not the chiefe Butler remember Joseph but forgot him 2. Be ashamed to contenme and despise the mercies you have received from God There are many like the Israelites in Babylon that liked their habitations in Babylon so well that when Cyrus gave them leave to goe to Jerusalem they would not leave Babylon to goe to Jerusalem So there are many that like their former condition under the innovation so well that they had rather continue in Babylon still than accept of the reformation offered That begin to say of Mannah We have nothing but this Mannah and to wish for the Garlicke and Onions of Egypt againe This is a grievous abomination God was very angry with the Israelites for this sin he sent plagues upon plagues among them for it And when at last they brought an evill report upon the land of Canaan and as David saith Psal. 106 despised the holy land refusing to go into it God was so provoked with this sin that he would not pardon it but set them back again 40. yeares and destroyed their carkasses in the wildernesse Would to God I could not say that there are some among us that raise up an ill report upon the reformation intended as if the Parliament had a purpose to bring in an Anarchie to reduce every thing into its first Chaos to leave every man to do what is good in his owne eyes as when there was no King in Israel And upon this false rumour they despise the blessed Canaan that we are going into Oh let us be ashamed and confounded to commit this sinne This will make God carry us backe againe to the wildernesse 3. Be ashamed to distrust God and his power in time of great difficulty having received so many and so great deliverances We are for the most part like the children of Israel who although they were by a mighty hand brought out of Egypt and through the red Sea c. yet upon every strait they began presently to murmure and to thinke of making a Captaine to returne to Egypt never considering the iron bondage they endured in Egypt God hath brought us out of the Egyptian bondage and carried us through a red sea of dangers and yet when wee meete though but with the news of any Giants or Anakins we begin presently to distrust and to say Can God prepare a table in the wildernesse can God make a way through the hoasts of the Phiâ—…istines And some of us begin to wish that things had remained as at first This is a horrible sinne after so many mercies As Austin saith of Jesus Christ He that will not beleeve in Christ after so many miracles without a new miracle he himselfe is a great miracle So he that will distrust God after so many miraculous mercies is himselfe a miracle of unbeliefe How often hath God appeared in the mount these two last yeares as if he had resolved to take up his dwelling there How many mountaines of opposition have melted before you as mountaines of snow before the Sun Be ashamed be ashamed O house of England to distrust God after so many mercies 4. Be ashamed to be cowardly and faint hearted in the cause of God that hath so mightily appeared for us I remember the storie of Nehemiah Chap. 6. It is there said That when the enemies heard that the worke of the building of the Temple prospered beyond their expectations thâ—…y accused Nehemiah of treason against the King and when that plot did not succeed they bore him in hand as if some Assassinat had conspired his death And all this was done to make him afraid But he was above all feare shall such a man as I fly saith he shall such a man as I feare and finished the worke insomuch as that when the enemies heard thereof they were much cast downe for they perceived that this worke was wrought of God Remember that the fearfull are put not onely among unbeleevers murderers whoremongers sorcerers Idolaters c. but in the forefront of them all Be not afraid to incounter difficulties When Peter came up to the iron gate it opened to him of its owne accord 5. Be ashamed to abate and coole in the worke of the Lord God will spue out a lukewarme Christian When Moses let downe his hands Amaleck prevailed if you coole but a little the adversaries will waxe hot There are many that labour to cast water upon your zeale but remember the cause is Gods and say with David It is before the Lord I will be more vile still The people of God will honour you though Michol scoffe at you It is a great mercie that God hath kept us from blood God hath left our blood in our veines let it boyle up in the cause of God 6. Be ashamed to injure the instruments by which God conveyes these mercies unto us When Corah and his company rebelled against Moses and Aaron then came the plague As we must not idolize so we must not injure the golden pipes through which these mercies flow unto us 7. Take heed of being ashamed of the cause of Christ God hath not beene ashamed to appeare for us let us not be ashamed to appeare for him Remember that thundring speech Mark 8. 