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<DATE>2010-09-12</DATE>
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<NAME>Kayla Ondracek</NAME>
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<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>JERVSALEMS VVATCH-MEN, THE LORDS <HI>REMEMBRANCERS:</HI></P>
<P>A SERMON PREACHED at the Abbie at VVESTMINSTER, before both Hou&s;es of <HI>Parliament, AND</HI> The A&s;&s;embly of DIVINES, upon their <HI>Solemn Fa&s;t, Iuly</HI> 7. 1643. BY MATTH: NEVV COMEN <HI>M. A.</HI> and Mini&s;ter of the Go&s;pell at <HI>Dedham</HI> in <HI>E&s;&s;ex.</HI></P>
<Q><P>As for me, I have not ha&s;tned from being a Pa&s;tour to follow thee, nei|ther have I de&s;ired the wofull day, thou knowe&s;t: that which came out of my lips was right before thee.</P>
<P>Be not a Terrour to me, thou art my hope in the day of evill,</P>
<BIBL><HI>Jer. 17.16, 17.</HI></BIBL></Q>
<Q><P>Remember that I &s;tood before thee to &s;peak good for them, and to turn away thy wrath from them,</P>
<BIBL><HI>Jerem. 18.20.</HI></BIBL></Q>
<Q><P>Yee that have e&s;caped the &s;word, goe away, &s;tand not &s;till. Remember the Lord afar off, and let <HI>Jeru&s;alem</HI> come into your minds,</P>
<BIBL><HI>Jer. 51.50.</HI></BIBL></Q>
<P>Publi&s;hed by Order of both Hou&s;es of Parliament.</P>
<P>LONDON, Printed by <HI>M. F.</HI> for CHRISTOPHER MEREDITH at the Crane in Pauls Church-yard. 1643.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="dedication">
<PB REF="2">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>TO THE RIGHT HO|NOVRABLE <HI>LORDS,</HI> The worthy Members of the HO|NOURABLE Hou&s;e of COMMONS, <HI>AND</HI> The Learned and Religious DIVINES, now a&s;&s;embled to con&s;ult about matters of <HI>RELIGION.</HI></HEAD>
<P>_THis <HI>Sermon</HI> might have been <HI>entertai|ned</HI> from the <HI>Pulpit,</HI> and now from the <HI>Pre&s;&s;e,</HI> as <HI>Pharez</HI> was from the <HI>womb,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 38.29.</NOTE> with a, <HI>Qu&agrave;m erupi&s;ti, how ha&s;t thou broken forth?</HI> were it not knowne to this <HI>A&s;&s;embly,</HI> that the <HI>Parliament</HI> had de&s;igned another, both in <HI>yeares</HI> and <HI>all Intellectuall and &s;pi|rituall abilities,</HI> far more fit for the <HI>&s;olemn work</HI> of &s;o <HI>&s;olemne a day,</HI> in &s;o <HI>&s;olemne</HI> and <HI>Reverend an</HI><NOTE N="a" PLACE="marg">Con&s;i&s;ting of both Hou&s;es of Parliament &amp; the Divines all joyning in hu|miliation and prayer.</NOTE> A&s;&s;embly. But bodily infirmities compelling him with <HI>Zarah</HI> to <HI>draw back his hand,</HI> the work was (I know not by what providence) devolved on me, <GAP DESC="foreign">. I was to that quire of <HI>Mourners</HI> and <HI>In|terce&s;&s;ours,</HI> but as the gra&s;hopper was to<NOTE N="b" PLACE="marg">Hujus memi|nit &amp; Strabol. <HI>6.</HI> &amp; Clem. Al. in Protreptico al gentes, &amp; Phot. in Ep. ad Joen. Patrici|um.</NOTE> <HI>Eunomius</HI> his harp; <HI>quae Citharae jugo in&s;idens ruptae chordae &s;onum expleret.</HI></P>
<PB REF="3">
<P>The &s;ame <HI>Authority</HI> (which I am re&s;olved to obey, <HI>u&s;que ad Aras</HI>) that <HI>commanded</HI> mee to <HI>preach</HI> then, <HI>commands</HI> me now to make <HI>publique</HI> to the <HI>eyes of all,</HI> what <HI>then</HI> was committed <HI>to the ears of not ma|ny;</HI> when the &s;ame <HI>Authority</HI> &s;hall command other <HI>things</HI> that have &s;ince been &s;poken and <HI>tran&s;acted</HI> in your <HI>A&s;&s;embly</HI> to &s;ee the <HI>Light,</HI> I doubt not but all &s;o|ber-minded men, that have not been made drunk with the cup of Romes fornication, will acknowledge you have with a <HI>&s;ingle eye</HI> &s;ought <HI>Truth</HI> with <HI>peace,</HI> and <HI>union</HI> with <HI>Reformation.</HI></P>
<P>It is (<HI>Men, Brethren</HI> and <HI>Fathers</HI>) a great work that <HI>God</HI> hath called you to &s;et your heads, and hearts, and hands unto, to re&s;cue <HI>truth</HI> from the jaws of tho&s;e <HI>mon&s;trous errours,</HI> that had almo&s;t devoured it; to disburthen the wor&s;hip of God of tho&s;e <HI>corruptions,</HI> that have &s;o long clogged and defiled it; to advi&s;e of, and propound &s;uch a Government in the Church, as may be mo&s;t <HI>agreeable</HI> to Gods <HI>word,</HI> mo&s;t conformed to the pattern in the <HI>Mount,</HI> and to the <HI>practi&s;es</HI> of the be&s;t <HI>Reformed Churches;</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">; Had our God ca&s;t you upon this work in the mo&s;t pacate <HI>times,</HI> and among a <HI>People</HI> the mo&s;t prepared for <HI>Re|formation</HI> that ever any were, yet (in it &s;elfe con&s;ide|red) &s;uch is the infinite weight of your <HI>employment</HI> as might even &s;wallow up all your thoughts. But then to con&s;ider how <HI>unprepared</HI> the hearts of <HI>people</HI> are for that which is the <HI>work</HI> of this <HI>age,</HI> and this <HI>A&s;&s;embly, Reformation,</HI> which hath been repre&s;en|ted to <HI>Prince</HI> and <HI>People</HI> under the odious notion of <HI>Browni&s;me, Anabapti&s;me, Church Anarchy,
<PB REF="3">Confu&s;ion;</HI> in &s;o much that with many, <HI>endeavours</HI> and <HI>a&s;&s;ays</HI> of Reformation will find no better entertain|ment, then <HI>Hezekiahs</HI> me&s;&s;engers of Reformation did, <HI>2 Chron. 30.10. when the people laughed them to &s;corn,</HI> and <HI>mocked them;</HI> Nay, with &s;ome wor&s;e, for &s;o enragedly doe &s;ome <HI>burn</HI> after their <HI>Idolatrous</HI> wayes, and &s;o <HI>mad</HI> are they <HI>upon their own inven|tions,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer. 50.38.</NOTE> that deny them the&s;e, and it is to be feared you &s;hall finde them in the temper the <HI>Abezrites</HI> were, &s;carce any thing will pacify them, but the bloud of tho&s;e that <HI>have ca&s;t down the altar of</HI> Baal, <HI>and cut down the grove that was by it;</HI> Iudg. <HI>6.30.</HI> Doe not <HI>Mul|titudes</HI> cry already upon the <HI>di&s;u&s;e</HI> of &s;ome <HI>Ceremo|nies,</HI> and the <HI>di&s;placing</HI> of &s;ome Super&s;titious <HI>Prie&s;ts?</HI> do they not cry with <HI>Micah, Judg. 18.24.</HI> Yee have ta|ken away our Gods and our Prie&s;ts, and what have we more? This makes the times &s;o calamitous, as we may &s;ay of them with the Learned Rivet. <HI>In multis cert&egrave; infoelici&s;&s;ima &s;unt no&s;tra Tempora, in quibus in pe&s;&s;um omnia ruunt, &amp; qua&s;i tran&s;ver&s;um ire vi|dentur. Concutiuntur Regna, &amp; Re&s;publicae; tu|multibus omnia per&s;trepunt, &amp; &s;editionibus; cae|dibus terra polluitur; &amp; quod malum omnium malorum fons e&s;t, clamant peccata, et coelum pro|vocant; profligatis fer&egrave; moribus hone&s;tis, &amp; vitiis lat&egrave; qua&s;i apert&acirc; port&acirc; erumpentibus. Pruriunt ingenia multorum, &amp; in rebus Divinis ita &s;e ge|runt &amp; ade&ograve; licenter, ut quod olim in populo E|braeo (quibus temporibus non erat Rex in I&s;raele) qui&s;que quod rectum videbatur in oculis &s;uis fa|ciebant,</HI> Iud. <HI>17.6. Sic multi &s;unt qui nullis repa|gulis
<PB REF="4">continentur, &amp; fidem in dies mutans, quam dum multiplicant, amittunt. Alios vetu&s;t&acirc; &s;ocor|di&acirc; detentos dum nullam mutationem admittunt in bonum, ita dementat &s;uper&s;titio, ut in monito|res in&s;urgant, ne dum ut eos patienter audiant.</HI> All this proclaims the work of <HI>Reformation</HI> the more <HI>ne|ce&s;&s;ary,</HI> but withall the more <HI>difficult.</HI></P>
<P>Again&s;t the&s;e <HI>difficulties</HI> what have you to <HI>encou|rage</HI> you? <GAP DESC="foreign">: were yee encompa&s;&s;ed as &s;ometimes <HI>Eli&s;ha</HI> was, with an hoa&s;t of armed men, yet might yee &s;ay as he did there, <HI>They that be with us are more then they that be again&s;t us.</HI></P>
<P>For fir&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Revel. 19 14.</NOTE> with you are all the <HI>Armies in heaven:</HI> All the <HI>Saints</HI> and <HI>Churches</HI> of Chri&s;t are with you, <HI>&s;triving with you by their prayers,</HI> (not only in re|ference to <HI>your per&s;ons,</HI> but to your <HI>employments</HI>) for protection, guidance, ble&s;sing. The appearing of Chri&s;t in the beauty of Reformation among us, may be &s;aid to be <HI>the de&s;ire of all</HI> (Chri&s;tian) <HI>Nations.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, not only &s;o, but yee have the prayers of tho&s;e that have been before us. For verily many Pro|phets and righteous men have de&s;ired to &s;ee the things which ye &s;ee,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Favour me the u&s;e of this ex|pre&s;&s;ion by way of allu&s;i|on.</NOTE> &amp; have not &s;een them; <HI>viz.</HI> a <HI>Parliament</HI> re&s;olved upon a more thorough <HI>Reformation;</HI> an A&s;|&s;embly called to debate &amp; advi&s;e about the e&s;tabli&s;hing of Doctrine and wor&s;hip, and the Government of the Church in a more pure &amp; regular manner; with how ma|ny tears and prayers did our Forefathers &s;eek this at the hands of God? The fir&s;t fruits of which prayers we (who are entred upon their labours) have already ta&s;ted, and &s;hall reap in full an&s;wers, in due time if we faint not.</P>
<PB REF="4">
<P>Thirdly, you have the promi&s;e of our Lord Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, Mat. <HI>18.20. Where two or three are met together in my Name, there am I in the midde&s;t of them.</HI> To be met together in the Name of Chri&s;t, implies <HI>3.</HI> things, <HI>1^o. Convenire ex vocatione.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Camero in Myrothe<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> <HI>2^o. Convenire animo &s;equendi prae&s;criptum Dei. 3^o. Ita ut unu&s;|qui&s;que diffidat &s;ibi, &amp; &s;oli Deo fidat.</HI> And if ever any in all the&s;e particulars were met together in the <HI>Name of Chri&s;t,</HI> then are you, and therefore may with a holy humble confidence challenge this promi&s;e of our Lord Ie&s;us, <HI>to be in the mid&s;t among you:</HI> Chri&s;t being in the mid&s;t of you, implies not only his <HI>ade&s;&s;e,</HI> but his <HI>praee&s;&s;e</HI> too: as P&s;alm <HI>82.1.</HI> And if God be thus with us, who can be again&s;t us? Rom. <HI>8.</HI></P>
