THE GOOD MAN A PVBLICK GOOD 1. PASSIVELY 2. ACTIVELY As it was Manifested in a Sermon preached to the Honourable House of COMMONS at the late Solemne Fast January 31. 1643. By DANIEL CAVVDREY Minister of the Gospell at Great Billing in Northamptonshire and one of the Assembly of DIVINES 2. Cor. 12.15 I will very gladly spend and be spent for you though the more abundantly I love you the lesse I am loved John 10.11.12 The Good Shepheard giveth his life for the Sheepe But he that is an hireling and not the Shepheard whose owne the Sheepe are not seeth the wolfe comming and leaves the Sheep and fleeth because he is an hireling and careth not for the Sheep LONDON Printed by Tho. Harper for Charles Greene and P. W. 1643. To the Honourable House of Commons Assembled in PARLIAMENT Honourable and ever-Honoured Patriots THis poor and plain Sermon as it was first preached in obedience to your Command and heard with a great deale of Religious Attention so it is now most humbly presented to your hands and eyes Wherein the Preachers aime and intention was not Qâ—i monet ut fâ—â—â—s qâ—od j m sâ—ci c. either to informe your Judgements in what you knew not or to perswade your Obedience to what you did not but to encourage and comfort you in what you already did even spend your selves in the Publicke Good The which he conceived the rather to be most necessary for him to doe First because of the great difficulty of the worke you are ingaged in by reason of those Scornfull men who have brought the City into a snare or rather set the Kingdome on fire Secondly because of those great discouragements which you have long wrastled with through the frowardnesse and unthankfulnesse of the people of this land who have withdrawne many of them their assistance and stopped up those wels that should afford you water to quench that fire And had not the Lord himself stood by you and endued you with Wisdome Goodnesse Meeknesse the wickednesse of the one sort and the perversenesse of the other sort might have caused your hands to faint and your hearts to faile in the prosecution of the Worke. But blessed be God who both raised you up unto us and raised and kept up your spirits to be constant and active for such a time as this But it is usuall with God so to doe As it is observable in Nature Physitians say that as there are Nationall diseases so there are peculiar Nationall remedies So commonly in the greatest distresses of his Church and greatest opposition of Malignants God is pleased to raise up defendants proportionable to these necessities This is evident in many passages of the sacred Story especially in the booke of Judges in Nehemiahs and Esthers time The two parties in the Text are not so much opposed one against another viz. Scornfull men and Wise men as they are in the present experience of these times Never did any Kingdome know and finde so great a generation of Scornfull men not onely the lower ranke of meane Malignants who have scorned and scoffed at Religion and Goodnesse so long till they have scoffed themselves out of all even shewes of Religion and into unbeleefe of all relations of successes as false and fabulous but even those of the second and third magnitudes who like Tobiah and Sanballat have jeered and derided all your undertakings as weake and worthlesse saying as they What do these feeble men will they fortifie themselves will they make an end in a day Will they pull downe the Old and set up a new Church in a day Nay have they not flouted your fastings and prayings upon the least successes of their party and some of them said where is now your God But againe I say Blessed be God who resists the proud and gives grace to the Humble that hath as it were created a generation of Wise men in a way of opposition to those Scornfull men to breake those snares and quench those fires which they have kindled Wherein God hath not only magnified his owne Wisdome and Goodnesse in providing and fitting the Remedy to the Disease but also manifested to all the world your Wisdome in discovering their snares and your Goodnesse in quenching their fires Truly worthy Patriots next under God we cannot but acknowledge that the Kingdome the whole Island is beholding to you for its present preservation And though you have met with an unthankefull generation for the present yet we doubt not but the children yet unborne shall have cause to call you Blessed as the repairers of our breaches as the restorers of paths to dwell in and above all as the blessed Reformers of Church and State Which that you may be shall be the dayly prayer of Your most humbly devoted Servant in the Lord DANIEL CAVVDREY A SERMON Preached before The honourable House of COMMONS at the publike Fast Ian. 31. 1643. Proverbs 29.8 Scornefull men bring a City into a snare but wise men turne away wrath THis Booke of the Proverbs The priviledges of the Proverbs in three things as it hath the common Honour with other sacred Scriptures to be called Canonicall so it hath some speciall Prerogatives above the rest and that in a threefold respect 1. In the Excellence 1. The Excellencies and preheminence of the Sentences therein contained being for the most part received principles or Canons of wisedome acknowledged generally by all especially by the wise And for this cause they are called Proverbs Look what Maximes are in Law Axioms in Logick Aphorismes in Physick Apothegmes in historie or morality such are these Proverbs in Divinity the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the original carries their Dignity in the very forehead It comes from a roote that signifies to Rule as a Lord or Prince They are principes or prinpales sententiae princely or principall sentences not onely from their Authour King Salomon chap. 1. 