cleare that such may be the sinnes of a people that God will not regard their owne praying and fasting Hearken how the Lord himselfe threatneth a rebellious people Because I have called and yee have refused I have stretched out mine hand and no man regarded but yee have set at nought all my counsell and would none of my reproofe I will laugh at your calamity and mocke when your feare commeth when your feare commeth as desolation and your destruction commeth as a whirlwinde Then they shall call upon me but I will not answer they shall seeke me earely but they shall not finde me Lo how the sinnes of a people may come to that height that in their greatest calamity and destruction and when they cry most fervently and seeke God earely yet God will be so farre from hearing and answering of them that he will laugh and mocke them And againe When yee spread forth your hands I will hide mine eies from you yea when yee make many praiers I will not heare And againe by our Prophet he saith When they fast I will not heare their cry but I will consume them by the sword by the famine and by the pestilence And againe I will bring evill upon them which they shall not be able to escape and though they shall cry yet will I not hearken unto them And againe I will deale in fury mine eie shall not spare neither will I have pitie and though they cry in mine eares with a loud voice yet will I not heare them Loe how plainly and plentifully this is proved though but by a few places in stead of many And as he hath threatned he will not heare themselves though they fast and pray and cry aloud so neither will he heare any others no not the best of his servants for them Marke your Text Ieremy an excellent man of God and sanctified in his mothers womb yet God telleth him if he pray against the peoples captivity he will not heare him yea and telleth him because he should not thinke that he was out of favour that if Moses and Samuel stood before him yet his minde could not be towards his people Cast them out of my sight and let them goe forth and if they say whither shall we goe forth thou shalt tell them Thus saith the Lord such as are for death to death and such as are for the sword to the sword and such as are for the famine to the famine and such as are for the captivity to the captivity See what persons God hath picked out of all the bunch of the Patriarches Prophets Judges and Kings Who ever prevailed more by praier with God for others than Moses and Samuel When the people had committed that foule Idolatry in worshipping the golden Calfe God said He would destroy them had not Moses his chosen stood up in the gap But Moses he besought the Lord and prevailed The Lord repented of the evill and did it not And when the Philistims came up against Israel and they were exceedingly afraid Samuel Oh faithfull Samuel the Lords Priest cried unto the Lord for Israel and the Lord heard him and thundred with a great thunder and discomfited the Philistims But if Moses and Samuel did now stand before the Lord his minde cannot be won towards this people but they shall goe into captivity And againe by another Prophet he saith Sonne of man when the Land sinneth against me by trespassing grievously and I stretch out mine hand and breake the staffe of bread and send a famine and cut off man and beast though these three men were in it Noah Iob and Daniel they should deliver but their owne soules by their righteousnesse Or if I bring noisome beasts or bring a sword or a pestilence to cut off man and beast as I live saith the Lord though these three men were in it Noah Daniel and Iob yet should they deliver neither sonne nor daughter they should only deliver their owne soules but the Land shall be desolate Oh see againe what three Worthies he doth instance in Noah that upright man in the old World when all flesh had corrupted their waies Iob that upright man and fearing God in the Land of Vz and Daniel that man of Gods desire in Babylon Three men who could doe much with God for whom God did much yet if they had praied for this people God would not heare them they should not be able to deliver sonne nor daughter but only their owne soules And as such may be the sinnes of a nation or people so also of a particular person yea of Gods deare servants that he will not heare them but bring some temporall punishment upon them How great a favourite was Moses unto God to whom God spake mouth to mouth as a man talketh familiarly with his friend who obtained by his praier so many and great things at the hands of God for others so apparently honoured and graced of God that the Lord asked Aaron and Miriam Wherefore were ye not afraid to speake against my servant Moses Yet this great and good man for not sanctifying God at the waters of strife yea for once speaking unadvisedly with his lips and thereunto much provoked by that rebellious people was threatned he should not goe into the promised land An heavie judgement And though Moses made it his earnest suit unto God O Lord God thou hast begun to shew to thy servant great kindnesse I pray thee let me goe over and see the good land that is beyond Iordan that goodly mountaine and Lebanon yet the Lord would not heare him but cut him off saying Let it suffice thee speake no more to me of this matter David Gods deare servant and a man after Gods owne heart and for whose sake he did much to others how often have we these promises for my servant Davids sake yet he begetting a childe on Bethshebah the wife of Vriah the Lord strake the childe that it was very sicke and though David besought the Lord for the childe and fasted and went in and lay all night upon the earth yet God would not heare him but on the seventh day the childe died according to the word of the Lord by his Prophet Nathan Because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme the childe that is borne to thee shall surely die And againe for his great sinne of numbring the people the Lord sent him a message by his Prophet Gad that he would send either pestilence famine or sword and though David repented and complained that he was in a great strait yet he could not obtaine freedome but according to his choice God sent a pestilence whereof in three dayes there died seventie thousand men Let all men and women then subscribe to this undoubted truth of God that such may be the sinnes of Gods Church in
