Body but also dismember it in the Common-weale making so many Factions as there are Functions in the Church so many fancies as men and as many opinions as fancies and to that height of impiety some are arrived as that being Christs Free-men they ought not to be subject to any but are set free by Christ from the observation of Fasts or Feasts appointed by the Prince or Governour and not submitting to the Government under which they live will hold fast their liberty purchased by Christ though the appointment of them by the Governour be onely for the assembly of Gods people and that upon speciall occasions for the exercises of the Word and Prayer without placing the worship of God or any force of Religion in the observation of them or without any opinion of holinesse in those dayes more then other dayes And thus the Church of England did ever observe Holy-dayes Fasts or Feasts and no otherwise and yet did not fore goe their liberty purchased by Christ I might give way to my Discourse in this and enlarge it to a Volume but I had rather mourn for this kind of people the onely troublers of our English Israel then meddle with them But to you that are peaceable in Israel willingly submitting your selves to the Government under which God hath placed you and that for Conscience sake know you that it is lawfull for the Dominator or Governour to appoint a Fast or day of Hamillation and you are bound to obey For the lawfulnesse of their Edicts I need not stand at all upon it it hath ever been used by Princes of all Ages for which I might produce clouds of witnesses but search you the Scriptures and trace all the Kings For our obedience to their commands know that we are bound to obey them in their absolute commands so far forth as they are warranted by the Word of God And for this let that praecept of St. Paul serve for all Rom. 13.1 1 Pet. 2.13.14 Let every soule be subject to the higher Powers and if every soule then no man is free And again Submit your selves to all manner of Ordinance of man for the Lord sake whother it be unto the King as unto the Superiour or unto Governors as unto them that are sent of him So that people that obey not the wholesom Laws of the Magistrate sin greatly and if any refuse to be ordered by them Rom. 13.2 they resist the Ordinance of God and are specially threatned that they shall receive to themselves damnation And thus have I showed you That Princes or Governours may in the time of War or other Judgement enjoyne us a Fast and Proclaime a solemne assembly to the end we may testifie our Humiliation and better attend on the exercises of the Word and Prayer and that we are to obey them but withall in keeping of a Fast let these cautions be observed 1. That our Fasting be voyd of superstition and that we place no worship of God in it but hold it onely as an help to further us in the duties of Religion 2. That we have no opinion of merit by it that thereby we merit forgivenesse of sins increase of grace or the like 3. That we hold it not of absolute necessity 4. Lastly That it be without breach of the rule of charity either hurting our selves or making us thereby unfit for good duties or giving offence to others such as are weak in knowledge causing them to call our Christian liberty into question rather Informing them that the Magistrate hath power to enjoyn and we are bound to obey who by his Authority doth not take away the use of the things we abstain from but onely orders and moderates the same The like may be said for Feasts dayes of Thanksgiving or holy dayes but I passe them onely I could wish That every one of you would keep every day a Christian Feast even every day holy day which you may doe by purposing every day to avoyd all and every sin and by setting your selves every houre of the day in the sight of God and walking as before him carefully and conscionably in all good duties and so doing you shall keep a good Conscience and that the wife man tels us Prev 15 15. is a continuall feast even every day holy day And now being fully resolved That the King or Governour may Lawfully enjoyn us a Publick Fast in the time of extremity or any common calamity whereby we may testifie our Humiliation with out the least opinion of meriting forgivenesse of our sins the causes of all our miseries and that he may Proclaim a solemn assembly and that we are to obey not with any opinion of holinesse in the time but that the appointed day is for the assembly and holy convocation of Gods people for the exercise of the Word and Prayer Let us all then as at all times so especially upon these dayes of Humiliation set a part turne unto the Lord our God with fasting weeping and mourning and cry unto the Lord to spare this Nation and command his destroying Angel to sheath his Sword and cease from punishing that there may be no more complaining no more leading into captivity