1. but also from their worth authority being as I may so say Lords and Commanders of our Assent and Judgement for their Authenticall and acknowledged veritie that 's the first 2. In their Independance 2. Their Indepeâ—dâ—nce usually one upon another every verse almost yea every Homistichium or halfe verse being a compleat Doctrine of it selfe as Proverbs commonly are short and full In other Scriptures a man must read many verses sometimes at least before he can make up the sense or profitable instructions therein contained but here he hath in two or three words a full proposition or Doctrine exposed to his view In which respect they may be compared not so fitly to a Chaine of Gold where each piece is linked to and drawes on its fellow as to a Chaine of precious Pearles all put upon one string having indeed a kind of Contaction as I may say but no necessary Connexion or Cohaerence one upon another And that 's the second 3. In the mutuall Illumination 3. Their Mutuall
they been deserted I wish that were all yea maligned scoffed at by Scornfull men hated opposed even by them that chose and imployed them If men go on thus to forsake them and let them fall for want of Assistance it is just with God they should never chuse more or never live to partake of that common Good which they desire and endeavour to do for them As therefore the Apostle spake in a case of a faithfull Minister so I of all of a publicke spirit Receive them therefore in the Lord with all gladnesse and hold such in reputation because for the worke of Christ they were neare unto death not regarding their owne life to supply your lacke of service Phil. 2.29.30 And as Deborah gave her Voluntiers their due and double Honour so let us doe also Heare what she sayes My heart is towards the Governours of Israel that offered themselves willingly among the people Blesse ye the Lord Judg. 5.9 and so she goes on to name the tribes and persons casting a secret reproach upon the Newters and at last come to it againe Zebulon and Naphtali were a people that jeoparded their lives unto the death in the high places of the field verse 18. So say I my heart is towards the Governours of England our Parliament Patriots that offered themselves willingly among the people Blesse ye the Lord. Blesse ye the Lord that raised up their persons and their spirits to stand for the publick Good of Religion Lawes and Liberties and to spend their time their strength their estates their credits and honour and lives for the same And blessed be they of the Lord and their posterities after them for ever My heart is also towards those Noble Commanders and common Souldiers that have offered themselves willingly among the people and have jeoparded their lives in the high places of the field blesse ye the Lord that raised up their spirits to such a pitch of Magnanimity and Resolution and blessed be they of the Lord let their lives and names be precious with the Lord and with the generations to come Lastly my heart is towards the Honourable City and Citizens that offered themselves and their estates willingly among and above all the Cities of the Kingdome to the almost exhausting of their wealth and treasure to the publick Good of the whole Land Blesse ye the Lord that stirred them up and blessed be they of the Lord for ever the Lord recompence it upon them and theirs sevenfold This is the least we can doe for them that have bn Instruments of the publick Good Render to every one their due Honour to whom Honour belongeth c. 4. It may be a ground of Exhortation to all especially to those who are publicke persons 4 Use Exhâ—rtâ—tion to get puâ—licke spâ—rits to study and endeavour the publicke Good above their owne with neglect of their owne sometimes and to this end to labour for publicke spirits every man to contribute his abilities of what kinde soever to be serviceable to the Community As above in the heavens every Starre even the least contributes its light and influence to the world especially those of greater magnitude So let it be on earth in a Church in a State every one cast in something to the publicke Treasury Some their wisdome and parts Some their estates Some their strength Some their persons and lives all their prayers 1. Perswaded For the perswading of this consider these things 1. We cannot as hath been said otherwise approve our selves to God to men or to our owne consciences 1. This an evidence of Goodnesse that we are Good men have any true Goodnesse true Grace true Religion A Good man is a publicke Good both Passively and Actively is Good and doth Good A private spirit is an evidence of a naturall heart It was not a good speech of the trees in the parable Shall I leave my fatnesse or my sweetnesse c. to be promoted over the trees to goe up and downe for other trees we must if we be trees of Gods Paradise of Gods planting He shall be like a tree planted by the waters side that brings forth his fruit in his season Psal 1. All times a reseasonable for a Christians fruit and so are all places He hath his fruit in private but most in publick 2. This is the end of all our Abilities 2. It is the end of all abilities Non nobis solum nati c. is a Proverbiall speech amongst the