also in themselves against God without consideration of the iniquity of their Fathers and therefore they deserve as much punishment as can be inflicted on them To tâ—is I answer 't is most true we are great sinners and we cry out with the Church in the Lamentations Woe unto us for we have sinned and for our sins sake our Crowne is fallen we have grievously transgressed against the Lord and therefore the breath of our nostrills the Annoynted of the Lord hath been taken in the pits or deceived by the fraudulent pretences of the crafty and we thereby hindred from enjoying the pleasing influence of his wonted protection for our sins against the most high it is that our Princes and Nobles are not honoured that many of those who did feed delicately are driven even to desolation and that those who were brought up in Scarlet embrace dunghills for our sinnes sake our Priests sigh and our Prophets are despised by meanes of them it is that our Adversaries are the chiefe our Enemies prosper and servants beare rule over us our sinnes are the cause of all our sorrowes and although our burden be extreame great we must confesse with holy Esra That God hath punished us lesse then our iniquities have deserved But yet are there not with them that magnifie themselves against us that insult over us that take upon them to destroy us are there not with them also even with them sinnes against the Lord their God Solomon saies there is a Generation that is pure in their owne Eyes yet are not washed from their filthinesse were men without sinne as Christ was they would be like him in conditions and not bloudy not cruell nor yet provoking thereunto were they the Children of their Heavenly Father they would surely be like him mercifull as he is mercifull nay did they know God or Christ truly they would never thinke or teach that to kill men were to doe God service our Saviour tells us Iosh. 16.2 3. The time would come that some should thinke they doe God service in killing you and gives this reason why they should thinke so because saies he they have not knowne the Father for me qd though they may boast that they are the onely people and Children of God stirred up of him to rid the world of those they call his enemies whom to kill they shall entitle the work of God and to helpe the Lord and his Church but if they did know the true nature and condition of me and my Father they would be of another judgement and farre enough from delighting in sheddinâ— of blend I think there is no man but hath cause to believe thaâ— the times there prophesied of are these that we are fallen into and I wish with my soule that M. Marshall and all his bloudy factiâ—n would but sâ—riously in their coole and retired thoughts meditate upon that saying of our Saviour But againe suppose that these men of bloud were without sinne themselves and we were the only they that have offended yea suppose we had throughly deserved at their hands what they have determined against us yet Crimine quo parvi caedem potuere mereri what offences have our tender Infants done that they should deserve this intended Butchery an satis est jam posse mori is it â—rime suâ—ficient that God hath given them a life to loose O malé concordes nimiaque cupidine câ—eci sanguinis O cruell Professors how evilly doe these your conditions agree with the Gospell which you professe How strangely hath the thirst of bloud put out the Eyes both of grace and nature in you Here are bella plusquám civilia indeed Warres worse then Civill nay more then barbarous jusque datum scoleri and priviledge given to wickednesse under pretence of Godlinesse O unhappy England that hast been the Mother of such Monsâ—ers Caucasus and Lybia must now give place unto thee O that I were able to bewaile sufficiently thy present miseries which thine ungratious Children have brought upon thee and still do labour to perpetuate in thee I shall take up only the words of Lucan aâ— most proper to thee Nobilitas cum plebe porit latéque vagatur Ensis a nullo revocatum est pectore ferrum Stat cruor in templis multaque rubentia caede Lubrica saxa madent nulli sua profuit aetas Non senis extremum piguit vergentibus annis Praecipitâsse diem nec primo in limine vitae Infantis miseri nascentia rumpere fata Thy Noble and thy vulgar bloud The cruell sword doth spill It spares no persons great or good In every place to kill Thy sacred Temples are defil'd With heaps of slaughter'd men Whose streames of purple gore have spoyl'd The stones that blush agen Youth nought avayles from death to free Nor can age pitty crave The gray hair'd Syre must tumbled be With swords into his grave The wretched Babe that 's newly sprung From wofull Mothers wombe Must 'gainst the pikes or walls be slung And scarcely deign'd a tombe And these O England are the workes of thine owne unnaturall and rebellious Children even of those that have been oft intreated by thy Religious King to give thee but leave to enjoy thy wonted Happinesse O what reall obstructions that hindred thy good might not they most easily have removed by keeping in the pathes of Christian Loyalty what blessings could they have wished from an indulgent Father which have not been tendred them by the King nay how frequently both by requests and proffers of occasions hath He even courted them to tye their Country