expressly from God to cry unto us Yet forty dayes and Nineveh shall be destroyed yet seeing the mouth of eternall truth hath taught us that a Kingdome divided is in such danger of ruine and destruction that morally speaking if it continue divided it cannot stand and seeing the strange and miserable condition of our Nation at this time may give any considerable man just cause to feare that as in Rehoboams case so likewise in ours 1 King 12 24. The thing is of the Lord intending to bring his heavy judgement upon us for our great sinnes and our stupid and stupendious security in sinning and to make us instruments of his designed vengeance one upon another peraduenture it would be a seasonable and necessary motion to be made to our King and his Nobles to revive this old Proclamation of the King of Nineveh and to send it with authority through His Majesties dominions and to try whether it will produce some good effect who can tell if God will turne and repent and turne away from his fierce anger that we perish not Who can tell whether he that hath the hearts of King and people in his hand and turneth them whithersoever he thinketh best may not upon our repentance take our extreamity for his opportunity Kuk 19 42. and at last open our eyes that we may see those things that belong to our peace and shew us the way of Peace which hitherto we have not known but this by the way for my purpose I observe that this repentance which when the sword of God was drawne and his arme advanced for a blow stayed his hand and sheathed his sword againe was not a meere sorrow for their sinnes and a purpose to leave them nay it was not only laying aside their gallantry and bravery and putting on sack-cloath and sitting in ashes and crying mightily unto God of which yet we are come very short but it was also and that chiefly their uniuersall turning from their evill way which above all the rest was prevalent and effectuall with God Almighty for so it is written And god saw their works that they turned from their evill way â—â—nah 3.10 and God repented him of the evill that he sayd he would doe and he did it not In the gospell of S. Luke cap. 24. The condition of the new Covenant to which remission of sinnes is promised is expressed by the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thus it behoved Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead and that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Repentance and remission of sinnes should be preached in his name which place if ye compare with that in the Gospell of S. Matthew Mat. 28.29 Go teach all Nations baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Sonne and of the holy Ghost teaching them to observe all whatsoever I shall command you It will be no difficulty to collect that what our Saviour calls in one place 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 repentance that he cals in another observing all that he hath commanded which if repentance were no more but sorrow for sin and intending to leave it certainly he never could nor would have done And as little could S. Paul Act. 20.21 professe that the whole matter of his preaching was nothing else but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Repentance towards God and faith in our Lord Iesus Christ It being manifest in his Epistles he preaches and presses every where the necessity of mortification regeneration new and sincere obedience all which are evidently not contained under the head of Faith and therfore it is evident he comprized all these under the name of Repentance In which words moreover it is very considerable as also in another place Heb. 6. where among the fundamentalls of Christianity the first place is given to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I say it is very considerable that though the word may not very absolutely be rendred repentance yet we shall doe much right to the place and make them much more cleare and intelligible if in stead of Repentance we had put conversion as it is in some of the best Latine translations so for example if instead of repentance to God Act. 20. and repentance from dead works in the Epistle to the Heb. which our English tongue will hardly beare we should reade conversion to God and conversion from dead workes every one sees it would be more perspicuous and more naturall whereas on the other side if in stead of repentance we should substitute sorrow as every true and genuine interpretation may with advantage to the clearenesse of the sense be put in place of the word interpreted and read the places sorrow towards God and sorrow from dead workes it is apparent that this reading would be unnaturall and almost ridiculous which is a great argument that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to which forgivenesse of sinnes is promised in the Gospell is not only sorrow for sinne but conversion from sinne And yet if it be not so but that Heaven may be purchased at easier and cheaper rates how comes it to passe that in the new Testament we are so plainly and so frequently assured that without actuall and effectuall amendment and newnesse of life without actuall and effectual mortification regeneration sanctification there is no hope no possibility of Salvation Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewen down and cast into the fire So S. John Baptist preaches repentance it is not then the leaves of a faire profession no nor the blossoms of good purposes and intentions but the fruite the fruit only that can save us from the fire neither is it enough not to bear ill fruit unlesse we bring forth good Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewen downe and cast into the fire Not every one that sayeth unto me Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in Heaven so our Saviour Matth. 