very Heathens we were not borne for our selves nor live for our selves our parents challenge a part our kindred and friends a part our Country our Religion all We are but Stewards entrusted with our Masters Treasure to be distributed and layd out for the Good of the familie We are but Servants or Apprentices that have nothing properly our owne we come into the world to serve our generation It is the Scripture phrase spoken of a King King David 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Acts 13.36 When he had served his generation he fell asleepe In the great world all creatures contribute their share to the maintenance of the Communitie No creature is made for it selfe none acts for it selfe none lives to it selfe but an idle person and a Newter The sheepe and bees and the rest pay their tribute to Man Sic vos non vobis c. and the bees in the hives do not fill their cells with hony for their owne private use but every owne brings in and layes up as in a common treasurie and drones are either killed or banished from that little Commonwealth In the body naturall every member is a publick servant to the whole Corporation And shall Christians in the body mysticall or Citizens in the body politicall vary from all the rest and live only to themselves 3. This is very reasonable 3. It is very Reasonable There 's none but lives upon the common stocke none but desires to partake and share in the Publick Good of peace plenty liberty lawes religion what reason or equitie they should expect it if they contribute nothing to it Shall all other men all other creaturs be made serviceable to them and they to no body How can men desire of God with the Psalmist That they may see the Good of his chosen that they may rejoice in the gladnesse of his nation that they may glory with his inheritance Psal 106.5 if they have not some way or other lent their assistance to the procuring of it If they will not suffer with Gods people is it reason they should raigne or rejoice with them Such men may justly feare that they shall bee blasted by death or otherwise that they shall never see the Good of Gods chosen or not have any comfort in it though they see it As the Prophet sayd to that unbeleeving Prince that doubted the plenty prophesied as a thing impossible though God should open the windowes of heaven Behold sayes he thou shalt see it
part is called a wicked man implying them to be convertible every scorner is a wicked man and every wicked man is a scorner so a wicked man and a foole are also one with the Spirit of God Solomons fool so often mentioned in this Booke and elsewhere is no better no other then a wicked man And that is the first Secondly That wise men are meeke and humble men and only meeke and humble men are wise This the Spirit of God would have us to take notice of by opposing wise men to proud and scornfull men Therefore it is worth observing also that as proud men and scornfull men are parallels in Scripture Prov. 21.24 Proud and haughty scorner is his name who dealeth in proud wrath and sometimes we heare The proud have laid a snare for me as here the scornfull so wise men and meeke men are very neare a kin or rather one and the same So Saint James would have us understand when he sayes Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge amongst you let him shew out of a good conversation his workes with meeknesse of wisdome Jam. 3.13 And againe vers 17. The wisdome which is from above is first pure then peaceable gentle c. By wise men therefore here Solomon meanes meek and humble men in speciall and generally all Good men who are only wise his wise man is the same with a good man as his foole with a wicked man Fifthly what is here meant by wrath 5. Wrath what and what to turn it away by wrath some understand the anger of men as of a King Whose wrath is as the roaring of a Lion and he is a wise man that knowes how to allay it or of a tumultuous and enraged multitude set on fire by scornfull men Others understand it of the wrath of God which wicked scorners have incensed but onely wise men and good men know how to quench it So that here is the cause put for the effects the wrath of God for those snares and perplexities those fires and judgements inflicted on a people by the wrath of God And there is a great deale of wisdome in the choise of this word for it implies three things very considerable First The prevention of judgements 1. Prevention of judgements ready to fall upon a people by the wickednesse of scornefull men by taking away or turning away wrath the cause thereof So Prov. 15.1 A soft answer pacifies wrath the wrath of God or men 2. The removall 2. Removall of those judgements which are inflicted when a City is ensnared or enfired wise men good men are so prevalent with God that they help to break those snares and quench those fires by turning away the wrath of God Thirdly the procuring 3. Procuring blessings of mercies and blessings upon the place for here is a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as they call it lesse is said but more is understood as the opposition doth fairly suggest Scornfull men bring a City into a snare or set a City on fire That is they deprive a Land of mercies and blessings first and then helpe to bring on judgements So wise men doe not only prevent and remove judgements but procure blessings on the places where they live the House the Towne the City the Countrey the Kingdome which must the rather be observed because in this