in preaching though the more he loves the lesse he is beloved How often doe wee finde Moses on his face for the people of Israel when they by murmuring and mutuning did spit in his face Stephen wee see on his knees for his persecutors pouring out his prayers and life together Can you drinke of the Cup that I shall drink of saith our Saviour Wee can But can you pray also for those that make you drink of it This wee hardly can yet this wee must if wee will be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Disciples indeed John 8.31 Wee must pray for those that persecute us Father forgive them for they know not what they doe Pray you say But how Why 1. With an intense retirednesse setting your selves to prayer making it your businesse to pray withovt ceasing as the Church for Peter Act. 12. And as Samuel for Israel God forbid that I should cease praying 2. With an intimate compassionatenesse emptying your selves in prayer through a quicke and active sense of the peoples dangers My leannesse my leannesse wee is me These two intimations wee have from those two holy advantages which Jeremy aymed at in his cottage in the wildernesse The first was an holy retirednesse unto prayers and teares for ver 1. he wishes his eyes a fountain of teares and in the Text he wishes for some solitary place to powre them out in It is not enough to pray but we should pray in teares and to pray in teares we should retire our selves to it as to our worke Could I here reach my brethren in their Cottages I would bespeake from them this holy improvement of their retirednesse to pray for those whom they have left those that are at ease in Sion that drink their wine in bowles and forget Joseph in the stocks It is an happy leasure wherein wee are set on work for God and a blessed sequestration from the world by which wee have more commerce with Heaven 2. Jeremy foreseeing Jerusalems misery wishes himselfe in the wildernesse that he might not see it as good old Cato hearing of Romes overthrow being blinde and uncapable to see it wished himselfe dease too that he might not have heard it The miseries of unkinde people as they are better discerned so they are more pittied by good Ministers then by themselves The Physitian sees more into the danger of the patient then the patient himselfe doth and when the patient desires such things as would kill him the Physitian studies all meanes to cure him The watchmen on the walls see further then those in the Citie and though the people doe rest secure in their sinnes yet they that watch for their soules will not suffer God to be at rest for them Moses is contending with God for Israels safety when Israel was dancing before their Idoll senslesse both of their finne and judgement approaching My Brethren I will onely say of Jeremy as Paul of Abel being dead yet speaketh and bespeaketh from you your dearest affections and tenderest bowels for the people of God O that my head were waters and mine eyes a fountaine of teares that I might weep day and night for the slaine of the daughter of my people And that I might set my selfe close to this worke and might not see the calamity of my people which I doe foresee O that I had the cottage of a waysaring-man in the Wildernesse that I might leave my people and goe from them 2. My counsels now to London I shall dispatch And foure counsels I desire to leave with you And O that the Lord God of Heaven the omnipotent arme of divine grace would effectually set them home this day upon every one of your hearts and for Christ his sake I beseech you for your soules sake for the safety of this famous Citie of the whole Kingdome yea of three bleeding dying Kingdomes I beseech you let my counsels be acceptable unto you if yet the Lord may be entreated to continue the glory of his Ordinances among you and to prevent those judgements which seeme to be threatned Counsell 1 1. Keep close unto your holy Covenant wherein you have most solemnly engaged your selves to the most high God for the encouragement of pious Ministers for the advancement of the power of godlinesse and purity of worship for the purging out of superstition heresie and prophanenesse and that yee will all endeavour to goe one before the other in the example of a reall reformation When our enemies were mighty our dangers threatning and our helpes small how big were our promises our protestations our declarations for God and for his Christ But as Elisha parlied with his servant concerning that good Shunamite Shee hath been carefull for us 2 Kings 4.13 14. but what have wee done for her even so should wee put the same question to our hearts concerning God as it is very fit wee all should what accounts could our souls give herein That God hath been carefull for us in the day of our distresse will be must be confessed But what have wee done for him of all that wee have covenanted unto him It is very sad to see how that solemne sacred