<P>Fourthly, &s;ome <HI>&s;weet, encouraging, engaging</HI> experiences, we have had of the <HI>accompli&s;hment</HI> of this promi&s;e. He mu&s;t have a heart more <HI>ignorant</HI> and <HI>unbeleeving</HI> then the <HI>Apo&s;tles Idiot,</HI> that &s;hould come in and be an eare-witne&s;&s;e of your proceedings and not <HI>wor&s;hip God and report</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>That God is in you of a truth.</HI> Verily I have often from my heart wi&s;hed that your <HI>greate&s;t Ad|ver&s;aries and Traducers</HI> might be witne&s;&s;es of your Learned, grave, pious <HI>debates,</HI> which were able to <HI>&s;ilence,</HI> if not <HI>convert Malignity it &s;elfe.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Goe on in this your might;</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Judges 6.14.</NOTE> hath not the Lord &s;ent you? is not the Lord with you? <HI>goe on in this your might. Pergite quo coepi&s;tis pede.</HI> In that <HI>Spirit</HI> of <HI>wi&s;dome,</HI> and <HI>Love,</HI> and <HI>zeal for Truth, where|in</HI> you have <HI>proceeded</HI> hitherto, <HI>goe on &s;till,</HI> to Love the <HI>Truth</HI> and <HI>Peace.</HI> Peace is precious, and &s;o
<PB REF="5">is every grain and &s;elvage of Gods truth. It was a &s;ay|ing of Ba&s;il. Mag. and it well re&s;embles him, <GAP DESC="foreign">, &amp;c. <HI>qui &s;acris literis innutriti &s;unt, ne unicam quidem &s;yllabam Divinorum Dogma|tum prodere &s;u&s;tinent, &s;ed pro his omnia, &s;i opus &s;it, genera mortis libenter &s;ubeunt.</HI></P>
<P>The Lord &s;trengthen your <HI>hands</HI> and <HI>hearts</HI> unto the great <HI>work</HI> that lies before you, rai&s;e you above all di&s;couragements and <HI>oppo&s;itions,</HI> fill you more and more with a Spirit of Wi&s;dome, di&s;cerning, Re&s;o|lution, Courage, Zeale, faithfulne&s;&s;e; make you in this work of Reforming his Church as <HI>Zachariah</HI> and <HI>Haggai</HI> were inre-building the Temple, <HI>ut Eccle&s;i|am hanc, quam inveni&s;tis minus quam Lateriti|am, reddatis plu&s;quam Marmoream:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Suet. in vit&acirc; Aug.</NOTE> which is the &s;incere de&s;ire and prayer of him,</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>who is Le&s;&s;e then the lea&s;t of all Gods mercies and Employments, MATTH. NEVVCOMEN.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="sermon">
<PB N="1" REF="5">
<HEAD>A SERMON PREACHED BE|fore the A&s;&s;embly of Lords, Commons, and Divines, <HI>upon their Fa&s;t</HI> July 7. 1643.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL><HI>I&s;aiah 62. the latter part of the 6. and 7. ver.</HI></BIBL>
<P>Yee that make mention of the Lord keep not &s;ilence; And give him no re&s;t, till he e&s;tabli&s;h, and till hee make Ieru&s;alem a Prai&s;e in the earth.</P></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>_BEholding the face of the <HI>Church</HI> in this Chapter,<NOTE PLACE="marg">The Chapt. a|naly&s;ed into 4. parts.</NOTE> it appears to me as the <HI>Garden of God,</HI> made glad with <HI>four</HI> precious gracious <HI>promi&s;es,</HI> like the <HI>four Rivers</HI> that watered the Eden of the Lord.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 2.</NOTE></P>
<P><MILESTONE N="1"> In the fir&s;t, the Lord <HI>promi&s;eth</HI> to <HI>rai&s;e</HI> his <HI>Church</HI> out of a low afflicted e&s;tate, in|to an illu&s;trious glorious condition, <HI>v.</HI> 1. <HI>For Zions &s;ake I will not hold my peace, and for Ieru&s;alems &s;ake I
<PB N="2" REF="6">wil not re&s;t,</HI> (for &s;o with a Learned Expo&s;itor, I take the words to be the words of <HI>God promi&s;ing,</HI><NOTE N="a" PLACE="marg">Soultetus ad loc:</NOTE> &amp; not of the <HI>Prophet praying</HI>) <HI>For Zions &s;ake I will not hold my peace, &amp;c. untill the righteou&s;ne&s;s therof go forth as brightne&s;&s;e, and the &s;alvation of it as a Lampe that burneth;</HI> which <HI>righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e</HI> &s;hall be &s;o glorious that all the Kings and Nations of the earth &s;hall behold and admire it, <HI>v.</HI> 2. <HI>It &s;hall be as a crown of glory and a Royall Diademe in the hand of God, v.</HI> 3. And a <HI>new Name</HI> breathing nothing but delight and plea&s;ure will God put upon his Church, be|cau&s;e the <HI>Lord God delighteth in her,</HI> v. 4, 5.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="2"> In the &s;econd place, the Lord <HI>promi&s;eth</HI> to rai&s;e up unto his Church <HI>In&s;truments</HI> fit for him&s;elfe to u&s;e in this great <HI>work of Re&s;toring his Church</HI> and making it glorious, <HI>v.</HI> 6, 7. <HI>I have &s;et watchmen upon thy walls O Ieru&s;alem, which &s;hall not hold their peace night nor day, yee that are the Lords Remem|brancers, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P><MILESTONE N="3"> In the third, the Lord <HI>promi&s;eth</HI> to <HI>continue</HI> this his Churches felicity, and confirmes this <HI>promi&s;e</HI> with an <HI>Oath. The Lord hath &s;worn by his Right hand and by the arm of his &s;trength, Surely, &amp;c. v.</HI> 8, 9.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="4"> In the fourth, the Lord <HI>promi&s;eth</HI> an <HI>encrea&s;e</HI> and <HI>dilatation</HI> of his <HI>Church,</HI> by meanes of this pro&s;perity and glory; <HI>Goe thorough, goe thorough the gates, prepare yee the way of the people, &amp;c. Lift up a Standard for the people, &amp;c.</HI> v. 10, 11, 12.</P>
<P>Our Text lies in the &s;econd part of this Chap|ter, wherein the Lord having ^1 <HI>promi&s;ed</HI> unto his
<PB N="3" REF="6">Church <HI>In&s;truments</HI> and means fit for him&s;elfe to u&s;e in the effecting of the great things before pro|mi&s;ed; <HI>I have &s;et</HI> (for <HI>I will &s;et,</HI> an u&s;uall Hebra|i&s;me, thereby to &s;hew the certainty of the thing promi&s;ed) <HI>I have &s;et watchmen upon thy wals O Je|ru&s;alem:</HI> And having ^2 undertaken for the <HI>Fideli|ty,</HI> and <HI>&s;edulity</HI> of the&s;e <HI>watchmen, which &s;hall never hold their peace night nor day:</HI> Pre&s;ently by an <HI>Apo|&s;trophe</HI> turnes to the&s;e watchmen, and gives them a charge to &s;ee they make good what he had un|dertaken: <HI>Yee that make mention of the Lord, keep not &s;ilence; give him no re&s;t, till he e&s;tabli&s;h, and till he make Ieru&s;alem a prai&s;e in the earth.</HI></P>
<P>In the words you may plea&s;e to con&s;ider the&s;e three things.</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM><NOTE PLACE="marg">The text divi|ded.</NOTE>Fir&s;t, the Per&s;ons called upon, di&s;ciphered thus, <HI>yee that make mention of the Lord.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Secondly, the &s;ervice or employment they are called unto, de&s;cribed Negatively; <HI>keep no &s;ilence, and give him no re&s;t.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Thirdly, the Duration or extent of this em|ployment; <HI>till he e&s;tabli&s;h, and till he make Ieru&s;alem a prai&s;e in the earth.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>For the fir&s;t of the&s;e, <HI>the per&s;ons called upon,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Explained.</NOTE> they are thus characteri&s;ed, <HI>yee that make mention of the Lord;</HI> the margent reads it, <HI>yee that are the Lords Remembrancers;</HI> the Greek <GAP DESC="foreign"> The Vulgar, <HI>qui Remini&s;cimini Domini:</HI> Pagninus, <HI>qui Remini&s;cimini Iehovae:</HI> Arias Montanus, <HI>Rememo|rantes Dominum:</HI> Jun. &amp; Trem. <HI>qui Commemoratis Iehovam.</HI> All which unle&s;&s;e it be our marginall
<PB N="4" REF="7">reading imply no other then what is the common duty and di&s;po&s;ition of all the people of God, to <HI>remember the Lord, and make mention of the Lord;</HI> only that; <HI>The Lords Remembrancers</HI> &s;eems to have &s;omething in it peculiar to &s;ome ranke and order of men; <HI>yee that are the Lords Remembrancers;</HI> yee to whom it doth <HI>ex officio</HI> belong to put the Lord in mind of his people and of his promi&s;es. In the Originall it is <GAP DESC="foreign">. <HI>C. &agrave; Lapide</HI> upon the place &s;aith that the Kings of <HI>Iuda</HI> &amp; <HI>Per&s;ia</HI> had <HI>&s;uos</HI><NOTE N="a" PLACE="marg">So 2 Sam. 8.16. Jeho&s;aphat the &s;on of A|hilud <GAP DESC="foreign"> &amp; 2 Sam. 20.24. <GAP DESC="foreign"> Recorder, in the margent it is Remembran|cer; <HI>qui negotia gerenda comme|morat, &amp; &s;up|plices por<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2 letters">git libellos.</HI></NOTE> <HI>Maskirim admonitores, qui &s;ingula ge&s;ta &amp; ge|renda Regi in mentem revocarent;</HI> &s;uch as we are wont to &s;ay are <HI>Regi &agrave; Commentariis.</HI> It &s;eems this was &s;ome &s;tanding office in the Court to be <HI>the Kings Remembrancer:</HI> to this the prophet here al|ludes, Yee that are <HI>the Lords Remembrancers;</HI> yee to who&s;e <HI>office</HI> it belongs to put the Lord in mind of his Churches nece&s;&s;ities, and his promi&s;es, which can be no other then the watchmen &s;poken of in the foregoing words, <HI>I have &s;et watch|men upon thy walls O Jeru&s;alem;</HI> therefore the Greek Tran&s;lation joyns the&s;e watchmen and this remembring the Lord in con&s;truction together. <GAP DESC="foreign">. <HI>And upon thy walls &ocirc; Ieru&s;alem I have &s;et watchmen all the day, and all the night, which &s;hall not hold their peace for ever remembring the Lord;</HI> &s;o that the <HI>Lords Remembrancers</HI> here are the &s;ame with <HI>Ieru|&s;alems watchmen</HI> before, and they no other but the Prie&s;ts and Prophets and Mini&s;ters of the Lord.</P>
<PB N="5" REF="7">
