THese are the last words, which the Pen-men. of holy Scripture have left in writing, as me­morable in the History of Hezechiah, King of Judah, Successor to David and Solomon in the Kingdome, and heire unto them both, of what was excellent in them both.

The most commendable thing in David was his Integrity of heart, 1 King. 15. 3. It is said of Abiah, His heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as the heart of David his Fa­ther was.

The most memorable thing in Solomon, was his excellent wisdome, 1 King. 3. 12. Loe I have given unto thee a wise and understanding heart, so that there was none like thee be­fore thee: neither after thee shall arise any like to thee: Heze­chiah was a follower of them both in these most excellent gifts

1. Of David in uprightnesse, 2 King. 18. 3. He did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that David his Father did.

2. Of Solomon in wisedom; foure whole Chapters of the Proverbs, 25, 6, 7, 8. were copied out by the men of He­zechiah: probably at his appointment. What things may we not expect to come from such an one, who proposed to him­selfe such worthy pattern?

It is yet to be remembred, that they were the last words which are upon record, of this wise and upright King; ver­ba novissima, verba notatissima: The last words are commonly [Page 2] most memorable, most carefully observed, and most com­monly reported; Et dixit moriens; nothing maketh a deeper print in the memory of a man, then the last words of a dy­ing friend.

Lastly, they were cygnae a cantio, his Swans song, after the terrour of a mighty Thunder-clap, of an imminent judge­ment in the two former verses.

Vers. 17. Behold the dayes come, that all that is in thine house, and that which thy Fathers have laid up in store, unto this day, shal be carried into Babylon: nothing shal be left, saith the Lord.

Vers. 18. And of thy sonnes that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away and make Eunuches, in the Palace of the King of Babylon.

In these distresses, the stay of his state, and the summe of his comfort, was, that notwithstanding these Judgements were to come upon his Kingdome, yet Peace and Truth should be in his dayes.

In this memorable speech, there are chiefely two things to be observed

• 1. The Manner.
• 2. The Matter.

• 1. The manner of speech is delivered by way of Interro­gation. Is it not good?
• 2. The Matter is a Rejoycing for the continuation of these two blessings,
  • Peace and
  • Truth.

I spare to run into any subdivisions, or to take notice of unnecessary circumstances, or by-observations, the words hastening to so usefull application, that as Saint Bernard speaketh of another text, Antequam panis frangitur, ecce fragmenta: Me thinks every one should be ready to gather up the fragments before the bread be broken; and to make some application of the text unto himselfe, before I have [Page 3] made mine Analysis, or resolution of the words into their severall parts. First of the manner of speech by way of In­terrogation; Is it not good? The Rhetoricians make many kinds of Interrogations, as being used many wayes. We take notice only of three. 1. [...], By way of Inquisition to get understanding, as Mat. 11. 3. The Disciples of Iohn said unto Christ, Art thou he that shouldst come, or doe wee looke for another? 2. [...], By way of Temptation to get an advantage, Gen. 3. 1. Yea hath God indeed said, yee shall not eat of every tree of the Garden? 3. [...], By way of Ex­aggeration, to get an unavoidable concession unto that which is demanded, Luke 17. 17. Are there not ten clensed, where are the nine?

This Interrogation may well sute to the last sense, viz. by way of exaggeration, or vehement affirmation; when we aske of those things, whose truth is knowne, and granted. In this case, an Interrogation is not a doubtfull question, but an ear­nest affirmation, or full resolution. Tremelius renders the Text thus; Quod futura sit pax & stabilitas in diebus meis, bonum est; that there shall be peace and stability in my dayes, it is good.

The Prophet Esay in his repetition of this speech, ma­keth it a resolute Proposition, Esay 39. 6. Moreover Heze­chiah said, It is good if Peace and Truth shall be in my dayes.

So then, it is resolved upon the question, that It is good that Peace, and Truth be in our dayes. And this resolution doth resolve it selfe into foure assertions, or asseverations.

First, That Peace is good.

Secondly, That Truth is good.

Thirdly, That it is good that Peace and Truth should goe together, as they are here coupled together by this Band, or copulative conjunction And, Peace and Truth.

Fourthly, that it is good that this blessing of united Peace [Page 4] and Truth should continue all our dayes.