thing is of late made like a picture with divers faces to look according to every mans humour and lust that looks upon it And on both sides it is used or rather abused as a stalking horse by those who under pretence of love unto it doe practise the manifest violation of it Chrysostome was wont to say that it was not onely the duty but the character of him that was or would be godly to be the same in the day of his health and prosperity which he did promise to be in the day of his distresse and calamity Surely our God is the same to us our sinnes may change his providences but our estates cannot change his love He is to us a Covenant-keeping God and exspects that wee should be to him not onely a Covenant-making but a Covenant-keeping people My good friends let us not befoole our selves for so wee doe said one of the wisest among the sonnes of men if we think that God will accept promises without payments Eccles 5.4 Eccles 5.4 The Preachers counsell is weighty in the 6. ver of the same Chapter Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sinne neither say thou before the Angel it was an error Wherefore should God be angry at thy voyce and destroy the workes of thy hands There is no sinne that wee reade of in holy Writ against which divine anger hath more terribly threatned or more severely executed then against the sinne of Covenant-breaking I could lay before you the three-yeares-wasting famine of Judea for Sauls breach of Covenant with the Gibeonites although but a civill Covenant and made for many yeares before 2 Sam. 21. Josh 9.15 Compare Jere. 52.3.13 Ezek. 17.13.19 As also the ruthfull desolations of Jerusalem for Zedekiabs treachery in breaking Covenant with the King of Babylon
the solemne Covenant What an execrable deniall of the sacred Scriptures Of the Faith of the Lord that bought them How is the beautifull child of Reformation stifeled in the birth and a monster of shamefull Deformation brought forth in the room of it O tempora O mores Time was when prayer and repentance were held up in the hands of faith as precious meanes to maintain Communion with Jesus Christ and now men pray against their prayers and repent of their repentings because some lay too much weight on duties others have laid them wholy aside Time was when London zeale enkindled against every bracelet lace of the Scarlet Whore and now as if the spirit of London were changed into her spirit of fornications we plead for a tolleration of all her sorceries That which once entreâ— as Iron into our soules but to heare of now it is accounted a sinne to speak against it Time was when we did look on errors as the smoak of the bottomlesse pit now they are admired as new lights dropt down from heaven And he is accounted no body in their Meetings that hath not something of them Time was when the Lords day was a delight unto us now it is questioned whether it be the Lords ordinance or mans Time was when wee saw a beauty in their feet that brought the glad Tidings of Peace Now Ministers are a burthen in their places Time was when we fled as Doves unto the holes of the Windowes and now the wayes of Sion complain for want of passengers Time was but time will faile me if I should goe on to shew what shamefull Apostasies are amongst us 4. How is Londons how is Englands first love Apostatized into persecutions May it not be said of our times in England as Bernard spake of his times whose words are quoted by Hugo Cardinalis in his Postills on John Good Jesus saith he it seemeth the whole Vniversitie of Christian people have conspired against thee and these are chiefe persecutors even so the whole University of England seemes to conspire against Jesus Christ and some which heretofore were great professors are now become bitter persecutors 1. As for Ishmaels persecution I think never was more against faithfull Ministers then now iâ— Men bend their tongues for lies and the scorners chaire is every where set up against Moses chaire for the wholesome words they have from us wee have bitter words from them Luther was charged for preaching against the Popedome to be tuba rebellionis a Trumpet of rebellion And wee for preaching against as great a mystery of iniquity if not the same to be Incendiaries of all the troubles that have been in England and of this second warre If any thing goe amisse with the people Aaron must be stoned Numb 14.20 2. As for Esaus persecution rough hands wee finde every where And though they fall not down right to blowes yet there is malice and treachery enough in their hearts to provoke them New-England they say is too good a condition for these roundheaded Ministers and therefore they resolve if they can get the day to cut their throats in Old-England Behold saith God to Jerusalem Jerem. 