<P>The &s;econd thing con&s;iderable in the text is, the <HI>employment</HI> they are called to, and that is de|&s;cribed <HI>Negatively; keep no &s;ilence, give him no re&s;t;</HI> which implies that their <HI>employment</HI> here is <HI>vo|call,</HI> and that can be but either in <HI>preaching</HI> or in <HI>praying:</HI> Some think the Mini&s;ters of the Lord are here called upon for diligence in both the&s;e; but in this place I conceive, the Lord calls them to attendance upon prayer, becau&s;e of the fol|lowing words, <HI>give him no re&s;t.</HI> The pronoun there having reference to God, and not to Jeru&s;alem; keep no &s;ilence, give him, that is the Lord, no re&s;t, pray, cry importunately, unce&s;&s;antly. God here by his Prophet calls his Mini&s;ters to pray, as el&s;e|where he doth, by his Apo&s;tle, to preach, <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>in &s;ea&s;on and out of &s;ea&s;on;</HI> Night and day. <HI>I have &s;et watchmen upon thy walls &ocirc; Ieru&s;alem, which &s;hall not hold their peace night nor day; yee that are the Lords remembrancers, keep no &s;ilence, give him no re&s;t.</HI></P>
<P>The third and la&s;t thing con&s;iderable in the words is, the <HI>Duration</HI> or <HI>Extent</HI> of this <HI>employ|ment;</HI> how farre their prayer mu&s;t extend it &s;elfe, or how long they mu&s;t continue praying, <HI>even till he e&s;tabli&s;h, and till he make Ieru&s;alem a prai&s;e,</HI> till <HI>God</HI> have not only <HI>laid the foundations,</HI> but <HI>&s;et up the Pinacles</HI> of a <HI>glorious Church.</HI> Not only brought forth the <HI>Corner &s;tone,</HI> but the <HI>Top &s;tone of Ieru&s;alem, and all the earth with &s;houting, cry, Grace,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Zach. 4.7.</NOTE> <HI>grace to it.</HI></P>
<P>I might out of the words, pre&s;ent unto you &s;e|verall
<PB N="6" REF="8">Doctrines;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Severall Do|ctrines out of the text.</NOTE> as many in number as the parts of the text: as,</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="1"> Fir&s;t, that <HI>God will certainly e&s;tabli&s;h Ieru&s;alem, &amp; make it a prai&s;e in the earth.</HI> This is clear, for cer|tainly God would never call his &s;ervants to pray for that which he never intended to do; were there never a text but this in all the book of God, that told us of this beauty and glory, wherewith God in the latter dayes will clothe his Church, even upon <HI>earth;</HI> were there nothing &s;aid of it el&s;ewhere in this <HI>Evangelicall Prophet I&s;aiah;</HI> nor any men|tion of it in that <HI>Propheticall Evangeli&s;t</HI> St. <HI>Iohn,</HI> if in his whole book of Revelation, he had not uttered one word of this the Churches glory, yet in this one text, there is enough to &s;upport the faith of Gods people, in the patient and comfor|table expectation of it; God hath commanded prayer for it; therefore God will doe it: for, <HI>He never &s;aith to the &s;ons of Iacob, Seek yee mee in vaine,</HI> I&s;aiah 45.19.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="2"> Secondly, <HI>we might ob&s;erve that, though the Lord will certainly make his Church glorious, a prai&s;e upon earth, yet he will not doe this till it be obtained of him by earne&s;t and unce&s;&s;ant prayer:</HI> Therefore in order to his owne holy and ble&s;&s;ed ends, he here com|mands his &s;ervants prayers.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="3"> Thirdly,<HI>we may ob&s;erve this, that it is in &s;peciall manner the duty of Gods Mini&s;ters to pray earne&s;tly and unce&s;&s;antly to God, that he would e&s;tabli&s;h and make Ieru&s;alem a prai&s;e in the earth.</HI></P>
<PB N="7" REF="8">
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">The Doctrine to be in&s;i&s;ted upon,</NOTE>This third I will embrace as adequately an&s;we|ring this Auditory and Day. To an <HI>A&s;&s;embly</HI> of <HI>Gods Mini&s;ters</HI> met together in a <HI>&s;olemne Day of Prayer,</HI> to <HI>&s;eeke God</HI> for the <HI>good</HI> of <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> what can be more appo&s;ite then &s;uch a Doctrine as this that tels them, <HI>It is in a &s;peciall manner their Duty to pray,</HI> opportun&egrave;, importun&egrave;, <HI>unce&s;&s;antly, importu|nately, that God would e&s;tabli&s;h and make Ieru&s;alem a prai&s;e in the earth?</HI> The God of wi&s;dome and grace who directed the thoughts of his Servant unto this word, enlarge his own gratious hand, and the heart and mouth of his poore and mo&s;t unworthy in&s;trument, that helped by his Spirit, and your Prayers, I may utter right things, and &s;uch as may advance Gods glory, and further all our hearts, not onely in the worke of this day, but in that great employment whereunto wee de&s;ire this day to &s;anctifie our &s;elves.</P>
<P><HI>It is in a &s;peciall manner the duty of Gods Mini&s;ters to pray that God would e&s;tabli&s;h Ieru&s;alem and make it a prai&s;e in the earth.</HI></P>
<P>I will not &s;ay, it is needfull (in &s;uch an Auditory, it cannot be;) but it may be convenient, and I mu&s;t, <HI>pro more,</HI> a little open the termes of this propo&s;iti|on. Not to &s;peake of the <HI>per&s;ons,</HI> upon whom this duty is impo&s;ed, <HI>Gods Mini&s;ters;</HI> nor of the <HI>duty impo&s;ed</HI> upon them, <HI>Prayer;</HI> I &s;hall onely &s;peake of the <HI>&s;ubject</HI> of the duty here propounded to us, which is two-fold:</P>
<P><HI>Subjectum cui,</HI> or <HI>cujus;</HI> and <HI>Subjectum quod.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">opened in two things.</NOTE></P>
<P>The fir&s;t &s;hewing <HI>whom wee mu&s;t pray for;</HI> the &s;econd, <HI>what we mu&s;t pray for.</HI></P>
<PB N="8" REF="9">
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Fir&s;t for who~ we mu&s;t pray.</NOTE>For the fir&s;t of the&s;e, the <HI>&s;ubjectum cui</HI> or <HI>cujus, whom we mu&s;t pray for,</HI> the <HI>Text</HI> and <HI>Doctrine</HI> tells us,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jeru&s;alem.</NOTE> <HI>Ieru&s;alem. Ieru&s;alem</HI> may be taken two wayes, either <HI>literally,</HI> or <HI>my&s;tically.</HI></P>
<P>Literally, ^1 For the place and City &s;o deno|minated, or ^2 For the people &s;ometime inhabiting that place. For the place or city, that was &s;ome|time &s;o famous among the Nations, the City where God dwelt, the habitation of his holine&s;&s;e, the place neere unto which <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> was borne, in which he conver&s;ed, manife&s;ted the truth of his godhead in his Actions, the truth of his manhood in his pa&s;&s;ions, was betrayed, &s;courged, reviled, condemned in it,<NOTE PLACE="marg">John 19.41.</NOTE> crucified, buried neer unto it, this is <HI>literall Ieru&s;alem:</HI> but this is not that Ieru&s;alem we mu&s;t pray for, our <HI>devotions</HI> mu&s;t not with the <HI>Papi&s;ts</HI> dote upon the <HI>ruines</HI> and <HI>rubbi&s;h</HI> of that bloudy citie, the City of Gods cur&s;e.</P>
<P>Secondly, <HI>Ieru&s;alem literally</HI> &s;ignifies the <HI>people</HI> of <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> the Nation of the Jews, whom God hath in his righteous indignation &s;cattered over the face of the earth, as chaffe before the wind: the&s;e we may pray for, I meane <HI>the remnant accor|ding to the election of Grace,</HI> that God would ga|ther them againe according <HI>to his promi&s;e: And &s;o all I&s;rael &s;hall be &s;aved,</HI> Rom. 11.26.</P>
<P>But yet this is not <HI>that Ieru&s;alem</HI> here meant nei|ther. <HI>The Ieru&s;alem</HI> meant in this place is the <HI>My|&s;tical Ieru&s;alem,</HI> that <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> whereof this was but a type, the new<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Revel. 21.2. which text &s;eemes to re|ferre to this of <HI>I&s;aiah,</HI> &amp; &s;peak the &s;ame lan|guage; for as here <HI>ver.</HI> 4.5. God &s;aith, <HI>The Lan I &s;hall be married;</HI> And, <HI>God will re|joyce over Je|ru&s;alem, as a bridegroome rejoyceth over his bride:</HI> &s;o here <HI>John</HI> &s;ees this Ieru&s;alem <HI>prepared as a bride adorned for her husband</HI></NOTE> Ieru&s;alem comming downe from God out of Heaven: And &s;o it implyes two things.</P>
<PB N="9" REF="9">
<P>Fir&s;t, the <HI>Church of God</HI> in the utmo&s;t latitude of it: the whole <HI>Catholique Church</HI> di&s;per&s;ed over the world, <HI>the generall a&s;&s;embly and Church of the fir&s;t borne is unto us Mount Sion, the City of the living God, the heavenly Ieru&s;alem,</HI> Heb. 12.22, 23. for which we are to pray, that God would <HI>e&s;tabli&s;h and make it a prai&s;e in the earth.</HI> And &s;econdly, by <HI>Ieru|&s;alem My&s;ticall</HI> we are to under&s;tand that <HI>particular Church,</HI> in which we live, of which we are, to which we &s;tand in the &s;ame relation that the Iews did to Ieru&s;alem; for this we are to pray, that God would e&s;tabli&s;h, and make it a prai&s;e in the earth. And &s;o I come to the &s;econd thing to be explained,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Secondly, for what we mu&s;t pray.</NOTE> the <HI>&s;ubjectum quod,</HI> or, what it is we are to pray for.</P>
<P>Two things we find mentioned in the text: fir&s;t, that <HI>God would e&s;tabli&s;h:</HI> &s;econdly, that <HI>God would make his Church a prai&s;e in the earth.</HI></P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Fir&s;t, that God would e&s;tabli&s;h his Church.</NOTE>Fir&s;t, that <HI>God would e&s;tabli&s;h his Church;</HI> for though the Church hath a <HI>&s;trong foundation,</HI> and <HI>walles,</HI> and <HI>bulwarkes</HI> &s;trong, yet it is in it &s;elfe but a weake building,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 16.18.</NOTE> <HI>earthly tabernacles</HI> planted on a <HI>rock.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;aiah 26 1. 2 Cor. 5.</NOTE> That which God &s;peakes of the earth, may be applyed to the Church, P&s;al. 75.3. <HI>The earth, and all the inhabitants of it are di&s;&s;olved, I beare up the Pillars of it.</HI> All the commi&s;&s;ures and contig|nations of this great fabrick of the Univer&s;e would be loo&s;ned and disjoynted, if God did not put under his everla&s;ting armes, and beare up, and e&s;tabli&s;h the Pillars of it: So would it be in the Church of God; therefore we mu&s;t pray, that God would e&s;tabli&s;h his Church,<NOTE PLACE="marg">In two things.</NOTE> and that in two
