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cause_n	lord_n	people_n	word_n	2,775	5	4.0281	3	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A85208	The sacrifice of the faithfull. Or, A treatise shevving the nature, property, and efficacy of zealous prayer; together with some motives to prayer, and helps against discouragements in prayer. To which is added seven profitable sermons. 1. The misery of the Creature by the sinne of man, on Rom. 8. 22. 2. The Christians imitation of Christ, on Ioh. 2. 6. 3. The enmity of the wicked to the light of the Gospel, on John 3. 20. 4. Gods impartiality, on Esay 42. 24. 5. The great dignity of the saints, on Heb. 11. 28. 6. The time of Gods grace is limited, on Gen. 6. 3. 7. A sermon for spirituall mortification, on Col. 3. 5. / By William Fenner, minister of the Gospel Fellow of Pembrok Hall in Cambridge, and lecturer of Rochford in Essex.	Fenner, William, 1600-1640.; Stafford, John, fl. 1658, engraver.	1649 (1649)	Wing F699; Thomason E1241_1; ESTC R210449	136,683	333

day hearken and the Feare of God be with you FINIS GODS IMPARTIALITY ESAY 42. 24. Who gave Jacob to the spoile and Israel to the Robbers Did not I the Lord. THE Lord in this Chapter by the Prophet Isaiah doth foretell heavy things against the people and by the way marke the Lords dealings he ever gives warning before he sends any plagues he lightens before he thunders that the people might not say they did not heare of it and and that the wicked might be the more inexcusable and that the godly might make an Arke to save themselves in These words containe in them five severall things First the Author of this destruction or judgement Secondly the Causes of it Thirdly the Judgement it selfe Fourthly Who they were on whom this Judgement was inflicted Fifthly The effects of it Now by Gods permission I will open these words in order unto you And for the first the Author of it It is laid downe by question and answer Question Who gave Jacob to the spoyle and Israel to the robbers Answer Did not I the Lord was it not I the mighty God which am able to order every thing according to my owne will But indeed we are ready to ascribe things to chance and fortune and lot to prevent this saies God who did these and these things did not I the Lord Now by Jacob and Israel is meant the people of the Jewes which were called by the name of Jacob. For his peculiar people when they sinned he gave them over God ●ais who gave this people of mine to the enemies did not I the Lord therefore God he is the Author of all punishment Secondly the Cause why the Lord did this for some might say why did the Lord overthrow this people whom he did so tenderly respect for his which were as the apple of his eye and the strength of his right arme because they sinned against the Lord and would not walke in his waies He sets downe the Causes First in generall they have sinned Secondly in particular they would not walke in his way nor be obedient to his Lawes Thirdly here is the Judgement it selfe therefore hath he powred upon them the fiercenesse of his anger the strength of the Battell and fire round about them He calleth it the anger of the Lord not of a King or of a great man but the anger of the Lord the fury of his anger shewing the extremity of it he doth not say that God doth drop downe his anger but he poures out the fury of his indignation Moreover he saith the strength of battell the Lord commeth like an armed man to fight against them and to destroy them as men in warres doe when they s●ay both young and old and make no bones of it and are glad when they have done it And as an armed man to slay them so likewise he hath set a fire round about them the Lord hath inclosed them in with indignation so that they could see no way to get out of it or to escape it So then this shews the unavo●dablenesse of Gods Judgements Fourthly who were these that were destroyed Jacob and Israel a praying and a professing and a fasting people Fifthly the effect of all this how it did worke upon them Yet saith the Lord they know it not neither lay it to heart Oh Lord what monstrous stupidity is this though God did doe it in his anger too yet this poore Nation saw it not neither regarded it till the plague came and when it came they never laid it to heart neither were they humbled by it but did beare the plague and afterwards went downe into hell and never minded it Even so beloved stands the case with us The Lord plagues us and we see it not his anger burnes round about us and the fiercenesse of his wrath sustaineth to battell and yet we perceive it not From the first of these observe namely That God is the author of all plagues and Doct. judgements that befall a Nation It was he that drowned the old world and delivered the Children of Israel to the spoylers Shall there be any evill in the City and the Lord hath not done it saith Amos in his third chap. and 6 verse From whence observe this That God ordaines all punishments before they come Acts. 4. 