on to perfect what he hath begun but if Thou and thy People and in especial this proud Prodigal vain-glorious and most voluptuous City that hath all this while sate as a Queen and known no sorrow shall not answer God in his Expectations then be it known to thee and them that God will repent him of the good he intended both to thée and them and as he overturned thy Father and those that overturned him and hath been for some considerable time overturning overturning overturning in this Land of thy Nativity so know O King that he is as able to overturn thée as them without thou and they make to him suitable Returns for of a truth God is no respecter of Persons but in every Nation he that feareth him and worketh Righteousness is accepted of him Acts 10. 34 35. Therefore in Gods fear consider thy Actings But to proceed King Hezekiah prayes and God heals And thus whilst the Sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord the Prayer of the upright is his delight Prov. 15. 8. And Hezekiah turned his face to the Wall and said Remember I beseech thee O Lord how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart c. He onely is likely to thrive at the Throne of Grace who in his appeals to God can plead the uprightness of his heart and the sincerity of his Soul and whilst some are questioning how God doth know and whether there be Knowledge in the Most High Psal. 73. 11. Hezekiah is earnestly begging the Searcher of all hearts before whose eyes all things are naked and open to remember the Actings of his former dayes Happy it is with thy Soul that in his sickness can plead with God the good Actions of his health Thus whilst Hezekiah is praying to the Lord the Lord shews himself to be what in the Scriptures of Truth he is Recorded to be even a God hearing Prayers Psal. 65. 2. And Hezekiah must experience him to be such a one For saith the Lord Go tell Hezekiah the Captain of my People I have heard his Prayers I have seen his Tears God is a tender-hearted God and when his People are moved to passion upon a right account he then shews himself a compassionate God to them and this he did to Israel of old when they were in Egypt under their hard Task-masters for the Lord said I have surely seen the affliction of my People which are in Egypt and have heard their cry by reason of their Task-masters for I know their sorrows and I am come down to deliver them Exod. 3. 7 8. God is not onely said to hear the Prayers and see the Tears of Hezekiah but he is as ready to help for so is his Promise Psal. 50. 15. Call upon me in the day of trouble I will deliver thee and thou shalt glorifie me A good refuge for all Gods People to flie to in time of distress And here note God doth not onely raise Hezekiah from his Bed of sickness but he also promiseth to adde fifteen years to his dayes Thus he giveth power to the faint and to them that have no might he encreaseth strength even the youth shall faint and be weary and young men shall utterly fail but they that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength they shall mount up with wings of an Eagle they shall run and not be weary they shall walk and not be faint Isai. 40. 31. And seeing it is so then O King be perswaded to wait upon God that so it may be a lengthening out of thy Tranquility question with thine own Soul whether God hath not added to thy dayes remember with thankfulness the Hollow Oak with all Gods Transactions towards thee in that juncture of time when an Arm of flesh failed thee at Worcester not forgetting thy safe Passage in that little Vessel that Rides in thy constant view and when thou lookest on that suffer me to be thy Remembrancer to perswade thee that with thankfulness of heart thou remember whence thy Deliverance came and that thou give to God a suitable return for that I am confident God expects from thee and withall seriously to consider the sad Consequences of Ingratitude For Hezekiah rendred not again according to the Benefits bestowed upon him but his heart was lifted up therefore wrath was upon him and upon Judah and Jerusalem God doth not onely promise to heal Hezekiah and to add fifteen years to his dayes but further he giveth him according to his own request a Sign and such an one the like of which neither before nor since was known for most miraculously he alters the course of the Heavens for the Sun who like a Bridegroom coming out of the Chamber and rejoyceth as a strong man to run a Race Psal. 19. 5. is by the great Power of God called back again fifteen Degrees Whence we may take notice of the great Condescention of the great God for the satisfying his faithful ones And this was his dealing with Gideon Judges 6. who requires a Sign that the Angel talked with him v. 20. And the Angel put forth the end of his Staff that was in his hand and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes that Gideon had provided and there arose fire out of the Rock and consumed them And again when Gideon by Gods Appointment was to relieve Israel from the hands of the Midianites Amalekites and the Children of the East that were gathered together in the Valley of Jezrecl Judges 6. 