<PB N="10" REF="10">things: fir&s;t <HI>in Truth;</HI> &s;econdly, <HI>in Peace:</HI> Fir&s;t, <HI>in truth again&s;t all errors;</HI> Secondly, <HI>in Peace a|gain&s;t enemies.</HI></P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Fi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2+ letters">, in Truth.</NOTE>Fir&s;t, we mu&s;t pray that <HI>God would e&s;tabli&s;h&punc; his Church in truth.</HI> The <HI>Church</HI> is &s;aid, 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 3.15. <HI>to be the pillar and ground of truth;</HI> not as the Pa|pi&s;ts affirme, as if truth were grounded upon the judgement and determination of the Church: the Church is indeed the <HI>Pillar</HI> of <HI>truth,</HI> not becau&s;e it <HI>holds up</HI> the <HI>truth,</HI> but becau&s;e it <HI>holds forth</HI> the <HI>truth;</HI> the metaphor is taken, not from <HI>Pillars</HI> that are &s;upporters of hou&s;es, but from &s;uch <HI>Pillars</HI> as anciently were wont to be fixed in market pla|ces, and other places of publique meeting, upon which they hung their lawes, (as the <HI>leges</HI> 12. <HI>Tabularum</HI> at Rome) that they might be publique to the view and notice of all men; as among&s;t us <HI>Proclamations,</HI> for the &s;ame end are pa&s;ted upon po&s;ts: &s;uch a <HI>Pillar of truth</HI> we grant the Church is, and ought to be a Pillar to hold forth the truth, to the view of <HI>all men;</HI> a Pillar to which all men re&s;orting may read, and know the truth; it is <GAP DESC="foreign">, but not <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>the Pillar and ground of truth;</HI> the word in the Originall is <GAP DESC="foreign">, which in the fir&s;t and native &s;ignification is a &s;eat; the <HI>Pillar and &s;eat of truth,</HI> the place of truths abode and re&s;i|dence, its proper <HI>ubi,</HI> where truth is always to be found; this the <HI>Church</HI> of God is or ought to be.</P>
<P>Now, though the <HI>Church</HI> of God &s;hould be thus, yet we know there is no <HI>Church,</HI> but it is &s;ub|ject unto error: The <HI>Apo&s;tle</HI> tells us there <HI>mu&s;t be
<PB N="11" REF="10">Here&s;ies,</HI> 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 11.19. and that <GAP DESC="foreign"> and our <HI>Savi|our</HI> tells us, that there &s;hall ari&s;e &s;ome &s;uch &s;ubtill ma&s;ters of here&s;ie, that <HI>they &s;hall &s;educe (if it were po&s;&s;ible) the very elect of God, Mark</HI> 13.22. There|fore we mu&s;t pray, that God would e&s;tabli&s;h his Church in truth again&s;t all errors.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe&s; 6.14.</NOTE> <HI>Truth</HI> it is the <HI>Churches girdle;</HI> A Church <HI>quae hanc Zo na~ perdidit aut &s;oluta e&s;t,</HI> as the Latine proverb is, a <HI>Church</HI> that hath <HI>lo&s;t</HI> this <HI>girdle of truth,</HI> or hath this <HI>girdle loo|&s;ed,</HI> is an <HI>Adulterous beggerly Church;</HI> therefore, <HI>yee that are the Lords Remembrancers keep no &s;ilence, give him no re&s;t till he e&s;tabli&s;h his Church in truth.</HI></P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Secondly, in Peace.</NOTE>And as in <HI>truth,</HI> &s;o &s;econdly, in <HI>Peace; Peace</HI> is one of the riche&s;t ble&s;&s;ings of heaven, a <HI>compre|hen&s;ive</HI> ble&s;&s;ing, a <HI>circle of ble&s;&s;ings;</HI> I will not <HI>rhe|toricate</HI> in the prai&s;es of it: the want of peace hath made us know what peace is worth; in the enjoy|ment of this rich, de&s;irable ble&s;&s;ing, we mu&s;t in|treat the Lord to e&s;tabli&s;h <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> his <HI>Church; yee that are the Lords Remembrancers, keep no &s;ilence, give him no re&s;t, till he e&s;tabli&s;h Ieru&s;alem in peace.</HI></P>
<P>And this peace is threefold; <HI>Civill,</HI> with the Na|tions; <HI>Eccle&s;ia&s;ticall,</HI> with its own members; and <HI>&s;pirituall</HI> or <HI>cele&s;tiall,</HI> with its head and God.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Civill.</NOTE> we mu&s;t pray <HI>that God</HI> would e&s;tabli&s;h his <HI>Church in peace among the Nations;</HI> the Church of God is among the Nations,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Cant. 2.2.</NOTE> as the <HI>lilly among the Thorns:</HI> the lot of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> was among the uncir|cumci&s;ed <HI>Heathens;</HI> &s;o is the <HI>Churches;</HI> yet hath her God promi&s;ed peace in the midde&s;t of enemies, <HI>Mic.</HI> 4.3. <HI>He &s;hall judge among many people, and rebuke
<PB N="12" REF="11">&s;trong Nations afar off, and they &s;hall beat their &s;words into plough&s;hares, and their &s;pears into pruning hooks, Nation &s;hall not lift up a &s;word again&s;t Nation, nei|ther &s;hall they learn war any more, but they &s;hall &s;it every man under his vine, and under his figtree, and none &s;hall make them afraid: for the mouth of the Lord of Hoa&s;ts hath &s;poken it;</HI> You that are the Lords Remembrancers, keep no &s;ilence, give him no re&s;t, till he e&s;tabli&s;h his Church in this peace.</P>
<P>Secondly, there is peace <HI>Eccle&s;ia&s;ticall,</HI> peace of the Church with its own members,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Secondly, Ec|cle&s;ia&s;ticall.</NOTE> peace in the bowels and bo&s;ome of the Church; wee mu&s;t pray, that God would e&s;tabli&s;h his Church in that; that the Church may not langui&s;h, and die of <HI>Antiochus</HI> his di&s;ea&s;e, a torment in her bowels, that there may be no <HI>incompo&s;able divi&s;ions,</HI> no <HI>irreconciliable rents,</HI> no <HI>in urable ruptures</HI> in the Church, which is one of the greate&s;t and &s;adde&s;t mi&s;chiefs, and mi&s;eries can fall upon the <HI>Church,</HI> or the <HI>Church</HI> fall under: That <HI>God</HI> who makes <HI>men to be of one minde in a hou&s;e,</HI> as the greek reads that of the 68. P&s;alme, <GAP DESC="foreign">, that God I &s;ay can make men of one mind, in a <HI>Church,</HI> in a <HI>Nation,</HI> in <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> and hath pro|mi&s;ed that he will doe it, <HI>Ezek.</HI> 11.19. <HI>I will give them one heart,</HI> and <HI>Zeph.</HI> 3.6. <HI>I will turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the Lord to &s;erve him with one con&s;ent.</HI> O happy, happy we, if God would fulfill the&s;e promi&s;es in us! happy we, if we could obtain this at the hands of God by our prayers! <HI>yee that are the Lords Re|membrancers,
<PB N="13" REF="11">keep no &s;ilence, give him no re&s;t, till he e&s;tabli&s;h his Church in this peace.</HI></P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Thirdly, Spiri|tuall or Cele|&s;tiall.</NOTE>Thirdly, there is <HI>&s;pirituall</HI> or <HI>cele&s;tiall</HI> peace, peace between <HI>God</HI> and his <HI>Church;</HI> wee mu&s;t pray that <HI>God</HI> would e&s;tabli&s;h his <HI>Church</HI> in that al&s;o, that <HI>God</HI> would &s;o watch over, and work in his <HI>Church,</HI> that no &s;in may take hold and &s;pread upon it, which might cau&s;e a quarrell between his <HI>Church</HI> and him, or cau&s;e the Lord to &s;ay, <HI>Mine heritage is to me as a &s;peckled bird,</HI> Ier. 12.9. That God would &s;o order all the wayes of his Church before him, and towards him, that he may never know her by any other then tho&s;e precious and lovefull names of <HI>Ammi</HI> and <HI>Ruhamah, Hephzibah</HI> and <HI>Beulah: Yee that are the Lords Remembrancers, keep no &s;ilence, give him no re&s;t till he e&s;tabli&s;h Ieru|&s;alem his Church in this peace al&s;o.</HI> Thus you &s;ee the fir&s;t thing we are to pray for, that God would e&s;tabli&s;h his <HI>Church</HI> upon <HI>the two pillars</HI> of <HI>truth</HI> and <HI>peace,</HI> as <HI>Solomon</HI> did the proch of the Temple upon tho&s;e two brazen pillars <HI>Iachin</HI> and <HI>Boaz.</HI></P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">The &s;econd thing we mu&s;t pray for, That God would make his Church a prai&s;e.</NOTE>Yet there is one thing more, that this Text commands us to pray for, that is, that <HI>God would make Ieru&s;alem a prai&s;e; Yee that are the Lords Re|membrancers, keep no &s;ilence, give him no re&s;t, til hee e&s;tabli&s;h, and till he make Ieru&s;alem a prai&s;e in the earth.</HI> In the <HI>former</HI> we pray that God would <HI>for|tifie</HI> his <HI>Church,</HI> in this, that <HI>God would beautify</HI> his <HI>Church;</HI> make it <HI>cleare as the morning, faire as the moon, glorious as the &s;un, terrible as an army with banners, lovely as Tirzah, comely as Ieru&s;alem, the prai&s;e of all the earth.</HI></P>
<PB N="14" REF="12">
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">This God doth by five things.</NOTE>Now God makes his <HI>Church a prai&s;e in the earth,</HI> &s;pecially by the&s;e five things;</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM><MILESTONE N="1"> Fir&s;t, by furni&s;hing his Church with fulne&s;&s;e of ordinances.</ITEM>
<ITEM><MILESTONE N="2"> Secondly, by ruling his Church according to his own orders.</ITEM>
<ITEM><MILESTONE N="3"> Thirdly, by filling his Church with abundance of light and knowledge.</ITEM>
<ITEM><MILESTONE N="4"> Fourthly, by improving this knowledge to the working of holine&s;&s;e.</ITEM>
<ITEM><MILESTONE N="5"> Fifthly, by enlarging and encrea&s;ing his Church by the&s;e meanes.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Fir&s;t, by fur|ni&s;hing it with ordinances.</NOTE>Fir&s;t, God makes his Church a <HI>prai&s;e in the earth, by furni&s;hing it with fulne&s;&s;e of ordinances:</HI> this was that which was the <GAP DESC="foreign">, as the Apo|&s;tle calls it, <HI>Rom.</HI> 3. the preheminency of the Church of the Iewes above all other Nations, <GAP DESC="foreign">, fir&s;t of all and chiefly, it was this, <HI>that to them were committed the oracles of God;</HI> this is that which God him&s;elf tells his people, &s;hould make them glorious and prai&s;e-worthy in the eyes of all the Nations of the world, <HI>Deut.</HI> 4.6, 7, 8. <HI>This is your wi&s;dome and your under&s;tanding, in the &s;ight of the Nations, which &s;hall hear all the&s;e &s;tatutes, and &s;ay, Surely this Nation is a wi&s;e &amp; under&s;tanding peo|ple: for what Nation is there &s;o great, who hath God &s;o nigh unto them, as the Lord our God is in all things, that we call upon him for? And what Nation is there &s;o great, that hath &s;tatutes and judgements &s;o righte|ous, as all this law, that I &s;et before you this day?</HI>