to themselves for ever in love and affections How hath Soveraignty stooped below it selfe for securing the Subjects felicity offering Bonds as it were to ingage it selfe even unto captivity but alasse alasse Civilia bella Gesturi metuunt ne non cum sanguine vincant these Savage men having a purpose to wage a Civill Warre were afraid to prevaile without doing mischiefe or to conquer without bloud sed quis furor ô caeci scelâ—rum what strange madnesse to act evill hath seized upon your spirits O you blind men what can you imagine will be the conclusion of these courses will Bloud yeeld you benefit will Warre afford you wealth will that which you make yours by violence dwell long with you Have you no Bowells left in you towards your bleeding Mother your native Country O behold behold in one place a wofull Brother stands weeping over his dead Brother whom himselfe perhaps hath kill'd by your incitements in another see a distraughted Mother tearing her Hayre and rending her heart for the Children of her wombe who by your meanes and setting on have slaughtred one another and Rachell-like can receive no comfort because they are not see here a loving friend embalming with teares his friends body or rather bedewing his Cheeks because he cannot among those heaps of mangled Corpses discerne or know the body of his friend that the might so imbalme it see there
now distressed in Ireland So that he conceives it seasonable as I apprehend him in respect of the day or the duty thereon to be performed yet the pretended occasion of that dayes meeting as I take it was to pray and not to curse I did never read that bitter cursing was ever injoyned as any part of the duty of a fast day and therefore no marvaile if the fruits of such fasting dayes have proved so bitter to the whole Nation I have heard both M. Marshall and other Ministers of that Faction at some fifty or sixty miles distance inveigh most bitterly against the Cavaleers for their Cursing and Swearing the report whereof doubtlesse they did receive from some good hand for to my griefe and sorrow I find that notwithstanding his Majesties Military Articles and frequent Proclamations to the contrary many that have Relation to his Armies are most extreamly given over to that hellish sinne for in that particular they rather chuse to follow M. Marshalls doctrine then that of their owne Ministers who dislike the same they thinke they may practice Cursing as lawfully as he preach it though I beleeve they mistake him therein for he would have onely those of his owne side to whom he preacheth to practice the same and not the Cavaleers to whom it doth not belong nor indeed in respect of their cause so well become But such is mans nature Nittimur in vetitum in wayes of sinne one will strive to out goe another And let M. Marshall say what he can the Cavaleers will account those in Rebellion against the King as worthy of Curses as they on the other side can account them But this I must say of the Cavaleers I could never observe any of them so transcendently bold as to fancy they did helpe God or his cause by their Cursing nor yet to professe publiquely that the Fast day was a day seasonable for the practice thereof nor dare we who are Ministers among them teach any such doctrine for we have not so learned Christ no but let M. Marshall and all his side know that we thinke we are bound in Conscience upon the Fast dayes to discover the horrid nature of the sinne of Swearing and of Cursing others even to the faces of those we conceive guilty of it endeavouring thereby to humble their soules for it And we pray our selves and teach others that 't is the duty of Christians to pray for all and to curse none no not those that are for the present Enemies to God or to themselves who thirst for the ruine of Christs Gospell and of the defender and Professours of it we hope and pray for their Conversions for we know not but God may call them at the eleventh houre onely we pray that their mischievous imaginations against the Lord and against his Annoynted and servants may never prosper that their Hypocrisie may be discovered that so the simple well meaning People may no longer be deluded by them we pray Fill their faces with shame of their owne doings that they may seeke thy Name O Lord We conceive that cursing of others on the Fast day would rather appeare to be an act of Pride in us and of selfe justification then of selfe condemnation which is the proper act of a Fast day we hope that those Prayers which we put up for our bloud-thirsty Enemies as they are most selfe denying so are they most suteable to the worke of Humiliation and if they prove not effectuall in their behalfe for whom they are made yet in the end they will through Gods gratious acceptance by Christs meanes prove most beneficiall and comfortable to our selves And we thinke we helpe the Lord and his cause best when we walke onely in that way which himselfe doth lead us in and wherein his cause alwayes at the last hath best thrived and prospered and that hath been not the high way of Cursing and selfe advancing but the low way of praying and selfe denying yea we apprehend that 't is the strength of God alone that must pull downe his Enemies and maintaine his owne cause which he will undoubtedly doe by some meanes or other when his wronged