33. Gideon requires a Sign if God would deliver Israel by his hands ver. 36. And Gideon also propounds his own satisfaction Behold saith he v. 37. I will put a Fleece of Wool in the Floor and if the Dew be on the Fleece onely and it be dry upon all the Earth besides then shall I know that thou wilt save Israel by my hand as thou hast said and saith the Text It was so v. 38. For he rose up early in the morning and thrust the Fleece together and wringed out of the Fleece a Bowl full of water Yet this will not fully satisfie Gideon but he must come to the Lord as once Abraham did when he petitioned for Sodom Gen. 18. with an once more for Gideon said unto God Let not thine anger be hot against me I will speak but this once let me prove I pray thee but this once with the Fleece let it now be dry onely upon the Fléece and upon all the ground let there be Dew And God did so that night for it was wet upon all the ground It is good then for Sâ—…ls to be single-hearted to God that God may be satisfactory to them Thus having particularly discovered the manner of Gods merciful dealings towards Hezekiah I shall now come to the words of my Text wherein is briefly discovered Hezekiah's unthankful behaviour to God But Hezekiah rendred not again according to the Benefits bestowed upon him but his heart was lifted up therefore
of Iron and part of Clay and brake them to pieces Then was the Iron the Clay the Brass the Silver and the Gold broken to pieces together and became then as the Chaff of the Summer Threshing-floors and the wind carried them away that no place was found for them and the Stone that smote the Image became a great Mountain and filled the whole Earth This is the Dream said Daniel and I will tell the Interpretation thereof before the King THOU O King art a King of Kings for the God of Heaven hath given thee a Kingdom Power and Strength and Glory and wheresoever the Children of men dwell the Beasts of the Field and the Fowls of the Heaven hath he given into thine hand and hath made thee Ruler over them all Thou art this Head of Gold By all which we see that God had done very much for Nebuchadâ—… and made him King of Kings and higher than all the Kings of the Earth Yet when Nebuchadnezzar rendreth not to God according to the Benefits bestowed God takes him down from all his Pomp when Nebuchadnezzar forgat God that made him so great and begins to Sacrifice to his own Net as he did Dan. 4. 30. For said the King Is not this Great Babylon that I have builded for the House of my Kingdom by the Might of my Power and for the Honour of my Majesty Thus whilst he was glorying himself instead of glorifying God God takes him down for so saith the Text V. 31. Whilst the word was in the Kings mouth there fell a voice from Heaven saying O King Nebuchadnezzar to thée it is spoken the Kingdom is departed from thée and they shall drive thee from men and thy dwelling shall be with the Beasts of the Field they shall make thee to eat grass as Oxen and seven times shall pass over thee until thou know that the Most High Ruleth in the Kingdom of men and giveth it to whom he will and saith the Text V. 33. The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar So that in him we see the Assertion made good That God requires suitable returns for mercies bestowed though from the greatest of Men or Nations This man was so great as that there was none greater for he was over All not a King over some few Countries or an Emperour over seven Nations but a Monarch one that had an unlimited and an universal Power V. 36. Yet when he comes to walk contrary to God God walks contrary to him when he refuseth to glorifie God God will be glorified upon him The like we may see in King Saul 1 Sam. 15. The Prophet Samuel came to him and appointed him his work from God and in his so doing he first layes before him what God had done for him and giveth it in as a Reason why Saul should perform the Will of God for saith he V. 1. The Lord sent me to Anoint thee to be King over his People over Israel Therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the Word of the Lord Thus saith the Lord I remember what Amalek did to Israel how he laid wait for him in the way as he came up out of the Land of Egypt now go and smite Amalek and utterly destroy All that they have and spare them not but utterly destroy both Man and Woman Infant and Suckling Ox and Shéep Camel and Asse Amalek lay in wait to have destroyed Israel now God takes Israels Cause in hand and Amalek must be utterly cut off It is good for the People of God to let God alone with his own Work for vengeance is mineâ—… and I will repay it saith the Lord Rom. 12. 19. And Gods time is the best time to revenge in for so saith the Lord by his Prophet Zephaniah 3. 8. Wait ye upon me untill the day that I rise up to the prey for my determination is to gather the Nations that I may assemble the Kingdoms to pour upon them mine Indignation even all my fierce Anger for All the Earth shall be devoured with the fire of my Jealousie for saith the Prophet It is the day of the Lords vengeance and the year of Recompences for the Controversie of Zion Isai. 34. 8. And saith the Lord I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousie Zach. 1. 14. For precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints Psal. 116. 15. and Psal. 9. 