‘Is it not good?’

That which the Psalmist makes the common quere of all worldlings, Psal. 44. Who will shew us any good? The same is common to all men in the world; all enquire after good; every Art, Science, and endeavour of man (saith the Philo­sopher) hath this ayme, to attaine to some presupposed good, Arist. Eth. 1. The name of Good is so attractive, as that it draweth all mens hearts after it, with incredible desires; this is the Load-stone of our affections, the Pole-star which doth direct the whole compasse of all our actions; this is summa summarum, the summe of all summes, in which are summed up all the particulars of pleasure, profit, honour, health, wealth, life; and liberty; all are cast up in this grosse summe of Good. None are wise, but they that seek it. None are happy, but they that find it. The Philosophers, who had their names from the wisedome they sought, had many opinions touching Good: some placing their chiefe Good in pleasure, some in riches, some in honor, against whom Seneca argues most divinely thus; Aut ista bona non quae vocantur, aut homo foelicior deo est; either those are not good things which are so called, or man is more happy then God: Hee hoardeth up no riches, neither is he taken with the delights of carnall pleasure, nor blowne up with the vaine titles of ambition.

The true wisedome teacheth, that there is but one Good, Deus optimus maximus, the good great God, he is sons boni, the Fountaine of good. Neither is there any good that is not from him, Ia. 1. 17. As he is the true wisedome, and that one good, so is he Pax mundi, the peace of the world, Lux mundi, the Light of the world, and vita mundi, the life of the world: He that is the Wisedome, Peace, Light, and life of the world; he that is stiled by Gregory, bonitas nata, hee [Page 5] hath shewed his servants what is good, and what is to be desired in this world.

‘Is it not good that Peace, and Truth, &c.’

First of Peace, which by Cassian is thus defined: Pax est concordantium in bono animorum ordinata tranquilitas; peace is an ordinate quietnesse of minds, that agree in the same good. Hence I inferre, that there is no peace to the wicked, Esay 41. 1. And that for these reasons. 1. They intend no good. 2. They consent not to good. 3. They order not themselves in the way to good.

• Internall.
• Externall.
• Eternall.

1. The Internall is grounded on faith, Rom. 5. 1. Being therefore justified by faith, we have peace with God.

2. The Externall is set upon Righteousnesse, Psal. 72. 7. In his time Righteousnesse shall flourish, and abundance of peace so long as the Moon endureth. The Prophet Esay calleth it the work of Righteousnesse. Es. 32. 17. S. Iames calleth it the fruit of Righteousness: Iam: 3. The Psalmist saith Righ­teousnesse and Peace have kissed each other. S. Augustins observation upon the place is very good, Vultis pacem, amate justitiam; will you have Peace, love Justice; Justice and Peace are two inseparable companions, they love one ano­ther, they kisse one another: Therefore if you doe not love Righteousnesse, Peace will not love you, nor come at you; when Jehoram asked Jehu, Jehu is it peace? Jehu answered, how can there be peace, so long as the whoredoms of thy mother Jezabel, and her witchcrafts are so many in num­ber. To conclude the point, with that of Augustine, Fiat Iustitia, & habebis pacem, let justice be done, and you shall have peace.

The third kind of peace is Eternall.

[Page 6]My text goes not so farre, mounts not so high, yet it is the high way unto it, and brings us within the sight of it, as Moses from Mount Nebo viewed the Land of Canaan. S. Paul Ro: 14. 17. doth thus chalk out the way, to this eternal Peace, Righteousnesse, Peace, and Joy in the Holy Ghost. Righte­teousnesse leads to Peace, Peace to Joy in the Holy Ghost, this Joy is crown'd with Glory. But to confine my selfe within the limits of my text, and to goe no further then Pax temporis, the Peace of our dayes, and the praise thereof.

Peace (saith Augustine) est serenitas mentis, tranquilitas animi, simplicitas cordis, vinculum amoris, & consortium charitatis: Peace is the clearenesse of the mind, the simpli­city of the heart, the quietnesse of the soule, the band of love, and the consort of charity. De verb. Dom. cap. 15. 8. Peace is so nearly affianced to Heaven, as that it challengeth her part and property in God, who is Deus pacis, the God of Peace, Heb. 13. 12.

