for his own children lie dangerously weak under sad divisions yea so that the whole body is out of joynt and then what strength we might have prevailed for the Kings heart it being in Gods hand before this day For why might not we if rightly quallified obtaine a heart out of our hands and in the Lords hand for the good of a Nation nay three bleeding Nations as well as he for himselfe and his family Gen. 33.4 you have an incouraging president where killing is come to kissing sheding of blood to sheding of teares They both wept The charging each other is the imbracing each other It will be an argument against us of Nationall weakenesse and wickednesse that one shall doe more then so many with God And if this be Truth we have none more no cry out of then our selves for the continuation of our sorrow may not the Lord say as sometimes to Israel Perditin tua ex te we may thank our selves his hand is not shortned that it cannot save nor his care heavie that it cannot heare but our prayers are weake because our hearts are wicked that cannot hold out a wrestle with God Indeed we act dutie but not proportionable for the Churches necessity or as cordially sensible of its misery and speedy calamity not as if we see no way but one for it or beheld it sentenced to death under a dooree no we look most of us as Eliahs servant upon the first command 1 King 18.4 when misery was on Germany Ireland and Scotland being often perswaded by the Eliahs of those times to look out what we could see the return of our hearts was that we saw nothing Indeed we laid it not to heart as any thing Nay when at this day comanded to look out those within Lines of Communication and fenced Garrisons can see but a little cloud out of the Sea like a mans hand we esteeme all the Protestant blood nay the Saints blood that hath been shed as nothing do all the Cruelties Murders Woundings Imprisonings Fireings Plunderings Deformings Reproachings of the Saints as yet appear as nothing How many sighing groaning lamentable complaining sad-hearted good Christians may you see in many parts of this distracted Kingdome seeking for bread and glad to part with their former pleasant things to relieve their families pressing necessities How doth many a gallant family sit solitary How many beautifull houses forlorne Yea how many are aggrevating their misery by viewing over the records of their former injoyments How in many places doth the Enemy magnifie himself against God and his people having possessed and dispossessed our Congregations and destroyed the place of the Assembly How doth the blood of the Church spring forth as wine out of the wine-presse and lyes spilt on the ground abroad the Sword consuming at home lofty and sad divisions even the wills of men like wilde horses renting limbe from limbe the poore Church of God the Enemy hearing of this trouble and being glad Nay in a word The cause of God in three Kingdomes crying with them in the 1 Lament Vers 12. Is it nothing to you O all ye that passe by Is there any sorrow like to my sorrow and yet who with Mordeoaâ— although it be past beyond a decree and come to the Haman-like acting of cruelty against the Church before your faces even at the doores and gates of your Cities in heart yet saith Is it any thing Nay let me add somthing more Although God be so angry as to license his enemies to pull out his own eyes for his Church is as deare to him as the apple of his eye and he must be incensed highly when he will permit this yet who layes this to heart as any thing Nay even now although God hearken and hear who speaketh aright at all or if but for a day and then every man with the day casts off the duty and returneth with the dog to his vomit and with the wrinsed sow to wallow in the mire Had Mordecai lookt thus a squint on the condition of the Jewes he had never laid it to heart and if never laid to heart it had not been communicated to every one that in probability might conveigh it to Esthers eares and had she slightly entertained it as newes onely it had never come to the hazzarding of her life in the Churches cause or prescribing an order for so serious preparation for the Churches preservation Will you license me to advise you I know you wil you called me to that purpose to this duty this day Why then as the Prophet 1 King 10. Prepare your chariots so you and I wish the whole Church of God their hearts and improve you all your interests noble Patriots of the Cause of God and let them improve theirs by proportionable and importunate duty for successe this day suitable to the Churches necessity and misery Esa 22.4 you have the story of the invading the land of Jewrie by the Persians by reason whereof the Church of God and the Kingdome were like to be brought into a sad condition it was like to be a day of trouble and treading downe and of perplexity by the Lord breaking down walls and breaches seen in the city of David mark in the 4. Vers what the Prophet puts immediately in practice to divert it Therefore said I look away from me mind me not of any thing else I have nothing else comparatively to look after this is the businesse of the time what I will weep bitterly or as the Originall hath it I will be bitter in weeping Labour not to comfort me because of the spoiling of the daughter of my people Jer. 8.21 22. For the hurt of the daughter of my people am I hurt I am blacke astonishment hath taken hold on me c. i. grief to an extasie hath seized on me that I am not my selfe the hurt of the Church is his hurt I then