12. When he maketh Iniquision for blood he remembreth them and forgetteth not the Cry of the humble Had Israel been the Revenge of his own quarrel it had not made so much for Israels comfort neither would Amalek have had his deserved due Israel might have under-done the Work for Israel knew not the bent of Amaleks spirit so well as he that took the Work in hand for God sees not as Man sees Man onely knows the outward act but God also the intention and thought of the heart God without all Question knew that Amalek intended the utter ruine of Israel and therefore Amalek must be utterly destroyed For God is a Righteous God and commonly deals with men by the Law of Retaliation for Adoni-bezek said Threescore and ten Kings having their Thumbs and their great Toes cut off gathered their Meat under my Table as I have done so God hath done to me Judges 1. 7. And Nathan said unto David 2 Sam. 12. 9. Thou hast done evil in the sight of the Lord thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the Sword and hast taken his Wife to be thy Wife now therefore the Sword shall never depart from thine House c. And I will take thy Wives before thine eyes and give them to thy Neighbour and he shall lye with them in the sight of the Sun for thou didst this secretly but I will do this before all Israel and before the Sun And the Prophet Samuel also said unto King Agag 1 Sam. 15. 33. As thy Sword hath made Women Childless so shall thy Mother be Childless among Women and Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the Lord It is good for men then in all their undertakings to do to others as they would have others to do unto them And this is that golden Rule that the Lord Christ himself layes down Mat. 7. 12. All things whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you do ye even so unto them for this is the Law and the Prophets And that he might the better bespeak his People to a strict Observation of this Lesson he requires them in the first and second verses Not to judge lest they be judged for saith he with what judgement ye judge ye shall be judged and with what measure ye met it shall be measured to you again The perfect Law of Retaliation I am the willinger to say the more to this though I am upon a digression because if possible I might keep others from transgression for there are many in this our day I know that are ready and willing to
run head-long to the ruine of the People of God here though it be to the ruine of their own Souls hereafter and that to Eternity for so saith the Lord Christ himself Mat. 25. 41. Then shall the King say to them on his left hand Depart from me ye cursed into Everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels for when I was an Hungry ye gave me no meat I was Thirsty and ye gave me no Drink I was a Stranger and ye took me not in Naked and ye cloathed me not Sick and in Prison and ye visited me not for inasmuch as ye did it not to one of these little ones v. 45. or the least of-these my brethren ye did it not unto me v. 40. Whence I would have all persecuting spirits to take notice That if Christ at that great day will be so strict upon men for omitting the doing of that good that they might have done to the People of God that he will be far more stricter with them for doing Acts of violence against them for God is very tender of his People however men esteem of them and so saith the Prophet Zach. 2. 8. He that toucheth you toucheth the Apple of his eye God hath been Eminent in his Judgements of late dayes And therefore let all persecuting spirits hear and fear and tremble for the Lord will appear mightily for his People But to return to our matter King Saul being fully Commissionated for this work of Amaleks destruction and being perswaded to the faithful performance thereof by Samuel upon the account of what Benefits God had done for him yet Saul rendred not according to the Benefits bestowed upon him and therefore he was looked upon as a Rebel astainst God 1 Sam. 15. 23. in that he saved the best of the Sheep and Oxen and King Agag alive and this caused God to rend the Kingdom from him v. 28. And this is that together with his going to the Witch of Endor that also cost him his life for so saith the Text 1 Chron. 10. 13. So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the Lord even against the Word of the Lord which he kept not and also for asking Counsel of one that had a familiar spirit to enquire of it So that in Saul also we see the Assertion made good That God requires suitable returns for Benefits bestowed though from the greatest of Men or Nations upon the neglect whereof God punisheth without respect of Persons It is neither the Name Dignity nor Power of the greatest of Kings that can exempt them from the sin-revenging hand of God for Tophet is ordained of old saith the Prophet Isaiah 30. 33. yea for the King it is prepared he hath made it deep and large the pile thereof is fire and much wood the Breath of the Lord like a stream of Brimstone doth kindle it Neither is it the greatness of a Nation or a People that can excuse them if they be found sinning against God witness Israel of old a Nation like the Sands of the Sea shore or as the Stars in the Firmament for number yea the Lords Portion for so saith the Text Deut. 32. 9. The Lords People are his Portion Jacob is the Lot of his Inheritance the Vineyard that his own right hand hath planted Psal. 80. 15. Such as in their day had the highest Priviledges of any Nations under the Heavens for so saith the Prophet David Psal. 147. 