would bee a great and soveraigne preservative to prevent many Breaches many differences which by the contrary are occasioned Fourthly In the fourth place Take heed of Minister-worship Flying other Idolatry beware of this This it was that caused those breaches in the Church of Corinth they after a sort made Gods and Christs of their Ministers making them their Heads Some were of Paul others of Apollos a third of Cephas a fourth of Christ As ever you desire to maintain peace in the Church of God take heed of this of making Ministers in this sense your Heads Know them to be as they are the servants and Ministers of Christ Who is Paul and who is Apollos but Ministers by whom ye beleeved Being so give unto them that honour and respect which is due unto them I {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} that Double Honour to whom it belongeth viz to those which are {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} those which labour in the Word and Doctrine hearkning to them obeying them in and for Christ But in the meane time take heede of making Gods or Idols of any which is done First when wee shall so adhere and cleave to any as that wee shall take all their words for Gospell receiving them and building upon them without farther discussion or tryall Secondly when we shall make their examples a Rule to walke by a Compasse to steare by Thirdly when wee will not receive the Word from any hand from any mouth but such as we affect though having no just exception against others whereupon to decline their Ministerie like some nice humorist that will drinke in no cup but his owne though another may bee as cleane as that Fourthly when we shall so farre extoll and admire some as that we despise and contemne others because it may bee inferiour to them in some parts and gifts so Deifying some whilest wee Vilify and Nullify others The disease of the times of which take wee heede And let not any here misconceive my words or misconstrue my intentions as if I spake this out of a base principle of Envie to the deserved respects given to any in this place or elsewhere which I shall ever bee ready and desirous to uphold and maintaine Nor yet out of any sense of any want of respect to my selfe which I must with thankfulnesse to God and his people acknowledge I have no cause to complaine of specially in this place Onely I speake it out of a deepe apprehension of the great evill which at this dore is like to breake in upon the Church of God where ever it is set open And herein what I have said let it bee taken as spoken as well against my selfe as any other Fiftly Let me adde one more which I shall but name though as usefull as any of the former Learne to distinguish betwixt a tender a scrupulous conscience The former precious the latter noxious betraying the soule to causelesse and groundlesse feares and doubts making stumbling blocks where there are none scrupling and questioning the truth or lawfulnesse of every thing either without any ground or upon very sleight grounds without any warrant either from the Word or else from sound and rectified reason An Infirmitie very prejudiciall as to private so to publicke peace as to the peace of a mans owne Conscience so to the peace of the Church But I cannot dwell upon it These Directions being laid downe some few of many what remaines but that I should commend them to your practise and Gods blessing upon which depends the successe of all our indeavours All that wee can doe in this case is but to minister to you as Apothecaries doe their patients In the meane time the Cure is Gods So it followeth in the third particular in this former part of the Text which directs us to the great Physician who is the Healer of these Breaches even God himselfe O God Heale the Breaches thereof But of this God willing hereafter Israels Physitian THE VI SERMON APRIL 13. PSAL. 60. 2. Heale the Breaches thereof for it shaketh ARequest and a Reason as you have heard divide the text In the former of these wee tooke notice of three particulars Israels Disease Cure Physitian The two first whereof I have insisted upon It remaines now that we come to the third and last and so passe on to the second part of the Text both which I shall passe over with as much brevitie as conveniently I may having already dispatched that which I principally intended when I first tooke the Text in hand Israels Physitian To whom it is that David here repayres for this desired Cure the Healing of the Breaches in this Kingdome and that is God himselfe So the first word in the Psalme expresseth it O God Heale the breaches thereof Behold who it is that is the Healer of Israels Breaches even God himselfe the great Physitian {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} he that healeth all diseases So David describeth him Ps. 103. Blesse the Lord o my Soule who healeth all thy Diseases all personall diseases that whether of Body or Soule Bodily diseases Goe tell Hezekiah saith the Lord to the Prophet Behold I will heale thee I am the Lord that healeth thee saith the Lord to the Israelites speaking of their Bodily diseases Soule sicnesses and that whether of sinne or sorrow Of sinne Heale my soule for I have sinned against thee saith David Of sorrow Hee healeth the broken in heart and bindeth up their wounds Hee it is that healeth personall diseases And as personall so Domesticall making up Familie-breaches making man and wife to bee of one heart restoring and repayring that peace and unitie betwixt them which at the first hee created and ordained And as domesticall so Politicall and Ecclesiasticall diseases Those are the maladies which the Text leadeth us to Nationall diseases Breaches in the State in the Church To both these God is the Physician curing and healing both Politicall breaches restoring and setling peace in the Commonwealth Hee maketh warres to cease 46. Psal. Hee maketh Peace in thy borders Psal. 147. As Politicall and Civill so Ecclesiasticall breaches restoring the Church to former peace and happinesse In that day shall the Lord binde up the breach of his people and heale the stroake of her wound saith the Prophet Isay speaking of the restauration of the Church of the Iewes A promise seconded by the Prophet Ieremie speaking in the same language I will restore health to thee and heale thee of thy wounds This Cure is Gods the Restoring of the Church and so the cementing and uniting of the hearts of his people together making them one I will give them one heart and one way saith the Lord Behold the Churches Physitian who it is that must heale the Breaches thereof if ever they bee healed And who but hee should doe it Hee
THE HEALING OF ISRAELS BREACHES VVherein is set forth ISRAELS Disease Cure Physitian Danger All paralleld with and applyed to the Present Times As they were delivered in six Sermons at the weekly Lecture in the Church of Great Yarmouth By JOHN BRINSLY Minister of the Word and Pastor of Somerleiton an adjacent village Published by order of a Committee of the House of Commons TEXT PSAL. 60. 2. Heale the Breaches thereof for it shaketh LONDON Printed for JOHN BARTLET at the signe of the golden Cup neere S. Austins gate in S. Pauls Church-yard 1642. To all the Lovers of Truth and Peace specially those in the Towne of Great Yarmouth TO some of you were these Meditations lately preached For all of you they are now Published My Designe in both is that which should bee the Desire of every true Israelite The Healing of the Breaches in this our Israel And my Hopes are that there is not a line within the Circumference of this Tract which is not drawne directly to this Center If any shall thinke otherwise let them mistrust their owne eyes which being dazeled will make the Sun-beames though most direct in themselves seeme distort and crooked Sure I am what ever my lines may seeme to bee my Intentions have beene right These I can approve to God who knowes them and the other I trust shall approve themselves to those who being not prejudiced are able to judge of them If herein I fall short of my Marke let it be enough I have aymed and shot at it In magnis voluisse Yours devoted to the service of Gods Truth and the Churches Peace IOH. BRINSLY ISRAELS DISEASE The first Sermon Anno 1641. Feb. 23. PSAL. 60.2 Heal the Breaches thereof for it is shaken IN these words which I have now singled out upon this solemn aoccasion we have the sum and substance of an earnest request made by David in the behalfe of that Kingdome whereof God had made him the head the Kingdome of Israel This Kingdome it had beene and as yet for the present was in a distressed distracted state and condition So it had beene not onely under the Iudges during whose government it felt of ten or twelue severall commotions or Persecutions as Iacobus de Valentia writing upon this Psalme computes them paralelling and comparing them with the ten Primitive Persecutions of the Church under the Gospell but also under King Saul and sometime after his death during which time it had beene afflicted and distressed partly by foraigne Invasion partly by intestine and homebred sedition By foraigne invasion especially of the Philistines who in that fatall Battle slew King Saul himselfe with his three Sonnes routing his whole Army cutting off the flower and streâ—gth of Israel taking possession of some of the chiefe holds and Cities in that Kingdome having expulsed the Inhabitants the said story whereof you may read 1 Sam. the last 2 Sam. 1. By homebred seditions those raised partly by Saul himselfe during his life partly by his Sonne after his death By Saul himselfe who in an hostile manner causlesly prosecuted and persecuted David as a publique enemy to the State whom God had designed to be next heire to the Crowne so making a great and a dangerous Commotion in that Kingdome withall falling upon the Priests of God with great cruelty rage butchering no lesse then fourescore and five persons of them at once all that were found upon suspition of their siding with David or favouring his cause of both which you may reade 1 Sam. 22. this did Saul in his life After his death Ishbosheth his sonne by Abners instigation laying claime to the Crowne maketh a strong party taketh up Armes purteth the Kingdome into blood distracting and wasting it with a long and a dangerous Civill-warre of which you may reade 2 Sam. 2 3. Cap. Thus that Kingdome had beene afflicted And hereunto Interpreters generally conceive the verses before the sixt to have reference wherein the Psalmist complaines unto God O God thou hast cast us off thou hast scattered us ver. 1. This he had done in that fatall overthrow given to Saul and his Armie Royall by the Philistines at which time the Israelites forsaking their Habitations fled into the Mountaines hiding themselves amongst the Rocks leaving their Cities to be possessed by their enemies themselves being made a dispertion as you may see 1 Sam. c. last v. 7. this God had done to them thereby manifesting his displeasure against them seeing as it were to have cast them off O God thou hast cast us off thou hast scattered us thou hast beene displeased c. Thou hast made the Earth to tremble thou hast broken it So the Psalme goeth on v. 2. with reference as Interpreters conceive it to those homebred divisions those Civill-warres betwixt the two Houses of Saul and David after the death of Saul then did the Earth the Land that Land of Israel as the Chaldee explaines it quake and tremble being broken riven as the word in the Originall signifieth even as the Earth sometimes by Earth-quakes it is riven and torne a sunder with prodigious Chasmaes openings or gapings so was that Kingdome divided in those Civill Commotions the Nobles and Commens taking parts and siding some with David some with Ishbosheth So miserably had that Kingdome beene distressed distracted so it had beene I and as yet for the present in part still was However those stormes were well over and the Heavâ—â— had begun to cleare the Kingdome was somewhat quieted yet still was it in an unsetled tottering condition and that as by reason of those late distemperatures which were not yet thoroughly healed so also by reason of some present distractions wherewith it was still afflicted Still there were Ruptures Breaches in the Kingdome and those more then a few and such as did both unsettle and indanger it shaking the very foundations of it And in regard hereof it is that the Psalmist here prefers this his Petition unto God the summe and substance whereof you have in this short clause which I have now singled out wherein we may take notice of two particulars Davids Request Reason His Request that God would heale the Breaches of his Kingdome Heale the Breaches thereof His Reason or Argument to back and second his Request taken from the eminent danger wherin that his Kingdome then was in case God should not step in into it by mature and timous Prevension it was shaken Heale the Breaches thereof for it shaketh or it is shaken You see the parts of the Text to prosecute them in their Order beginning with the former Davids Request which he presents and puts up as you see in a Metaphoricall straine the Metaphor taken from a Phisitian or Chyrurgion who by ministring and applying sanative Modicines and healing Salves Cures and healeth the Diseases or Ruptures of his patient And therein following the sence of the Metaphor we shall take notice of three particulars 1. Israels Disease