All the children of Peace, are filij dei, the children of God, Mat. 5. 9. Blessed are the Peace makers for they shall be called the children of God. None are in God, but such as are in Peace, 1 John 4. 8. None shall see God but such as follow Peace, Heb. 12. 14. But Carendo quam fruendo, &c. good things are most highly prized in the want. The sicke man is most fit to extoll the benefit of health: The blind man (though he cannot judge of colours) is fittest to praise the blessing of sight. Contraries being placed by contraries, doe appeare in their proper colours. Let us then take a view of the ill of warres, and then wee shall see more clearly the good of peace; see the condition of warre, and as yee like of it, so judge of Peace.

Warre is the scourge of nations, the rod of Gods wrath, and the staffe of his Indignation; a devouring fire, that de­voureth to destruction; warre in the Greeke is called [...] and hath these two Etymologies; [...] A [Page 7] bloody issue [...] a common plague. The Pestilence is but a private plague in respect of warre; that taketh away a part of a Family, or of a Citie; This disperseth over a coun­trey, and destroyeth a Kingdome. This warre that is amongst us, is unhappy above all other, and that in three attributes, being Vncivill, Vnnaturall, Vnreasonable. First, uncivill, warre is called Bellum, which in the proper sense signifieth good: But it hath its name ex antiphrasi by the contrary, quia minime bonum, because it is not good, nay the chiefe of evils; So civill warre hath its name ex antiphrasi, because it is of all most uncivill. Civill and intestine warre, is most dangerous. A Kingdome divided cannot stand. The Lord make up the breaches of this Kingdome, and joyne the peo­ple together into one, that they may serve the Lord their God, and David their King, whom he hath raised over them, Ier. 3. 9. Secondly, this warre hath beene unnaturall: This hath broken the bands, even the streightest coujunctions of nature, Friendship, and Religion. First of nature. A Fa­ther against a sonne, vitam qui dedit adimit, unheard of cruelty; the sonne against the father, which might make him justly to take up Davids complaint, 2 Sam. 16. 11. Behold my sonne, which came out of mine owne bowels, seeketh my life. O Generation of vipers, how shall yee escape the damnation of hell. Brothers like Cadmus brood, sheathing their swords in each others sides. Secondly, the band of friendship is broken. Two friends in whom there was according to Ari­ristotles definition of true friendship [...] one soule in two bodies, or as it is said of Ionathan and David, 2 Sam. 20. 17. They loved one another as their owne soules. These not only brake the League of love, but fell into bitter feude. The Husband and the Wife, which are but one flesh, can­not agree to bee of one mind, but fall into that distance of opinion, that one Church cannot hold them both. [Page 8] Thirdly, the band of Religion is broken. Two, that before did unanimously consent in all points of Religion, by diver­sity of opinion about these warres, are growne into a divi­sion of society, that as Paul and Barnabas upon their hot contention, they cannot endure to walke together.

The third unhappy adjunct is unreasonable. The chiefe things that made these differences (so farre as they are pre­sented to the publicke view) were, the maintenance of the true Protestant Religion, the Priviledge of Parliament, the Liberty of the Subject, the Property of goods: All these, as they were earnestly requested of the one party, so they were freely protested on the other party: And yet for these we must fight, and waste our selves, and so weaken and de­stroy a most flourishing Nation. You that have had a true sense of all those evils that are come upon us, by reason of these uncivill, unnaturall, and unreasonable warres, I hope will be easily drawne to subscribe to the truth of this first Assertion, that Peace is good. The second Assertion or As­severation, is that

‘Truth is good.’

Mans excellency consists chiefely in two things, Ratione, & Oratione, in Reason and Speech; one word in the Greeke [...] doth comprehend them both. And one vertue in practise (Truth) doth crowne them both. The want of it in both doth make a totall eclipse of mans glory.

For the first, take Truth away from the understanding, and Reason doth wander in darkenesse: and so a man becoms like a bruit beast, that hath no understanding. And for the other, take Truth away from Speech, and then it were better for us to be as beasts, dumbe, and could not speake at all: for so we should not sin so oft in word.

