had six hundred thousand fighting men in his Camp still and what if all the Inhabitants of the land come against them they are enough are they not to deale with them yea but Joshua saw that God was angry he went not forth with their Armies and Joshua knew that if his 600000 Men were 600000 Millions if God continue still angry with them they should all fall before their enemies we talke of thousands were our thousands multiplyed into Millions if God frowne still upon our Armies as he now begins to doe we are but bread for our enemies Beleeve it it is a signe of a carnall heart that would shift off this stroke of God and is loth to lie under the sence of it to comfort it selfe at such a time as this is in our remaining Armies If God will not withdraw his anger the proud helpers stoope under him Job 9.13 If we will not beleeve this God will make us feele it Joshua had men of warre enough to have comforted himselfe in but he could not durst not doe it Fourthly did Joshua feare that this Disaster would give occasion to the proud heathen to blaspheme the Name of the God of Israel therefore he saith What wilt thou doe to thy great Name And may not wee feare the same upon this of our Army Nay doe we not know it how have they heretofore how often have they as with a sword pierced the hearts of Gods people Witnesse Bristoll and Bolton c. while they say daily in their reproach Where is now your God Psal 42.10 Where is now your God your God to whom you have prayed before whom you have wept fasted of whom you have made your boast Where is now your God Encline thine eare O Lord and heare Open thine eyes O Lord and see and heare all the words of thine enemies whereby they reproach the living God Isai 37.13 〈…〉 But O Brethren shall not all this affect our hearts shall not all this cause us to lie in the dust before the Lord seriously and sincerely humbled under him and mourning before him Oh that I could find this disposition in my selfe O that I could behold it in you especially in you Parliament men O that I could see your Eyes speaking the sense which your hearts have of this sad hand of God upon us even in Teares Beleeve it Right Honourable it would become you nay it is your duty O that I might obtaine it from you or obtaine it at the hand of God for you O Parliamâ—nt Teares are pretious Teares would you drop but every man a Teare this day before the Lord for England O what a Balme might it be for this bleeding Kingdome I tell you Brethren it is more to that great God before whom you stand and whose face you desire to seek this day to see you Parliament men to see you unfeinedly judging your selves sitting in the dust at his feet giving him glorie in all his righteous dealings with you Mourning under this frowne that he hath cast upon you it is more to God to see you doing this then to see some thousands of others in such a Posture Are not you as all the Tribes of England is not all England epitomized contracted in you If you be humbled All England is humbled virtually eminently If Joshua and the Elders be humbled it is as if all Israel were humbled if Rehoboam and the Princes of Judah be humbled it is as if all Judah had been humbled God will grant some deliverance and things shall goe well in Judah 2 Chron. 12.6 7 12. It hath often been the Prayer of some of your Remembrancers at the throne of Grace upon our dayes of Humiliation that whatever God doe with private Congregations yet that in this place and upon your hearts there might be a mightie Presence and Effusion of the spirit of Humiliation the same is my desire and prayer this day O that God would humble us all every soule of us but if not all if there be any of us whom God for our personall sins will leave to the hardnesse and dedolency of our hearts this day yet the Lord be mercifull unto you and unto us all in you That your hearts may be as Gideons fleece moystened with a dew from Heaven though we round about you should be dry which yet to us would be exceeding sad But somewhat it would comfort us concerning England would the Lord please to humble you Now the Lord humble you The Lord affect your hearts with his dealing the Lord cast you downe at his feet with Joshua that with a hand of mercy he may lift you up as he did Joshua and say Arise wherefore liest thou upon thy face Thirdly for Reproofe But if there be any Man here especially any Parliament man to whom it were more fit to say as the Master of the ship did to Jonah Vp sleeper and call upon thy God if so be that God will thinke on us that we perish not then as here God to Joshua Arise wherefore liest thou upon thy face If there be any man here that upon such a Day and such an Occasion as this is hath an unstirred and unawakened heart within him And I feare there are too many such I seldome come in a Fast into any Congregation where it is discernable by the face and garbe of the