he seekes propoationably a remedy Moses when God is angry with the people he fals sensibly to the work and being to wrastle out reconciliation and a diversion of Gods expresse resolution against them he is at it 40. dayes and nights together So againe upon another provocation Numb 14.11 How long will this people provoke me Vers 12. I will smite them with the pestilence and disinherit them and now God if Moses had any selfe-ends or aimes proposeth somthing to take him off and stop his mouth for he promiseth to make him a multiplying nation Indeed selfe-aiming men that shall look to their own ends will never stand the Church in a strait in any stead No he saw the people threatned to ruine See how Moses argues and wrastles with God Vers 13 14 15 16. and then closeth and gaines upon God by prayer giving as it were the other hug in this wrastle in the 17 18 19. Verses Pardon I beseech thee the iniquity of the people See Vers 20. And the Lord said I have pardoned according to thy Word See
leave behinde you The Lord never forgets a cup of cold water given to quench the Saints thirst in their necessity how much sooner will it be ingraven upon his heart the providing of cordiall precious portions for his languishing people yea God will provide a compensation for you and yours in all your afflictions Nay you shall treasure up praises for your selves and prayers for your surviving families in the ages that are to come and know this also that God hath riches enough in his Cabinet to make you amends for all you can do or suffer in this way Indeed I have beheld you with such alacrity noble courage expediting your motion endeavouring by all meanes night and day to find out him whom your soules love and long after for the Churches good that the quaere of the Church in the third of the Canticles and the third was to any whom it might concerne your first salute Can you tell us of His Majesty Yea I have seene so much of your unalterable and prepared patience digesting the vulgar curses and affronts as your diet and content with any thing that you might do the Church service that I shall ever blesse God that he yet accommodates the Church with such Friends and the King and Kingdoms with such Worthies who will venture through an host of enemies if possible to fetch water to refresh the Church of God therfore I will spare my self the labour by any more Motives to put you in mind to go on who are ready to run for the Churches and Kingdomes peace All therefore that now remaines is but to hold out to your view some other Observations that I had thought to have handled to complete your preparation for this dayes great Action but in regard you have Summons for the action and but a small parcell of time before you attend His Majesty that I may no way be prejudiciall to your private practice of this preparation or any other becoming so great a work I will briefly shew you the jewells they are ready command me to place them inyour ears at your pleasure and my obedience shall eccho to your order You have heard 1 That Nationall and Personall preparation is necessary for the undertaking any great action for the Church Gather all the Jewes in Shushan I also c. 2 That Representative persons interposing for the Church in a strait deserve representative prayer Fast pray for me 3 Extraordinary and great duty is necessary for the Church in great misery Fast pray night and day eat nor drink c. The fourth you should have heard and I handled is this 4 That messengers of such prayers are ever messengers of praise they are thriving prospering messengers 5 That all selfe must be denied that the Church may be saved We must not thinke of our selves and the Church at one time if we do we shall never go thorough stitch with the work If I perish I perish let me assure you this if you save the Church you cannot lose your selves and if the Church perish juggle and Hocus Pocus it as nearely as you can your sleights will be found out and you cannot save your selves It is no time to feather our nests and build to lay our young when so many stroakes have beene given at the root of the tree seek we great things for our selves for shame no more of it what do we painting our cabines when so many leakes in the ship first stop the leakes get out the water there is a time to trim this cabine afterward Lastly The meanes must be used although our ends are not obtained If we perish we perish For although God can deliver his Church without us yet his usuall method hath been to make choice of some Moses some Ioshuahs Gideons Davids c. for the preservation of his Church nay of Jesus Christ for the salvation of it And now give me leave to wind up all with the practice of that duty for you which I have in this Sermon commended to you Go and the Lord be with you yea the God of heaven blesse you and cause the Kings face to shine upon you and make you glad that he speak nothing but good unto you this day the Lord avert all whispering flattering Doegs this day and returne you with a Message of hope at least if not of present help for these three bleeding Kingdomes yea the Lord make your interposing for the Church as prosperous as Abigails and let the Kings answer be as Davids 1 Sam. 25.31 33 34. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel which sent you this day to meet me and blessed be your advice and blessed be ye which have kept me this day from going on to shed any more of my Subjects innocent blood and from avenging my selfe with my own hand and that he may receive at your hands what you have brought him and say unto you Go up in peace to both my Houses of Parliament see I have karkened to your voyces and accepted your persons give me but favour to add one word in prayer after the Apostles directory 2. Thes 3.16 Now the Lord of peace himselfe give you peace alwaies by all meanes yea now peace and let it be the Lords peace and the Lords free gift of peace let it be peace with him peace with your consciences peace one with another such a peace as all things may prosper with you yea that publike tranquillity and quiet in the Church may follow that it bee not troubled with Schismes and Heresies within or without by persecuting Tyrants ruinating all by slaughters and cruell bloody warres O let every good heart pray for this peace for our Hierusalem that there may be tranquillity in the state and free from forraigne and civill uncivill warres that in the peace thereof we may have peace that these distracted Kingdomes may be in security and void of dangers free from the noise of terrifying alarums and other dangers Yea the Lord give us such a peace that there may be an everlasting Covenant betwixt God and the King betwixt God the King and his people and let us and the whole Church of God heartily cry Amen Amen So be it And so the Lord be with you all to blesse you in the great worke of this day and all other your great imployments for his glory and his Churches good To whom with all our hearts be rendred and ascribed all Honour Glory Power and Praise now and evermore Amen FINIS
tongue to blesse him read 1 Sam. 26.25 Princes hearts have been nay they still are there you see it is but improving of proportionable Nationall and Personall interests and strength with our God in duty and without all question we may gaine this eminent mercy and have his heart with us before his person who thinks on or grudgeth his hazardous voyage to the Indies when he considereth a probability of getting gold pearles and diamonds we never think of the hardships of warfare and the difficulty of duties when we are bent upon honour and were we resolved for Nationall mercy and such a blessing as the Kings heart to subscribe to the just desires of all his Kingdomes we should not stick at any duty if we were but a little love-sick of mercy it would break a little more out of our lips And thus having given you reasons for this truth I shall supplicate you for a little patience whilest I apply it Vse 1. for information of us how much they are to blame that do not at this day supply the lamentable imploring necessities of the Church of God in both Kingdomes But are extreame short in dutie if they consider the length heighth depth and bredth of their misery little water will not quench or decrease a great fire no rather increase the flame the taking away a little blood will not cure a calenture the body must in such a case be brought low the leaving of a few grosse sins not cure the Churches evill nor the simple performance of monethly duties no the Church of God is brought low but our hearts are not brought low no they must if we will ever do good on it be brought much lower yet 2 Such as consider not at all or take no notice or looke a squint on the Churches misery Amos 6.1 Woe to those that are at ease in Zion and trust in the mountaines of Samaria that put farre from them the evill of the Nation and lie upon beds of ivory and stretch themselves on couches and cat the lambs out of the flock and calves out of the shall and so Vers 3.6 That chaunt to the sound of the viole and invent to themselves instruments of musiick That drink wine-in bowles and annoint themselves with the chiefe oyntments but they are not grieved for the affliction of Ioseph How many in the Kingdome keeping the Churches fasting dayes as feasting dases instead of neither eating nor drinking day nor night drinke if not cat day and night 3 Such as delay the answering the Churclies necessity in misery by performance of proportionable dutie like Salemons sluggard A little more sleep a little more slumber and a little more folding of the hands and so misery cats in like a gangrene it is an old saying Quod cito fit bis fit An opportune remedy is a double curtesie he that helps at a pinch helpes to purpose he that cryeth spare the child when the stripes are given gives little ease gets little thanks O that we would know what belongs to the Churches peace Luk. 19.41 in this our day before these recovering mercies are hid from our eyes he speaks too late to the Judge for a reprieve when the ladder is turned It may be God will now heare and grant to morrow he will not In Cant. 2. the Church that drowsily neglected her safety after in the third Chapter seeks it night and day but found it not It 's good stepping into the poole upon the motion of the waters if you misse your wind you may lose your voyage the season hath pantings and swounding fits already take heed it go not away in one of these fits Fourthly they also are much to blame who proportion their duties to the measure of their own pressing necessities and so are injurious to the cause of the Church of God Jeremy was not hurt for the hurt of himself but the daughter of his people Many are praying and fasting for their owne interests no Esther thinks not of her self but her people so it must not be thy life or my life or thine or my goods estate children c. or thy personall suffering that must affect thee and afflict thee but the sufferings of all the members of Jesus Christ In all their afflictions thou