for their sins they should be carried into captivitie and with an oath affirmed it it must needs be granted the decree and sentence were absolute and that according to the letter of the prohibition the Prophet must not pray for them in this neither did hee but submitted himselfe to Gods holy will and pleasure The maine objection which I know of that may be made either against this sense delivered or the practice of our Prophet is a like Prohibition to Moses which yet was but conditionall for he presently prayed and prevailed so we reade that in Moses absence the people causing Aaron to make a golden calfe which they worshipped God told Moses what a great sinne they had committed and addeth Now therefore let me alone that I may consume them and I will make of thee a great nation and Moses besought the Lord and he repented of the evill which he thought to doe to his people I answer that betwixt that to Moses and this to Ieremie there is a great difference for howsoever that be delivered to Moses in the Imperative as well as this yet that carrieth the face of a milde instruction and intimateth that it was in Moses power to give leave or to let God so as Moses receiveth thereby encouragement to pray What is it for God to say Let me alone but to make him bold to pray but this charge is with waightie words Thou shalt not pray nor crie nor make intercession for I will not heare thee Secondly Moses was but once bid let God alone but our Prophet was thrice expresly forbidden to pray for them Now if Ioseph told Pharaoh his dreame was doubled because the thing was established of God he will bring it to passe how much more may I say this charge is tripled to his Prophet to signifie that he meaneth good sooth their captivitie is decreed and established of God and he will bring it to passe Thirdly and lastly God threatned to Moses he would utterly consume the people yea and blot out their name from under heaven that God could not doe but much dishonour his name and therefore Moses urgeth in his prayer wherefore should the Aegyptians speake and say For mischiefe did he bring them out to slay them in the mountaines and to consume them from the face of the earth Againe to doe so were to breake promise and oath which he had made with their fathers and therefore Moses doth specially urge that Remember Abraham Isaack and Israel thy servants to whom thou swarest by thine owne selfe and saydst unto them I will multiply your seed as the starres of heaven and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed and they shall inherit it So that what face soever it carried Moses saw well enough God did not meane he should not pray for them But the case is here altered first Gods glorie is no way endangered no more than it was by the captivitie of the ten Tribes nay this was greatly for his glorie first that all nations might see what a just God he is who will not forbeare to punish sinne no not in his owne people for many nations shall say Wherefore hath the Lord done thus to this great Citie and they shall answer Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God and worshipped other Gods and served them but his deliverance of them out of captivitie should be much more for his glorie for hee meant that should be more eminent and glorious than their deliverance out of Aegypt was so as after that time it should be no more said The Lord liveth that brought up the children of Israel out of Aegypt but the Lord liveth that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the North and from all the lands whither he had driven them See how greatly their captivitie should be for his glorie Neither was this against any promise or oath for hee had already performed them he had cast out the Heathen and planted Israel in Yea rather herein God was as good as his word for hee had threatned them if they were rebellious and disobedient he would give them into the hands of their enemies and they should reigne over them Thus I hope by conference of Scriptures I have sufficiently cleared the sense of this viz. that it was an absolute prohibition and therefore howsoever the Prophet was exceedingly afflicted to foresee in spirit and afterwards to see with the eyes of his bodie the captivitie of the Iewes and desolation of the Citie and Temple neither was hee ever wanting to give them good counsell and pray in other cases for them yet in this he might not in this he did not Now it followeth to build doctrines for Instruction Consolation and Reprehension and by application to make them usefull unto us which doctrines naturally arising are many and namely these First God commonly giveth warning before he bring any judgement upon any place or persons specially on his Church or people or on any place where his people are This doctrine will be sufficiently proved both from positive and exemplarie Scriptures Thus saith the Prophet Surely the Lord God will doe nothing but hee revealeth his secrets