of whom you have mention ver. 8. Moab shall be my Wash-pott c. Moab the land or people of the Moahites borderers upon the land of Israel that incestuous progenie begotten by Lot in his drunkennesse upon one of his own daughters who having forsaken the true God they were also enemies to his people Israel Edom or Idumea the Edomites the posteririe of Esau who for that prophane act of his in bartring away his birth-right for a messe of red potage was called Edom i. e. redd These also were enemies imbittered and inveterate enemies against Israel so David setteth them forth Psal. 137. Philistia or Palestina the Philistines Chams cursed posteritie open and professed enemies to Israel Shems progenie as appeares in diverse places All these Nations they were afterward subdued and conquered by David and in assured confidence of this conquest David here triumphs aforehand Moab shall be my washpot over Edom will I cast out my shcoe But as yet they stood out upon all occasions ready to make incursions and invasions upon Israel which also frequently they did to the great disturbing and indangering of that Kingdome Put these together and you see the Breaches to which the typicall Israel Davids Kingdome was subjected And in these may you see what are the Breaches which the spirituall Israel the Church of God upon earth is subject Breaches from without and breaches from within I will invert the order From without by open persecution from within by intestine and home-bred Divisions Of both these the Church of God in all ages hath had sufficient experience looke we upon the primitive times during the infancy of the Church however the soundest and entivest Church that ever was yet how was it broken broken as by foraigne persecutions so by homebred divisions Both these wayes was the Church during the Apostles times broken distressed by Enemies from without who persecuted it So was the Church at Hierusalem broken in that great persecution wherein Paul was an actor Stephen a Martyr many of the Saints sufferers who thereupon were dispersed and scattered as you may see Acts 8. there might the Church have taken up the words of the Psalmist in the first verse of this Psalme O God thou hast cast us off thou hast scattered us Thus was the Church at Antioch broken in that persecution raised by the Iewes irritating and stirring up devout and honorable women with the chiefe men of the citie against the Christians wherein Paul himselfe was to suffer to let passe divers other The Churches being thus broken by persecution from enemies without they were also broken by divisions and distractions from within their owne members being divided and severed in their judgements in their affections This fire it began to smoke betimes as you may see in that first Church the Church at Hierusalem kindled by a little sparke a small neglect through the want of convenient Church-officers There arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrewes because their widowes were neglected in the daily ministration Afterwards it broke forth into more open flames hot and eager contests and that about divers points as namely about circumcision whether necessary or no no small dissention about it betwixt Paub and Barnabas and certaine beleevers of Iudeah who made a journey to Antioch as it seemeth to vent their tenents and to undertake a dispute about it After this to let passe personall differences which fell in betwixt their Teachers themselves as viz. that betwixt Paul and Barnabas are sharpe contentions and Paul and Peter how were the people in some of the Churches divided divided in particular about their Teachers Instance in that Church of Corinth where the members thereof were divided into Sects some were Paulites others Apolloites a third Cephites a fourth Christians so divided and broken into sects and that about their Teachers after whose names they affected to be called In the same Church we shall finde other Breaches the members thereof being divided againe as probably about their Gestures in the publike worship and service of God so about the doctrine and manner of administring the Sacrament of the Lords Supper as it may be collected from that 1 Cor. 11. where the Apostle both censures those differences amongst them and for the rectifying of them reduceth them to the first institution Such Breaches were there made in and upon the Church during the time of the Apostles themselves After their departure these Breaches were more and greater In the three first Centuries how was the Church of Christ rent and torne partly by Lyons partly by Wolves By Lyons such as Nero Saint Pauls Lyon was cruell and bloudy persecutours putting the Church into blood powring so much blood at the root of this Vine as hath made it the more fruitfull ever since Of these breaches Histories usually mention ten as most remarkable The ten primitive persecutions under those Romish Heathenish Emperours Thus was it torne by Lyons As by Lyons so by Wolves So Saint Paul foretold that it should be I know that after my departure shall grievous Wolves enter in amongst you not sparing the flocke He spake it of false Prophets and hereticall Teachers which with their pernicious errours schismes and heresies should even rend and teare the flocke of Christ the Church And accordingly it came to passe as the Histories of those times sufficiently testifie Never was the Church more rent and torne by Heresies and Schismes then in those next ages after the Apostles within the compasse of the first 400. yeeres there being little lesse then an hundred of them of note as they are collected and computed out of those two ancient Doctors Epiphanius and Augustine So fruitfull was the Church then in breaches Broken by heathenish persecutions broken by various divisions and distractions and such hath bin the condition of it ever since even in the purest and quietest times never free from breaches in some parts persecuted in others distracted That it hath bin so is out of doubt which maketh good the Assertion that it may be so Israel is subject to breaches Q. But how cometh it so to be to be subject so subject as it is A. I answer briefly This is diversly considered Gods doing Satans doing Gods doing who doth it with an eyeparts to Himselfe His Church 1. With an eye to himselfe his owne glory the glory of his power wisdome goodnesse all which are gloriously manifested as First in the preserving and upholding his Church in the midst of all these Breaches even as the care and skill of a Pilot is showne in stearing a ship in a stresse keeping her above-water in the midst of those raging billowes or as the wisdome and valour of a good Commander is showne in defending the Citie the wals whereof are full of breaches so Secondly in healing and making up of these Breaches which God sometimes
to cast at our adversaries of Rome who amongst their fifteen notes or markes of the true visible Church lay down these for two Vnitie Prosperity Vnitie or Vnion of the members under one visible head and amongst themselves Prosperity outward and temporall felicitie which if so what shall we say to the Church of Israel at this present when David complained of so many Breaches in it Where was then the union of the Church under one visible head when that Kingdom to which the Church was then confined was so divided betwixt two some cleaving to the house of David others to the house of Saul yet both making up one visible Church Where was the outward felicitie and temporall Prosperity of the Church when the foundations of that Kingdome and consequently of the Church the whole Church were so shaken both by foraigne invasions and home-bred seditions But I passe by this leaving them to talke of that which is not nor ever yet was to be found amongst themselves What ever may be said for the latter Temporall Prosperitie sure we are as for the former Vnitie it is a thing which they have no cause to boast of The use I intend to make of it shall be onely to take off the triumph scandall or discouragement which any may happilie either make or take at the present Breaches which are to be found amongst us in this and the neighbour Kingdom In the behalf of both these we are this day and at this time assembled together viz. to seek God for them as David doth here for Israel that He would heal the Breaches thereof That there are Breaches in both and those very considerable ones but for number and nature many and great shaking the very foundations of them it cannot be denied And in these Breaches some happily will be ready to triumph So did both the Edomites and Philistines here spoken of over Israels Breaches Israels Breaches were their Triumph so were they to the Philistines O Philistia triumph thou because of me or over me saith the Psalmist here verse 8. speaking by way of Ironie and mockage bidding them go on in their rejoycing and triumphing over the Church of God insulting over her Breaches and ruines as they did The like did the Edomites So we may hear the Prophet Obadiah charging it upon them ver. 12. of his prophecie Edom looked upon the day of his brother Jacob the day of Israels affliction the day wherein he became a stranger was carried away captaive This day the Edomites looked upon in a rejoycing way insulting over the miserie of the Church so it followeth Edom rejoyced over the children of Juda in the day of their destruction and spake proudly insultingly in the day of their distresse c. with such an eye no question do the enemies of God and his Church at this day looke upon the distressed distracted state and condition of this and the neighbour nation Romish Edomites those children of Edom which say of our Hierusalem our reformed Religion Race it race it even to the foundations thereof uncircumcised Philistines such as have gone about to set up the Ark of God by their Dagon as the Philistines once did to make Rome and England meet together I doubt not but they are ready to triumph and insult over these Breaches which themselves have made these divisions distractions seditions rebellions whereof themselves are the Authours and fomenters hoping that at these Breaches themselves shall re-enter setting up their standards again upon the Churches battlements raising themselves upon the Churches ruines which they hope these distractions do presage Others there are to whom these Breaches may happily be a matter either of scandall or discouragement To some of scandall unsetled and unstable Christians reeds shaken with the winde carried about with every blast Upon this ground happily they may be brought to scruple and question the truth of our Religion and so to entertain thoughts of relinquishing it flying from it as some have done because of some divisions amongst the Professors of it To others of discouragement Weak and faint-hearted Christians who because they cannot at the present see how these Breaches should be repaired and made up therefore they are ready to yeeld up the City to give the Church and cause of Christ in it for lost as if the condition thereof were forelorne and desperate Not so No just groâ—nd for any of these whether for triumph scandall or discouragement Breaches there are amongst us it cannot be denied and those such Breaches as deserve to be lamented with tears of blood but yet are they any other then what the Church of God upon earth is subject to Surely no It is Saint Pauls consolation to his Corinthians touching their temptations There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man And the like may I say of these temptations distractions divisions wherewith the Church of God in these parts at this day is exercised they are no other then what are common to the Church may befall the Church the true Church of God To make this good paralell and compare we the state of the Church in these two Kingdoms with that of Israel in Davids time and see what greater Breaches shall we finde in the one then in the other In the neighbour nation the Trumpet of rebellion is sounded the Kingdome divided put into blood ingaged in a civill war by the means of a seditious party of Romish confederates who under a pretence of vindicating the liberty of their own seek and indeavour the extirpating and rooting out the true Religion of God of late through the mercy of God begun to be planted amongst them together with all the professours of it But what is here more to be seen or heard then was in Israel at that time when she bad the son of Bichri a man of Belial blew a trumpet and said we have no part in David neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse every man to his tents O Israel whereupon the whole 10. tribes made a present revolt following after him the tribe of Judah onely cleaving to their King Amongst our selves however blessed be God and blessed be his Anointed and blessed be the multitude of his wise faithfull Councellours this fire hath not yet broken forth into such open flames yet how hath it smoaked how doth it smoak To let passe here that late Breach so happily healed and made up betwixt the two Nations at least so some would have had it which threatned us with the dreadfull judgement of a civill war of wars the worst To let that passe which yet we must not let passe without a thankfull acknowledgement of the power wisdome goodnesse of God manifested in making up of that Breach not onely healing it without a skar but bringing a more firme union out of it As also to forbear the mention of those late Breaches made both upon
dealings with us specially of this Kingdom of late as that we may say that they are at least seem to be sweet intimations of a gracious purpose and intention towards us Onely in this will the Lord be sought And for this let every of us seek him that it may not repent him of the good which he hath seemed to intend towards us but that he would returne and come unto us with healing in his wings coming unto us as the Spouse desireth that her Beloved might come unto her Like a Roe or a yong Hart upon the mountains of Bether the mountains of division as the word signifieth In his own time which let not us prescribe healing and making up all our breaches This is Davids Prayer for Israel in the text And for this Let us pray ISRAELS CURE The second SERMON March 2o PSAL. 60. Vers 2. Heale the Breaches thereof for it is shaken UPon this Text I made an entrance the last day being then led unto it by that Solemn occasion We brake it into two parts Davids Request Reason In the former of these we tooke notice of three particulars Israels Disease Cure Phisitian Upon the first of these we then insisted Come we now to the second viz. Israels Cure which is the healing of her Breaches Heale the Breaches thereof To Heale properly you know what it is viz. do a Cure upon the Body in healing the sicknesses or sores thereof whether in an ordinary way by naturall means Medicines or Salves as the Phisitian or Chirurgion doth or in an extraordinary and miraculous way without means as our Saviour and his Apostles did who cured all manner of diseases only by their a word b touch c garments d shadow From the naturall body it is transferred to the Politicall or Ecclesiasticall Bodie in a Kingdome the Common-wealth the Church The remedying of the evills whereof is sometime in phrase of Scripture called an Healing If my people shall humble themselves and pray saith the Lord I will heale their Land i. e. Redresse and remedy the evills which lye upon it Heale the breaches thereof saith the Text i. e. Repaire them make them up This it is that David here prayeth for and This should every true Israelite desire and seek after The healing repayring making up of Israels breaches It was the first work that Nehemiah and the rest of the Jewes did after their returne from Captivity they set upon the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem which they began as you may see in the 3. chap. of Nehem. and finished chap. 6. not giving over till there was no breach found therein as you have it vers 1. of that 6. chap. What they did for the Typicall this ought all true Israelites do for the Spiritual Mysticall Jerusalem the Church of God upon earth viz. seeke and endeavour what they