The want of truth in the one, makes us like the beasts. The want of truth in the other, maketh us like the Devill. [Page 9] Truth is lux mundi, the Light of the world; and as he af­firmeth of friendship; solem e mundo tollere videntur, qui amicitiam e vita tollunt, They take the Sunne out of the world, that take friendship from the life of man, may more truly be affirmed of truth; They take the Sunne out of the world, that take truth from the society of men. Without it we groape in darkenesse, Esay 59. 10. We see nothing, we know nothing, we can doe nothing without it, we can doe nothing against it, 2 Cor. 13. 8. We can doe nothing a­gainst the truth, but for the truth. Which words are to be understood, according to that Christian axiome; Quod quisque debet, id potest; Every man must have a reguard, to what may be done, de jure, and not what is done de facto; Pre­sidents of fact, ought to be no leading cases in matter of right; vivendum legibus, non exemplis; We must live af­ter the Lawes of God, not after the examples of men; The Law is spirituall, men are carnall, sold under sin. If wee would have our waies well ordered, we must looke unto what God hath commanded, and not what men have acted. Here what the Lord saith, Zach. 8. 16. These are the things that ye shall doe: Speak ye every man the truth unto his neigh­bour, execute the judgement of truth and peace in your Gates. And let none of you imagine evill against his neighbour, and love no false oath, for these are the things that I hate saith the Lord.

A question is commonly moved, whether a man is al­waies bound to speak the truth, St. Paul ordereth the case aright, Eph. 4. 15. Speak ye the truth in Love. Truth with­out Charity is malicious, Charity without Truth is blind. O how happy should wee be, if wee had these two to goe along with us in all our wayes, to order our conversation a­right in the feare of God! But alas, both these are gone from us, Truth mourneth, for that what she feared is fallen up­on [Page 10] her, and that is to be hidden; And Charity is gone up to heaven, there to complaine, that she can find no entertain­ment here upon earth. And now that Truth and Charity are departed, there are eome into their roome, lying and fals­hood, hatred, and malice, and all uncharitablenesse. We may fitly condole the condition of our times, in the words of Jeremyes complaint. Jer. 9. 1. O that my head were full of water, and mine eyes a fountaine of teares, that I might weep, day and night, for the slaine of the daughter of my people. verse 3. They bend their tongues like bowes for lyes, but they are not valiant for the truth upon earth. verse 4. Take yee heed every one of his neighbour, and trust not in any brother, for every brother will supplant, and every neighbour will walke with slanders. verse 5. They will deceive every one his neigh­bour, and will not speake the truth, they have taught their tongues to speake lyes, and bave taken great paines to doe wic­kedly. And here we have a passage made unto the praise of truth, by the consideration of the odious, and common practise of lyes, and untruth. As the world did sometimes groane under the burthen of Arianisme; So this Land may now groane under the burthen of lying. This Country is come now almost into the condition of Creete [...] all Lyers. Tit. 1. 12. In times past, we took notice only of three kinds of lyes. They were

• Jocosa Jests,
• Officiosa excuses, or
• Malitiosa Slanders.

But now the sin hath taken such roote, and the practise so farre spread, that it doth dilate it selfe into many branches.

First Printed lyes; I have knowne it hath been said, this is true, I saw it in Print but now, This is Printed, ergo sus­pected.

[Page 11]Secondly, There are Pulpit lyes; when leaving the fa­thers, and antient expositors of Scripture, they stuffe their Sermons with relations out of newes bookes, fraught with untruths, from the father of lyes.

Thirdly, Propheticke lyes; which are now in great price. Those that were in times past, but three halfe penny lyers, and after two penny lyers, are now come to be six penny lyers. Surely their lyes are more, or lyes are of more price, then in times of yoare.

Fourthly, Paliat or covered lyes; and that is either when truth is thrust into some dark corner by Equivocation, or led aside by a slye distinction. Equivocation encites a man to make a lye to himselfe. A subtile distinction doth animate him to maintaine a lye to another.