38. Whosoever shall be ashamed of mee and my words in this adulterous and sinfull generation of him also shall the Sonne of man be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy Angels It is not enough not to be ashamed of Christ in a good generation but we must not be ashamed of him in an adulterous and sinfull generation 8. Let us neither pride our selves in our mercies nor waxe wanton in our mercies It is recorded in the French History that when the Protestants of France began to grow wanton of their peace and prosperity and began to affect a vaine and frothy way of preaching theâ—… came the cruell massacre upon them 2. I will briefly name some speciall and heroicall Uses which we are to make of Gods mercies besides this use in the Text 1. Do something O house of England for the honour of the Lords day which hath beene much prophaned not onely in our practises but in our Doctrines Christ Jesus hath two dayes The day of the Lord which is the day of judgement And the Lords day If you looke to appeare with comfort at the day of the Lord honour the Lords day There is a day of the Lord for those that abuse the Lords day Do something to make this day more honourable by way of spirituall satisfaction 2. Do something to purge the Land more and more of the innocent blood of the Martyrs in Queene Maries dayes by the Lawes that were then established Oh that in our publike Fasts a clause might be interlaced To command the Land to be humbled for that bloody sinne that so the Nation might be freed from the guilt of that blood This will be an heroicall worke worthy
way Whereas other Nations have travailed through blood to a reformation All things are managed among us without blood-shed blessed be God Thirdly to doe it in a praying way not by the weapons of war but by the weapons of the Church Prayers and Teares In stead of fighting we have Fasting and in stead of the enemies drummes we have Aarons bels sounding in our eares Our people have prayed up a reformation Fourthly to doe all this for us when we were in a most desperate condition when all our faithfull Ministers with one lippe preached desolation and destruction when thousands had left us as Rats Mice doe a house when it is ready to fall when we lay among the pots fullyed with superstition for God then to begin to make us as the wings of a Dove covered with silver and her feathers with yellow gold to make us a glorious Church to purge out our drosse and whatsoever gives just offence and to make us white as the snow in Salmon It is reported of Salmon That it is an high hill shadowed with trees darke and full of pits but when the snow is upon it it is white Our condition was like the hill of Salmon we were in darke and dismall condition full of pits and snares but God is making us white as the Snow in Salmon and all on the suddaine contrary to all expectation is opening a doore of hope for us when we were in the valley of Achor This is an admirable circumstance Fiftly to doe all this for such a sinfull Nation as England a Nation which hath ingrossed all those sins for which God hath destroyed other Nations as namely Contempt of the Gospell Countenancing of Idolatry loathing of Manna Crying downe Preaching 〈◊〉 the Idoll of England preaching against Preaching Teaching for good doctrine That Bishops and tithes are Jure Divino and yet the Lords day is but Jure humanâ—… crying up the holines of Churches and at the same time crying downe the frequency of Preaching in these Churches exalting the holines of places and at the same time depressing the holinesse of persons and the holines of the Christian Sabbath A nation guilty of Apostasie Opposition to Reformation Bitternesse against the people of God loaded with blood-guiltinesse blasphemies adulteries oppression drunkennes covetousnes and such like sinnes Sixthly And to doe all this for such a Nation and not for other Nations Not for Germany not for Ireland Although we drinke as deepe of the cup of sinne as they yet that God should give us no cup but a cup full of mercy to drinke off to make us like Goshen when all other Protestant Nations are plagued as Egypt O what a rare Circumstance is this These mercies and these circumstances are so great and so wonderfull as that if I had as many tongues as haires on my head they would not all suffice to set out the praises of God for them And indeed I can hardly forbeare from turning this day of humiliation into a day of thanksgiving Surely God requires a thousand thousand Hallelujahs And that we should blesse him upon a thousand stringed Instrument Here is fewell enough The Lord kindle a great fire in every one of our hearts to burne out all our lusts to infiame our cold hearts with the love of such a God and to make us ashamed and confounded that ever wee should sinne against him The second part of the Text is the Author of these mercies in these words I will doe this saith the Lord God Here I observe That the deliverances that come to a Nation come from Jehovah Adonai Nationall mercies come from the God of Nations And that all the world may take notice that mercies come from God he ordinarily doth two things First he delivers Nations at suâ—…h times and when they are in such straites as that none but a God can deliver them Thus he delivered his people out of Egypt when they were in their worst estate Cum duplicantâ—…r lateres tunc venit Deus thus he delivered his people out of Babylon when they were as dry bones in the grave past hope this is a time fit for a God to worke as it is Deut. 32. 