can the building up the Walls the repairing the breaches thereof This is Davids prayer elsewhere Lord build up the walls of Jerusalem Jerusalem the Metropolis both Civill and Ecclesiasticall of that Kingdome the Head Citie of Israel a Type of the Church visible For this David prayeth that God would build up the walls thereof repayre the breaches thereof restoring to it and establishing in it Peace and Prosperitie And what himselfe doth he stirreth up others to do the like Pray for the peace of Jerusalem i. e. for the publicke tranquility and happinesse of the Church for the continuance of it if enjoyed for the restoring of it if wanted that it may not be troubled whether without by persecuting Tyrants putting it into bloud or within by Schismes and Heresies rending and tearing of it These are the breaches of the Church as I have shewed you in the former Point and both these every true Israelite should defire to have healed repaired made up that so there may be Peace within her Walls and Prosperity or quietnesse within her Pallaces as it followeth vers. 7. of that 122. Psalm And great reason for it why Christians should thus desire and endeavour the healing of Israels breaches they being all members of that mystical body ye are the body of Christ and members in particular saith the Apostle to his Corinthians The Church the body all true Christians Members of that Bodie and being so they should have a simpathie with the whole So is it in the naturall body If the body be wounded or hurt in any part of it there is never a part but is sensible of it If the foot be wounded the eye seeth it the heart feeleth it the tongue complains of it the hand is ready to apply salves and Plaisters to it for the healing of it So should it be in the Mysticall bodie and so it will be If the Church be wounded rent torn the eye of a true Israelite being a living member of that body seeing it his heart cannot but be affected with it his tongue will be ready to complain of it unto God his hand will be readie to apply such healing remedies as God shall put into it Christian affection in the hearts of Christians it both should and will encline them to seek the Cure of Israels breaches Take a second Reason and that fetcht from the Nature of these breaches which are 1. Vnseemly 2. Dangerous 1. Vnseemly not unlike a rent or breach in a Garment which because uncomely we will therefore get drawn sowne up Or like a Harelip in a good face which though it be not a sore yet because it is an eye-sore a blemish we will therfore if possible get healed Upon this ground should Christians seek the healing of Israels breaches They are an eye-sore a blemish in this mysticall body It was the outward Beauty of the Typicall Jerusalem that the buildings thereof were contiguous and uniforme Jerusalem is builded as a Citie that is compact together Juâ—cta sibi simul as Montanus renders the Originall the Houses not scattered but joyning together Even as it was with the Curtains of the Tabernacle which were of one measure saith the Text and coupled together Surely it is a peece of the visible Churches visible beautie her unitie her breaches her divisions make the least of them make the best of them they are a blemish an eye-sore I such an eye-sore as friends cannot behold without grief enemies with triumph Neuters with scandall And being so were there no other reason Christians should seek the Healing of them But besides this 2. In the second place these Breaches are dangerous Dangerous to the Church and that two wayes being 1. Disadvantagious to her 2. Advantagious to her enemies 1. To her disadvantagious In that like Domesticall Breaches in a Family which are great hinderances to all the businesse in it whether Civill or Religious for the most part hindring the groweth both of Grace and Estate So prejudiciall and detrimentall are these Breaches to the State of the Church
it in the Symptomes of it Those we shall finde very dreadfull and terrible Not unlike the the Symptomes of an Earth-quake where the earth trembles and shakes and breaks being riuen or split with prodigious ruptures and openings yawning and gaping even threatning to swallow up the inhabitants as once it did Korah and his Confederacie Thus was it with Israel at this time when David made this complaint of the Breaches thereof Thou hast made the earth to tremble thou hast broken it ver. 2. And is it not so in this and the neighbour Kingdom at present doth not the earth even seeme to tremble under us Hath not the Lord even made us a Cup of trembling not unto others as he saith he would make Jerusalem Behold I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about Time was when it was so with us we were a cup of trembling to all the Nations round about but to our selves Having begun to drink of that cup which Jerusalem was once made to drink of I to drink off even the cup of the Lords fury the cup of trembling Insomuch that we may say in the words of the Psalmist that Horrour I and Rigor or shaking too two symptomes of a violent Ague hath taken hold upon us the earth under us seeming to tremble as the bed doth sometimes in the Paroxisme of a cold fit under him that lyeth upon it And how should it be otherwise when as the foundations thereof are moved or out of course as the Psalmist hath it Sure we are what ever it is athome so it is in the neighbour Kingdom where by reason of that civill combuâ—â—ion all things are out of order many of the chief rulers also upon whom the Common-wealth there should rest as a house doth upon the foundations bearing a part in that tragicall commotion And amongst our selves how is the earth riven and broken both church and common-wealth rent and torne by home-bred divisions and distractions Sad symptimes but sadder Prognosticks Which if we look upon in the third place what can we conjecture and look for unlesse God be pleased speedily to step in unâ—o us frustrating our fears and our enemies hopes by healing and making up our breaches but Confusion desolation It shaketh saith the Psalmist here of Israel It shaketh it shaketh may we say both of Church and State in this and the neighbour Kingdome These unhappie breaches being in themselves and oft-times proving ominous presages prodigious fore-runners of Ruine and Destruction But of this it may be I shall have occasion to speak more fully hereafter in handling the second part of the Text Davids Reason Israels Danger And are these the Causes these the Symptomes these the Prognosticks of the disease Oh what cause then have every of us to be affected deeply affected with it laying to heart the breaches both of Church and State in this and the neighbour Kingdom so laying them to heart as that our hearts may work towards the healing of them and not our hearts only but our hands also Desiring this Cure let us in the second place Indeavour it Indeavour we the healing of Israels breaches the repairing and making up the Breaches which are amongst us whether in Church or State And what arguments should I use to whet your endeavours this way to put you forwards upon this I had almost said so meritorious a work Those considerations which I named before as Reasons may also serve again for Motives and that forcible ones First Ye are all members of this Mysticall this Politicall this Ecclesiasticall body and being so seek the Healing of the breaches therof Which breaches 2. In the second place are unseemly in the Church And 3. Dangerous both to Church and State being disadvantagious to both great obstructions exceedingly hindering the affairs and proceedings of both as by wofull experience we finde it true VVhat is it that hinders the businesse both of Church and State at present that it sticketh in the birth and commeth off so slowly Surely next to our sins our divisions Not more disadvantagious to them then advantagious to their enemies being an In-let to enemies both Forraign and Domestick to break in upon both To these three let me briefely adde three other and I will not straggle far to seeke these sticks to make this fire withall You shall finde them all lying close together in a little compasse in the two last verses of that 122. Psal. where David exciting both himselfe and others to pray for the peace seek the happines of Jerusalem that Peace might be within her wals and prosperitie within her Palaces He setteth downe a threefold Motive or inducement putting him on to that duty This he did for his own sake this he did for his Brethrens sake this he did for Religions sake The two former of these you have v. 8. the one of them expressed the other insinuated and implied For my brethren and Companions sake I will now say Peace be within thee i. e. not only for my own sake so some happily would have been readie to construe it that David in being so zealous for the good and happinesse of Jerusalem had an eye only to himselfe for the establishing of his Kingdome and setling the Crown upon his own head and the head of his Posterity To clear himselfe from this imputation and take off this suspition David here by a Prolepsis by way of anticipation or prevention he sets downe the cause which moved him to it It was not only his owne Cause though he might herein have and had an eye to himselfe also but the cause of his brethren and Companions i. e. of all the people of God discended from the same stock of Israel professing the same Religion of God The peace and happinesse of them all being as it were bound up in the peace and happinesse of Jerusalem If it went well with it it should go the better with them none of them but having a share in Jerusalems peace and happinesse He did it for his own sake he did it for their sake And thirdly for Religions sake that you have verse last Because of the House of the Lord our God i. e. for the Religion of God the true and pure worship and service of God whereof God had then made Jerusalem as it were the Staple putting his Name there In this threefold respect doth David seeke the peace and well-fare of Jerusalem and willeth others to seek it viz. that it might be continued and increased if enjoyed repaired and restored if impaired decaied And upon this threefold ground let every of us be excited to seeke the publique peace and wel-fare of this our Israel the restoring and setling of Peace by healing the breaches thereof This do we in the first place for our own sakes It is the Reason which the Lord giveth why he would have the Jews in their Captivity to
Child saith he speaking of Christ is set up for a signe {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} a signe an Ensigne a Standard Behold the Standard of the people which all the Lords Commanders should labour to set up for them even the same which Moses typically erected in the Wildernesse the Brazen Serpent lift up on high on a pearch or pole a lively representation of Christ lift up upon the Crosse as our Saviour himselfe for I conceive the words to be his expounds it 3. John This is the Standard which should be set up And how should it be set up Why by the Preaching of the Gospel so the same Expositer prosecutes it Gods Ministers they are the Lords Standard-bearers whose office it is to carry this Standard before the people as the Priests under the Law did the Arke and this they are to do by the preaching of the Gospel Set up Christ by the preaching of Christ Hereby is this Standard set up Christ being in the preaching of the word as it were lift up upon the Crosse before the eys of the people So Paul telleth his Galathians that Christ had been evidently set forth and crucified before their eyes viz. in and by the preaching of the Gospel By this means is this Standard set up and this is the best means for the gathering the people into one bodie Oh then let all in their places specially the Commanders in the Lords Armie amongst us to whom after a speciall manner it belongeth as they desire the reducing of stray wandring souls and the uniting of all into one body let them by all meanes endeavour to set up this Standard providing as much as in them lyeth for the liberty and free passage of the Gospel that this standard may be set up where it hath not yet been seen that it be continued and displaied more and more where it is erected And here let not any think or fear that this will be a means to scatter the people as some no wel-willers to the Gospel are ready enough to do who stick not to charge all our divisions upon the Gospel and the Preaching therof as if the clocking of the Hen were the means to sever and scatter the the Chickins No this is the only means of gathering them Oh Jerusalem how often would I have gathered thy children together saith our Saviour viz. by the sending out of Prophets and Apostels and Ministers to them to set up Christ in the Ministery of the Word as in other of his ordinances to set him up and that not only in his Priestly and Propheticall but also in his Kingly office not only as the Saviour and Teacher but as the King and Ruler and Law-giver of his Church And here let me repaire again to the Type David here projecting and propounding to himself the way and means of reducing his own subjects and bringing them to unitie amongst other he pitcheth up this that Judah should be his Law-giver Judah is or shall be my Law-giver i. e. all his subjects should be brought under one Head one Governour who should give them Lawes according to which they should be ordered and governed which power and authority belonged to the Tribe of Judah according to that Prophecie of Jacob Gen. 49. to which the Psalmist here alludeth No way no means to bring the people unto unitie to bring them into one body but by bringing them under one head one Law-giver by whose Laws they may be regulated and governed Now in the Church and in matters of Religion this one Head is Christ even that Lyon of the Tribe of Judah as he is called Reve. 5. He is the Law-giver of his Church and let him so be This will be found one I and the only means to breed an holy and Religious unitie to reduce and bring home straying wandering sheepe for such and only such they are that I now have to deal with or speak for sheep not wolves such as seek to make a prey of the flock whom I put in the former rank reckoning them as enemies And so consequently for the repairing and healing of these Breaches It was the first thing which David looked at as giving to his Kingdom hopes of a Cure of these breaches but God had given a Banner an Ensigne to his people setting David over them as their head vers. 4. You see what Magistrates and Rulers the Lords Commanders amongst us ought to do or see done and for this they shall have my prayers as well as directions that they may do it But what shall we of the Ministery do This is the next head which I should have now fallen with but time taketh me off for the present This with what remains of this point I see I must yet adjourn till another occasion ISRAELS CURE The fift SERMON April 6. PSAL. 60. Ver. 2. Heale the Breaches thereof c. THe healing of Israels breaches is a Cure which every true Israelite should seriously desire and endeavour Once more this usefull conclusion commeth to hand which I have already prosecuted by way of Doctrine and Application I yet stick in the latter of these the latter part of it wherein my designe was to lay you downe some Rules and directions for the furthering of this desired Cure in the Church of God amongst us These directions we ranked into two sorts some wherof were restorative others preservative Of the former sort we found some concerning our selves others of them concerning others viz. those which have beene and are Breach-makers amongst us teaching us how to order our selves towards them These breach-makers as you have heard are either strangers or Israelites Strangers enemies to our Religion or rather Gods Religion professed amongst us with these we have done Israelites some of our brethren who through infirmitie and weaknes have been seduced and drawn aside either from the wayes of truth or peace Concerning them the question was what shall be done to them or for them This we answered generally let them be reduced and brought home with all tendernesse and gentlenesse More particularly for full satisfaction I entred upon a way of giving to every one his portion Shewing first what publike persons are to do Secondly what private Publike persons are either Magistrates or Ministers The former of these have had their directions which the Lord teach them to make a good use of It remains now that we come to the latter and so proceed to that which remains 2. What shall we of the Ministery do For answer as briefly as I may Gods Ministers they are also by office healers They have healed the hurt of the Daughter of my people slightly so the Lord complains of the false Prophets To heale was their office that they did it slightly was their error And what shall they do that they may be healers in truth furthering this Cure by reducing those which are gone astray which is a part of their
