of him Mat. 11.28 Great then is the mistake of those that think Zeal and Moderation which were thus eminently concentred in Christ should be inconsistent No lovelier match than of this blessed couple in our souls nor of more universal use to us throughout the course of our lives if rightly ordered the one for God the other for the World that giving life and intenseness in our duties towards him this restraining us in our personal concernments that edging and quickening us in desires motions and endeavours for heaven and this stopping us and retarding the wheels when we drive too furiously after our own interests that according to knowledge supplying us with resolution for and fervor in the great Duties of Religion this according to charity duly qualifying them in the less that our love to God and one another may walk hand in hand heaven-ward and neither leave the other behind Positively It must then be in matters of opinion and Christian Liberty and Indifferency as they all referre to practice And here let none expect I should determine what things are only matters of Opinion Liberty and Indifferency which so much trouble the World what not For every one herein must according to the Scriptures be in some respect judge for himself and his own practice 1 Cor. 10.29 Rom. 14.4.12 Upon which I shall proceed and shew our moderation in Principles Passions Speeches and Practices 1. We must moderate our Principles or Judgments concerning these by forming them according to the nature of truths and duties This is necessary not only in regard of our selves for as the Judgment such is the practice but others also for the moderating our prejudices towards them We must therefore carefully distinguish between matters of faith and necessary duty and matters of opinion and conditional practice For though every ray of truth be excellent in it self and absolutely there be no minimum in religione Val. Max. as the Heathen said yet comparatively there is great difference in truths some differing from others as one star from another in glory Nor have all the like clearness of revelation nor shine forth with that lustre as others nor all a like consequence Some are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 great in themselves clear to us and weighty in their consequence Mat. 23.23 These we must hold fast practice carefully contend for earnestly 1 Tim. 1.19 2 Tim. 1.13 Jude 3. Others are such as salva religione we may and do differ in both in judgment and practice without the endangering our happiness For the Kingdom of God is not meat and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost Rom. 14.17 i. e. in the opinion or practice of those the false Apostles would have obtruded as necessary In these things our Principles should give us leave to meet one another in our Practice keeping the Unity of the Spirit in the former and the bond of Peace by the latter as the Apostle enjoyns Ephes 4.3 2. We must moderate our passions in these our heat and fervor for them our anger against those that differ from us in them In these things wherein the way to heaven is broad enough there may be difference without division and let any take heed how they sâ—raighten it taking upon them to be wiser than Christ who well knowing humane frailty so chalked it out to us telling us He that doth the will of his Father not that is for or against these things is his brother sister and mother and consequently should be brethren and sisters amongst themselves It is strange to consider how upon principles and prejudice once suckt in Passion blinds men in thâ—ir own opinions and practices and what woful divisions hath in all Ages arisen thence That the Eastern and Western Churches wherein were so many Grave Holy Learned and Wise men should so fall out as to make a separation every one would be ready to think and say surely it was some great matter that occasioned it would you know Nothing but about the time of the observation of Easter Though Irenaeus and others were mighty Advocates for Peace yet nothing would serve Victor Bishop of Rome but exact Uniformity in these indifferencies and thence arose about two hundred years after Christ that great breach of Unity betwixt those two great and famous Churches How doth all the zeal and fervor we should bestow upon the great things of Religion run out at this time amongst us about these things May not I say quorsum haec perditio Wherefore do ye spend your money for that which is not bread and your labour for that which satisfieth not Why do we stand thus busily hewing good Timber into Chips and leaving out the Figures spend our time in the bare Cyphers How many on both sides at this day make it their Religion to be for or against those things that they account indifferent in themselves So true is the Moralists observation that the devil alwaies labours That mankind may either wholly neglect a Deity or be wholly taken up in the Externals of Worship Quite contrary to Scripture that teacheth us to mind every thing as of consequence in its place to do the great and weighty things and not to leave the other undone My beloved the wrath of man workeeh not the righteousness of God When Elijah that good Prophet was discontented 1 Kin. 19. and passionately requests he may die Ver. 4. and professeth his zeal for the great things of Religion Ver. 10. God passeth by him but in the great and strong wind or in the Earthquake or in the fire the Lord was not but in the still small voice Ver. 11 12. shewing him and us