as are faithfull in their places are upon the right way to save the Kingdome the King and the Kings Sonnes from wrath Now there is nothing more necessary nothing we should desire more earnestly to know then by what means this great wrath of the great God may be prevented where it is iminent feared or averted wher it is incumbent felt to what end doth the Lord threaten his wrath to what purpose doth he make it smoke and in part to break forth in a flame but that the means may be used to turn it away that the fulnesse thereof come not upon us We will find three sorts of means practised in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah and of the Prophets their contemporaries The first was publick fasting and solemne humiliation joyned with Confession of sin justifying of God in all the evils he had brought upon them earnest deprecation of wrath and supplications for a blessing that God would accept of their endeavours and prosper his work against so many professed and secret Enemies The second was a solemne Covenant For the Princes and Rulers first and then the people entred into a curse and an oath to walk in Gods Law and to observe and do all his commandments judgements and statutes Here there was swearing subscribing sealing and all means used which could bind their inconstant and fugitive hearts unto God The third was the doing of the work of God the building of the Temple the reformation of Religion the ordring of the worship service of God and the reedising of the wals which were ruined lying in heaps Their fasting and praying was not sufficient they behoved to enter into Covenant Their praying and Covenanting was not enough nor were they to rest there They behoved to build and reforme It hath pleased God to putt in your hearts to give your selves to frequent fasting and humiliation onely consider whether with the acknowledgment of your particular Sins and personall transgressions yee have beene humbled for publike and Nationall Sinnes and especially such as have beene committed about the worship of God and the Government of the house of God The Lord hath been much dishonoured this way for this hath he entred in a controversie with the Land this therefore would be confessed that God may be restoâ—â—d to his honour by your confession It feareth me that a great part of the people of the Land are not yet brought to this Confession but are still fond of a formall Service and a proud Prelacie and therefore as ye are your selves in humilitie to acknowledge this sin as a high provocation so would all good meanes be used for bringing the people to the sight and sense of it It is true there is a secret and reall acknowledgement in the Covenant but the Lord requireth a more direct open and plain confession nor can he be pleased or his wrath turned away till that which hath been called and esteemed for so many yeers the glory and the beautie of the Church of England be thus brought low and cast into the dust It hath pleased the Lord also to bring you a degree farder That both the honourable Houses of Parliament and many others whose hearts the Lord hath toucht have entred into a solemne League and Covenant for performing such duties as are judged necessarie at this time for the honour of God and for the deliverance and preservation of the Church and Kingdom which no doubt will prove a pretious and powerfull mean of good if the Name of the most high God be not by it taken in vain But take heed that it be not forgotten by them that have taken it before it be taken by others And therefore two things would be looked unto 1. That although it should never be taken by others yet it obleigeth such as have entred in Covenant and although the whole Nation be bound to the same duties which ye are bound unto ye have entred into a new Obligation which if you shall forget or violate will certainly be laid to your charge Jeremiah reproveth Israel not for the transgression of the Law which yet commanded the same duties but for violation of the Covenant 2. That others be instructed and moved to enter into the same Covenant for if they who have entred in Covenant shall not consider that it is a perpetuall Covenant never to be forgotten or which God forbid shall forget their supervenient obligation and others shall refuse to enter in Covenant it will not onely make a division in the Church and Kingdom but shall be a ready way to bring on a greater wrath then yet hath been seen or felt Upon one sort for their perfidy and upon the other for their neglect or obstinacy There is yet a third mean without which the former two are not sufficient And this is Whatsoever is commanded by the God of heaven be diligently done for the house of the God of heaven A dutie which in it self is necessary and which to us who live under the Gospel is no other thing but the reformation and setling of Religion Wherein we are to consider 1. the Rule of reformation which is the Commandment Decree or revealed will of God 2. The extent of this reformation whatsoever 3. How or