7 21. And againe after he had delivered his most divine precepts in his Sermon on the mount which Sermon contains the substance of the Gospell of Christ he closeth up all with saying he that heareth these sayings of mine and doth them not and yet these were the hardest sayings that ever he sayed I will liken him to a foolish man Mat. 7 26.27 which built his house upon the sand that is the hope of Salvation upon a sandy and false ground when the rain descended and the floods came and the winds blew and beat upon that house it fell and great was the fall of it They that are Christs have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts So S. Paul Gal. 5.24 they then that have not done so nor crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts let them be as sorrowfull as they please let them intend what they please they as yet are none of Christs and good Lord what a multitude of Christians then are there in the world
for their instruction 1 Sam. 24 11. Whose heart smote him when he had but cut off the hemme of Sauls garment They that make no scruple at all of fighting with His Sacred Majesty and shooting Musquets and Ordnance at Him which sure have not the skill to choose a Subject from a King to the extreame hazard of his Sacred Person whom by all possible obligations they are bound to defend do they know think you the generall rule without exception or limitation left by the Holy Ghost for our direction in all such cases Who can lift up his hand against the Lords Anoynted 1 Sam. 2 6 9. Prov. 24.21 and be innocent or doe they consider his Command in the Proverbs of Solomon My sonne feare God and the King and meddle not with them that desire change Eccles. 8.2 Or his councell in the Booke of Ecclesiastes I councell thee to keepe the Kings Commandement and that in regard of the Oath of God or because they possibly may pretend that they are exempted from or unconcerned in the commands of obedience delivered in the Old Testament doe they know and remember the precept given to all Christians by S. Peter 1 Pet 2 13 Submit your selves to every Ordinance of man for the Lords sake whether it be to the King as Supreame or unto Governors as unto them that are sent by him or that terrible sanction of the same command Rom. 13 2. They that resist shall receive to themselves damnation left us by St. Paul in his Epistle to the Romans who then were the miserable Subjects of the worst King the worst man nay I think I may adde truly the worst beast in the world that so all rebells mouths might be stopt for ever and left without all colour or pretence whatsoever to justifie resistance of Soveraign power Undoubtedly if they did know and consider and lay close to their hearts these places of Scripture or the fearefull judgment which befell Coraâ— Numb 16.32 Dathan and Abâ—ram for this very sinne which now they commit and with a high hand still proceed in it would be impossible but their hearts should smite them as Davids did upon an infinitely lesse occasion and affright them out of those wayes of present confusion and eternall damnation And then on the other side they that maintain the Kings righteous cause with the hazard of their lives and fortunes but by their oathes and curses by their drunkennesse and debauchery by their irreligion and prophannesse fight more powerfully against their partie then by all other meanes they doe or can fight for it are not I feare very well acquainted with any part of the Bible but that strict caution which properly concerns themselves in the booke of Deut. 23.9 I much doubt they have scarce ever heard of it When thou goest to Wars with thine Enemies then take heed there be no wicked thing in thee not only no wickednesse in the cause thou maintainest nor no wickednesse in the means by which thou maintainest it but no personall impieties in the persons that maintaine it Beloved for the former two we have reason to be full of comfort and confidence For what is our cause What is that which you fight and we pray for but to deliver the King and all his good Subjects out of the power of their Enemies who will have no peace but with their slaves and vassalls and for the meanes by which it is maintained it is not by lying it is not by calumnies it is not by running first our selves and then forceing the people to universall perjury but by a just war because necessary and by as faire and mercifull a Warre as if they were not Rebells and Traitors you fight against but Competitors in a doubtfull Title But now for the third part of the caution that to deale ingenuously with you and to deliver my owne soule If I cannot other mens that I cannot think of with halfe so much comfort as the former but seeing so many Ionasses imbarqued in the same ship the same cause with us and so many Achan's entering into Battel with us against the Canaanites