Assembly that they are in a dutie of Fasting and Mourning Our monethly Fasts are degenerated into most lothsome Formalities into lesse then a formality lesse then an outside then an appearance of Fasting and Mourning But that Man that can be so this day hath a heart more Atheisticall then the very Heathens had Inops Senatus auxilii humani ad Deos populum vota convertit lussi cum conjugibus ac liberis supplicatum ire pacemque exposcere â—â—cûm omnia delubra impâ—ent Stratae passim Matres crinibâ— Templa verrentes veniam irarum coelestium exposcunt Liv. lib. 3. He that reads the Romane Story will finde how they upon such like occasions as is this day presented unto us kept solemne dayes of Supplications and with what throngs of men women and children their Temples were filled how sad and mournfull their demeanour was how their Ladies and Matrons rowled themselves in the dust and swept the very pavements of their Idoll-Temples with the haire of their heads ô how farre are many amongst us from any such affection consternation I cannot but feare that there is a great deale more Atheisme and a great deale lesse sence Irarum Coelestium of the Anger of a God against us in the Calamities now lying upon us then was in those very Heathens O that their Dayes of Supplication may never rise up in Judgement against ours to condemne them The Lord humble every Soule of us that hath not yet been humbled Even this alone is sufficient Cause why we should now be humbled because in all our Dayes of Humiliation we have been unhumbled hitherto many of
Supplications that God would please to shew us where this sinne is and say with Job Chap. 10.2 Shew us wherefore thou contendest with us And if you please to take but one view more of the Text God may please to shew us something more then we yet see Israel hath sinned saith the Lord and they have also transgressed my Covenant wherein the Lord lets Joshua understand that as sin in generall so in particular breach of Covenant was the cause of the disaster Israel hath sinned and they have also transgressed my Covenant Whence I commend this to your observation That the violation of the Covenant of God is such a sinne as will make Israel turne their back before their Enemies I doe not intend a large discourse about violation of Covenant to set out the odious provoking nature of that sin I shall only briefly doe two things First I shall shew how a Covenant may be called the Covenant of God Secondly I shall proove that the breach of any Covenant that may be so called is such a sinne as will make Israel turne their backs before their Enemies For the first of these How a Covenant may be called a Covenant of God For of such a Covenant the Text speakes They have transgressed My Covenant and so the Doctrine the violation of the Covenant of God c. Now a Covenant may be said to be a Covenant of God two wayes 1 Either per modum obligationis or 2. Per modum attestationis First per modum obligationis when we do directly and immediately ingage and bind our selves unto God when God is the Party covenanted with as in our Sacramentall Covenants and in all Covenants purely Religious both for matter and manner Or else a Covenant may be said to be the Covenant of God per modum attestationis when a Covenant though made betweene two equall parties is yet made in the Name of God and in the Sight of God God is called to be a witnesse to it and an avenger of the Breach of it So in that Covenant that Laban made betweene himselfe and Iacob Gen. 31.44 Come let us make a Covenant I and thou and marke what he saith after this Covenant ver 50. God is a witnesse betweene me and thee Such a Covenant as this wherein the Obligation is unto Man made in the Name of God God counts his owne no lesse then a Covenant the Obligation whereof is immediately to himselfe so you find Ezek. 17. the Covenant which the King of Iudah had made with the King of Babylon God calls his Oath and his Covenant ver 19. Mine Oath that he hath dispised and my Covenant that he hath broken even it will I recompense upon his head Now the Doctrine comprehends both these and tels us that the violation of the Covenant of God that is of a Covenant either made directly and immediately with God or made with others in the name and in the sight of God is such a sin as will make Israel turne their back before their Enemies For the proofe of this which is the second thing I have to doe besides the Text before us I shall onely bring a Text or two looke in the 78. Psal ver 9 10. you shall reade there the children of Ephraim being harnessed and carrying bowes turned back in the day of battell They kept not the Covenant of God The Children of Ephraim were daring men couragious men mighty men of valour for so we reade of them in Scripture The children of Ephraim being Armed that is with defensive Armes it may be as compleatly armed as that