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Ifa. 9.ult. phraim, and Ephraim Manaffeh, and both of them against

Judah.

Cl and Domeftick warres in the bofome of the Church, grievances and vexations one of another: these differences it is likely that the Prophets had laboured to compound and ufed a!: meanes to settle Peace there, but it appeareth that they prevailed not, therefore he complaineth.

3. With what Succeffe.

1.1.Thou wilt not hear; the Cry of the Prophet was to awaken the Iuftice of God, to chaften his People for this violence, for fo defperate was the disease of the Church, that they needed the sharpeft Phyfick to heal it, even the rod of God to correct them.

*. Yet God is fo flow to wrath, and fo long-fuffering, that he would not hearken to the voice of his Prophets as yet, to pull his hand out of his bofome, though they faid with David, It is time for thee Lord to put to thine hand.

2. Thou wilt not fave. 1. Thou wilt not fuccour them that fuffer violence against the hand of their oppreffours; as his not hearing is to be imputed to his mercy and patience, fo his not faving is to be imputed either to his wifedome, putting his children to the trial of their faith by afflictions; or to his Juftice,' making one of them who have corrupted their wayes a rod to fcourge the other, neither of them being as yet worth the faving, till he had humbled them

.. The text thus cleared, the doctrines which grow upon this ftemme and first branch of the Prophets conteftation are these.

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1. That the weapons wherewith the holy fervants of God do fight against finne are their Prayers to God.

2. That one neceflary ingredient in our Prayers is earneftneffe and importunity.

3. That the zeal of Gods glory, and the love of Peace, cannot difpenfe with tumult and combuftion in the Church of God.

4. That God fometimes fufpendeth the defired fucceffe of the earnest Prayers of his moft faithful fervants, when they do pray according to his will, and doth not heare them by and by.

Of

Of the first of these firft.

1. Doctr. The weapons wherewith the holy fervants of God do fight against finis their Prayers.

I find that this People, to whom God had fent his Prophets rifing early and fending them, were grown incorrigible: and therefore even the Prophets that loved them, and wished them well, having no other way to reform them, were now put to it to pray against their violence to God. They that had wont to ftand in the gap to turn away ingruent judgements, do take fuch offence at their ungodlinelle, that they are put to it to pray to God against them.

Thus Iofeph carried the evil report of his brethren to his father, and made them to be fhent, wherein he did a brotherly office to feek their Reformation.

The spleen of Habakkuk is not against the Perfons of his brethren, they are not fo much as named here: he cryeth out of violence. And fo Saint Paul faith. The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all unrighteousnesse and ungodlinesse of

men.

David did thus in a cafe of violence.

They compassed me about with words of hatred, against me without caufe.

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For my love they are mine adverfaries, but I give my felfe unto Prayer: Ego oro.

Quare. How doth it stand with the rules of charity to complain to God of our brethren, and to ftirre up his indignation against them?.

Sol. I confeffe that this asketh an efpecial tenderneffe in the férvants of God; for to begin here without uling other means to reclaim our offending brother, may fhake the walles of our charity, and may accufe us of want of love; therefore all those ways of charity must be first tried, as to admonish privately; or not speeding fo, joyn another with thy felf in the private chiding of his finne; after failing, to communicate the matter to the Church. If all these fupports which we do owe to our brother will not keep him up, then let him be as an heathen, and then is Davids Prayer in season.

Let the heathen know that they are but men.

But

But in my text here was the body of the Church diseased; the members & parts of the body in armes one against another, only fome few of Gods holy fervants lived with grief in their righte ous fouls,to behold the ungodly conversation of men nefariously wicked and careleffe of religion; therfore what other way was left them, but that of David? I will yet pray against their wick edne fe; take away their ungodlineffe and thon fbalt find none.

The Prophets and Seers of former times, have had ipeciall Revelations of the Will of God,concerning the ungodly of the earth, whereby they might as boldly use imp recation as deprecation or fupplication.

We that come short of their measure of the spirit: must not dare to go to the fartheft extent of their liberty in Prayer, to pray against our brethren; only thus farre we may with Habak kuk, cry out unto God and make our moan to him for violence. I. Committing our caufe, and the care of our fafety unto. him, as to a faithful Creator, and fo the care and safety of our brethren.

2. Defiring God to bring to an end the wickednesse of the ungodly, and to finish their fins.

This ferveth,

I To fettle faith in God, and to feeke our repofe only in him in all croffe oppofals, because he is the funne and shield, and there is no reft but in him; he only over-ruleth all, and evacuateth the counfels, and fruftrateth the works of wicked men. He only fhall bring it to paffe.

