and tongue, and people, faying with a loud voyce, Fear God, and give glory to him, and worship him that made heaven and earth, that is, Iefus Chrift alone, by whom Col.1.15,17. all things were created, and by whom all things confift. And this is the duty (Honoured and Beloved) which I defire to preffe upon your felves, even that you would be good Chriftians in your hearts, and in your lives, in your private places, and in your publike ftandings, to engage your felves with all your might, with all your authority, to advance the glory of Chrift, as the redeemed of the Lord, as true Subjects to this King of Saints, to offer up as a living facrifice what ever you have, or are, to his fervice, in advancing his Caufe, his Worship, his Church, doing it your felves, and promoting it in others: To this end, I fhall, first, give you a few quickning Motives, to ftir you up, to make you ready and willing to your duty; and fecondly, tell you what the Lord expects at your hands.

I.

Firft, confider what great and wonderfull things Motives. Our Lord hath already done for you, and how little you have feared, and glorified his Name to this day: Who of you can count the great and righteous dealings of the Lord towards you, not onely as you are men, great, or rich, learned, or noble; nor onely as you are Chriftians, redeemed, called, justified, fanctified, by this King of Saints, though all, and every of these mercies,call loud upon you for this duty, but I mean, as you are a Parliament, what great things he hath done for you, in reference to this fervice, wherein he hath lately employed you. Hath he not carryed you in his bofome? hath he not kept you as the apple of his eye? as an Eagle fluttereth over her young, preadeth a

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broad

Deut.32. 10,11.

broad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings; fo the Lord alone bath preferved you. How conftantly hath he discovered, and hitherto fruftrated, all the attempts of your enemies, fuffering no weapon of war to prosper, that hath been forged against you, condemning every tongue that hath risen up against you in judgement ? I need not name the particulars, I am perfwaded, your felves beleeve, that no former Parliament can parallell Gods dealing towards you, and all this while (let me fpeak freely) how little have you done for his honour, and glory? I know your distractions have unavoidably hindered much of what might (and I hope else would) have been done. But fay (in this day of your thanksgiving) if you be nor infinitely behinde hand with this Lord God Almighty, with this King of Saints; if you have not ordi narily forgot his mercies, as fast as he hath wrought them: Hath he not often filled your hearts with joy, and your purfes with money, and you like unthrifty children, have played away all at a caft? Have you not checked his providences, not improved his deli verances,and the advantages which God hath put in to your hands? or if your hearts, at any time, havě been raised a little, have they not presently been at a dead low ebb again? have you not gone about to kill his goodneffe with your unkindneffes, by provo Pfal.106.71. king him at the fea, even at the red fea? even when, and where he hath delivered you? Efpecially, have not many of you difhonoured his Name, and grieved his Spirit by your finfull lives, by breaking out into things extreamly fcandalous, doing the devills work, while you profeffe your felves to be the Lords fervants? Let me tell you, the Lord will not alwayes

.I

ftrive.

:

Arive in one way, in the way of mercy and deliverance: when he hath many a time delivered a people, and they goe on to provoke him with their counfells, he Plal 106. knowes how to say I will deliver them no more, he knowes how to bring them low for their iniquity, and to give them up into the hands of their enemy: he that for a long time hath feemed unweariable in watching over an unthankfull people, will prove weary of repenting, and in ftead of faying, I have feene their Elay 57.18. wayes, and will heate them, will in the end fweare, I will overturn them, overturn them, overturn them, as a man wipeth a platter turning it up fide down.

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Secondly,confider your own place,and ftanding, the calling, office, and work, wherewith God and his people have trusted you at this time, doe with a wide and loud voyce call upon you to fearethe Lord, and glorifie his Name: More then the falvation of your own foules depends upon you; the glory of Chrift, the establishment ofthis Church and Kingdome, yea the welfare of all Chriftendome, in great measure, are all imbarked in that velfell, the steering whereof, is in great part committed unto you. You are in part, one of the Angels, who are to poure out the viall of the wrath of God, who should therefore come out of the temple cloathed in pure and white linnen, having your breafts girded with golden girdles, adorned like the Prielts of God, holy and pure. Be you cleane yee that' beare the veffels of the Lord. Honourable and beloved, how abominable a thing were it, to fee the Angels of God live likethe inftruments of Satan? how uncom fortable a thing would it be to the people of God, who have chofen you to this worke, and beare you in their hearts, and prefent you every day at the throne

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of

Ezek.

2 Kings

of grace, who are willing to finke and swimme with you, to live and dye with you, that they fhould hear that fuch and fuch a Parliament man will be drunke? that such an one dare blafpheme, and fwear, and abuse Religion? that Reformers of Religion, fhould hate religion? that fuch as are called to fave the Kingdome, fhould betray the Kingdome? that in the grief of their fpirits, they should be compelled to fay, O Lord! can these men fave us? tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Askelon. How dishonourable would it be, not only to you, but to the King of Saints, who ufeth you, that they who hate the worke you are about, fhould hate it the more,in regard of your wicked lives, who are intrufted with it? That they fhould have occafion to fay of you, as Amurath the great: Turke faid of the Chriftians, who brake their league and Covenant with him, (and therefore fped accordingly) o Iefus! are these thy Chriftians? if thou beeft a God,as they profeffe thee to be,revenge this impiety upon them: So when Papifts and Atheists,and fuch as hate religion and reformation, when they fhall fee the deformity of your lives,fhall fay,o Iefus! are thefe thy Reformers? are these the Angels that must pour out the vials of thy wrath: Oh beloved!do not with Elies fonnes, occafion men to abhorre the work of the Lord, far be it from you: But let the office you are called unto, the place you are fet in, the worke, and the dignity of the work, ingage you to glorifie the name of Chrift, that both his work may profper in your hands, and your felves be established before the Lord for ever. But if you will not hearken to me, let me fadly fpeak it to you, you are as a City fet upon an hill,you and your wayes are looked upon by all men,

and

and if you hinder the worke by your lives, which your office calls you to further, it were better you had never been born into the world. Them that honour Chrift, Sam.1.30. he will honour, and them that defpife him, fhall be lightly esteemed, yea he knowes how to make use of you, and your gifts, to promote his caufe, and to deftroy you for the iniquity of your lives, as many of thofe who forwarded the building of the arke, yet perifhed in the waters.

Thirdly, confider how loud this dayes deliverance cries in your eares to ingage your felves to feare him, and glorifie his name, who hath wrought this great falvation for you. It were a waftefull expence of time to infift upo the particulars of this late bloudy defign in this Affembly; (though in others usefull) All the light we have about it,comes from you. The many great and high hands which were ingaged in it, the fubtilty of the contrivance, the neerneffe of the execution, the woefull confequences, and the bloudy fruits which muft needs have iffued from it; The good hand of God in crufhing this cockatrices egge, before it brake out to be a fiery flying ferpent, are fit things to be published and to be fpread abroad in other Congregations; But to you Ifhall only be a remembrancer of thus much: That you knew not your neer approaching danger,and that had this treacherous and bloudy contrivance took effect, many of you had been at your long home, ere this time, and the rest of this Honourable Affembly, hitherto the great prefervers of our liberty, had beene made as a Parliament of Paris, the greateft inftruments of the Kingdomes flavery and vafallage for time to come. But the Lord was awake when we flept, and hath

took