hast a visible word which though it preach not to thine eares yet doth it preach vnto thine eyes and makes thy two eyes the two witnesses of Gods glory and mercy towards thee For the Sunne which giues thee light the ayre thou breathest in the earth thou feedest on these be dumbe Preachers Rom. 1.19 and preach Gods mercy to thine eyes and no Nation is there in the world but it hath this kinde of preaching in it Psal 19.3 For there is no speech nor language saith the Prophet where the voice of these Preachers is not heard And therefore this is enough to euince the worlds vnthankefulnes vnto God for the riches of his mercies to leaue the world as the Apostle witnesseth without excuse Rom. 1.20 But yet God he farther takes excuse from man so loth hee is man should cast away his soule with excuses and he writes the Notions of his Law euen in the heart of euery man Rom. 2.14 15. making euery mans conscience to be his Accuser or excuser before God Nay more then this yet farther to take excuse from Man God hee not onely giues a visible word to preach vnto our eyes nor onely the Notions of his Law written in our hearts but he sends an audible Word amongst vs his Voices to cry and proclaime his Law in our eares and to reuiue it in our hearts so that wee can plead no excuse at all for our selues Our eyes are our witnesses which dayly behold Gods mercies our hearts are our witnesses Rom. 2.15 which shew the effect of the Law written in the heart and our eares are our witnesses which dayly heare Gods crying Voices and they cannot chuse but heare them because they be crying Voices still crying vnto vs This is the way walke in it O let not vs then sith God is so carefull to take excuse from vs make excuses to our selues to destroy our soules Let vs not shut our eyes from beholding Gods mercie let vs not shut our eares from listning to his iudgements and let vs not harden our hearts against his feare to disobey his Law and dishonour his Name but sith hee is so carefull to preach his Name to our eyes to our hearts and to our eares let vs obey these diuers cals of mercy that we may be saued otherwise if we doe no excuse you see will serue but we must vtterly perish Now if any Nation in the world be left inexcusable in these respects this little Goshen of ours this little Iland of ours is most without excuse which as speakes the Prophet Isaiah in his 11. Chapter is ful of the Knowledge of the Lord Verse 9 euen as the waters couer the Sea So that England is not so much enuironed with the waters of the Sea as it is full of the Knowledge of the Lord and of his Word euery nooke and angle of our Land hauing a plentifull increase of the Lords Voices in it to cry proclaime the Lords message in our eares This famous Citie more especially it is so full of the Lords crying Voices that some sticke not to complaine They haue too much knowledge now adayes but take they heed how they complaine they haue too much lest God for our vnthankefulnes punish vs as he doth many other Nations with little enough And let vs know thus much to make vs carefull to make good vse of our knowledge the more knowledge we haue the lesse excuse wee haue for our sinne And the more the Lords Voices cry amongst vs the more shall be our punishments if wee obey them not Luke 12. â—7 For the Seruant that knowes his Masters will and doth it not shall be beaten with many stripes And therefore as you desire to secure the Citie from the Lords Rodde and your owne soules from his consuming wrath Sith God to leaue you without excuse sends crying Voices vnto you in mercy to forewarne you lend your eares and hearts to heare and obey that which the Lords Voice cryeth to your Citie For the Lords Voice cryeth to the Citie It is a great and publique taske for the Lords Voices to Cry vnto a Citie And therefore Ionah beeing sent to Nineueh that great Citie faine would he flie from the presence of the Lord fearing to be the Lords Cryer in so great a Citie till the Word of the Lord comes vnto him the second time Ion. 3.1 2. commanding him Arise and goe to Niniueh that great Citie and preach vnto it the preaching that I bid thee Now as it fared with Ionah so it fares with most of the Lords Voices but that the Lord is with them and they preach the preaching which hee commands them they would draw back as fearing to cry vnto a Citie And therefore when the Lords Voices out of this and such like publike places cry vnto your Citie blame not the Voices for the Voices they of themselues are slow enough to Cry vnto a Citie but that the Lord in mercy to a Citie compels them as hee did Ionah to arise and goe vnto the Citie and preach the preaching hee commands them which ye are the more willingly to heare because they preach no other but the preaching which God bids them preach And therefore blame me not though who am I the meanest of Gods Voices if I shew vnto you how the Lords quarrell with this Citie in my Text agrees in some sort to this famous Citie For let vs but paralell Gods benefits bestowed on both these Cities and then see whether both Cities haue beene so thankefull vnto God for these his benefits as they ought to be First for Ierusalem this Citie in my Text saith God to her in the fourth and fift verse of this present Chapter Remember my louing kindnesses of old how I brought thee out of the Land of Egypt and deliuered thee out of the house of Seruants nor onely so but gaue thee Moses Aaron and Miriam for thy guides And hath not God done this and much more for