it is that breaks that wounds and who but he should heale I wound and I heale them saith the Lord Vna eademque manus The same hand kills and cures Hee hath torne hee will heale us saith the Church Hee hath smitten and hee will binde us up That which God maketh man may sometimes marre but that which God marreth none but hee can mend Hee it is that healeth Israels Breaches For further Illustration I might shew you how God effecteth this Cure This hee doth ordinarily by Instruments and means How ever he can doe it immediately by his word us in Cures of the Body He sent his word and healed them it is said of men in distresse Speak the word onely and my servant shall be healed saith the Centurion to our Saviour yet ordinarily God maketh use of Instruments and Means Even as in the Cure of the Body hee maketh use of Physitians and Medicines so in the healing of a Church a State he maketh use of Church-Physitians State-Physitians making use of the Ministerie of man Yet still so as that the maine work is his and the Cure his Even as the Cure is the Physitians though the meanes be applied by his Apothecary But I will not dwell upon the Doctrinall part of this point being desirous to finish it and the Text at the present The Vse I shall make of it shall be only two-fold Is God the Healer of Israels Breaches here is Comfort and here is Counsell 1. Comfort Is God our Physitian why then let not us despair of a Cure of the healing of the Breaches amongst us These breaches it must be acknowledged are both many and great the disease dangerous yet not exceeding the skill of this great Physitian If God undertake the Cure we shall be cured Heal me O Lord and I shall be healed saith Ieremy It is not so with other Physitians They may and oft-times doe meet with diseases which are past their cure diseases which being violent or inveterate scorne the force and vertue of all their drugs though never so soveraign And it may be so with a State a Church they may be past humane help to man Incurable Such was Babylons disease desperate and incurable her Physitians could doe nothing to her for her Care We would have healed Babylon saith the Prophet but shee is not shee could not bee Healed as the Geneva reads it And it may be so sometimes with Sion with Ierusalem The Church of God may be in a forlorne and desperate condition her wound being as Ieremy complaineth of his Incurable refusing to be healed So was it with Ierusalem when Ieremy lamented over her Breach as being past mans Cure Thy Breach is great like the Sea who can heale thee The Churches Breaches may be sometimes like Sea-breaches such as the whole country cannot repaire and make good so as her friends and lovers may stand and mourn over her as Ieremy there doth over Ierusalem and as the Merchants of the earth are said to doe over Babylon but in the mean time cannot help her cannot heale her Not unlike Dorcas her friends and neighbours which wept over her corps but could do nothing to the raising of her up again til Peter came Yet in this case despair not VbihumanuÌ„ deficit ibi incipit divinum auxilium When the wine was spent then it was Christs time to work a miracle When my Father and Mother for sake mee saith David then the Lord will take me up When Physitians leave a man and give him over then it is Gods time to take him in hand which oft-times he doth restoring raising him with great facility and celerity beyond his owne and others expectation Turning man to destruction he then saith Come againe ye Children of men And this he is able to doe for this and the neighbour Nation the State the Church in both What ever the condition of them at the present bee be it as forlorne and desperate as our feares and jealousies are readie to present it suppose to our apprehensions Incurable yet let not this discourage If God undertake the Cure he can and will effect it It is the comfort which the Lord giveth unto Ierusalem against the desperatenesse of her disease Thus saith the Lord Thy bruize is incurable and thy wound is grievous there is none to plead thy cause that thou maist be bound up thou hast no healing medicines c. Yet mark what followes v. 17. I will restore health unto thee I will heale thee of thy wounds saith the Lord The desperatenesse of the disease maketh the Cure difficult to us not to God difficult for us to apprehend not for God to effect And therefore let not our fears how justly so ever bottomed and grounded devoure and eat up our Hopes as those meager kine did the fat ones Our feares are from the vallies our hopes are from the Hills Mine eyes are to the Hills Our feares are from Earth our hopes from Heaven Our fears are from men our hopes are in God O Israel thou hast destroyed thy selfe but in mee is thy help Our help is in the name of the Lord And so is our Health depending upon this {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} this great and chiefe Physition who is able to heale all our Breaches Here is Comfort Only that he may be a Physitian a Healen unto us working this Cure for us Let us seek it from him Returning unto him Resting upon him and if ever we be healed Give the Glory to him Here is Counsel running as you see in 4. streames or channels Passe over them severally briefly Seek â—e unto God for this Cure So doe Parients to their Physicians apprehending the disease dangerous what sending and posting messenger after messenger never resting untill the Physitian either come or send Doe we the like unto this great Physitian in all our diseases For the healing of our bodies if sick and weak goe to him So doth David I am weak Lord heale me Not but that we may in this case have recourse to the Physitian also as being the Minister of God for our health But let not our addresses be onely unto him That was Asahs sinne In his disease he sought not to the Lord but unto the Physitians Nor yet in the first place unto him Let God have the honour to hear of us and from us in the first place who is able to blesse our blast counsels and means The like doe we for our soules Heale my soule saith David Not but that we may in this case also repayre to Gods Ministers being Soule-Physitians or others who are able to advise laying open our sinnes and sorrowes unto them seeking Cure from them but goe to God in the first place And what we doe in our owne private doe we the same in the publike case of the State of the Church amongst
2. Israels Cure 3. Israels Physitian Israels Disease Ruptures Breaches the Breaches thereof Israels Cure the making up or healing of those Breaches Heale the Breaches thereof Israels Physitian from whom it is that David here seeks for this Cure viz. God himselfe To him it is that he maketh this his Request as the first word in the Psalme informes us O God heale thou the Breaches thereof Insist wee upon these three particulars severally beginning first with Israels Disease the Breaches thereof What David hereby means I have in part explained already viz. Those Distractions Divisions Politicall Breaches and Ruptures in the body of his Kingdome Shevariah saith the Hebrew Contrit iones Rupturas Fragmenta the Ruptures Breaches Shivers a word which answers the Originall both in sound and sence possibly fetcht from this Hebrew root Shibber to breake or sbiver a Breach this was Israels Disease A Disease in what bodie soever wee meet with it Be it first in the Nature all body whether Inwardly a Rupture or Outwardly salutio continui a cut or Wound whereby the flesh is broken and divided Every such a Breach or Fraction in what part soever it be it is a Maladie a Disease calling for the help of the Physitian or Chirurgion These are Corporall Breaches Or be it Secondly In the Oeconemical Body or Family Breaches whether in the Head betwixt the Governours those unhappy jars betwixt man and wife dividing those whom God hath made One or betwixt the Members Dissensions of Brethren too frequent or the disagreements of Servants all hurtfull and prejudiciall to the familie Domesticall Breaches Or be it Thirdly in the Politicall body the Common-wealth Breaches made upon it by open hostilitie from foraigne enemies or else in it by homebred divisions and dissentions whether betwixt the Prince and Subiects or betwixt Subiects themselves all endangering the state of a Kingdome Politicall Breaches Or be it Fourthly In the Ecclesiasticall Body the Church Breaches in or about matters of Religion Sects Schismes Heresies rending and rearing the Seamelesse Coate of Christ the Church Ecclesiasticall Breaches Of all and every of these I may truly say that they are Diseases and that dangerous ones How dangerous I shall forbeare to shew you for the present reserving that for the latter part of the Text to which properly it belongeth This is the disease which David here speaketh of and complaineth of And this was Israels disease That is the mark which my eve is upon at the present Heale the Breaches thereof viz. Of the Land the Land of Israel Even Israel is subiect to Breaches that is the conclusion which from hence I take up Even Israel is subiect to Breaches So it was with the Literall typicall Israel Davids Kingdome so it may be with spirituall Mysticall Israel the Kingdome of Christ the church of God upon Earth Hereof was Israel a type Davids Kingdome a type of Christs Kingdome the Church upon Earth resembling it both in the King of it and Subiects of it and State of it 1. For the King and Head of it David a type of Christ and a lively type thence is it that Christ is sometimes called by the name of David They shall seeke the Lord their God saith the Prophet Hosea speaking of the Israelites the Iewes and David their King i. e. Christ who as he was of the seed of David the sonne of David so he was most clearely and lively represented and resembled by David To touch upon the particular Resemblances betwixt them as it is besides the Text so it would swallow up more time then for the present I have to spare Secondly For the subiects of it they were Israelites a people that were in covenant with God carrying the seale of that covenant the signe of circumcision in their flesh an holy people professing sanctitie and holinesse And such are the subiects of Christs Kingdome the true members of the Church visible they are Israelites Behold an Israelite such by profession a people in covenant with God partaking of the feals of the covenant a holy people called to holinesse Saints by calling professing sanctitie and holinesse Thirdly for the state of it Davids Kingdome was still in a militant condition for the most part and so is the Kingdome of Christ his Church upon Earth a militant Church where Christ ruleth and raigneth in the midst of his Enemies Thus was Israel a Type of the Church the one literall the other Mysticall Israel And both these shall we finde subject unto Breaches Typicall Israel was Mysticall Israel the Church may be the Text makes good the former let me shew you the latter and for the demonstrating of it cleare unto you these two things 1. What Breaches they are which Israel the church is so subiect to Secondly Now it cometh to passe that it should be so subiect to these Breaches For the former What Breaches they are that the church of God upon earth is so subiect to For answer hereunto give me leave to reflect upon the type and enquire what were Israels Breaches which David here complaineth of In making this enquirie I will not go out of this Psalme wherof the Text is part in the latter part whereof David doth tacitly insinuate unto us what were those Breaches whereof he complayneth in the former They were of two sorts Homebred Foraigne Homebred intestine and civill Breaches made and caused by some of the Israelites themselves Foraigne made by those who were open and professed enemies to their Kingdome and Religion 1. For the former There was as yet a strong partie in Israel which after the death of Ishbosheth cleaved to the house of Saul not acknowledging David for their King but were ready upon all occasions to raise new tumults and commotions thereby seeking to shake off the yoake of Davids government The chiefe and principall places wher this seditious party had their residence and abode were those which the Psalmist mentioneth in the sixth and seventh verses of the Psalme viz. Shechem Succoth Gilead Manasseh Shechem a Citie in the tribe of Ephraim Succoth a Citie in the tribe of Gad. Gilead and Manasseh the utmost borders of the Land of Canaan beyond Iorden These were some of the chiefe places which sided with Ishbosheth whilest he lived as you may see 2. Sam. 2. and as it seemeth they still cleaved to the house of Saul after he was dead not acknowledging David for their King So much David himselfe here insinuates I shall divide Shechem c. i. e. have a full possession of it and the rest which as yet he had not These were intestine and Homebred Breaches made by some of the Israelites themselves Secondly Besides these in the second place David and his Kingdom had many foraigne enemies open and professed enemies not onely to David his House but to the whole Kingdome of Israel Such were the Moabites Edomites Philistines