36. The Lord shall judge his people and repent himselfe for his servants when he seeth that their power is gone and that there is none shut up or left Hee delivers Nations by such wayes and such meanes that none but a God can doe First By little meanes Thus he tels Gideon The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands lest Israel vaunt themselves against me saying Mine owne hand hath saved me and therefore he brings the Army from 32 thousand to ten thousand and from ten thousand to three hundred and afterwards delivers them without the helpe of these three hundred by Trumpets Pitchers and Lamps Thus he delivered Israel from a huge hoast of Philistims by the help of Jonathan and his Armor-bearer And in 2 Kings 3. 22 23. he makes a fancy to be the foundation of a great victory the Sun shines upon the water and the Moabiâ—…es conceive it to be the blood of the Israelites and by this fancy were vanquished Secondly By unlikely meanes Thus God preserved Noah by an Aâ—…ke wherein he was buryed as in a darke sepulcher dwelling among wilde beasts floating on the waters without a Pilot to guide him onely the Text saith God shut him in and by his power kept him from sinking Thus God made the Jaylor an unlikely Instrument to wash the stripes of Paul and Silas and Revel. 12. 16. he makes the earth to helpe the Woman that is the basest and the most unlikeliest of the people Thirdly By contrary meanes Thus Jonah was preserved from drowning by a Whale and was kept vivus in sepulchro thus Joseph was made Lord of Egypt by being cast into prison and the blinde man cured with clay and spittle a way more likely to put out his eyes than to cure him Fourthly Without any meanes at all And thus God delivered his people out of Babylon For when God turned againe the captivity of Sion saith David they were like unto them that dreame now men know not what they shal dreame of when they go to bed we dreame of strange things wee doe not study our dreames such was their deliverance out of Babylon a strange unsâ—…ught 〈◊〉 for deliverance just as a dreame now God doth all this that it might appeare that deliverances come not from secondary causes but from his owne arme and power Let this Doctrine be an other Looking-glasse for this Nation Englands mercies come from the God of England we may truely say with David If the Lord had not beene on our side if the Lord had not beene on our side when men rose up against us they had swallowed uâ—… up quicke and the streames had gone over our soules There is not onely the finger
to commit Hezekiâ—… though a good King yet he sinned after mercy when he was recovered of his sicknesse his heaâ—…t was lifted up with pride Lots Wife also as soone as ever she was delivered out of Sodome began to Apoâ—…tize Nâ—…y Lâ—…t himselfe after he had received so great a merâ—…y and had seene so fearefull a judgement yet when he came to Zâ—…r he was drunke and committed incest which he never did while he was in Sodome And Noah also when he came out of the Aâ—…ke was made drunke which he never was when he lived among the wicked in the old World And David also when delivered from all his enemies then he said in his prosperity he should never be moved and then he lay with Bathsheba and murdered Uriah And therefore if we be guilty of this sinne Let us be deepely humbled for it before the Lord this day There is no sinne that doth more provoke God to anger or sooner cause him to destroy a Nation and to destroy it utterly than this sinne To sinne after mercy under mercy and with mercies So it is said Ezra 9. 13 14. Seeing thou O God hast given us suâ—…h a deliverance as this should we againe breake thy Commandements and joyne in affinity with the people of these abominations wouldst thou not be angry with us till thou hadst consumed us so that there should be no remnant nor escaping To sinne after mercy and with mercy procures universall and utter destruction Because I called and ye refused I have stretched out my hand and no man regarded I also will laugh at your calamity I will mocke when your feare commeth c. God is never more angry than when he laughs Quod Deus loquitur cum risu id tu legas fâ—…etu We have never more cause to weepe than when God laughs Zach. 7. 