our Citie Let vs remember his louing kindnesses of old how God he hath deliuered vs from Egypt Romes tyrannie which in the 11. of the Reuelation is stiled to vs by the name of Egypt Verse 8 and hath freed vs from the house of Seruants from the slauish and Egyptian bondage of an vsurning Pharaoh the Pope who would still haue made both Prince and People Seruants and Vassals to his painted holinesse and who in one thing was more then a Pharaoh in that he sought to destroy by cruell death not onely all the Males but Females too of the Stock of Sem who profest themselues members of the true Church nor onely this hath God done for vs but hee hath also giuen vs a Moses a most gracious King As he also gaue vs a Miriam Queene Elzabeth a gracious Queene of happy memory deare Sister to our gracious Moses both a nursing Father and Mother to our Church and an Aaron a holy and a learned
tongue it was Hierusalems sinne and so common amongst them that as the Prophet Ieremy speakes Ierem. 9.4 Euery one was to take heed of his neighbour and not to put trust in any brother for euery brother vsed deceit and euery friend dealt deceitfully And what is our Hierusalem free from this Plaine-dealing men who haue to deale with nimble trades-men will tell you no for alas how many trades-mens tongues with vs now-a-daies are deceitfull in their mouth who are as skilfull in the trade of lying as of selling hauing words at will to bring a poore simplician to their price And as they thus can teach their tongues to speake a lye racking both credit and their honesty for the aduantage of their wares vsing fawning termes which sound like musick in the buyers eares and like a Syrens song deceiue the simpler sort so doe they also teach their nimble hands to dance the measures encroching on aduantage in their measure to the defrauding of the buyers purse if his eye be not still their ouerseer so that now if euer the aduice holds good Caueat emptor let the buyer be wary and take heed for the world is full of nothing but deceit and to say truth most mens tongues are now-a-daies deceitfull in their mouth for it is a nimble and a complementing world and the world like Naphthali Gen. 49.21 giues goodly words but it is not like Dorcas full of good works Acts 9.36 for to speake in the Prophet Dauids phrase you shall haue words as soft as butter Psal 55.21 but this butter will not sticke vpon your bread for you shall haue words but no deeds So that we may cry to God with the Prophet Dauid in his 12. Psalm for want of faithful dealing men the Lord helpe vs for they speak euery one deceitfully with his neighbor flattering with their lips and speake with a double heart All this being so the rebellions of our Hierusalem being so nye of kinne to Hierusalems sinne may not God as iustly complaine of vs as of Hierusalem heere he doth and may not he truely say to vs as to Hierusalem What for all my mercies in that I deliuered you from Egypt from Romes tyranny and from the house of seruants the slauery bondage of an vsurping Pharaoh the Pope What for all this that I haue giuen you a Moses and a Miriam Kings and Queenes to be your nursing Fathers and nursing Mothers holy Aarons for your Pastors what for al this that I deliuerd you frō the euill in 88. was consulted against you when I turned Pope Balaams curse into a blessing vnto you what for al this that I daily send vnto you Voyces vpon Voyces to cry and proclaime vnto your City what is the Lords will and which is the way that ye should walke in it for all these mercies of mine for all this crying and preaching of my Voyces adhucan sunt What is it possible Are there yet the treasures of wickednesse in the house of the wicked Are there yet scant measures false balances and a bagge of deceitfull weights in the shoppe of the wicked Is there yet Violence and Oppression in the heart of the wicked And is there yet a deceitfull tongue in the mouth of the wicked If thus it bee and you will not bee wonne by my mercies if thus it bee and you will not bee cured by my menaces thou City of God as to Hierusalem so must I say to thee though my beloued City Yet thou shalt be punished and I will make thee as Hierusalem sicke in smiting thee because of thy sinnes c. And therefore thou beloued Citie of God sith God hath so blessed thee with his mercies proue not thus vnkinde vnto thy God do not so requite thy God for his mercies as Hierusalem did but remoue with speedy hand these thy sinnes wherewith thou art charged from the Lord and repent thee of the euill of thy sinne that God may repent him of the euill of punishment intended against thee for thy sinne Did not thy God loue thee hee would not send thee Voyces vpon Voyces as he doth to cry this in thine eares that thou mayest preuent thy punishment by thy penitence and therefore if thou be wise bee thou warned by Hierusalem and auert Gods iudgements from thee by thy conuersion to thy God And in thy conuersiō as thou art to shake off Hierusalems sinne and manifest rebellions so haue not to doe with her saultring and secret hypocrisie in thy conuerérsion for Hierusalem as she had her open rebellions so had she also her lurking hypocrisie for doe but behold her and see her hypocrisie in the sixt verse of this chapter wheras if now she meant to make a mends for all her rebellions shee breakes forth in a straine pleasing enough in the eare of man but God who sees the heart knew it to be but glozing and hypocrisie Oh saith she in quo occurram wherewith shall I come