<PB N="15" REF="12">Now when God be&s;towes his oracles and ordi|nances upon a people, fir&s;t his <HI>word,</HI> and then ap|pending ordinances, <HI>&s;eales, Sabbaths, cen&s;ures, ad|mini&s;tred in purity,</HI> and in <HI>power,</HI> then he makes them a <HI>prai&s;e: Yee that are the Lords Remembrancers, keep no &s;ilence, give him no re&s;t, til he thus make his Church a prai&s;e.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. By ruling it according to his own orders.</NOTE> <HI>God</HI> makes his <HI>Church a prai&s;e by ru|ling it according to his own order:</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">, are the two great de&s;troyers of the Church of God; it is equally prejudiciall to the <HI>Church, not to be ordered at all, as to be ordered after the lu&s;ts &amp; wils of men;</HI> God (who is the God of order, &amp; <HI>not</HI> the <HI>au|thor of confu&s;ion, but of peace, as in all the Churches of the</HI> Saints, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 14.33.) would have all things in all Churches, <HI>be done decently and in order, v.</HI> 40. now when <HI>all ordinances</HI> and <HI>offices</HI> are admini&s;tred in the <HI>Church</HI> according <HI>as God hath ordered,</HI> then is that <HI>Church a prai&s;e in heaven and earth,</HI> with <HI>God</HI> and <HI>Saints.</HI> 1 Cor. 11.2. <HI>Now I prai&s;e you brethren that you remember me in all things, and keep the or|dinances as I delivered them unto you.</HI> And on the o|ther &s;ide di&s;order or deflection from the rule of Chri&s;t, though but in <HI>one</HI> admini&s;tration, is a ble|mi&s;h and doth detract from the Churches prai&s;e, as appears in the &s;ame chepter, v. 17. <HI>Now in this that I declare unto you, I prai&s;e you not, that you come together not for the better, but for the wor&s;e;</HI> and <HI>v.</HI> 22. <HI>What, have you not hou&s;es to eat and to drink in? or de|&s;pi&s;e you the Church of God, and &s;hame them that have not? what &s;hall I &s;ay to you? &s;hall</HI> I prai&s;e you <HI>in this?</HI>
<PB N="16" REF="13">I prai&s;e <HI>you not; one</HI> aberration from the rule of Chri&s;t in the admini&s;tration of this <HI>one</HI> ordinance of the &s;upper of the Lord, ca&s;ts a <HI>cloud</HI> upon this <HI>Churches glory,</HI> and cau&s;es a great diminution of their prai&s;e, therefore we mu&s;t pray that God would help his Church in all things to <HI>keep the or|dinances as they are delivered unto us: Yee that are the Lords Remembrancers, keep no &s;ilence, give him no re&s;t, til he make his Church thus a prai&s;e.</HI></P>
<P>Thirdly,<NOTE PLACE="marg">3. By filling it with abundance of light and knowledge.</NOTE> God makes his Church a prai&s;e <HI>when he fills it with abundance of light and knowledge;</HI> when after a <HI>night</HI> of ignorance or error that had &s;wallowed up, and buried the <HI>Church</HI> of God, the <HI>Church</HI> hath a <HI>re&s;urrection, and looks forth as the morning,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Cant. 6.10.</NOTE> <HI>cleare as the &s;un, faire as the moon,</HI> it ra|vi&s;heth all eyes, and fixeth them upon it &s;elfe in admiration, that men &s;ay, <HI>Who is this that locketh forth as the morning? Cant.</HI> 6.10. Yee that are the Lords <HI>Remembrancers, keep no &s;ilence, give him no re&s;t, til he make Ieru&s;alem thus a prai&s;e;</HI> remember him of that which he hath promi&s;ed, <HI>I&s;aiah</HI> 11.9. <HI>All the earth &s;hall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the &s;ea.</HI></P>
<P>Fourthly,<NOTE PLACE="marg">4. By improving this light to the working of holine&s;&s;e.</NOTE> God makes his Church a prai&s;e, <HI>by im|proving &amp; &s;anctifying this knowledge, to the working of holine&s;&s;e in the hearts and lives of his people;</HI> this was the prai&s;e of <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> it was a <HI>holy City,</HI> this is the <HI>prai&s;e</HI> of the <HI>Church,</HI> they are a <HI>holy people, Deut.</HI> 26.18, 19. <HI>The Lord hath avouched thee this day, to be his peculiar people, as he hath promi&s;ed thee, and that thou &s;houlde&s;t keep all his Commandements:
<PB N="17" REF="13">and to make thee high above all Nations which he hath made,</HI> and that <HI>thou maie&s;t be an holy people</HI> unto the Lord thy God <HI>as he hath &s;poken.</HI> Abundance of <HI>light un&s;anctifyed</HI> would make the <HI>Church,</HI> if it were po&s;&s;ible, rather <HI>hell</HI> then <HI>heaven,</HI> and make <HI>men</HI> but like the <HI>devills,</HI> who know much, but are the more de&s;perately wicked, therefore we mu&s;t pray that <HI>God</HI> would <HI>&s;anctify</HI> that <HI>knowledge,</HI> wherewith he filleth his <HI>Church,</HI> that &s;o the beau|ty thereof may be perfect: <HI>Yee that are the Lords Remembrancers, keep no &s;ilence, give him nore&s;t, till he make Ieru&s;alem thus a prai&s;e.</HI></P>
<P>Fifthly, God makes his Church a prai&s;e,<NOTE PLACE="marg">5. By encrea&s;ing his Church.</NOTE> <HI>by encrea&s;ing his Church, by enlarging the tents, and ex|tending the cords of it;</HI> this is a ble&s;&s;ing God calls his Church to rejoyce in, <HI>E&s;ay</HI> 51.1, 2, 3. <HI>Sing O barren, &amp;c. break forth into &s;inging, &amp;c. enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them &s;tretch forth the curtains of thine habitations, &s;pare not, lengthen thy cords, and &s;trengthen thy &s;takes, for thou &s;halt break forth on the right hand, and on the left: and thy &s;eed &s;hall inherite the Gentiles, and make the de&s;olate Cities to be inhabi|ted.</HI> We are to pray that God would make his Church a prai&s;e thus al&s;o.</P>
<P>Thus you have, <HI>(Right Honourable, Honourable, Reverent, and beloved in our Lord Ie&s;us)</HI> the <HI>&s;en&s;e</HI> of this <HI>doctrine</HI> as fully as my weak thoughts in the little time I had to be&s;tow upon this work were able to comprehend it; yee &s;ee <HI>for whom we are to pray, Ieru&s;alem,</HI> the <HI>Church</HI> of God in <HI>generall,</HI> &amp; our own in <HI>particular;</HI> yee &s;ee <HI>what it is we are to
<PB N="18" REF="14">de&s;ire</HI> for the one &amp; for the other, <HI>truth, peace, and prai&s;e;</HI> &s;uch a <HI>trinity</HI> of <HI>ble&s;sings,</HI> as the <HI>ble&s;&s;ed Trinity</HI> hath none better to be&s;tow upon the <HI>dearly beloved of his &s;oul,</HI> while &s;he &s;ojourns upon earth. I know I &s;peak to an Auditory &s;o <HI>rationall</HI> as I &s;hal not need <HI>confirm</HI> this <HI>truth</HI> by <HI>rea&s;ons;</HI> &amp; to <HI>&s;o cordiall</HI> to the <HI>Church of</HI> God, as I &s;hall as little need to &s;tir you up to the practice of this truth by application;<NOTE PLACE="marg">The point con|firmed by ex|amples.</NOTE> el&s;e I might fill up a large portion of the time remai|ning in telling you how <HI>all the Lords remembran|ters in all</HI> the ages of the Church, under <HI>the Law, under the Go&s;pell,</HI> have exemplified this truth: <HI>un|der the Law,</HI> before the Captivity, <HI>Mo&s;es, Samuel, David, I&s;aiah, Ieremy,</HI> which of the Lords Pro|phets have not made the <HI>e&s;tabli&s;hing</HI> and beautify|ing of <HI>Ieru&s;alem</HI> the burthen of their prayers? In the <HI>captivity</HI> though they had lo&s;t their <HI>Vrim</HI> and <HI>Thummim,</HI> and the <HI>fire</HI> of the <HI>Sanctuary</HI> that came from heaven, yet they had not lo&s;t this holy hea|venly di&s;po&s;ition, of <HI>praying</HI> for <HI>Ieru&s;alem;</HI> &s;ee a|bundant evidence of it, in <HI>Ezekiel, Daniel, Mor|decai;</HI> and after the captivity, in <HI>Ezra, Nehemiah,</HI> and <HI>others;</HI> And now in the times of the <HI>Go&s;pell,</HI> the &s;ame &s;pirit &s;till animates <HI>Gods children,</HI> and en|clines their hearts &s;till to &s;eek the good of <HI>Ieru&s;a|lem;</HI> how doe the Apo&s;tles in &s;everall Epi&s;tles te|&s;tify this di&s;po&s;ition in them? <HI>Rom.</HI> 1.9. <HI>God is my witne&s;&s;e whom I &s;erve with my &s;pirit in the Go&s;pel of his Son, that without cea&s;ing I make mention of you</HI> (&s;aith that Apo&s;tle to the Church of Rome) <HI>al|wayes in my prayers;</HI> &s;o <HI>Ephe&s;.</HI> 1.16, 17. <HI>making men|tion
<PB N="19" REF="14">of you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, the Father of glory, may give unto you, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>Yea, &s;o much religion have the Saints of God before us placed in this duty of praying for <HI>Ieru|&s;alem,</HI> that they have <HI>deprecated</HI> the neglect of this as a mo&s;t abominable &s;inne: 1 <HI>Sam.</HI> 12.23. <HI>As for mee, God forbid that I &s;hould &s;inne again&s;t you, in cea|&s;ing to pray for you;</HI> nay, have <HI>imprecated</HI> a cur&s;e u|pon them&s;elves, if ever they &s;hould be &s;o wretch|ed, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 137.5, 6. <HI>If I forget thee O Ieru&s;alem, let my right hand forget her cunning: if I doe not re|member thee, let my tongue cleave to the roofe of my mouth, if I prefer not Ieru&s;alem above my chiefe joy;</HI> it is one of the greate&s;t judgements that can befall a Prophet, to be &s;ilenced: witne&s;&s;e <HI>Zachary</HI> who&s;e unbeleef God puni&s;hed with this, as an <HI>only judge|ment;</HI> witne&s;&s;e tho&s;e among&s;t our &s;elves, that have had their mouths &s;topped by the violent hand of man, who know what it is to have the word of God as a fire in their bones and no vent for it; yet even to <HI>this,</HI> doth the <HI>Prophet</HI> here cur&s;e him&s;elfe, <HI>If I forget thee O Ieru&s;alem,</HI> if I doe not remember to <HI>mourn</HI> for <HI>thee,</HI> to <HI>pray</HI> for <HI>thee,</HI> let me <HI>never pray</HI> more, let mee <HI>never &s;peak more if I forget to &s;peak for thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth;</HI> The good Lord be mercifull to every one of us, and pardon all our forgetfulne&s;&s;e of Ieru&s;alem, whom we have as much cau&s;e and rea&s;on to remember as ever any had.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Proved by Rea&s;ons.</NOTE></P>