seeing Publicans and sinners on the one side against Scribes and Pharisees on the other on the one side Hypocrisy on the other prophannesse no honesty nor justice on the one side and very little piety on the other On the one side horrible oathes curses and blasphemies On the other pestilent lyes calumnies and perjury When I see amongst them the pretence of reformation if not the desire pursued by Antichristian Mahumetan devillish meanes and amongst us little or no zeale for reformation of what is indeed amisse little or no care to remove the cause of Gods anger towards us by just lawfull and Christian meanes I professe plainly I cannot without trembling consider what is likely to be the event of these distractions I cannot but feare that the goodnesse of our cause may sinke under the burthen of our sinns And that God in his justice because we will not suffer his Judgements to acheive their prime scope and intention which is our amendment and reformation may either deliver us up to the blind zeale and fury of our Enemies or else which I rather feare make us instruments of his justice each against other and of our owne just and deserved confusion This I professe plainly is my feare and I would to God it were likewise the feare of every Souldier in His Majesties Army but that which increaseth my feare is that I see very many of them have very little or none at all I meane not that they are fearelesse towards their Enemies that 's our joy and Triumph but that they shew their courage even against God and feare not him whom it is madnesse not to feare Now from whence can their not fearing him proceed but from their not knowing him their not knowing his will and their owne duty not knowing how highly it concerns Souldiers above other professions to be religious and then if ever when they are engaged in dangerous adventures and every moment have their lives in their hands When they goe to Warre with their Enemies then to take heed there be no wicked thing in them You see beloved how many instances and examples I have given you of our grosse ignorance of what is necessary and easie for us to know and to these it were no difficult matter to adde more Now from whence can this ignorance proceed but from supine negligence and from whence this negligence but from our not believing what we pretend to believe For did we believe firmly and heartily that this Booke were given us by God for the rule of our Actions and that obedience to it were the certaine and only way to eternall happinesse it were impossible we should be such enemies to our selves such Traytors to our owne soules as not to search it at least with so much diligence that no necessary point of our duty plainly taught
Generall of an Army or an Embassadour to some Prince or State were assured by the King his Master that the transgressing any poynt of his Commission should cost him his life and the exact performance of it be recompenced with as high a reward as were in the Kings power to bestow upon him can it be imagined that any man who believes this and is in his right mind can be so supinely and stupidly negligent of this charge which so much imports him as to oversee through want of care any one necessarie article or part of his commission especially if it be delivered to him in writing and at his pleasure to peruse it every day Certainly this absurd negligence is a thing without example and such as peradventure will never happen to any sober man to the worlds end and by the same reason if we were firmely perswaded that this book doth indeed contain that charge and commission which infinitely more concerns us it were not in reason possible but that to such a perswasion our care diligence about it should be in some measure answerable seeing therefore most of us are so strangely carelesse so grossely negligent of it is there not great reason to feare that though we have professors and protestors in abundance yet the faithfull the truely and sincerely faithfull are in a manner failed from the children of men What but this can be the cause that men are so commonly ignorant of so many articles and particular mandates of it which yet are as manifest in it as if they were written with the beams of the Sun For example how few of our Ladies and Gentlewomen do or will understand that a voluptuous life is damnable and prohibited to them â— Tim. 5.6 Yet Saint Paul saith so very plainely She that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth I beleeve this case divinely regards not the Sex he would say He well as She if there had bin occasion How few of the gallants of our time doe or will understand that it is not lawfull for them to be as expensive and costly in apparell as their meanes or perhaps their credit will extend unto which is to sacrifice unto vanitie that which by the Law of Christ is due unto Charity and yet the same Saint Paul forbids plainely this excesse even to women also let women he would have said it much rather to the men array themselves in comely apparell 1 Tim. 2. â— with shamefastnesse and modestie not with embroidered haire or gold or pearles or costly apparell and to make our ignorance the more inexcuable the very same rule is delivered by Saint Peter also 1 Epist 3 3. How few rich men are or will be perswaded that the Law of Christ permits them not to