and afflicted people are fit for mercy and deliverance and are brought to kisse the rod which beats them and this we tell them they shall doe when they leave cursing their Enemies and with appeasednesse of Spirit can pray for them this is the doctrine which we Preach unto them to be practised on the Fast day and on every day and I beseech God give to every one of the Kings Subjects and People grace to follow it We read Ezek. 22.30 That in a time of generall Calamity God sayes that he sought for a man to make up the Hedge and stand in the gap before him that he might not destroy the Land but he found none Had God looked for Cursers or if they could have done the deed doubtlesse he might in those dayes as well as now have found many for 't is an easier thing to nature and more common to curse Enemies then to pray for them but he looked for a man that should act Moses part who stood in the breach and prayed for them and so was a meanes to preserve them The Story it selfe is worth our observance God offered to make Moses a great man yea a mighty Nation if he would but give him leave to destroy those rebellious Israelites who sure were Gods Enemies for He doth not use to destroy his friends But Moses would not yeeld though he might have come to great preferment by it Had he been of M. Marshalls mind he would have thought it his duty not onely to have left praying for them whereby he held Gods hands but also to have fell a revileing reproaching and doing them all the mischiefe that possibly he could and so have helped the Lord more quickly to have destroyed them But surely that selfe denying course of Moses was more acceptable and pleasing to God then this other of Mr Marshall would have been And I beleeve for my part that God on the Fast dayes when we meet togeather to helpe him and his cause doth expect from us even such like prayers as Moses offered and doth look that we his Ministers should call upon people in that way and manner to afford their assistance and I verily believe had M. Marshall and all the Ministers on his side so done the distressed people in Ireland which he seems so specially to commiserate had been better helped then they have been for let us but consider a little by the way more fully to evidence M. Marshalls mistake what great benefit this Cursing doctrine hath reached out to the afflicted Protestants in that Kingdome Soon after the Preaching of this Sermon which was Feb. 23. 1641. The predominant part of his Auditory their hearts being thereby fitted and prepared to Cruelty fell to put the same in practice for hereupon the lands of that Nation were exposed to
with the names of Malignants Devills and Doggs would undertake with the hazard of their lives to prove that cause which they maintaine suffer in and are persecuted for by them who ingrosse to themselves the name onely of Gods people to be that cause which Scripture warranteth But neither the Arrians nor Papists nor any other the Enemies of Gâ—ds truth when they had once got the Militia or power into their hands would ever referre themselves or cause to Scripture No more now will these men the Arme of flesh indeed now they are possessours of it is more suteable to their purpose to defend them And truly to all them who are not extreamly blinded this is a most convincing Argument that the cause which M. Marshall and his Faction call good is starke naught because it shuns the light they dare not bring it to a publick disputation good Gold would endure the fire and a good Cause would loose nothing by a tryall And indeed for M. Marshall since his whole endeavours are to promote that cause I wonder knowing his ancient ingenuity that he should â—ot bring so much as one Argument to evidence the goodnesse of it can he thinke the matter so unquestionable that it needs no proving or that all men looke with his Eyes and have captivated their faith and judgements to the censure of the Parliament as himselfe hath done must a thing of necessity be true or false as the Parliament judgeth because they say their owne cause is good and the Kings bad themselves are in the right and he in the wrong must it therefore by all men without Haesitation be so taken must all men build upon M. Marshalls foundation and walke by that unwarrantable rule which he hath chosen to walke by there is no reason he should expect it And now least any should thinke that I mistake M. Marshall I will Evidence that he doth fancy his Parliament to be infallible and that he hath submitted his owne faith and judgement to its determination I will to this purpose give you his owne words in a certaine Letter of his to a namelesse Friend it was written in vindication of himselfe from the imputation of madnesse and published to the world in Midsommer moone last yeare 1643. In which after he had handled his case of Divinity as he calls it and proved as himselfe fancieth the lawfulnesse of resisting the Supreame Magistrate though most poorly indeed and most unlike his former selfe as all who knew him may easily judge He comes Pag. 22. to a second case which he calls matter of fact and therein forgetfull of himselfe and of that Scripture Thou shalt not speake evill of the Ruler of the People he falls foule upon the King and like a mad man indeed layes load upon his Soveraigne saying that His Majesty