<P>For 1 is not <HI>Ieru&s;alem</HI><NOTE N="a" PLACE="marg">Heb. 12.22.</NOTE> the <HI>city of God,</HI> the<NOTE N="b" PLACE="marg">1 Tim. 3.15&punc;</NOTE> <HI>hou&s;e
<PB N="20" REF="15">of God,</HI> the<NOTE N="c" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 135.4. Titus 2.14.</NOTE> <HI>peculiar of God,</HI> the<NOTE N="d" PLACE="marg">I&s;aiah 62.4.</NOTE> <HI>delight of God,</HI><NOTE N="e" PLACE="marg">I&s;ay 62.2.</NOTE> <HI>the crown of glory,</HI> the <HI>royall diadem</HI> in the hand of God? is not<NOTE N="f" PLACE="marg">Cant. 5.2.</NOTE> the <HI>Love,</HI> the <HI>dove,</HI> the <HI>Spou&s;e,</HI> the <HI>&s;i|&s;ter,</HI><NOTE N="g" PLACE="marg">Eph 1.23.</NOTE> the <HI>body,</HI><NOTE N="h" PLACE="marg">Eph 1.23.</NOTE> the <HI>fulne&s;&s;e,</HI><NOTE N="i" PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 8.23.</NOTE> the <HI>glory of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t?</HI> and in all the&s;e re&s;pects doth it not de&s;erve our prayers?</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="2"> And &s;econdly, are not earth and hell up in armes again&s;t Ieru&s;alem? are not men and devils in league together, to confound and de&s;troy Ie|ru&s;alem? <HI>P&s;alm</HI> 83.3, 4. <HI>They have taken crafty coun|&s;ell again&s;t thy people, and con&s;ulted again&s;t thy hid|den ones. They have &s;aid, Come, and let us cut them off from being a Nation: that the name of I&s;rael may be no more in remembrance. Geball, and Ammon, and Amalek, &amp;c.</HI> And doth not Ieru&s;alem in this re|&s;pect now need our prayers?</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="3"> And thirdly, hath not the Lord made promi|&s;es unto Ieru&s;alem of the&s;e things we are to pray for&punc; of <HI>truth and peace,</HI> Ierem. 33.6. <HI>I will cure them, and reveal abundance of truth and peace unto them:</HI> as al&s;o <HI>of prai&s;e,</HI> v. 9. <HI>It &s;hall be to me a name of joy, a prai&s;e and an honour before all the Nations of the earth;</HI> and <HI>Zeph.</HI> 3.20. <HI>I will make you a name and a prai&s;e among all the people of the earth.</HI> And is not the Lord able to accompli&s;h the&s;e promi&s;es not|with&s;tanding al their counter-machinations of his enemies? <HI>I&s;ay</HI> 46.10. <HI>My coun&s;ell &s;hall &s;tand, and I will doe all my plea&s;ure.</HI></P>
<P><MILESTONE N="4"> Yet fourthly, It is not the Lords plea&s;ure to ac|compli&s;h the&s;e things unto his Church but in and by his peoples prayers; <HI>Ierem.</HI> 33.3. <HI>Call unto mee
<PB N="21" REF="15">and I will an&s;wer thee, and &s;hew thee great and mighty things which thou knowe&s;t not; Ezek.</HI> 36.37. <HI>I will yet for this be enquired of by the hou&s;e of I&s;rael to doe it for them.</HI></P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Doctrine ap|plyed,</NOTE><HI>Sed qu&ograve; feror?</HI> &s;ome u&s;e I would gladly make of this point, if I knew what; I might afford vari|ety of profitable in&s;tructions, but it is not for me to pre&s;ume to in&s;truct &s;o <HI>Honourable, Learned</HI> and <HI>Religious</HI> an A&s;&s;embly; give me leave to apologize for my &s;elfe with <HI>Elihu, Iob.</HI> 32.6. <HI>I &s;aid I am of few days, and yee are old, wherefore I was afraid and dur&s;t not &s;hew you mine opinion; I &s;aid dayes &s;hould &s;peak, and multitudes of yeares &s;hould teach wi&s;dome.</HI> The Lord knows, glad would I have been to &s;it at any of your feet to learn, rather then to &s;tand hereto teach, and to receive rather then to give in&s;truction, therefore I decline that work.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">For Reproof.</NOTE>In the next place, this truth might &s;erve for reproofe, and if &s;uch an application would not lead me be&s;ides my Auditory, &ocirc; with what vehemency might a man from hence, in <HI>the name and by the Spirit of our Lord Ie&s;us Chri&s;t</HI> thunder indignation and wrath upon the heads of tho&s;e, who though they have u&s;urped, and po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed the place of &s;uch as <HI>&s;hould</HI> be the <HI>Lords Remembrancers,</HI> yet in &s;tead of performing the duty of this text have practi&s;ed the cleane contrary, in &s;tead of praying that God would <HI>e&s;tabli&s;h his Church in truth,</HI> have endevored nothing but <HI>to undermine the truth,</HI> to &s;ubvert, a|dulterate the truth; their <HI>folly</HI> (as the Apo&s;tle &s;peakes, 2 Tim. 3.9.) <HI>is manife&s;t unto all men,</HI> God
<PB N="22" REF="16">hath unmasked them, and all that will &s;ee may &s;ee their de&s;igne was to let in &s;uch an inundation of <HI>popery</HI> and <HI>Sociniani&s;me</HI> as &s;hould have drowned the truth of God for ever; in &s;tead of <HI>praying</HI> that God would <HI>e&s;tabli&s;h his Church in peace,</HI> they have acted the part of tho&s;e unclean &s;pirits, the <HI>frogs &s;po|ken</HI> of, Rev. 16.14. &s;tirring up the <HI>kings of the earth to battle again&s;t the Church of God;</HI> fir&s;t in <HI>Scotland,</HI> who were the Incendiaries, what the fuell of the war there? And &s;ince that in <HI>England,</HI> have not the warres of both kingdomes had the &s;ame fuell and fomenters? and who are they but the <HI>Ie&s;uitizing clergie of England,</HI> who like the uncleane &s;pirit we reade of <HI>Mark</HI> 9. fearing they &s;hall now be ca&s;t out of their long po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion, <HI>rent</HI> and <HI>tear</HI> the kingdom, and lay it wallowing (not as he did the child there, in its foam, but) in its bloud? What &s;hall I &s;peake of &s;uch a clergie? who in &s;tead <HI>of praying</HI> that God would make his Church a prai&s;e, have endeavou|red nothing more then to <HI>rob</HI> the <HI>Church</HI> of all that might make it prai&s;e-worthy, in &s;tead of de&s;iring that the <HI>Church might enjoy fulne&s;&s;e of ordinances,</HI> endeavouring to <HI>&s;trip the Church</HI> of them all; to <HI>a|boli&s;h Sabbaths,</HI> to bring the <HI>delight of dayes,</HI> the <HI>Queen</HI> of <HI>dayes</HI> under the cur&s;e of <HI>Iobs</HI> birth day, <HI>Let it not be joyned to the days of the year, let it not come into the number of the months;</HI> to <HI>excommunicate prea|ching</HI> and <HI>praying,</HI> and ca&s;t them quite out of the Church; to <HI>turn</HI> the <HI>&s;acrament of the Lords &s;upper</HI> into a <HI>&s;acrifice of the altar;</HI> In &s;tead of praying that all <HI>ordinances</HI> and <HI>offices</HI> might be admini&s;tred ac|cording
<PB N="23" REF="16">to <HI>Chri&s;ts rule and order,</HI> would have <HI>all things</HI> in Gods hou&s;e &amp; wor&s;hip <HI>done</HI> according to their own <HI>fancy, will, lu&s;t, humour.</HI> What &s;hal we &s;ay to &s;uch a <HI>Clergy?</HI> (they dote upon the name &s;till,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ari&s;t. de Hi&s;t. Anim. l. 8. c. 27.</NOTE> let them enjoy it) <HI>Ari&s;totle</HI> &s;peaks of a little worm cal|led <GAP DESC="foreign">, that is pe&s;tilently noxious &amp; de&s;tructive to Bee-hives; no le&s;&s;e noxious and de&s;tructive hath our <GAP DESC="foreign"> the <HI>greate&s;t part of them</HI> been to the true Church of God among&s;t us; again&s;t whom, the Church of God may powre out as &s;ad complaints to her Lord <HI>Ie&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> as &s;ometimes &s;he did, <HI>Cant.</HI> 5. <HI>The watchmen, the keepers of the wall, found me, they &s;mote me, they took away my vaile:</HI> let &s;uch read their doom, 2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 2 <HI>their judgement now of a long time lingreth not, &amp; their damnation &s;leepeth not.</HI></P>
<P>I had not turned a&s;ide to this reproofe, (for I look for none of this generation here this day) had it not been to provoke my &s;elfe and you to a more &s;erious and deep humiliation for tho&s;e abo|minations of the late times, which though many of us have &s;een and ob&s;erved even then, and &s;ome of us have felt and &s;marted under the violences thereof, yet few I fear among&s;t us have had our hearts &s;o humbled for the iniquity of the~, as they &s;hould have beene: the Lord help us &s;o to take to heart this day, our own and other mens &s;ins, <HI>that he may forgive our iniquities, and heal our Land.</HI></P>
<P>But I return to my Auditory, and the only bold|ne&s;&s;e I &s;hall a&s;&s;ume, <HI>brethren</HI> and <HI>fathers,</HI> is but to do as much as <HI>Naamans</HI> &s;ervant did unto his Lord, exhort you to doe that which you know God
<PB N="24" REF="17">would have you doe, pray for Ieru&s;alem: and I am confident I might &s;pare even this; it is your work daily; but God having called me this day to &s;peak unto you, for <HI>Zions</HI> &s;ake I cannot hold my peace; <HI>Qui monet ut facias quod facis, dum monet lau|dat.</HI></P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">The Doctrine applyed for exhortation,</NOTE><HI>Is it the duty of Mini&s;ters in a &s;peciall manner to pray unce&s;&s;antly that God would e&s;tabli&s;h Ieru&s;alem and make it a prai&s;e in the earth?</HI> then let every one of us by &s;olemn engagements to God &amp; to his Church bind our &s;elves to the performance of this duty: and &s;urely brethren if ever there were <HI>times</HI> that <HI>called</HI> for this <HI>duty,</HI> if ever there were <HI>men called</HI> to this <HI>duty, this</HI> is the <HI>time, we</HI> are the <HI>Men.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Enforced from the time pre|&s;ent.</NOTE> for the <HI>time;</HI> if ever there were time that did command the mo&s;t importune and unce&s;&s;ant prayers of all Gods mini&s;ters and people, (for here I will take in all) that they &s;hould cry mightily to the Lord night and day in the behalf of Ieru&s;alem, <HI>keep no &s;ilence, give him no re&s;t, til he e&s;tabli&s;h and make Ieru&s;alem a prai&s;e in the earth,</HI> if ever there <HI>were</HI> a time that did exact this, <HI>Now</HI> is the <HI>time.</HI> Had I art or grace enough to pre&s;ent before you the <HI>lively</HI> (or rather) <HI>ga&s;tly deadly</HI> face of <HI>Ieru&s;a|lem,</HI> the <HI>Churches of Chri&s;t Ie&s;us</HI> at this time, I know it would command tears and prayers from the mo&s;t flinty heart in this congregation: could I let you &s;ee <HI>Ieru&s;alem</HI> like that man in the parable, <HI>Luke</HI> 10.30. that went down from <HI>Ieru&s;alem, fallen among theeves, and by them &s;tripped and wounded and left halfe dead,</HI> while many, too many with the