after what manner we should go about the work diligently 4. The reasons which should induce us to this duty one is from the greatnesse and soveraignty of God He is the God of heaven The other from common equity It is the house of the God of heaven and it is equitable that every man bear rule in his own house The rule of building the house of God and of the reformation of Religion is the same and perpetuall the commandment of God and not the commandment of man one or moe whether they be Civill or Ecclesiasticall persons It is their part to provide according to their places and callings to command and direct that the Commandment of God be obeyed This King commandeth not that his will be done but what God hath commanded Neither King nor Parliament can command otherwise Civill powers have great authoritie not onely in things civill but in matters of Religion and they sin against God if they use not the authority which God hath put in their hands for the good of Religion To them belongeth Inspection and watching over not onely Ecclesiasticâ—s but Ecclesiastica Ecclesiasticall persons are subject to Civill authoritie no lesse then others and in respect of things Ecclesiasticall or matters of Religion Eusebius brings in Constantine the great saying Vos Episcopi in Ecclesia ego extra Ecclesiam seu templum Episcopus a Deo constitutus sum Not that any mortall man whether Pope or Prince can be properly Head of the Church or Vice-gerent unto Christ the Mediator in his speciall and oeconomicall Kingdom of Grace for Princes are Vice-gerents to God and to his Son Jesus Christ as he is God in his
live in and of no other world but that wherein it lives So do the Atheists of the world wallow in their sins and sensualitie never thinking of the Author or end of their life that there is any other world or that this world serveth for any other end but for their life After they have lived as Atheists when they are constrained sometimes to think that there is a God they become Atheists in their desire and affection wishing that there were not a God to be avenged upon them for their wickednesse and in end the Lord giveth them up to Atheisme in their judgement and opinion As they did not like to retain God in their knowledge God gave them over to a reprobate mind Rom. 1.28 Being stricken with his judgement they have no serious thought of the House of God or his glory but all their care is about their own houses and honour And ordinarily the Lord befools them in their deepest Policies sweeping down their cob-webs which they have been for a long time twisting making their own wits a snare unto them and turning the means which they did use for their standing and rising to be the meanes of their fall and ruine The other Reason is from common equity amongst men which was the ground of that Decree Esth. 1.22 That everie man should beare rule in his own house The Temple of Jerusalem was the House of God and now under the Gospel the Church of Christ is the House of the living God where he hath promised his presence his face is seen and he is found of them that seek him which therefore may be called Surely God is in thee Isa. 45.14 And Jehovah Shammah The Lord is there Ezek. 48.35 And therefore the Lord should beare rule in his Church and his Commandment ought to be obeyed According to this ground hath the Lord given the precepts of his holy just and good Law For if he be our God what more equitable then that we have him and no other for our God that he direct his own service and worship that his Name be reverently used by us that we observe the times wherein he will have us to appeare before him and that we do duty to every one with whom we live under him This consideration may be very usefull For it may first serve to be a Cure of two great ills in this Land One is of such as conceive that the Law of God belongeth not to Christians They may as well say that Common and Naturall Equitie belongeth not to Christians Is it not written in the heart of man by nature Is it not confirmed by Jesus Christ Is it not recommended to Christians by the Apostles Is it not established by faith Is not the observing of it a testimonie of our communion with God Is not the end of it love from a pure heart a good conscience and faith unfained Is it thankfulnesse to God because we are delivered from the condemnation coaction and rigour of the Law not to acknowledge the obligation of the Law Shall not the domesticks of the house of God observe the Commandments of God or shall they not be grieved when they transgresse and observe them not It is too common an errour to turn the grace of God into wantonnesse The other evill is on the other hand when men give themselves to will-worship the one sort neglects the Commandments of God the other addeth the commandments of men to the Commandments of God which is that {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} that Epiphanius speaketh of a superfluous will-worship of which there is too palpable an example and practise in this Kingdom