For Equivocation. There are some that have hid the truth, in the darke corners of the Covenant, when unusquisque a­bundat suo sensu. But this is strange to be observed in it. They that first made it a Solemne League and Covenant, have since declared it to be but an Order transient, and like an Almanacke, to last for a yeare, and is now out of date. Againe, those that were most prest, to Plunder those that refuse to take it, were such, as did refuse to take it them­selves. They bind heavy burthens, and grievous to be borne, but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers, Mat. 23. 4. Christ the truth, calleth such Phari­ses, I cannot see then but they may be called lyers that call them Saints. Againe, as truth is hid by Equivocation, so it is led aside, by a subtile distinction. Notwithstanding so bad, but some will thinke to make it good: Nothing so false, but some will seeke to make it true by distinction. The Law saith, Thou shalt not kill. When we lament the slaughter of thousands of our brethren, It is no butcherly slaughtering but in their dialect brave execution. Againe, [Page 12] the Law saith, Thou shalt not steale. When we complaine, that our horses, and goods are taken away by force and vio­lence; It is answered, This is no theft, but Plundering, and both these are maintained good, by a distinction framed at the Jesuits forge. They say, they may doe these evills, in ordine ad spirituale bonum, In order to the spirituall good, ours say, they may doe these evills, in ordine ad commune bonum, In order to the common good. And so St. Pauls mouth is stopt with a distinction, where he saith, We must not doe evill, that good may come thereof, Rom. 3. 8. Againe, the Apostle saith, 1 Pet. 2. 17. Feare God, and honour the King. And the wise man saith, Eccles. 8. 4. Where the word of a King is, there is power. But some say where is the King? The King is to be considered according to a double capacity,

• Naturall and
• Politique.

By the one he is in one place, by the other he is in ano­ther. Juglars seeme to have pretty tricks, at the first sight, but when they are discovered, they be very bald, and we won­der that we could not find out they slight; So this distin­ction at the first tooke many, but being well considered, was discovered to be very poore and idle. Can a man be a King without a politique capacitie? No more then a King can be a man without a naturall capacitie. I believe where the Sun goeth, he carrieth all his rayes about with him, though he may be eclipsed, or obscured for a time. So the King hath all his rayes of Majesty with him, though there be a curtaine drawne between him and us that we cannot now see the splendor of his glory. The union of these two capa­cities, are as necessary ad esse Regis, to the essence of a King, as the union of soule and body, ad esse hominis, to the essence of a man. So that upon the separation of either both are lost. Take away the soule from the body, it is no [Page 13] more a body, but a carcasse, take away the body from the soule, it is no more a soule, but a spirit. So, take away the Politique capacity, he is no more a King, as take away the Naturall capacity, he is no more a man. Besides these Pa­liat, and covered lyes, There are Publike, and open lyes. Some come scouting in with a weekely Intelligence. A Lyurnall, great news, lye and all; But the Master piece of all, is the new Century of lyes. Had it come to have been made a Chiliad, by adding as was intended the other nine Centuries to it, Lucian the great Lyer, with his verarum narrationum; and Jacobus de voragine, with his legenda au­rea, had been both outvyed, wee had got the whetstone from them both: Theirs were Monstrous, and Miraculous Lyes, our Mischievous and Malicious. Eusebius reporteth of Po­lycarpus, the Angell of the Church of Smirna, that when he heard any thing, where was much offence, He usually burst forth into these words; Deus bone, in quae temporare­servasti me, ut haec audiam, Good God, unto what times hast thou reserved me, that I should heare such things. We have just occasion to use the words of this complaint, Good God, unto what times hast thou reserved us, that wee must heare so many lyes, and can heare so little truth. I hope the consideration of our miserable condition, by reason of lying, will perswade with us to subscribe to this second assertion, that truth is good. I come to the third assertion. It is good that Peace and truth be joyned together. That axi­ome in Philosophy, virtutes inter se concatenantur, vertues are chained together, Is also true in divinity, There is a con­catenation of vertues, and graces in Religion. As the Dis­ciples came to Christ by couples, Andrew and Peter, James and John, Philip and Nathaniel: So the graces of his spi­rit, are commended unto us coupled together. Juncta ju­vant, as First Wisdome and Innocency, Math. 10. 16. Se­condly, [Page 14] Faith and Love, 2 Tim. 1. 13. Thirdly, Patience and Hope, Rom. 12. 12. 4. Repentance and Obedience, Revelati­ons. 3. 19.