unto his servants the Prophets Before God brought the floud God revealed it to Noah who by word of mouth and building the Arke gave warning to the old world for 120. yeeres before hee sent fire and brimstone to consume the Cities in the plaine hee revealed it to Abraham and then to Lot and his children before the judgements were executed on Pharaoh and Aegypt God revealed it to Moses and Aaron before he destroyed Ninivie he gave knowledge thereof to Ionah and he proclaimed Yet fortie dayes and Ninivie shall be destroyed The Iewes shall not be destroyed but the day and time shall be first proclaimed that Gods people may betake themselves to fasting and prayer Before the captivitie of the ten Tribes God revealed it to many of his Prophets as Isaiah Iehu Eliah Michaiah Obadiah Hosheah Amos Ioel that as before a great storme the cocks crow loud and thicke so before this great judgement the Prophets threatned and cried loud and shrill before the captivitie of Iudah and Beniamin many other Prophets knew of it and were sent to threaten it as Esay Ezechiel Zephanie and our Prophet who most plainly told them for how long it should continue How were the Iewes abundantly warned before their finall destruction and dispersion how is Babylon fore warned how those golden Churches in Asia Minor how are wee all forewarned of the destruction of the world by fire how are we all forewarned of the destruction of the wicked in hell fire yea what judgement can befall us but our consciences must needs testifie that some way or other yea many wayes God hath given us warning All which doe sufficiently confirme our
persecuting Citie which liveth so deliciously and saith I sit a Queene and shall see no sorrow Her purple flatterers vaunt that temporall felicite is a note of the Church and make a catalogue of the strange victories which the Catholikes have had and as one saith scarcely ever received the foile in a just warre yet the holy truth assureth us the Beast and false Prophet shall be taken and all the sowles of Heaven filled with the flesh of those Kings Captaines and mightie men which have fought against the Gospell Yea Babylon as a mill-stone cast into the sea shall be throwne downe and found no more and she rewarded double according to her works at whose destruction all the Kings and Merchants of the earth who have lived deliciously and committed fornication with her shall bitterly lament and cry Alas alas that great Citie bow in one boure is she made desolate So Heaven Prophets Apostles and all the Martyrs Saints shal praise God with many a ioyfull Alleluiah Therefore stumble not at it that for the sins of his people hee giveth them into the hands of such as are more wicked than themselves for when his people are sufficiently scourged their enemies shall for ever be destroyed But some object againe wee have continued long in our sinnes and have felt none evill why should wee now be so earnestly called upon and urged to repent and threatned with judgement If wee repent not God is not so hastie I wis as our Preachers would make us beleeve I answer It is the continuance in sinne doth increase our danger as Iudah and Ierusalem were not carried into captivitie for the sinnes of a few yeeres but for their sinnes wherein they had long continued even ever since they were brought up out of Aegypt the men of the old world were spared long even an hundred and twentie yeeres yet continuing in sinne were in the end drowned Iudah and Ierusalem were spared long after their brethren were carried captive even 130. yeeres but continuing in sinne in the end they were carried into captivitie too The Lord is patient and slow to anger yet if there will bee no end of sinne there will be an end of mercie and God may repent so often that hee will repent no more and as our Prophet saith he can no longer beare and as he saith in another place God is wearie with repenting this wee have in the Scriptures illustrated by two familiar and elegant metaphors The first is of a large vessell which by drops asketh a long time of filling so God told Abraham the iniquitie of the Amorites was not yet full and our Saviour bade the Scribes and Pharisies of his age Fill ye up the measure of your fathers The second is of an harvest Corne when it is sowen is not by and by ripe The husband-man saith S. Iames hath great patience Why did not men cut downe their corne at Easter because it was not then ripe why are they now in many places so busie with sithes and sickles because the harvest is come and corne is ripe So God calleth to the executioners of judgements when wickednesse is great as unto his reapers Put ye in the sickle for the harvest is ripe Oh then doe not say we have sinned often or long and what evill hath happened for a vessell at last may be filled with drops and corne may so long grow till fields be white to harvest and readie to be cut The last objection is Oh but England is a most happie and flourishing kingdome blessed with a most wise and prudent King a most hopefull issue wee have many learned and religious Preachers multitudes of godly and sincere professours Gods true religion established by Law and maintained by authoritie God hath heaped such temporall blessings upon us that it is another Canaan flowing with milke and hony God hath most wonderfully delivered it from matchlesse dangers and ruine intended it is a verie Sanctuarie of refuge for the Saints of God elsewhere persecuted Oh the consideration of these things makes many an one so secure that no warning fro heaven or earth word or works of mercie or justice will doe them good but they proceed from evill to worse as though no hurt