28. for to doe whatsoever thy hand and counsell determined before to be done And as God ordaineth all things before they come so he ordereth them and the time when they shall come and they cannot come one moment of time before the Lord would have them The Jewes could not lay hold on our Saviour because his houre was not yet come John 8. 50. The wicked cannot pull downe punishments upon a Nation when they will As it s he ordaineth them and the time when so thirdly he doth appoint them how long they shall lie upon men Revel 2. 10. There the Lord had appointed the Church of Smyrna ten dayes tribulation and there is measured how much God appointes us The devill could goe no further then his commission in afflicting Job As he doth order all so he doth order all for the good of his people and for the confusion of his enemies all things worke for the good of those that feare God and for the hardening and overthrowing of the enemies of the Church that are incorrigible This may stay and comfort the hearts of Use 1 Gods Children in any heavie crosse that befalls them Is God the orderer and disposer of all then this may comfort thy soul O thou poore childe of God I say comfort thy soul with this that the Lord is the temperer of all things and the Physician that stands by and sees how many drammes the Apothecary putteth in The devill indeed may afflict thee and wicked men may punish thee but thou shalt have no more then the Lord sees good for thee Therefore though thine enemies take thee and kill thee and Rabshekah raile on thee and Bonner burne thee yet the Lord is a sweete loving Father and ordereth all things and cannot finde in his heart to hurt thee Though they be the Instruments yet God he is the Author and hath appointed how long and how much and for what they shall afflict thee Therefore though the sword finde thee and faggot come yea though thou beest banished or sawne asunder yet the Lord ordereth all things and though he correct thee yet he cannot finde in his heart to hurt thee Therefore he saith to the sword and to the plague as David said to Jacob have a care of my deare sonne onely subdue the rebell but doe not hurt my sonne So saith God use my servants kindly for my sake onely bring under their proud hearts but doe not hurt them Therefore have an eye to Gods love and let faith in him over-rule thy heart in spite of all that can come against thee This may terrifie the hearts of all wicked Use 2 men that are out of Gods favour Is God

Answ It is spoken Hyperbolically to declare the great misery the creatures are into serve sinfull man p. 76. 2. Analogically in regard of a naturall instinct of blind reason that is in all the creatures ibid. 3. It is spoken by way of supposition if they had reason they would groane p. 77. 4. Intelligently because a man cannot wrong the creature but he wrongs God in the creature p. 78. 5. Specifically because the Godly come before God in the behalfe of all the creatures and mourne for the abuse of the creatures p. 79. Foure Reasons why the creatures groane 1. Because they are distracted in their service p. 80. 2. Because of the unprofitablenesse of their service p. 82. 3. Because of the uncessantnesse of their service p. 83. 4. Because of that misery and woe the creatures lye under p. 84. Every creature hath 1. A specificall end p. 85. 2. An ultimate end ibid. A wicked man hath no true right unto the creature p. 86. But he hath 1. A civill right ibid. 2. A providentiall right ibid. 3. A vindicative right p. 87. 4. A Creatures right as he is a creature ib. But he hath no filiall right no son-like right in Christ p. 89. Use To shew that wicked men have little cause to be merry at any time because there is nothing neare them but groaneth under them p. 90. All creatures groane to God for vengeance to be powred upon the wicked p. 92. And these groanes are 1. Upbraiding groanes p. 95. 2. Witnessing groanes p. 96. 3. Accusing groanes p. 100. 4. Judging and condemning groanes ibid. Use For exhortation 1. To take heed how we doe abuse the Creatures of God p. 101. 2. Take heed of sinning against God by the Creatures ibid. 3. Take heed of setting thy heart upon the Creature p. 102. 4. Use all the Creatures in humility and thankfulnesse p. 102. 