, and no man will open to you. Had any of you a tenant who&s;e lea&s;e were expi|red, his rent not paid, the hou&s;e run to ruine; if hee &s;hould &s;ue for a new lea&s;e, would yee not an&s;wer, Pay your old rent fir&s;t, and repair the hou&s;e, then I wil talk with you of a new lea&s;e? Such an an&s;wer may yee look for from God, if yee keep not your covenant. What are your vows to God, which yee make in your af|flictions? Hath God any need of them? Gets he any good by them? Thy gift is required of thee, that thou may&s;t &s;hine in thy gold, that thou may&s;t be bright in thy &s;ilver, that thou may&s;t bee adorned with thy own jewels, that thou may&s;t be cloathed in thine own filk.
<PB N="24" REF="15">God would have thy &s;oul &s;et in order with thy gifts. He knows it is corrupted with pride, or wickedne&s;&s;e, or covetou&s;ne&s;&s;e, or luxury. Yet though our di&s;charge of our vowes give us free acce&s;&s;e to God in all our wants, and bring no good to God, but all good to us, when the reckoning is ca&s;t up,
<NOTE N="o" PLACE="marg"><HI>Ae&s;times mi&s;eros oblivienis bibi&s;&s;e pocula, magis qu&agrave;m &s;alutis.</HI> Valer.</NOTE> we &s;hall find that wret|ched men delivered by God, have not with the P&s;almi&s;t
<NOTE N="p" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 116.13.</NOTE> <HI>taken up the cup of &s;alvation,</HI> but of <HI>oblivion.</HI> God give us grace to perform our vows better, and to remember that of the Rabbins,
<NOTE N="q" PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign"> Ber. Rab. Sect. 81.</NOTE> <HI>In time of trouble, a vow; in time of re&s;piration, ha&s;te;</HI> and be as forward to pay in pro&s;peri|ty, as to vow in adver&s;ity.</P>
<P>Fifthly,
<MILESTONE N="5" UNIT="U&s;e"> here is a le&s;&s;on of <HI>Gratulation.</HI> Let us prai&s;e God that will not let us peri&s;h by neglecting to honor him by performance of our vows, and &s;o be neglected of him for ever. He knows our forgetfulne&s;&s;e and un|thank fulne&s;&s;e would undoe us, and he puts us in mind of our vows to pre&s;erve us: yea, let us prai&s;e God, that by his mini&s;ters this day he admoni&s;heth us of them, that we may perform them, and prevent further jarres and troubles.</P>
<P>Sixthly,
<MILESTONE N="6" UNIT="U&s;e"> here is a le&s;&s;on of <HI>Reformation.</HI> Let me leave the people and &s;peak to you, honorable Lords, who have called me to &s;peak to you this day; I be&s;eech you give me leave to &s;peak home. I have one petition to put up to your Lord&s;hips; if you deny it me, I &s;hall be never the wor&s;e; if ye grant it me, you &s;hall be much the better. In brief, it is this, that ye would begin with a particular and per&s;onall, and end with a generall and publick reformation. Be godly for time to come in earne&s;t, and be not content with &s;hewes of godline&s;&s;e, no more then ye are with the &s;hews of honor. Imitate <HI>Jacob</HI> here, being called to reform, he not only mends his fault whereof he was admoni&s;hed, but al&s;o reforms
<PB N="25" REF="15">his family, makes them put away their Idols, call upon them to clean&s;e them&s;elves, and change their garments, which were &s;ignes of <HI>for &s;aking &s;in, and putting on righteou&s;nes.</HI> An in&s;trument can ne|ver make good mu&s;ick to others, til it be put in tune it &s;elf. I never look to &s;ee any man a through-reformet, that is not a godly man. A wicked man will ever be afraid of going too far in the work of reformation, le&s;t he la&s;h him&s;elf or his. But a godly man had ra|ther purge away his own &s;ins, then other mens. Like a charitable Phy&s;ician, that is willing to heale his poore neighbours, but will fir&s;t heale him&s;elfe and his family. Charity, they &s;ay, begins at home. How can we think your Lord&s;hips have charity to healo|ther mens &s;ouls, if ye have none to your &s;elves nor yours? Honour your places more then your places can honour you. Remember that <HI>Talmedieal</HI> &s;aying,
<NOTE N="r" PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign"> Shab. fol. 145.2,</NOTE> <HI>In my own City my name, in another my gar|ment &s;hall eredit me.</HI> Count piety your greate&s;t ornament, it is a Mott<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> may well become the S<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="2 letters">tcheon of the greate&s;t noble man in the Kingdom, <HI>Pie<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">as veranobilitas.</HI> God line&s;&s;e makes men like&s;t to God, and bring<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> them neere&s;t to him. And what greater prefer|ment can this world afford, or that which is to come? Your Lord|&s;hips are &s;tars of the fir&s;t magnitude in the heaven of this State. O &s;hine brighte&s;t in the beams of piety. You owe mo&s;t to God, and mu&s;t do mo&s;t for God. God hath betru&s;ted you with the greate&s;t talents, and
<NOTE N="&s;" PLACE="marg">Luke 12.48.</NOTE> expects the greate&s;t account from you.