So we have here Peace and Truth, Peace without Truth, is a faire building without a sure foundation. Truth with­out Peace, is a good foundation, but cannot be raised to any Glory, and comfortable perfection. All agree, that it is good to have both, but they differ about the order of acqui­ring, whether linke they should first lay hold on, that the other may follow. Some say let us have Truth, and Peace will follow. I answer, Peace may be the way to Truth, as well as Truth the way to Peace. In a setled state, we first look upon truth, then peace: But in a distracted State, we must first have Peace, or else we shall never heare of truth: Inter arma silent leges, what truth can we heare, so long as the bea­ting of drums, the cluttering of Armes, and the roaring of Guns doe fill our ears. The wisdome of the Town-clerke, Act. 19. 35. is worthy of our observation, and imitation, when the Citie of Ephesus was in an uproar, he first appea­sed the people. then he perswaded them, if any were wron­ged how to have redresse. We have commonly the Cryer of the Court to cry Peace, before we can heare truth fully argued, cases rightly stated, and right truly determined. So in this case first Peace, then Truth. They that hate Peace cry out for Truth. And yet I thinke Pilates question to Christ, and what is Truth, would have neither a suddaine, nor sound resolution of them.

Veritas altercando amittitur, Truth is lost by jarring; it is a lamentable state, when Truth must be commanded, not argued, and right measured, not by statute, but by the sword. Lysander being chosen arbiter betwixt two neighbouring Nations, who fell into dissention about the territories of their Dominions, drew his sword, and flourishing it about his [Page 15] head, used these words, [...] Hee that can use this best is fittest to determine of right. God keepe us from Lysanders Law, that is Lesbia regula, a crooked rule, that will never square with Peace and Truth. They are deceived, that thinke that warres will produce Truth; we see the contrary. Ireneus who lived about the yeare 175. wrote against thirty heresies, and Epiphanius who lived a­bout the yeare 383. wrote against 80. heresies; But in the time of these warres, the Author of the Grangren obser­veth 200. heresies, or there abouts, to have appeared in the space of little more then foure yeares. As the over-flow­ing of Nilus, by stirring up of the mud, doth cause many strange Serpents to be bred out of the slime: So the over­flowing of these warres, have bred, and fostered, almost in­numerable and unheard-of heresies, and strange opinions a­mongst us. Hezechiah putteth Peace before Truth: so must it be with us, or else I doubt it will never come at us. Psal. 85. 10. The Psalmist addeth two linkes more to this chain, viz. Righteousnesse and Mercy. Peace cannot stand with­out Righteousnesse, as ye have heard, and Truth would not be willingly without Mercy, Truth is bitter without Mercy, Mercy blind without Truth. Luke 10. 34. Truth and Mer­cy are like the Samaritans wine, and oyle; all wine is too much fretting and smarting; all oyle too suddainly, and slightly healing. All Truth will require summum jus, right with rigour; all Mercy will regard nullum jus, no right at all. If we could pull this whole chaine to us, it would be of more value then a chaine of Diamonds. If we could lay hold on Righteousnesse, that would draw Peace after it, Peace would draw Truth unto it, and Truth would draw downe the Mercy of God upon us, and open the bowels of Mercy one to another. And this for the third Assertion, viz. It is good that Peace and Truth be coupled together. [Page 16] So I come to the fourth Assertion, the continuance of the blessing. In my dayes.

The Ancients reckoned the time of their lives, by dayes, to shew the shortnesse of the time, and frailty of life, Iob 42. 1. Job died an old man, full of dayes, Gen. 47. 9. Iacobs life a pilgrimage of a few evill dayes, Psal. 90. 12. Moses prayer, Teach us to number our dayes. A day is a perfect mo­dell of mans life: A day hath a morne, a noone, and an eve­ning; so hath life, if it be drawne out to the furthest period. My dayes, that is the time present, of my now being; the dayes past are not my dayes, they are gone, they are not; the dayes to come are not my dayes, they are not yet. There tis but a small interim betwixt those two dayes, [...], Rom. 8. 18. The Passions or Passages of a point of time. This time of My dayes is of so small extension. It is an axiome of Devotion, spirituall graces are to be asked without exception, because God hath made an absolute promise to give them: but temporall blessings with a con­dition, and limitation, if it be his will, and for our times. So we aske bread for the day, and Peace for our dayes. Wee need bread every day, and Peace in our dayes. And who knoweth, but these warres, and troubles of these times, are come upon us, for spurning at that holy suffrage of our Church? Give Peace in our time O Lord. To conclude the point, let all those that are peaceable in the Land, and have a true sense of the miseries of these dayes, and desire that better dayes may come unto us; subscribe to the truth of this Assertion, and take it into their prayers, in their best devotion, That Peace and Truth may be in our dayes. And so I come to Application, which is the life of Preaching, and chiefest thing that I propounded to my selfe, when I first purposed to treat upon this text of Scripture. This text may be fitly compared to Eliahs cloud, which was at the [Page 17] first sight, but as the breadth of a mans hand, but looking a while upon it, it grew to that greatnesse, and extension, as that it covered the whole Heavens.