latter part the City is not mentioned but understood 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the rule of interpretation So the summe of all will be this That wise men are common and publick Goods to the places where they live The words thus explained will yeeld us many good observations 4. The observations some we shall name some but insist chiefly upon one First That all scornfull men as all wicked men whereof these are the worst how ever they thinke of themselves or others of them are no wiser then they should be that is are no better no other then fooles in wisdomes account It arises from the opposition of scornfull men and wise men Secondly That only meek and humble men as all good men how ever the world accounts them simple are truly wise It arises also from the opposition of wise men and scornfull men who are ever proud men for scorne arises from pride as humility from wisdome Thirdly That scornfull men the worst of men are publicke evills and mischiefes to the places where they live And that two wayes 1. Passively as meriting and procuring the wrath and judgements of God upon these places 2. Actively as studying plotting and endeavouring mischiefes to the places They bring a City into a snare and set a City on fire In the first sense they are flagella Dei In the second flabella Diaboli Fourthly That on the contrary wise men that is good men for they are Synonyma's in Scripture are publick Goods to the places where they live And that also two wayes 1. Passively the places being blessed for their sakes 2. Actively as seeking studying endeavouring the publick Good being men of publick spirits preferring the publick Good before their owne private interests But to handle all these particulars as it is a little impertinent some of them being only hinted and not directly here intended so it is as much impossible considering that portion of time which is allowed me I shall therefore draw out only the last generall conclusion consisting of two particular branches taking sometimes notice of the opposite part and the other considerations for illustration confirmation or application as shall be most expedient The generall Observation is this Good men are publick Goods 5. The generall Observation Good men publicke goods to the places where they live That this is rightly collected is evident to an observing eye by the former explication This we shall endeavour to make good in both the branches before propounded both passively as God blesses the places for their sakes and also actively as they are men of publicke spirits seeking principally the good of the Community First Good men are publicke goods passively God for their sakes blessing the Places 1. Pâ—ssively as blessings to the places Family Towne City Country Kingdome where they live This is thus made good 1. There are promises made unto them for this very purpose 1. This is promisâ—d as to Abraham Gen. 12.2.3 I will blesse thee and make thy name great and thou shalt be a blessing And I will blesse them that blesse thee and curse them that curse thee and in thee shall all families of the earth bee blessed To this may bee added that other conditionall promise to the same Abraham Gen. 18.26 If I finde in Sodome fifty righteous within the City then I will spare all the place for their sakes Nay a lower condiscension we finde there I will not destroy it for tennes sake The same promise is made to Iob upon supposition of his repentance and turning to God The innocent shall deliver the Island and it is delivered
is given to the poore in spirit Earth is bequeathed to the meeke what then remaines for the proud and scornfull wicked men but Hell their proper inheritance as it is said of Judas that sonne or heire of perdition that he was gone to his owne place Act. 1.25 Now then if wicked men have any thing they have it for the godly mens sakes because they are mixt together As the Sunne shines upon the stony rocks as well as upon the low valleyes and the raine falls upon the barren mountaines as well as upon the fruitfull medowes but were intended only for the latter The tares in the field receive and pertake of the dewes and shoures of heaven but not for their owne but for the corns sake The Heathen man saw this truth by the twilight of nature God saith he provided all Good things for the Good but they befall the evill men because they cannot be separated And it is better to profit or doe good to evill men for the Goods sake then to bee wanting to the Good for evill mens sake The world it selfe stands for the Elects sake if their number were once made up as the old world perished by water so soone as Noah and his family were housed in the Arke so this present world should be destroyed with fire 2 Pet. 3. 