3.5 Thou hast spoken and done as evill things as thou couldest If thou couldst have spoken or done worse thou wouldest Wee need not as Ezekiel in Jerusalem digge through the wall of this Citie to see the bitternesse of some mens spirits the iniquitie of their heels doth sufficiently evidence the treachery of their hearts They declare their sinne as Sodom and publish it as Absolom in the face of all Israel and in the sight of this Sunne Too sadly hath the occasion presented you Jerusalems paralell in London and yet spare me one word farther for it would be Londons happinesse if this day wee could be brought to give Glory to God in taking shame to our selves And oh that London would take up righteous thoughts before God in judging their own condition the Kingdome you see is all in bloud at this time if wee would fetch bloud from our hearts the Lord might be intreated to stop the issues of bloud that are running in the Land Londons provocations are not onely paralel to Jerusalems but as Jerusalem justified her younger sister Samaria so hath London her elder sister Jerusalem There are six circumstances wherein Judahs provocations exceeded Israels 1. Because they were acted in a time of reformation Israel sinned under bad Kings Jerem. 1.1 Judah under good 2. Judah sinned against all the examples of Judgement which God had given them by Israel Jere. 3.8 3. Judah rebelled against those speciall warnings which God sent them by his Prophets Hos 4.15 Though Israel play the harlot yet let not Judah sinne 4. Judah made more profession then backsliding Israel did and the more wee appeare for God Jere. 3.4 5. the worse wee are if wee be not that indeed which wee appeare to be 5. Judah enjoyed more and better ordinances then Israel did and the more means of Grace wee sinne against 2 Chron. 13.10 11. the more malice is in our sinne 6. Judah had made a solemne Covenant unto God in Josias time and sinnes against Covenants 2 Chren 34.32 are not onely apostasies but perjuries Now see if all these aggravations be not found in Londons provocations 1. Have wee not such opportunities of reformation as the Lord never betrusted England with the like and will not our posterities even curse the losse of them which our unnaturall divisions have snatcht from us Our fathers had a prize put into their hands and they regarded it not 2. Have not others Judgements heightned Londons security I mean not Israels and Judahs in ages past but Germanies and Irelands Kents and Colchesters present before us When wee see an under-billet on fire and the second smoaking will not the top be consumed if the fire be not quenched 3. Hath London wanted warnings or Watchmen Hath not the Lord Convened his faithfull Watchmen out of all the parts of England to warne London Hath not the Lords voyce cryed unto the Citie Heare yee the Rod and who hath appointed it Mich. 6.9 Wee doe heare the Word and dot not feele it therefore wee shall feele the rod and shall not heare it 4. Whose meanes whose mercies have been like unto Londons Oh London I am sorry for thy great accounts may it not be said of thee as of Capernaum Luk. 10.15 And thou London which hast been lifted up to Heaven Certainly no citie hath been so high in Gospel-priviledges as thou hast been The Lord grant that thy Gospel-unkindnesses doe not incurre Capernaums curse no misery so great as that which is provoked by the abuse of Gospel-mercy Coales taken from between the Cherubims are coales of Juniper the fiercest discoveries of Gods fiery indignation 5. Hath not London been eminent in profession above all the parts of the Kingdome Yea are not Londons revolts even now vailed under profession
men study peace but especially Christians Christians if there be any thing of Christs Spirit in you lay aside that gall and wormwood that bitternesse of spirit and heat of contentions that is in the midst of you Whatsoever differences there are between you in things disputable yet let unity be preserved in things fundamentall nothing makes your Ministers lives more uncomfortable amongst you or their Ministry more ineffectuall nothing so much disgraces Religion or obstructs the beautifull birth of reformation then the unhappie discords of those who are accounted godly in your Congregations I doe not plead for Baal that there should be any agreement with Rome in those superstitious Ceremonies or corrupt doctrines which are happily exploded our Assemblies No such compliance would prove Englands undoing as our Ecclesiasticall History well observes That that Bulla consensus agreement which the Greek Church made with the Church of Rome in their opinions was an evill presage of the utter ruine of the Orientall Empire and of that famous Citie of Constantinople which immediately followed thereupon But as it is reported of Polycarpus and Amicetus howsoever they differed in their opinions about some things and could not be reconciled yet they kept fast the bond of Christian fellowship in the faith of Jesus Even so my Brethren let us as many as love Jerusalems peace lay aside our differences in smaller