gyant of Gath that had a helmet of brasse and a shield of brasse and greaves of brasse Armed they were and carrying bowes furnished with offensive armes that could eminus ferire reach their Enemies at the best advantage at distance The children of Ephraim being thus armed and carrying bowes turned back in the day of battle what ayled thee ô Ephraim that thou wert affraid what ayled thee ô Ephraim that thou fleddest backward They kept not the Covenant of God There there 's the reason had they kept the Covenant of God God would have kept them but they kept not the Covenant of God and therefore it was not their Bow nor Harnesse that could keepe them being armed and carrying bowes they turned back in the day of Battle They kept not the Covenant of God So Ezek. 17.11 Iehoiakim King of Iudah had made a Covenant with the King of Babylon to be his Tributary afterwards repents him breakes his Covenant with the King of Babylon sends to Egypt for horses and much people and a mighty Army Now saith God shall he prosper shall he escape that doth these things shall he breake Covenant and be delivered vers 15. No Pharoah and all his mighty Army shall doe him no good They shall all fall by the sword and they that remaine of him shall be scattered towards all winds ver 21. His breach of Covenant shall breake his army were it never so mighty and make it be as dust before the winds So Ier. 34. The Princes and people of Iudah had made a Covenant ver 15. that at the end of seven yeeres they would every man let his brother an Hebrew that had bin sould unto him go free according to the law of God in that case Exod. 21.2 Deut. 15.12 yet afterwards they violated this Covenant and caused their servants whom they had set free to returne againe to their service therefore thus saith the Lord ver 18. I will give the men that have transgressed my Covenant which have not performed the words of the Covenant which they had made before me when they cut the calfe in twaine and passed betweene the parts thereof I will even give them into the hand of their Enemies and into the hand of them that seeke their life See the proper punishment of breach of Covenant is giving up to the lust and will of blood-thirsty Enemies To these stories recorded in Sacred writ I shall adde but one of latter times the memorable story of the famous battle of Varna â—â—ales â—â—lefiorâ— Chrâ—â— Carton Lib. 15. fought Nov. 10. 1444. between Amarath the sixt Emperour of the Turkes and Vladislaus King of Hungarie one of the gallantest Souldiers the ChristiaÌ„ world theÌ„ had which Vladislaus having made a solemne League or Covenant of peace with the Turke Knolls his Turkish hast â—y was afterwards perswaded by Iulian the Popes Legate to violate that League and make warre upon the borders of the Turkish Territories whereupon the Turke rayseth a mighty Army takes the field they joyne battell the first Skirmishes seeme to promise victory to the Christians the Turkes were even almost put to flight when Amurath plucks out of his bosome the writing wherein the late League was comprehended and holding it aloft in his hand with eyes cast up to Heaven saith thus Behold thou crucified Christ this is the League thy people in thy name
A SERMON TENDING To set forth the Right Vse of the DISASTERS that befall our ARMIES PREACHED Before the Honourable Houses of Parliament at a Fast specially set apart upon Occasion of that which befell the Army in the West In Margarets Westminster Sept. 12. Anno 1644. BY Matthew Newcomen Minister of the Gospell at Dedham in Essex JUDG 20.26 Then all the children of Israel and all the people went up and came unto the house of God and wept and sate there before the Lord and fasted that day untill Even and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. 1 SAM 14.58 And Saul said Draw ye neere hither all the Chiefe of the people and know and see wherein this sin hath been this day 1 SAM 26.19 And David said unto the King If the Lord have stirred thee up against me let him accept an offering but if they be the children of men cursed be thâ—y before the Lord. LONDON Printed by George Miller for Christopher Meredith at the Signe of the Crane in Pauls Church-yard 1644. Die Veneris 13. Septembr 1644. IT is this day ordered by the Commons assembled in Parliament That Sir Thomas Cheeke doe returne the Thankes of this House unto Master Newcomen for the great paines he tooke in his Sermon yesterday being a particular day of Humiliation and also Sir Robert Harley to doe the like to Master Coleman and to desire them to print their Sermons And it is ordered That none shall presume to print their Sermons without leave under their hand writing H. Elsynge Cler. Parl. D. Com. I doe appoint Christopher Meredith to print this Sermon MATTH NEWCOMEN TO THE HONOVRABLE The Houses of PARLIAMENT THe publishing of this Sermon what ever the preaching