Banishment Scorns Reproaches Persecution c. The Annointing promotes according to what the holy Prophet speaks Isa 10. v. 27. And it shall come to pass in that day that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder and his yoke from off thy neck and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the annointing This apprehension and oppinion concerning a more flourishing State of the Church and Saints then ever the World yet saw such as wherein there shall be Righteousness and Peace and wherein the Lyon shall lye down with the Lamb and none shall hurt in all the holy Mountain of God but Jerusalem shall be a quiet habitation Zions King appearing in his Beauty the Bride the Lambs Wife in her bravery clad in clean Linnen pure and white which is the Righteousness of the Saints Revel 19. Zions solemnities performed in a most perfect and compleat manner the glorious Lord being to his Saints and people as a place of broad Rivers where no Gallie with Oars shall pass no Funeral solemnities performed yea no sicknes seazing upon them for the Inhabitants shall say I am not sick the People that are therein shall be forgiven their iniquity all or most of which expressions you find in Is 33. This apprehension I say the Scripture seems strongly to favour as that in the 37. Psalm which is a Psalm of providence penned on purpose to quiet and calm to support sweeten the spirits of the Godly under all the Persecutions Oppositions and hard Usages which they are subject to meet withall and by means whereof they are too apt to fall into Frees and Under-discomposures to be put out of possession of their Souls by Impatience it is said there that the meek shall inherit the Earth and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace and as I take it our Saviour referrs to the Scripture alleadged before in Mathew 5. where among other Beatitudes he pronounces a blessedness upon the Meek such as carry Patiently Calmely and Quietly and with a composed spirit under all the Hardships the◠are put to undergoe by the Men of the Earth that these meek ones shall inherit the earth And by the way let me tell you that this meekness and calmness of Spirit is that which intitles to most pretious Promises and Priviledges as a meek and quiet Spirit either in men or Women is a thing very pleasing with God he values it as a thing of great price 1 Pet. 3. So is it also very beneficial and profitable to us they that are beautified with it God will beautifie with Salvation Psalm 149 when God ariseth to Judgment he hath always a special respect to the meek of the Earth Psal 76. The meek of the earth that set themselves to seek and shew forth and be expressive of meekness of all others are the likeliest to be hid in the day of the Lords anger Zepha 2. v 3. Moses was the meekest man in all the earth as it is testified of him in Numbers 12. and when Aaron and Miriam spake against him and dealt in a querulous manner with him concerning the Ethiopian woman he was quiet and meek and carryed as one that heard not and as one in whose mouth were no reproofs as David speaks of himself Psal 38. v. 13 14. But doth the Lord suffer this to pass without checks and controule no I 'le warrant you God will plead the Cause of his meek ones God speaks quick and short and to speak with a holy Reverence cutted to Aaron and Miriam calls them out sharply reproves them and saith unto them How were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses this meekness of Spirit my dear friends I have seriously considered of and weighed with my self First In reference to my self Nextly In reference to others both Godly Ministers and professours too for I must tell you as I principally study God Christ the Mysteries of Godliness and my self So do I study men and observe what spirits and carriages they are of both preachers and professours persons of several perswasions and where I finde them to be of Meek Humble Lowly Spirits and Carriages notwithstanding the circumstantial differences between them I can I do Cordially own and imbrace one another but where either of them discover an elated spirit and bear up above their brethren and keep at a distance from them upon the account of greater gifts and parts and because their names are blowne up and they swim upon a full sea of popularity when others of their brethren that it may be have as much soundness of Judgment as much Grace as they love Christ as much as they are as Cordial to the cause of Godliness as they are yet upon the account of meaner parts and not being in that esteem have little or no respect from them I am abundantly satisfied in my self that there is sufficient cause thus to animadvert if any be offended so let them For such I wish they would study better what it is to be of a true Gospel spirit which they may learn from their Lord and Master the great Apostle and high Priest of their holy profession who is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the good shepherd the great shepherd the chief shepherd who was meek and lowly and requires of them that are his under shepherds and all his Disciples that they learn of him who was the Lord of