you. If you ask wisdom to serve him in your places, he will give honour, and other good things without your seeking. 2. Be zealous and valiant for the glory, name, worship, interests, truth of God; as Phinehas was'. His zeal for God put a stop to the wrath, which was gone out against Israel. A Moses, a Phinehas may stand in the breach, and turn away wrath, when God seemeth a departing. (Numb. xiv. 12, 17, 20. Psal. cvi. 23, 30) Put forth yourselves, be willing to shew yourselves nursing-fathers to God's church": nurses will do all they can to keep poison from their children: do you, in your places, labour to preserve the church of Christ in this city, from the leaven of dangerous and pernicious doctrines. When you are clearly satisfied and convinced, that this is your duty to own God and his truth, to promote, protect, encourage, countenance orthodox religion, to withstand and counterwork the projects of seducers, resolve as Nehemiah did, that "no fear shall weaken your hands." (Neh. vi. 9, 11, 13) Shew yourselves God's vicegerents, in publicly owning his truth and ordinances to all the world. This is our God whom we resolve to serve *; this is his worship and religion which we own; this the truth we will live and die in; these the dangerous doctrines we resolve in our places and stations to withstand, and, by all righteous means, in God's way, to prevent the growth and progress of them.

What an honour would it be for such a famous city as this, to be a president to all these nations, in letting the world see and know their zeal for God, and love to his truth in these backsliding days, when many religions do threaten the extirpation of all; how highly they value, how steadfastly they cleave to the unity and purity of that religion, under which they and their fathers flourished in piety, in peace, in plenty, in tranquillity, in prosperity, in honour, for above fourscore years together, maugre all the power and policy of adversaries; till of late years we ourselves, by our sins, have loosened the joints of religion and government, and done that with our own hands, which our enemies, by all their machinations, did in vain attempt. O that now, when the Lord saith, Seek my face,' we would all say, Thy face, Lord, we will seek.' When the Lord saith, Turn, ye back

Numb. xxv. 11, 13. VOL. V.

u Isai. xlix. 23. lx. 16.

Q

เ

Isai. xxv. 9.

sliding children, and I will heal your backsliding;' we would all with one heart, with one soul, with one shoulder, answer, 'Behold, we come unto thee, for thou art the Lord our God.' If prayers, if tears, if strong cries, if reformed lives, if zealous purposes, if united counsels, will get a reprieve, and keep our God amongst us; we will stand in the gap, we will hold him fast, we will give him no rest till once again he make these nations a praise in the earth, and this city a Jehovah Shammah,' the Lord is there.

3. Believe not those Donatistical and Pontifician spirits, who go about to persuade you, that magistrates have nothing to do with religion. Nothing to do with religion? What then made David think of building God a house, (2 Sam. vii. 2) and to set in order the courses of the Levites, (1 Chron. xxiii. 6) and priests? (Chap. xxiv) How came Solomon the Wise to build a temple for God's worship, which he had nothing to do with? (2 Chron. 6) How came Asa so bold to command Judah to seek the Lord God, and that in order to the quietness of his kingdom, and victory over enemies? (2 Chron. xiv. 3, 4, 5, 6, 11) How came Jehoshaphat so much to mistake, as to take away high places and groves, to provide that the people might be taught, (2 Chron. xvii. 6-9) and to command the Priests and Levites to do their duties? (2 Chron. xix. 8,9) How came Hezekiah to be so zealous to purge the temple, to command the Priests and Levites, (2 Chron. xxix. 4--11, 27, 20) to proclaim a passover, (2 Chron. xxx. 1—6) to appoint the courses of the Priests and Levites, (Chap. xxxi. 1, 2) to command the people to give them their portions, (and not, as we endeavour in this age, to take them away) that they might be encouraged in the law of the Lord? (ver. 4) How came young Josiah

Donatus, solito furore succensus, in hæc verba prorupit, "Quid est imperatori cum Ecclesia?" Optat. lib. 3. Furorem hunc passim refutarunt viri magni; Calvin. Institut. lib. 4. cap. 20. sect. 9. Beza, Opusc. to. 1. de pun. Heret, Brent. to. 8. p. 175-198. Pet. Mart. loc. co. clas. 4. c. 13. sect. 31-33. Gerard. lo. com. to. 6. de Magist. polit. sect. 16. Rivet in decalog. p. 258. B. Jewel. defence p. 557-566. Sands. Ser. 2. sect. 13-20. Bilson of subjection. part 2. 124-129, 145, 151, 159, 178-191, 212, 249. et part 3. p. 530–545. Andrew. Tor. Torti, p. 364-382. Raynold. Confer. with Hart, p. 586, 587. Carleton, of Jurisdiction c. 3. Davenant, de judice et norm. fidei. c. 14. p. 71, &c. 16. p. 91. Zanch. in 4. præcep. 1. 1. c. 5. Willet Synops. controv. 7. qu. 2.

