t8 f>ireUiom for our 'Duty to our P.Jtlers. a violent fircam. lt is _harder for that bird to fly that hath many po.und weights rytd w keep her down, than that whtch hath but a fhaw to carry to her neO. It ts harder mounting Hea.ven– Wlrds with Lordrhips and Kingdoms, than ~ith.your lcfs impediments. Why do you not pity thqn th:lt fbnd on the top of barr('n mountams, 10 the fhoke of every Harm and wind, when you dO\ ell in rhe quiet fruitful vales? Do you cn.vy thLm that rnufi go to Heaven as a Camel through a Jleed~s eye, if ever th('y come there? And are you difcontentcd that you arc not in their condi– tion ? will you nbc1 and fight to make your falvuion as difliculc as theirs? Are you fo unrhankful to God for your fafer Clarion, that you murmur at ir, and long to be in the more dangerous place? Vircl1. 17· §· 40· Dird{. 17· Pruy c.<rmjla11tly aud lmirtily for the fpiritual and corpor.zl we!f.Jre of your Gover- , nourJ: And you have reafon to bt:Iieve, that God who hath commanded you to put up fi1ch prayers wi\1 norflllllr them to be wholly loft, but will anfwer them fUme way to the ben!:lir of tlurU tha~ t!erfor~,~lC d~ry; I 1im. 2· r, 2, J· ~nd the very ·performance of it will do us mu_ch good of it ltlr: I· or H wtll keep the hcarr well difpo[ed to our Governours, and kC'ep out all hnful ddires of their hurt:, orcontwll them and CJft: tln:m out if they come in: Prayer is the exercifc of Love and good ddircs: And (X~rcife incrcafeth and confirmeth habits. If an'y ill wifhes againfi your Gover– nouxs fi1ould fital into your minds, the neX( time you pray for them, confcience will accufe you of hypoc1ilic, and ,·ithcr the finful defires will corrupt or end your Prayers, or elfc your prayers will cafi out thofc ill ddir(S, Certainly tl1e faithful fervent prayers of the Righreous, do prevail much wirh God: And rhings would go berrer rh3n rhey do in rhe world, if we prayed for Rulers as hearrily as we ought. · · Objefl. 9· 41. Obj. For aY eiJt praym of the Church five pare! of fix of the World are ytl Idola1Cr 1 , Hutheru, Infidels audM:lbomrt.:ms: A1:d for all tbe prayers of the Rr[ormtd'Churchfl, mojf of the· Cbriflian part of tbe WQr/d, arc drownrd in Popery or groji ignorance and {uperjlition, and tbe poor Greek, Clm~chet h<~ve f!l<Jbomct.me or tyrtmnical Govemours, mtd carnal proud ufitrping Prelates dominttr over the Ro~ m.m Clmrcb, and tberf are but three Proteji.mt Kings 011 tlu wbole earth! A1zd among the Jfraeli.tnthem– fclvei, 'lf'bo IJ,d Priejf.r and Prophets ru pray for their Princu, a good Kill}{ was fo rare, tbat whmyou bave n .. mzcd five ar fix oi'tr Jud:J.h, (andmver a one after the divijio11 over lfrael ) you {caret J.:..~ow where to find the rc[f. TJI'1J.JI _goorl then do your Pra)'erJ for Ki11gs a;tcl Magijlrates ? Anfo·. Anfw. I• As I fa id before, they keep the hearts of fubjetl:s in an obedient holy frame. 2 , Were ir not for prayerS', 1ho~e few good ones would be feWer, or wcirfe than they are: artd [he bii.d ones might be worre, or ar leafi do more hurt to the Church than they now do. 3. lt is not to be expected th<t all 01ould be granted in ~ind, that believers pray for : For rhen not only Kings, but all the Y'orld, O,ould be converted and f•ved : For we fhoul4 pray for every one : But God who knowcth befi bow ro diflribute his mercies, and to horrour himfelf and refine his Church by the malice and pnfecution of his enemiesl will make his peoples prayers a means, of that