could come unto them But give me leave as I doe most unfainedly acknowledge the great mercies of God so I would plucke away these pillowes from under their elbowes whereupon they sleepe in security I say then that the greater are the mercies of God unto any people the greater shall be their judgements if they abuse them The higher that Capernaum is exalted to heaven the lower shall it be cast downe into hell if it repent not And God threatneth Coniah As I live saith the Lord though Coniah the sonne of Iehoiakim King of Iudah were the signet upon my right hand yet would I plucke thee thence and I will give thee into the hands of them that seeke thy life Was there ever any people in the world could compare with Iudah and Israel for privileges and prerogatives yet could they not secure them but their sinnes comming to height God forsooke the house whereon his Name was called yea and gave the dearely beloved of his soule into the hands of her enemies or as some Translations reade his beloved soule Oh if God did not spare such a people as he acknowledgeth to be the dearely beloved of his soule who had such a good and religious King when Ieremy beganne to prophesie viz. Iosiah who reformed Religion destroied the monuments of Idolatry and strictly compelled all to serve the Lord according to his word such excellent Prophets and some learned and worthy Teachers and some good people that mourned for the abominations of Ierusalem yet when their sinnes came to be full he would not heare any for them but gave them over to a long and wofull captivity What have any people to presume on No no this Doctrine shall stand against all the subtill objections of Satan and of flesh and bloud against it That the sinnes of a people may come to that height that God will bring some temporall judgement upon them and not heare any that shall pray for them Now to come to ourselves that we may make good use of all that hath beene spoken and heard You hearken what I should say concerning our owne estate and that you shall doe first from the mouth of an enemy When Ieremie heard the false Prophet Hananiah prophesie much good to Iudah he answered feelingly Amen the Lord doe so Pererius the Iesuite writing on that you have heard in Genesis The sinne of the Amorites is not yet full saith If any doe marvell why England continueth to flourish notwithstanding the cruell persecution of the Catholikes there he doth answer thē with the words of the Text Because their sinne is not full
to repent who for any thing that I know are as great sinners as they so as if God should bring upon us a heavier judgement than he hath done upon them yet were it most just our consciences must needs witnesse we have had warning abundantly But above all blessed be God who hath given and doth daily give us such faire and full warning of the last judgement and destruction of all the Reprobate in hell fire oh beware of them The second Doctrine is that all Gods true servants when they see by evident signes that the Lords anger is kindled against his people for their sinnes and perceive some fearefull judgements to come upon them they are wonderfully affected therewith take it to heart and labour by all good meanes to pacifie and prevent it This doctrine ariseth from this word Doe not lift up a crie unto mee which noteth that hee would not in a cold and senslesse manner have prayed but as being wonderfully affected to foresee the miserie of Gods people for their sinnes he would with sighes and groanes yea and bitter teares have prayed to God for them if he had not bid him hold his peace for to cry in the Scriptures when it is referred to praying noteth to pray unto God in most earnest and vehement manner as where God asked Moses Why criest thou unto mee and David complaineth O my God I crie by day and thou hearest not and the Apostle saith That our Saviour in the dayes of his flesh did offer up prayers and supplications with strong crying and teares In all which and many other places which might be alledged to this purpose crying doth rather signifie mournfull intention of heart zeale and fervencie of spirit rather than any loud vociferation and contentions of words And from this word our Doctrin ariseth which would first bee confirmed and backed with some other Scriptures And to begin with Moses when hee saw imminent destruction to the people of God at the red sea he cried unto God little did any know the bitter affliction of his soule but God who saw it and revealed it Moses why criest thou How was David moved when he saw the Angell that smote the people and said Lo I have sinned and dealt wickedly but these sheepe what have they done Holy King Iosiah when hee heard from reading the Booke of the Law that was found what great wrath of God was kindled against the people for their sinnes to make them a desolation and a curse he rent his cloathes his heart melted and his eyes poured out abundance of teares How did godly Mordechai and Hesther take to heart the decree gone out for the destruction of the people of God and humble themselves with sack-cloth fasting weeping and praying crying with loud and bitter cries When Ezrah heard of the great sinnes of the people and foresaw some imminent judgement hee rent his garment plucked off the haire of his head and beard and did neither eat bread nor drinke water but mourned exceedingly The Prophet Esay foreseeing the captivitie of Gods people said Turne away from me I will weepe bitterly labour not to comfort me because of the spoiling of the daughter of my people Our Prophet exceeded in this who thus complained My bowels my bowels I am pained at the very heart mine heart maketh