13 14. Therefore it is come to passe that as he cryed and they would not heare so they cryed and I would not heare saith the Lord of Hoasts but I scattered them with a whirlewind among all the Nations whom they knew not thus the laud was desolate after them There are divers reasons besides the reasons before named why this sin to sin with the mercies of God should be such a God-provoking such a Land-destroying sin which I the rather mention that they may be forcible helps to humiliation which is the proper worke of this day Because mercy in it selfe is so rare and excellent a jewell bestowed upon England purposely to serve God withall that to abuse it to the dis-service of God must needs be a God-provoking sin for these rules in Divinity are very cleare 1. The greater the person is we sin against the greater the sin as to offer an affront to a King is a greater offence than to injure a common Gentleman 2. The better the person is against whom we sin and the more good we expect from him or have received from him or the more need we have of him the greater is the offence to offer wrong unto him Now mercy is the greatest and chiefest of Gods attributes In themselves Gods attributes are all equall but in regard of our necessities as oyle swims above all other liquors as the Eagle is the chiefe of birds the Lion of beasts gold of metals so mercy is the chiefe of all Gods attributes and therefore to sin with mercy must needs be a horrible sin Mercy is an attribute that we al stand in need of the best of men need mercy as well as the worst of men Mercy it is the best friend we have indeed the only friend in Gods bosome to plead for us it is the only Orator and Embassador to intercede for us it is the only fiery chariot to carry us up to heaven When Justice pleads against us at Gods barre we have no refuge but to his Mercy-seat And therefore to abuse so deare a friend as mercy and so great a friend as mercy and such a pretious friend and such a necessary friend must needs make us ashamed if not past shame and must needs provoke God to anger though he be full of mercy especially if we consider the superlative mercies that God hath bestowed upon England for this is another rule in Diuinity The more elevated and the moâ—…e distinguishing any mercy is the greater the sin to abuse it to sin Corruptio optimi pessima the best things abused prove the worst sins Because he that sins with the mercies of God fights against God with his owne weapons which must needes provoke God Suppose a man should come into a Smiths shop and take up the Smiths owne hammer and knocke him on the head this were to commit a double sin not onely to kill the Smith but to kill him with his owne hammer Such a double sin are they guilty of who the more wit they have the more they plot against God and the more health and honour and wealth the more they despise God and his Commandements with their wealth and honour If a Chirurgeon should freely bestow paines and charge to cure a man of a lame hand and he should as soone as ever he is cured kill this Chirurgeon with his cured hand this were a horrible ingratitude and a provoking sin Thus do they that when they are delivered from sicknesse and made whole fall presently to sinning against God with their health This sin is so great that the Apostle cries out Shall I take the members of Christ and make them the members of an Harlot God forbid the word in the Syriake is God forgive God forbid God forgive I should be so vile and wicked Because he that sinneth with the mercies of God turnes the greatest good into the greatest evill and brings darknesse out of light which is a worke proper to the devill It is Gods worke to bring light out of darknesse good out of evill but it is the devils worke to bring evill out of good Now to sin with Gods mercies is to bring the greatest evill out of the greatest good To bring the darknesse of sinne out of the light of mercy It is to act a devill which God must needes abhorre and which will certainely bring uâ—… to the devill To sin with mercy is to make mercy to be our adversary And if mercy plead against a Nation then looke for speedy destruction Mercy is our best friend as you have â—…eard but when we sinne against it we turne our chiefest friend into our bitterest enemy and mercy it selfe cryes to God against us and the cry of mercy cryes louder against us than the cry of justice As poyson when it is mingled with sweete Wine the Wine puts strength into the poyson and makes it more powerfull so the sweet mercies of God when they are mingled with our sins put strength into our sins and make them more powerfull to destroy us In the tenth of Judges 11. God brings in his deliverances to plead against