of it was may seeme Right Honourable as unseasonable as that Consolatory Embassy the Trojans sent to the Emperour Tiberius upon the death of his son Drusus Sueton. in Tiberio which came so extremely late that the Emperour to requite their kindnesse tels them That as they were sorry for the death of his son so was he for the death of their Hector implying that they were both equally forgotten Possibly that sad Accident in the West which first ministred occasion for the preaching of this Sermon is so too and then quorsum haec if at all why not sooner if not sooner why now I might plead many things in mine own excuse why not sooner My avocations employments since the preaching of this Sermon have been so many that had I been most desirous of obeying your Command for the printing of it I could scarce sooner have accomplished it but I must confesse my desire was that this unworthy piece the conception of so few houres might never have out-lived the houre in which it was delivered except by the blessing of God in the hearts of those that heard it But then why now why at all made publike God is my Record the only reason that extorts this from me at this time is because we are still encompassed with the Evidences of that Displeasure which in the West began to break out upon us which makes me feare that some of that heart-searching sin-discovering heart-humbling Covenant-acting work which God then call'd us to hath on some hand or other been neglected We whom God hath made Seers to his people must not shut our eyes Ezâ—k 33. â—3 c. and refuse to see what God reveales nor lay our hands upon our mouths and fear to declare what we see And certainly you have it from the mouth of more then one or two or a few of those that preach before you that God is very sore displeased still There are manifest signes of Gods displeasure against a Nation such as every eye that beholds them may read wrath and indignation in them And there are secret intimations of Gods displeasure 〈◊〉 oculi 〈…〉 exâ—on◠〈◊〉 ipaâ—â—â—s â—amen quo â—â—ram Dei indi â—nt cognoscuntur Maâ—â— loc com which though they be visible in themselves yet few know how to interpret them and to collect the displeasure of God from them The sword is a manifest signe of Gods wrath against the Nation Iob 19.29 Be ye afraid of the sword for wrath bringeth the punishment of the sword that you may know there is a Iudgement But besides this there are Characters though all cannot read them of Gods indignation against his own people in this Kingdome against those that have appeared engaged themselves for him There is that saith When God is angry with a people Less de Perfectionibus Divinis li. 13. c. 10. and intends to dash them in pieces he leaves them sine animo sine concilio c. without heart without Councill without strength without fit Commanders so involved with difficulties forreigne and domestick they know not how possibly to extricate themselves If one give good counsell presently another by captious arguments overthrowes it those that should judge of both have not light enough to discerne which is for the publike safety and which destructive If any opportunity of Service be presented either there is no notice takeÌ„ of it or to save a little charges it is neglected or none knowes how to improve it Dangers imminent are either not fore-seen or slighted Traitors creepe in that discover their Councels to their enemies There are jealousies factions among their great men in favour whereof one studies to crosse the designes and successes of the other though the Publike be undone by it The Treasury is wasted in needlesse expences the souldiers mutine and are seditious and when they have plundered a Country must have as much given them to forbeare plundering as would maintain a war Finally while all seek their own profit no mans heart is upon the Publike good all runs to ruine On the contrary the enemies whom God intends to punish that people by though they be far more wicked and ungodly yet they prosper their courage their strength increases they take opportune counsels they know how to improve pursue advantages there is great concord among their Leaders no man seeks to undermine overthrow another no man blends his own private quarrels with the Publike Cause In a word all things succeed as if God favoured their cause directed their counsels when yet their cause is unjust and their intentions wicked and there is nothing further from their heart then God But this Discourse you need not much lesse any Application of it who are apprehensive of this already and have therefore set your selves very lately to seeke the Lord and Attonement with him by Fasting and Humiliation in such away as never Parliament did before you That God who hath put it into your hearts thus to seeke him In the East iâ— Lincoâ—nes-Inne Chappell kept Decemb. 18. grant that you and we may find such fruit successe therof in your selves Counsels Armies as this poore Church and Nation after so many dayes of mourning may