to take so much pains in reforming religion, (2 Chron. xxxiv. 1-7) to cause all the people to stand to a covenant, (ver. 32) to command and encourage the Priests in the work of the passover? (2 Chron. xxxv. 2) How came Nehemiah to seal a covenant, (Nehem. x. 1 to 8) enter into an oath to keep the sabbath and maintain religion, (ver. 29) to take care of the portions of the Levites, (Chap. xiii. 10) to threaten the violators of the sabbath, (ver. 21) to command the Levites to cleanse themselves, (ver. 22) to contend, and curse, and smite those that had married strange wives? (ver. 23, 30, 31) To say nothing of the laws and edicts of Christian Emperors, to restrain heresies and idolatry; of which we read in St Austin. Was it zeal and duty in these men to take care of religion, and to purge corruption out of the church, and is it not so now? Was it a fault in the church of Thyatira, to suffer Jezebel to teach and seduce unto idolatry; (Rev. ii. 20) and is it holiness now, to leave all men free to write, proclaim, publish, without control, doctrines wholly contrary to the interests of Christ, and the truths of religion? It were no hard matter to shew you the rise, and to dive to the bottom, of this dangerous opinion. I shall only give you a marginal note in Baronius", "Nulla facultas Imperatoribus de rebus Ecclesiæ decernendi," (just the language of Donatus,) that emperors have no power to determine any thing in church-matters; and elsewhere, That nothing is valid which a king ordereth in churches, without the bishop of Rome.

4. Reverence the oaths of God which are upon you. They are not, as Lysander profanely said ", to be played with as boys do with skittle-pins. It is the character of good men to fear an oath. (Eccles. ix. 2) And a most severe punishment was brought upon Zedekiah, for violating an oath. (Ezek. xvii. 13-19) How observant was Joshua of his oath, though fraudulently procured by the Gibeonites! (Josh. ix. 19) It is not safe to distinguish ourselves out of the obligation of solemn oaths, or, after vows, to make en

Epist. 48, 50. et 166. contra Crescon. Gram. 1. 3. c. 51. de Civ. Dei. 1. 1. c. 36. ■ Baron. An. 528. sect. 7. An. 681. sect. 72. b Plutarch. Apoph. Οὐ γὰρ ἐπὶ ψεύδεσσι πατὴρ Ζεὺς ἔσσεῖ ἀρωγός· ̓Αλλ' οἵπερ πρότεροι ὑπὲρ ὅρκια δηλήσαντο, Τῶν ἦτοι αὐτῶν τέρενα χρόα γῦπες ἔδονται· Homer. Iliad. 4. 235. Vid. Exempl. Philip. Maced. Regis, Paus. 1. 8. p. 465.

quiry. (Prov. xx. 25) A good man, though he swear to his own hurt, changeth not. (Psalm xv. 4) How much more when he swears to preserve the laws, and other the great interests and privileges of a city or nation, as you magistrates do!

Lastly, Consider in this our day, what are the things which belong to our peace. (Luke xix. 42) It is a great wisdom in evil days to redeem time.' (Eph. v. 15, 16) It is noted of the men of Issachar that they had understanding of the times to know what Israel ought to do. (1 Chron. xii. 32) As Mordecai said to Esther, Who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?' (Esther iv. 14) Surely in such a time as this, a day of trouble and rebuke, it is necessary for every man to beg of God to shew him his way, to advise with the word of God, what wisdom, or counsel, or help he may put in to keep God with us, and to prevent this dismal wo of God's removing our candlestick, and departing from us. Must I write? must I speak? must 1 counsel ? must I pray? must I do judgement amd justice? Lord, we seek of thee a right way; be thou entreated of us! (Ezra viii. 21, 23) In evil and dangerous days, as all men, so especially Moses and Phinehas, magistrates and ministers, are, by their fidelity and zeal, to stand in the gap, and to obviate those judgements which are impendent over us.

I conclude with the prophet Zechary. (Zech. ii. 5) “The Lord is a wall of fire round about, where he is the glory in the midst of a people. He will encamp about his house." (Zech. ix. 8) Upon all his glory there shall be a defence; (Isai. iv. 5) in token whereof the cherubims were on the walls of the temple, to note their protection about God's people. (2 Chron. iii. 7. Psalm xxxiv. 7) But if we do not resolve to hold God fast; if the glory of his truth, worship, and presence be once gone from us; if we once come to know the difference between the service of God, and the kingdoms of the countries; we shall with horror subscribe to the truth and dreadfulness of this dismal threatening, Wo also to them, when I depart from them!'

e 2 Chron. xii. 8.

THE

WALL AND GLORY OF JERUSALEM :

A SERMON preached in St. Paul's Church, London, before the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor, Lord General, Aldermen, Common. Council, and Companies of the Honourable City of London, February 28, 1659. Being a day of Solemn Thanksgiving unto God, for restoring the Parliament and Common-Council, and for preserving the City.

TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE

THOMAS ALEYN,

LORD MAYOR OF THE CITY OF LONDON,

THE COURT OF ALDERMEN AND COMMON-COUNCIL.

RICHT HONOURABLE,

AMONGST all the exceeding great and precious promises which the Lord hath made unto his people, these are of a very radiant lustre and special magnitude-That he would appoint a place for them, and plant them, that they should dwell in a place of their own, and move no more, neither should the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as before time: That he would build them, and not pull them down; and plant them, and not pluck them up; and give them a heart to know him, and to return unto him with their whole heart. Whereby we understand, that stability and sanctity, healing and holiness, are two most eminent and signal mercies of God unto a people, who have been long exercised with breach upon breach, and emptied from vessel into vessel. How sad the condition of those discomposed and dilacerated nations hath been! how doleful the earthquakes and concussions both in church and state! how