before the Lord I will bring with mee my thousands of Rammes my tenne thousand riuers of oyle I will spare no cost to appease my God nay more then this I will giue the fruit of my body for the sinne of my soule And what not all this yet as much as God requires No O man God he requires not so much of thee for in the eight verse this onely is the thing the Lord requires but to doe iustly and to loue mercy and to walke humbly with thy God And therfore thou City of God be thou farther instructed by Hierusalem and as thou art to leaue Hierusalems sinne that thou mayst escape Hierusalems punishment So in thy conuersion to thy God play thou not the Hypocrite as Hierusalem did Bring we not then our thousand Rams for an offering vnto God but offer wee vp our selues soule and body a liuing sacrifice vnto God Rom. 12.1 Bring we not our ten thousand riuers of oyle but bring we with vs penitent hearts and eyes like holy Dauids to gush out riuers of teares because we none of vs keepe Gods Law Bring we not the fruit of our body for the sinne of our soule but good workes the fruit of our faith for the sinne of our soule the fruit of infidelity and so doe wee that which God requires of vs to doe iustly to loue mercy and to walke humbly with our God for this is it which the Lords Voyce cryeth vnto the City and let vs now seeke a man a fit man a man of wisedome to heare what the Voyce cryeth For the man of wisedome shall see thy name It is easie to finde men but it is hard to finde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a man wee may goe vp and downe the City with Diogenes finde thousands of men but not a man among a thousand It is easie to find Adam a man of earth it is easie to finde Enosh a man of infirmity but to finde Ish a man of wisedome and courage this man is hard to
LONDONS VVARNING BY JERVSALEM A SERMON PREACHED AT PAVLS CROSSE ON MID-Lent Sunday last By Francis White Mr. of Arts and sometime of Magdalene Colledge in OXFORD Devt 32.29 Oh that they were wise then they would understand this they would consider their latter end LONDON Printed by George Purslowe for Richard Flemming and are to be sold at his Shop at the Signe of the three Flower-de-Lâ—â—â—s in Saint Pauls Alley neere Saint Gregories Church 1619. Vox index animi Vox index esto libelli Vox clamans titulum Signat amans animum TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE AND RELIGIOVS Lady MARY Lady HVNSDEN as also to her truely Noble and most vertuous Sonne Henry Lord Hunsden the blessing of Heauen and earth be multiplyed Right Honorable PResuming on your fauours I am emboldned to present you with the firstlings of my endeuours who may best chalenge them beeing the first who gaue life and breath in your incouragements to these my intendements For neuer had I engaged my selfe so farre in these more publique imployments but had contented my selfe in an obscure retire on my rurall Charge but that the experiments of your fauour did for a while dictate another course vnto me which since good considerations haue altered it being aswell your religious desire as my care to feede mine owne flocke at home though but a very little one beeing in a place altogether dispeopled rather then to intend anothers Charge abroad I had sometime thought the desolatenes of the place had been sufficient priuiledge for absence but I finde it otherwise many being ready to find fault as Eliab did with Dauid for leauing 1. Sam. 17.28 though but a few Sheepe in the Wildernesse And therefore to giue offence to none I will seeke no farther excuses for my absence but returne vnto mine owne and sith my absence can no longer suffer mee to performe that seruice to your Honors which I could wish I shall leaue this small Present with you as a pledge of that duty seruice which I owe making vp in my dayly prayers to God for your Honors what shal bee wanting in the performances of my seruice to you desiring the God of Heauen to blesse your Honors with the blessings of this life and blessednes of a better Your Honors most deuoted Chaplaine FRANCIS WHITE TO THE WORTHY SOCIETIES OF CITIZENS in this famous Citie of LONDON in especiall to his louing friends of the Parish of St. Sepulchres WHat was sometime preached to the eare is now presented to the eye and the rather this because the more may take notice of it if any thing there be which any wayes may concerne the Peace of our Hierusalem Nothing there is at all which may deserue the Printing but if any thing there be which any wayes may auaile the soules good the Lord Print that in the Heart which is all I ayme at or can desire I hope it will be offence to none but to such onely who put the gaine of Deceit into a broken Bagge for whom I passe not that our Prophets Inuectiue against the scant measure wicked Balances and the bagge of deceitfull weights is renued in these times and some of the Citie corners not exempted from it which Discipline in time no doubt will redresse and purge That glorious things may euer bee spoken of thee Psal 87. thou Citie of God and the Lord may still loue the habitations of Iacob where his Name is called vpon and his will obserued Thus seeke wee still the peace of our Hierusalem breaking off our sinnes by repentance being at peace with God that the God of peace and loue may establish for euer peace within our Walles and set plenty within our Palaces to his glory and the comfort of vs all in Christ Iesus Yours in all Christian Offices and seruices of loue FRANCIS WHITE LONDONS