5. Use the Creatures as so many Ladders to help thee to climb up towards Heaven p. 103. The Contents of that Sermon 1 JOHN 2. 6. THE opening of the words in foure particulars p. 108. Doct. A true Christian walks as Christ walked p. 109. A man must first be in Christ before he can walk as Christ walked p. 110. Object Can any man walk as Christ walked p. 111. Answ None can walk as Christ walked in regard of equality but in regard of similitude they may p. 111. The life of Christ should be the Example of our life p. 112. Christ came into the World to redeeme us for our justification and to be an example of life unto us for our sanctification p. 114. This Question answered viz. What it is to walke as Christ walked p. 116. Foure Reasons of the point 1. Because as Christ came into the World to justifie the ungodly so he came to conforme them to his image p. 117. 2. Because in vaine we are called Christians if we be not imitators of Christ and live as he lived p. 119. 3. Because all that are in Christ are Members of his body therefore they must have the same life and be quickned by the same Spirit p. 121. 4. Because of that neere relation that is betwixt Christ and every one of his Members p. 123. 1. Use To shew that all men that live not the life of Christ doe blaspheme the name of Christ p. 127. Of all sinnes under Heaven God cannot endure the sins of them that take the name of Christ upon them p. 198. Doct Every Minister is bound to preach home to men in particulars p. 132. 3. Reas 1. Particulars are most operative p. 133. 2. Particulars are most distinct and most powerfull p. 135. 3. Particulars are most sensible p. 137. Doct Every Minister is bound to preach so as to make a difference betwixt the pretious and the vile p. 138. Reas 1. Because otherwise a Minister prophanes the holy things of God p. 139. 2. Otherwise he cannot be the Minister of Christ p. 141. 3. Otherwise he is like to doe no good by his Ministery ibid. The Contents of that Sermon on JOHN 3. 20. THE Context opened in foure particulars 1. What mans naturall estate and condition is without Christ p. 145. 2. Gods gracious provision for mans salvation p. 146. 3. The condition required viz. Faith ibid. 4. The reprobation of the World if they doe not believe ibid. But Christ is neither the efficient nor deficient cause thereof ibid. But the cause of their damnation is from themselves proved 1 By their owne conscience p. 147. 2 By experience p. 148. 3. By Reason p. 149. In the words are two parts 1. The wickeds rejection of the word of grace ibid. 2. The cause of that rejection ib. viz. 1. First from the qualification of their persons 2. From the disposition of their nature ib. Doct A wicked man hates the word of Gods grace yea grace it selfe p. 150. This hatred is 1. An actuall hatred ibid. 2. It is a passion of the heart p. 151. 3. It causeth the heart to rise up against an union with the word p. 153. This union of the word is set in opposition 1. To generall preaching p. 154. 2. To mercifull preaching p. 155. 3. To now and then preaching p. 156. to p. 160. If the World doe not hate a righteous man it is either 1. Because he is a great man p. 160. 2. Because he is a man of admirable wit ●nd knowledge i●id 3. Or because God gives him favour in the eyes of the World ib. 4. This hatred causeth the heart to ris e against that which is repugnant to its lusts p. 162. A wicked man may love 3 kinds of preaching 1. Eloquent preaching that savours more of humanity then of Divinity ib. 2. Impertinent preaching p. 163. 3. Now and then some preaching to satisfie the cravings of his conscience p. 164. Reas 1. A wicked man hates the word because he hates all truth even the very being of the word p. 165. 2. Because he hates the very nature of the word p. 167. 3. Because he cannot endure the knowledge of the word p. 169. All naturall men hate the word 1. Because no entreaties no beseeches can possibly reconcile them p. 171. 2. Because neither mony nor price can make them friends p. 175. 3. Because all the love in the World cannot unite them together p. 176. 4. Because neither the love of God nor the bloud of Christ will soder them together p. 177. Every naturall man had rather be damned then leave his sinnes rather goe to Hell then be a new creature p. 178. The contents of that Sermon on ESAY 42. 24. THE words contain five things 1. The Author of the destruction p. 185. 2. The causes of it ibid. 3. The judgement it selfe p. 186. 4. The people on whom it was inflicted ibid. 5. The effects of it p. 187. 1. Doct. God is the Author of all judgement that befalls a Nation ibid. 1. Use For comfort to Gods children seeing God is the Orderer of all events p.