thereby that he is not in our Passions and if not for the great how much less for these things of Religion wherein the Apostle's rule for peace and edification Rom. 14.19 should be observed God never suspended his Churches peace upon these for if I should not love others till I knew they were of all my opinions and my practice in these I might perhaps never love any 3. We must moderate our speeches in our discourses of debates and contests for or against these Some speeches we are too apt to we must wholly forbear others we must moderate 1. We must beware of judging and censuring others for these We may in apparent transgressions of Gods Law censure upon occasion the offenders though not rashly or for hypocrites reprobates or the like but for these we must not at all Rom. 14.4 c. For in these through anothers knowledge that may not be a sin in him which would to thee and thou judgest sinful therefore in others for want of charity How much malice and how little candor do we use in this How do we almost make it the characteristical note of Christianity to be of such or such a way which none account essential to Religion We are apt as those in Africa in Tertullians time to account it enough that we
the throne thou shalt be greater 3. We make Religion our businesse when our thoughts are most busied about Religion while others are thinking how they shall do to get a living our thoughts are how we shall do to be saved David did muse upon God Psal 139.3 While I was musing the fire burned 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Theoph. Thoughts are as passengers in the soul when we travell every day to the City of God and are contemplating glory and eternity this is to make Religion our businesse Theophilact calls holy contemplation the gate and portall by which we enter into Heaven a Christian by divine soliloquies and ejaculations is in Heaven before his time he is wrapd up into Paradise his thoughts are all packd up and gone 4. We make Religion our businesse when our main end and scope is to serve God he is said to make the world his businesse whose great design is to get the world St Pauls ultimate end was that Christ might be magnified and the Church edified Phil. 1.20 2 Cor. 12 19. our aimes must be good as well as our actions Many make use of Religion for sinister ends like the Eagle while she flies aloft her eye is upon her prey Hypocrites serve God propter aliud they love the Temple for the gold they court the Gospell not for its beauty Mat. 23.17 but for its Jewels these do not make Religion their businesse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrys but a politick trick and artifice to get money but then we make Religion our businesse when the glory of God is mainly in our eye and the very purport and intent of our life is to live to him who hath died for us 2 Cor. 5.15 God is the center and all the lines of our actions must be drawn to this center 5. We make Religion our businesse when we do trade with God every day Phil. 3.20 Our conversation is in Heaven The greek word for conversation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies commerce and traffique our merchandize is in Heaven a man may live in one place and drive his trade in another a Saint though he lives in the world Vt municipes coelorum nos gerimus yet he trades above the Moon he is a merchant for the Pearl of price This is to make Religion our businesse when we keep an holy intercourse with God there 's a trade driven between us and Heaven 1 Joh. 1.3 Our fellowship is with the Father and with his Sonne Jesus God comes down to us upon the wing of his Spirit and we go up to him upon the wing of prayer 6. We make Religion our businesse when we redeem time from secular things for the service of God a good Christian is the greatest monopolizer he doth hoard up all the time he can for Religon Psal 119.62 at midnight will I rise and praise thee Those are the best hours which are spent with God and David having tasted how sweet the Lord was would borrow some time from his sleep that he might take a turn in Heaven It well becomes Christians to take time from worldly occasions sinfull dressings idle visits that they may be the more intent upon the matters of Religion I have read of an holy man who being tempted by his former evil companions to sin he made this answer I am so busie in reading in a little book with three leaves that I have no leisure so much as to mind my other businesse and being asked afterward whether he had read over the book replyed this book with three leaves are of three severall colours red white and black which contain such deep misteries that I have resolved with my self to read therein all the daies of my life in the first leaf which is red I meditate on the pretious bloud of Christ which was shed for my sins in the white leaf I meditate on the pure and â—elitious joyes of Heaven in thâ— black leaf I contemplate the hideous and dreadfull torments of Hell prepared for the wicked to all eternity This is to make Religion our businesse when we are so taken up with it that we have scarce any leisure for other things Christian thou hast a God to serve and a soul to save and if thou hast any thing of Religion in thee thou wilt take heed of the thieves of time and wilt engrosse all opportunities for the best things How far are they from Christianity who justle out holy duties instead of borrowing time from the world for prayer they steal time from prayer that they may follow the world 7. We make Religion our businesse when we serve God with all our might our strength and spirits are drawn forth about Religion we seck sweat strive bestir our selves as in a matter of life and death and put forth not only diligence but violence 2 Sam. 6.14 David danced before the Lord with all his might This is to make Religion our businesse when we shake off sloath and put on zeal as a garment We must not only pray but pray fervently Jam. 5.16 we must not only repent but be zealous and repent Rev. 3.9 we must not only love but be sick of love Cant. 2.5 Horat. multa tulit sudavit alsit This is to be a Christian to purpose when we put forth all our vigour and fervour in Religion Matth. 