heape up riches for ever nor perpetually to adde house to house and land to land though by lawfull meanes but requires of them thus much charitie at least that ever while they are providing for their Wives and Children they should out of the increase wherewith God blesseth their industrie allot the poore a just and free proportion and when they have provided for them in a convenient manner such as they themselves shall judge sufficient and convenient in others that then they should give over making purchase after purchase but with the surplussage of their revenue beyond their expence procure as much as lyes in them that no Christian remaine miserably poore few rich men I feare are or will be thus perswaded and their daily actions shew as much yet undoubtedly Mat. 19.19 either our Saviours generall command of loving our neighbours as our selves which can hardly consist with our keeping vainely or spending vainly what he wants for his ordinary subsistence layes upon us a necessity of this high liberality or his speciall command concerning this matter Mat. 19 2â— Quod superest date pauperibus that which remaines give to the poore or that which S. Iohn saith 1 Epist 3 17. reacheth home unto it Whosoever hath this worlds good and seeth his brother have need and shutteth up the bowells of his compassion from him how dwelleth the love of God in him Which is in effect as if he had said He that keepeth from any brother in Christ that which his brother wants and he wants not doth but vainely thinke that he loves God and therefore vainely hope that God loves him Where almost are the men that are or will be perswaded the Gospell of Christ requires of men Humilitie like to that of little Children and that under the highest paine of damnation That is that we should no more over-value our selves or desire to be highly esteemed by others no more undervalue scorn or despise others no more affect pre-eminence over others then little children doe before we have put that pride into them which afterwards we charge wholy upon their naturall corruption and yet our blessed Saviour requires nothing more Rigidly nor more plainly then this high degree of humility Mat. 18 â— verily saith he I say unto you he speakes to his disciples affecting high places and demanding which of them should be greatest except ye be converted and become as little Children ye shall not enter into the Kingdome of Heaven Would it not be strange newes to a great many that not onely adultery and fornication but even uncleanenesse and lasciviousnesse not onely idolatry and witchcraft but hatred variance emulations wrath and contentions not onely murthers but envying not drunkennesse only but revelling are things prohibited to Christians and such as if we forsake them not we cannot inherit the Kingdome of Heaven and yet these things as strange as they may seeme are plainely written some of them by S. Peter 1 Epist 4. chap. But all of them by S. Paul Gal. 5 15. Now the workes of the flesh are manifest which are these adultery fornication uncleanenesse lasciviousnesse c. of the which I tell you before as I have told you in times past that they who doe such things shall not inherit the Kingdome of God If I should tell you that al bitternesse and evill speaking nay such is the modesty and gravity which Christianity requires of us foolish talke and jesting are things not allowed to Christians would not many cry out these are hard and strange sayings who can heare them and yet as strange as they may seeme they have beene written well nigh 1600 yeares and are yet extant in very legible Characters in the Epistle to the Eph. the end of the 4. and the beginning of the 5 chap. To come a little nearer to the businesse of our times the chiefe Actors in this bloudy Tragedy which is now upon the Stage who have robb'd our Soveraign Lord the King of his Forts Townes Treasure Ammunition Houses of the Persons of many of his Subjects and as much as lyes in them of the hearts of all of them Is it credible that they know and remember and consider the example of David recorded
come to appeare before me who required this at your hands Bring no more vaine oblations Incense is an abomination to me I cannot suffer your new moones nor sabbaths nor solemne dayes it is iniquity even your solemne assemblies My soule hateth your new moones and your appoynted feasts they are a burthen to me I am weary to beare them and when you shall stretch out your hands I will hide mine eyes from you and though you make many prayers I will not heare for your hands are full of blood And againe Isa 66 3. He that kills an Oxe is a if he slew a man he that sacrificeth a Lambe as if he cut off a Dogs necke he that offereth an oblation as if he offered Swines flesh he that burned incense as if he blessed an Idoll and what 's the reason of this strange aversion of God from his owne Ordinances it followes in the next words they have chosen their owne wayes and their soule delighteth in their abominations Terrible are the words which he spe keth to the same purpose in the prophecie of Amos chap. 5. v. 21 22 23. I hate I despise your feast dayes and I will not smell in your solemne assemblies though you offer me burnt offerings and meat offerings I will not accept them nor will I regard your peace offerings Now beloved if this hypocrisie