I believed and therefore did I speake He beleeved Gods promise and then he spake with condition So we believe saith the Apostle and therefore doe we speake First the soule beleeves and then every action of a Christian wherin it moves to the keeping of the condition springs from this root nay beloved a man cannot keep any condition in the Bible without faith he must believe Secondly faith is the inabling cause to keep the condition Dost thou thinke to get weeping mourning and humiliation for thy sinnes and then thereby to get the promise to thy selfe then thou goest in thy owne strength and then in Gods account thou dost just nothing John 15. 5. Without me ye can doe nothing saith Christ therefore first lay hold on me beleeve in me abide in me What! doe you first think to pray to mourne to lament and bewaile your sinnes to do this and that in turning your selves and sanctifying of your selves Indeed you may fumble about these things but you can never do any of them in deed and to the purpose without me ye can doe nothing I had fainted saith the Prophet unlesse I had beleeved to see the goodnesse of the Lord in the land of the living Psal 27. 13. where we may see three things First the Promise that he should see the goodnesse of the Lord otherwise he could not have beleeved Secondly the Condition if he doe not f●i●● Thirdly the method the Prophet went by First he beleeved to see the goodnesse of the Lord. As if he had said if he had not first laid hold on the Promise if I had not beleeved to have seen the goodnesse of the Lord in the Land of the living I had fainted Beloved it is true that the keeping of the Condition is before the fruition of the Promise but not before beleeving the Promise because the doing of the Condition is effected by beleeving the Promise This is the cause that many fumble about grace but never get it they are ever repenting but never repent ever learning but never learne the knowledge of the truth everlasting ever striving but never get power over their corruptions c. because they fumble about it in their own strength and take it not in the right method Let the soule come with faith in Christ and believe it shall speed and have grace and power from Christ his grace and from Christs power and then it shall speed Christ hath promised John 16. that whatsoever we aske the Father in his name he will give it us Christ beloved is an excellent Surety Indeed our credit is crackt in Heaven we may thinke to goe and fetch this and that grace in our owne names and misse of it as the servant may goe to the Merchant for wares in his owne name but the Merchant will not deliver them to him in his own name unlesse he come in his Masters name and bring a ticket from him and then when the servant sheweth his Masters ticket the Merchant will deliver him what wares he asketh for in his Masters name So when a soule goeth to the Throne of grace with a ticket from Christ if he can say Lord it is for the honour of Christ I come for grace and holinesse and strength against my corruptions Lord here is a ticket from Christ most certainly he shall speed But men must take heed that they foyst not the name of Christ that they foyst not a ticket to say that Christ sent them when it is their own selfe-love and their owne lust that sends them it is not enough to pray and at the end to say through Christ our Lord Amen No for this may be a meere foysting of the Name of Christ But canst thou pray and shew that Christ sent thee and say as the servant I come from my Master and he sent me Lord it is for Christ that I come it is not to satisfie my owne lust nor to ease and deliver me from the galls of my conscience nor to free me from hell but for Christ Lord I begge grace and holinesse that I may have power to glorifie Christ It is for the honour of my Lord Christ that I come When the soul comes thus in Christs name beleeving it shall speed then his prayer shall prevaile Whatsoever saith Christ ye shall aske the Father in my Name he will give it you We come now to the third and last part of our Text to wit the supplies they had against danger and discouragements The Lord upheld their hearts from being dismayed in prayer thou saidst feare not There be two things that do much hurt in prayer First groundlesse incouragements Secondly needlesse discouragements First I say groundlesse incouragements and these the wicked are most subject to especially who because they pray heare the Word and performe many duties of religion therefore they incourage themselves in the goodnesse of their estates judgeing themselves happy though notwithstanding they go on and continue in the hardnesse of their hearts and rebellions against God We have abundance of sayings amongst us that if they were examined would prove false and unsound As that the vipers die when they bring forth their young for say they the young eate out the old ones bowels that beares shape all their young by licking of them that the Swanne singeth sweetest at her death that the Adamant stone is softned by Goats blood c. These things are not so as may be shewn out of ancient Writers So beloved there are abundance of sayings that goe up and down amongst men concerning Divinity which if they were examined will prove to be rotten sayings as he that made them will save them It is not so saith the Prophet Esal 27. 