all yet because a servant to all The example also of Paul who does take special knowledge of his Masters meekness and is strongly argumentative from it as in the 2d. of the Corinthians chap. 10. v. 1. where he presses from the meekness and gentleness of Christ his example I say contributes much to such a purpose who though he was not behinde the chiefest Apostles yet acknowledges himself not worthy to be called an Apostle and though he knew his gifts and parts that he spake with tongues more then they all and had laboured more then they all yet professes himself to be less then the least of all the Saints a very nothing and in his Doctrine teacheth that there should not be a minding of high things but a condescending to men of low degree and I must profess for my own part till I see more of this meekness of spirit in Preachers and Professours I cannot think that ever we shall see the performance of these things which we professe to live in the joyfull expectation of surely we must all be better spirited of a more Humble Heavenly Spiritual Self-denying frame of Spirit before all be well with us I am expressing as before my comfortable confidence concerning a better condition that the Church and Saints shall be brought into before the final consummation the Prophet Isaiah 60. gives ground for such a hope to be built upon it is a pretious scripture and I think it referrs to the state of the Church in this world Officers
hath done great Execution much Protestant blood hath been shed when it will be quiet and fall a sleep again after its awakening who can tell The terrible sword of Pestilence is also now awakened and it is acting its part according to the Commission granted unto it how high this may rise how farr it may reach how long it may continue and what may succeed and come after it who can tell These things are laid up in store with God and sealed among his Treasures to whom Vengance and Recompences belong who will make the feet of his Enemies slide in due time for the day of their Calamity is at hand and the things that shall come upon them make haste t. 32. v. 34 35. As touching the Pestilential Contagion now amongst us it hath a very formidable aspect and begins to open its mouth wide and to devoure on every side many are possessed with fear and trembling to think what will become of them and are ready to cry out with Balaam Wo and alas who shall live when God doth this and well may sinners in Zion be afraid and fearfullness surprize the hypocrite in heart Esai 33. And such as are of guilty consciences as not being able to dwell with devouring fire and with everlasting burnings It s a becoming thing for such to let fall their spirits to come down from their grandeur to turn in upon their own hearts and humble themselves under the mighty hand of God who though fury be not in him yet if any will set himself against him he will be sure to finde that God is more then his match and will be as a devouring flame to a bush of dry thorns and stubble and will in a moment burn them up It s their wisest course to make peace with God and take hold of his strength and they shall make peace with him as the Prophet speaks Esai 27. 4 5. It s not for any to turn Quiritants and Plaintiffs against God who is sufficiently able to shew cause for what he doth and give a reason of all his actings though he be not bound to do it Nor is it fit to say unto him what doest thou its proper for us all to put our mouths in the dust and now that his hand is lifted up to see it submitt to it and learn righteousness by it knowing that they that will not see it shall see and be ashamed for their envy at the people Esai 26. And that they that will not fear with a fear of duty shall fear with a fear of punishment in a judicial way and if men will deal proudly against God he will be found to be above them yea in the very things wherein they do deal proudly against him It s holy Counsel and never more proper for men to take then at this day which Jeremiah gives us in the 3. of his Lamentations 40 c. Wherefore doth the living man complain a man for the punishment of his sin every word hath its weight and is emphatically argumentative Its man and not God and shall man complain against God it s a living man and that speaks Gods patience and forbearance he might have struck him dead and sent him to hell but he lives and is it fitting that he should complain and not rather magnifie Gods patience and goodness and say it s of the Lords mercies that we are not utterly consumed It s a man for the punishment of his sin that which he suffers under and complains of is of his own procuring he eats the bread of his own bakeing drinks the drink of his own brewing reaps the harvest of his own seed nay nay it is not for the living man to complain but as the counsel is there given to search and try his ways and turn to the Lord his God to be humbly inquiring into the Reason into the very Reason why God is fallen out with England and London that have been good friends so long Why he hath taken his Rod into his hand and gives us such heavy blows that he fetches blood from us and strikes us dead And indeed let