Britannia rediviva: or the proper and soveraign remedy for the healing and recovering of these three distracted nations;: as it was prescribed in a sermon preached in the minster at York, at the Assizes there held on Thursday morning, August 9. 1649. Before the Right Honorable Judges, the Right Worshipful the High Sheriff, the justices of peace, gentry, and others of the county of York. / By John Shaw, master of arts, sometimes of Christs Colledg in Cambridg, and now preacher of Gods Word at Kingston upon Hull.

To the Christian Reader, Especially the Authors Christian Friends at Kingston upon Hull, Bradfield, Penistone, and Cartmel.

Christian Reader,

THat which grieves my soul at this day, is this, That after so much light of Gods Word, and so many lashes of Gods Rod, men are generally as unrighteous, as unjust as ever, and drive on (as much as ever) their own private de∣signes and ends; men are building castles in the air, while God is pulling down our own houses at home: How little do many ••••y the publike to heart, but while the common ship is ready (in mens eyes) to sink, many are more busie about their own private Cabbins then ever: Some cry out against the Cavaliers, others against the Parliamentiers, but its too apparent in the mean while, there is too much injustice in some of both sides: Never think that meer names will uphold us, if we neglect the substance. To you first, my dearly beloved stock at Hull, (who have been, and are to my reverend and dear Brethren, and my self, as our threshing, and our flore, Isai. 21. 10. as our right eyes) let me commend these Notes of Justice and Rightcousness: Consider seriously I beseech you, if ever a poor Town was kept in the hollow of Gods hand, and raised up to Heaven by Mercies, ye are they; other places have had the mercies of Earth, for trading, ric••es, &c.

[illustration] depiction of a man reading from a book.

The names of the Iury. of life and death.

but you have had them, and the merc••es of He••ven also, the means of grace plentifully held out in this place, long before I was born, or you can remember: Others have ha•• mercies by Land, you, both by Land and Sea; you are the onely Virgin Town that God kept from being ravished and plundered by the enemy in all the North of England; ••ay, not onely from rage abroad, but treachery within. How hath the great God lifted up your head, who not long since were a poor inconsiderable Fisher-Town, called Wyke in the days of King Edward the first? but that King (as 1 have it from your Honorable Recorder) seeing this Ham∣let scituate upon the great River of Humber, and fitted by nature, both for defence and trade, began first to build your Walls for defence without, and changed its name into the Kings Town upon (the River of) Hull; his son King Edward the second finished the Rampier and Walls began by his Father: King Edward the third first established you to be a Corporation, and to be govern∣ed by a Mayor, and Aldermen; and in his days your first Mayor was William de la Pool. King Edward the fifth made you a distinct County, separate from the rest of the County of Yorkshire, and created here a Sheriff with sundry other priviledges. King Henry the eight built here a House for his particular Residence, as also a Castle and two Block-houses, now of great use (as I elsewhere more fully related) and bestowed upon you his sword from his side, now carried before the Mayor. But yet what are these priviledges to those of Heaven? To that Sword of the Spirit? How much more excellent, and honorable is it, to be Gods Town, to be Christs Town, then Kings Town upon Hull? to be compassed about with a Fathers Love, and with Christs Righteousness (herein discovered to you) who is the glory of Heaven, (therefore

When Paul would be in Heaven, it was to be with Christ, as the glory thereof, Phil. 1. 23.) and and the solace on Earth, (what comfort on Earth if no Sun to shine and give in∣fluence? Christ is that Sun, Matth. 4. 2.) and the souls life, (for without Christ, the soul is dead, Ephes. 2. 1.) I adde no more to you at present, but that Jere. 7. 5. 7. If you throughly execute judgment between a man and his neigh∣bor; then will I cause you to dwell in this place. Together with that Zach. 7. 9. and 8. 16. be not of those that nec vitia ferre possunt, ne•• remedia.

To you also my tenderly affected friends, (the smoke of whose (my Native) soyl, I cannot but heartily affect, what∣ever your private carriages be to me-ward) let me com∣mend the Jewel of Righteousness and Justice herein con∣tained. I have lived to see many changes amongst you, I beseech every one of you, look to your spiritual change by Grace, as the right way to the blessed change to Glory: I know you take much pains for the Earth, I beseech you trade more for Heaven; make it appear that you value the means of Grace, by procuring a faithful godly Ministery among you, and practising the Truth revealed. I am confident divers from amongst you have been sent abroad, who daily send up wrastling prayers to God for you. How doth my soul thirst to see the knowledg and love of Jesus Christ shine o••t amongst you.