this resting in outward performances were so odious to God under the law a religion full of shadowes and ceremonies certainely it will be much more odious to do so under the Gospell a religion of much more simplicity and exacting so much the greater sincerity of the heart even because it disburdens the outward man of the performance of Legall rites and observances And therefore if we now under the Gospell shall thinke to delude God Almighty as Michall did Saul with an Idoll handsomely drest in stead of the true David If we shall content and please our selves with being of such or such a Sect or profession with going to Church saying or hearing of Prayers receiving of Sacraments hearing repeating or preaching of Sermons with zeale for Ceremonies or zeale against them or indeed with any thing besides constant pietie towards God Loyalty and obedience towards our Soveraigne justice and charity towards all our Neighbours temperance chastity and sobriety towards our selves certainly we shall one day find that we have not mocked God but our selves and that our portion among hypocrites shall be greater then theirs In the next place let me intreat you to consider the fearfull judgement which God hath particularly threatned to this very sinne of drawing nigh unto him with our lips when our hearts are farre from him It is the great judgement of being given over to the spirit of slumber and securitie the usuall fore-runner of speedy desolation and destruction as we may see in the 29 chap. of Esaiah from the 9 to the 14 verse Stay your selves and wonder cry ye out and cry they are drunken but not with wine they stagger but not with strong drinke for the Lord hath powered out upon you the spirit of deepe sleepe and hath closed your eyes The Prophets and your Rulers the seers hath he covered and after at the 14 verse The wisedome of their wise men shall perish and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hidde Certainely this judgement if ever it were upon any people we have cause to feare it is now upon us For if the spirit of deepe sleepe were not upon us how could we sleepe so securely even upon the brinke of the pit of perdition how could wee proceed on so confidently in our mirth and jollity nay in our crying sins and horrible impieties now when the hand of God is upon us and wrath is gone out and even ready to consume us And if the wisedome of our wise men were not perished how were it possible they should so obstinately refuse the security offered of our lawes liberties and religion by the Kings Oath by his execrations on himselfe and his posterity in case hee should violate it by the oathes of all his Ministers not to consent to or be instruments in such a violation by the so much desired Trienniall Parliament from which no transgressor can possibly be secure and instead of all this security seeke for it by a civill warre the continuance whereof must bring us to destruction and desolation or else he hath deceived us by whom we are taught Mat. 23.25 That a Kingdome divided against it selfe cannot stand Now what was the sinne which provoked this fearefull judgement What but that which I have laboured to convince you of and to disswade you from even the sin of hypocrisie as we may see at the 12 verse Wherefore saith the Lord forasmuch as this people draw neare me with their mouth and with their lips doe honour me but have removed their hearts farre from me and their feare towards me is taught by the precepts of men therefore behold I will proceed to doe a mervailous worke amongst them for the wisedome of their wise men shall perish c. Consider thirdly what woes and woes and woes our Saviour thunders out against the Scribes and Pharisees for hypocrisie Woe be unto you Scribes and Pharisees Hypocrites Mat. 25.25.27.29 and again and again Woe be unto you Scribes and Pharisees Hypocrites Beloved if we be hypocrites as they were Tithe mint and Cumin and neglect the weighty matters of the Law judgement and justice and mercy as they did Make long prayers and under a pretence devoure Widowes houses as they did Wash the outside of the dish and platter while within we are full of ravening and wickednesse write Gods Commandements very large and faire upon our Phylacteries but shut them quite out of our hearts Build the Sepulchres of the old Prophets and kill their successors in fine if we be like painted Sepulchres as they were outwardly garnished and beautifull but within full of dead mens bones and rottennesse we are then to make accompt that all these woes belong to us and will one day over-take us Consider lastly the terrible example of Anaâ—â—s and Saphira and how they were snatcht away in the very act of their sinne and that their fault was as the Text tell us that they lyed unto God Beloved we have done so a thousand thousand times our whole lives if sincerely examined would appeare I feare litttle lesse but a perpetuall lye hitherto God hath beene mercifull to us and given us time to repent but let us not proceed still in imitating their facts lest at length we be made partakers of their fall God of his infinite mercy prevent this in every one of us even for his Sonne our Saviour Jesus Christ's sake by whom and with whom in the unity of the holy Spirit be all honour and glory to the eternall Father world without end Amen FINIS