being seduced by wicked Councell did levy Warre against his Parliament He meanes at that time for of then he speaketh when the Parliament raised their first Army which he sayes was onely in their owne defence and it was at that present when the King had neither Men nor Armes nor Ships left him nor scarce mony to buy himselfe and Children bread for they had robbed and cheated him of all And therefore well may the question be asked M. Marshall what Evidence there was of the Kings leavying Warre and I beleeve his Conscience expected the same and thereupon provided his Answer ready in the same place which sure himselfe thinkes abundantly full and able to give all men satisfaction my great Evidence sayes he is the Parliament judgeth so 'T is worth our observation no evidence he had of any word or Act of Hostility on the Kings part for this he sayes was his great Evidence a greater then which he could not shew nor needs he as himselfe supposeth for he proceeds further and sayes the Iudgement of a Parliament of England was never till now questioned by a people of England And yet we read of a Parliament in England called the mad Parliament and of another called the wicked Parliament and Posterity will find mention of a Bloudy and deceitfull Parliament the Iudgement of the first of these was surely questioned by some people of England when they intitled it an Assembly of Rebells and so was the wisedome of the second when all the Lawes made therein were afterward annihilated therefore I may much more truly affirme that a King of England never received so much prejudice and unchristian usage as now by any Parliament in England But the man goeâ— on still to amplifie the Supremacy and infallibility of his present Parliament and addeâ— wisemen say and so doth he that a Parliament of England 't is this he means is like Saint Pauls spirituall man as Satan is to an Angell of light who iudgeth all himselfe is iudged of none O I would to God it were not onely like but endued with the same spirit that St Pauls spirituall man is endued withall for then I am sure it would be lesse bloudy and more obedient But here by the way we may conjecture that M. Marshall will never hence forth finde fault with the Popish Collyer for blindly beleeving as the Church beleeves who thinkes it his owne duty to beleeve as the Parliament Iudgeth And here also let 's note the reason which too few observe why he and others of that side doe conceive as appeares by their practice that telling of untruths breaking of Oathes resisting and defaming the King shedding of innocent bloud and such like things are in these dayes if some men commit them no sinnes this doubtlesse is their great Evidence The Parliament judgeth so But seeing we have heard M. Marshall thus farre let 's listen to him a little further The Iudgement of his Parliament is not onely a sufficient ground for his Faith but for his practice also For he proceeds in his discourse and from the supposed infallibility and Supremacy of his Parliament makes this Collary And therefore if I should give none other account of mine entring upon my office in the Army which was not to fight or to meddle in the Councell of Warre but onely to teach them how to behave themselves according to the word that God might be with them should I I say give no other account but the determination of that wise Assembly I should be acquitted by indifferent men Indeed they must be very indifferent men that will acquit him indifferent for honesty and discretion indifferent whether thâ—y â—peake truly or falsely rightly or wrongfully indifferent whether they speake like wisemen or like fooles such kind of indifferent men will likely enough indeed acquit M. Marshall but for other kind of men I beleeve they would have acquitted him better if when he entred upon his office in the Army he had been preaching Peace and obedience to his Parish and Charge at Finchingfield But that passage of M. Marshall is worthy our further observance that he sayes His entring upon his Office
Christians to the end that their own designes may succeed the better at home they dare not doe any evill to others that good may come thereby unto themselves nor doe they in any sort allow of that distinction which one of M. Marshalls Auditory did make with the approbation doubtlesse of some fellow Members that though evill may not be done to further the private good of any man yet to further the publique Cause it may No the People of God dare not be so wise as to use any meanes but what they may with confidence from the word expect Gods blessing upon for Gods People rest chiefly upon God for helpe they live by saith accounting as M. Marshall saies the Battaile not theirs but Gods whose cause is united to the cause of his people when Asaph saies M. Marshall had laid downe the Churches sufferings Psal. 74. the pulling down of their Synagogues the wasting of their Country the reproach and scorne cast upon them by their enemies he doth v. 22. 