z E pH. Il. I' 2, 3· mi.ty to fhew for it fdf,) yea and is fometimes whipt out of town for a runagate. ' Nay is it not like Samp{o11 brought up upon Stages, which are often the D evils Pulpits, chough under another vifor to make the Phil;(/ius fport; yea fer up as • mark to be fhot at our of God's place, (The Pulpit,) and Pttritanifm fer up as the ftalking-horfe to ftand behind while they !hoot through the Loyns of it,, Men are not only tttrn'dfrom the Lord (as in the Prophet here,) but turn'd againfl him. The Fourth and !aft fort that Zepha11iah (peaks of, are thof~, who were ne– ver of any Religion, that have 11otfought God, 11or mquired for him, but !tve in tl1is World without God, as Atheij/s m1d~(tJoraJJI 'Perjims, that haven~ knowledge nor enquire they after any; and Civil 'Perfom that negleCt caOmg upo11 God and regard not the holy duties wherein he is to be fgught;Gattioes that mrefor uooeof the[ethi11gs; and to fearch for fuch in the Kingdom were to 1earch out Trees in the Wood, the whole World is full of them; nay rather go and ru11through the j/ruts, as God bad Jeremy, Jer, 'i· I. 2. and fee if you can ji11d a mmt thilt Jeeks after God, in comparifon of multitudes do not, or a man who i; inquifitive after him in his Ordinances, as the Church was in the Cl1Jticles, Chap. 'i . ver. 6. Nay run through the Corners of the Kingdom, (you may fee 1 ooo. of Villages where Peoplefit (/it! in darknefs and the jhadow of death, and if happily they fhould feek after God it mufr be 6ygroping, as Paul fays of tile Heathen, Affs •7· 1-7. and indeed howfhouldrhey, foras'Pautfays, Rom. ro. •4· How (halt they call 011 him of whom they have not believed or known? And how fhould they k11ow mJd believe inhimunlefs they have heard? And how/ball they hetl" wit!Jottt a 'P~erJcher?But have they not all heard?Yes the Sound,(as the Apo(\!e fays,)Bur to ask one Quefrion more,HowjhouldtheyPreachmt!efs they bt fmt"l! mean to their Livi11gs,and refiqe upon them over the Souls ofmen,inwhich not men,6tstGod bath made them •mrfeers;no wonder if![raf! be faid to be with– out God,tfwithout ate 1ching 'Priej/,2Cor. 15.2, 3.nor aradei11g Priefl only,but a teachi1~,who may explain the word of life .As a School-mafrer doth not teach a Scholar that only reads hu lejJo11 to him, but that alfoopms it; Why then is there a want of fuch Minifrers to infrruet the People ? Is it that Chrijl who whm he ,ifcmded gave gifts tmto mm for the work of the Minif/ry, and not only tocmtvert and to fet in at firfr but to "build up his Saitttt, Ephej. 4· 8. , 2, hath yet been frraight-handed towards this Church of ours in dealing our gifts to men, or nottomm rnot~h, as La6ourerstobe thru(/forth into hu Vi11eyard? Or is it that the chiefefr fruit ofChrifr's AfcenGon and main Legacies left behind him was 6are readi11g ? None ofrhefe things can be affirmed without underva– luing both his goodnefs and the power and efficacy of his Afcention. Why then it lies on u<; That the lights God hath fer up and are full of fuel, Oyl and light– feme matter, as Learning, Gifts, &c. remain Ctrca Lumi11a, or not dtjperfed as your Lights in your Streets are in a dark night,fixed in their proper Candlefricks. It was one ofrhe fidt works good .fehofaphat did,2 Cor.17. Firfi, as to plant for– ces in all the Cities of .fudah, and fer Garifons in the Land of']ttdah,and Ephra– im, which !fahis Father had taken, ver. 2. So alfo in the Third year he fent bothLevite.< mid 'Pri11cts, to teach through flit the Cities, atldthry wmt about throttghout at! the Cities of Judah aud taught the 'People, ver, 9· Well, And what was the iffue of this? Fear felt t1po11 at! the Kmgdoms aPottt aud they made no War, ver. ro. His Garifousof Priefrsteaching and Princes backing it with Authority, were a greater frrengrh and fence to his Kingdom than all his Sdbjeets ; and they will keep a Kingdom fecure from invafion, for they are the Chariots cmd Hor(e-mm of !Jrael, which in thofe days were the chiefMunition,os Hor{e·mtll andGu11s are now, And had we had that care to have fortified everyVillage,(in this plenty ofable men,)which our fore Fathers took and wean from Poperv; the Souls ofMillions had not been left expofed to the devouring Lion the Devil!, and the Jefuites who are his Janizaries,as they have been, nor fhould we have needed to fear lnva!ions as now we do; but fhould have been a Terror to all round about us, as they are now to us; and had there not been Auxiliary and Subfidiary Preachers who have born the heat of the day, being gracioufly admitted by Authority, who had been fwallowtd lj!
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