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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A69627	Two sermons viz. I. The diseases that make a stoppage to Englands mercies discovered and attended with their remedies : in a sermon delivered at Margaretson Fish-street-hill, London : II. A preperation for suffering in these plundering times / by William Bridge ...; Sermons. Selections	Bridge, William, 1600?-1670.; I. A.	1642 (1642)	Wing B4470; Wing B4464; ESTC R13183	21,550	38

became of it in the following part of the Chapter the Lord would have consumed the whole Congregation And Moses sayd to Aaron take a Censer and put fire therein from off the Altar and put on incense and go quickly unto the Congregation and make an atonement for them for there is wrath gone out from the Lord. vers 45.46 Oh my beloved I would to God we were not guilty here the Lord hath raised up a blessed and happy Parliament and hath made them instruments of much good unto this Kingdome some idolize and deisie them others again have accused them as traitors the great Senators and Judges of our Kingdome no lesse than traitors thus have the Instruments of the Lord been abused and how can this but make a stoppage in our mercy Object What is this to us we have not accused them that is done above Answ I pray do but consider the place diligently Numb 16. it is sayd Korah Dathan and Abiram and two hundred and fifty Princes men of renown rose up against Moses but wrath breaks out upon the whole Congregation and the Lord would have consumed them all why because they were not humbled And if upon all this evill that hath been done to the instruments of God we have not been humbled the wrath of God may breake out upon us all and justly it should be that a stop should be made in Englands mercy 4. Carrying on the worke of Reformation and the great affairs of the Church upon the shoulders of humane prudence will make a stoppage in the way of mercy You know that when David broughr back the Ark they were very cheerfull and went along withall nothing fearing at last Uzza layes his hand upon the Ark and is smitten a cloud ariseth David is dismayed a stop is made in the businesse what is the matter the Text tells us they carried the Arke upon the Cart and it should have been carried upon mens shoulders So when God is bringing back the Arke men set it upon a Cart and upon the shoulder of humane wisedome oh sayes one there is no government appointed in the Church it is a matter of humane prudence and so will you cart the Ark of God look that God will make a stoppage in mercy And this is another sin that provokes God to make a stoppage in our Englands mercy 5. In the fift place As prayer and humiliation does exceedingly further the worke of God in the hands of his people so the falling and slacking of the hands in those two works doth make a stop in mercy and hath done in our mercy In the 2 Kings 23. we read there that good King Josiah went a great way in the worke of Reformation the Law is brought out his heart trembles the images are pulled down he executes justice upon Baals Priests yet notwithstanding all he had done the Lord turned not from the fiercenesse of his wrath wherewith his unger was kindled against Judah vers 26. and vers 29.30 he went out to battell with Pharaoh Nechoh and Pharaoh Nechoh slew good King Iosiah oh what a stoppage was made in Iudas mercy what is the matter let us enquire into that here are two causes at the 26 vers you have mention made of Manassehs sin the Lord turned not from the fiercenesse of his great wrath wherewith his anger was kindled against Iudah because of all the provocations that Manasseh had provoked him withall the people were not thorowly humbled for their fathers sins and good King Iosiah goes up to war and did not seek the Lord before as he should have done So that want of humiliation and flacking in the worke of prayer made this stop On the contrary you shall read a notable place Ezra 8.21 22 23. when the Jews came out of Babilon to build the Temple they were way-layd by their enemies and in the midst of the field Ezra proclaims a Fast a strange kind of fasting and praying to be in the field so it was then in the field by the rivers side they go to fasting and prayer but Ezra might have had a guard from the King why had he not verse 22. For I was ashamed to aske of the King a band of Souldiers and horsemen to helpe us against the enemy in the way because we had spoken unto the King saying The hand of our God is upon all them for good that seeke him but his power and his wrath is against all them that forsake him so we fasted and besought our God for this and he was entreated of us Marke fasting and prayer was their convoy oh beloved what will not fasting and prayer do when we are beset with divers enemies there must be these two the slacking of these make a stop As for prayer first you know how it was with the Israelites when they fought against Amalek when Moses held up his hand