and momentous The Lion hath roared who will not tremble The Lord hath spoken who can Prophesie Besides let my maine designe I drive plead for me which is Non ad captundam sed ad exprimendam benevolentiam promovendam fidem resipiscentiam not to catch at mans respect and esteem others know how little I deserve it and I know it as well as they My Reverend Brethren can give me my price and so can I of myself its low by agreement on all hands onely I have this to say for my self I am of a self-discouraging Spirit and disposition and cannot put forth my self amongst my betters as some can I think I have been a little disadvantaged upon that accounts but it matters not And if I be a foole in thus expressing my self I say as Paul Beare with me a little in my folly and indeed bear with me It may be further said that I prefix a Title which the following discourse Answers not till toward the last other matters are agitated first and that that suites the Title comes up in the rear To that I say t is true but most of the matters held forth refer to the present sad Providence and have a tendency to promote a due improving and a happy removing of the Plague Besides the Title Page signifies that there are sundry other things held forth besides a Check given to the Plague One thing more in Nature as we say in Schooles that which is Primum in intentione is Vltimum in executione that which is first in intention and purpose prove last in execution and performance why not so here Again it may be you seem to discover a male-contented spirit with respect to the present Times and administrations To that I say I am better known then to be ill affected to Magistratical Government I have all along pleaded and pressed submission to Kings and Magistrates and such as are in Authority over us and that for Conscience sake onely wish that the greatest severity might not proceed against such as desiring to act according to a judicious and well informed Conscience cannot and that meerly out of tendernesse come up in all circumstantials to answer magistratical impositions I meddle not at all with the Laws and Statutes but touch with gentlenesse upon the executive part and those who are betrusted therewith who possibly may not act from that culmnesse and composednesse of Spirit and with that gentlenesse and tendernes that were to be wished especially toward such as would be glad with all their hearts to come up to the most full and compleat subjection that is required and have otherwise learned Christ then to allow themselves in any turbulency or Seditiousnesse of Spirit any immoriterousnesse and refractorinesse contrary to the word of God and inconsistent with a good conscience â—f it be said that I take upon me to deal with persons in the publick Ministry and others also and to advise and counsel them and am I not too busily medling this way too much assuming I say I have been a publick Preacher as well as they and I could give account what approbation I have found from such as have been of highest rank in their way and of their perswasion but I forbear And though I am farr very farr short of their Parts and Abilities yet I may compare with them for years being now an aged man and why may I not be permitted to suggest somwhat to them in a way of Counsel and Advise Job would not despise the Counsel of a Servant If it be said I plead the cause of meeknesse and earnestly presse it but discover a sharp and tart Spirit c. I say that meeknesse and sharpnesse as the occasion may be are not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but may very well consist together Moses and Paul were Eminent and most Exemplary for their Meekness but yet could be hot and quick and did as the Cause required shew themselves men of mettle full of zeal And who would not be zealous very zealous when Athiesme and Prophaness do so Impetuously break in upon us as a Flood When there is so much dishonour done to God such indignities offered to Christ and his Grace such a spirit of Malignity and desperate Opposition made and manifested against the power of Godlinesse Once more it may be said I appear too friendly to Fanaticks I say there are that are so called that are not so indeed I would the definition of such a one were genuinly and properly draw up and given out according to truth and let them wear the Coat that it best fits Let me ever be a Cordial friend to such as fear God honour the King minde real godlinesse and study to expresse the power of it walk circumspectly labour to keep Faith and a good Conscience and their Garments of holy Profession close about them clean upon them not being spotted by the world that make it their daily care to walk with God as Enoch and Abraham did to approve themselves to Christ to keep clear of sin and closs to the ways of holiness making it their design when others shall be found to shame and dishonour they may be found to praise and glory in the appearing and Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ and such as these the world will hate Maligne Persecute and judge the scum off-scouring of men so Paul and his companions were accounted 1 Cor. 4. 