So this text is a small sentence, if you looke into the num­ber of the words: But if you shall take it into a serious con­sideration, you shall see it grow into such a cloud of mat­ter, as that it shall over shadow the whole hemisphere of our conversation, and showre a blessing upon you, to comfort you in these evill times sad condition. We looke upon it, as appliable to all circumstances, Time, Place, Persons, Matter and Manner. None of all these can have his due praise, or true comfort without it.

For the three first circumstances, Time, Place, and Per­sons. In all places there is a complaint of these times by all persons, excepting those that desire to fish in troubled wa­ters, and that make a gaine of others sufferings. These sacri­fice to their nets, and burne incense to their drags, because by them their portion is fat, and their meat plenteous, Hab. 1. 16. These like the Idolatrous silver-Smiths, Act. 19. 24. Cry up Diana's magnificence, because it brought great advantage to their craft, and imployment. But how many cry against them? 1. The cry of an impoverished Citie, where tra­ding fayling, Poverty commeth like an armed man upon them. 2. The cry of the Countrey, which is eaten up. With what a dejected countenance, and repining indignation shall the Husbandman looke upon his crop, when he shall thinke thus with himselfe, Barbanus has segites? shall the stranger consume all my labours? After taxes, and excises, and such like payments, then cometh quartering like the Locusts after the haile, and eateth up all the residue of my increase. Have I not ploughed all day, and brake the clods of the ground, and made it even, that I might cast in my principall wheate, and Rye, and Barlie? Longi perit labor irritus anni. Behold [Page 18] I have laboured in vaine, and spent my strength in vaine, and for nothing. Let us come to our Churches, we looked that a Reformation would have swept all cleane, but we see it farre fouler then before. They sought to sweep away Cere­monies, and superstition, and have fouled it with sacrilege, and confusion. They pretend to pull down Popery, and have set up heresie, and so while they thought to put the Pope out at the Fore-door, they have let in the Devill at the Back-door. We thought that text of Scripture would have freed our Churches from annoyance, Luke 19. 24. Yee shall keepe my Sabbaths, and reverence my Sanctuary. But see how farre they are prophaned: In our entrance into it we may see the Font, sons regenerationis, where the spirit of God mo­veth upon the water for our sanctification, hath beene made a trough to water horses, and broken downe in many pla­ces, as if they desired to renounce their Baptism. And to goe a little further, and see for the other Sacrament; we see no Shew-bread upon the Holy Table. The Communion which was in the Primitive Church administred common­ly every Lords day, In many reformed Churches received once every moneth, and upon Injunction of the highest powers, to be administred thrice in the yeere at the least is now in some places scarce named once in seven years. In some places they have it, it may be once or twise in two or three yeare, and that in the countrie about Harvest, and that too upon the grumbling threats of the Parishioners; why should he have his due, and we cannot have ours: And so they justly cause the people to renue the Prophets la­mentable complaint, Lament. 4. 4. Pueri quaerunt panem, & non est qui frangat eis; the children cry for bread, and there is none to breake it to them.