Israel prevailed when he let fall his hand Amalek prevailed slacking in prayer made a stop And so likewise for humiliation there are two things that are opposite to that which makes a stop spirituall pride and also nice curiosity concerning the means of grace Spirituall pride makes a stop Paul was caught up into the third heaven and had great revelations but lest he should be proud and a stop should be made in that mercy a messenger of Sathan is sent to buffet him It is recorded of a Frenchman having read excellent Lectures of Divinity some of his auditors came to him and desired him that he would print them he was so puffed up withall as he broke out into this blasphemy Lord Jesus how art thou beholden to me if I had turned my wits against thee how much hurt could I have done thee whereupon he was stricken with such blindnesse ignorance and dulnesse as he was two yeare after learning the Lords Prayer this I speake to shew what a stoppage spirituall pride will make And for curious nicenesse about the means of grace 1 Sam. 6. The Arke being in the hands and Countrey of the Philistims they sent it back and so the Arke returning God was returning but at the 19 verse the Lord smote of the people fifty thousand threescore and ten men why because they had looked into the Arke of the Lord their foolish nicenesse and curiosity about the Arke what a stoppage it made in the way of mercy It is recorded by Historians that before the great massacre in France the Protestants were grown so curious about preaching that no preaching would down with them but acute sententious preaching Beloved both these are opposite to humiliation and where these two humiliation falls and prayer slacks there is a stoppage made then will the Lord say to Mercy stand go no farther For the present God be thanked there is a day of humiliation and a spirit of prayer up in the field but when of late the enemies began to fall how did men leave off prayer and began to insult over the enemies the Lord saw this

TVVO SERMONS VIZ. I. The Diseases that make a stoppage to ENGLANDS Mercies discovered and attended with their remedies IN A Sermon delivered at Margarets on Fish-street-hill LONDON By WILLIAM BRIDGE Preacher of Gods Word Thy destruction is of thy self but thy salvation is of me Except ye Repent ye shall all likewise perish LUKE 13. II. A preparation for suffering in these Plundering Times IT is Ordered by the Committee of the House of Commons in Parliament concerning Printing that this Book be printed John White London Printed for BENJAMIN ALLEN and are to be sold at his shop in Popes-head Alley 1642. To the Reader IT is Gods wont to warn before he smite a people thereby walking himself after his own rule Deut. 20.10 13. who would have no City to be destroyed till peace hath first been offered to it the sword of the Lord is ever drawn his bow bent his arows prepared his instruments of death made ready his cup mingled yet he doth not use to powre down his plagues untill he have rained a showre of mercie before them he doth not surprise men at unawares God never discharges his murthering peeces till he have first discharged his warning ones pax domini Luke 10. peace to this house was sounded at every doore where the Apostles came All Ages and Nations will bear witnesse to this truth the old world Sodom Pharaoh c. but no Nation or Age can better subscribe to Gods goodnesse and fair dealing in this then we who have been warned sometimes by prodigious signes as by the appearance of that wonderfull Comet An. 1618. as importing some strange changes which we have seen and heard since and as if its last influence might seem to end in this Island vvhen it blazed over England it was seen no more And Herlicius Stargardensis a noted Astrologer held that its influence was like to continue between twenty and thirty years sometimes by his Ministers by his administration of Justice and dealing with other Nations how long hath the sword walked circuit in Germany and in Ireland sometimes by lesser and lighter judgements how long hath the plague continued in this Citie without intermission sometime by taking many godly out of the world and the removing many others out of the Kingdom who were wont to stand in the gap sometime by a generall withdrawing himself pulling down his hangings not assisting his ordinances c. And unlesse we will wilfully shut our eyes how hath the goodnesse patience bounty mercifull and powerfull dealings of God towards us and for us of late been as an hand put forth to leade us home unto him to cause us to meet him and take warning that we might prevent these wasting calamities that are gathered together in a black cloud as though they meant to empty themselves in a showre of blood upon our heads But we are so far from taking warning that we study to hasten our own ruine almost every one instead of bringing his bucket of water to quench the fire that is already flaming about our ears bring their bellowes in their hands to