12.11 and take the Kingdom of God as it were by storm 'T is not a faint velleity will bring us to Heaven there must not only be wishing but working and we must so work as being damned if we come short Vse 1 Vse 1. Information Information Branch 1 1. Branch Hence learn that there are but few good Christians oh how few make Religion their businesse is he an Artificer that never wrought in the trade is he a Christian that never wrought in the trade of godlinesse How few make Religion their businesse 1. Some make Religion a complement but not their businesse they court Religion by a profession and if need be Religion shall have their letters of commendation but they do not make Religion their business Many of Christs Disciples who said Lord evermore give us this bread yet soon after basely deserted Christ Ioh. 6.34 and would follow him no longer Joh. 6.66 From that time many of his Disciples went back and walked no more with him 2. Others make the world their business Phil. 3.19 Who mind earthly things The earth puts out the fire So the love of earthly things puts out the fire of heavenly affections It was a judgement upon Korah and Dathan Numb 16.22 the earth swallowed them up Thus it is with many the world swallows up their time thoughts discourse they are swallowed up alive in the earth There is a lawfull use of these things but the sin is in the excess The Bee may suck a little honey from the leaf but put it in a Barrell of honey and it is drown'd How many ingulph themselves in
teach us the worth of mercies either temporal or spiritual by the want of them and to bring us to want those mercies which we abuse if the childe play with or throw about his meat he may well think a wise and loving Father will make him feel the want of it and thereby know the worth of it and certainly we have as much reason to fear the fulfilling of those threatnings which the Ministers of the Gospel have for many years sounded in our ears for our abuse of the means of grace and certainly if Gods providence should call the most of us into Spain or some other Popish Country where we should have a famine of hearing the word of the Lord might we not sadly reflect upon our despising yea and loathing the heavenly Manna of Gods Word I speak not of the prophane ungodly wretches who scarce ever had any serious thoughts of Eternity nor ever soberly considered whether they were at all beholden unto God or no that never knew how to value a Bible above a Play-book or the Sacrament above a drunken meeting whose Religion is to scoffe and mock at godliness and godly men and who scarce ever knew any other end in coming to Church but to mock or carp at the Preacher who may with trembling read their doom 2 Chron. 36.16 But I speak of the Professors of Religion how have they either by reason of new fangled opinions sleighted and despised Gospel-Ordinances or else by reason of fulness of spiritual food have loathed and trampled upon the means of grace to whom the Lord seems to speak as to those Ezek 34 18 19. Seemeth it a small thing unto you to have eaten up the good pasture but you must tread down with your feet the residue of your pastures and to have drunk of the deep waters but ye must foul the residue with your feet And as for my flock they eat that which ye have trodden with your feet and they drink that which ye have fouled with your feet or else having enjoyed them and made use of them have been little the better by them have not lived and practised the Sermons they have heard and the prayers they have made Oh let such be sure in the first place to give glory to God when he deprives them of such means by acknowledging his justice in taking away what hath been so much abused or at best so little improved then let them with broken and bleeding hearts reflect upon those full Banquets of spiritual dainties the fragments of which in a time of want they would be glad of 2. Heartily resolve if ever the Lord bring you again to enjoy Gospel-Ordinances you will more value prize and improve them and indeed that alone which can make our repentings and sad reflections upon former miscarriages not to be mockings of God and cousening our selves must be an hearty resolution against what we profess to be sorry for and therefore that our resolution in such a case may be the more fixed it would be good to record it in our Note-books that so it may be a continual Monitor on all occasions minding us of our duty and checking us if afterwards we prove like the Israelites who soon forgat the Lord. Psal 106.13 And the truth is a Christians Note-book is usually a more faithfull register than his heart and 't is easier for the Divel to blot a good resolution out of our mindes than out of our books 3. Labour to know and understand well and often remember wherein consists the life of true and real Religion