a noise in mee I cannot hold my peace because I have heard the sound of the trumpet and alarum of warre destruction upon destruction is cried and wished Oh that mine head were waters and mine eyes a fountaine of teares that I might weepe day and night for the slaine of the daughter of my people And againe Let mine eyes run downe with teares night and day and let them not cease for the virgin daughter of my people is broken with a great breach and a very grievous blow The Prophet Ezechiel upon the same occasion seeing the Angels destroying Gods people feil on his face and cried Oh Lord God wilt thou destroy all the residue of Israel in pouring out thy furie on Ierusalem Our blessed Saviour wept when hee prophesied the destruction of Ierusalem The blessed Apostle protesteth the continuall heavinesse and sorrow of heart for the miserie of Gods people and forewarned the Philippians with teares of the evill to come By which cloud of witnesses out of the old and new Testament our doctrine is sufficiently confirmed viz. That when Gods anger is seene and some great judgement to befall Gods people is foreseene Gods true servants are greatly affected therewith and labour to prevent it It being then most cleere that it is so let us now proceed to consider the reasons thereof why it is so and why they are thus affected The first is because there is nothing so sweet and deare unto them as Gods love and favour nothing doth so much affect them with joy as the sense thereof I say againe Gods children are men and women and subject to passion as others and are glad of the comforts of this life but this is the glorious and unspeakable joy wherefore David prayeth Lord lift up the light of thy countenance upon us and thrice in one Psalme the Church prayeth Cause thy face to shine and wee shall be saved Yea the greatest blessing the Priest could pronounce was The Lord blesse thee and keepe thee the Lord make his face to shine on thee and be gracious unto thee the Lord lift up his countenance upon thee And no marvell for David saith that in Gods favour is life And if Salomon say The favours of an earthly King be as a cloud of the latter raine what is Gods Prov. 16. 15. What more urged by the Apostle than this pleasing of God as Offer up your bodies a living sacrifice holy and pleasing unto God and he saith this is a maine thing wherein the happines of single life consisteth the unmarried careth how he may please the Lord and S. Paul prayed for the Colossians that they might walke worthie of the Lord to all pleasing of him and biddeth children obey their parents in all things in the Lord for this is well-pleasing to the Lord and calleth almes a sacrifice acceptable and well-pleasing unto God and beseecheth the Thessalonians so to walke as they may please God Oh doe good children finde such comfort and content in the good favour and pleasure of their parents wives of their husbands servants of their masters and subjects of their Kings how much more true joy content and comfort doe Gods children finde in Gods favour and good pleasure So as if hee be well pleased they care not though all the world be offended And as nothing is so sweet and joyfull and highly esteemed and prized as Gods favour and doth even ravish the heart with joy unspeakable and glorious so there is nothing so bitter and grievous as sense
to have need of stirring up like unto that elegant metaphoricall decomposite of the Apostle unto Timothie Stir up the gift of God The graces of God being like fire must ever and anon be russled and stirred up else will grow cold 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Oh stirre up your selves Secondly being stirred up by prayers faithfull and fervent men lay hold on God And againe I sought for a man among them that should make up the hedge and stand in the gap before me for the land that I should not destroy it Our Saviour speaketh of offering violence to the Kingdome of Heaven and the violent taking it by force wherein prayer hath a speciall part for woe were it with many if bodily strength carried it away but the poorest and weakest Christian sicke in bed and scarce able to breathe yet by sighes and groanes may offer violence and take Gods kingdome by force and S. Paul beseecheth the Romanes For the Lord Iesus Christs sake and for the love of the Spirit that they would strive with him in their prayers to God for him He would have them pray but not coldly and negligently as the Papists mumbling and tumbling over their beads when their mindes are wandring about earthly occasions but hee would have them strive with God and put all their strength to it yea to strive to the shedding of bloud as the word signifieth Christ being in an agonie his sweat was as it were great drops of bloud Thus for confirmation of this Doctrine you have God and his Prophets in the old Testament and Christ and his Apostles in the new To this purpose sweet are the sentences of some of the Fathers An ancient one saith When prayers joyne together in devotions they doe as it were even band themselves together to encounter God And another saith The Saints have God so bound that he cannot punish without their permission and licence Loe loe the incomprehensible mercie and loving kindnesse of God towards such as truly feare and serve him making them in his goodnesse in his bottomelesse goodnesse I say so powerfull and mightie with him that their prayers are as it were bands to tie his hands and as a wall against him that hee cannot execute his anger though most justly deserved unlesse they will suffer him and as it were stand out of his way How may the consideration hereof make us exclaime O Lord what is man that thou art mindfull of him or the sonne of man that thou regardest him or as Iob hath it That thou doest set thine heart upon him Iob 7. 