once take up that song of praise Isai 12.1 O Lord I will praise thee though thou wast angry with me yet thine anger is turned away and thou comfortedst me This is the Prayer of Your Honours most unworthy yet faithfull and sincere Servant MATTH NEWCOMEN A Sermon preached before both Houses of Parliament at their extraordinary solemne Fast Sept. 12. 1644. JOSHUA 7.10 11. And the Lord said unto Joshua Get thee up wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face Israel hath sinned and hath also transgressed my Covenant which I commanded them The Introduction HOw well this Text suites this Day this Assembly and the Occasion of it I perswade my self there is none here but upon the first reading understands The Lord grant that the handling of these words may be as profitable as the Scripture it selfe is seasonable In the former verses of this Chapter you have a sad story to which ours is this day paralell I had almost said in too great a measure but I lay my hand upon my mouth because thou Lord hast done it who doth all things in measure But in the Story of this Chapter you may read our Calamity Dutie In the fifth verse you have a people Gods people Israel smitten scattered troden downe before their enemies Gods enemies That 's our Calamitie In the sixth seventh and eighth verses you have Joshua and the Elders expressing a pious sense of this breach that God had made upon them The Multitude possibly might miscarry under this hand of God they might fall into their accustomed discontents or sinke under discouragements as it is said ver 5. The hearts of the people melted and became as water But as for Joshua and the Elders Men of more Noble and Religious spirits their demeanour is gratious and humble and holy And Joshua rent his clothes and fell to the earth upon his face he and the Elders of Israel with him ver 6. and poures out his heart before the Lord in words expressing a sorrow too big for any words to expresse ver 8. Oh Lord what shall I say when Israel turneth their backes before their enemies as if he had said Lord this is the saddest thing the saddest Token of thy displeasure The thoughts of it amaze overwhelme me I know not what to say O Lord what shall I say O that we had such a grieved and burthened heart as Joshua had when he spake these words Surely this is our Dutie to have our hearts filled with the sence of that hand of God that is gone out against us and in the sense thereof to abase our selves before the Lord. To the performance of this Duty we are met this day the Lord help us in it yet that 's not all there is a further Duty God cals for at our hands and that the words of my Text lead us to The sense of the words And the Lord said unto Joshua Get thee up wherefore liest thou upon thy face Israel hath sinned c. Our English expression Get thee up sounds more harsh then either the Originall or other Translations 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Illud quid hoc tis prostratus jaces infaciem tuan non est objurgantis auâ— precandi Ritum illum reprehendentis quo ritu Christus ipse usus est sed jamdudum se paratum esse significantis ad opitulandum Maâ—us ad locum Non est ignorantis aut inquirentis aut arguentis vox ista sed insinuantis quod noÌ„ sufficit supplicare sed alio opus esse Remedio Cajetan ad locum q. d. Surge Noli te diutius affligere Scio quid velis faciamque ut scias quid facto sit opus ad cladem à tuis acceptam resarciendam Ego enim cor tuum contritum humiliatum despicere nequeo sed benignè aspicerè à meâ pietate quasi cogor C. à Lapide ad locum Which words are not words of Inquirie God doth not demand of Joshua the reason why he lay at his feet in this sad posture Joshua had given him an account of that already in his Prayer And God knew it even before he prayed Nor are they words of Rebuke and Increpation But rather words of Advice and Direction God doth here as it were with a hand of Grace and Mercy lift up Joshua from the earth where he lay groveling and saith thus Arise Joshua afflict thy selfe no longer I know what thy Desire is and I will let thee know what thy Dutie is there is somewhat to be done which yet thou thinkest not on Get thee up Joshua wherefore liest thou on thy face Israel hath sinned In the words you may please to observe something that God tooke notice of in Joshua The Division and something that God gave notice of to Joshua The thing that God tooke notice of in Joshua was the Deepe sence he had of the hand of God against Israel in the late disaster that befell their Army under which he lay confounded astonished at the feet of God This in the first words The Lord said unto Joshua Arise wherefore liest thou upon thy face The thing which God gave notice of to Joshua was the sinne that