there be so many things in the world that pretend to be Religion and less deserve that name than the picture of a man deserves the name of a man that 't is an easie mistake to nourish an enemy to Religion instead of Religion unless we be serious and wary and more apt to regard the characters which the Scriptures give of real Religion than hasty to take up the forms and fancies of men instead of Religion I have read of a young French Lady who observing the glorious pomp and splendour of a Popish Procession cryed out How fine a Religion is ours in comparison of the Hugonots a speech suiting her age and quality but indeed if Religion did consist in such things the question I have in hand would fall to the ground for there could then be no exercise of Religion among those who would not admit of such pompous solemnities Let us therefore be often remembring that the Religion of the Gospel consists in righteousnesse Rom. 14.17 peace and joy in the holy Ghost in denying ungodlinesse and worldly lusts and living soberly righteously and godly in this present world Tit. 2.12 13 and so looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God Jam. 1.27 and our Saviour Jesus Christ in visiting the fatherlesse and widowes in their affliction and keeping our selves unspotted from the world He that hath a precious Jewell which he would secure must be able to distinguish it well from a counterfeit stone lest he neglect his Jewell and spend his care and pains upon a glittering glasse foysted into the room of it 4. In all your actions be often fixing your eye upon your great end be often asking your selves what is the work and businesse for which God sent me into the world which lyes in three words 1. Honour God 2. Save your souls 3. Do good to others Be often minding your selves that you have a better Trade to drive than for the corruptible riches of this world even for the pearl of great price the eternall happinesse of your souls Religion is the way to Heaven and he that doth not often eye his journeys end and consider whether the way he takes do lead unto his end is never like to keep long in the right way but now he that often with seriousnesse considers with himself that the God who made him expects to be honoured by him that the securing his souls welfare is his grand concernment and that to save the soul of one sinner is a greater good than to save a Countrey from drowning or a City from burning and therefore on all occasions asks himself how may I mannage such a businesse so as to honour God and promote the good of mine own and other mens souls How may I prosecute such an affair without prejudicing the grand design of my life This man is like to secure Religion in his soul 5. Live up to the professed principles of your Religion and believe it to be a greater glory to God honour to your Religion and security to your own souls to live according to than to argue and dispute for your Religion for most certain it is that self-love worldly interest pride passion c. may urge men to argue eagerly for the Christian or Protestant Religion whereas nothing but love to God and care of our own souls and charity to the souls of others can make a
of our souls Aegypt is said to have no rain Terra non indiga Jovis but God makes it fruitfull by the oveflowing of its own River Nilus and truly if God bring any true beleever into a spiritual Aegypt where the rain of publick Ordinances doth not fall he can cause such a flow of holy and heavenly thoughts and meditations as shall make the soul very fruitfull in a good and an holy life and therefore we should oft in such a condition believingly remember that if we do our endeavour by private prayer meditation reading and such like God is able and will in the want of publick Ordinances preserve the life of Religion in our souls by private helps We proceed now to the second Question contained in the general case viz. Qu. What should believing Christians do to preserve their outward concernments among persecuting enemies without hazarding their Religion Now this question will resolve it self into two particular Queries 1. What should such do to secure themselves from suffering 2. What should they do to encourage themselves against and support in sufferings The summe of what may be said to the first Query I suppose to be comprized in that counsel of our Lord Jesus who was Wisdome it self and Innocency it self Matth. 10 16. Behold I send you forth as sheep in the midst of Wolves be ye therefore wise as Serpents and harmless as Doves the Serpents wisdome joyned with the Doves innocency are the true Christians best security to each of which I shall speak something 1. Get spiritual Prudence and Wisdome to secure from suffering where we have not a clear and sufficient call The Heathens hinted wisdome as well as strength to be needfull for a Souldier when they appointed the Warlike Goddess Pallas to be the Patroness of Wisdome a Souldier may and ought to guard himself and by winding and turning his body avoid the enemies blow so long as he doth not turn his back forsake the field or betray his trust in like manner may a good Souldier of Jesus Christ by any lawfull means guard himself from suffering and by any just compliance or stepping aside or giving back avoid a blow or make a fair retreat so long as he keeps the Field and doth not turn his back upon nor give up a good and a just cause for fear of suffering Hence the Apostle adviseth Col. 4.5 Walk in wisdome toward them that are without that is walk