blow up these coals of dissention in all places so that now not onely is there a Kingdome divided but the head and the members divided and the members among themselves Cities and Townes divided yea families divided Parents against children brother against brother and familiar friends become bitter enemies one to another the most sure symptome and presage of a fearfull desolation to fall upon all unlesse some speedie remedy be applyed to this desperate disease and the great God himselfe become our Phisitian and heale our distempers I shall desire to commend these two Sermons to thy sexious consideration in the one thou shalt see there is a stoppage made of Gods mercies who was coming to heal us but we would not be healed the causes are discovered and the remedies prescribed that could we so go to work to open these stoppings and bring God again into the way of his mercies could we see our sins removed and God returned I might then truly say that there would be yet hope for England The other Sermon is a preparative to bear that crosse that so many have already on their backs viz. of being turned out of all our earthly comforts a sad calamity indeed but now too usuall and when so many of our neighbours houses are on fire why should we think to escape scot-free that are as deep in sin as they being therefore forewarn'd let us be fore-arm'd and get into God and his favor as that one necessary thing for us all to look after as the onely means to keepe us from sinking under the waves that flow in upon all especially on Gods people experience shewing that if we vvill live in the power of godlinesse and not walk in the same excesse of riot with the world we shall make our selves a prey and had need to have our helmets on to latch the blowes that fall upon us and resolve to sit loose from the world that we may suffer the spoyling of our goods with joy and be able to say with that noble Spartan who being told of the death of his children Answered I know well they were all begot mortall 2. That his goods were confiscate I knew what was but for mine use was not mine 3. That his honor was gone I knew no glory could be everlasting on this miserable earth 4. That his sentence was to dye that is nothing Nature hath given the like sentence both of my condemners and of me Now should we get a stocke of faith and learn how to use it to live by it when our lands our stocks our trades our friends our wit our shifts as the ordinary means of our livelihood shall faile us That we may live not onely above our fears and troubles and doubts but above the world above our selves in God and in Christ in whom vve may see supply to all our vvants satisfaction to all our desires and have recompense for all our losses and every thing that may make for our good and welfare light in our darknesse life in our death strength in our weaknesse riches in our poverty and comfort our selves that we serve a Master that will one day right all our wrongs reckoning the injuries that be done to his as done to himselfe so that we should not think much to part with our Country our Children our Possessions our life if the world will take them from us for Christ and his Gospels sake All these and much better than these shall be restored to us one day and vve may say thus to our selves yet I am not miserable so long as my Redeemer is happy he lives and I shall live vvith him men may take from me my goods but they cannot rob me of my grace they may banish me from my Countrey but not from Heaven take from me my life but not my happines no my faith my heaven my soul my happines is in his keeping

the water your great Whale goes alone but your lesser Herring go by sholes On the earth the great Elephant goes alone your lesser sheep go by flocks and your Hogs by herds the lesser Sands infinite in number Rocks fewer And so with mens sins great sins they go alone but lesser sins go by companies and oftentimes the number of your lesser sins do make up what is wanting in the greatnesse of your sin A man may be drunk but once or twice in his life in the grosse act of it but he may be so often in drunken company and spend away so many hours which shall amount to drunkenness a man may commit adultery but once in his life but he may have as many unclean thoughts as shall amount to adultery So that what fals short in the greatnesse of sin is made up in the number and therefore say not why should God for a little sin turn out of the way of mercie it may be the number of your little sins amount to the greatest sin 3. Thirdly Beloved God will make good his Name to the utmost and his name is A Jealous God now a husbands jealousie arisech not when he sees his wife commit adultery but if he do but see her playing and sporting with a stranger so Gods jealousie ariseth not onely when we commit the grosse act of Idolatry when we bow before an Idoll but if we be sporting and playing with Superstition for God is a jealous God And though the husband do not see cause enough to