say straits and sufferings for God are not worth the name of straits David was often driven into straits 1 Sam. 30. 6. he was sore distressed when his Town was burnt and his Wives and Children taken captive by the Amalekites I but that was a distress of danger not of sin therefore he encourageth himself in the Lord his God Iehosaphat was in a great strait 2 Chron. 20. 12. We know not what to do saith he this was a strait of danger not caused by his sin and God quickly delivered him but the strait that David was in was caused by his sin and that made it so bitter I am loth to inlarge here Saint Paul was in a great strait Phil. 3. 23. but this was a blessed strait an Evangelical strait saith Saint Chrysostom He knew not whether to die for his own sake or to live for the Churches sake were best he was willing to adjourn his going to Heaven for the good of the people of God Nay christ was in a strait Luke 12. 15 I have a Baptism to be baptized withal and how am I straitned till it be accomplished I am to shed my blood for my Elect that is the Baptisme he speaks of This was a strait of dear affection to the Elect of God all these were blessed straits but now a strait caused by sin these are imbittered and envenomed by the guilt of sin and sense of Gods wrath It is sin that maketh straits deserve the name of straits therefore you are spiritually mad that commit sin to avoid straits 2. There is more evil in the least sin then in the greatest outward calamity whatsoever this the world will not beleeve therefore Saint Austin saith That a man ought not to tell a lye though he might save all the world from hell for there is more evil in one lye then there is good in the salvation of all the world I have often told you the story of Saint Austin saith he If hell were on one side and sin on the other and I must choos one I would choos hell rather then sin for God is the Author of hell but it is blasphemy to say he is the Author of sin There is a famous story of Charles the ninth King of France he sent a message to the Prince of Condy a zealous Protestant gives him three things to choose either to go to Mass or to be put to death or to suffer banishment all his life long saith he Primum Deo juvante nunquam eligo The first God helping I will never choose I abhor the idolatry of the Mass but for the two other I leave it to the choice of the King to do as he pleases there is more evil in the least sin them the greatest misery 3. The third thing I would have you consider that whosoever goeth out of Gods way to avoid danger shall certainly meet with greater danger Balaam went out of Gods way Numb 22. 22. and God sent an Angel with a drawn sword and he riding upon an Asse ver 26. the Angel stood in a narrow place where was no way to go from the right hand or from the left if his Ass had not fallen under him he had been run through by the sword of the Angel Ionah for fear of the King of Nineveh went out of Gods way but he met with a mighty Tempest he met with a Whale What do you do when you commit sin you make way to be cast into the eternal prison of hell you destroy your precious souls to save your perishing bodies Use 2. If sin be the father and mother of all perplexity and distresses then I beseech you let us above all things in the world abhor sin all the curses of the Bible are all due only to a sinner and all the curses not named in the Bible for that is observable Deut. 28. 36. every plague that is not written in the book shall light upon him there are strange punishments to the workers of iniquity Iob. 31. 3 Is not destruction to the wicked a strange punishment to the workers of iniquity sin it bringeth the sinner to little ease little ease at death little ease at the day of judgement and little ease in hell tribulation and anguish the word in the Greek is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 little ease to every soul that doth iniquity Oh my beloved will you promise me to look upon sin and consider it in all its woful consequents as the father mother and womb out of which come external eternal and internal straits more particularly there are twelve sins I especially command you to take heed of and avoid 1. Take heed of covetousness the love of the world will pierce you through with many sorrowes the love of money is the root of all evil the love of the world drowns men in perdition 2 Take heed of the sin of pride into what woful strait did pride bring Haman God crossed him in what he most desired God made him hold the stirrop while Mordecai rode in triumph and God hanged him on the Gallows which he had made for Mordecai 3. Take heed of drunkennesse look not on the wine when it gives its colour in the cup c. drunkennesse will bring you into snares it will bite like a Serpent and sting like an Adder c. 4. Take heed of disobedience and rebellion against the Commandements of God it brought Ionah to the three nights and three dayes in the Whales belly 5. Take heed of fornication and adultery and all uncleanness this brought Sampson to a woful strait this brought David and Solomon into great perplexity 6. Take heed of oppression and all acts of injustice this brought Ahab into a great strait insomuch that the dogs licked his blood 7. Take heed of unnecessary familiarity with wicked men this brought Iehoshaphat into a great strait 8. Take heed of mis-using the Prophets of God this made God destroy the Children of Israel without remedy 2 Chron. 36. 15 16. 9. Take heed of coming prophanely to the Lords Table this brought the Church of Corinth into a great distress insomuch as the Apostle saith For this cause many among you are sick and many weak and many fallen asleep 10. Take heed of loathing the Manna of your souls this brought the people of Israel into woful misery that God destroyed all their carcasses in the wildernesse save Ioshua and Caleb Take heed of slighting the Gospel this brought Queen Maries persecution as many learned and godly men that fled for Religions sake out of the Land have confessed their unthankfulnesse for and unfruitfulnesse under the Gospel in King Edward the sixth's time brought the persecution in Queen Maries time 11. Take heed of losing your first Love that makes God threaten to take away his Candlestick 12. Take heed of prophaning the Christian Sabbath which is much prophaned every where a day that Christ by his resurrection from the dead hath consecrated to be kept holy to God Certainly if