17. Will you see how powerfull Gods Saints are with God by their prayers I meane not to obtaine great blessings and doe great works the Scripture is so full in this I should finde no end but according to the Text and Doctrine raised in preventing threatned judgments to themselves or the Church of God Take a few selected out of many for instance When Iacob soresaw destruction threatned to himselfe and wives and children by his cruell and bloudie brother Esau comming out against him with 400. men then saith the Text was Iacob greatly afraid and distressed and falleth to prayer unto God for deliverance yea and with that fervencie that hee is said to wrestle with God and told him hee would not let him goe till hee had blessed him and in the end by his prayers and teares he prevailed and thereupon was his name changed from Iacob into Israel which signifieth a Prevailer with God the evill he feared was removed his brother that came out against him as fierce as a Lion when they met was as meeke as a Lambe yea hee confesseth hee saw his face as the face of God When the Amalekites came out against Israel and threatned their destruction Moses went up into the mountaine and prayed and when hee held up his hands in prayer unto God Israel prevailed but when he let downe his hands Amalek prevailed which sheweth that the push of Moses prayers did more than the pikes of all Israel besides When againe for that great sinne of worshipping the golden Calfe God before hee signified to Moses his purpose to consume them and blot out their names from under Heaven bade him let him alone yet Moses by prayer prevailed with God for pardon of their sinne and continuance of his favour whereof David speaketh thus He said he would destroy them had not Moses his chosen stood before him in the breach to turne away his wrath where he compareth Moses to a valiant Captaine who when besieging enemies have made a breach in the wall the Citie is like to be lost steppeth up into the breach and defendeth it which Moses did by the power of his prayer and turned away Gods wrath from his people Againe for the children of Israels murmuring against Moses and Aaron the plague beganne amongst them and there died foureteene thousand and seven hundred wherefore Moses commanded Aaron quickly to take fire from the Altar and put on incense and stand betwixt the living and the dead and so the plague ceased whereof in the Wisdome of Solomon we have an excellent paraphrase and fitting our purpose the blamelesse man made haste and stood forth to defend them and bringing the shield of his Ministerie even praier the propitiation of incense he set himselfe against the wrath and overcame the destroyer the words in the Greeke Text are verie significant 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 propugnavit hee fought valiantly hee brought forth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Arma Ministerij the weapons of his Ministerie and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he resisted wrath non vi sed precibus all the created powers in heaven and earth cannot resist God yet may a poore man by the power of his prayers turne away Gods wrath and procure an undeserved blessing and remove a most just deserved punishment As the young infant more prevaileth with the father or mother by a teare than the strength of arme so God pitieth us as a father hath more compassion than a mother he cannot but fulfill the desires of such as feare him David saw the Angell stretching his hand out upon Ierusalem to destroy it and yet by praier prevailed with God to spare it who said to the Angell It is enough stay now thine hand In that great tempest by sea when there was no hope of life yet Paul prayed and God gave him the lives of all that passed being to the number of two hundred threescore and sixteene soules so as though they made shipwracke and with the violence of the sea the ship was broken to peeces yet not one soule was lost all came safe to shore And if the praiers of one be so powerfull with God how much more the praiers of many being united Let Hesther and Mordechai and the Iewes fast and pray and then commeth most wonderfull deliverance to
Gods people and destruction to their enemies Doth there come up an huge multitude of Moabites Ammonites and Mount Seir against King Iehoshaphat let but him proclaime a fast throughtout all Iudah and let them pray and God will make their enemies destroy one another and he and his shall looke on and only sing and praise God Oh Peter is in prison a great calamity is thereby threatned to the Church but if the Church make praiers to God for him the Angell of the Lord came with great power and glory into the prison and brake off Peters chaines opened the prison doores yea and made the iron gate open of it owne accord Loe how the praiers of Gods children are stronger than fetters and gates of iron Yea Christ is gone on high and hath left his Church what is now to be done let them continue in praier and doe their duty after the Holy Ghost commeth as this day witnesseth which and much more that might be said to this purpose doth abundantly confirme your raised Doctrine viz. That Gods faithfull servants by their praiers are powerfull with God to turne away and prevent threatned and imminent judgements to themselves or the Church of God which made zealous Luther say There is nothing omnipotent under God but faithfull praier This commandeth all things in heaven earth hell in all the elements aire fire earth