this be our business at this day to know and find out the Proper Reason of this present Plague To find out the causes of a Disease we count hath a great tendency to the Cure but who and where is the wise man that may understand this and who is it to whom the mouth of the Lord hath spoken that he may declare it for what the Land is Plagued and in a way to perish and to become as a wilderness that none passeth through they are Jeremiah's words Jer. 9. verse 12. If such a course be not taken and vigerously prosecuted without partiality and an ingenuous acknowledgment made that to all other our sins we have added these or these till we find out the Jonah that makes the seas tempestuous the Achan that troubles the â—and the Sheba son of Biory which makes the disturbance and so must be beheaded and his head cast over the wall Till this be done it will not be well with us but we may even call for the mourning women as it follows in that place To take up a wailing and to make bitter Lamentation for death is come into our windows and is entred into our palaces to cut off the children from without and the young men from the streets I hear that diverse of our Preachers have been performing somthing to such a purpose improving the Scriptures and giving account from them what particular sins have formerly provoked God to send the Plague upon a people this is somthing to the purpose But what if there be some or other abomination committed in the Land which lyes heavy on it and the cry of it is heard in the eares of the Lord of Hostes that till it be found ouâ— the mouth of it stopt and it self removed some or other sin which the Scripture doth not so clearly and in terms make mention of for I suppose it may be so that sins may be committed that have scarce ever been heard of before as God somtimes bringeth to light strange punishments and armes himself with weapons of his Indignation which he hath not formerly made use of as we have it in Job 31. v. 3. Is not destruction to the wicked and a strange punishment to the workers of iniquity So there may be uncooth unheard of sins Now this I drive till this or that particular evil be found out Confessed Repented and Reformed till the proper vein be opened and the singer laid upon the very sore we may pine away and perish in our iniquity and the Land become desolate without Inhabitant Nathan said unto David thou art the man David said of himself I am the man this is my sin I have madâ— some observation in my daily Course of reading Scriptures of that passage in Eze. 15. 8. I will make the land desolate because they have committed a trespass and the like you find in
minds of others of old Ezek. 8 verse 12. for they say the Lord seeth us not the Lord hath forsaken the earth The like we have in Psalm 94. verse 6. 7. They break in pieces thy people O Lord and afflict thy herritage Yet they say the Lord shall not see neither shall the God of Jacob regard it Would ye have the Mighty and most holy Jehovah so to un God himself with Reverence be it spoken and so to carry as if he had cast off the Government of the World and regarded not which end went forward or as if he were now grown old and impotent disabled for mannaging affairs as formerly or such a God as Elijah in way of holy Sarcasm and Scoffingly propounds Baal to be 1 King 18. v. 27. Cry aloud for he is a God either he is talking or he is pursuing or he is in a Journey or peradventure he sleepeth and must be awaked surely there is no gracious spirit in the World can endure that the most blessed God should be under such reproach and scorn but rather that he should awake up and shew himself in a way of vindication of his own name and glory which is better then all the Angels and men in the world The Church of old hath made lively discovery of an excellent spirit to such a purpose Psalm 94. verse 1. O Lord God to whom Vengeance belongs O God to whom vengeance belongs shew thy self Esai 60. verse 1 2. Ob that thou wouldest rent the heavens that thou wouldest câ—me down that the mountains might flow down at thy presence As when the melting fire burneth the fire causeth the waters to boyle and wherefore all this mark what follows to make thy name known to thine adversaries that the nations may tremble at thy presence And let God alone to plead his own cause be sure he will look to his name and glory mark what he speaks by the prophet Psalm 50. v. 21. These things hast thou done and I kept silence thou thoughtest that I was altogether such a one as thy self but I will reprove thee and set them in order before thine eyes So likewise the Prophet Isaiah chap. 4â— ver 13 14. The Lord shall go forth as a mighty man he shall stir up jealousie like a man of War he shall cry yea roar he shall prevail against his enemies I have long time holden my peace I have been still and refrained myself Now will I cry like a travelling woman I will destroy and devour at once So that a man shall say verily there is a reward for the righteous he that seeth cause so to say shall see a like cause to say as verily there is a reward for the wicked even as verily as there is a God that judgeth the Earth Psalm 58. 