11. He that made them will not have mercy on them and he that formed them will not pitty them It is commonly beleeved if men come to Church heare the Word and call upon God that then presently they are good Christians Beloved it is not so Matth. 7. 21. Not every one that saith Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdome of Heaven Men are ready when they can but call Lord have mercy on me O sweet Saviour pitty me most mercifull Lord Jesus have compassion on me if they can pray in their families and pray at Church c. to think now all is well with them and Christ cannot but save them and give them the Kingdome of Heaven but our Saviour puts a not upon it and saith not every one that saith Lord Lord it is not a Lord a Lording of Christ with the tongne onely it is not a taking up of an outward profession of Christ only that is sufficient for a man that shall inherit the Kingdome of Heaven no saith Christ but he that doth the will of my Father which is in Heaven But of this by the by Secondly there are needlesse discouragements which doe much hurt in prayer Needlesse discouragements doe much hurt to many a poore soule that hath forcible wouldings and

light Secondly the cause of the wickeds rejection of the word of grace which is twofold First the qualification of his person he doeth evill Secondly the disposition of his malepartnesse that cannot endure to be reproued From the first of these we observe this That a wicked man hates the word of Gods Doctr. grace yea he doth not onely hate the word of Gods grace but he hates grace it selfe he doth not onely hate the Lanthorue that beareth the light but he hates the light it selfe I choose not to stand to shew you how the word is called a light but that which I take to be more necessary for this place I will first shew you what this hatred of the word of grace and of grace it selfe is and I thus define it It is an actuall affection of the heart whereby ● a man riseth up against an union with that which seemes to be opposite and contrary to his lust So that there be foure things in a wicked mans hatred of the word First it is an actuall hatred for there is an habituall hatred of the word even in them that never heard the word they doe not actually hate it because they never had it but they would hate it if they had it as sore eyes hate the light of the Sunne even when it is downe for if they had it they would twinckle at it Thus all wicked men hate the word and may be condemned for despisers of the word though they doe not actually hate it because they have it not yet habitually they hate it they would hate it if they had it I speake not of this hatred but of that which is actuall hatred whereby though they have the word yet they hate to be controled and reformed by the word Prov. 1. 22. O yee fooles how long will ye hate knowledge Secondly it is a passion of the heart and so I distinguish it for I know a wicked man may love the word of God with his understanding and conscience his understanding may love the word and say it is good his conscience may love the word and say it is gratious yet if he cutts not off his sinnes for the word he hates it Psal 119. 70. Their heart is as fat as grease but my delight is in thy law as if he should say my heart is a leane heart an hungrie heart my soule delighteth and rejoyceth in and loveth thy word I have nothing else to fill it but thy word and the comforts I have from it but their hearts are as fat as grease their hearts are fat hearts fat with the world fat with lust they hate the word As a full stomacke loatheth meate and cannot digest it so wicked men hate the word it will not goe downe with them it will not fetch up their lusts If thou partest not with thy sinnes thy heart hateth the word yet thou thinkest thou lovest the word thou fayest thou lovest to heare the word and thou lovest good Ministers and good discourses c. it may be that this is nothing but the assent of thine understanding and the approbation of thy conscience and so a man may love the word in his understanding and conscience and yet be a hater of the word of God The Devills have attained to so much divinity as this they like the word in their understandings and assent to the truth of it in their consciences but though their understandings and consciences tell them that it is a good word yet they hate it This is a damnable and a most unnaturall hatred Indeed if a mans mind and conscience were against the word it were naturall for him to hate it it is naturall for a man to hate that which is against his mind but when thy conscience shall tell thee this is the word and the will of the Eternall God and thy conscience shall tell thee that it is a most true word a righteous a just an holy commandement that commands thee to serve thy God onely and so to part with all thy sinnes if yet thou wilt not obey but goe contrary to his word thy hatred it is unnaturall and diveli●●● As it was said of 〈◊〉 his dogge he had a divell