3. All judgements are provided for wicked men Thirdly as all Good things are intended for the Good so all judgements and punishments are provided and prepared for the wicked none for Good men further then they communicate more or lesse in the wickednesse of the places and times where they live The whip is for the Asse and the rod for the fooles backe Prov. 26.3 Great plagues remaine for the ungodly Psal 32.10 Vpon the ungodly he shall raine snares storme and tempest fire and brimstone Psal 11. Now then because it is against justice to punish the Righteous with the wicked or for wicked mens sake Abraham pleads it so with God Wilt thou destroy the righteous with the wicked farre be that from thee Shall not the Judge of all the earth doe right Gen. 18 25. And God admits the plea as just and reasonable as you may see If I finde fifty righteous I will spare all the place for their sakes Either therefore God must separate the righteous from the wicked as sometimes indeed hee does or else he must destroy the righteous with the wicked or for the wickeds sake which is unjust or else hee must spare the wicked for the righteous sake And we have a kinde of a Proverbe common amongst us It is better to save two Nocents then to destroy one Innocent The very tares as was said are spared for the wheats sake Fourthly Good men are studious and active for the publicke Good 4. They are active for the publick Good as we shall heare anon as well as for their owne yea above and with neglect of their owne Good They imploy all their parts wisdome strength riches interests for the Publicke Good all their prayers and power with God to the Good of others Now it is a wonderfull wel-pleasing thing to God to see men of his owne disposition to neglect themselves for Gods glory and his peoples Good that he will even for their sakes stay or remove a judgement and drop downe blessings upon others and they perhaps wicked As when Moses desired to be blotted out of Gods Booke rather then Gods glory should suffer or his people be destroyed God takes it so well that he spares a rebellious people for his sake These reasons may serve for the confirmation 5. The Applition then We now come to the application of it before we proceed to the next 1. Then on the contrary wicked evill men 1. Wicked men are publick evills are publicke evills they are not hurtfull onely to themselves that is the least part of their Illnesse but to the Places Families Townes Cities Countries the whole Island or Kingdome where they live One sinner destroyeth much good Eccles 9. last and hinders much good and brings much evill brings an house or City into a Snare or sets them all on fire One spark hath been the cause of the burning of a whole town One Achan troubled and had like to have ruined a whole Armie One and every wicked man is a curse a pest a viper to the place where he lives A fruitfull land he maketh barren for the wickednesse of them that dwell therein Psal 107.34 These these are the men that violate the peace and happinesse of a Nation that with-hold Good things from it The Prophet Zach. 5. saw in a vision a flying rowle written full of curses without and within And it shall enter sayes the Lord into the house of the theefe and of him that sweareth falsely c. It is a wonder to me that many families and townes are not ruin'd and destroyed for the wickednesse of them that dwell therein so full of curses and oathes and blasphemies No wonder there is so much trouble and perplexity in our Cities and Countries and whole Kingdome seeing wickednesse so much abounds n every place But especially considering that our land is so full of scornefull men Especially scornefull men both secret and open Secret scorners that in their hearts deride and despise not onely Goodmen but Goodnesse it selfe and the power and practise of Godlinesse Many perhaps that make a faire shew of Religion frequent the Assemblies observe Fasts and daies of Humiliation and yet in their hearts despise and deride all such Devotions as either needlesse or uselesse Many open scorners that are professed mockers and flouters of Religion and them that desire to professe it in the strictest and exactest way Hypocriticall Mockers at Feasts as Dauid calls them the drunkards that made songs of him and all that professe Godlinesse Amongst these you may reckon your Stage-players who had skoffed Religion out of countenance with many You have done well to put them downe and shall do better if you keepe them downe Adde to these your profane souldiers who undertaking to fight for Religion do as much scorne it and the professors of it with names of reproach as any of the Cavaliers Can we wonder to see our Cities and Countries so ensnared and enfired when all places are full of such skorners as our text mentions When one blesses and another curses which will God heare sayd a Wiseman This mixture of so many scorners with some few wise men in our Cities in our Armies makes things thus to hang in aequilibrio Now we have a victory then by and by a losse and defeat God himselfe seemes to be doubtfull whether he should save us for some Good mens sake or destroy us for these many scorners sake Salvian complained of his times and it is our case at this time Si quis ex Nobilibus c. If any of the Nobility or Gentry begin to be Religious he presently looses the Honour of his
world it would soone be all on a flaming fire about their eares Banish but all godly men out of a City Country c. and desolation will soone follow And therefore it is noted as a prognosticke and forerunner of ruine to a place of Kingdome when righteous men are taken away from the evill to come Esay 57.1 4. This is a ground of strong encouragement 4. Encouragement and comfort and consolation both in speciall to Good men and generally to this Nation First To Good and Godly men in speciall 1. To Good men themselves that they are thus highly favoured and graced by God as to make them publick Goods Blessings to the places where they live Joab tooke it as a great favour that King David would condescend to gratifie him in a request for his owne son Absalom 2 Sam. 14.22 By this I know that thy servant hath found favour in thy sight in that the King hath fulfilled the