water But it would not be amisse to search that we may know the reasons why the praiers of Gods servants are so powerfull with God and they are principally these two viz. First our praiers are not our owne as the worke of our reason will affections or any thing that is naturall in us but the operation of Gods owne Spirit in us For as for us we know not what to pray as we ought but the spirit it selfe maketh request for us and againe It is the spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba Father In nothing is there so evident demonstration of the spirit of God as in zealous praier To which purpose Gregory hath an excellent saying The Saints receive from God what they oppose to his blowes and as I may say from him it is whereby they lift up themselves against him and whereby they are enabled to resist him Iacob wrestled with God prevailed but it was God gave him the strength so to doe now God cannot but acknowledge the worke of his owne Spirit and therefore we know that whatsoever we aske of the Father according to his will he heareth us and our Saviour hath said Whatsoever yee shall aske my Father in my name he will give it you But the praiers of Turkes Iewes Idolaters Heretikes Infidels Hypocrites are of no power with God because such are not made by the Spirit of God the praiers of a wicked man are abominable and turne into sinne no more accepted of God than if he cut off a dogs necke God hath threatned that though such doe multiply their praiers hee will not heare them The second reason hereof is Gods owne free love and mercy who is pleased to make all the faithfull his favourites so as Haman nor any favourite could ever doe so much with those Monarchs and Kings that have set their love upon them as the least of Gods Saints may doe with the Lord for if earthly Kings be exceedingly offended favourites must give way Hamans face must be covered he shall never see the Kings face any more But though God be angry and have mustred his Armies yea and besieged and battered so powerfull are Gods servants that they can stand up in the breach and by their praiers turne away threatned judgements Oh who would not be such a Kings favourite who cannot deny any thing which is for his glory and their true good The more I thinke on this the more I am astonished that man poore miserable man weake sicke diseased vile and abominable in his owne eies despised of others yet should be such a favourite to the King of Kings Oh the free mercy and love of God! How should the consideration hereof ravish us This being so when the sinnes of a people are full and when the Lord is purposed to bring a judgement upon a people hee commonly maketh way thereunto As an earthly King purposing to doe a thing which he knoweth is displeasant to his favourite who would hinder him in it will make way by sending him out of the way or forbidding him to speake or some way taking him off So the Lord sometimes by taking to himselfe and calling out of this world such as else would stand in the gap whereof the Prophet Esay thus speaketh The righteous is taken away from the evill to come Thus God tooke away good King Iosiah that in his sonnes daies he might bring the threatned evill upon the Land And God tooke good S. Augustine when his City Hippo was besieged by the Vandals that he should not stand in the breach for them Or if he suffer them to live he restraineth them from praier as here he did our Prophet and rebuked Samuel How long wilt thou mourne for Saul seeing I have reiected him from reigning over Israel Or else he takes away the spirit of praier and doth suffer it to be dulled as that they cannot pray fervently as Esay complained that no man did stirre up himselfe to lay hold on God but as it were grew weary As then it is a most comfortable thing to see godly men to live and to see men zealous in preaching praying and serving God as when a storme commeth to see all men betake themselves to their tacklings as the Prophet saith to stirre up them selves to lay hold on God so is it a fearefull thing to see the righteous taken away by death or such as have beene zealous to become cold carelesse and negligent set all at six and seven let others care whom it doth more concerne and so post it over from one to another For hereby God even maketh way to the execution of some great judgement by removing such as might stand in the breach and stop his course And verily herein lieth no small part of our feare that within these few yeeres past God hath taken away a great number of his faithfull servants both Magistrates Ministers and Christian people and howsoever in his mercy he hath left a remnant some few Noahs and Lots Nehemiahs and Esaies that being sensible of Gods judgements doe warne this secure and unthankfull world lift up their hearts and hands with Moses against Amalek make intercession with faithfull Abraham mourne for the abominations of the Land wrestle and weepe with Iacob otherwise we had surely beene made long agoe as Sodome and like to Gomorrha yet alas what are these amongst so many prophane carelesse and secure sinners and how are these scorned and derided disgraced and discouraged how are such for signes