To goe a little further, and see how the Sanctuary is rob­bed of all her ornaments, the two golden Candlesticks, the [Page 19] two Testaments are indeed there, but the Candles are sel­dome lighted: We have had two Chapters read out of both Testaments, but now it is well if there be one. But commonly (especially in great Assemblies) a Psalme is sung of the new translation, and then the new light is set up, whereby (as some have professed to their hearers) they can tel them as much of the mind of God Almighty as the Pro­phets, or the Apostles, or Christ himselfe could. And for the Arke of the Covenant, with the memorable Monuments, the Tables, Aarons Rod, and the Pot of Manna, their Para­lels, the Commandements, the Creed, and the Lords Praier, they are lost. So that our Church, now travelling of this new birth of her now Reformation, may with Phineas his wife cry out in her paines, and call her issue Johabod, that is, where is the glory, for the glory is departed. Let us goe from the defaced Church, and looke into the distressed world, and see how the cry goeth there. In every trade and calling there is a continuall crying. Is it not now with us, as Job observeth in a great snow, signasti manus, thou hast sealed up the hand of every man? Iob 37. 7. As the hand is to the body, so is money to everie trade and calling, [...] the instrument of instruments; what use or exercise can wee make of our trades, when the warres command a great part of our monies, and the Dearth a constant Wai­ter upon warre, doth claime a second part? I doubt the third part will be little to trade withall. Lastly, for the two last circumstances, Matter and Manner, All men are to desire Peace and Truth by all meanes, and in all matters, how so­ever they be handled, whether they be matters of Difference, or of Reference, or of Conference. First of Difference, and reference. When a Difference is ended by reference, or Judge­ment without Peace and Truth, there may finis causae, non querela, an end of the cause, but not of the quarrell: So [Page 20] for Conference, if that be without Peace and Truth, we are in some respect, in worse condition then the Devils, they though they lie to us, yet they lye not one to another: though they divide us by warres, sects and schismes, yet Satan is not divided against Satan. Should we not abhorre to have our conversation worse then an hell upon earth? the best meanes to represse these evils, and to procure Peace and Truth in our dayes, after true humiliation for sinne, and earnest prayer unto God for mercy, to avert his judge­ments from us, is to call the King home to his wonted houses of abode, that he may sit on his Throne of Majesty, and rule his people under Christ, with the Scepter of Righte­ousnesse, and move in his proper sphere of Princely power. The King is Pater patriae, the Father of the countrey. When the Master of the Family is long absent, and that his stay exceedeth the expected time of his returne, it causeth a dampe in his good servants, a disorder in the bad; what fallings out will there be in the Family, what wishings a­mongst the servants? O that our Master were once come home. Indeed the Masters absence is a great cause of diffe­rence amongst the servants. Wee are loath to beare hard commands from our fellow servants, but when the Master commeth, he commands all, and all are quiet.

Indeed were the Master a Tyrant, unjust, unquiet, harsh, and cruell, then the servants might wish his absence. But for this our Master, he is wise, just, meeke, sober, honest; And I thinke I may safely say of him, as it is said of Ed­ward the third; He was such a King, as that none of the Kings before him had more vertues, and fewer vices. This Kingdome for want of this King amongst us, is fallen into many dangerous disorders, and distempers, as there was some­times when there was no King in Israel, Iudg. 6. 6. This Kingdome is sicke, and hath the symptomes of many disea­ses upon it, as

[Page 21]1. A bloody issue in warre.

2. The falling sicknesse in the fits of the monethly taxes.

3. The Palsie in the Excise, which commeth of the weak­nesse of the sinews. All the Land shaketh.

4. The Ague, which either turneth to a burning Fever, which causeth a Phrensie, or madnesse; or into an Hectick Fever, which consumeth to destruction. There is a greater evill in this Land then all these, and that is the Kings evill. Let that be cured, and we shall easily find Physitians for all the rest. All the rest are rooted, and grounded in this evill. Now none can cure this, but the King onely. Onely his prayers, his presence, his stroakings, nothing else can doe it.

Why should we languish, when we may have health? let us desire his comming to us, let us long for it, let us pray for it, let us endeavour it; which being effected, the Son of Righte­ousnesse will come along with him, with healing in his wings, to cure the distempers of this distressed Nation. This he grant, who is our health, and our salvation, for his sonnes sake, who hath borne our infirmities, and cured our sicknesses, even by the pretious Oyntment of his Holy Spi­rit; to whom, even God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, be all Power, Praise, Might, Do­minion, and thanksgiving, both now and for ever,

Amen.