2. 1 his ferveth to rèprove the means that are in use amongst us to reforme unae as we pretend, but they are unlawful and ungodly.

1. By publick blazing and detecting of offenders, to put them to open fhame in the worid; for the loffe of a good name doth more often harden a finner, and caufe impenitency then reclaim him for what hath he to boast that hath loft the good opinion of men? love covereth a multitude of finnes, and therefore that is an evil tongue that is the trumpet of anothers fhame. It is charity to make the beft of every thing.

2. The fame offence is committed in private whilpers and fecret detractions, and the fault is aggravated by concealing

Our

our felves, as unwilling to justifie our accusations,

3. By curfing and bitter calling upon God for his vengeance on them that offend, if the offence touch us, or our friends; for God knoweth without us who to manage his judgments, and curling it, returneth and smarteth at home.For the Apostle faith it twice. Bleffe, Curfe not.

4. By publike playes and interludes, to represent the vices of the time, which though it were the practice of the heathen, which knew not God but afarre off, yet in Chriftian-ftates it is no way tolerable nor justifyable; to act the parts of evil doers, fince the Apostle faith it is a shame to name them, much more to act and perfonate them.

5.By private conceived libels, after divulged by fecret paffage from pocket to pocket, from one bofome to another, for which the devifers thereof have no warrant, and to which they have no calling.

6. By Satyres and Poeticall declamations; for who hath fent thele into the world, to convince the world? is it not to put the fpirit of God out of office, who is fent to convince the world. of finne? And who but the Lords Prophets have warrant to lift up their voyces like Trumpets, to tell the house of Jacob their finnes? Every Emperique man may not profeffe and practice Phyfick. There is a Colledge of foule-Phyficians, who have a calling to this purpose, and are fent to heale the foars of the People,

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1.By their diligent preaching of the Word of God to them. 2. By drawing against them, and exercising upon them the fword of Ecclefiaftical difcipline.

3. By continual prayer unco God to give end to their finnes, whereby they do trefpaffe God and good men.

3. This ferveth to difcourage men from doing evil; for fear of offending the Prophets and Ministers of the Lord, whose righteous fouls cannot but be vexed to fee their good feed caft away upon barren, ftony or thorny ground.

For howloever bafely and unworthily we be deemed, if the incorrigible iniquity of men do put us to it to move Almighty God, by our earneft prayers against them,they fhall find that as Job can do his friends good by his interceffion, because he is a

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Jou. 3. 8.

Pfal. 38.9

Ifay I.

Prophet, fo the Lords Minifters may awake judgement against fuch as go on ftill in their wickedneffe, and will not be reformed..

2. Doctr. Our Prayers must be importunate.

The Prophet cried, yea he cried out to the Lord. This importunity is expreft two ways.

1. In the ardency and zeale of his Prayer, it was not oratio · a Prayer, but vociferatio a crying.

2. In the continuance of time. How long.

Thus mult we pray with fervour of fpirit; our tongue is the piece of Ordnance, our Prayer is the fhot, the zeale of our heart is the powder that dischargeth it; and according to the strength of the charge, fuch is the flight of the shot.

Niniveh cryeth mightily to God. Chrift our Saviour cryed earneftly to his father, yea with ftrong crying and tears.

Salomon fpred his armes abroad; the Publicane beat his breast, Chrift fell on the ground; David faid, My fighing is not bid from thee. The Ifraelites weeping is thus defcribed,They drew Water and poured it out before the Lord

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The Holy Ghost doth not furnish us fo much with words and phrafes in Prayer, as with fighs and grones which cannot be expreft.

Paul prayed three times against Sathans Angel, Abraham moved God fix times for Sodome. Nehemiah had so spent himfelfe in watching and prayer for his People, that the King ob ferved his countenance changed.

Beloved,it is not Prayers by number & tale, as in the Romish Church:nor Prayers by rote,or by the ear perfunctoriously vented in the Church, and for custome faid over at home.

It is not much babling and multiplicitie of Petitions, or vain. repetitions that will fend up our Prayers to heaven.

T Though you stretch out your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you; and though you make many Prayers I will not beare you. The Pharifees wanted powder to their fhot, for they prayed, in their Synagogues, and in the corners of the streets, but as God faith, Quis requifivit ifta, Who required these things? The foule that actuatech and animateth Prayer,is fervor fpiri tus: the holy zeal of him that prayeth.

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