Israel had committed which was the Cause of this Disaster Israel hath sinned and hath also transgressed my Covenant which I commanded them Observ 1 with The Proofe From the first of these I commend this to your Observation That when a Disaster befals the Armies of Israel it well becomes a generous Gratious heart to be deeply affected with it I say when a Disaster befals the Armies of Israel for this here it was not a Discomfiture it was but a Disaster a Party of about three thousand beaten ver 4. and about six and thirty men slaine in the fight and in the Chase ver 5. What 's that in an Army of six hundred thousand men of warre That was Israels Number at their last Muster Numb 26.51 Some Nimrod some Cyclops would have thought this an inconsiderable losse a blow not worth the taking notice of But Joshua though as gallant and daring a spirit as any the Earth had he thinkes not so he thinks that this cals him and the rest of the Elders of Israel what ever others doe to rend their Clothes and put dust upon their heads and in the mournfullest plight that may be to poure out their Prayers and Teares before the Lord O Lord what shall I say So when the Children of Israel were smitten before Benjamin though that was not such a discomfiture but they were able to rally themselves againe and renew the fight a second and third time and at length got the victory by fine force yet All the people went up and wept before the Lord. Judg. 20. Once and a second time and the second time they wept and fasted untill Even and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings unto the Lord. ver 26. This a Disaster will worke But a Rout a Discomfiture what an Impression that will
saith God both rendring the Reason why Israel was smitten and directing Joshua to what he would have done Israel hath sinned Whence observe Observ 5 That God would have his People in all the Disasters that befall their Armies take notice of their owne sinnes Vp Joshua wherefore lyest thou upon thy face What doest thou weeping and breaking thy heart There is other worke for thee to doe Israel hath sinned goe find out that You know this was that which God instructed his people in long before that nothing should ever cause their Armies to miscarry but their owne sinnes so Levit. 26.14 17. If you will not hearken unto me and will not doe all these Commandements I will set my face against you and you shall be slain before your enemies and ver 36. upon them that are left alive of you I will send a faintnesse into their hearts in the land of their enemies and the sound of a shaken leafe shall chase them c. so Deut. 28.15 25. If thou wilt not hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God to doe all that I command thee the Lord will cause thee to be smitten before thine enemies thou shalt goe out one way against them and flee seven wayes before them And in all experience the people of Israel found it so They never were worsted in their battles but when they had sinned against their God Israel from the time of their comming up out of Egypt had been but once put to the worse before their enemies till this Time and the Story of that you have Numb 14. ult The Amalekites came downe and the Canaanites which dwelt in the hill and smote them and discomfited them even unto Hormah But the reason of this you may collect from the former verses Israel had sinned And all along the whole Story of the Bible you shall constantly find it thus when Israel was faithfull with their God they ruled with their God and prospered in their warres whithersoever they went Nay even Balaam himselfe could tell that while Israel kept themselves from sin God would keep them from mischiefe in their Army The Divell himselfe should not hurt them Numb 23.21 23. He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob nor hath he seene perversnesse in Israel Vide Drus ad diff loc Numer Ainsworth ad locum Weems upon the Morall Law part 1. The true meaning of which Scripture what ever sence the Antinomians would put upon it in favour of their opinion That God seeth no sinne in his people is this That at this time when Balaak hired Balaam to curse Jacob and defie Israel there was no Peccatum flagrans no sin lying upon the Congregation flaming in the eye of God or stinking in his Nostrils that might provoke his wrath against them or cause him to suffer any calamity to befall them therefore ver 23. saith he Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob neither is there any Divination against Israel No it is in vaine for men and divels to plot mischiefe against the Armies of Gods people when there is no sin among them to pull that mischiefe upon them All our Disasters of this kind they are the fruits of our owne sinnes and God would have us look upon them as so God would have his people in the Disasters that befall their Armies to take notice of their owne sinnes And that Reason 1 First that they may hereby be preserved from Atheisme and Apostacy from God from thinking either that there is no God or that the God whom they have commended their cause unto is a God that cannot will not succour them a thing that the Nature of man is very subject to you may remember what is said of King Ahaz 2 Chron. 