<NOTE N="t" PLACE="marg"><HI>Grandis ho|nos, &s;ed grave pondus i&s;tius e&s;t honoris,</HI> Greg in E|vang. Hom. 26.</NOTE> <HI>Honos</HI> and <HI>Onus</HI> goe together. The faire&s;t Steed mu&s;t have his Saddle. Every honour mu&s;t bear its burden. That mea&s;ure of piety will not &s;erve a noble man, that will &s;urve a meaner per&s;on; unle&s;&s;e that mea&s;ure of honour will &s;erve you. You look for much re&s;pect from men of a lower &s;pheare<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> Gods looks for more from you, becau&s;e there is a larger di&s;tance between the Creator and the highe&s;t creature, then can be between the highe&s;t and lowe&s;t of all the creature. Let not the Comm<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">n<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> out goe you in piety, le&s;t they prove more ho|norable then you in the end. God &s;aith,
<NOTE N="u" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 82.6.</NOTE> <HI>I bu<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">o &s;aid ye are Gods,</HI> in regard of your power, give us cau&s;e to &s;ay &s;o too in regard of your ho ine&s;&s;e. I be&s;eec<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> you take away from us all occa&s;ions of Court-idolatry. Teach us in you to honour men more for their worth then for their grea ne&s;&s;e. We know not how
<NOTE N="x" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 15.4.</NOTE> cordially to honour a proud <HI>Haman,</HI> a loo&s;e <HI>Amnon,</HI> a covetous <HI>Nabal.</HI> But we ran lay our heads down at the feet of religious Lords to doe them good.
<PB N="26" REF="16">Account of honour without piety, as the Jewes doe of a body without wi&s;dome. They &s;ay it is
<NOTE N="y" PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign"></NOTE> like a hou&s;e without a founda|tion. Carry your &s;elves &s;o, that Lords on earth may be Saints in heaven. That honour will la&s;t when your Lord&s;hips are gone, and their Royalties that made you Lords. From this per&s;onall refor|mation proceed with comfort and courage to the publick. We are met now to humble our &s;oules before the &s;upream Lord of hea|ven and earth, to pray to him to cea&s;e all our troubles, and to take away the great jealou&s;ies ari&s;ing between the two King|domes, that the plots of tho&s;e that would &s;et us together by the eares, and make our warres wor&s;e then ever yet they were, may be confounded utterly. God will an&s;wer, Goe to <HI>Bethel,</HI> and perform your vow, build an Altar to me. Why &s;uffer you &s;ome to rob my deere&s;t Son, and your onely Saviour of his Deity, and goe unpuni&s;hed? Why &s;uffer ye others in print to rob me of &s;o many thou&s;and yeares of prai&s;e, I &s;hould have in heaven by lay|ing
<NOTE N="z" PLACE="marg">Heb. 12.23.</NOTE> the &s;pirits of ju&s;t men made perfect a&s;leep with their bodies till the day of judgement? Why &s;uffer ye others co countenance all manner of uncleanne&s;&s;e and pollutions of marriage by main|taining a lawfulne&s;&s;e of putting away mens wives, and taking o|thers for cau&s;es which I never allowed? Why &s;uffer ye books to be printed under colour of maintaining liberty of con&s;cience for the toleration of all forts of here&s;ies and bla&s;phemous religions, that I may in my own land be bla&s;phemed to my face by publick authority? Why have I advanced you more then others, but that ye &s;hould be more jealous of my honour then they? Would any of you keep a Steward that &s;hould deale faithfully with your &s;ervants, give them their meat in due &s;ea&s;on, and not &s;uffer them to wrong one another: but would let them di&s;honour you to your faces, raile upon you, and embezle your goods? Con&s;ider of the&s;e things, and the Lord make you publick Reformers here, and glorious
<NOTE N="a" PLACE="marg">Mat. 22.30.</NOTE> like the Angels in Heaven. <HI>Amen.</HI></P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV2>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