meafureor·good which he will do j 9 r Rulers, and by rhem in the world: And that's enough to encoura&e us to pray. 4 • And ir.deed if when Proud ungodly worldlmgs, have fold thetr fouls by WICked means to climb "up ~· S .d. into plac~:s of power and command, and domineer over others, the Prayers of the faithful (ho~ld ~/~bti~~l~.t- prcfcntly convert and Cave them all, bccau~e they are Governours, this woul~ fec.m to charge God fh.tus rcligio~ with refpeCt of perfons, and defect of ]ulhce, and would drown the world m .Wickedncfs, treafDns ni.s.crit infia- blood(hcd and confufion; by encouraging men by flatttries or trtacheritt or murdtrJ, to ufurp fuch br!r.s: 1 \.lutato places, in which they may both gratific their lufis, and after fave their fouls, while the godly ne ob– ~~fi~i~n:~':~1. liged to pray them tnto Heaven. It is no fuch heari~g.of prayers k>r Govcrnours which God hath billlr. promifed. 5· And ycr, I mufi obferve, that moO: Chnibans are fa cold and formal in their Prayers, .R:fP· lln!cum for the ~ulers, of the world and ?f the Church, that we have great reafon to impute the unhappincfs ~tc fol_:nmm of Governours very much to rhe1r neglect: Almofl: all men arc taken up fo M:luch with their OWJJ ~~;:v~id;~,i~~ concernmcnts, ~hat they put off the publick concernmenrs of the. world,and of the (_lmrcb and State with bmnium a few cufiomary heartlefs words; and underHand not the meanmg of the three tirfi Petitions of ~he ~nimos Deus Lords Prayer, and the Reafon o~ their precedency, or put them not up with that feeling as they mpotelbte do (he other three. If we could onoe obferve that the generality of Chrifiians were more earnell ~~d ~~;I11i and importunate wit~ God, ~or r.he !-laUowing of, h~ ~ame through all the 'll'orld, ~d tbe coming of b~ u011am mo- Ki 11 gdom, a11d the ubeymg of hl-1 wzll ut Ear.#b as zt Jf Jn Reavm, mcd ·tbe Converfion of.tbe Ki11gs and tcor Regis Kiilgdomt of tbe world, tbaJt for any of theu perfonal concernments, I fhould take It for a better !~~~,i~nu Do- prognoHick of the happindS o~ Kings and Kin_gdoms, tha~ any. that ha~h )'Ct appeared in our dayes: D.us & P" And rhofe rhat are taken up wrth the expectatiOns of Chnfis vsfible wgn on earth, would find it a bono' & pt't more Jawful and comfortable way, to promote his Government thus by his own appointed officer$, malos Reges than to 1 ebelJ againfi Kings and' feek to pull them down, on pretence of fetting up him .that hith ~~~:~~~;:1 appointed them, whofe Kingdom (perfonaJ) H not of #his world. !~~~rdu~llitas, interd~mt tempeRas ecclc~a! milior.. Nc~1pe li pius elf: qui i.mperat fi dili.gens !eft or f~.Gil! fcripturr, fi .:~.(!idu"us i.n ~r~cibus; ti E~clefix C.:~.tllt.'l:l .. £ revercns, li \>erito~ amnre :wdten5, n~ul~u~ per tll.um pro6cJt vc.nr:ts. Sw ~tHorto dl lX corrupto JU;hno, pe– jus id ipfi ceclit q•.um eccldi:E. N:tm 1pfu~1 gr:we m.1tJ.et JUdJoum R.rgts ecclelix, qut ecclcfi:un mult.:!.nt non ~net. ~T()!t:ts dt Im· ra. p.uo. Jo~.JS. 36· Direfl. ,g. 9· 42·· Dirc:d'. 18. Wben yo~e are tempted to dijhonoutal:r/e tbJ1egbtJ ofyour ·Governours, looli,ovtr the fact of aU the earth, and compilre yo,tr cafe witll the n(Jf.iont of the 'tPOrld; and the~ your murmur– ing1 may be 1urned into tbankjul11efs for fo great a merry. ~hat caufe hath.God to d~ffer~nce us from other nations, and give us any more than an equal proportiOn of mercy . wsth the rch of the world. §· 43·
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