11. We have somwhat of Justification hereof at this day among our selves the sword of Pestilence as I said before is wakened and the terrible God is causing his terrour to manifest it self the great men of the earth do reckon it to their honour to appear very formidable and dreadfull and to raise up and cause their terrour to be known in their Dominions and to those that are under their Government We finde in Ezekiel chap. 32. That five or six times in few verses it is thus expressed Such and such caused their terrour in the Land of the living but at last themselves were brought to the pit and slain with the Sword uncircumcised as they were and while they had their swords under their heads they had their iniquities upon their bones verse 27. and then this account is given of them the terrible God who sometimes manifests himself terrible to Kings and Princes and Nations he comes in speaking thus verse 32. I have caused my terrour as if he had said they have taken their times and turns to shew themselves terrible and I will take my time with them and make it appear that I can cause as much terrour as any of them God can carry and act as men do excepting their sinfull actings as in the 18. Psalm With the mercifull thou wilt shew thy self mercifull with the upright thou wilt shew thy self upright with the pure thou wilt shew thy self pure with the meek thou wilt shew thy self meek with the humble thou wilt shew thy self humble But with the froward thou wilt shew thy self froward and with the terrible thou wilt shew thy self terrible The Lord carries at this day as if he had seen and heard somthing I referr to that expression in Zechariah chap. 9. v. 8. when the Lord speaks by the Prophet thus I will encamp about my house c. for now have I seen with mine eyes Surely God hath seen somwhat that is not very gratefull to him for it is now more then the burthen of the word of the Lord no It s the burden of the wrath and judgment of the Lord not in the denunciation of it but in the execution of it I have signified in part already what is the proper work for us all in such a day and I am now turnd upon the same point again And what if it be as of old according to what the Prophet Esaiah speaks Precept upon precept line upon line here a little and there a little You my dear Friends and others with you will not be offended and as for others be they who they will that are curious captious and critical if any such should come to the view hereof If they be not pleased I passe not nor shall I be displeased I am at a point I 'le trouble them as little as I can and it may be never more in this kind If you and the rest to whom this is intended accept and reap any benefit by what I have performed for your sake in a paraenetical and perswasory way it is enough for me I have my ayme Our common work besides other is to pray but for what That God would remove his heavy stroake true but with all that he would sanctifie it and do us much good by it knowing that Covenant affliction and Judgments sanctified are better much better then common mercies Pray that God would purge away our Drosse and take away our Tinn what there is of drosse in point of Doctrine Discipline and Worship and Morals and in our own hearts that he would purge all this away Pray that the Plaister may lye on till in some measure it hath eaten out proud excrescences Fruit of Judgments is better then freedom from them There are it seems some hopes at the present while I am Writing that the strength of the storm is over that there will be a great abatement this week and so for the future And it s said that our busie Astrologers who I wish do not make too bold with God encourage this hope I would say as Jeremiah speaks concerning the vessels of the Temple when Hananiah the son of Azur the Prophet which was in Gibeon spake unto him in
the house of the Lord in the presence of all ' the people saying I have broken the yoak of the King of Babylon and in two fall years will I bring again to this place all the vessels of the Lords house that Nebuchadnezar King of Babylon took away from this place and carried them to Babylon c. Jeremiah said to Hananiah in the presence of the Priests and in the presence of all the people even the Prophet Jeremiah said Amen the Lord do so the Lord perform the word which thou hast prophesied Jer. 27. So would I say upon such suggestions concerning an abatement Cessation of the judgment upon us even so Amen the Lord perform this word But see well to it how and upon what termes we and the Plague part it may prove maxima Dei ira the greatest wrath of God for God not to be angry that is not to make manifest his anger God punisheth most severely when he refuseth to punish as in Hosea 4. I will not punish your Daughters when they commit Whordom Medicus cum definit curare desperat it s an argument that the Physician hath little or no hope of the Patient when he gives over the Cure it may prove the greatest Judgment to have a Judgment removed and let us be wise and take our Saviours counsel given to the diseased man John 5. Sin no more least a worse thing come unto thee Judgment and punishments