<PB N="25" REF="17"><HI>Prie&s;t and Levite</HI> pa&s;&s;e by on the other &s;ide of the way, and will not &s;ee (though they cannot but &s;ee) the Churches bleeding mi&s;eries; <HI>among&s;t all her lo|vers there is none to comfort her, Lam.</HI> 1.2. <HI>Zion &s;prea|deth forth her hands, and there is none to comfort her, Lament.</HI> 1.17. <HI>Zion</HI> &s;preadeth forth her hands from &s;ea to &s;ea, from one Nation to another peo|ple, and there is none to comfort her, <HI>there is none to guide her among&s;t all the &s;ons whom &s;he hath brought forth, neither is there any that takes her by the hand of all the &s;ons that &s;he hath brought up, E&s;ay</HI> 51.18. O were I able to expre&s;&s;e this to the life unto you, you would &s;ay, if ever there were a time for you to &s;hew your &s;elves as the <HI>good Samaritane</HI> to be&s;tow, as he did, your <HI>wine,</HI> your <HI>oyle,</HI> your <HI>money,</HI> nay your <HI>teares,</HI> your <HI>prayers,</HI> your <HI>blouds</HI> upon the healing of the Churches wounds, <HI>Now</HI> is the <HI>time.</HI></P>
<P>Or could I let you &s;ee the <HI>Church Ieru&s;alem,</HI> as <HI>Iohn</HI> &s;aw her in that Revelation which was given unto him by Chri&s;t Ie&s;us, chap. 12. in the <HI>&s;ame condition,</HI> though not in the <HI>&s;ame cloathing;</HI> a <HI>woman cloathed, not</HI> (as there) <HI>with the &s;un,</HI> but with a <HI>cloud, not</HI> having the <HI>moon</HI> under <HI>her feet,</HI> but a <HI>globe of flames,</HI> a <HI>field of blood under her feet,</HI> not as there with a <HI>crown of twelve &s;tarres upon her head,</HI> but rather in <HI>Tamars</HI> dre&s;&s;e and po&s;ture, 2 <HI>Sam.</HI> 13.19. who with <HI>a&s;hes on her head,</HI> and her <HI>garment of divers colours</HI> (the en&s;igne of her Virginity and Royalty) <HI>rent and torne,</HI> and with <HI>her hands upon her head going forth</HI> crying, &s;uch may we conceive the dre&s;&s;e and po&s;ture of the <HI>Church of Chri&s;t</HI> to
<PB N="26" REF="18">be, &s;he now, as there, <HI>Revel.</HI> 12. <HI>cryeth travelling and pained to be delivered;</HI> in this pained condition the Church hath been now almo&s;t the&s;e three years, ever &s;ince the beginning of this Parliament, the Church of God among&s;t us hath been in tra|vell, crying and pained to be delivered; and all this while, as there, the <HI>great red dragon &s;tands before the woman to devour the child as &s;oone as it is born.</HI> O! the &s;ight of the Church in &s;uch a &s;ad conditi|on might force a <HI>teare from a &s;tone,</HI> a <HI>prayer</HI> from a <HI>&s;peechle&s;&s;e, heartle&s;&s;e man;</HI> but from <HI>Mini&s;ters,</HI> from tho&s;e <HI>that are the Lords Remembrancers,</HI> me thinks it might <HI>draw tears enough to rince</HI> the <HI>earth</HI> from <HI>bloud,</HI> and <HI>prayers enough</HI> to offer <HI>violence</HI> to <HI>heaven.</HI></P>
<P>But not to &s;peak parabolically, but plainly, <HI>I &s;ay again, if ever there were a time</HI> that did command the mo&s;t importune and unce&s;&s;ant prayers of all Gods mini&s;ters and people, <HI>now</HI> is the <HI>time;</HI> was there ever <HI>time,</HI> wherein the <HI>Church</HI> of God was more &s;haken, more in danger to have <HI>both</HI> her <HI>pil|lars</HI> of <HI>truth</HI> and <HI>peace</HI> broken, reduced to <HI>du&s;t,</HI> to <HI>nothing,</HI> then at this time? The enemies of the Church have a long time &s;ought to <HI>undermine</HI> the <HI>truth,</HI> but now, they <HI>rai&s;e Armes again&s;t the truth,</HI> they <HI>plant open battery</HI> again&s;t the <HI>truth.</HI> And for our <HI>peace,</HI> where is it? <HI>Terras reliquit,</HI> it hath taken to it &s;elf the <HI>wings</HI> of <HI>a dove,</HI> and for&s;aking earth is fled to <HI>heaven,</HI> frighted he~ce with the <HI>&s;ound</HI> of the <HI>trumpet,</HI> the <HI>alarum</HI> of <HI>warre,</HI> and the <HI>cryes</HI> of <HI>bloud.</HI> We may <HI>chronicle</HI> of our age, that which the Prophet <HI>Azariah</HI> &s;pake of &s;ome ages of I&s;rael,
<PB N="27" REF="18">2 <HI>Chron.</HI> 15.5, 6. <HI>In tho&s;e times there was no peace to him that went out, nor to him that came in, but great vexations were upon all the inhabitants of the countries. And Nation was de&s;troyed of Nation, and city of city: for God did vex them with all adver&s;ity.</HI> Never was this poor Church &amp; people in a more broken di&s;tre&s;&s;ed condition in regard of <HI>peace ci|vill,</HI> nor &s;carce ever wor&s;e in regard of peace ec|cle&s;ia&s;ticall: now when there are &s;o many <HI>&s;words</HI> in <HI>England</HI> and in <HI>Ireland</HI> drawn again&s;t the <HI>Pro|te&s;tants;</HI> &ocirc; that <HI>we</HI> &s;hould be even at <HI>daggers draw|ing</HI> one again&s;t another! O the bitter <HI>divi&s;ions</HI> and <HI>digladiations</HI> of Prote&s;tants among&s;t them&s;elves in the&s;e bleeding times! <HI>For the divi&s;ions of Reuben there are great &s;earchings of heart; for the divi&s;ions of Reuben there are great &s;earchings of heart.</HI> Holy <HI>Rid|ley</HI> and <HI>Hooper,</HI> though in the times of the <HI>peace</HI> &amp; <HI>liberty</HI> of the go&s;pell, they could never agree a|bout black and white, but had many wrathfull bickerings, yet in time of <HI>per&s;ecution</HI> for the <HI>go&s;|pel,</HI> they could, as their own expre&s;&s;ion is, agree in red; when God came to put them together in tears, and &s;ufferings, and bloud, they could forget all differences of judgement then, and <HI>love</HI> and <HI>live</HI> and <HI>die</HI> together as brethren. Doe tho&s;e know <HI>what &s;pirit they are of,</HI> that at &s;uch a time as this, when all the true hearted Prote&s;tants in <HI>England</HI> are put in one calamitous, &s;uffering, bleeding, con|dition, are yet quarrelling about their own opi|nions, weakning the Prote&s;tant party by <HI>&s;ub-divi|&s;ions,</HI> which if united is &s;carce enough to with|&s;tand
<PB N="28" REF="19">the common adver&s;ary; &s;hould this be if we had not lo&s;t our peace with God? As the <HI>Holy Gho&s;t</HI> &s;peaks of the <HI>calamities</HI> of the <HI>Church</HI> in <HI>Iuda,</HI> 2 <HI>Kings</HI> 24.3. &s;o may we &s;ay of the calamities up|on the Church of England, <HI>Surely at the comman|dement of the Lord came this upon England;</HI> and the <HI>Lord grant,</HI> the <HI>Lord grant</HI> that the following words be not verified in their time, the Lord grant this be not <HI>come upon us, to remove England out of his &s;ight:</HI> but however we may take up the Chur|ches lamentation, <HI>Lam.</HI> 3.17. <HI>Thou ha&s;t removed me far from peace; Ey, and as far from prai&s;e The crown is fallen from our head, Lam.</HI> 5.16. we are become a reproach to our neighbours, a &s;corn, a deri&s;ion, a by-word, a &s;haking of the head; tho&s;e few of us that adhere to the Prote&s;tant Religion and cau&s;e, are repre&s;ented to the world at home and abroad, as <HI>Sectaries, Anabapti&s;ts, Rebels,</HI> that if <HI>ever</HI> there were a <HI>time</HI> for us to cry to <HI>God</HI> to &s;catter tho&s;e clouds of <HI>bloud, confu&s;ion, contempt,</HI> that cover the face of <HI>the Church,</HI> to bring forth our <HI>judgement</HI> as the <HI>light,</HI> and our <HI>righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e as the morning,</HI> now is the time, <HI>Yee that are the Lords Remembrancers, keep no &s;ilence, give him no re&s;t, till he e&s;tabli&s;h, and till he make Ieru&s;alem a prai&s;e in the earth.</HI></P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">A &s;econd en|forcement of this duty from the per&s;ons pre&s;ent.</NOTE>And if ever <HI>Men</HI> were called to this work, we are called to it; 1 as <HI>Mini&s;ters:</HI> 2 as <HI>Mini&s;ters &s;elected</HI> from the re&s;t of our brethren, <HI>to this pre&s;ent &s;ervice,</HI> whereunto we de&s;ire to &s;anctifie our &s;elves this day. &frac12; As <HI>Mini&s;ters</HI> it doth <HI>ex officio</HI> belong unto us, to be the Lords Remembrancers: to put the
<PB N="29" REF="19">Lord in mind of <HI>Ieru&s;alem;</HI> you know what order the <HI>Lord</HI> took, that the <HI>Prie&s;ts, the Mini&s;ters of the Lord,</HI> under the Law, might continually remem|ber <HI>I&s;rael</HI> the Church of God unto the Lord, the <HI>high Prie&s;t</HI> was to bear the names of the <HI>twelve tribes</HI> upon his <HI>&s;houlders,</HI> engraven in two &s;tones; and upon his <HI>brea&s;t,</HI> engraven upon twelve &s;tones: <HI>Ex.</HI> 28.12.29. <HI>that he might bear them upon his heart for a memoriall before the Lord continually;</HI> they were to be the <HI>Prie&s;ts Remembrancers,</HI> that he &s;hould be the <HI>Lords Remembrancer,</HI> to put the <HI>Prie&s;t in mind</HI> of putting <HI>God in mind</HI> of <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> by praying for them: this <HI>type</HI> is properly applyable to <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> who is the <HI>only high Prie&s;t</HI> of his Church, yet &s;o farre as the <HI>Mini&s;ters of the Go&s;pel</HI> are Chri&s;ts &s;ub&s;titutes upon earth, &s;o farre this may (at lea&s;t by way of allu&s;ion) be applyed unto them, for &s;o farre there ought to be in them the &s;ame di&s;po&s;ition towards <HI>Ieru&s;alem</HI> that was in Chri&s;t <HI>Ie&s;us,</HI> that as <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> wept over <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> &s;o &s;hould they; as he remem|bred <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> &s;o &s;hould they; as he <HI>prayed for Ie|ru&s;alem,</HI> &s;o &s;hould they; he by way of <HI>meritorious interce&s;sion,</HI> they by way of <HI>Mini&s;teriall interce&s;sion,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Tim. 2.1.</NOTE> to bear <HI>Ieru&s;alem</HI> upon their &s;houlders and upon their hearts continually, when ever they addre&s;&s;e them&s;elves into Gods pre&s;ence. <HI>Ieru&s;alem</HI> is en|graven upon the <HI>hand of God,</HI> and therefore &s;hould be <HI>ingrav<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">n</HI> upon the <HI>hearts</HI> of his <HI>Mini&s;ters,</HI> and is, if God hath layed his hand upon their hearts. Yee know the &s;tory of that <HI>heathen Prie&s;t</HI> that be|ing to offer &s;acrifice before a battle writ <HI>Victoria</HI>