Church and state among our selves Breaches made upon the estates of men upon the liberties of subjects the bodies nay the souls and consciences of Christians which through the goodnesse of God inclining the heart of his Anointed to hearken to his great Councell of state are in part already repaired and made up Besides these other Breaches there are which yet lye upon us Breaches in the Church Breaches in the state both in measure still rent and torne distracted and divided I shall not need to name particulars which are too obvious to every vulgar eye But in all these what is here more then was to be found in Israel at that time when the whole land was shaken that Kingdome divided betwixt the two Houses of Saul and David some siding with the one others with the other taking of parts to the great indangering of the state of the Church therein True it is the enemies of our peace are many Besides a dangerous party at home of such as do in their hearts and affections at least cleave to the House of Saul the old House as they falsly call it Papists and others popishly affected together with a Malignant party of malecontents persons ill affected to Church and state besides these it cannot be thought but that we have enemies abroad enemies to our Religion we are sure many of them vassals to that Man of sinne that Antichrist of Rome who as they at the present insult over our breaches so if occasion were offered we cannot thinke but that they would be ready to breake in at them But herein againe what is our condition other then Israels was at this time when David penned this Psalme when besides that seditious party amongst themselves they had also many foraigne enemies enemies both to their Kingdome and Religion and that almost on every side Moabites Edomites Philistines Moabites and Edomites on the East Philistines on the West Thus paralelling our condition with Israels we finde no great oddes of breaches betwixt them not more in the one then was in the other And therefore to draw towards a conclusion of this point and exercise In the first place let not our adversaries triumph over our breaches Rejoyce not against me O mine enemy Or if they will let them triumph Triumph thou O Philistia because of me or over me Let our adversaries of Rome and their adherents the sedicious and ill affected party amongst our selves triumph and lift up their heads insulting over our breaches in the meane time we could tell them of their owne breaches and enquire of them where their Vnitie was when their Church was divided betwixt two visible Heads at once two Popes I meane both set up and both ruling at the same time the one in Italie the other in France the one at Rome the other at Avignion a considerable number of Cardinals and Prelates siding and taking part with either of them Then was the state of their Church like that of Israel when after the death of Saul some sided with David others with Ishbosheth We could minde them of their own present divisions which long have and still do distract that Church of theirs which howsoever they having more of the Serpent and being wiser in their generations then the children of Light carry more closely with lesse noise wherein I wish we could imitate them yet are they both for nature and number so considerable as that it should make them ashamed either to boast of Vnity amongst themselves or to insult over the Breaches of others One of their own modestly tels us of 20. severall schismes amongst them Another their great Cardinall Bellarmin by name to the everlasting glory of their Churches unity ingenuously acknowledgeth no lesse then 237. differences or contrarieties in Doctrine amongst their own Divines But these we passe by contenting our selves with this this was Israels condition and it may be the condition of the true Church of God to be divided distracted no matter of triumph to them Nor yet in the second and third place of scandall or discouragement to others Not of scandall What though the naturall body of Christ be pierced rent torne with thornes nailes the spear of the souldier yet let none be offended at it Blessed is he saith our Saviour whosoever shall not be offended in me What though the misticall body of Christ the Church be pierced rent and torne pierced with the spear of persecution rent and torne with the thornes and nailes of home-bred divisions and dissentions let none be offended at it Nor yet Discouraged by it The naturall Body of Christ for all it was so pierced rent and torne yet it rose again the third day They are not all the rents breaches divisions distractions in the misticall body of Christ the Church that shall hinder the resurrection of it The Church in Hosea complains that the Lord had torne her and smitten her Yet mark what followeth After two dayes he will revive us in the third day he will raise us up and we shall live in his sight God hath at the present done the like by this and the neighbour Nation smitten the one torne the other Smitten the one with the sword of a Civill but Barbarous and Savage enemy Torne the other with unhappy differences and distractions yet let not either of these discourage He that hath torne us he can heal us He that hath smitten us he can binde us up and this we trust in mercy he will yet do It is the speech I remember of the wife of Manoah to her huâ—band If the Lord had had a purpose to destroy us he would not have received a burnt-offering and a meat-offering at our hands neither would he have shewed us all these things And let us in an holy considence say the like touching the Church of God in this and the neighbour Kingdoms Had God had a purpose to haue cast us off from being a Church from being a people to have unchurch'd us to have taken his Gospel from us surely he would never have accepted our offerings our prayers and the prayers of his people amongst us which we are assured he hath dore having given us most gracious comfortable returnes of them assured evidences of their acceptation Neither would he ever have shewed us all these things Discovered and consounded so many plots so many trecheries and conspiracies of our adversaries still turning their councels upon their own heads carrying the great councell of the Kingdom through so many to flesh and blood insuperable difficulties Nor yet would he have begun to repair and make up our Breaches so as in part already he hath done and we hope is doing Do we see one bestowing cost upon an old garment in darning up the holes drawing up the rents making up the Breaches in it we thereupon conjecture surely it is not his intent as yet to cast it off and to lay it aside Surely beloved such have been Gods
the one whereof could not subsist at least not well without the other Surely my Brethren such Parsimonius spirits may be conceived to be far from the resolution of that noble Roman Marcus Curtius whom the Histories of those and after Ages have rendered famous to the World for his unparaleld affection to his Country and in speciall to the Citie of Rome whereof he was a Member Wherein when by reason of an Earthquake their happened a prodigious Chasma a great Gulpb or opening of the earth in the midst of the Market-place and the Oracle had signified to them that there was no way to fill up that breach but by casting the best thing in their Citie into it He thereupon presently mounting his Horse in compleat Arms which was then the chiefe glory of that Citie and Nation cast himself into the Breach for the making it up so yeelding up his life saith my Authour to and for his Countrey from which he had received it This did he with a Roman resolution And the like should Christians be ready to do in a Christian way for the Church of God in case that God shall be pleased to call them to it even cast themselves into the breaches thereof for the filling making them up not thinking their naturall lives too dear for her to whom under God they owe their spirituall How far then do they fall beneath themselves beneath Christians who will not so much as part with a little of their superfluities in such a case It is no more that is desired from you not the Widowes two Mites her whole livelihood all that she had but a little {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} of your abundance your superfluitie And hereof he that will not spare a little to so good a work must pardon me if I leave him where I finde him within the verge and compasse of this just Reprehension charging him to be in the number of those that will not be an healer of Israels breaches I have done with the first of these Vses which maketh way to the latter An Use of Exhortation wherein I should excite and exhort you and all true Israelites even all the Lords people amongst us that they would first desire secondly endeavour the healing of Israels breaches But this I must defer till another occasion ISRAELS CURE The third SERMON March 16. PSAL. 60. Vers 2. Heale the Breaches thereof for it shaketh THe healing of Israels breaches is a thing which every true Israelite should desire and endeavour This was the Conclusion which I insisted upon the last time I spake in this place prosecuting it both by way of Doctrine and Application The former of these I then dispatched the latter I entred upon but left imperfect Then insisting upon an Vse of Reprehension which I intended only as a needle to make way for and draw in a thred after it If that needle seemed then sharp to any pricking and smarting as it went let not them blame either it or me A Chrugion in searching a wound if he put his Patient to paine it is besides his intention who intends his Cure and not his smart but he cannot helpe it it will be so and being so it maketh the Cure the more hopefull because the part is sensible In which regard the chirurgion is not discouraged by it nor yet sorry for it though his Patient be And in this regard I must confesse and say as the blessed Apostle sometime to his Corinthians Though I made you sorry with a Letter saith he with a Sermon say I I do not repent This sorrow I trust shall prove unto you as theirs to them but temporarie {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} for a season and shall in the end produce the like effects so as you shall have cause to acknowledge what they found That you have received damage by us in nothing In the hopes hereof I now come to that which I pincipally intended when I first took this Text in hand A word of Exhortation which I shall direct generally indefinitely to all true Israelites even all the Lords people exciting and exhorting them that they would 1. Desire 2. Endeavour this Cure the Healing of Israels breaches the repairing and making up of these breaches which are amongst us at the present in this and the neighbour Kingdome whether Politicall Breaches or Ecclesiasticall Breaches Breaches in the State or Breaches in the Church how ever made or by whomsoever whether by strangers or Israelites seek we the healing of them This desire we this endeavour we First Desire it This doth David here for that Kingdom that State that Church whereof he was the Head and this do we for this Kingdom this State this Church whereof we are members And that we may do it Labour to be affected with it That we may seriously desire the Cure labour to be throughly affected with the Disease So was David with Israels Breaches very sensible of them and deeply affected with the apprehension of them And so have others of the Saints of God been in like cases First with Breaches made amongst themselves in or upon the Church or State where they lived It is the word which Jeremie must say unto the Jews Jer. 24. Thou shalt say this word unto them Let mine eyes run down with tears night and day and let them not cease for the virgin daughter of my people is broken with a very great Breach What ever the false prophets said unto them making light of that Breach that judgement threatned promising them that either it should not be or if it were yet it should be healed and made up well enough yet Jerimie for his part he layeth it to his own eyes and heart mourning over it being deeply affected with it and willeth all the rest of the Jews to doe the like Secondly with Breaches made upon others their brethren in other parts The divisions of Ruben were great thoughts of heart to all the rest of the Tribes The whole congregation of Israel even all the other Tribes they were sorry and repented for Benjamin because of that great Breach made upon that tribe And thus let us all of us be affected with the breaches at present made upon this and the neighbour Kingdom God hath broken in upon both breaking the one and rending the other O let these breaches be to all of us great thoughts of heart Take we notice of them and be we deeply affected with them which it is to be feared the greatest part amongst us as yet are nor Histories tell us of Archimedes the great Mathematicion that when the City Syracuse was sacked and plundred by the Romans the souldiers some of them breaking into the house and studie where he then was they found him so intent in drawing of lines and figures in the dust as that he took no notice either of the Cities losse or his own danger untill on of