at this time in the observation of dayes No Church or Kingdome on earth hath greater reason to take heed to it then the Church and Kingdome of England 1. Because the house and service of God hath been pestered beside a multitude of superstitious observations and Ceremonies with a greater number of dayes then the Church of the Jews had in the time of their Ceremoniall worship 2. Because the Christian Sabbath or Lords day hath been profaned and what hath been added to other dayes hath been added with derogation to the Lords day They have forsaken the fountain of living waters and have digged unto themselves cisterns which hold no water 3. Because God hath called this Land to mourning and fasting as we professe this day and I pray God that the unseasonable keeping of this festivitie which God hath not commanded be not more prevalent for evil then the humiliation of this day for good and yet the keeping of this day of humiliation in such a time of festivitie is a presage that by the blessing of God upon the proceedings of the Honourable Houses of Parliament and Assembly this superstition shall shortly expire and that it is now at the last gaspe Secondly It may teach us what reason the Lord of heaven hath to be angry when his Commandment is not obeyed in his own house Kings will be obeyed in their kingdoms Majors Magistrates in their Cities every man in his own house The Church of God is the Kingdom the City the House of God which we must either deny or resolve to have his will done There is yet a third point to be considered the conjunction of these two or the inference of the effect from the cause For why should there be wrath c. It is expressed in an interrogatory way to shew the necessitie of the consequence and that the wrath is certain and inevitable unlesse what is commanded be done and to shew the foolishnesse and wickednesse of man in bringing upon himself this wrath which by his obedience he might prevent like unto that in the Prophet Why will ye die O house of Israel The prudent man foreseeth the evil and hideth himself but the simple passe on and are punished Whence we learn that it is a speciall wisdom in these that have place and power to prevent or turn away the wrath of God from the present and future generation by establishing true Religion and ordering the house of God aright I confesse it is a higher point of wisdom to have a care of Religion that thereby ourselves and others may be brought to spirituall and eternall happinesse and thereby to prevent everlasting wrath yet even in relation to the blessings and miseries of this present life this kind of piety is the best policy I will honour them that honour me saith the Lord and those that despise me shall be lightly esteemed Men may expect honour by dishonouring of God and despising of Religion but the Word of the Lord abideth sure and their honour shall be turned into shame More particularly to this purpose and text the Prophet Haggai speaketh A heavie judgement was upon the people for the neglect of the worship and service of God Why saith the Lord of hosts because of mine House that is waste and ye run every
time especially that you have not called and endeavoured so earnestly as yee ought for Reformation of Religion that every thing might have beene done in the house of God according to his own wil but have pleased your selves with and have rested in the beginnings of a Reformation yee have been for the greater part more pleased with things which were not reformed then the things which were reformed in the worship of God and this sinne hath beene the cause of many other sinnes for where God is not served aright all other duties are but neglected or performed without sincerity Secondly for the present this is the sinne of the Land that the people have not according to their power stayed the King from shedding of blood but many have joyned their Counsels and endeavours to begin and encrease the common misery and others have not resisted the evill but suffered the sword to rage which may make the people justly to say We have sinned and done wickedly The third is the length of this wrath for it reaches to the Kings Sonnes and so to the Posterity The wrath of God endeth not at the persons that have sinned but is extended to others that descend of them without respect of persons and especially for sinnes about the house and worship of God For the horrid and blasphemous murmuring of Israel when they repented themselves of their comming out of Egypt and said one to another let us make a Captaine and let us returne into Egypt not onely their own carkasses fel in the Wildernes but their Children which had not murmered yea which were not yet born must wander in the Wildernesse forty yeers and beare their whoredomes g In like manner in the seventy yeeres of the captivity of Babylon the Children that were borne in Babylon or were carried from their owne Land suffered in that captivity a world of miseries for the sinnes of their Parents The examples of the Children of Dathan