of the second or third edition or of a second or third prolaâ—ion may prove seaven times more pressingly burthensome pray we then that God and we may be friends before we and his Judgments part by occasion of the sad stroak under which we lye There is a monthly Fast appointed by His Majesties Authority and it is well that such a course is taken in order to the removal of the Judgment which is now incumbent upon us Fasting and Praying is a proper expedient for such a purpose of Gods appointing and therefore it should be of mans because of Gods but let us take heed that our fasting be such as God requires not a fasting for Strife and Debate and to smite with the fist of wickedness Is it such a Fast saith the Lord that I have chosen a day for a man to afflict his soul is it to bow down his head as a Bulrush wilt thou call this a fast an acceptable day to the Lord. Let there be a putting our selves in a due posture and know that it well becomes us to appear before God with earth upon our heads with ropes about our necks with sackcloath upon our Loyns and so to lie in the dust before him And for the publick Preachers in whose hands is the management of the work I would beseech them to look to two or three things First that they would cry aloud and not spare that they would lift up their Voices like Trumpets and shew the ' Inhabitants of England their transgressions and wherein they have exceeded that they would drive impartially sparing none that they would lift up a Standard against that Athiesme which threatneth to invade the Nation as a Flood That they would not give stones instead of bread that they would not fall upon that falacie in Logick to put Non causam pro causa touching the Pestilence That they would not be like the Prophets of Old who saw vaine and foolish things for the people not discovering their Iniquity to turn away their Captivity but seeking for them false burthens and causes of Banishment and of Destruction and of desolation as the Prophet speaks Lam. 2. v. 14. But that they would make it their main design to promote the power of Godliness and a real Reformation according to the word of God and example of the best reformed Churches and that Primitive Discipline which as the Common Prayer Book expresses it were much to be wished that it were Restored might come in Power The Long Parliament were driving something to that purpose but could not bring about their design Oh that now Magistrates and Ministers would unanimously set themselves to see if they can perform better then they did So as that the people of the Nation may be brought to worship God Vnohumero with one shoulder then shall we not need to be forced by Acts of Parliament to come to Church Those whom they call Phanaticks will then flee as Doves to their windows flock as sheep to their foulds come by shoals that to be sure you will not be able to keep them out The Apostle tells us that the great God calls upon all men every where to Repent Oh that that might be our work and that we might second our Humiliation with a real Reformation that we may put away the Iniquity of our hearts and hands that we may spit out the sweet morsels which we have rowl'd so long under our tongue and held so fast between our teeth that we would each of us study our own iniquity and quit it and let the Preachers themselves look to it that they be lively examples thereof then may we Fast and Pray with hope and confidence that God will hear and answer and appeare for our help And would not those who are lookt upon as Fanaticks would not they comply with others in this cause There are of them that though they have not felt the Lashing of the Scorpions have not had the sowerest looks the severest frowns and sharpest rebukes yet have had none of the friendliest aspects yet even those are free in their spirits to comply with the Cause of Humiliation and I hope that the people of the Nation will not think that they have wished evil to them or desired the woful day Jeremiah was forbidden to pray for the people of his time and he was somtimes in deep and dreadfull imprecations against them whether out of passion and perturbation of spirit by means of deep provocations from them or prompeed thereunto by divine instinct I dispute not but these can do deprecate with others the present Judgments and can say with Samuel God forbid that we should sin in ceasing to pray for you We are and count it our duty to be deeply sensible as of Gods dishonour so of the Nations present Calamity and Sufferings We are fellow Country-men we are fellow Subjects in the Nations Peace we have had Peace but may we not question whether other of our brethren desire or care for our Prayers but hope to do the work themselves without our help even so say we So there be but found a Moses to stand in the Gap an Aaron with his Censer in his hand to stand between the living and the dead it matters not so there be a man to turn away the wrath of God let him be who he will we will rejoyce My dear Friends I purposed a shorter come off then thus not to draw out a Line to this length but so it proves and I make proof of your patience and if your patience