2. When he hears prayers, it is only by the intercession and mediation of Christ.

3. When he forgives sins, it is only by the merits and righteousness of Christ.

4. But when he heals a land, he often useth in that work the ministry of men. Magistrates are healers and repairers; (Isa. iii. 7) ministers are healers of the sick. (Ezek. xxxiv. 4)

And, therefore, I shall here, in all humility, implore of you, Right Honourable, who are instruments for healing in the Lord's hand, unto these long and wofully sick nations,-that you would, with all your vigour, call together all the graces of God, all the abilities of nature in you, unto this most necessary work. You have the Lord's promise to be with you in it, if you set about it in his way.

And his way to heal a land, is,

1. When the people thereof are his people, called by his

name.

2. When they are an humbled, penitent, praying, reforming people.

Your greatest care therefore must be ;

1. That the people of the land be God's people; that his name be owned; his truths, worship, interests, preserved pure and inviolate amongst us. It is to those that fear God's name, that the promise of healing' is made. (Mal. iv. 2)

2. Inasmuch as even the sins of such may provoke the Lord, your zeal for God, and love to the nation should appear, in awakening them and all others to remember from whence they are fallen; many of them through pride, wantonness, interests, and carnal designs, from wholesome truths, from holy ordinances, from the love of a faithful ministry, from brotherly love, from Christian communion, to many errors and vain janglings, to contempt of magistracy, to affronting authority, to violating public order and peace; to such an excess of licentiousness, under the pretence of freedom, that religion scarce ever was more endangered under the straits of persecution, than under the lasciviousness and wantonness of an abused liberty. Though, therefore, there ought to be ali tenderness to preserve for God's people the liberty wherewith the Lord hath made them free, (God forbid any restraint or abridgment should be upon that :) yet since the same Lord hath commanded, that we must not use our

liberty as a cloak of maliciousness, it is necessary that great prudence be used to prevent the exorbitances of wanton minds, who make use of liberty to the dishonour and assaulting of public authority, to the kindling of flames, animating the discontented people unto insurrections, enervating the peace and concord of the people of the land, by disjointing them in that which is the main bond of unity, the truths of religion : wherein, when they are once universally broken, who sees not how wide a door is opened for Rome or Munster, not only to enter in, but to be welcomed amongst us.

The way therefore unto healing, is to endeavour to bring us all home to be God's people, and, as his people, to be compacted within ourselves; to lay aside all dividing, distinguishing, invidious titles; and, with fraternal affections, to coalesce, as far as may be, in judgement, however, thoroughly in affection; and so to keep our differing opinions to ourselves, as that the consciences of our brethren may not be grieved, nor the peace of the church of Christ endangered thereby.

I conclude all, with beseeching you, that since the Lord hath taken it as one of his titles to be called 'The Lord that healeth us,' (Exod. xv. 26) that without him the builder worketh, the watchman keepeth, the statesman counselleth, the physician healeth, all in vain,-You would ever, by prayer, and attendance unto God for counsel, so seek his face, and guidance in this weighty work-that, when it is finished, and the head-stone of our settlement laid, we may say, "It was the Lord's doing, and marvellous in our eyes;" and may with shouting cry, "Grace, grace unto it."

THE

LORD'S PROPERTY

IN HIS REDEEMED PEOPLE:

Opened in a SERMON at St. Paul's Church, London, October 28, 1660.

TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE

SIR RICHARD BROWN,

LORD MAYOR OF THE CITY OF LONDON;

SIR THOMAS ALLEYN,

THE LAST LORD MAYOR,

AND COURT OF ALDERMEN.