28.23 Ahaz sacrificed to the Gods of Damascus which smote him and said because the Gods of the Kings of Syria help them therefore I will sacrifice unto their Gods that they may helpe me also There is a Root of this Atheisme and Impiety in the heart of every man And such as God doth not teach to reade the cause of their defeats in themselves are ready to thinke the enemies cause Religion God to be the better Now that his people may be preserved from this God will have them know that their sinne is the cause of their Disasters And secondly God will have them take notice of this that they may with the more quietnesse submit to these dispensations of God and say The Lord is righteous That they may not murmure repine nor be too querulous at such a time as this therefore the Lord saith to us as it is Ier. 4.18 Thy way and thy doings have procured this unto thee this is thy wickednesse and as it is againe Ezek. 14.23 Ye shall know that I have not done without cause all this that I have done saith the Lord. That our hearts and mouths may justifie God God will have us know that our sins are the cause of our Disasters It is not enough to Take notice of the stroke and Mourne for that But we must Take notice of the sin and mourne for that Vp Ioshua wherefore lyest thou upon thy face Israel hath sinned Application In the first place This may serve to fill our faces this day with shame before the Lord would our God have us in all the Disasters that befall our Armies take notice of our owne sinnes Ah Lord when did we doe thus Is this the first time that God hath frowned upon our Armies No no who hath not heard of the disappointment at the Vises where a glorious victory slipt out of our hands when we were almost possest of it The losse of Bristoll The raising of the Siege at Newarke I know the mention of these things may expose us to the scorne of our enemies And let them scorne us so we may give glory to our God But have we in these disasters taken notice of our sinnes as the Causes of them Nothing lesse Men that are not led by Principles of Judgement and Conscience but by successe that doe not owne the cause for it selfe they upon such Providences as these are ready to desert it and take over to the enemies And others are ready to impute it to Cowardize or carelesnesse or falshood or treachery to something or other in those who are the instruments of managing the businesse as if there were not those sinnes among us that might provoke the Lord to crosse the endeavours of the most able and faithfull Instruments as if we could all say with that Romane Emperour Antoninus Philosophus ut refert â—uâ—at Gallicâ—n Aâ—â—dro Gassio Non sic Deos coluimus aut sic vivimus ut ille nos vinceret We have not so served God nor doe we so live as that such an enemie should overcome us We still cry out of Treachery Treachery and accuse others But O how few are the men that upon such occasions as these enter into their Chambers and there between God and
their soules inquire and say What have I done Vt nemo in sese tentat descendere Nemo Pecl. The Lord hearkened and heard but no man spake aright No man repented him of his evill deeds saying What have I done There is indeed an opinion That Beleevers the Children of God ought not to thinke that their sinnes have any influence into the Judgements that are upon a people A soule perverting a Land destroying opinion it is The Lord preserve us from it I am sure David was not of this opinion Lo I have sinned and I have done wickedly saith David 2 Sam. 24. when Israel was consumed by the Pestilence and the Spirit saith expressely 2 Chron. 32.25 That for the sinne of Hezekiah and for the pride of his heart came wrath upon him and upon all Ierusalem And yet David was a Beleever and a Child of God Hezekiah was a Beleever and a Child of God If Hezekiah to his former pride that brought wrath upon Jerusalem had added this further pride to thinke that his sin had not at all provoked that wrath because He was a Beleever a justified Person ô what a provocation would that have beene The Lord deliver all his people from such pride of heart it is too bad out of a slightnesse and carelesnesse of spirit not to take notice of our sinnes in our Disasters But when this proceeds from an opinion from a fixed Principle of Judgement and Reason This makes it much worse In the second place Is it the will of God that his people should take notice of their sinnes in the disasters of their armies Then I beseech you let us labour to doe this will of God and as before