19 20. He shewed his Word unto Jacob his Statutes and his Iudgements unto Israel he hath not dealt so with any Nation And as for his Iudgements they have not known them yet for all this by reason of Gods sin-revenging hand upon them the Apostle Paul takes up a great Lamentation Rom. 9. the beginning and tells us That he could wish himself that he were accursed from Christ for his Brethrens sake concerning the flesh who saith he are Israelites to whom pertaineth the Adoption and the Glory and the Covenants and the giving of the Law and the Service of God and the Promises whose are the Fathers and of whom concerning the flesh Christ came Yet notwithstanding all these high Priviledges the Prophet is sent to them with a Message from the Lord Isaiah 6. 9 10. Go saith the Lord and tell this People Hear ye indeed but understand not and see ye indeed but perceive not make the heart of this People fat and make their ears heavy and shut their eyes lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their hearts and convert and be healed And what 's the Cause of all this may some say Answ. The Prophet that was sent on this Message with other of the Prophets will give a perfect answer and tell you That Israel did not render unto the Lord according to his Benefits bestowed and therefore wrath was upon them from the Lord for God had planted them a noble Vine wholly a Righteous Seed but they were turned into the degenerate Plant of a strange Vine unto him saith the Prophet Jeremiah 2. 21. And the Prophet Isaiah sings the same Song Isaiah 5. 1 c. Now will I sing saith he to my well Beloved a Song of my well Beloved touching his Uineyard My well beloued hath a Uineyard in a very fruitful Hill and he fenced it and gathered out the stones thereof and planted it with the choisest Uine and he Built a Tower and set a Winepress therein and he looked that it should bring forth Grapes and it brought forth Wild Grapes V. 7. The Vineyard of the Lord of Hosts is the House of Israel and the Men of Judah his pleasant Plant and he looked for Judgement but behold Oppression for Righteousness but behold a Cry And therefore God calls themselves to Judge the Cause v. 3. And now O Inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah Judge I pray you between me and my Vineyard What could have been done more to my Vineyard that I have not done in it And now saith he Go to I will tell you what I will do to my Vineyard I will take away the Hedge thereof and it shall be eaten up and break down the Wall thereof and it shall be troden down and I will lay it waste it shall not be pruned nor digged but there shall come up Bryers and Thorns And for these Mis-actings of theirs the Lord by his Prophet Isai. 1. 2. takes up a great complaint saying Hear O Heavens and give ear O Earth for the Lord hath spoken I have nourished and brought up Children and they have rebelled against me the Ox knoweth his Owner and the Asse his Masters Crib but Israel doth not know my People do not consider Ah! sinful Nation a People laiden with Iniquity a Seed of Evil-doers Children that are Corrupters they have forsaken the Lord they have provoked the Holy One of Israel to anger they are gone away backward By Reason whereof we see the Lord looks upon their
be kept close to thee for when a mans wayes please the Lord he will make his Enemies to at Peace with him Prov. 16. 7. And think not to make thy self strong by forcing thy Subjects to forswear themseves in sweariug for thee lâ—…st he that Swore by himself when he could 〈◊〉 by no Greater stretch out his Sin-revenging hand against thee but rather say to thy Subjects as the Lord Christ saith to his Mat. 5. 34. Swear not at all And I being one of his Subjects this is one Reason O King why I told thee in plainness of speech that I cannot Swear for thee and because he farther requireth me thar I should love my Enemies and do good to them that hate me and pray for them that daspitefully use me Mat. 5. 44. This is another Reason O King why I cannot Fight for thee And I being a Branch in that Vine of which the Root and Off-spring of David is the Root and from whom onely I dayly through mercy receive sap vigour and fresh supplies of Grace for the strengthening and supporting of my inward man dare not have so much as a thought to Swear thee to be Supream of that Body of which Christ is the Head and because the Lord by his Prophet Jer. 18. 9. saith thus At what instant I shall speak concerning a Nation and concerning a Kingdom to Build and to Plant it if it do evil in my sight so that it obey not my voice then will I repent of the good wherewith I said I would Benefit it This is also another Reason O King why I cannot Swear nor Fight for thee for if thy Actings shall nor answer Gods End if his Word be true thou must then expect a removal and a pulling down and if I shall Swear or Fight to support thee when by thy Actings thou shalt cause God to pull thee down What is it less than for me to he found fightiâ—…g against God And besides A Servant of the Lord must not strive but be gentle to all 2 Tim. 2. 24. And by the way know That these Resolves were not intended to thy self only but also to those that were in Power after thy Father and before thee were these things manifested as by my Declaration in the End of this Book is evident Therefore O King if thou shalt seem to Counter-mand my Loyalty to him who bought me at so dear a price as the shedding of his own pretious Blood Acts 20. 