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
us The Lord so humble every one of us by the mighty working of his owne blessed Spirit that he may please to take notice of his own worke in us as he did here in Joshua and say Arise wherefore liest thou upon thy face I have done with That which God tooke notice of in Joshua But before I passe to That which God gave notice of to Joshua Let me entreat you to take notice of something in God from God taking notice of something in Joshua and that is Gods tender and gratious regard to a humbled mourning heart No sooner doth Joshua here humble himselfe but God presently takes notice of him speakes comfortably to him Joshua Get thee up wherefore liest thou upon thy face Lord what is man that thou art thus mindfull of him that no sooner can a poore sinner in humblenesse of soule cast himselfe to the earth but the great God reacheth his hand from Heaven to raise him up againe Lord what is man that thou shouldest thus magnifie him and set thine heart upon him If the glorious Majestie of our God abase himselfe to behold the things that are done in Heaven Psal 113.6 ô then what a Condescension is it in our God to behold a Man a worme abased upon earth But Joshua was no ordinary man Joshua was a Saint a Friend a Son of God A man of such rare and matchlesse Piety as in all the thousands of Israel nay in all the world there was scarce such another man But One that we reade of if One in his Dayes that was to be compared to him No wonder if when such a man be humbled God takes notice of him But will God regard the Humiliations of other Men Men that are not of such rare and extraordinary holinesse when they are humbled will God take notice of them I will give you but two instances more to consider of for the proofe and illustration of this point and judge by them My first Instance is of Rehoboam who certainly was none of the best men nay as farre as we can take his Character by all that Scripture speakes of him first and last he was a very bad man For it is said of him in the 2 Chron. 12.1 that he forsooke the Law of the Lord he and all Israel with him And if you would know what was the degree and measure of their wickednesse how farre he and his people had forsaken the Law of the Lord looke in 1 Kings 14.22 23 24. and reade what their wickednesse was And Judah did evill in the sight of the Lord and they provoked him to jealousie with their sinnes which they had committed above all that their fathers had done For they also built them high places and images and groves on every high hill and under every greene tree And there were also Sodomites in the land and they did according to all the abominations of the nations which the Lord cast out before the Children of Israel These sinnes within a very few yeares after Rehoboams comming to the Crowne had made them ripe for the judgement of the sword for so 2 Chron. 12.2 In the fifth yeere of Rehoboam King of Judah Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem because they had transgressed against the Lord. The terrour of this invasion is such as Rehoboam and his Princes cannot but humble themselves Whereupon the Princes of Israel and the King humbled themselves and they said The Lord is righteous ver 6. Now doth the Lord despise their Humiliations because they had been an idolatrous uncleane wretched people No reade and wonder at the goodnesse of our God towards humbled sinners ver 7. And when the Lord saw that they humbled themselves so then God tooke notice of this even in these the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah saying They have humbled themselves therefore I will not destroy them but I will give them some deliverance and my wrath shall not be poured out upon Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak And because God would have us take good notice of this his respect unto their Humiliations the holy Ghost mentions it againe in the 12. verse And when he humbled himselfe the wrath of the Lord turned away from him that he would not destroy him altogether and also in Judah things went well God did not only deliver him out of his present danger but prospered all the affaires of his Kingdome in his hand and yet certainly he even after this his Humiliation none of the best men as we may collect from that Censure which after this the Lord leaves of him ver 14. And he did evill because he prepared not his heart to seeke the Lord. My next Instance shall be of a Man who was so farre from having any thing of Piety at all in him that he was a man of the most transcendent Impiety that ever any almost was King Ahab is the man Doe but remember what the holy Ghost saith of him It is said 1 Kings 16.30 That Ahab did evill in the sight of the Lord above all that were before him and ver 33. he did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger then all the Kings of Israel that were before him and in 1 Kings 21.25 But there was none like to Ahab c. None of all that went before him or came after him like to him in wickednesse There were twenty Kings in Israel from the time that the ten Tribes revolted from the house of David to the time that God removed them out of his sight Of these twenty Kings there was onely One good Jehu And yet his Integritie may be doubted too But the other nineteen were all wicked and yet not One among them all to be compared to Ahab But there was none like unto Ahab An Oppressour he was and a murtherer and an idolater and a persecuter of that holy Truth which God had plentifully revealed to him by his Prophets and powerfully confirmed to him by miracles and mercifully sought to endeare to him by many gratious deliverances There were not such Prophets in Israel in any Kings dayes as were in his Nor such miracles wrought as in his Nor had any King more glorious Victories and Deliverances and Providences manifested towards him then he had and therefore in all likelihood he was an obstinate sinner and as some thinke very neere the sin against the holy Ghost This is that King Ahab against whom God by his servant Elijah thunders dreadfull things 1 Kings 21.20 21 22 23 24. The very hearing whereof something breakes the pride of his heart ver 27. And it came to passe that when Ahab heard those words he rent his clothes and put sackcloth upon his flesh and fasted and lay in sackcloth and went softly But will God regard it cares God for Ahab Truly we should have been ready to thinke that if such a wretch as Ahab should not onely have rent his clothes but have rent his flesh his heart should he