turn away his wife because of her sporting and playing and dallying he may see cause enough to deny such a courtesie so God though he does not give a Bill of Divorce for such a sin which you count lesser yet he may see cause enough to make a stoppage in his proceedings of mercie Thus the Doctrine stands firm when God is in a way of mercie towards his people if they do sin against him their sins may make a stoppage in his proceedings By way of Application Vse Hence you may see what the reason is why there is a stop made now of late in our England mercies This last yeer God hath done great things for England as ever England saw and that man that sees it not I shall think that Scripture hath taken hold upon him which you have in Jer. 27.5 6. Cursed be the man that trusteth in man and maketh flesh his arm and whose heart departeth from the Lord for he shall be like the heath in the desart and shall not see when good cometh whether out of envie or malice but when good comes upon a people he shall not see it but who doth not see what a black cloud is drawn over us again When the waters swell and stand up you say surely there is a stop made the waters do not run down as before not long since Justice and Judgement did run down like a mighty stream but now how the waters swell gather and stand up again wicked men lye in prison and those not censured Priests and Jesuits lye condemned and chose not executed the Plague is begun and that is not quenched The Sword hath begun to drink deep in our Brethrens blood and that is not sheathed The wrath of our King is enkindled Divers of our Parliamentary Worthies accused of high Treason certainly there is a stoppage made in the proceedings of Englands mercies oh Beloved this our sin hath done Quest But you will say unto me Shall there be a stoppage made for ever in the mercies of England Answ You will finde for answer if you look into Scripture that there is a two-fold stoppage of mercie Finall and Present Finall as God was in a way of mercie towards Saul and was about to settle the kingdom upon him and his posterity for ever but he sinned and the Lord turned away from Saul and turned away from him for ever there was a finall stoppage of mercie made Now though there be a stop made in the way of Gods mercie towards England I conceive there is not a finall stoppage And my Reasons are these 1. Because that though many difficulties and mountains do arise yet we see how one after another they do melt 2. And because God hath raised up instrements that are unwearyed in his service working night and day and are unwearyed in the work of the Lord. 3. As also because that the type of this work does speak as much The children of Israels coming out of Babylon and building the Temple is a type of our coming out of Antichristian bondage and the great Reformation that is now begun Now then though there were many lets and hindrances by Tobiah and Sanballat and others they could never hinder it fully but it recovered its self and was driven on so in this building and worke of reformation though the Tobiahs and Sanballats of the times may cause the work to cease for a time the building shall get up and shall not fully cease but the work of Reformation shall be driven on in the despight of all the enemies Therefore it is not a finall stop now made in Englands mercies But there is a present stop as when the plague broke out in Davids time and such a stoppage is made now Quest But what evill and hurt is in this if a finall stoppage be not made Ans Is it nothing in your ears and in your hearts that the Lord should turn out of a way of mercy you read in the 2 Judg. when the Angel came with a message unto the people and told them that the Canaanites should be as thorns in their sides and a snare unto them they lift up their voice and wept and they called the name of the place Bochim you shall be brought into Canaan the promised land but the natives shall be so mixt amongst you as they shall be thorns in your sides hereupon they lift up their voice and wept and so though the work of Reformation be carried on the Canaanites may be left to be as thorns in your sides until Christ come Oh that we could lift up our voice and weep that the place might be called Bochim 2. When God breaks off the way of his mercy then his wrath breaks out he does not turn out of the way of his mercy but he turns into the way of his judgement Why to a loving childe this is a very cutting word your father is angry with you I may speak this to you there is a stop made in Englands mercy and your father is angry this is much 3. If there be a stoppage made in Englands mercy though but present there is an obstruction in all your comforts you are sensible of the obstructions of your body will you not be sensible of State obstructions of Church obstructions Suppose you were in Ireland begirt with the enemy and were in danger to have your convoy cut off that should bring you victuall and supply would it not make you feare