28. I shall desire thee to Judge between me and my God and shall ask thee in the words of Peter and John Acts 4. 19. Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto thee more than unto my God I shall desire thy self to be Judge And thus O King having I hope given thee a Rational account of my down-right and single-hearted Conclusion of my Epistle to thee Dedicated I shall now tell thee in the faithfulness of my Soul that by the Law of the same Law-giver I am bound not onely to pray for thee 1 Tim. 2. 2. but also to obey thee in all Civil things that are agreeable to the Mind of God revealed in his Scriptures of Truth and also to render Tribute Custome Fear and Honour both to thee as God hath set thee over us and to all others sent by thee Rom. 13. 7. 1 Pet. 2. 13. Whose Obedience upon the word of a Christian without 〈◊〉 or Fighting either for or against thee God assisting he shall faithfully continue who resolveth unless for his iâ—…nocent Judgement thou either Deprive him of Life or Banish him this Land of his Nativity to remain till Death Thy Loyal Subject HENRY ADIS. A WORD to the READER READER THE Common Proverb goes That every Little makes a Mickle and the Kings TREASURIES being empty whilst the Parliament and City are throwing in their Rich Gifts I with the Poor Widow in the Gospel have cast in my MITE let the King take it how he pleaseth sure I am he will take it amiss if he take it not well for God is my Witness I intended it for good and so it will Prove if rightly improved and is of that worth that it may be said of it as our Saviour said of the Widows Mite It will Prove worth all not for the Quantity but for the Quality of it not for the Beauty but for the Blessedness not for the Eloquence but for the Excellency of it theirs being Material but this Supernatural theirs Perishing but this Permanent theirs onely to Feed Cloath and Pamper the Body but this to Nourish Strengthen and to Support the Soul Reader I was neither bred a Scholar nor a Courtier therefore thou must expect in it neither Complement nor Curiosity neither was I ever out of this Land of my Nativity therefore look not for any forreign Rarities but such only as are to be found in the Garden of God It is a Home-spun Piece wherein there is little Eloquence and less Flattery but store of down right honesty with abundance of Fidelity a Ponderous weight of the truest Love wrapt up in an homely Garment of the best Loyalty To be short it is that which I know must undergo many Censures if not my self severely Sentenced for it both by the Critical Church-man and the Carnal Church-member the Flattering Courtier and the Flouting Citizen the Learned Lawyer and the Illiterate Rustick but let them say what they will and do with It and Me what they please I much matter it not for in my Composing of it I had a good Conscience which sure I am in the midst of the worst of Miseries will be to me a Continual-Feast for I look upon it to be a part of my Generation work to speak a word in season to the Cherishing of Vertue and the bearing my Testimony against Vice as far as the Lord hath enabled me to the beating it down and so to be guilty of the blood of none but to have a Conscience alwayes void of offence both towards God and towards Man and to have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness but to Reprove them Reader In fine it is a part of my Talent the which I dare not hide in a Napkin and seeing it cannot be permitted to be employed where it ought at mine own peril I dare not but Minister it where I may Therefore take and read it after which if thou find Benefit by it bless God for it and crave his assistance that thou mayest make a right use of it for it is his and mine no otherwise than from him through Mercy I have received it Neither do I so highly praise it for any thing that I have infused into it but for what through mercy I have been made partaker of by it by Divine assistance I have Composed it and the Shearcher of all hearts knows it is neither Pay nor Praise I aim at for my reward is with him But if the Glory of God the Well-being of his People
Wife into his House for so saith the Text v. 18. For Pharaoh called Abraham and said What is this that thou hast done unto me Why didst thou not tell me she was thy Wife Why saidst thou she is my Sister So I might have taken her to me to Wife Though Pharaoh sins I say and that ignorantly too as it is clear he did yet his House must be plagued with great Plagues Whence by the way I would have all to take notice That it is not ignorance that will excuse or shroud neither the meanest nor the greatest of men from the sin-revenging hand of God And secondly That God takes special care for his faithful ones so as that he will not respect persons when they evilly entreat them for so saith the Prophet Psal. 115. 