13. We are made the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Purganienta the Excrementa as Erasmus renders the Word Thus I say the World will count them and it cannot do no otherwise blinde besotted World as it is But it matters not God will love them Christ will own them and honour them their Consciences will befriend them and if God love it matters not who hate if Christ be for us it matters not who be against us if the Scriptures be on our side it matters not who rise up in opposition if Conscience be a friend we need not passe though the World be our enemy and all the devils of hell too as to be sure they will They are in the saddest condition that have God and Christ and Conscience and Scriptures against them I have often thought and said it were better for a man to have an Army of Ten Thousand men in Battel array against him then to have one Text of Scripture against him and so might I say of a Saints Prayer My Brethren and Friends I have Done t is a poor Do such as it is accept I told you in the beginning â—he desire of a man is his kindness If I have done anything tending to the glory of my dearest God my Sweetest and most Pretious Jesus any thing that may conduce to the promoting any benefit to your Souls or any other it s enough Now to him that is able to keep you from falling and to present you faultlesse before the presence of his Glory with exceeding Joy to the onely wise God our Saviour be Glory and Majesty Dominion and Power now and ever Amen FINIS I. am 1. 1. 2. 3. 6. 20. 22. cap. 1. 8. cap. 3. 42. 9. cap. 2. 14. cap. 4. 13. 16. Cap. 3. 39. 40. 41. 42. 28 29. 19. Levit. 26 41 Isaias 26. 9. 1 Kin. 8. 38. Joh. 5 14. Ps 85 8. Lam. 3. 21. 22 23. 24 25 26. Psal 80. 4. Psal 66 5. Psal 75. 8. Deut. 32. 41. Psa 7. 13 14 Deut. 32. 41 Ps 91. Job 34. 31 32. Psal 116. 3 Psal 94. 18 17. Psal 116. 7 9. Psal 6. 4. 5. Isaiah 38. 19 20.
THE Plague Checkt OR PIETY will either Prevent OR Alter the Property of the PLAGVE HELD FORTH Together with sundry other Things in a Letter Written by a Friend to sundry of his godly Friends and Acquaintance Pouring out himself thereby into their Bosomes and opening his Heart unto them Partly in a Paraeneticall and Perswasory way Partly in a Corroborating and Consolatory way with respect to the Present Times and Providences Wherein the Great and Terrible God hath appeared in some what a Dreadfull manner both by Land and Sea and by Terrible Things in Righteousnesse hath manifested and made himself known to the sonnes of Men as the Lord of Hosts and the God that is Holy who will be Exalted in Judgement and Sanctified in Righteousnesse London Printed by T. M. for the Authors Friends 1665. A Friend of the Authours to the READER MY Friend if so thou art to whom these come Acknowledge God the Authour of what 's done The Instrument his servant in his hand Hath shew'd himself to be at his Command And thereunto Obedient in that he Hath thus prepar'd what is so good for thee I say prepar'd for thee and 't is a price Put in thy Hand beware and be not nice Here by thou mayest be help'd Virtue to nourish But Vice it checks even in its greatest flourish Where e're he findes it like a man of God He makes due Application of the Rod Unto the Back which most deserves the blow But if it be not minded know yea know This as another Witnesse will come in And be an aggravation of thy sin Not that it was intended for that end No no it aim'd at this that such might mend And knowing their own evils might return To God that smites and makes his anger burn That he may please to spare and eke to pitty The miserable state of this poore Citty And would not let out all his Wrath Till us consumed quite he hath But in his Mercy he may give Some an escape that they may live And be for Monuments of Praise To his most holy Name alwayes Amen London's Lamentation Made mostly in the language of Jeremies Lamentations occasioned by the present Plague with which she is now visited Anno 1665. Her Case HOw doth the City solitary sit Of People it was full now few in it She weepeth sore i' th' Night and so appeares With mournfull Face with Cheeks bedew'd with Tears The wayes of her Assemblies do lament Because that few or none doe them frequent Her Priests do sigh yea they for feare do flye Her Virgins grieve she takes all bitterly Her beauty which was great it now is gone Solemnities she had now there are none Her Princes and her great Ones like the Hart Pursu'd by Plague strengthlesse from her depart Distrest she is her Bowels troubled are Her Heart is turn'd in her thus doth it fare Abroad the Sword bereaves at home there 's death Both young and old bereaved are of Breath Her miseries are yet without restraint Her Sighes are many and her Heart is faint The Cause SHee hath Rebell'd