and Abiram of the first borne of Egypt of the young ones in Sodome that had not sinned after the similitude of the transgression of Adam and many other judgements of God plucking up root and branch prove this to be the manner of the Lords proceeding against sinners and that without respect of persons The greater the persons be the more grievous in the justice of God is the punishment because the sinnes of great ones are not onely sinnes but examples of sinning and proclamations of liberty to inferiours and therefore I will be glorified in Pharoah and in his servants h saith the Lord For the sinne of Saul in slaying the Gibeonites there was not onely a famine in the dayes of David three yeers yeere after yeere but seven of his sonnes also were hanged up in Gibea David himselfe was not spâ—red but because he had slaine Vriah the Hittite with the sword of the Children of Ammon Nathan said the sword shall not depart from thine house because thou hast despised me i And afterward when his sinne was pardoned because he had given great occasion to the Enemies of God to blaspheme the Child also that is borne unto him shall surely dye This course the Lord doth after a speciall manner follow in sinnes about his house and worship and therefore in the second command and no other doth the Lord threaten to visit the sinnes of the Fathers upon the Children The reasons why the Lord doth so are first that all the world may know how much the Lord abhorreth sinne especially in matters of his worship To this purpose it is observable what he saith Exod. 32.34 In the day when I visit I will visit their sinne upon them So often as he punished the people and their posterity for other sinnes he remembred their sinne of Idolatry which gave occasion to the saying That in every plague of Israel there was one ounce of the golden Calfe Secondly that men may abstaine from sinnes of this sort not onely for respect to themselves but to their posterity whom they love so â—enderly and of whom they are often more carefull then of themselves And this he doth to the third and fourth generation that both the Parents themselves and others who are witnesses to the sinnes of the Parents may be sensible of Gods dealing and know that the Lord is just and the avenger of sinne I leave the theologicall discourse in vindicating the justice of God onely I say first that the Lord punisheth no man with eternall wrath for his fathers sinnes but the soule that sinneth suffereth in that kind Secondly that the ungodly and wicked posterity cannot open their mouth against the justice of God since they continue in the iniquity of their fathers Thirdly that the Godly when they are visited in their bodies goods or estates which they have from their Fathers will find these visitations to be indeed indicia peccati non judicia propter peccatum and rather medicines and preservatives for their eternall happinesse then wrath for their destruction And I come to the use that in this nicke of time and joynture of affaires the great wisdome which God hath given you in your publike places be stirred up and exercised in taking heed that all the former sinnes of this Land committed by so many Progenitors be not brought upon this Generation according to that sore and sad sentence pronounced by the Sonne of God against Jerusalem Matth. 23.35 That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias Sonne of Barachias whom yee slew between the Temple the Altar and verse 36. Verily I say unto you all these things shall come upon this Generation Yee cannot preserve all particular persons from the judgements due unto them for their own and for their fathers sinnes nor can yee preserve every Family from the wrath which the present and preceding generations have been treasuring up It appeareth that the Lord hath decreed the destruction of some persons and the eâ—tirpation of some Families But it is in your hands to prevent the desolation of the Church and Kingdome The Jewes filled up the measure of their Fathers by crucifying the Sonne of God when he came amongst them and would have wrought a Reformation and therefore their habitation was left desolate and they are no more a Nation nor a Kingdome unto this day It is true the people were executioners but the Rulers were the prime Agents Doe therefore the worke unto which the Lord hath called You and Yee shall save the Kingdome from this wrath It is in Your hands as Instruments to make the posterity blessed and to blesse You for your faithfulnesse Woe to them that leave their Station in such an exigence they doe what they can to bring all the blood and all the sinnes of former times upon this Generation and to make the Posterity miserable Let others professe or pretend what they will I am assured that such