lyed to his collar of another that he had a divell signed on his swords pummell so I may say to every one that hates the word and to be ruled by it and yet knowes it in his own understanding and conscience to be ●●●●e and good word I may say it is a 〈◊〉 Hatred and he hath a divell tyed to his heart a divell in his heart Thirdly this hatred is that whereby the heart riseth up against an union with the word hatred is a shunning of an union with a thing A man doth not hate any evill naturally but he hates an union with it A man doth not hate poison it selfe he hates no poison in a toade let it be there as much as it will he cares not so the shepheard he hates not the wolfe in the Forrest but in the Flocke A wicked man hates not the word so long as it keepes within it selfe he loves Epistles and Gospells the first and second lesson so long as the word keepes in the Scriptures he likes it but if the word begin to take union with him if the word begin to plucke sinne from him to pull his cupps from him to plucke his pleasures and delights from him and his lusts from him then he hates the word when it comes in this union to his heart I put this union of the word in opposition to foure things First against generall preaching a wicked man loves generall preaching though it be of all the truthes in the Bible while they take no union with his heart he may heare a thousand Sermons and like them all well enough so long as the word closeth not in with a mans conscience so long as it grapples not with his heart so long he may love and like it But let the word come in particulars to him and tell him this is thy sinne and thou must to hell for it if thou givest it not over this hath beene an old lust of thine which will be thy bane if thou repent not This thy old corruption it will be thy breake-necke if thou part not with it if the word come in this union with his soule then he hates it So long as John Baptist tooke his text and dwelt on the reasons and went no further Herod heard him gladly but when John came to his use to apply it and told him in particular this reproves thee Herod and all the evills that ever thou hast done and in particular for thine unlawfull marriage with thy brother Philips wife when John came thus then Herod claps him up in prison before he heard him with joy and gladnesse but when he comes close to his conscience and tells him that his marriage would condemne him and his other sinnes would damme him if he repented not Herod cannot endure

the Author of all punishments then this may make their haire to stand upright upon their heads That God whom thou hatest is the punisher of thee even he whose-Sonne thou despiest and whose Sabbaths thou prophanest He is able if his wrath be kindled to consume thee in a moment Oh if thou haddest not an adamant heart this would daunt it and dissolve it into teares of bloud God will infinitely punish thee who is a consuming fire but if thou wilt not be daunted there is nothing but fearefull looking for of fire and brimstone for ever in hell When God punisheth his children it is in mercie but to the wicked his wrath is punishments and his Judgements is anger and great wrath and therefore when he punisheth thee thou mayest say a just Judge brandeth me in the hand Is it so Then when Calamities come Use 3 let us not so much stand upon men or upon the helpe of them but let us looke to God as David did it may be the Lord sent Shimei to raile on me and so did Job the Lord gives and the Lord hath taken away The Caldeans did it but they were Gods Instruments We should not doe as doggs that gnaw the stones that are throwne at them God takes stones as it were and throweth them upon mens heads and sometimes whips them by wicked men Now the wicked are but Gods rod and when he hath scourged thee he will cast the rod into the fire Therefore goe unto the Lord make peace with him and he will remove it The wicked I confesse are in fault but God is the Author of all and he will deliver you in his good time Secondly wherefore will God deale thus with Israel because they have sinned with a rebellious spirit not by infirmity but in disobedience Whence you may learne this point of Instruction That sinne and disobedience against Gods Law is that which brings downe punishments and judgements upon a Nation or a people or Church Sinne is the brooder and hatcher of all judgments and the very spawne of all punishments Ah this sinne and disobedience and willfull rebellion against God it will bring sw●rd and famine amongst us and let in the enemie and send out God from amongst us and stoppe the mouthes of his Ministers and breake off the Parliament Another cause why God sends punishments amongst us is this because Kings will not be subject to the Lawes of God and Queenes will doe what they list when Bishops and all people will have elbow roome to doe that which seemes good in their owne eyes as giving toleration for the prophanation of Gods Sabb●ths that the people may dishonour the Lord and runne headlong to hell this and such like sets up wickednesse and brings the wrath of God upon us and his vengeance upon our Land and Kingdome when thus sinne gets the upper hand and day of the word for which I cannot chuse but pittie our poore Land neither could you doe lesse if your hearts were not as hard as an adamant and your eyes glued together Ah poore Nation now thou liest a bleeding and drawing to an end and the bell now tolls for this Nation and the Lord is a going from this Land and her punishments and judgments are comming on apace so that all Nations may say Wherefore hath the Lord done this unto this Land what meaneth the heat of his anger then shall men say they have forsaken the Covenant of the Lord God of their Fathers and served other Gods Judges 4. 