as those that have wisely fixt upon a good end and do use the most proper and likely means to attain that end Now this general direction will branch it self forth into these particulars 1. Do not rashly and unnecessarily provoke those that have power to do you a mischief it is not wisdome to stir in a wasps nest nor by bloody colours to provoke a wilde Bull and certainly our life and the comforts and relations in this world are such real and great blessings that they are not to be sacrificed to an humour nor cast away but upon the most serious consideration and real necessity and certainly when our Lord Jesus directed his Disciples if persecuted in one City to flye to another he never intended they should throw themselves into the jaws of roaring Lions nor provoke Bears and Tygers to tear them in pieces nor leave the quiet habitation of Sion to seek persecution and court a Martyrdome among Pagans and Infidels The holy Apostle Paul who was as willing to dye for the Name of Christ as any Act. 21.13 and was therefore by his love and zeal urged to go into the Theater at Ephesus yet he took the prudent counsel and advice of his Friends not to venture himself nor by his presence provoke the enraged multitude Act. 19.31 and afterward he made use of his Kinsmans help to secure his life from those who had bound themselves with an oath to kill him Act. 23.16 and at last appeals to Caesar to avoid the mischief designed against him by the Jews Act. 25.10 This piece of spiritual prudence caused the primitive Christians to abstain from prophaning the Temples of the heathen and reviling their gods and therefore they chose to discover to them the vanity of their Idolatries from the Writings and Records of their own Prophets and with the greatest love and sweetness that could be yea this was so evident in Paul himself that the Town-clark of Ephesus was able to be his and his fellow-Christian Compurgator in this matter Act. 19 37. Ye have brought hither those men which are neither robbers of Churches or as the original 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sacrilegious persons nor yet blasphemers of your goddess and therefore that which Josephus accounts one of Moses Laws that none should blaspheme the Religion of another though it be not a general duty as appears by Elijahs mocking and scoffing at the God and religion of Baals Priests 1 King 18.27 yet it holds good here as a rule of prudence to avoid needless provoking of those that are without And in this case I take this to be a sure rule whatever act of ours hath rationally a greater likelihood to provoke harden and enrage the hearts of men rather than to convince and convert is a fruit of indiscretion not of Christian prudence a piece of folly not a part of our duty It was certainly a favour from God when he inclined the heart of Trajane to order his Proconsul Plinius Secundus Plin. Sec. Ep. l. 10. Conquirendi non sunt sideferantur arguantur puniendi sunt desiring to know his pleasure in the case that when any were brought before him and accused to be Christians he should punish them according to Law but should not industriously search them out if now any should have rushed into the Judges presence and taken the Devils work out of his hands who is the accuser of the Brethren it would surely have been a sinfull undervaluing the favour of God in that relaxation of their persecution But now this advice must be bounded with a word of caution for as we should take heed lest our zeal degenerate into ambition and foolish vain-glory in suffering so on the other side lest our prudence and Christian wisdome turn to sinful craft and policy while to avoid the stroak of persecution we take up the Devils buckler of unlawfull practises The Apostle Peter was not bound to go into the high Priests hall and proclaim himself a Disciple of Jesus but he was obliged not to deny and forswear it when challenged with it and so though I am not alway bound to proclaim my faith and Religion yet am I engaged never to disown it and therefore we must take heed of that which Elihu charged Job with Job 36.21 the choosing iniquity rather than affliction and therefore when fear or covetousness would urge us to sin rather than suffer let us remember against our fears that 't is a more fearfull thing to fall into the hands of the living God than dying men
Isa 51.12 and against our earthly desires let us remember that if we gain the whole world and lose our own souls we shall be incomparable losers by the bargain Matth. 16.26 On the other side when ambition vain-glory or humour would urge us to unnecessary sufferings let us remember that God who is Wisdome it self hath no pleasure in fools Eccl. 5 4. nor delights in those sacrifices which are not presented to him by prudent consideration and sober resolution but by the folly of a precipitate zeal and however where the heart is right and full of love God may accept of the love and pardon the weakness yet he no way delights in the sufferings which men bring upon themselves unnecessarily by rash imprudent carriage whereby they betray their lives and liberties to the lusts and rage of men and draw on their enemies to blood and cruelty and upbraid the wisdome of those who are not so rash as being less real to God and Christ and make others have hard thoughts of that Religion which cannot consist with prudence and wisdome 2. Be much in the exercise of those acts of true Religion which are beautiful in the eyes of all even the worst of men the Apostle