must be afflicted and for them all thou hast must be hazarded And now Right Honourable and wel-beloved suffer me to come to you in a word of Exhortation with some few Motives and I shall conclude all with supplications for God to guide your hearts to such personall preparations that you may this day find favour in the sight of God and the King and return at least with hopes of Peace or some small branch to show the waters are abated and that God in due time will cause the Arke which is the Church of God to rest safe upon the mountaines of hope 2. Use of Exhortation That by way of preparation for your addresse to His Majesty for the Churches preservation you and the Church of God would learne and practice that lesson that you may be praisefull and powerfull You see Esthers practice for her distressed people Nay you see the three Kingdomes like that man that fell among theeves wounded and bleeding to death Oh be not like the hard-hearted Priests and Levites that minded more the market then their neigbours misery But put on the good Samaritans compassion and goe and doe likewise let your bowels yerne towards the poore wounded Lazerated halfe dead kingdomes looke out for oyle betimes to poure into the deepe wounds of it O apply such playsters as may eate out the putrifying cores and if yet you cannot heale yet keepe open and sweet the wounds of the Church of God I know you are men of skill and know how to doe it you indeed with those Honourable Houses that sent you under God are the Physitians must doe it It is you that must heale up the wounds make up the breaches that must bring backe God to his people and fetch the Kings heart to his God and your selves and his People And I heartily pray there may be found no Mountebanks amongst you who are more affected with the goods of the Nation then the good of the Nation such who mount the Stage to vent old drugs by faire bumbasted expressions for wholesome and new Physick The Lord give you skill also to discover all such if any before they too much retard the Churches cure The Lord make you all men of affections and bowels to lay to heart and pitty the Kingdomes wounds Nay thirdly men of diligence neglecting no opportunity the losse of time may be the losse of life Now if ever pray for good successe Indeed the condition of the three Kingdomes doth not onely require it but the distressed of the Land expect that you croud thorough all difficulties and carnall reasonings and by any meanes represent their condition to the Lord in the way of extraordinary duty I could wish we would at
last leave mocking and deluding the poore Church of God and deale open-heartedly with them we promise and professe we will doe any thing for their ease and yet more then show nothing is done to this day we are like an idle servant alwayes going of an arrant but never goe and doe it For shame now at last let us lessen weaken our sinsthat we may strengthen our prayers the life of three Kingdoms is at stake nay of the Church of God for ought you know pardon my importunity if I sollicite you to be active by a few Motives it being upon life and death of three famous Kingdoms 1. Motive Yours and every one of our Relations to it it is the Church of God of which you are fellow-members it is the ship of which you are partowners in which your lives nay the lives of your precious Soules and all the provisions for your posterities are imbarked Since the storme began I confesse you have rowsed up many a lazie and snorting Jonah nay you have cast most of the unnecessary lumber that was more burthensome then serviceable to the ships use into the Sea shall I say nay some part out of their seas and yet all is not well the poore ship drawes much blood yet swims very deepe in the Red Sea I beseech you rumedgy the ship once more and if you find any seeds-men of Division S. Paul in the 16 of the Romans 17. intreats you to take notice of them as monstous and I have read it is prodigiously ominous to a ship to be haunted with monsters Raysing parties in a family ship or army is a thing of a very sad consequence therefore the Apostle dares give it under his hand That God is not the author of consusion but of peace as in all the Churches of the Saints 1 Cor. 14.33 Truely it is a sad thing to see the members of Jesus Christ out of joynt for Christ falls not of from his members why should the members fall off from one another There can be no such reason given why we should seperate one from another as there can be why Christ might seperate from us It is the glory of Christs body when every member is serviceable to the whole in its right place These are also weighty luggedge and the Apostle adviseth such after admonition to be cast out for these extreamly prevent the exact performance of proportionable duty Lastly let every one search his owne Cabine whether he have not secretly brought no unwarrantable goods aboard for his owne ends that may make the ship liable to forfeiture If so over with them what a shame is it to any man to forfeit a ship for his owne advantage or the Church should perish for concealed abhominations unpardoned sinners are dead men and dead men are prejudiciall to a ship and therefore to be cast over else God will say ere long as to Abimelech Gen. 20.3 Behold thou art but a dead man for the woman thou hast taken so for the sin you have committed and are taken in Why should we joy in any thing whilst the Church may take hurt the Saints of God have ever been as tender of it as their selves and preferred its