and Sinned grievously Therefore she is remov'd and made to fly Her Filth is in her skirts so may she finde Her latter end full little did she minde Zion of old had Prophets which did see Vaine things and foolish were they found to be Sin did not they discover no not they So as to turn Callamity away False Burthens they did see and Visions vent Causes of dreadfull Plague and Punishment God's fiercest Wrath they sorely did provoke And so they fell under his heavy stroke For sinns of Prophets and of Priests that shed The blood o' the just in her and had not fed The Souls of those committed to their care But rather mischief did for them prepare Gods anger did break out and t' was his minde Them to divide no favour should they findè Let London in this Glasse her Face behold Least still there dye and dye both young and old If she with Scripture as Gods Heifer plow Sho'le read the Riddle and the cause shee 'le know The Course to be taken in Order to Cure WIll she turn queritant That 's not the way To appease the wrath of God the Plague to stay Nay rather let her search her wayes and turn Vnto the Lord Least that his anger burn And not be quencht nor from her turn away But still devoure and waste from day to day Vnto the Heavens let her lift her hands Her Heart to God who hath her in his Bands And say that she transgrest Rebelled hath And therefore God hath Plagu'd her in his wrath That he is Righteous in what e re he doth Sinned she hath and he is justly wroth Cause she hath none to plain its punishment For Sin she bears it is for that shee 's shent Let her submit keep silence unto God Put mouth in dust quietly bear the Rod Remembring misery Wormwood eke and Gall And being kindly humbled under all Such Recollection made let her expresse Acceptance of her punishment learn Righteousnes Knowing withall her spiritual Plague and Sore Let her return to God and Sin no more Least worse things come unto her when she shall Back-slide return to Folly from God fall Then let her Hope and in that Hope confesse It is of Gods rich Mercy that there 's less Then utter desolation on her brought She not consumed wholly brought to nought Let her acknowledge Gods compassions are Such as doe never faile he doth prepare Them every morning fresh and so makes known His faithfulnesse full great unto his own Let her make God her Portion and then say In him my hope shall be both now and aye Let her improve the experience she hath found For others good and loudly let her sound To th' Honour of Gods Name that they that seek And waite for him with lowly Hearts and meek Shall finde its good because its duty and For them his goodnesse he will still command Let London take this course be sure God will Return in Mercy make her flourish still The after Carriage of such as are Preserved from or recovered of the Plague LOrd thou hast greatly been provok't By City Countries all Thine anger hath broke out and smoak't And we been made to fall Terrible have thy appearings been Thy Hand eke lifted up In it our Eyes have also seen Of Wrath a deadly Cup. Thy glittering Sword thou whetted hast Thy Bow eke thou hast bent Thine Arrows on thy string were plac't On every side they went On Judgement thou hast taken hold Thy Vengeance thou hast made To seize on such as have been bold And not at all affraid Thee to provoke unto thy Face Against thee to Rebell Thy Pestilence it did them chase And into Graves they fell Thousands on our right hand did fall Thousands eke
chap. 20. v. 27. Now had they committed but one trespass yea they had multiplied their trespasses But we may understand it either as if all their trespasses were run into one or there was a Master a Monster trespass one or other trespass of such notoriety that God would not pardon but take vengance and do execution with furious rebukes Whatever the cause is a cause there is why the Plague is broken out among us and begins to rage and beat down on every side And to be sure in the general Sin is the cause but happy we if we had an interpreter one of a thousand to declare unto us our unrighteousness and the unrighteousness in special which testifies and pleads against us and hath procured this sore Judgment of the Pestilence which is as a sword sharpened and furbished and for ought we know is sharpened and furbished to make a sore slaughter And should we then make mirth what if it contemn our Rod our Srength our Riches Honour and Beauty of our Ornaments as it did of old the Rod the Strength and Beautiful Ornaments of Israel and of Judah when it proved the Sword of the great men which were slain the sword entring into their privy Chambers the point of it set against their gates that their hearts might be faint their ruines be multiplied with terror of Princes and people Ye find that thus it was threatned and done to Jerusalem and Judah Ezek. 21. 8 9. And as it is further exprest Ezek 7. 8 9. 