Let us implore Gods gracious power to withdraw his angry moved hand against us and let us beg of the God of mercy to stay his further dreadfull vengeance and threatned punishments from any further displaying horrour throughout all our Nation And for that purpose Let us run to our place of refuge the House of the Lord upon the feet of Prayer and there cry unto the Lord to spare this Land to spare this People to spare us from the Sword c. The occaâ—ion or cause of the fast The next is the occasion or cause of this Fast and that if you please to look into the verses foregoing the Text you will find to be a great Plague of Famine for the space of no lesse thou foure years Ver. 20.11.12.13 Their field wasted theâ—◠〈◊〉 mourning their corne destroyed their vines dryed up their oyle 〈◊〉 their harvest perished all the trees of the field withered and joy withered away from the Sons of Men So that just cause had they to lament and howle and lye in sackcâ—oâ—h and ashes nay in dust and ashes But should I prosecute my weak apprehensions in this I should but draw the Treatise beyond a just extent Let it suffice That their Land was russeted with a bloodlesse Famine a dreary punishment Heavens curse and the engine of destruction which doth bring terrour to mortals death to all things and therefore good cause had they to call a solemne assembly to sanctifie a Fast to gather the Elders and all the Inhabitants of the Land into the house of the Lord their God and there cry unto the Lord. And as theirs was Famine so the cause of our solemne assemblies or dayes of Humiliation for some years by-past hath been Warre and the worst of Wars a civill
that hath meat to doe likewise Luke 3.11 Touching the second How much we must give and for this I find no certain direction any where set down but onely 2 Cor. 9.6 That we should give liberally Eccles 11.2 and give a portion to six and to seven Mat. 5 42 1 Cor. 16.2 and to give to him that askeâ—h and every man as God hath blessed him Touching the third To whom we must give Lusty rogues of either Sex onely excepted who either must work 2 Thes 3 10. or else let them not eat due Correction is more necessary to give to such if they ask then Bread Ecclesiasticus 12. Gal. 6 10. But these persons excepted the answer shall be Give to him that asketh Doe good to all but especially to those that be of the houshold of faith The Fatherlesse the Widdows the helplesse persons the Aged Halt and Blind and all that are in want or needfull are commended to your Charity Obj. But perhaps some will object and say Would you have us to give to all that aske we know that the poor neer us are so bad and wâ—cked and ill-condition'd that it is no Almes to give to them And as for wanderers the Statute prohibits it and besides being strangers to us we cannot tell whether it be Charity or no to give unto them Aâ—s These excuses of thine are no better then fig-leaves I tell thee thou must doe good to all and if any be so bad together with your Almes-giving give them admonition and exhort them to reforme And as for strange Beggars in whom indeed you may be deceived yet your Almes shall be no whit the lesse acceptable that you give them seeing they aske as Christs poor Members and in the name of poor and helplesse persons And he that gives to a Prophet in the name of a Prophet shall not lose a Prophets reward but they shall be sure to beare the burthen of their dissimulation whereby they invade the Inheritance of the poor to the robbing and despoyling them of a great part thereof Touching the fourth In what manner Almes ought to be given The answer is They must be given cheerfully and without all vain-glory and opinion of merit and onely of that which is our own and that in due season or due time First cheerfully For God loveth a cheerfull giver He that giveth grudgingly as it were out of constraint doth indeed the thing commanded but because he doth it not with an heart it is no more accepted of then Prayer made with the Lips when the Heart is away Secondly without Vain glory We must give not desiring to have our Charity taken notice of by others for so the Pharisees gave Almes to be seen and praysed of men of whom it was said That they had their reward Thirdly Without all opinion of Merit Almes must be given in humility we acknowledging this to be our duty as a Steward is bound in duty to give to every one his Portion for we are but Stewards under God of that which we have our Goods are a Portion committed to our trust to use according to his will as the Talents in the Patable Now God by whose allowance we have these Portions appointeth us to use them so as the poor may have comsort of them and thus in the persons of the poor we render unto God some part of his own again for Christ accepts it as done unto him Pourthly We must give of that which is our own onely not of what we