request of his servant What an honour then is it for a poore sinfull man to have this favour with the King of Heaven not only to grant the requests of his servants for themselves but when they say nothing even for their sakes to shew mercy unto others What a strange piece of complement or rather reall honour was it for God to say to Moses as a man to his friend Let me alone that I may destroy them when Moses said nothing that we heare of What an honour was it to Saint Paul that without asking God should give him the life of all the soules that sailed with him If a man had but so much favour with a King it would make him proud and scarce to know the ground he goes on Why such honour have all Gods Saints even to the least of all Saints as Paul of himselfe is this honour given that God can deny them nothing Marke how Eliphaz applies it to Job in particular Job 22.30 The innocent shall deliver the Island True might he say but what 's that to me Therefore he addes And it is delivered by the purenesse of thy hands As if he should say thou being innocent and pure shalt have the same Favour thou shalt deliver not thy selfe only but the Island This is the Lords doing and it is marvellous in our eyes Secondly To this Land and Nation 2. To this Land and Nation of ours in generall it is no lesse encouragement That it shall not yet be totally destroyed though the sinnes and sinners be many though there be many scornfull men that bring the Land and City into many snares and have enkindled many fires yet there are many wise men blessed be the Grace of our God that is many Good men that doe helpe to turne away wrath many faithfull Abrahams many righteous Lots many meeke Moses's many holy Pauls that intercede with God for the Land If there were any sweet of comfort to be sucked out of the gall of bitternesse I meane the wickednesse of an Enemy that their destruction hastens a pace our Enemies are as desperately wicked as we could desire them But our comfort lies not in their wickednesse so much as in the Goodnesse of some of our owne or rather in the Goodnesse and Grace of our God who for their sakes uses to shew favour to the places where they live It is knowne well enough what God would have done to a desperately wicked City as any was at that time yet if there had beene but fifty nay but tenne righteous men in Sodome for their sakes all had been spared We trust we may safely say and without any arrogance there are many fifties many ten thousands in this our Land that never bowed the knee to Baal that crie night and day to God that the Island may be delivered Suffer us O Father of mercies to plead an argument of thine owne framing as Abraham did for Sodome wee are bad enough perhaps as bad or worse then Sodome yet suffer us holy God to speake but this once Wilt thou destroy the righteous with the wicked Be it farre from thee from doing this thing to slay the righteous with the wicked and that the righteous should be even as the wicked be it farre from thee Shall not the Judge of all the world doe right Gen. 18.23.25 Upon this ground we beleeve though we may have a sharp storm yet it will blow over againe God never yet and will he beginne now destroyed an humbling fasting praying reforming Nation Those Innocents righteous men we hope shall deliver the Island Even so Amen 5. This may serve for a ground of Exhortation 5. Exhortation and that branches it selfe two wayes to the wicked and to the Good 1. To the wicked world and that in a double respect 1. To wicked men 1. To the Good First to cease from evill and to learn to do well to labour to become Good righteous men even for this reason that as now they are curses and mischiefes to the places where they live as well as to themselves and are branded with this ignominious title of Incendiaries of the Kingdome so being Good they may be honoured as blessings and publicke Goods This argument Eliphaz presses Job withall Job 22.30 after many other encouragements Acquaint thy selfe now with the Lord c. why because then thou shalt pray unto him and he shall heare thee vers 27. And last of all thou shalt be honoured as the Deliverer of the Island The innocent shall deliver the Island and it is delivered by the purenesse of thy hands The like argument the Lord himselfe urges upon a formall faster Esay 58. that he would fast to purpose by fasting from sinne and wickednesse and beginne to be righteous and mercifull Is not this the Fast that I have chosen to loose the bands of wickednesse to undoe the heavy burdens to let the oppressed goe free and that ye breake every yoke Is it not to deale thy bread to the hungry c. Then shall thy light breake forth as the morning and thine health shall spring forth speedily and thy righteousnesse shall goe before thee and the glory of the Lord shall be thy reward Then shalt thou call and the Lord shall answer c. And after all thus he concludes to our present purpose vers 12. And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations and thou shalt be called the repairer of the breach the restorer of paths to dwell in That is thou shalt be honoured and renowned in present and future times as a man that hath been a publicke Good and a blessing to the places where thou livedst That 's the first 2 To love and make much of those that are Good 2. If we cannot perswade scornfull men to be Good themselves yet let them be perswaded for their owne sakes to make much of those that are Good and righteous love them and honour them if