good before all injoyments If I forget Ierusalem let my right hand forget its cunning It was so deare and went so neere to old Ely the news of its losse when the Ark was taken that it is disputed whether heart or his neck brake first Wherefore I beseech you let your relation to it make you now in its misery to put forth and hazard your selves to the utmost for relieviing Mercy Mordeca's Motive to Esther was it was her Nation it s mine to you they are your Nations it is your Church your Families your Houses your Estates your Children Wives Selves Soules your Gospell Ordinances are aimed at O pray pray Fast and pray cry mightily all 's at stake 2. Motive Because such duty if the Church be sick or Sentenced unto death under a decree Nay although with Ezekiah it hath received a message That it shall dye and not live yet it is of power to procure God to visite it and one of his visites is halfe the recovery of it Psalm 8.14 It is some comfort to men that are labouring under hard undertakings that they labour not in vaine be of good courage and of good comfort Your labour is not in vaine with the Lord for his decreed Church to ruine 3. Motive It is your last refuge it is that besides which you have hardly any thing left you If men have nothing left or have spent all but their fingers ends to maintaine them and their families they had need ply them diligently and cherish them carefully If a house stand but on one pillar it had need oft to be viewed for repaires and to see that be safe and well founded prayer is as it were the onely Pillar of the Church it is as the fingers ends we had need imploy our fingers ends for our selves and our fellow-members in misery if we intend a livelihood 4. Motive You are all sentenced and by your Enemies appoynted to dye I hope no true member of the Church but will speake a word for himselfe I confesse our owne guilt might sow up our lips and we might bee left wordlesse but yet if God offer thee an opportunity ply him for thy life and the Churches safety with importunity for if thou speed not this way thou art undone for ever Your life is on it there is no trifling with life doe you not know what condemned men doe in poynt of life for pardon Improve all their friends all their time all their skill all for a pardon so doe you and prosper 5. Motive Because by this kind of duty if you cannot prevaile with God and that for causes best knowne to himselfe for compleat redemption out of misery Yet you shall for a mittigation of it and for a sanctified use of it and for strength of grace to undergoe it and there is a great deale of difference in mens sufferings and deaths all men dye but some men are kil'd by death It was the saying of a godly man he did aegrotare vitaliter so the godly doe mori vitaliter for nothing can arme death to hurt us but sin otherwise thou art hard sting-free we never feare the noyse of a Fly as the humming of a Bee because it hath no sting So that this kind of duty though it cannot keepe thee and me from dying by the Sword it will keep us from dropping into hell and it is a sweet mercy for the members of the Church with Stephen at their dearh to see heaven opened and to die with the sence of Gods love though of mans cruell malice 6. Motive Your paines in duty for the Church of God in misery what ever it be shall be rewarded to you and yours unto many generations this will intitle you to the most sure inheritance and lasting legacy you can
cannot be got to goe together unto the throne of grace for mercy in this our time of need Unity it is the Portall at which prayer enters every supplicated mercy When the Church is thus together their desires like Peter Act. 12.12 wait and knocke to enter break thorough all barres shackles bolts difficulties to speak to them the prevalency of such Saint-like performances It is observable whilst there was division betwixt Abraham and Lot God never appeared Gen. 13.14 c. Truly it is in this case with duty as with the child in the wombe untill all the parts are rightly framed and composed the soul quickens it not nor will any mercy cordially smile on us untill we are knit together in love indeed our Saviour prohibits our service to God untill we are at peace with one another nothing like this hinders the prosperity of Gods famlly or blocks up the passage for the Churches deliverance and I am confident nothing so much as this sinks your spirits in the expectation of present successe in this dayes imployment O what an inexpressible evill is it that all the Church of God cannot be got together for your good successe in this businesse for peace whilest we are all now gathered together I hope all of one mind with an importunity to implore it and God to soften the Kings heart to incline to it I wish heartily there be not some in this Kingdome professing the same faith baptized with the same Baptisme praying God to harden the Kings heart against it or for selfe-ends perswading him might and maine to refuse the Propositions conducing to it But however let us that are together with one accord pray and I hope the prayers of the Saints are at this time active for a blessing upon your atchievements this day And so I shall hold out to your view a second truth wrapt up in the Text Observation 2. Representative Persons interposing for the Church in a strait require representative prayers They are nationall men and will need nationall assistance A Kingdomes strength is necessary for those that stand for a Kingdomes wealth If Esther personate the Jewes to the