RIGHT HONOURABLE,

BEING desired by order of your court to print this Sermon, preached on the last day of the then Lord Mayor, and the first of the present, I shall humbly crave leave to mind both those honourable persons, and all others, of the signal providence of God to them and us, this last year. How graciously the Lord hath carried the Lord Mayor through the storms and difficulties of a most troublesome government, bearing him up by a spirit of prudence and calmness, above potent frowns, and popular passions, till at last his year was honoured with the glorious spectacle that this city hath seen for many and many ages, in the happy return of our Dread Sovereign unto his royal throne,-our eyes have been abundantly witnesses of. From how many afflictions and dangers your present Lordship hath been wonderfully delivered, the Lord providing shelters and chambers to hide you in from

the jealous eyes and iron arms of those who were then in power; reserving you unto, and recompensing you with, this present honour,-you cannot but, with thankful adoration of Divine Providence, be most sensible of, and affected with. What terrible things the Lord hath done for these three kingdoms-things which we looked not for, in breaking governments, infatuating counsels, melting armies, levelling mountains, and preparing a way for his Sacred Majesty through the hearts of his people, to the possession of his throne; is so eminently known to all nations, as if it were registered with a beam of the sun, and proclaimed by an angelical herald. What use both you, and all of us, should make of these wonderful workings of Divine Providence, I cannot give you in better words than in those of Samuel unto Israel. (1 Sam. xii. 24) "Only fear the Lord and serve him in truth with all your hearts; for consider how great things he hath done for you." If unto such a wise and holy improvement of mercies, this present Sermon may be of use unto you (wherein is set forth how ransomed persons are not their own, and therefore not to seek or serve themselves, and how much they are engaged to live to the glory and service of him that delivered them) I shall have abundantly the fruits of my labours, and I hope therewith the benefit of your prayers, who am,

Your Honours' most humbly devoted,

1

From my study,

Nov. 20, 1660. S

ED. REYNOLDS.

1 COR. vi. 19, 20.

Ye are not your own :

For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

SUCH is the desperate corruption of man's heart, that those very blessings of God, which should oblige unto his service, do usually alienate and estrange the same from him: so that the very table of wicked men is a snare, and “the things which are for their good, do become unto them an

They no sooner wax Their wealth becomes

occasion of falling.” (Psalm Ixix. 22) fat, but they kick. (Deut. xxxii. 15) the fuel of their lust; and their prosperity, the mother of their luxury and intemperance. When they are filled with their pastures, they forget God. (Hos. xiii. 6) When the Lord "feeds them to the full, they commit adultery, and assemble themselves by troops in the harlots' houses." (Jer. v. 7) Thus it fared with the people, to whom our apostle writes in this epistle. Corinth was a city in Peloponnesus, between the Ionian and the Egean sea; the head of Achaia; one of the principal emporia, or mart towns of Greece, celebrated by Homer, Strabo, Cicero, Florus, for the great wealth thereof. And as it was famous for riches, so was it as infamous for those sins, which plenty and prosperity use to produce, especially the sin of uncleanness and fornication; insomuch that Kopiviάgev was an expression amongst the Greeks for Scortation.' And they were wont, as Athenæus tells us, when they prayed for success in their undertakings, to vow, that they would bring whores into the city;'—as if it had been an honour and service unto it. And learned men are of opinion, that the apostles in their council at Jerusalem, did, by letters, forbid unto the Gentiles fornication; (Acts xv. 20) because amongst them it was judged a free and lawful thing to make use of mercenary harlots, who, for gain, did prostitute themselves unto the lusts of men. How much this sin did prevail at Corinth, not only before their embracing of Christianity, (as verse 11) but even after they had been taught by the apostle, and given entertainment unto the gospel, as is evident by his complaint, 2 Cor. xii. 21; so we may further gather from the special arguments he furnisheth them with, in this chapter against it.

1. That which alters the end and use for which the body was made, is not to be allowed: but fornication makes a quite contrary use of the body, than that for which it was made; which was to be for the Lord, dedicated to those services wherein he should employ it.. "The body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body,"

a Homer. Iliad. lib. 2.-Strato. lib. 8.-Cicero. Orat. pro L. Manil.-L. Florus. lib. 2. c. 16. b Eustathius in Homer. Iliad. p. 290.—Athen. lib. 13.— Grot. in Act. xv. 20. et Lorin, ibid.

Ambros, de Abra. lib. 2. c. 11.