A SERMON PREACHED To the Honourable HOVSE OF COMMONS At their late solemne Fast Wednesday December 27. 1643. BY ALEXANDER HENDERSON Minister at Edenbrugh NUM 21.14 Wherefore it is said in the booke of the warres of the Lord what he did in the red Sea and in the brookes of Arnon Published by Order of the House LONDON Printed for Robert Bostock dwelling at the signe of the Kings-head in Pauls Churchyard 1644. Die Mercurij 27. Decemb. 1643. IT is this day Ordered by the Commons assembled in Parliament that Master Solicitor doe from this House give thankes unto Master Henderson for the great paines he tooke in the Sermon he preached this day at the intreaty of this House at Saint Margarets Westminster being the day of publike Humiliation and to desire him to Print his Sermon It is also Ordered that none shall presume to Print his Sermon without being authorised under his hand writing Hen. Elsynge Cler. Parl. D. Com. I appoint Robert Bostocke to Print this Sermon Alexander Henderson To the READER THIS Sermon such as it is was preached to the honourable house of Commons at their desire and is now by their Order printed for thy use and by the blessing of God for thy benefit The desire endevor of the Preacher was according to the scope and nature of the Text to shew that after so often renued and long continued humiliation and after solemne entring into Covenant with the most high God The true reformation of Religion is the readiest meane to turne away the still pressing wrath of God from the Kingdome And to bring the desired blessings of all sorts upon Church and State which yet will prove but uneffectuall unlesse the Reformation intended by the Honourable Houses of Parliament and the reverend Assembly of Divines be attended faithfully followed with Renovation and Repentance in the people Repentance for every knowne Sin and how can Sin be unknowne in the midst of so many burning and shining lights But repentance especially for sinnes 〈◊〉 the matter of Religion the present Epidenticall disease of this Land which threatneth changes Armies of sorrowes so it pleaseth the Lord to give more then a taste of the bitter fruits of bad Church-government and a sad representation of the face of the Kingdom if every man should be left to preach professe and print what he will O that my people had harkned unto me Israel had walked in my ways I should soon have subdued their Enemies and turned my hand against their adversaries The haters of God should have submitted themselves unto him but their time should have endured for ever Hearken therefore unto the voyce of God in the spirituall plaine and powerfull preaching of his servants one of the greatest evidences that the Lord hath a purpose of mercy toward you and walke in his wayes Marke them which cause devisions and offences amongst you be wise unto that which is good simple concerning evill the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you A SERMON Preached at the late Fast before the Honourable House of Commons EZRA 7.23 Whatsoever is commanded by the God of heaven let it be diligently done for the house of the God of heaven for why should there be wrath against the Realme of the King and his Sonnes THE Lord who is the Father of Spirits hath a great diversity of influence and operation upon the minds and hearts of the children of men he can send a dream upon Nebuchadnezar while he is at rest in his house and florishing in his palace which maketh him afraid and the thoughts upon his bed and the visions of his head to trouble him a While Belshazzar the King maketh a great feast to a thousand of his Lords he can make a hand to write over against the Candlesticke upon the plaister of the Wall which maketh the Kings countenance to be changed and his thoughts to trouble him so that the joynts of his loynes were loosed his knees smote one against another and his wise men and Lords were astonied with him b he can make Balaam when he is called to curse the people of God contrary to his owne intention the desire of Balaak to blesse them three times c He can make Cajephas to prophesie what he understandeth not that one man should die for the people and that the whole Nation perish not d And the Lord can reveale his will to Joseph Daniel and his Prophets concerning things to come for the comfort of his Church e Againe the Lord can renue the hearts of his Enemies and make such a Persecutor as Paul sometime was to be a beleever and Zealous Preacher f He can restraine the impetuous violence of the heart of man thus dealt he with Laban that he durst not speake to Jacob either good or bad g he can also and doth indeed overrule the hearts and wayes of his most Malignant and desperate Enemies whom he neither renueth nor restraineth and contrary to their Counsels and intentions bring them mervelously about to his owne ends as he dealt with Judas Herod Pilate and the people of the Jewes who devised and did mischiefe against Christ but God meant it for good to save his people from their sinnes h There is yet another way of divine providence and Soveraignty when the Lord is pleased neither to proceed to farre as to renue nor doe so little as to restraine but thinketh meet to change the affections of the heart of man whether from particular hatred and opposition