have unjustly gotten for as is shewed in the Example of Zâ—cheus things unjustly gotten must first be restored and then Almes are to be given for in giving stolen goods or such as be gotten by oppression or deceit man maketh God a party in the theft or wrong which he hath committed when as indeed he is so far from this that he expostulateth with such for comming into his House saying Will you lye steale commit adultery and come and worship in this House c. The just God will not in the person of the poor accept of any thing unjustly gotten Fiftly and lastly We must give in due time or due season For the blessed man is like to a Tree Psal 1.3 that bringeth forth fruit in due season Gal. 6.10 And whilest we have time saith the Apostle let us doe good to all Some rely upon a last Will and Testament thinking to be accepted in their giving then when they must needs depart with all that they have To give when a man can keep his goods no longer is no better then to break off from any sin when he can no more commit it But for such as have neglocted this duty in their life let them humble themselves and rather then not at all give liberally at their Death and so happily as the Lord shall see the heart truely affected with penitency they may be accepted in their giving then Thus you see how Charity is a principall point of true Religion And if any shall alledge That their goods are their own and therefore see no reason like churlish Nabal to make that common which God hath given to their particular use I answer That thy goods doe indeed appertaine unto thee but upon condition that thou dealest one part thereof to the hungry and thirsty for thou art but a Steward and sure the hungry are defrauded of their right unlesse their wants be supplyed And this is one thing that sanctifieth the Fast Another thing is Prayer for Fasting is but the hand-maid of Prayer but of this when we come to the period of the Text Cry unto the Lord. Thus having upon second thoughts though contrary to the Rules of Art lookt a little back upon the duty enjoyned the first part of my Text. I now come to the second circumstance of the second part which I called The Method or Order prescribed of which the first being this Call a solemne Assembly The next is Gather the Elders and all the Inhabitants of the Land Wherein is to be observed The generality of this Fast In the Verse fore-going the Text you see a command layd onely upon some private persons the Priests and the Ministers they are to howle and lament but private mournings is not sufficing for Publick Sorrows there must be an epidemicall lamentation by a solemne Assembly And this Assembly must not be thin vel duo vel nemo as the saying is a small Congregation to serve God but it must be populous and full made up of a multitude Gather the Elders and all the Inhabitants of the Land Hence let this be the point Christs Schoole is a Schoole for all sorts not onely the Elders but all the Inhabitants Mat. 13.29.30 Let the tares saith our Saviour grow with the wheat it may be they may wither and dye ere Harvest the meaning is That it may be they may dye to sin Witnesse the Jayler who over night was scourging ere morning wishing
whosoever doth desire the word to be saved thereby let him tremble at it and yet embrace it let him prepare his heart better to entertaine it let him stirre up the spirit of his mind to understand it let him not lose such precious seed for want of harrowing in by due Meditation and let him cherish it in his inward thoughts continually that it may grow and prosper and more shew it selfe in his speeches actions and company then those bryar-like sprouts of his owne naturall corruptions Secondly we must see to it that we be doers of the word as well as hearers we must not onely know but observe and doe for Knowledge without Practice will availe nothing and so much of the truth as is put into practice is sure for ever the rest may be lost and it is a singular help to a Christian to set upon his obedience while the Doctrine is yet fresh in his mind for delay will compasse him about with many difficulties and he will want those inward incitations that might stirre up his heart with power and strength to obey And that this is the duty of every man as well to doe as to heare James 1.22 Rom. 2.6 see that in Saint James Now ye heare these things blessed are ye if ye doe them And Saint Paul saith That every man shall be judged not by his hearing but by his doing by his works Then up and be doing every one of you whilst time and strength permits for not onely that Fig-tree which had no Fruit was accursed but that Tree likewise which brought not forth good Fruit was to be hewen downe and cast into the Fire Luke 3.9 And those who have not fed the poor and clothed the naked c. will be bidden Depart ye oursed into everlasting fire Mat. 25.41 Then what shall become