<PB N="30" REF="20">(or &s;ome &s;uch like word) in the palme of his hand, and in unbowelling the &s;acrifice laid his hand up|on the heart of the bea&s;t, and left the characters of the &s;ame word there, that what had been writ|ten upon the <HI>hand</HI> of the <HI>Priest</HI> was read upon the <HI>heart</HI> of the <HI>&s;acrifice. Behold I have graven thee, &s;aith God to Ieru&s;alem, upon the palmes of my hands, I&s;aiah</HI> 49.16. and look how many <HI>hearts</HI> there are of <HI>No|bles,</HI> or <HI>Gentry,</HI> or <HI>Mini&s;ters,</HI> or <HI>others,</HI> upon whom <HI>God</HI> hath <HI>layed his hand,</HI> I doubt not but there is the <HI>&s;ame configuration</HI> upon them that is <HI>ingraven</HI> upon the <HI>hand of God:</HI> that as <HI>God</HI> him&s;elfe <HI>cannot</HI> forget <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> (as he &s;heweth there) <HI>becau&s;e it is engraven upon the palms of his hands;</HI> &s;o <HI>they</HI> cannot but <HI>remember Ieru&s;alem,</HI> becau&s;e it is <HI>engraven up|on their hearts;</HI> that as Queen <HI>Mary</HI> &s;aid of <HI>Callice,</HI> when I am dead rip me and you &s;hall finde <HI>Callice at my heart:</HI> &s;o there is a many a <HI>godly man,</HI> and ma|ny a <HI>godly Mini&s;ter</HI> e&s;pecially who might &s;ay, when I am dead rip me and you &s;hall finde <HI>Ie|ru&s;alem</HI> at my heart. <HI>That &s;acred name is deeply graven there; If I forget thee</HI> O Jeru&s;alem, <HI>let my right hand forget her cunning.</HI> All you that are the Lords <HI>Remembrancers,</HI> you that have <HI>Ieru&s;alem</HI> written in your <HI>hearts, keep no &s;ilence, give him no re&s;t, till he e&s;tabli&s;h, and till he make Ieru&s;alem a prai&s;e in the earth.</HI> If ever <HI>Men</HI> were called to this work, Mini&s;ters are.</P>
<P>And if ever <HI>Mini&s;ters</HI> were called to this work, the~ more e&s;pecially are you whom it hath plea&s;ed <HI>God</HI> by the Authority of the <HI>honourable Hou&s;es</HI> of
<PB N="31" REF="20"><HI>Parliament</HI> to call together to debate and advi&s;e of &s;uch things as may be nece&s;&s;ary, or conducing, to the e&s;tabli&s;hment of <HI>Truth,</HI> and <HI>Peace,</HI> and <HI>Beauty</HI> in the Churches of Chri&s;t Je&s;us; and doth it not then e&s;peciall lye upon you to <HI>keep no &s;ilence, give the Lord no re&s;t, till</HI> he <HI>e&s;tabli&s;h,</HI> &amp;c. I &s;ay <HI>till</HI> he <HI>e&s;tabli&s;h,</HI> for, <HI>except the Lord build the hou&s;e, they labour in vain that build it;</HI> except the <HI>Lord reform</HI> the Church, it is to no <HI>purpo&s;e</HI> to goe about to <HI>reform</HI> it; except the Lord &s;et up the Pillars of <HI>Peace</HI> and <HI>Truth</HI> in his <HI>Church,</HI> and put the <HI>crown</HI> of <HI>Glory</HI> upon his <HI>Church,</HI> it is labour lo&s;t to endevour it; You that are called to this great work, you of all men ought to <HI>keep no &s;ilence, give the Lord no re&s;t, till he e&s;tabli&s;h, and till he make Ieru&s;alem a prai&s;e in the earth.</HI></P>
<P>I need not tell you how many eies and expecta|tions there are upon this <HI>A&s;&s;embly,</HI> I &s;peak it not as a matter of boa&s;ting, but as a matter of trembling and lying low before the <HI>Lord</HI> this day, from <HI>all</HI> the parts of the <HI>Kingdome,</HI> from <HI>all</HI> the parts of the Chri&s;tian <HI>world,</HI> the eies of all the people of God are upon you; <HI>forrain Churches</HI> have their eies to|wards you, waiting what you will advi&s;e for the more utter <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2+ letters">tinction of Papery,</HI> &amp; effecting of a more <HI>neer and f<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="5+ letters">ion</HI> between us &amp; the re&s;t of the <HI>Re|formed Churches; all</HI> the <HI>parts</HI> of the <HI>kingdome</HI> have their faces &amp; voyces towards you, me thinks I hear a voyce from all the corners of the Land comming up to this A&s;&s;embly, to be by you reported to the honourable Hou&s;es of Parliament; a voyce like that of the poore woman to the King upon the
<PB N="32" REF="21">wall, <HI>help, help,</HI> for the Lords &s;ake <HI>help: help us</HI> to better <HI>Mini&s;ters,</HI> help us to better <HI>Ordinances,</HI> help us to purer <HI>wor&s;hip,</HI> help us to better <HI>Di&s;cipline,</HI> help us to <HI>remove</HI> tho&s;e things that deterre us from the <HI>Lords table,</HI> help our tender Con&s;ciences to more liberty, &amp;c. I know it <HI>Brethren,</HI> Gods people mo&s;t of them look for help by this A&s;&s;embly, through your faithfull advice given to the Honourable Hou&s;es of Parliament. And may not you <HI>an&s;wer</HI> as he did there, <HI>except the Lord help thee, whence &s;hould I help thee?</HI> there is &s;uch an <HI>Augeae Stabulum</HI> of cor|ruption, &amp; confu&s;ion in Doctrine, Di&s;cipline, wor|&s;hip, in all; that (verily) unle&s;&s;e <HI>that God</HI> who is able <HI>to remove the iniquity of the land in one day,</HI> Zach. 3.9. <HI>and to cau&s;e the Prophet &amp; unclean &s;pirit to pa&s;&s;e out of the land, Zach.</HI> 13.2. unle&s;&s;e that <HI>great God</HI> &s;et his hand to this <HI>great work,</HI> it will never pro&s;per; and yet if it &s;hould not pro&s;per, the &s;in would be laid at your door, and you would bear the reproach of it to all memory; therefore great need to impor|tune God to come down and own his work; <HI>&ocirc; that thou woulde&s;t rent the heavens and come down, that the Mountains might flow at thy pre&s;ence!</HI> Yee among all the re&s;t of <HI>the Lords Remembrancers, keep no &s;ilence, give him no re&s;t, till he e&s;tabli&s;h, and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word"> make Ie|ru&s;alem a prai&s;e in the earth.</HI></P>
<P>And ohe thing more, <HI>what</HI> I know you have all <HI>taught others</HI> your &s;elves, now put in <HI>practice,</HI> pur&s;ue your <HI>prayers,</HI> with your <HI>indeavours;</HI> what yee <HI>pray for, contend for:</HI> as yee <HI>pray</HI> that God would <HI>e&s;tabli&s;h his Church in truth,</HI> &s;o with <HI>united
<PB N="33" REF="21">indeavours</HI> labour to rai&s;e up and <HI>e&s;tabli&s;h the</HI> de|cayed <HI>truth</HI> among us, vindicating the <HI>truths</HI> of the <HI>Prote&s;tant</HI> Religion from all <HI>Popi&s;h, Arminian, Socinian, Anabapti&s;ticall, Antinomian,</HI> and <HI>all</HI> other <HI>errors</HI> what&s;oever. And as yee <HI>pray</HI> that <HI>God would e&s;tabli&s;h his Church in peace,</HI> &s;o labour to <HI>work</HI> out the <HI>Churches peace;</HI> ^1 With <HI>God, by endeavouring</HI> a <HI>removall</HI> of what ever <HI>pollutions,</HI> or <HI>prophanene&s;&s;es,</HI> have turned God into an enemy to us. And then ^2 <HI>labour</HI> the <HI>Churches peace</HI> with its own mem|bers; which certainly yee &s;hall <HI>e&s;tabli&s;h,</HI> if <HI>denying</HI> your <HI>&s;elves</HI> and laying by all pre-ingagements to your own opinions, de&s;ires, ways, ye &s;hall willing|ly, and unanimou&s;ly, con&s;ent to that which upon <HI>ju&s;t</HI> and <HI>pious</HI> debate &s;hall be found to be the way and truth of <HI>God;</HI> which I doubt not but through his grace ye &s;hall all doe. Beleeve it <HI>Brethren,</HI> in your Union will be laid a happy foundation of Union through the whole Kingdome; if yee agree in this <HI>A&s;&s;embly,</HI> I dur&s;t me thinks promi&s;e my &s;elf, and you, a happy agreement among&s;t all that fear God in the Nation: And then we need take no thought for the third thing, peace with our ene|mies: God will either &s;ubdue them under us, or make them be at peace with us: only let neither the de&s;ire of peace with them, nor of peace a|mong&s;t our &s;elves, bribe us <HI>to tolerate any thing in the Church of God that might make him to be at war with us.</HI></P>
<P>And la&s;tly, as yee pray that God would make the Church a prai&s;e, &s;o endeavour that al&s;o; en|deavouring
<PB N="34" REF="22">that the <HI>Church of Chri&s;t</HI> may enjoy all tho&s;e <HI>Liberties</HI> and <HI>Ordinances</HI> that are <HI>purcha&s;ed</HI> for her by <HI>the bloud,</HI> and <HI>bequeathed</HI> to her in <HI>the te|&s;tament of her Lord Ie&s;us:</HI> that all her wayes may be <HI>ordered</HI> according to the <HI>rule</HI> of <HI>Gods word:</HI> that the <HI>Go&s;pell</HI> may runne and be <HI>glorifyed:</HI> that tho&s;e two <HI>great illuminating</HI> ordinances of <HI>Preaching</HI> and <HI>Catechizing,</HI> which are as the <HI>greater</HI> &amp; <HI>le&s;&s;er lights of heaven,</HI> may have &s;uch <HI>liberty, encouragement, maintenance,</HI> that all the <HI>earth may be filled with the knowledge of the Lord.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 15.5.6.</NOTE> This doe, and pro&s;per: and that you may thus doe, <HI>the God of Patience and con|&s;olation grant you to be like minded one towards ano|ther, according to</HI> Chri&s;t Ie&s;us, <HI>that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify God even the Father of our Lord Ie&s;us Chri&s;t.</HI> Amen, Amen.</P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
<PB REF="22">
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