matters and study how to preserve our unity in the maine Follow after the things which make for peace and things wherewith one may edifie another Rom. 14.19 Let us therefore follow saith the Apostle he had laid the foundation of his exhortation in two arguments foregoing 1. That sound Religion consists not in disputable Questions but in Gospel-fruits 2. That the edifying and not the disputing Christian is he that is acceptable to God and approved of men ver 17 18. It is said of Basil the great that in those differences between Eusebius and him he overcame him by courtesie and humanitie O that wee also could strive in love and humility to goe one before the other and to overcome our differences not by bitter disputes but by an humble condescension Methinks wee should not own our selves to be Christs Disciples and to have learned nothing of that prime lesson of his Matth. 11.29 wherein he gives us both his counsell and example Learne of me for I am meeke and lowly in heart As long as the professors of the true faith in Constantinople howsoever differing in points of Discipline held love and fellowship together in substantials of doctrine and worship so long they became a fence unto their Citie against the publique enemy But when once they brake asunder in unkindly divisions and shortly after lost both truth and worship both parties became a spoyle to those that hated them The like unhappy Story wee finde of Jerusalem when those two Christian Governours Guido and Raimundo with their parties contended amongst themselves they gave occasion to the common adversary to come in and take from them both not onely the Citie but the Gospel to boote I beleeve you doe not forget what lately I delivered unto you upon another subject That there is a generation of Canaanites and Perezites amongst us that doe wait for the opportunity of Abrams and Lots divisions to break in upon us and to spoile us of all our Gospels priviledges and liberties Methinks if any thing would prevaile with us nothing should more inforce us to agreement then this mischiefe which is like to follow our disagreement we shall both sides become a prey to those that maligne us I will here onely leave with you those three testamentall lessons which Bernard left at his death with those that were about him 1. That they should offend no man 2. That they should give lesse credit to their own opinion 3. That they should not be vindictive nor desirous of revenge for wrongs done unto themselves O that I had the penne of a Diamond to engrave these lessons upon your hearts The necessitie of these times doth lowdly bespeake them of us I have yet one Counsell more and I have done Love 4 Counsell and cherish and maintaine your godly Ministers still though they are Starres in Christs right hand yet they are Lamps in yours and must have oyle from you to give light unto you If you disgrace the Throne of Christs Glory in a way of loosenesse Christ will disgrace it in a way of Justice If you say in the pride of your hearts Jerem. 14.21 as those wretched Citizens in the Gospel Luk. 19.14 Wee will not have this man to rule over us take heed least the Lord Christ take you at your words as he did those Jewes who cryed out His bloud be upon us and upon our children Mat. 27.25 And his bloud is upon them and upon their children to this day If you say in scorne Wee will not have that Government you call Christs Christ may say in vengeance Well you shall not my Ministers shall no longer trouble you mine Ordinances shall be no longer a burthen unto you Mat. 21.43 I will take care to remove my Kingdome from you and to bestow it upon a people that may better prize it and improve it Cambden could not reach his conceit who boare in his Shield a Savage of America with his hand pointing to the Sunne and this Motto Mibi accessu tibi recessu In accesse to mee in recesse to thee I know not whether I may hit his conceit but this I am sure the Sunne of righteousnesse hath appeared unto those Savages of America with healling in his wings they are many of them brought unto civilitie hopefull to Christianitie I pray God that Prophecy in Isa 32. ver 15. Be not fulfilled between them and us The wildernesse shall become a fruitfull field and the fruitfull field shall be counted as a forrest It hath been once fulfilled between the Jewes and us that were Gentiles may it never be againe accomplished between the Gentiles and us that are Christians That their wildernesse should become a fruitfull field and our fruitfull field should be counted as a forrest I have done England of all parts of the Christian world and London of all parts of England have been famous for their reverence and bounty unto their Ministers Shall I say How is the faithfull Citie Isa 1.21 the faithfull Kingdome become an Harlot rather I would say and I have said all Let England let London remember their first love Revel 2.5 and doe their first works FINIS