I called you to take notice of the Blow to be sensible of that so let me now call you to take notice of the sin and the Lord help us that we may be sensible of that The Lord speakes to us in this Disaster as he did here to Joshua Israel hath sinned But who shall give us a particular discovery of the sinne or sinnes that are the cause of this Disaster we cannot goe and as Joshua did here or as Saul did 1 Sam. 14.38 cast the lot that we may know and see where this sinne hath been Who is the prudent man that knoweth this and who is he to whom the mouth of the Lord hath spoken that he may declare it for what the land perisheth Jer. 9.12 Oh that we could discover it It is a Discovery that might more advantage England then the Discovery of as much Treasure as is in both the Indies It might be the saving of the rest of our Armies of the Cause and therein of All. What may we think the sinne the cause of this Disaster to be I will tell you what we may not thinke it to be We may not we must not thinke that there is sinne in the foundation of the Action That the Ground and cause of the warre is unjust and sinfull because of this Disaster no more then Ioshua's here or the Benjamites Iudg. 20. no though God should frowne yet further upon us and breake us with breach upon breach We must yet say as the Church Psal 44.17 18 19. All this is come upon us yet have we not forgotten thee nor dealt falsly in thy Covenant Our heart is not turned back neither have our steps declined from thy way Though thou hast sore broken us in the place of Dragons and covered us with the shadow of Death Never repent that we have imbarqued our selves in the quarrell for the sinne lies not in the cause it selfe But where then I professe sincerely I cannot tell you where if I could I durst not be so unfaithfull to God to your soules to the Kingdome as to conceale it All that I can say is That as God in this his Providence hath frowned upon not onely our Armies but the Parliament the City and the whole well-affected Party both Ministers and People so All have sinned and possibly all our sinnes have an influence into this calamity that is now upon us And therefore let All of us Parliament-men Commanders Souldiers Citizens Ministers People All of us ô let us search our selves and enquire in our severall Orbes and Activities what our wayes have been that so if possible we may find out what and where this sinne is There is a spirit in man which is as the Candle of the Lord searching the innermost parts of the belly Prov. 20.27 that consulted with will discover hidden things Now therefore every one of you consult your owne spirits And first you that are Members of the Honourable Houses of Parliament for I must speake to you God and your selves have called me hither this day to what end if not to speake to you Oh how doe I feare least some sinnes of yours may have a great influence into this Disaster that is now upon us This I am sure of Parliament sinnes and sinnes of Parliament men are great Provocations Looke how much honour God hath put upon every One of you singly more then upon others of your Ranke that are not Members of this Honourable Body and looke how much more honour God hath put upon you joyntly as a Parliament more then upon other Parliaments so much the greater is your Engagement unto God and if you sinne it is so much the greater Provocation ô that you would ever remember it Was there ever Parliament that had so many Prayers Deliverances Wonders waiting upon it as you Was there ever Parliament that had God so neere unto them in all things ô such a Parliament should as Caesar said sometimes of his wife be free not only à culpâ sed à suspitione In the Name of Iesus Christ whose Minister I am and to whom I must give account of the discharge of this dayes service I beseech you Right Honourable let this hand of God under which you are met to humble your selves this day cause every one of you seriously and impartially to review your wayes not as men but as Parliament-men commune every one with your owne hearts and say What have I done How have I discharged the trust that God and man have committed to me ô remember God and man have entrusted you with that which is dearest to them both God hath entrusted you with his Gospell with his Glory with the affaires of the Kingdome of his Sonne with the welfare of that Church which he hath purchased with his owne Bloud Men have entrusted you with their Estates Liberties Lives ô that these things were written upon the wals of the Houses where you daily sit as over the gate of the Senate house in Rome was written Ne quid Respublica detrimenti capiat Let the Common-wealth receive no dammage But your care must be not only for Common-wealth but for the Church and Religion to both are committed to your Trust But ô that you would inquire this day how you have discharged this Trust Every