them disdaining that seeming disrespect drew his sword and sheathed it in his bowels runing him through And is it not thus my brethren with some with multitudes amongst us at this day Whilest the neighbour Kingdom is on fire already and our owne in danger the fire of Gods wrath flaming in the one smoaking in the other fearfull breaches made in both breaches in the state and breaches in the Church threatning every one of us in our particulars insomuch as we may say of our selves as it is said of sea-men we know not whether to reckon our selves amongst the living or dead so eminent is our hazard so eminent our danger yet for all this they are wholly taken up with drawing of lines in the dust still wallowing and cumbling in dust minding nothing but earth burying themselves in the dust of worldly thoughts and imployment seeking their own things their own private lucre and gain the increasing of their estates the building and raysing of their houses In the mean time let heaven and earth go together let Church and state sinke or swim or clash one aganst the other to the breaking and drowning of both what care they they regard it not they are not affected with it Too plain an evidence against them that they are but as woden leggs or armes tyed on to this misticall body no true gemime living members of it Which if they were it could not be but that they should be sensible of the wounds and ruptures in it the breaches thereof so sensible of them as to be affected with them And thus let every of us labour to be that we may in the first place finde our Hearts working towards the healing and repairing of these breaches The heart must first work before the hand will work That we may put an hand to the healing of these breaches lay them to heart That we may both desire and indeavour the Cure let us be affected with the Disease Which that we may be let us consider and look upon it these three wayes even as Phisitians are wont to do upon the diseases of their Patients 1. In the Causes 2. In the Symptomes 3. In the Prognosticks of it In the Causes of it breeding and feeding it In the Symptomes or effects attending upon it going along with it In the Prognosticks or events portended by it and following upon it All these three wayes doth David here look upon Israels Disease her Breaches here in the Text First In the Cause of them which he found to be Gods displeasure and anger conceived against them and broke forth upon them for their sinnes O God thou hast cast us off thou hast scattered us thou hast been displeased viz. for our sins which is the onely cause of Gods displeasure So you have it Verse 1. Secondly In the Symptomes of it which were fearfull and terrible The earth trembled it was broken Riven and torn as it were with an Earthquake affected and afflicted with frequent and dangerous Commotions and distractions Verse 2. Thirdly In the Prognosticks of it It shaketh saith the Text i. e. presaging nothing but Ruine and downfall unlesse it be speedily underpropped and the Breaches thereof made up and Healed Thus did David looke upon Israels disease and hereupon it was that he was so deeply affected with it so earnestly desiring the Cure of it That we may be alike affected with the Breaches of our Israel look we also upon this Disease these three wayes First In the causes of it what is the true Cause of all these Breaches which do for the present lye upon this and the neighbour Kingdome Surely it is no other than that which David here pitcheth upon even the wrath and displeasure of God conceived against us for our sins Other Causes may be assigned as Instrumentall but these are the chiefe and principall In Israels case David was not ignorant that some Forraigne enemies Moabites Edomites Philistines together with some of his own Kingdom Israelites that seditious partie which cleaved to the House of Saul had an hand in making and maintaining those Breaches Yet see he rests not here his thoughts rise higher to the first and Primary cause which sets them awork and that he findes to be Gods displeasure against that Kingdom for the sinnes thereof In this and the neighbour Kingdom there have been and are many Instuments which have had hands in making and maintaining there Breaches even all those Breach-makers which I named before yet alas these are but Instruments which move as they are moved the Chiefe and Principal cause is the just anger and Displeasure of God conceived against us for sin And so let us conceive of it When the Plague was broke forth in the Camp of Israel beginning to make a Breach upon them Moses presently tells Aaron There is wrath gone out from the Lord What ever plague or Judgement in what kinde soever it be breaketh in upon a Nation it is but a token and effect of wrath even Divine wrath the wrath of God It is the breath of the Lord which kindleth these Tophets And kindling them bloweth them up It is wrath which both maketh and maintaineth these Breaches Wrath conceived for our sins that is the fewell which this firetaketh hold and feedeth upon Gods wrath taketh hold upon mans sins Where no wood is there the fire goeth out were there no sin there would be no wrath For this is it that the wrath of God cometh upon perticular persons who being sinners bynature they are also by nature children of wrath and being sinners by Practie they are made vessels of wrath treasuring up unto themselves wrath even that wrath which is and shall be revealed from Heaven against all unrighteousnesse of man This wrath is and shall be powred out upon the heads of men for their sins Because of these things saith the Apostle speaking of sinfull lusts cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience And as upon particular persons so upon whole Kingdoms and Nations Never did the wrath of God break forth upon Israel but when he was provoked by their sins The Breach first ever begun on their part in their breaking Covenant with God Still they break with God in breaking his Lawes before he brake in upon them by his judgements which were ever sent onely to avenge the quarrel of his covenant as the Lord himself telleth them And surely my Brethren here is the first rise and spring of all those Evils which either already are Broken in upon us or else do threaten us They are no other but tokens and effects of Gods displeasure against us for sin And so conceive we of all these Breaches at which God himself having been long provoked seemeth now to be breaking in upon us to aveng the quarrell of his Covenant which we have violated and and broken Here are the Causes of this disease In the second place look we upon
seeke the Peace of Babylon Seek the Peace of the Citie whither I have caused you to be carried away Captive Pray unto the Lord for it why for in the peace thereof ye shall have peace And for this reason should all of us be earnest in seeking the peace of Jerusalem the peace of the Church the peace of the State wherein we live In the peace thereof we shall have peace On the other hand if they miscarry none of us but will feel of it It is Mordecaies message to Hester which he useth as an argument to put her on and cause her to break through all discouragements and fears in seeking and endeavouring the rescue and deliverance of Gods people her Country-men the Jews Think not with thy self saith he that thou shalt escape in the Kings house more than all the Jews The Court the Kings house should be no Sanctuary to her No more shall any of our Estates which we have or the places where we live or any other outward priviledge be unto us and therfore think not of taking Sanctuary in any of these as our foolish carnall hearts are very apt and ready to do thereby eluding and bearing off the blow of Gods threatnings so as they take no place with us to cause us to seek the averting and turning of them away No if it go il with the Church with the State it cannot go wel with us Think not to escape in our particulars If a ship founder and sink at sea all the passengers which are in it for the most part perish with it And in that respect there is none but will be more solicirous and carefull for the ship it selfe then for their own Cabins for the stopping of the leakes in the one then the chinks in the other And in this regard Christians should be more solicirous for the publique weale then for their owne private wealth bonum quo communius The Common-wealth should be preferred before a mans owne private wealth and much more the Church the house of God as the Apostle calleth it before our own houses so was the Psalmist who ever it was that penned that Psalm affected towards Jerusalem If I prefer not Jerusalem before my chiefe joy the head or top of my joy as the Originall hath it Thus should we stand affected towards the Church of God preferring the welfare thereof before our own welfare making it as the top of our joy so the top of our care and desire and feare If it go well with the Church wherein we live it will goe the better with us our private happinesse is bound up in the publique peace and tranquility thereof In the peace thereof we shall have peace Seek and endevour this cure for our own sakes Seeke it in the second place for our brethrens sake For my brethren and companions sake saith the Psalmist If it went well with Jerusalem not onely David and his Family but all the inhabitants in Jerusalem nay all the people of God in the whole Land of Israel or where ever they were they should fare the better for it And for this cause seeke we the peace and welfare of this our Israel the Kingdom wherein we live that the breaches thereof may be healed Seek it for our brethren and Companions sake our Brethren at home our Brethren abroad not only those of the same Nation in Forraign parts but all others of the same Religion with us even all the true Churches of Christ throughout the World all which have a venture in this bottome being greatly interested in the woe or wel-fare of this Church If we compare all the Protestant Churches to a Fleet or Navie of Ships as fitly in many respects they may be In this Fleet the Church of England must needes be acknowledged to be the Admirall having long carried the Flag in the Main-top and having been a security and Protection to many other Churches I wish I could have said to all which have come under her Lee Now the Admirall miscarrying oftentimes indangers the whole Fleet Certainly all the Forraign Churches how ever they have not a dependance upon this Church for their being in that respect they being all independent all Sisters Daughters of the same Father Churches of God I and of the same Mother too daughters of that Jerusalem which is above which is the Mother of us all and in that like Zelephehads daughters joynt-heirs in their Fathers Inheritance none having power over other nor priority before other yet in respect of their well being they seeme to have If it goe ill with this Church so as that miscarry there is none of the Churches of Christ this day under Heaven but are like to feele of it and as things now stand to smart for it Oh for our brethren and Companions sake let us seek the Peace of Jerusalem the healing of the breaches of this our Israel And this doe we in the third place for Religions sake Because of the house of the Lord our God saith the Psalmist i. e. the Tabernacle and Temple the Religion worship and service of God whereof Jerusalem then was the seat If Jerusalem went to wrack what should become of the Religion of God the publique exercise of it God having chosen that to be the place to put his name in Let the same argument prevaile with us to make us seeke the peace of this our Israel by indeavouring the healing of the breaches both of Church and State amongst us This doe we because of the house of the Lord our God The publique exercise and profession of the true Religion of God depends upon it which cannot but suffer if the state suffer if the Church suffer as now for the present it doth and is likely more to doe if it be not speedily remedied by these unhappy divisions and distractions amongst us In the midst of these how shall we thinke that the Religion of God shall grow The Temple was built without the noise of Axe or hammer when it was built axes and hammers were fatall to it at lest to the beautie of it They breake downe the carved worke thereof with axes and hammers saith Asaph by a propheticall eye and tongue foreseeing and foretelling the destruction of the Temple And what doth the noise of axes and hammers amongst us at this day presage I meane those sharpe and eager contentions divisions distractions Certainly if these be not silenced and quieted they will indanger at least our carved worke the beautie of our Church and Religion In the meane time we are sure they hinder the growth and progresse of it You know what it was that hindred the building of Babel and the same meanes will hinder the building of Jerusalem the Church of God the Religion of God confusion division Division of tongues and hearts Oh because of the house of the Lordour God the Religion of God professed amongst us therefore seeke we the peace of Jerusalem
case as Aaron and Hur were to Moses in that to uphold both the hand and head of it to make it steady The one is the Power of God the other his Promise 1. The Power of God this he can do The disease indeed is dangerous and Cure difficult but not exceeding the skill of this great Phifician who can put life into a dying nay a dead bodie He that said unto those dry bones live and to Lazarus after his foure dayes buriall Come forth He can much more put life again into this our languishing dying State and Church He can do it True this we doubt not of I but the question is touching his Will 2. For that in the second place take a promise which if we shall yet but performe the condition it may give us at least comfortable hopes should I say assurance it would bear me out that God will make it good to us And me thinks there are rayes and beames of comfort shining in and streaming from the face of that promise in as much as God hath in part already wrought for us and amongst us that worke which there he calls for from us You have it 2 Chr. 7. 