To which with our Prophet I doe feelingly say Amen Amen God grant it yea I doe hope though the sins of England be many and great yet the sins of it are not so full but that God heareth and will heare the praiers of his servants for it and that the decree is not so far forth but it may be still suspended or recalled As a great Argument to perswade me so it is that God doth both stirre up many his faithfull servants by word and writing preaching and Printing publikely privately and every way they can to provoke men and women to repentance and also for that we see men and women generally to take to heart the afflictions of their brethren and to helpe them with their praiers and purses and every way they can yea me thinketh in all places I see a quickning of zeale and devotion and a commendable care to seeke the face of God in his holy Ordinances both publikely and privately Every where more thankfulnesse for our peace and the blessed day of visitation Oh the sanctified use of their troubles is a sweet assurance that our sins are not full but the Lord will be our protector still and doe great things for us But because the Iesuit seeing his fellowes and the Romish Catholikes could not swallow us up quicke as they intended in the gunpowder-plot yet to keepe life in them that they may with good hope hold on in their deuillish plots and devices against us doth prophesie saying The sinnes of England will shortly be full Oh let us make him a false Prophet let us repent and turne to God in fasting weeping and mourning Let Ministers with word Magistrates with sword make a leake in the vessell of sinne and rouze up ourselves and one another out of deepe security and meet the Lord with all humble and earnest entreaty of peace Now if ever as we tender the salvation of our soules and the good of the Common-wealth wherein we live the safegard of his Majestie and the royall Issue the good of body estate and all we have as we love our selves husbands wives children friends let us seeing Gods judgements are abroad in the world and the Lord of Hoasts hath raised terrible Armies marching furiously for our destruction mourne bitterly for our sinnes and all our abominations fall upon our faces and cry aloud and mightily both day and night in the eares of the Lord that he would forgive us our sinnes and turne away the armies of his plagues and punishments from us and continue a gracious good God to us and our posterities untill the comming of the Lord Iesus Christ in the clouds to judgement I have armed at no mans person or particular calling Only as one of Gods servants desiring to be faithfull and free from the bloud of all men I have set Trumpet to my mouth and according to that ability I have received laboured to stirre up all such as have heard me to the practise of speedy and unfained repentance This hath beene the maine end of all my discourse which now by Gods good hand I have finished If it worke that effect in many if in any I have my desire if but in one if in none but my selfe my labour is not lost in the Lord. I shall be found a sweet savour unto God even in those that perish and at the least save mine owne soule And so to his blessing from whom I have received it I doe commend it FINIS '' In eo quod amatur aut non 〈◊〉 aut labor ipse amatur August * Ambo verbum praediâ—ion hic quidem scripto ille vero voce Clem. Alex. Stromat lib. 1. Euangelizo manu scriptâ—â—â—â—e Reinold praesat in lib. de Rom. Eccles Idolat * Solet acceptior esse sermo vivus quaÌ„ scriptus Bern. a 2 Pet. 1. 13. b 2 Tim. 4. 2. c Esay â—â— 9. d Matth. 3. 7 8. Luke 13. 5. e 1 Cor. 9. 16. f 1 Tim. 1. 11. g Matth. 25. 27. h Ierem. 6. 4. i Matth. 24. 46. k Prov. 16. 31. l Psal 92. 14. m Rev. 2. 19. n 2 Pet. 1. 14. o Eccles 12. 3. p Luke 16. 2. q Luke 19. 17. * Alterius Ecclesia necessitatibus evocatus minimè vobis solitum studium dependisse videor Amb. Serm. 28. r 1 Thess 2. 8. a Nov. 11. 1618. b In Christ-church Cant. c Mat. 2. 2. d Ier. 7. 16. e Ezech. 22. 30. f 1 Cor. 2. 4. g 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 h Lachrymae auditorum sint laudes tuae Ierom. ad Nepot i In Ch. Church and Saint Georges Canterb. Aug. 11. 1622. k Carpere vei noli nostra vel ede tua Martial l Psal 52. 4. m Vndique 〈◊〉 adest undique miuâ—â— abest a Mal. 2. 7. b Act. 15. 21. c 1 Sam 9. 9. Amos 7. 12. d Numb 12. 6. * Only five in the old and foure in the new or at most but ten in both if the blessed Virgin be numbred for one Dan. fore-notes pag. 44. e Luke 1. 70. * Dan. sup p. 86. f Mat. 11. 13. * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dialog cum Tryph. p. 308. g 1 Cor. 14. * Lumen Propheticum Bellar. T. 1. lib. 4. cap. 15. de not is Ecclesiae * D. will Synop. Cont. 2. Quaest 3. h Psal 74. 9. i Ier. 11. 7. 35. 15. a Iirmijah Ram. Jah excels Dom. Ieron * Concionator admirabilis Keckerm de Rhetorica Ecclesiastica cap. ult * Projectio Domini Isidor Pelâ—usiot Chrysost discipulus f 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Castro Isag in Ier. a 2 Cor. 11. 22. k Iosh 21. 18. * Dan. fore-notes cap. 11. pag. 60. The whole time betwixt the captivity of the ten Tribes and of Iudah was 130. yeares towards the latter end whereof our Prophet was sent and so continued till the captivity Josep Ant. lib. 10. cap. 11. l Ier. 1. 1 2 3. * 2 Kin. 17. in the dayes of Hosheah by Shalmanasâ—r Vse Considerations The sum of it Application m Dan. 5. 6. n Rom. 15. 4. o 1 Cor. 10. 6. Aggravation That I may say of it as Iacob did of Bethel How fearfull is this place Gen. 32. 1 p Psal 50. 15. 2 q Psal 65. 2. 3 r Psal 122. 6. 4 Å¿ Iona. 3. 8. t Exod. 14. 13. u Psal 6. 8. 5. * Ezech. 22. penult 6. x Esay 58. y Gen. 28. 17. Sense * Est speciale interdictum Piscat in locum “ Non debuit prostatu regni or are Calv. 1. Reason Hee did not pray for them z Ierem. 14. 20. Fortification a Ierem. 18. 21. b Ierem. 20. 12. Obiect Sol. c Gen. 22. d 1 Sam. 3. 18. e Matth. 6. f Ierem. 18. 20. Gods will be done with us and on us 2. Reason Hee ever perswaded them to yeeld g Ierem. 21. 9. h Ierem. 27. 8. 12. i Ierem. 29. 7. Quest. Answ k Ierem. 18. 7 8. l Ionah 3. m Gen. 18. penult n Gen. 19. 13. The