2. When they forgatte the Lord their God then he sold them into the hand of Jabin King of Canaan this was the ground why the Lord drowned the old world Genes 6. 12. because they had corrupted all their waies this was the cause why the Lord burned S●dome and Gomorrah with wild-fire from heaven this was the cause the Lord destroyed Jerusalem forty yeares after Christ because they would have none of the offers of Christ and of grace and mercie And thus much for proofe Good Lord what a poore weake Land Use 1 have we if sinne and rebellion be the cause of all punishments then in what a poore case is England how weake are we our hearts may shake within us and our knees may knock together to consider of it having so many sinnes of all sorts of all degrees and committed with so high a hand and in most fearefull manner We are sicke from the Crowne of the head to the soale of the feete there is no soundnesse in us we are sicke in head sicke in heart sicke in stomacke we have had peace and that hath surfeited us and now we have gotten the plurisie and nothing but letting of bloud will cure us God grant the Lord let us bloud in our hearts also God must purge and physicke us and fetch out the drosse which we have gathered by our disobedience If sin and rebellion will doe it we have given God cause enough so to plague us Is it so Then we see who are the greatest Use 2 traytors in the Kingdome and what they are that pull downe punishments upon a Kingdome they are disobedient rebells and traytors full of sinne I protest the greatest traytors King Charles hath this day are the prophaners of Gods Sabboths and such as doe give liberty to prophane them and to sweare and be drunke these are the plague sores of this Kingdome and bring downe heavie judgements upon us yea of what place or dignity soever they be It is not onely poore drunkards but silver and velvet Coate drunkards even the Lordly men of this Kingdome who give libertie to sinne for the greater the men are the greater are their sinnes and they are the most dangerous even as great Cut-purses doe more harme then little ones for as Haman was hanged before the Jewes saw good daies and the seven sonnes of Saul were slaine before they could have any peace in Israel So while these rebells be not hanged what peace can be expected while Jonah was in the ship there could be no qu●etnesse so whilst these rebells and vile wretches live and have favour and are respected and goe on still unpunished they are in the Land as Jonah was in the shippe and so long there can be no quietnesse in the Land One Achan did plague a whole Land but here are many Achans in this Land Oh poore Land thou art wonderfully laden by every ungodly person both in Countrey and City O let us begge of God that these may be hanged and dispatched or that God would turne their hearts Is it so that sinne is the brooder of all Use 3 punishments O then let it teach every one of us to s●t heart and hand and all to worke to joyne all our forces of prayers and teares against these enemies and labour for the reformation of these When Jonas was in the shippe the Marriners came about him and asked him from whence comest thou So if ever we would see good dayes we must joyne

lie sicke and they see death in his face they call it the foretelling signe so the Ministers of God may foresee the death and destruction of a Kingdome I am sure we have better grounds then the Physicians can have And therefore why may not the Ministers which are Gods Physicians doe it The signes of Gods punishments that are comming upon us are these The first is of Gods Ministers which with one voice doe foretell judgements to come Then this is a signe that God hasteneth to battell Am●s 3. 7. Surely the Lord will doe nothing but he revealeth his secrets to his servants the Prophets but especially when they agree all in one thing then the Kingdome is dangerously gone Luke 1. 70. The Lord giveth one mouth as he spake by the mouth of all his holy Prophets I will say nothing in this but let me appeale to your owne consciences whether all good Ministers in the Church of England have not declared by Gods word that judgements are comming out against this Land and us for many yeares together And as our Saviour saith Whatsoever ye shall binde on earth shall be bound in heaven Secondly when sinnes of all sorts doe abound frequently and with a bold face and a whorish forehead For when the harvest is ripe then commeth so many sickles to cut it downe so when the sinnes of a Kingdome are ripe then it is time to cut that Kingdome downe Gen. 6. 