King for salvation the Jewes must present Esthers condition to the King of Kings for preservation All the Churches Worthies are worthy of the Churches best duties if Paul be labouring for the Church and adventuring for it he had need have a stock of prayers going in all the Churches for himselfe The 3. Observation And neither eat or drink three dayes or nights together is this That in cases of great difficultie there is a pressing necessity for the speedy and exact performance of importunate duty A bleeding Church expects a speedie and speeding prayer Mariners in great stormes are very yareand take double pains Souldiers neare a quartering enemy are upon serious and constant duty then night and day at it life is on it as we proverbially expresse it Souldiers grutch not limbs or lives for victory nor must we think much of praying and fasting againe and againe for a Nationall mercy Indeed we must never give over till we speed Finis operationis est opus the end of the worke is the worke it selfe Truly it will be to little purpose for you to go to the King if you go not first to God to move the Kings heart For it is the master-peece of his own hand to work the heart of Princes that way as shall make most for his glory and the accomplishing his fore-thought designes touching his Churches good and the Kingdomes of the earth and when hell hath plotted a designe and found out fit instruments to suggest it to Princes nay when corruption hath over-power'd convicting light and be-midnighted the soule that it consenteth to be guided and followes every Ignis fatuus or other fading meteor nay somtime forsaking the more eminent lights of heaven doating on very glow-wormes but indeed composures of corruption and to follow what is suggested to it and is in it selfe resolved to act what plotted yet then even then God can alter And what God can do for any peoples good importunate prayer exactly performed may prevaile with him to do for us his people and his Churches good Truly such Prayer with fasting hath been of old former Messengers Preparation upon the undertaking any great and waighty action S. Iames adviseth us before we put forth our resolves to say If God will I will do this or that Iames 4.15 It is good upon every undertaking to aske Gods leave and to consult him to carry him or somthing of him with us to effect that which we cannot promise our selves in the 24. of Gen. 12. Abraham dispatcheth his servant upon a message of concernment and it was concerning the and winning perswading of a heart as appeareth Ver. 51. It may be the woman will not be willing to follow me c. saith his Messenger so that it was dubious whether her heart might or might not incline to his Message well what course doth he take Vers 12. by way of Preparation knowing it was in Gods power to incline it he seeks God And he said O Lord God of my Master Abraham I pray thee send me good speed this day And the successe you may read in the succeeding Verses To come a little nearer to our purpose Esau had an old grudge against his brother Iacob the messe of Pottage was not yet digested but boyled the second time in his stomack and the gaining his Fathers blessing was laid to heart and what he secretly thought in his heart before when the dayes of his Fathers mourning were come he begins to act now and arrayes foure hundred men to go against his brother upon the receipt of this intelligence Iacab feareth greatly Gen. 22.7 nay the Text saith He was distressed Well he cannot avoid a meeting nor can hee expect lesse then ruine there is no probability to shun his Army or to sense possibility to escape his fury well what course takes he Truely hee goes to God in Prayer to change his heart he knew that it was in the Lords power and although sencible of his unworthinesse and insufficiency he chooseth rather first to wrastle with a good God indeed whom he might overcome and prevaile with to change his brothers heart then meerly to trust to his owne policies or complements or any other way to win upon him This is the strength of all other meanes he useth to pacifie his brother and Verse 28. you see the excellent consequence of his Prayer As a Prince hast thou power with God and men and hast prevailed And I pray observe this for a truth That powerfull men with God are ever prevailing men with Man If we can but get strength enough to wrastle with God let us trust God to wrastle with the hearts of men 1. Kings 18.37 yea the greatest Princes Oh had not this Nation laboured under the malignant distempers of sin nay did not the Covenant-Servants of God such as passe
1. Nehemiah 2 3 4. I have loved you saith the Lord c. Acts 27. Paul perceiving the voyage would be exceeding dangerous to those in the ship Vers 21. the Text saith he used long abstinence you have our Saviour Christ also for an example when he beheld the contraction of his Fathers brow wrinkled up with full pleats of displeasure and pure wrath against our soules and a decree against us to suffer hell and damnation and none could or durst enter to indeavour a reverse when he beheld the plot against us and our precious immortall souls undone for ever and liable to Satans fury he immediately disrobes himselfe of glory and immantles himselfe with the rags and badges of poverty and enters into the veile of flesh and then and there plies it night and day contesting with men and devills nay wrastles with God with the deep groanes of his spirit sweats at this worke water and bloud and never quit his free undertaking untill