THE FIXED SAINT Held forth in a Farwell SERMON PREACHED At Mary-Aldermanbury London August 17. 1662. By Mr. EDMOND CALAMY LONDON Printed in the year 1662. To the Reader THe good acceptance that Mr. Calamy's work of faith and labour of love have found and the good success they have had among the people of God have encouraged us to the recommendation of these his last words wherewith he commended his people to God and the word of his Grace which is able to build them further and give them an inheritance among them that are sanctified to the world There is something considerable in the last words of all men so there are two things useful and seasonable in these 1. The cause of affliction to humble us 2. The use of affliction to instruct us by the one we learn That a living man should not complain a man for the punishment of his sin By the otherâ— we learn That though no affliction for the present seemeth joyous but is grievous yet it may yield the peaceable fruit of righteousness to them who are exercised thereby wherein we rejoyce though now for a season we are in heaviness through manifold temptations that the tryal of our faith being much more preciousâ— then that of gold might be found unto our praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Christ whom we have not seen yet love him in whom now though we see him not yet do we believe and rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of glory Mr. Calamies FAREWELL SERMON August 17th Ann. Dom. 1662. Sam. 24. 14. And David said unto Gad I am in a great strait let us fall now into the hand of the Lord for his Mercies are great and let me not fall into the hand of man IN which words we have three parts 1. Davids great perplexity and distress I am in a great strait 2. Davids resolution 1. Affirmative Let us fall into the hand of the Lord. 2. Negative Let me not fall into the hands of man 3. We have the reason of Davids choice For the mercies of God are great the mercies of wicked men are cruel therefore let me not fall into the hands of men but the mercies of God are many and great therefore let us now fall into the hands of God 1. For the first that is Davids great distress wherein we must speak 1. To the distress it self Then 2. To the person thus perplexed I am in a great strait David a great man David a godly man 1. In the perplexâ—ty it self we shall consisider 1. The reality of this perplexity 2. The greatness of it 1. For the reality of it after David had sinned in numbring the people God sends the Prophet Gad to him and puts three things to his choice as you may read in ver 12. God was determined to make David smart for numbring the people but leaves it to Davids liberty whether he would have seven years famine or three months to flee before his enemies or three dayes pestilence this was a posing Question and David had cause to be in a great strait for these objects are not amiable in their own nature they are objects to be avoided and declined in the first view of them they seem to be equally miserable therefore David had cause to say he was in a strait This perplexity was not only real but exceeding great I am in a great strait and there are two things made this so great 1. The greatness of the punishments proposed Famine Sword and Plague these are the three besomes with which God sweeps mankind from off the earth these are Gods three iron whips by which he chastiseth sinful man these are the three arrows shot out of the quiver of Gods wrath for the punishment of man they are as one calleth them Tonsurae humani generis In Revel 6. you shall read of four Horses when the four first Seals were opened a white horse a red horse a black horse and a pale horse after Christ had ridden on the white horse propagating the Gospel then follows the red horse a type of War then the black Horse an Hieroglyphick of Famine then the pale horse the emblem of Pestilence Now God was resolved to ride on one of these horses and David must choose upon which God should ride this was a great strait Let me present Davids lifting up his eyes to Heaven and speaking to God thus O my God what is this message thou hast sent me Thou offerest me three things I am in a strait I know which to refuse but which to choose I know not shall the Land of Canaan a Land flowing with milk and honey shall this Land endure seven years famine and be turned into a wilderness and dispeopled and shall I whose hands thou hast taught to fight and whose fingers to war shall I that have subdued all my enemies shall I in my old age and all my Captains fly three moneths before our enemies and be driven to Caves and Rocks to hide ourselves O thou my God who art my refuge shall I and my people be a prey to the pestilence that walketh in darkness and destruction that walketh at noon day O my God I know not what to do I am in a great strait 2. The second reason why this strait was so great was because of the guilt of sin that lay on Davids spirit for David knew that this severe message was the fruit of the sin he committed in numbring the people but you will say why was it a sin in David to number the people Moses had often numbred the people three times and it was not counted sin Iosephus answereth the sin of David was because he did not require the halfe Shackle he was to have had from all were numbred Exod. 30. 