And let me adde a few words also to you, Whose good and true welfare I long for in the Lord: Be importunate I beseech you with the Lord, both for the outward means and the inward Grace; let my affection joyn you both together (though distant in place ) in a few exhortations: First, In regard of God, take care you know him, not onely a God, but your God, not an absolute but relative God, see Davids and the Saints propriety in him, Psal. 48. 14. This God is

our God for ever and for ever; and Thomas Cryes, My Lord, and my God, Joh. 20. 28. provide him the lodging of a broken heart, Isa. 57. 15. A great Lord of Spain was commanded by the King to lodg ait Ambassador in his own house, which he did, and the next morning as soon as the Ambassador was gone, he burnt his house, which cost him many a thousand pounds building; and said, it shall never be said that I kept a house that ever lodged a Traytor (for so he judged that Ambassador to be;) but our gracious God is pleased to dwell in such hearts as have been rebellious against God a long time, and where Satan lodged before him.

Secondly, In regard of Christ, you all can tell of a Christ born at Bethlehem, and exalted from Mount Olivet to Hea∣ven; but O look to a Christ born w••••h•••• ••a, Gal. 4. 19. (of which birth you will never report, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 every that it was no sooner, 1 Cor. 15. 8.) he will be no Saviour to you, if not a King in you, Luke 19. 27. Col. 1. 27. Gal. 2. 20.

Thirdly, In regard of the Word, Know, its not so much the Bible, as thy and my heart, that is the most proper place for the Word, Deut. 6. 6. Psal. 40. 8. J••ere. 31. 33. Heb. 8. 10. and that there will one day be a Resurrection as well of Sermons to account for, as of men to give account. O let us read Sermons preached four or five yeers ago, in your lives now; let your me∣d••tation be in his W••rd night and day, Psal. 1. 2. so shall you bewiser then your Teachers, then your Enemies, then the anc••ent. Psal. 119. 98. 99, 100. This is the duty of Kings, as David, Deut. 17. 18, 19. of the General, Josh. 1. 8. of all sorts, Deut. 6. 7, 8. you shall whet or sharpen, i. e. Go over the samethings often, as men do their knife upon the whe••stone, or their swords they would p••erce withal: Let not the Word come unto you onely, but into you, yea, into the heart. Remember the four sorts of ground three hal hearers, and one good, Mat. 13.

Fourthly, In regard of sin, take heed as well of spiritual sins as bodily; Spiritual sins are of •• times minoris infamiae, but

majoris reatus, they are like a wire run through the heart, though the wound be not so visible, yet more dangerous then a great gath in the back: Let your care be, not onely to avoyd acts of sin, but especially a state of sin. The Saints fall into di∣vers acts of sin, (yea in some regard Peters act was worse then Judas's) but never after conversion are under a state of sin, and death.

Fifthly, In regard of the Godly, whose judgments are sound for Fundamentals, and lives humble and holy: Take heed how thou offendest one of Gods little ones, Matth. 18. 6. Fall not out as Joseph said, by the way, who shall lodg in the same Heaven at night: Some Saints have the head-ake, as well as others the heart ake; and the Father watcheth as well with the one, as with the other. But take heed of any such opinions as draw thee on to liceutiousness of practice; holiness is the best thing on Earth, or Heaven, no attribute is thrice together ascribed to God in Scripture, but Holiness, (Holy, holy, holy Lord) its not Gods holy Spirit that leads thee to unholines••do not under pretence of not resting on Ordinances and Duties) neglect or contemn them: The conduit will soon be dry that is cut off from the Fountain, and that man be soon lean that leaves off his meat. Prayer is all mens duty, and the Saints priviledg: Having set your faces towards Heaven, take heed of starting to the right hand or the left, or turning quite back∣ward.

Reader, Be not offended with the Latine or Histories in the Sermon, its far from my constant use, neither were many ofthem mentioned in Preaching, onely such was my scribling hast in writing these Notes over, that I am constrained to put my own Marginal References into the Text. If ye get any profit by the reading hereof, remember him that would very gladly dobetter service to God, and his Church, and subscribes himself in the Apostles phrase,

Your servant for Jesus sake, John Shaw.

Notes

• Kingston up∣on Hull.
• Baron Thorp.
• Presace to the three Kingdoms Case.
• At ••••••d 〈◊〉〈◊〉
• Peristone and Ca••t∣pal.
• Peristone in Y••••••shire, and Ca••••••d in L••••••sh••re
• 〈1 paragraph〉〈1 paragraph〉
• 〈1 paragraph〉〈1 paragraph〉