dissembled Fifthly they have so farre hardened themselves in their sinne that they thinke I will never call them to account for it And they have put it even among their owne stuffe Severall Observations may these words afford us as There is no sinne so secretly committed nor so closely carryed but God seeth and knowes it Not one eye among the hundred thousands of Israel had discovered Achans Theft the conveyance was so close yet the eye of God saw it Observ 3 No darknesse of Night no shadow of Death Psal 139.1 2 3 4. c. ad v. 14. no depth of hell or of the deceitfull heart of Man can cover any thing from the All-seeing eye of God The darknesse and the light to him are both alike Psal 139.12 Hell and destruction are before the Lord how much more then the hearts of the sonnes of men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Patenâ—ia Beza Prov. 15.11 There is not any Creature that is not manifest in his sight Aperta Vulg. Manifesta TreÌ„ Resupinata Er. Per medium dissecta Parçus Per AnatomiaÌ„ dissecta Illyâ—â— But all things are naked and open unto the eyes of him with whom we have to doe Heb. 4.13 The smoothest closest hypocrite doth but dance in a Net he may deceive himselfe God he cannot deceive Our secret sinnes are in the light of his countenance Psal 90.8 Applic. 1 Now would we consider this this day how might it humble us how would it fill every heart with trembling and every face with shame to consider that the God with whom we have t is day to doe knowes all our sinnes our secret sinnes our darknesse sinnes our midnight sinnes our Closet sinnes our Curtaine sinnes our Bosome sinnes All things are naked and open to this â—od would we seriously consider this how would it helpe to humble us for sinnes past And would we remember this how might it preserve us from sinning for time to come could we when temptations are upon us remember That when we have sinned we cannot hide it from the righteous God how would it make us Stand in awe and not sin Could men find a vaile to cast before the Eyes of God a Maske to blinde the All-seeing Eye of God a Curtaine that might hide them from the sight of God Then might they sinne without feare But if we can be no where nor doe nothing but before Gods All-seeing eye then again I say Stand in awe and sin not The Heathen could say Maxima debetur pueris reverentia siquid turpe paras The presence of a child should keepe a man from filthinesse There are some sinnes which he that hath not put off Man and native modestie would be loath the eye of a Childe of five yeares old should see him in them Might not the sight and knowledge of the great God be a more powerfull meanes of Restraint if men would remember it That Man that can thinke thus If I commit this sinne The great God The Righteous Judge of all the world will see and know it and yet can dare to sin That man is more impudent in sinning then was Absalom when he spread a Tent upon the Top of the house and went in into his Fathers wives in the sight of all Israel and of the Sunne But especially what a Preservative would the remembrance of this Truth be from that detestable and too too common sin of Hypocrisie O the thoughts of this That there is no sinne so secret or close but God can and will find it out ô how would it make us in all Simplicity and Godly Sincerity study to approve our selves unto God Abhorring to doe Gods worke for our owne ends as Jehu did For God will find it out though men cannot and will charge it home which is the next thing you may observe out of this part of the Text. Observ 4 That where God comes once to charge sin Voâ—ula 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 etiam quae sapiâ—s hoc loco iteratur auxeses continuas significat ut Hebraeis quoque videtur Masius ad loc Exaggerat causam quae poterat levis videri Pellicanus Criâ— en exaggerat particula 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quae toties repetitur Calv. he will charge it home in all the degrees and aggravations of it So here Israel hath sinned and which is worse they have transgressed my Covenant and yet worse they have even taken of the accursed thing and worser yet they have also stollen and worse still they have also dissembled and they have put it even among the Stuffe According to this forme God drawes up a Charge and Inditement against David 2 Sam. 12.7 8. Thus saith the Lord God of Israel I anointed thee King over Israel and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul And I gave thee thy Masters house and thy Masters wives into thy bosome and gave thee the house of Israel and the house of Judah and if that had been too little I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things Wherefore hast thou despised the Commandement of the Lord to doe evill in his sight Thou hast killed Vriah the Hittite with the sword and hast taken his wife to be thy wife and hast slaine him with the sword of the children of Ammon How sorely doth God charge this sinne upon his Dearest Favourite King David in the depth of its bloudy Horrour twice telling him Thou hast killed Thou hast slain In the Height of its Rebellion against God Thou hast despised the Commandement of the Lord. In the fulnesse of that violence it offered to all the mercies of God I anointed thee and I delivered thee and I gave thee and wherefore hast thou despised c It may be long ere God comes to make this charge But when he doth he will do it to purpose Psal 50 21. These things hast thou done and I kept silence and thou thoughtest that I was altogether such a one as thy selfe but I will reprove thee and set thy sinnes in order before thee Applic. I prosecute the proofe of this no further In one word let it teach us if it be possible to prevent Gods charging sinne upon us which certainly if it be so full cannot but be very dreadfull Now it is possible There is a way whereby we may prevent it and that is by charging our sinnes home upon our selves For if we would judge our selves we should not be judged of the Lord 1 Cor. 11.32 So if we would accuse our selves indite our selves we should not be accused indited of the Lord if we would charge sin upon our selves God would not charge our sinnes upon us if we would remember them God would forget them if we would set them this day before our faces God would cast them this day behind his back Therefore let us accuse indite charge jud e our selves that we may be cleared acquitted released absolved of the Lord. But to come to something that we may fix upon Israel hath sinned
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