23. interest God in all this From which quotation of M. Marshalls we may also note for our purpose by the way that the pullers downe of Churches the wasters of their Country the casters of reproach and scorne upon their betters are the Enemies of Gods Church and people and so also of himselfe indeed the Psalmist in plain words calls them Gods adversaries Thine Adversaries roare in the midst oâ— the Congregations they set up their Banners for tokens they breake downe the carved worke in thy Temples with Axes and Hammers they have set fire upon thine Holy places and have defiled by casting downe the dwelling place of thy Name yea they have said let us destroy kill slay and destroy them altogether thus have they burnt up the Synagogues of God in the Land Now from this place of Scripture so happily quoted by M. Marshall we learne that the Authors of such actions or expressions may be concluded to be the Enemieâ— of Gods Church and people yea M. Marshall helpes us in this Collection too Pag. 18. of his Sermon where he pronounceth this sentâ—nce They must needs be blessed that serve the Church and he must needs be cursed that deprives it of its dues And who these are that doe so I leave to every mans owne observation to determine 3. The Church and people of God as M. Marshall Pag. 16. inferres unto us are they that maintains the good cause and saies 〈◊〉 when Davids cause was good his adversaries must needs be evill and then he could foretell that they should be ashamed and brought to confusion cloathed with reproach and dishonour who opposed themselves against him which indeed fell out accordingly upon all that pack of Rebells and Traitors that conspired against the Lords Annoynted to pull him from that honour whereto God had advanced him Achitophell hang'd himselfe and a Tree hang'd Absolom and twenty thousand of their followers that did associate with them were slaine in a day And Sheba afterward who trod in their rebelliouâ— steppes against the King had his head severed from his shoulders and therefore M. Marshall was in the right also for that particular And then that we might the better know the good Cause he gives us two markes of it which also may be allowed of the good Cause saies he which is Gods Cause is a noble Cause and a successefull Cause and therein he speakes right for the King For The Kings cause is a noble cause not onely in respect of his Royall selfe whose cause it is and in respect of those Noble Personages that are agents in it but also because it is not for a trifle or a thing of no great Consequent but even for a Crowne which according to Master Marshall's judgement in that place doth enoble the cause the Kings cause sure is for no lesse then for a Crowne and for to keepe the Dominion of three Kingdomes which the Lord of Heaven and Earth hath intrusted him withall He would still hold his Soveraignty onely and immediately from the Lord but they would have him acknowledge his dependance upon themselves and if he would but so farre deny God and debase himselfe as in that manner to worship them they tell him as one did once our Saviour all theâ—e will we give thee or wee 'l make you the most glorious Prince in Christendome but the King like a good Tenant maintaines the right of his true and old Landlord the glorious Lord God therefore his cause is a noble cause 't is Gods Cause and saies Master Marshall 2. Gods cause is a successefull cause in the end or finall issue it will prove so for a while the malignant Church may prevaile against the good and an ill cause may have the better and then that shall be called good falix prosperum scelus virtus vocaâ—ur and the good cause failing in the execution will have the denomination of bad and therefore I beleeve their great Major Crommell was in the right when he said if we prevayle our opposers will be acounted the grandest Traitors to the state that ever were and be used accordingly but if the King prevaile our undertaking will be judged the most horrid and blacke Rebellion that ever the sunne saw If therefore we will judge by the event we must suspend our sentence till all be done the good cause like good men growes illustrious by degrees as the sunne shines more and more bright toward the perfect dayâ— as the waters of Siloe run so doth Gods helpe often come to his people slowly but surely and though successe of late hath in some places favoured the Kings Enemies for the sins sake of us his followers yet I thinke Master Marshall cannot deny if he doth but remember that the King hath thriven somewhat since himselfe went downe with the Army towards Nottingham with this opinion in his heart and these words in his mouth for the incouragement of his Companions that the King might fly from place to place for a little while but there is no remedy he must yeeld and come in at last he cannot possibly withstand our great forces And I doubt not through the the mercy of our stong our just and holy God but in the end Master Marshalls quotation in his 17 pag. from Esa. 44.17 will be evidenced to be true no weapon can prosper that is formed against it the Kings cause and every tongue that rises up in judgement against it shall be condemned Fourthly and lastly we gather from Master Marshall pag. 18. that those who be of the Dragons Army of the Church malignant that have as in pag. 20. their names in the Dragons muster booke are none of the Church or people of God And herein he speaks most truly also But how shall we know who they are Master Marshall like a freind helps us in this too in the same place viz. the later end of the 18 pag. by his quotation of a Scriptures The first is Prov. 30.17 the eye