14. If my people which are called by my name or upon whom my Name is called shall humble themselves and pray and seeke my face and turn from their wicked wayes then will I hear from Heaven and will forgive their sinne and heale their Land The former part hereof blessed be God it hath beene in measure already done as by the Representative bodie of the Kingdome the heads of our Tribes so by a considerable number of others of all sorts even all the Lords people amongst us whose hearts the Lord hath touched and stirred up to stand in these breaches They have endeavoured to humble themselves and pray and seeke the face of God this they have done privately and this they have done publickly upon those solemne dayes of Publick humiliation set apart by Authority to that purpose for which I hope this Nation shall have cause to blesse the God of Heaven for ever Oh! that the second part were but now performed that we were all of us from the highest to the lowest turned from our wicked wayes that we had but given a Bill of divorce to all those wrath-provoking sins which cry for vengeance against us then might we with confidence set faith a worke to apply and lay hold upon that promise That God will hear in Heaven and forgive cur sin and heal our Land In the hopes wherof yet raise we up our drooping spirits not suffering our hearts to dye within us as Nabals once did when he heard what Davids intention was in coming against him Let us rather stirre up our selves to act Ahigals part to interpose our selves using all the wayes and means which God shall direct us to for the appeasing of his wrath for the procuring of his favour that through this his power and goodnesse the breaches of our Israel may be so healed and his face may so shine upon us that we may be saved For other Directions I must deferre them till another occasion ISRAELS CURE The fourth SERMON March 23. PSAL. 60. Ver. 2. Heale the Breaches thereof THe healing of Israels breaches is a Cure which every true Israelite should earnestly desire and seriously endeavour This is the maine conclusion which my eye was upon when I first tooke this Text in hand Some time I have spent upon it already prosecuting it both by way of Doctrine and Application The latter of these I directed two waves By way of Reprehension Exhortation With the first of these we have done and have made some way into the latter Exciting and stirring up all sorts of Persons to the desire and endeavour of this blessed Cure the healing of the breaches amongst us in this and the neighbour Kingdom whether in Church or State To set on this Exhortation I made use of some Arguments and Motives tending and serving to set an edge both upon your desires and endeavours that both your hearts and hands might work this way Having layed this foundation I came to build upon it For your direstion shewing you First Wherein this Cure consisteth and how it must be effected specially the Cure of the Church which is properly my Patient at present viz. by Revealing unto it and upon it abundance of peace and truth Secondly What you are to do for the furthering of this Cure in this way This latter I entred upon the last day and but entred then only chaulking out the way wherein I intended to walk which is to lay you downe some Rules and directions which may be usefull unto you in this way Those I ranged into two Ranks dividing them into two sorts some Restorative others Preservative The former directing to the making up of Breaches already made the other to the preventing of Breaches for the time to come We have begun to bring up the former Rank Restorative directions which again are of two sorts Some of them concerning our selves others of them concerning others viz. those which are or have been breach-makers amongst us teaching us how to demean and order our selver towards them Of the former of these I have given you one and but one which I laid down as a fiting Preparative to make way for all the rest Which is That we should have faith to be healed It is said of our blessed Saviour that when he came into his own Countrey Patriam nutrition is the place where for a time he was educated and brought up Nazareth He did not many mighty works there saith St. Mathew He could not do them saith St. Marke Why Because of their unbeliefe Unbeliefe doth after a sort break the arme and evacuate the power of the omnipotent God putting a kinde of impossibilitie upon things otherwise possible Whereas on the other hand faith putteth a possibility upon things in appearance to flesh and bloud impossible If thou canst beleeve saith our Saviour to the father of the Demoniack all things are possible to him that beleeveth Let not us then through our unbeliefe either weaken the power or make voyd the promise of God If ye will not beleeve surely ye shall not be established saith the Lord to Ahaz and his people in a like case And if we will not beleeve surely we shall not be healed And therfore stirre we up our hearts to Beleeving Even against hope beleeving in hope as it is said of the Father of the faithfull Still resting upon the power and mercie of God for the pardoning of our sins and healing of our Land which he is easily able to do only beleeve Said I not unto thee saith our Saviour to Martha objecting unto him the impossibility of her Brother Lazarus his Resurrection after his four dayes buriall Said I not unto thee saith he that if thou wouldst beleeve thou shouldst see the
is the wisdome of those who shall contend so hotly and eagerly for some truths being not of the foundation nor neere it as that in the meane time they regard not the setting all on fire rather then part with them Certainly they which will not in a good sence be content to part with some truths and those it may be usefull ones for peace they are not worthy of it nor yet must ever looke to enjoy it upon earth Let it not be mistaken loath I am that any in the darknesse either of ignorance or prejudice should stumble at this truth of parting with truth Part with it How Not by abjuring denying any Truth against conscience This a man may not doe upon any tearmes Peace of conscience must be maintained what ever it cost But by not avowing not openly contending and contesting for it whether by Profession or Practice And for this I thinke we shal need no other warrant then that rule and direction of the Apostle Rom. 14. Hast thou faith have it to thy selfe Faith i. e. acknowledge and assurance either of the truth or lawfulnesse of something indifferent which thou canst not either professe or practice without the offence and scandall of thy weake Brother to the breaking of Peace In this case saith the Apostle have this saith to thy selfe enjoy thine owne knowledge and perswasion but keepe it to thy selfe not letting it breake forth to the scandall of others much lesse to the indangering of the Churches Peace which ought to be of more price and value to us then many of these Truths It is the speech of Elkanah to Hannah his wife when she was so inordinately desirous of a Son that nothing else could give her content Am not I better to thee then ten Sonnes i. e. then many children The like may the Church of God say unto us Am not I better unto you then many children then many fruits and conceptions of your own braines I though issues of truth This I speake not that I would have Truth any truth which I acknowledge to be a part of the image of God sleighted and undervalued Goldsmiths will not cast away the dust and filings of their gold and silver No more should Christians cast away such ends and shreads of truth as God either hath or shall be pleased to reveale unto them Onely my aime is that I would have a higher price set upon Peace then for the most part it is bought and sold at This I am sure what ever may be said for some truths truths of the new Covenant for of them onely it can be said was a peece of that great purchase purchased by the blood of Christ He is our peace saith the Apostle i. e. the Author of it our Peace-maker making peace as it followeth vers. 15. And this he hath done by and through the bloud of Christ as the same Apostle hath it there purchasing peace and not only peace with God but peace with and amongst men Of that peace the Apostle speaketh in that 2 to the Ephesians Peace betixt Jews and Gentiles making them one To this end Christ came downe from Heaven to earth to make peace as in heaven so upon earth Glory be to God on high on earth peace so sings that Quire of Angels at the birth of our Saviour This he purchased and having purchased it he left it bequeathed it Peace I leave with you my peace I give unto you saith he to his Disciples when he was to take his last farewell of the world and them And let not us any of us slight this Legacie we will not do so by th Legacie of a dying friend If it be a Ring an embleme of union and concord we will weare it for his sake And shall we not do the like by the Legacie of a dying Saviour make much of it make use of it and be content to part with something for it for the keeping of it if enjoyed for the recovery of it if lost By this means shall we much further this blessed Cure the filling and making up of the breaches in this our Israel by casting every one something into them every one himselfe I have done with the directions which meerly concerne our selves which if they may but be taken and kept not naufeated and cast up again as tuely stomachs are wont to deal with their distastefull Potions I doubt not but that they will have a kindely working conducing much towards the cure desired and intended Passe we in the second place to such directions as may concern others viz. those which are or have been breach-makers amongst us concern them not as agents but as patients teaching us how we are to order and demean our selves towards them what we are to do to them for them or against them for the effecting of this Cure These Breach-makers as I have alreay shewn you the Instrumentall causes of the present breaches in this our Israel they are of two sorts Either Strangers or Israelites Strangers professed enemies to our Religion or Israelites such as professing the same Religion with us for substance have beene through weaknesse seduced and drawne aside either from the wayes of Truth or Peace Now what shall be done to the one and to the other For answer hereunto I shall have recourse againe to the Type in the Text observing what course David here pitcheth upon and intendeth to run with both these which were the causes of those Breaches in tha this Kingdom Strangers Israelites he would deale with both but after a different manner subduing the one reducing the other So you shall finde it in the 6 7 8 verses of the Psalm As for those which were enemies to his Kingdom Moabites Edomites c. He would subdue them and bring them under by force So much is intended in those two emphaticall expressions verse 8. Moab is my wash pot over Edom wil I cast out my shoe Each importing a servile and contumelious subjection as Expositers note upon it Moab should be his wash pot a vessell to wash his feet in according to the custome of those Eastern Countries then and now i. e. the Moabites they being conquered should be imployed about base services and servile offices Over Edom he would cast out his shoe i. e. passe through it as a Conquerour trampling upon it treading down the Inhabitants under foot handling them in a disgracefull and contumelious way as they had done the people of God before Thus would he deale with the professed enemies of his Kingdom As for his own people that seditious party of Israelites which cleaved to the house of Saul he would use means to reduce them to bring them under his Government I will divide Shechem and mete out the valley of Succoth so you have it verse 6. i. e. I will possesse my selfe of them and rule over them not as a Conquerour and Slaves but as a Lord over subjects
as a Father over Children owing and acknowledging them as mine Gilead is mine and Manasseth is mine ver. 7. i. e. they are my Inheritance and shall be my people my subjects This was the course which David intended to take with these Breach-makers for the making up of the Breaches in his Kingdom And from him learn we what course is to be taken with the Breach-makers amongst us whether in this or the neighbour Kingdom 1. For Strangers Moabites Edomites professed enemies to our Religion the only way is to subdue them and that by bringing under some and keeping under others Those which have been or are the disturbers and troublers of our peace whether in Church or State The Malignant-party of Papists and their Adherents amongst us which have shewed themselves active in these disturbances the way is to bring them under to cast the shoe over them putting a yoak upon their necks Not that I intend what I have no warrant for to excite and stir up any to the unchristian exercises of savage cruelty or yet rigour so to repay them in their own coyne as to return cruelty for cruelty Yet in the mean time I must subscribe to the equitie of that divine Law the Law of Retaliation Levit. 24. As a man hath done so shall it be done unto him againe Breach for breach c. Those which have made a Breach upon us to make a breach upon them were no injustice It is Gods own order to Moses Vex the Midianites and smite them for they vex you with their wiles And it is Joshuahs speech to Achan why hast thou troubled us the Lord shall trouble thee this day Thus to deale with the Midianites the Achans who ever they have been which have vexed and troubled our Israel to vex them to smite them were but sustice But this I leave to the wisedom of Superiours to our Moses and Joshuahs of whom I may say as David did of and to his Son Solomon in a like case They are wise and know what they ought to do unto them To them I referre this act of justice and that as for the suppressing and bringing under of some so for the Repressing and keeping under of others such as being of the same disposition acted and moved by the same principles want nothing but the opportunitie either for the cherishing and fomenting of these or else the kindling and breeding of new distractions Only for our selves let us all of us remember that solemne Vow and Covenant which of late we have made and entred into for the joynt defence of our Royall Soveraign His Parliament and Kingdomes Gods Religion against all that shall rise up against them And remembring it let us by all lawfull wayes and means according to the severall ranks and stations wherein God hath set us be ready to perform it Passe we in the second place to the Breach-makers amongst our selves Israelites our Brethren such as have been and are seduced and drawn aside either from the wayes of Truth or Peace and that through weaknesse Such I have now to deal with not presumptuous malicious opposites to whom the Psalmist would have no mercy extended Be not mercifull unto them which offend of malicious wickednesse so the old Translation reads it but such as erre and stray through infirmity And for such what shall we do to them or for them To this I answer in the generall Seek to Reduce them to heale them That which is lame or turned out of the way let it be healed Heb. 12. And this do we in as gentle and tender away as possibly may be even as we would deal with a bone out of joynt It is the Apostles one Metaphor If any man be overtaken with a fault restore such a one {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Put him in joynt again And this do as it there followeth in the spirit of meeknesse Q But how shall this be effected Ans. For the answer let me descend into particulars shewing you distinctly what every one should do in this case 1. What Publick persons are to do 2. What private For the former Publick person are Magistrates Ministers Begin with the former Magistrates Rulers who being by office as Healers so Shepheards Cyrus my Shepheard they ought to have a care for the reducing and bringing home of straying wandring sheep And to this purpose let me commend unto them a two-fold Direction In the first place let them take stumbling blockes out of the way such as are so in truth what ever it is which being a just ground or obvious occasion of scandall hath either caused any to stray or else confirmeth them in their straying so either making or maintaining these breaches for the reducing of the one and healing of the other this must be removed And this is properly the Magistrates work to do or see done Expresse is that of the Prophet Isaiah Isa. 57. Where the Lord speaking to Darius and Cyrus as Mr. Calvin and others interpret it giveth them this in charge that they should remove and take away all the Remoraes and stumbling-blocks out of the way of his people even what ever might hinder their passage out of Babylon or return to Canaan He i. e. the Lord shall say cast ye up cast ye up prepare the way take up the stumbling-block out of the way of my people What ever it is that may keep any of the Lords people in Babylon or upon the Confines and Borders of Babylon keep them from coming out or else make others to think of returning thither again it ought to be removed and taken out of the way Such are all Reliques Monuments Showes and apparances of Idolatrie and Superstition And all these it is the Magistrates dutie to see removed and taken away This being done then in the second place Let them set up a Standard so the same Prophet prosecuring the same charge elsewhere he willeth that for the reducing of the people of God and gathering them into one bodie they should erect and list up a Standard for them Prepare the way c. Gather off the stones i. e. the stumbling stones and lift up a standard for or over the people so I read it according to the Originall not of but for or over the people A Metaphor taken from Princes who gather their Subjects or Commanders who gather their Souldiers into a Warlike posture and order by setting up a Standard which they may repair unto and follow whether it shall be carried before them So you read of the Standard of the Camp of the Children of Judah which was carried in the Front of the Armie Such a Standard should the Commanders of the Lords Armie his Church set up for his people But what Standard why even that saith Bullinger writing upon that Text of the Prophet Esay which Simeon speaks of in the 2. Luke Behold this