14 15. He suffered no man to do them wrong yea he reproved Kings for their sake saying Touch not mine Anointed and do my Prophets no harm And thus as Abraham was travelling towards the South Countrey whilst he so journed in Gerar the Lord reproved Abimelech also King of Gerar for his sake Gen. 20. For Abraham again said of Sarah his Wife she is my Sister and Abimelech King of Gerar sent and took Sarah v. 2. But God came to Abimelech in a Dreame by night and said unto him Thou art but a dead man a sharp Reproof indeed And he gives him a Reason for his so saying For the Woman saith he which thon hast taken is a mans Wife v. 3. Yet saith the Text Abimelech had not come near her v. 4. And Abimelech said Lord wilt thou stay also a Righteous Nation Said he not she is my Sister and she even she her self said He is my Brother in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this v. 5. And God said unto him in a Dream yea I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart for I also withheld thee from sinning against me therefore suffered I thee not to touch her v. 6. Whence I would note also by the way First That he who is the Searcher of the heart and Tryer of the reins takes a perfect account of the bent of the spirits of the Sons and Daughters of Men And secondly That accordingly he either restrains Souls from sinning against him or else gives persons up to commit sin with greediness for so saith the Text And as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge therefore God gave them up to a reprobate mind Rom. 1. 28. But this is that in the seventh verse that makes the Assertion good Now therefore saith the Lord restore the Man his Wife for he is a Prophet and he shall pray for thee and thou shalt live and if thou restore her not know thou that thou shalt surely die thou and all that thou hast The like we may see made good in Achans Family Josh. 7. That when Achan had taken of the accursed things that goodly Babylonish Garment the Silver and the Wedge of Gold the Judgement extended not onely to the punishment of himself but also to his whole Family and all that was his for so saith the Text Josh. 7. 24. And Joshua and all Israel with him took Achan the Son of Zerah and the Silver and the Garment and the Wedge of Gold and his Sons and his Daughters and his Oxen and his Asses and his Sheep and his Tent and all that he had And v. 25. They burned them with fire after they had stoned them with stones Now the Lord Christ saith Mat. 18. 16. That in the mouth of two or three witnesses every Truth shall be established and I having proved each Particular in the Assertion by two witnesses at the least That God many times punisheth a People for the misactings of their Governours whether in Church State or particular Families And now lest I make my lines too numerous I shall forbear to lay down any Reasons of the Point but shall proceed to some Uses that may be for our present benefit And seeing it is so That God many times punisheth a People for the misactings of their Governours whether in Church State or particular Families This then may serve for a Use of Exhortation to thee O King to thee and to all Kings Princes and Governours of Nations Pastors and Elders of Congregations and Masters of Families as they tender their own good and the good of those that are under them that they walk before the Lord and go in and out before their People in singleness of heart and in the sincerity of their Souls as in the sight of God having a single-eye to the Glory of God and the good of the Souls that are under their charge carefully watching over all their thoughts words and actions so as that they bring not the Judgements of God upon their people by their misactings and to be often with the Lord in Prayer that so they may have his Direction and Protection in all their Enterprises and Undertakings to the comfort of their own Souls and the Peace Benefit and Well-being of those that are under them And secondly This may also serve for a Uâ—… of Exhortation to all Subjects though they be Pastors or Elders of Congregations and Masters of Families as well as Members of Churches or Children or Servants in particular Families that they be often at the Throne of Grace in the behalf of their Kings Princes and Governours and in special that Englands Subjects be often with the Lord in the behalf of their KING who from his long Exile and Restraint is brought again into this Land of his Nativity which is so full of Licentiousnes Luxury and Lasciviousness Revilings Rendings and Tearings Roarings Rantings and Swearings with those Abominations of Stage-Playes May-games and Pastimes Pride and Prodigality that God in Mercy would be pleased to direct his Heart so as that he be not won either to own or allow of them but to disown diswade and discountenance them And that God would farther strengthen both his Heart and Hand to prosecute that lovely laudable prudent pious Conscientious and Christian that truly Noble and most Heroick Princely PROCLAMATION by Him issued forth at his first coming amongst us again and since by him seconded by another that so England though now even a sink of Abominations may by the good hand of God upon us by his industry become as it shall be once said of Jerusalem to be a Praise of the whole Earth And that God would direct him so to consider of his Holy Things as that he present nothing to God but what is Commanded by God that so God may not only Crown him with a Crown of Gold here but also with that Crown of Glory which shall never fade away And that he be thus found Rendring to the Lord considering the danger of the neglect thereof For Hezekiah rendered not again according to the Benefits bestowed upon him but his heart was lifted up therefore wrath was