12. 13. Others said he sinned in numbring all ages whereas he was to number but from 20 years but these are but conjectural reasons I conceive the sin of David was because he did it without a lawful call and for an unlawful end siâ—e causa Legitima he sinned in the manner rather then in the matter for there was no cause for him to number the people but curiosity and no end but vain glory ofâ—srael â—srael and number the people that I may know the number of my people ver 2. Davids heart was lifted up with pride and creature-confidence he begins to boast of the multitude of his people and to trust in an arm of flesh therefore God sends the Prophet to David to prick the bladder of his pride as if God should say I will teach you to number the people by lessening the number of your people Now the burden of his sin did add much to the burthen of his heavy message ver 13. After David had numbred the people his heart smote him the message smites him and his heart smites him and he said I have sinned greatly in that which I have done now I beseech thee take away the
the Jews were so severely punished for breaking the Sabbath which was set apart in memory of the Creation surely God will severely punish those that break the Sabbath set apart in memory of Christs Resurrection May be some will say I have committed many of these sins but am not brought into any strait Remember it was nine months after David had numbred the people before he was in this strait but as sure as God is in heaven sin will bring straits sooner or later though a sinner a hundred yeares yet shall he be accursed may be thy posterity makes way for thy damnation and this is thy greatest distress that thou goest on in sin and prosperity Use 3. If sin bringeth a Nation into marvellous labyrinths learn what great caus we have to fear that God should bring this Nation into great distress because of the great abominations are committed in the midst of it our King and Sovereign was in great straits in the dayes of his banishment but God hath delivered him God hath delivered this Nation out of great straits but alas we requite God evil for good and instead of repenting for old sins we commit new sins I am told there are new oathes invented oaths not fit to be named in any place much lesse here Certainly the drunkenness and adultery the oppression and injustice the bribery and Sabbath breaking the vain and wicked swearing and for-swearing this Nation is guilty of must of necessity provoke God to say of us as he did of them in Ieremiah 15 29 Shall I not visit for these things saith the Lord shall not my soul be avenged on such a Nation as this God will not only punish us but be avenged on us There is no way to avoid a national desolation but by a national reformation Lastly learn what cause you of this Congregation and Parish what cause you have to expect that God should bring you into great straits because of your great unthankâ—ulness and unfruitfulness under the means of Grace you that have so long enjoyed the Gospel you have had the Gospel in this place in great abundance Doctor Taylor he served an apprenticeship in this place Doctor Staughton served another apprenticeship and I through divine Mercy have served three apprenticeships and half another almost among you you have had the Spirit of God seven and thirty years in the faithful ministry of the Word knocking at the door of your hearts but many of you have hardened your hearts Are there not some of you I only put the Question that begin to loath the Manna of your Souls and to look back towards Egypt again Are there not some of you have itching ears and would fain have Preachers that would feed you with dainty phrases and begin not to care for a Minister that unrips your Consciences speaks to your hearts and souls and would force you into heaven by frighting you out of your sins Are there not some of you that by often hearing Sermons are become Sermon-proof that know to sleep and scoffe away Sermons I would be glad to say there are but few such but the Lord knoweth there are too too many that by long preaching get little good by preaching insomuch that I have often said it and say it now again there is hardly any way to raise the pâ—ice of the Gospel-Ministry but by the want of it And that I may not flatter you you have not profited under the means you have enjoyed therefore you may justly expect God may bring you into a strait and take away the Gospel from you God may justly take away your Ministers by death or otherwise Have you not lost your first love why did God take away the Gospel from the Church of Ephesus but because they lost their first love Are you not like the Church of Laodicea that are neither hot nor cold therefore God may justly spew you out of his mouth what God will do with you I know not a few weeks will determine God can make a great change in a little time we leave all to God but in the mean time let me commend one Text of Scripture to you Ierem. 13. 16. Give glory to the Lord your God before he cause darkness anâ— before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains and while ye look for light he turn it into the shadow of death and make it grosse darkness Verse 17. But if you will not hear it my soul shall weep in secret places for your pride and mine eyes shall weep sore and run down with tears because the Lord's flock is câ—rried away captive Give glory to God by confessing and repenting of your sins by humbling your souls before the Lord before darkness come and who knoweth but this may preâ—â—nt darkness FINIS Causab Enthus l. 6. Cic. de Somnâ— l. 2. Arist de vitaâ— Morâ— l. 2. p. 118. Lam. 3. 39â— 1 Pet. 1 6 7 8