Peter intimates the security of an evidently good and holy life 1 Pet. 3.13 And who is he that will harm you if ye be followers of that which is good the chief pieces of Christian Religion are such as Papists Turks and Infidels must needs acknowledge to be good To visite the fatherless and widows in their affliction To wrong no man To do to others whatever we would that others should do to us Now when we cannot without danger exercise some other perhaps more questionable parts of Christian Religion then 't is good to be so much the more in the practice of these undoubted pieces of a Christian life and zeal in these things will force those without to approve whereas zeal in arguing for or in practising other things may cause them to hate and persecute us zeal in arguing and disputing brings on evil words and evil actions but zeal in the practice of unquestionable duties produceth good deeds in our selves and forceth good thoughts and good words if not good deeds from others In a word hot disputing and cold living or zeal in smaller and luke-warmness in greater matters is the ruine of grace in our selves the confirming of sin in others and the needless hazarding our outward concernments and betraying them rashly to the violence of wicked and ungodly men 3. In your converse with those who are without chuse mostly to insist upon common and acknowledged principles rather than controverted points if I were to live among and converse with Papists I would chuse much rather to urge them to abstain from lying drunkenness malice c. and to have good thoughts of God to have a continual sense of their dependance upon him and therefore continually to recommend themselves unto him by holy prayer to be meek and patient and charitable rather than to dispute how many Sacraments there be or how the bread and the wine is the body and blood of Christ for good counsel and sober exhortations speak love to mens souls whereas disputes and arguings are usually thought to proceed onely from love to our own notions and a desire to oppose others and indeed if men did not place too much of their Religion in opposing others they might much more safely and much more profitably converse with those of different opinions yea of different Religions 4. When you do touch upon controverted points rather enquire and propound than positively assert and violently oppose though I judge the Masse of Rome as by them used to be a piece of as grosse Idolatry as the world can shew yet were I to converse among Papists I would not fall foul upon them as the grossest Idolaters but as more desiring truth should be honoured than they reproached I would calmly and meekly propound my reasons as grounds of doubting rather than clear demonstrations for sure it is that a sudden and violent assault will cause an adversary to gather up his strength as violently to oppose whereas a calm propounding of reasons or doubts may work him to a serious consideration which is the first step to the discovery of error and acknowledging of truth for the one kindles a desire of knowing the other a desire of opposing yea of persecuting 5. When you think your selves bound to reprove the sins of others let it be done with a due consideration of the circumstances of time place and persons and indeed there 's scarce any part of a Christians converse with others that more requires prudence and wisdome than that of reproving others and great care is to be had that a reproof may at the least be well taken if not hearkned to and that it may do the reproover no hurt if it do the reprooved no good 6. On all occasions expresse a willingnesse to do for the best to believe as others believe and to do as others do if you could see sufficient ground and reason for it and indeed this may be a great help and security for obstinacy is usually made one essential part of an Heretick and then he that is heartily willing to close with every revealed truth may be in an errour but cannot be an Heretick and therefore every expression of a mind not obstinately bent upon its taken up notions nor doting upon its own conceptions but inricht with an ingenuous freedome to acknowledge its mistakes and own truth when once clearly discovered though formerly disowned is like so much water upon the fire of rage kindled in the hearts of persecuting enemies to quench or abate it for to the reason of any that will but consider it cannot but appear most unreasonable to urge a person to believe what he cannot see any ground for or to do what he would be willing to do if it were not sin that is a provoking God and hazarding his own eternal welfare 7. Be sure to use no means to secure from persecution or procure the enjoyment of publick Ordinances but such as are well-pleasing to a good and a holy God 't is not long since it was the peculiar honour of the Popish Faction to depose or murder Kings blow up Parliaments subvert States and Kingdomes to procure their liberty or secure themselves from suffering and if any others have ventured upon such practices I hope God hath taught them by his providence what they would not learn from his word that affliction is rather to be chosâ—n than sin and that 't is better to wait upon him in the way of his Judgements that is in a way of duty than to out-run God and think to secure our selves by sinfull and unjustifiable courses Let those therefore who prosess to believe that their God is a God hearing prayer and that bottles up the tears of his people and is able to do what he pleaseth let