as he dealt with Esau comming against Jacob i and Alexander the great marching against Jerusalem k or from that common and innate hatred that all men naturally beare against the true Religion and Church of God Of which we have the example of Ahashuerus in the booke of Ester of Artaxerxes in the booke of Nehemiah of Cyrus and Darius in this booke and of the same Artaxerxes in this Text In whose eyes Ezra did find such favour and of whom he had as ample testimonie of royall benevolence and bounty toward Jerusalem and the house of God there as his heart could have wished and as made him humbly to acknowledge that the good hand of the Lord his God was upon him and to blesse the Lord God of his fathers which had put such a thing in the Kings heart as to beautifie the house of the Lord God which was at Jerusalem In the letter of Artaxerxes expressing his munificence and containing the Commission and instructions given unto Ezra for this purpose the clause which I have read is worthy of a starre or finger in the margent wherein we may perceive that the King as he had heard and learned not from a flattering Court-Chaplaine but from faithfull Ezra beleeveth that the great wrath of God shall come not onely upon himselfe but which was more upon his Kingdome
man into his own house Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew and the earth is stayed from her fruit like unto that in Deut. The heaven that is over thy head shall be brasse and the earth that is under thy feet shall be iron But afterward he speaks comfortably The glory of this latter house shall be greater then of the former saith the Lord of Hosts And in this place will I give peace saith the Lord of Hosts And again consider now from this day and upward from the foure and twenday of the ninth moneth even from the day that the foundation of the Lords Temple was laid consider it From this day will I blesse you Jehosophot and Hezekiah are two Witnesses of this truth The Lord was with Jehosophat because he walked in the first wayes of his father David and sought not to Balaam but sought to the Lord God of his father walked in his Commandements and not after the doings of Israel therefore the Lord established the Kingdome in his hand and all Judah brought 〈◊〉 Jehosophat presents he had riches and honour in abundance c. Hezekiah teacheth the Levits themselves this Lesson that for trespasses of this kind the wrath of the Lord was upon Judah Jerusalem he had delivered them to trouble to astonishment and to hissing There be as many pregnant examples of this truth in the book of God as of any other but he who desireth a full Commentary or Sermon upon this point of the Text let him read the 2 Chap. of the book of the Judges and he shall see the ebbing and flowing of prosperity peace and safety according to the course of Religion The reason of it is because where true Religion hath not place there is nothing but prophanenes uncleannesse excesse oppression violence deceit and falshood The lawes of men may doe some hurt for repressing outrages but how shall the floods be dried up unlesse the fountaines be obstructed There is great difference betwixt outward restraint from man and inward mortification from God Where Religion taketh place men neither dare nor will commit sinne and doth not the wrath of God for these things come upon the Children of disobedience Men need not in searching out the periods and fatalities of Kingdomes and States trouble themselves with the intricat numbers of Plato Predictions of Astrologers or particular Prophesies {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} impiety iniquity luxury which must needs have place where true Religion hath nor place are causes for which the Lord bringeth alterations upon Kingdomes By this we may easily discern who are Malignants and Enemies to the peace and prosperity of the Kingdome Religion is the touchstone Such as are mockers of the Reformation of Religion and of their owne lives have brought on and hold on this heavy wrath but they who desire endeavour the Reformation setling of Religion are in the right way to bring honor and happinesse upon the Kingdome of the King and his Sonnes It is a damnable and cursed policy by dispencing with any thing which God hath commanded to be done for his house to seek after peace and deliverance It was the policy of Jeroboam it turned to his ruine It was the policy of the Jewes and it brought their City and Nation to desolation In this thou walkest contrary to God and therefore God will walk contrary to thee Thou thinkâ—st to turn away wrath by the neglect of Religion of the house of God but God hath said that wrath shall be upon the Kingdome unlesse what he hath commanded be done for his house Art thou wiser then he or art thou stronger then he will thou against the will of God against the experience of all ages against thy owne conscience run in a way contrary to Gods way Salvation shall come to the people of God and his house shall be built but thou thy house which thou makest