10. Now will I shortly poure out my fury upon thee and accomplish mine anger upon thee and I will judge thee according to thy ways and will recomponce thee for all thine abominations And mine eye shall not spare neither will I have pitty I will recompence thee according to thy ways and thine abominations that are in the midst of thee and ye shall know that I am the Lord that smiteth Behold the day behold the day is come the morning is gone forth the rod hath blossomed pride hath budded With revenging re-compenses God cometh upon the Back of them yea to their faces he tells them he would not spare nor have pity Utinam non sic Nobiscum but behold the day is come behold it is come the Rod is gone forth the Rod is Blossomed Pride is Budded Violence is risen up into a Rod of Wickedness and Wickedness is risen up into a Rod of Judgment and Destruction And let us know and be assured that he whose life is in his Iniquity Cujus vivere est peccare so our Translators express Ezekel 7. verse 13. That he shall not strengthen himself in the iniquity of his life And for such as make iniquity the iniquity of their hearts that is set their hearts upon their iniquity they shall find that when the iniquity of their heels shall compass them about which is the Psalmists phrase in the 49 Psalm their wickedness wil prove bitter yea bitterer then gall and wormwood it will reach to the heart and make them cry out as in Jer. 4. v. 18 19. My bowels my bowels I am pained at the very heart Insuch a day as this is which is a day of sharp Rebuke from God as it hath been of latter times a day of sharp Rebuke from Majestrates and men in Authority to some of us It s fit for us all to humble our selves and reckon upon it that God cals to Mourning and Weeping Jeremiahs Commission impowered him to say to the King and the Queen Jerem. 13. Humble your selves sit down in the dust And I know no reason to the contrary but if Kings and Queens Princes and Nobles and Grandees of the World sin as others doe they should humble themselves Repent and Abase themselves before God as others ought to do and some do If ever they will finde that mercy with God which others in the way of Repentance hope to finde God and godliness are no respecters of persons there is not one way for Kings and another way for Subjects one way for Princes and Nobles and another way for Pezants and Plebeiants one for Rich and another for Poor to be saved in The same truths are to be believed the same yea the severest duties are indespensable required and to be performed and practised by one and other If any man yea any man be he who be will will be Christs Disciple he must deny himself take up his Crosse and follow him Religion is too noble and generous a thing to stoop to any mans humour in the World He that will not be saved upon Gods terms may and shall go without Gods Salvation God will abate nothing of his price nor be beholding to any man to come to heaven he that likes not the terms upon which heaven salvation is propounded may let it alone if one will not deal for it others will As to a due comportment with present times and providences besides what I have already said I say further that it is for every man to study the Plague of his own heart the sore of his own soul they are scripture expressions 1 King 8. 2 Chron. 6. We are to reckon the Lord calls to weeping and mourning and to sigh and cry for all the abominations that have been committed in the Land to smite with the hand and stamp with the foot and say as Ezekiel expresseth it Alas alas to do as the Ninivites did when Jonah had delivered his message judgment was but in denounciation as to them it s in actual execution upon us they believed God and proclaimed a Fast put on sackcloth from the greatest of them even to the least of them the King himself arose from his throne and laid his Robe from him and covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes and he caused it to be proclaimed and published by the decree of the King and his Nobles That neither Man nor Beast Herd nor Flock should taste any thing nor feed nor drink water but that Man and Beast should be covered with sackcloath and cry mightily unto God and turn every one from the evil of his ways and from the violence that is in their hands and all this upon a probability nay a possibility a paradventure a who knows who can tell whether God will not Return and Repent and Turn from his fierce anger that we perish not A most eminently exemplary â—atâ—ern and president worthy the imitation of all 〈◊〉 Cities and Countries in England and the â—â—ole World Now fye upon it and shame to us all that we should be so shy so proud and I know not what as not to follow such examples better But the men of Ninivie shall rise up in Judgment against the men of this Generation and condemn it for they repented at the preaching of Jonah and at his once preaching I know not that ever he preached a second time God had much a doe to bring him to that once We have had preaching upon preaching