he sweetly breathed it out to us that the great businesse of his Church was done and that they were delivered from all their enemies with an It is finished Precious and high-prized mercies must cost us some labour we must not looke to carrie home that which all the treasure in the land cannot purchase for nothing your words or the Propositions you present may not take with the Kings heart but your suitable performances by way of preparation to the Churches present misery to God may take with God and God can take his heart and dispose of it as pleaseth him Ezra 1.1 The Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus to build his house There are many Arguments and perswading Reasons as sinewes to strengthen the Truth proved by fore-mentioned Scriptures and Examples First Why exact and proportionable duty to the Churchesmisery is required of all those that are interested in seeking its delivery 1. Argument Thar we may make it appeare we are cordially sensible of its condition that we beleeve indeed it is as miserable as it showes for and that God is as angry as he seemes to be with the Kingdome that it complaines not without a cause we can never yerne in our bowels with compassion to those though never so neerly related to us who we beleeve not be in passion affliction The sense of the Churches moaning in misery must precede in our hearts our groaning for mercy the tender hearted mother then and not before then makes it her worke all things set apart to send for a Physitian and to Physick and tend her sick child when she hath layd to heart the symptomes of its disease and considered the consequences it When we imagine slight hurts wee afford them slight healings like those 8 ser 11. but when layd to heart then Oh! Is there no Balm in Gilead no Physitian there ser 9.1 Oh! that my head were waters and eyes fountaines of teares that I might weepe day and night for the slaine of the daughter of my people c. It was an old fault which the Prophet complained of that no man layes to heart the miseries of the Church 2. Argument That we may make it appeare that we set a high estimate on the Churches safety that wee intend to gaine it what ever it cost that we think not much nor repine no not at any layings out for it truly we have bid little or nothing nationally or personally for this great mercy as yet Object Why have we not freely offered our superfluous riches have we not cashiered our vain pleasures have not many hazzarded the displeasures of their eminent friends procured to themselves many enemies ventured their lives nay have we not made many prayers observed many Fasts and is this nothing Sol. Truely as the case may stand it may be worse then doing nothing and God may say to us as to those that professed to be his people Esa 1.11 To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices here you heare of many sacrifices much cost God knowes to little purpose or no purpose we bid very much I confesse for mercy but we would have God take our publike fatih for it we would still have God take our promises for it when he expects performances for it he is so well acquainted with our backslidings that he is unwilling to trust us any more It 's true we come often to cheapen mercy it may be once or twice a moneth publikely or privately for the Church in misery and for a day hold down our heads like a bull-rush as if we were undone if we had it not but when the price is set at a word and God fallen as low as he can to save by it to his glory and the honour of his justice For the most part the most of men are apt to slink away or to promise to come again or the like What is it to bid and bid for a rich jewell again and again yea a thousand times over if we under-bid for it surely it argues a slighting of the jewell and must needs be a great provocation to the merchant God had as live you bid nothing as all you have bidden or abidden if you come not up to his price what 's that why it is expressed and set downe Esa 1.16 17. Wash ye make you cleane put away the evill of your doings c. also Isa 58.3 The Jewes question God why though they bid faire for mercy they cannot have it Wherefore have we fasted and thou seest not c. God gives them accompt in the last words of the third and fourth Verses Behold in the day of your fast ye find pleasure ye fast for strife and debate c. wherefore he cannot part with it at that rate and sets down what he resolves to have Vers 6 7.8 Is not this the fast that I have chosen to loose the bands of wickednesse to deale thy bread to the hungry c. you must bid as the Ninevites did Ionah 3.7 8. Let nether man nor beast herd nor flocke tast any thing let them not feed nor drinke water but let them cry mightily unto God let them turne every one from his evill way c. Or as the people in 1 Joel 13.14 God will not part with deliverance and mercy for his Church till we depart from our sin Hosea 14.3 Take away all iniquity and receive us graciously The sacrificing our dearest sinnes will instantly bring in the greatest mercies for the Church We may truly say of the Land as David of himselfe Psal 38.3 There is no rest in my bones because of my sinne Lay a man upon never so many soft downe beds if the disease be in the bones the paines continues the way to make him rest is to take the cause of the paine out of his bones You may lay the Church at this day and the Kingdomes on the soft downe-bed of Gods promises on the downe-bed of Councells Armies Propositions for Peace Pastings Prlyings The way to give the