of those shadows and Ciphers among Christians who place their Religion onely in hearing surely they want all substance of grace and being put into the Ballance as Belshazzar was they shall certainly be found too light when the rewarding of every one shall be according to his works then can they expect nothing but tribulation and anguish which shall be to every soule that doth evill And it is to be feared if inquisition were made more then our common sort might be taxed for this neglect in doing even some of those who pretend a great deale of Zeale to the Word and are frequent and attentive hearers and will runne to Meetings and make glorious shewes of Devotion giving Religion a thousand good words but for this duty of doing procul absit they have no heart unto it Covetousnesse still prevailes in them and some of them who would be thought rare Professors can perhaps sometimes be content to drinke a draught of stollen Waters as well as others making Religion a pretext onely the more covertly to wallow in the mire of their sins but such Kind of Professors what Zeale soever they may shew to the world are but Painted Christians beautifull onely outward and woe unto them that are such for notwithstanding all their glistering shewes they are but whited Sepulchers and comely out sides not like unto Christs Spouse all glorious within but full of rottennesse and corruption But as for you be you both hearers and doers alter you the course of your lives breake off your sins shake off the bands of Sathan dissolve the Cloudes of your iniquities fly wickednesse shun evill doe well doe good and aspire to such perfection in doing the will of your God as that you may not onely cease from evill but fill your lives with good workes and thus shall you be blessed ipso facto in the very deed for he that doth the Word is blessed he is no longer under the Curse a Vassall of wrath and a Child of perdition but blessed with Gods favour and love and in the certaine way to that unspeakable happinesse that shall hereafter be revealed But he that heateth the Word and doth it not deceives himselfe cheats and cousens his own soule and is but a forgetfull Foole a very Childe and no Man he dallieth with the Word as a Babe with a Looking glasse beholding it not for any end but to sport it selfe therewith never intending any thing about the Face to rectifie it or to set it in order Saint John doth divide the whole world into two sorts of Persons Qui ex Deo est non peccat Qui peccat ex Diabolo est The Children of God and the Children of the Devill the one hears Gods Word the other heares it not He that is of God heareth Gods Word John 8.47 Ye therefore heare it not because ye are not of God And to be hearers of the Word of God is a great pledge or testification that we are the Children of God especially our hearing of Gods word being accompanied with these foure concurring Circumstances The first is Audire to heare the word Blessed are they that heare the Word of God this is the first step and he that doth not put a Foot forward to this he is not to be accounted a Child of God The second is Audire cum frequentia to heare the word frequently and often The Earth that is extraordinary dry and scorched with heat the drops of water which it receiveth it turneth into Toads So he that seldome frequents Sermons it is to be scared they worke little good upon him if not turne to his hurt For the word of God is the Soules sustenance and being Ministred slowly it is no marvaile if the Soule not onely grow leane but fall into a Consumption The third is Audire cum attentione to heare diligently and with attention freeing the Soule from all worldly incumbrances for as the Eye cannot joyntly and at once behold both Heaven and Earth so the Soule cannot attentively at one and the same time behold the things of the world and of God If any Man love the World the love of the Father abideth not in him When a great and principall River is divided into many rivolets or little streames so much the lesle water will every one of them have The like succeedeth with that Heart which is divided into many cares and desires Foolish and noysime lusts drowne men in destruction and perdition 1 Tim. 6.9 And Solomon saith When thou sittest with a Prince observe what is before thee And put a Knife to thy throat if thou beest a man given to appetite Prov. 23.1.2 A Christian sitting at the King of Heavens Table is the hearing of his Word this is that board to which wisedome inviteth us where the Bread of wholesome Doctrine is set before us which strengthneth our hearts and the wine of Grace which cheereth and comforteth our Soules at which Table whosoever shall come to sit must consider with attention that which is set before him casting out of his minde all other worldly things Those Ministers that were employed for the apprehending of our Saviour