12. The earth was filled with violence all flesh had corrupted their waies therefore make an Arke for the end of all flesh is come God will wash away their filthienesse Consider whether it be not thus with England or no. Was ever drunkennesse and blasphemie and scoffing at religion and prophaning Gods Sabboths nay liberty given so to do was it ever come to that height that now it is were ever great ones as Bishops and Ministers so defiled as now they are our Land hath often beene overcome when men were growne desperately wicked then they were destroyed Now what sinnes what blasphemies what hating of God lyeth raging in our times I thinke there is none in this Congregation but sees and heares how Citie and Countrey are venomed and benummed and defiled with sinnes of all sorts Thirdly when the devill and wicked men cast bones of dissention that is a signe of ruine When there was a disse●tion betweene Rehob●am and the people then God pulled away ten Tribes and much bloud was shed So when King and Commons and all are divided Ephraim against Manasses and Manasses against Ephraim but both against Judab then it is a fearefull signe that that Nation shall be destroied I say to apply this if ever a Kingdome were divided then this is if we could all accord then we might expect something but now our best bloud is gone and our hearts are gone the Lord in mercie raise us up from dead ashes O consider this I beseech you and lay it to heart Will God deceive his Ministers and make them all blindefold no no. When God puts his Spirit into his Ministers and makes them all with one mouth to call and crie desolation and when all manner of sinnes so fearefully abound and when there is such divisions in the State then let us looke for desolation Fourthly the fourth signe of Gods anger on a Nation is when all the hearts of men faile then it is a signe that vengeance is at the doore when there is a kinde of Cowardise through the guilt of the conscience Josh 2. 11. It was a certaine signe of destruction when the peoples hearts failed them thus it is with every man almost amongst us every mans heart is faint and sicke Judges 7. 13. When Gideon was to goe against the Midianites being a wonderfull Army one dreamed that a cake of barley bread tumbled into the hoast and overthrew them Then Gideon said be of good courage for I see that the Lord hath given them into our hands because their hearts were fearefull so he tooke three hundred men and put a Trumpet in every mans hand with empty pitchers and lamps and they all cried the Sword of the Lord and of Gideon and in the twelfth verse see what followed All the hoast ran and cried and fledde Even so it is with us we faint upon every occasion Gods Spirit is gone from England While Sampson had the Spirit of God upon him he was too hard for the Philistins but when the Spirit of God was gone from him he had no heart no spirit no courage then every man was too hard for him and then he was taken and had his eyes pulled out So when the Spirit of God was with this Nation we had courage and got the day but now alas every slavish Nation is too hard for us and every bug beare scares us O poore England heavy is thy case therefore we may expect nothing but miserie one way or another Now I might set downe a Comment or Theame with many teares for this cause that every one may reade his owne destruction from this point I am not a Prophet nor the sonne of a Prophet but from the word of the Lord I speake this thing unto you and upon these grounds I can say so That where these signes are destruction and calamities follow at the heeles of them We having all these signes in our State certainely destruction is at our heeles therefore let me give you some directions what to doe in these dangerous times First let every man knocke off the love of the world of houses of lands and corne and flockes they shortly shall leave thee or thou them O therefore cast them quite out of thy heart I would to God I could bring my heart and yours to this pitch that we could give wise and children and all as lost I confesse it is hard so to doe but God will sire us out shortly from these things if we part not from them in these our deepest afflictions Jer. 45. 5. Baruch was so much glued to the world that he began to feather his nest and therefore the Prophet said seekest thou great things for thy selfe seeke them not for behold I will bring evill upon all flesh So let me say to you as the Prophet said to Gehazi is it now a time to build Therefore at night when thou goest to bed take thy leave of thy wife and children and of thy houses and all and say this house may be mine enemies before the morning or may be set on fire this is not my wife these are not my children As Doctor Taylor said when he was going to his execution when he saw his wife and children he embraced them and blessed them in the name of the Lord and set them downe againe and made no bones of them and so doe you plucke away your hearts from all these things here below and give them all for lost let thy heart be contented that God should doe with thee what he will and submit thy selfe