The Quarrel of the Covenant, To the reader
To the Reader.
READER,
THe fears of unworthy Accommodations, which have poſſeſt … Spirits, God hath hitherto graciouſly prevented by the Wiſedom and Piety, of our worthy Senators in Parliament, who yet, have leſt no ſtone unturned for the procuring of ſuch a Peace, as might render both King and Parliament, Church and State, truely happy, and glorious; which is, the Cordinall deſire, wherewith, every good Chriſtian, and Loyall Subject, doth travell, that wiſheth, and ſtudies the recovery and preſervation of theſe three Kingdoms; what further ſecurity this Sacred Covenant may adde, believe, and waite.
There is another Accommodation which may do as much miſchief; and is the more dangerous, by how much more it is ſecret, which it concerns thee with all care and diligence to prevent; and that is an Accommodation with baſe ſinfull Luſts, which fight againſt thy ſoul, and the Kingdoms ſafety. How low they have brought the Kingdom, is too apparent to every eye; what they have done to thy ſoul, is beſt known to God and thine own Conſcience. God calls not onelyonly upon Parliament and Aſſembly, but upon Familes and Perſons, for a Through-Reformation; If thou compound, thou deſtroyeſt thy ſelf, and three Kingdoms; One ſinner, deſtroyes much good, Eccle. 9.18. This Covenant conſcienciouſly made and kept, will prevent this evill: For thy encouragement and direction wherein, theſe three Sermons are preſt. The firſt diſcovering, the great Quarrell of Covenant-violation, either in refuſing, prophaning, or breaking thereof. The ſecond anſwering (according to my Model) ſuch Objections againſt the taking of this Covenant, as I met withall; and laying down ſome encouragements and engagements to the taking of it. The third, holding forth ſuch directions, as may ſerve for thy help, ſo to make, and ſo minde thy Covenant, as thou mayeſt do it both to Acceptation, and Perpetuity. If God pleaſe to adde his bleſſing, neither I in publiſhing, nor thou in reading, ſhall have cauſe to be aſhamed of our pains; If God be dallied withall in this Covenant, I tremble to think, what will become of us; It is the ſtrongeſt Phyſick that ever the Kingdom took; and I am almoſt confident, That as in the publike State, it will, either put a period to our diſtempers, or to our Being; ſo in thy perſonall condition, It will either blaſt thy Luſts, or ſlay thy Soul. My Reaſon is, Becauſe God is engaged: If we be found conſcientious of this Covenant, he is engaged to us, againſt our enemies without, and our Luſts within, and they ſhall not be able to ſtand upon us.
If after ſo ſolemn an Obligation, we ſhall be found to mock God, we have engaged him againſt us; and adde the Almighty to the number of our enemies, a ſwift, and a powerfull Witneſſe, and Avenger of our perfidiouſneſſe. Nor will Refuſall of this Covenant help us; when God ſhall come to interpret, It will be found, I fear, in moſt, but a depart from us; And when God ſhall anſwer the daring ſinner in his own language; woe to the poer wretch, that ever he was born.
I have therefore three humble Requeſts to make.
Firſt, To our truely Honourable, and worthily Honoured, Senators; That in the Wiſedom and Zeal, of good King Hezekiah, 2 Chro. 30.1. in a concernment of the like nature, They would be pleaſed, with their Commands, for the taking of the Covenant, To ſend forth alſo, ſuch timely Laws and Directions, into the Kingdom, as may prepare the people, and fence this holy Ordinance, from that contempt and prophanation, which will otherwiſe be unavoideably caſt upon it.
The ſecond is to my Brethren in the Miniſtry, That to the ſame end, they, with the good Prieſts and Levites, in Hezekiahs time, would be active and diligent, to put in execution, thoſe Directions and Ordinances, and to do, what elſe may be found in their ſeverall places, advantagious to the ſanctifying of their people, for ſo holy a ſervice; leſt, if they ſin through their neglect, they tranſlate the peoples guilt upon their own heads.
Yea, I could wiſh, That all the faithfull Miniſters of Chriſt through the Kingdom, as they are the Lords Remembrancers to the people, and the peoples Remembrancers to God, would frequently in their Sermons, minde people of the Vow of God, that lies upon their ſouls; and in their prayers make frequent mentions of it to God, with holy Davids, holy jealouſie, and compaſſion over his people, in the day of their willing, and liberall contributions to the Houſe of God. O Lord God of Abraham, Iſaac, and of Iſrael, our Fathers, keep this for ever in the imagination of the thoughts of the heart of thy people, Or…ſtab…th.and prepare their heart unto thee, 1 Chro. 29.18. That ſo the memory of ſo ſolemn and ſacred an engagement, may not die off from the heart of the Kingdom for ever.
L…ſtly, To every ſoul that ſhall enter into this holy League and Covenant; my requeſt is, That they would look about them: Life and death is before them; if we break with God now, we have juſt cauſe to fear. God will ſtand to Covenant no more with us, but will ave…ge the Quarrell, with our utter deſtruction; if we be ſincere and fa…full, t…s Covenant will be a foundation of much Peace, Joy, Glory, and Security, to us, and our ſeed, to the coming of Chriſt, which that it may be, ſhall be the earneſt Prayer of him, who is
Thy ſervant for Jeſus ſake. Tho. Caſe.