an Idoll and preferrest to the house of God shall certainly perish God will not he mocked I must therefore take the boldnesse according to the charge and trust committed unto me at this time in the name of God to exhort in the bowels of Jesus Christ to intreat that the house of God be diligently looked unto and that first of all Religion be reformed and setled No man must be of Gallio's temper to care for none of those things as if they were but light matters in comparison of civill and secular affaires or as if they were impertinent for him Nothing in the world that doth concern thine owne private or the state and publike is of so great weight importance nothing so pressing pertinent as this of Religion No man must be of Gamaliels temper he was a grave learned and peaceable man of great esteem amongst the people yet his counsell was crafty corrupt unchristian somewhat in it was good he aimed at peace he laid this ground that the work was either of God or of man and what was of man would come to nought and what was of God could not be overthrowne But in this very corrupt that he would have us to judge of Religion by particular events and that we should do nothing for the advancement of a good cause but leave it to the providence of God His arguments were fitted to his purpose but true Religion is neither a matter of fancy as was that of Theudas nor of sedition as was that of Judas of Galile and therefore all men ought to bend themselves to the setling thereof by all good and lawfull means Nor must yee in this work linger or delay upon any consent or concurrence whatsoever It is true where matters are darke or doubtfull yee should seek for light and resolution and yee have to that end a learned and godly Assembly but where matters are clear manifest if yee lye still waiting for the consent of others yee are like to lose both the opportunity and the thing it selfe as many have done and repâ—â—ted themselves too late There be some things whâ—â—â—in we are subject to God alone and in thiâ—â— of this kind we are not to wait for counsell or câ—â—sent from others It was the saying of Dioclesian 〈◊〉 a good and wise Emperour is often-sold by his Couâ—ers who have a guard about his eares and traduce goâ—â—men forevill and commend evill men for good As Baâ—â—am dealt not faithfully with God so the messengers 〈◊〉 unto him did deale unfaithfully with King Balaaâ— It also true that as at Rome so in other places patres 〈◊〉 scripti are sometimes patres circumscripti Nor must feare opposition or enmity and thereby trouble to 〈◊〉 State while Yee are seeking after Reformation Whâ—â—Cassander one of the successors of Alexander was pâ—â—swading them to receive Alexander to be worshipped â—mongst their Gods and that if they refused he would â—â—nounce war against them Demades their Orator to them that it was to be feared while they were holdâ— the heavens they should lose the earth But I change 〈◊〉 words with Peter Martyr that it is to be feared ne 〈◊〉 Rempublicam terrenam curatis defenditis nimium 〈◊〉 lum amittatis while Yee stand for the State that Yâ—â— lose Religion If Zerubabell Ezra or Nehemiah had dâ—layed the building of the house of God upon the opposition of enemies or because there was Lyons and Forâ— in the way the worship of God had never bin set up 〈◊〉 Religion reformed but the builders with one of theâ—â— hands wrought in the worke in the other hand held weapon In this posture I leave you till the house of the Lord be built amongst you your swords be turned into plough-shares and your speares into pruning-hookâ— that is till truth peace be established in your borders The Zeale of the Lord of Hosts will performe it To him be praise for ever Amen FINIS The Lord worketh diversly upon the hearts of men a Dan. 4.4 5. b Dan. 5.5 c Num. 24.10 d John 11.49 50. e Gen. 37. Dan 2. 4 5. 7. c. f Acts 9. g Gen. 31. h Act. 4.27.28 i Gen. 33. k Joseph antq Judaic. lib. 11. c. 8. The Text divided l Ezra 10.2 The wrath of God laid open m Psal. 103. Rom. 1.18 Deut. 32.22 In the hight and depth thereof n Gen. 2.1 o Gen. 2.4 Vse 1. p Heb. 10.30.31 q 2 Sam. 24.14 r Exod. 34.14 s Deut 29 2â— t Ezek. 5.13 Vse 2. u Exod. 32. x 1 Kin. 19.10 y Acts 17.16 z Pet. 2.8 a Rev. 3.16 b Rom. 12.11 In the bredth thereof c 2 Sam. 24 1 Kin. 21. d Prov. 28.2 e 1 Sam. 12.25 f 1 Sam. 35.31 In the length thereof g Numb. 1â— h Exod. 14. i 2 Sam. 12.9.10 Vse Matth. 23.35 The meâ—nes to avert and prevent the wrath of God The first mean The second mean The third mean Jer. 34. Considerations about the third mean 1. The Rule of Reformation Vse 2. The extent of Reformation * 2 Chron. 15.7 * Isa 27.9 Isa. 1.26 27.28 Galat. 5.7 8 9. Vse 3. The manner of going about Reformation * Pro. 10 26. Pro. 27.8 Reasons hereof The first Reason Isa. 6.1 2 3 4. Isa. 46.1 Reason 2. Esth. 1.22 Isa. 45.14 Ezek. 48.35 Vse 2. The third part of the Text Pro. 22.3 Hag. 1.9 10. Deut. 28.23 Hag. 2.9 Hag. 2.18 19. 2 Chr. 17 3 4 5 6. 2 Chr. 29 6 7 8 9 10 11. Judges 2. Vse 1. Vse 2. Vse 3. Acts 18.14 15 16 17.