that the Truth of God hath beene detained and withheld in unrighteousnesse not finding fruits worthy of it answerable unto it That some have gone about to set up Gods Arke and their Dagon together That others have polluted the Ordinances of God handling them as the Philistines did the Ark with common uncircumcised hands Certainly had wee no other sins these were inough to kindle all that wrath which is either broke forth upon us or else smoaking against us Now therefore that we may be healed Let us make a returne of the Arke of God indeavouring to restore the worship and Religion of God to Primitive Libertie Puritie Power And let us returne it with a Trespasse-offering a Present And what shall this Present bee Why even that which the Apostle calleth for from his Romans That {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} that Living Sacrifice holy and acceptable unto God even Our selves our Bodies our Soules Present and give up both unto God binding our selves by solemne vow and Covenant to a closer walking with and before him so to walke as Becometh the Gospell bringing forth those fruits of Holinesse and Righteousnesse which may bee by Iesus Christ to the prayse and Glory of God Thus Returne we unto him who is the God of our health And Returning to him in the third place let us also Rest upon him In Returning and Resting shall yee bee saved saith the Lord to his people Returning to God Rest wee upon him and him alone In vaine to Rest elsewhere In vaine is the helpe of man saith the Psalmist Vers 11. of this Psalme So David apprehended it in the case of his Kingdome So desperate were the Breaches therein that they were past his Cure David a wise and a gracious Prince one that wished as well to Israel as ever did Cing to his Kingdome and no question hee wanted not a wise and faithfull Counsell which were both able and willing to advise him for the best yet so desperate was the condition of that Kingdome that it was past all their skill to know how to heale it In vaine was the helpe of man And therefore hee betakes himselfe unto God looking up unto him and resting upon him It is not our King or his Great Councell I speake it with a reverent boldnesse though the one Gracious and the other many wise that can heale the breaches in this our Israel All that they can doe is to wish well to the Case and put forth their hands to worke In the meane time it is God that must worke the Cure As it is said of that strange Cure of the Kings-Evil Tangit te Rex Sanat te Deus The King may touch but it is God must Cure And therefore though wee seeke and sue to them and looke at them as Instruments whose hands God maketh use of yet let us not rest upon them being but an Arme of flesh To rest upon the Arme of flesh is the next way to breake it I will not say that this hath beene the means to breake this Arme of flesh heretofore But this I suppose I may say that our overmuch looking at leaning and resting upon Parliaments hath been neither advantageous to us nor them David will make use of his Bow but hee will not trust in it I will not trust in my bow No though a bow of steele the strongest metall and best for that purpose Such is the bow wee must acknowledge which is at the present ready bent for our good An excellent bow promising much yet trust wee not in it It beeing a bow subject to bee broken So was Davids bow though of steele yet hee could breake it A bow of steele is broken by mine armes And such is this bow a bow which being in the hands of God he can breake at pleasure Hee breaketh the bow What herein hee hath so frequently done before our eyes shewes sufficiently what he can doe It matters not what any may thinke of it now that this bow is better strung then formerly yet still is it subject to bee broken Who is there but seeth some flawes in it already Those unhappy Misunderstandings betwixt the Royall Head and Loyall Members of that Representative Bodie which what eye seeth and mourneth not over what care heares of and tingleth not at make the best and least of them they are flawes and these flawes ill Presages shewing that this bow is subject to bee broken It is one of the threatnings which the Lord menaceth Israel with Am. 6. Behold the Lord commandeth saith the Prophet and hee will smite he Great House with breaches and the little or lesser House with Clefts The Great House and the lesser House what meanes the Prophet hereby M. Calvin and some others by the former of these understand their Nobles by the latter their Commons both which the Lord there threatens to divide breake This God can doe by these two Houses in any Kingdome in this Kingdome though never so well anchord and bound together by never so many tyes and bonds Naturall Civill Politicke Religious yet if hee give the word at his command they shall bee smitten with breaches with Clefts divided rent broken This they are subject to And therefore learne wee to looke higher looking at them not to trust in them Nor yet in any other secondary cause or meanes what ever This was the sinne of the Jewes charged upon them by the Prophet Isay when they saw the breaches of the citie of Ierusalem that they were many they used means to repayre them Pulling downe their houses to fortifie the wall as you have it Vers 10. But marke what follows Vers 11. yee have not looked unto the maker thereof neither had respect unto him that fashioned it long agoe They trusted more in their owne fortifications carnall meanes of safety then in God himselfe A vaine thing so to doe It is not the Arme of flesh in these cases that can helpe or heale It is that which the Lord telleth Ephraim or Israel 5. Hos. When Ephraim saw his wickednesse and Judah his wound Then went Ephraim to the Assyrian and sent to King Jareb yet could hee not heale you nor cure you of your wound And why I will bee unto Ephraim as a Lyon saith the Lord and as a young Lion to the house of Juda and I will teare and goe away If God being provoked against a Nation shall give it over unto confusion being unto it as a Lion and as a young Lion rending and tearing it will be in vaine to send abroad for Cure In this Case wee may say of all helpers and healers as Job doth of his friends They are Physitians of no value not able to doe us any good And therefore let it be our care first to seeke unto God Returning unto him thereby seeking to pacifie and appease his wrath Tranquillus Deus tranquillat omina Make peace in heaven
â—â—st 4. 13 1 Tim. 3. 15 Psa. 137. 6 2. For our Brethrens sake Gal. 4. 26. Num. 27. 3. For Religions sake 1 Kin. 6. 7. Psa. 74. 6. Gen. 11. 7. Q How shall the Churches breaches be healed A. Meanes of cure By abundance of peace and truth Ier. 6. 14. Seek after both these Peace and Truth 1 Pe. 3. 11 Pro. 23 23 See the next Sermon Both together 1 Th. 5. 3. Quest Answ. Directions for furthering this Cure in this way Two sorts of them 1. Restorative 2. Preservative The former concerning 1. Our selves 2. Others A Prepative Dir. 1. Have Faith to be healed Act. 14. 9. Quest Ex. 17. 12. Answ Faiths supporters in this case two The powor of God Eze. 37. 4. Ioh. 11. 43 His Promise 2 Chr. 7. 14. 1 Sam. 25. 37. vers. 18. Psa. 80. 3. Dir. 1. Have faith to be healed Mat. 13. last Mar. 6. 5. Mar. 9. 23 Isa. 79. Ro. 4. 18. Iohn 11. 40. Iam. 2. 20. 2â— 2. la 5. 15 16. Pray the breaches whole Vers 16. Luk. 7. 6. 7. 2 Chr. 7. 14. Ioyn fastâ—ng to our Prayers 1 Tim. 4. 8. Morbi qui medianon curantur medecina curentur Fernel Math. 17. â—1 Exod. 32. 10. Iob 41. 3. Ioh. 9. 30. Dir. 3. Make up our owne breaches getting our owne sins healed Isa. 59. 2. Ioshua 7. Luke 4. 23. 2 Chr. 7. 14. Specially publick persons Isa. 3 6. 7. Whose sins have a dangerous influence upon the Publicke State Psa. 5. 18. Exod. 32. 25. 2 Sa. 24. 15. Dir. 4. Every one cast in something into these breaches Luke 22. 1. Every man himseie viz. His owne will Luke 9. 23. Selfe the greatest breach-maker therefore ought to be sacrificed 2 Pe. 2. 10 2 Sa. 20. 21. Doctor Staughtons Sermon upon 1â—2 Psal. verse 6. Hoâ— truth may and â—ught to be parted with for Peace Ro. 14. 22. 1 Sa. 1. 8. Peace purchased with the bloud of Christ Eph. 2. 14. vers. 15. Col. 1. 20. Luk. 2. 14. Joh. 14. 27 2. Directions concerning breach-makers what to do them Davids course with the breach-makers in his Kingdome Calvin Mollerus Somnius 1. Prosessed enemies subdue them Lev. 24. 19 20. Nu. 25. 16 Iosh. 7. 25 1 Kin. 2. 9 2. Seduced Brethren Psal. 59. 5. Quest Ans. Reduce them Heb. 12. 13. With gentlenesse Gal. 6. 1. What to be done to this end Directions for Magistars in this case Isa. 41. last 1. Take stumbiing blocks out of the way Isa. 57. 14 2. Set up a Standard for the people Isa. 62. vers. 10. {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Super populos Num. 10. 14. viz. Christ in his ordinances Luk. 23. 34. Num. 21. 9. Ioh. 3. 14 Deu. 10. 8. 31. 9. Gal. 3. 1. This is the only way of gathering the people Mat. 23. 37. vers. 7. Let Iudah be the Law-giver Ge. 49. 10 Reve. 5. 5. 2. Directions for ministers Iere. 6. 14 Eze. 34. v. 2 7 8. c. Mat. 18. 12. 1. Let them be blamelesse in their lives 1 Tim. 3. 2. Tit. 2. 13. 1 Pet. 5. 3. 1 Sa. 2. 17 Exod. 28. 36. 38. 2 Painfull in their Callings a Luke 2. 8. b Acts 20. 28. c Ib. verse 31. 2 Tim 4. 5. Num. 4. 11. 2 Sam. 6. v. 6. 8. 2 Tim. 4. 2. 3. Meck and wise in their carriage Mat. 10. 16. 2 Tim. 2. 24. Meek bearing with infirmities of weake Brethren Luke 15. 5. 2 Tim. 2. 25 26 Wise not feeding their weaknesse I am 3. 13. Acts 16 3. Gal. 2. 34. 1 Cor. 9. v. 19 20 21 22. Gal. 2. 12. * The use of the Lords Prayer A warrant for speaking against Brownists whom meant thereby Masters Balls Answer to Master Cans Treatises in the Answer to the Epistles Brownists doe more credit to Antichrist then his chiefe upholders Directions for Private persons 1. Walke in meeknesse Ephes. 4. 1 2. 2. In Wisedome Col. 4. 5. 1 Joh. 2. 19. Gal 1. 12 13. Preservative Directions Joh. 5. 14. For Magistrates Keepe the way cleare from stumbling-blocks by asserting Christian libertie Not suffering Conscience to bee pressed with unnecessary Burdens Acta 15. Vers 28. 29. 2. Having set up a Standard let them make it a Standard Deut. 12. 8. Judg. last cap. and Verse 1 King 7. 27. 30. 37. Prov. 25. 11. {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Super Rotis suit Montan. Directions for Ministers 1. Let them look and goe right forwards 1 Sam. 6. 12. Phil. 2. â—1 Luâ—e 2. 14. Labour for unitie amongst themselves Maintaining the credit eaâ—h of other Rom. 14. 3. Avoyding Pulpit-jars Publicke contests M. Hilderch m. Lect. 65. upon Ioh. 4. cap. Acts 20. 20. Comment. sup 1 Sam. in Ep. Dedicat. Directions for Private Persos 1. Labour for Humble hearts Prov. 13. 10. c. 28. v. 25. Rom. 12. 16. Not minding high things above their reach CondesceÌ„ding to weak Christians 2 Cor. 12. 9. Rom. 14. 4. 1 Cor. 12. 22 c. Not being wise in their own Conceits Prov. 3. 7. Esay 5. 21. 2. Follow Holinesse Heb. 12. 14. Studie quietnesse 1 Th. 4. 11. 1 Tim. â— 13. 1 Cor. 7. 20. 24. Beware of Minister-worship 1 Cor. 1. 12. 1 Cor. 3. 5. 1 Tim. 5. 17. Heb. 13. 17. Ministers made Idols 4. wayes See M. Hildershâ—m 66. Lect. upon Joh. 4. Distinguish betwixt a Tender and Scrupulous Conscience D. God is the Healer of Israels Breaches Psal. 103. 6. 1 King 20. 5. Exod. 15. 26. Psal. 41. 4. Psal. 147. 3. Psal. 46. 9. 147. 14. Isa. 30 26. Jer. 30. 17. Jer. 32. 39. R. Hee wounds and Healeth Deur 32. 39. 2 King 5. 7. Hos. 6. 1. This Cure is his though effected by Instruments and means Psal. 107. 20. Mat. 8. 8. Vse 1. Despaire not of a Cure for this and the neighbour Kingdome Icr. 17. 14. Ier. 51. 9. Ier. 15. 18. Lam. 2. 13. Rev. 18. 11. Acts 9. 39. 2 Joh. 3. Psal. 27. 10. Psal. 90. 3. Ier. 30. 12 13. v. 17. Gen. 41. 20. Psal. 121. 1. Hos. 13. 9. Ps. 124. v. last Vse 2. 1. Seek this Cure from God Psal. 6. 2. 2 Chro. 16. 12. Psal. 41. 4. Not but that we may seek it from men Ioh. 4 47. 1 Cor. 9. 2. Acts 17. 28. Ier. 30. 13. 2. Goe our selves unto God Returning unto him 2 Kings 5. 9. Is 19. 22. Hos. 6. 1. Joel 2. 12 13 14. 2 Chro. 7. 14. 1 Sam. 6. 3. Rom. 12. 1. 2. Phil. 1. 27. Vers 11. 3. Rest upon him for this Cure Is 30. 15. Psal. 60. 11. Jer. 17. 5. Not upon Instruments being but an Arme of flesh subject to bee broken Psal. 44. 6. Psal. 18. 34. Job 20. 24. Psal. 18. 34. Psal. 46. 9. Amos 6. 11. Proceres Gregarios seu Plebeios Calvin Gualt. Is 22. 9 10 11. Hos. 5. 13. Ver. 14. Job 13. 4. Esay 28. 16. Give God the Glory of the Cure if ever effected D. Israel subject to shakings Exod. 19. 18. Mat. 16. 18. 2 Sam. 6. 8. 1 Chron. 13. 9. Breaches are shakings The Church subject to shakings through Satans malice Iob 1. 19. 2. Through Gods Providence hereby 1. Sometimes manifesting his displâ—asure Mat. 27. 51. 2. Purging his Church 3. Humbling his people and so preparing theÌ„ for some speciall mercy 1 King 19. 11 12. Vse Be we affected with the shaking of our Israel Seek the healing of her Breaches 2 Sam. 6. Every one in his Place Esay 58. 12. Phil. 49.