A sermon preached to the Honourable House of Commons at their late solemn fast,…A sermon preached to the Honourable House of Commons at their late solemne fast,…

The God of Daniel.] The History maketh it most evident, that Daniels God, and his Honour and Court, both were aimed at, to be laid on the dust by his enemies. Here Daniels name goeth through, verse 25. all people, nations, languages, that dwell on all the earth, and the God of Daniel is exalted. Hence observe, first, how God blesseth right preciseness and strictness in his way. Moses standeth by this (not an hoof) and he obtaineth his end, God bringeth him and Israel out of Egypt. Mordecai not half a leg to Haman, and he is promoted to great honour. What lost they ever, who stood upon the latitude of an hair for Christ? either they gained both life and Gods Cause, as Daniel did here, and Jesus Christ, who died, but put his life in pawn three days, and took it up again and gained the Cause; or if they lost their lives, they gained the Cause, as the Martyrs of Christ: and therefore let not the Saints bear the name of Precisians, except in an heavenly sense, because they walk precisely, Ephes. 5. 15. These be the right Precisians who contend for substance, for God, for Heaven, for the ⟨p. 38⟩purity of the Gospel. And certainly God is not a thing indifferent, and excellent Jesus Christ is no circumstance; but those be damnable Precisians who contend for feathers, and things indifferent. Now Court-favour of Princes, this clay-world, honour, ease, are really in their nature things indifferent, and being compared with Christ (and Christ is no trifle, but all substance) are less then things indifferent, even toys, shadows, loss, dung; therefore the Malignants who make this choice, are the Precisians.

The God of Daniel.] The History maketh it most evident, that Daniels God, and his Honour and Court, both were aimed at, to be laid on the dust by his enemies. Here Daniels name goeth through, verse 25. all people, nations, languages, that dwell on all the earth, and the God of Daniel is exalted. Hence observe, first, how God blesseth right precisenesse and strictnesse in his way. Moses standeth by this (not an hoofe) and he obtaineth his end, God bringeth him and Israel out of Egypt. Mordecai not halfe a legge to Haman, and hee is promoted to great honour. What lost they ever, who stood upon the latitude of an haire for Christ? either they gained both life and Gods Cause, as Daniel did here, and Jesus Christ, who died, but put his life in pawne three dayes, and tooke it up againe and gained the Cause; or if they lost their lives, they gained the Cause, as the Martyrs of Christ: and therefore let not the Saints beare the name of Precisians, except in an heavenly sense, because they walke precisely,