WARNING MICAH 6.9 The Lords voice cryeth vnto the Citie and the man of wisedome shall see thy name heare ye the rod and who hath appointed it MAiestie in this Chapter seemes to parly euen with misery God parlies with man and that the quarrell of a gracious God with an vnthankfull people may appeare most iust Heauen and earth the dumbe creatures of God which in the nineteeneth Psalme are stiled the silent Preachers of Gods glory mercy vnto man are heere cited to be eare-witnesses of mans vnthankfulnes vnto God For in the second verse Heare ye O Mountaines and yee mightie foundations of the earth the Lords quarrell against his people The witnesses thus produc't Rockes and Mountaines to conuince the hardnesse of mans heart and height of rebellion against his God God he begins his plea and shewes the ancient euidences of his loue Verse 5 O my people Verse 4 saith God what haue I done vnto thee or wherin haue I grieued thee testifie against me Is it because I brought thee out of Egypt and redeemed thee out of the house of seruants and led thee like a flocke Verse 5 by the hand of Moses and Aaron Is it because I turned Balaams curse into a blessing vnto you Is it because from Shittim vnto Gilgal nay from Egypt vnto Canaan I made knowne to you my mercy my power to your enemies Is it this that ye lift vp the heele against mee Is it this my kindnes which makes you thus vnkind vnto me Remember O my people these great mercies of your Sauiour and so acknowledge the righteousnes of the Lord. This is Gods gracious plea with his vnthankefull people which did so wound and abash their guiltie conscience that they cry out in the sixt verse Verse 7 In quo occurram wherewith shall I come before the Lord And now God he shall haue burnt offerings hee shall haue thousands of Rammes nay ten thousand Riuers of Oyle nay their first-borne child the fruit of their body for the sinne of their soule And all this now if the Lord he will be but pleased But this God well he knowes to be but crusted obedience much like vnto a wound which deceitfull skill gathers to a skin while within 't is putred and rankles to the bone For so this seeming obedience it doth often palliate the rancour and malice of an euill heart and therefore indicauit tibi O homo God he shews thee O man in the 8. Verse what is good and what the Lord requireth of thee Surely to doe iustly and to loue mercy and to walke humbly with thy God which is the full summe of the Decalogue and the whole dutie of Man And all burnt-offerings thousands of Riuers of Oyle the fruit of the body for the sinne of the soule they are all but splendida peccata they are but glittering sinnes if this be wanting to doe iustly man with man which is the one halse dutie of man and to walke humbly with thy God which is the other This therefore being the very life and soule of our obedience without which our obedience like a dead carkase stinkes in the nostrils of
the Lord that you may all of you take notice of it and not content your selues with imperfect Comma's of obedience to doe some part of that which God commandeth nor yet with imperfect Colons of obedience to doe the one halfe of that which God commandeth but that you may still endeuour to conclude all your actions with full Points of obedience to doe all which God commandeth not mans but the Lords voice cryeth this in your eares For the Lords voice cryeth vnto the Citie and the man of wisedome shall see thy name Heare ye the Rod and who hath happainted it Which Text of holy Scripture seemes to haue in it the composure of a Syllogisme The Maior Proposition in these words The Lords voice cryeth vnto the Citie The Minor in these words The man of wise dowe shall see thy name that is shall see and consider the glory of Gods name his Maiestie and his power and so with reuerence attend vnto his voice The illation or Conclusion by way of exhortation in these words Heare ye therefore the Rod He that is a man of wisedome amongst you let him lend his eares and heart to heare of a Rod which the voice denounceth vnlesse ye turne from the euill of your waies which God hath appointed most certainely to bring vpon you vnlesse you preuent his punishments with your penitence In the Maior consider we 1. Cuius hac vox whose voice this is it is the Lords voice 2. Qualis what manner of voice it is It is a crying voice The Lords voice cryeth 3. The vbi the place where it cryeth and that is the Citie The Lords voice cryeth vnto the Citie In the Minor consider we 1. Quibus to whom this voice is directed to men of wisedome The man of wisedome shall see thy name 2. The reason why the voice is directed onely vnto such and that is because they see Gods name they haue an awefull feare and reuerence of the great Maiestie of God which tunes their eares and hearts and makes them tuneable to this voice to attend with reuernce vnto the voice of so high a Maiestie In the Conclusion consider we Quid clamat What the voice cryeth It tels vs louingly of a Rod from God Heare yee the Rod and who hath appointed it These be the parts of this Text and you haue the Lords voice in the front of it and the Lords Rodde in the conclusion or shutting vp of it to shew how that they who will not heare the Lords Voice at the first shall be sure to feele his Rod at the last Let vs therefore in the first place attend vnto that which is first proposed which is Psal 29. Vox Iehouae the Lords voice The Lords voice saith the Prophet Dauid is a mighty voice it makes Heauen and earth to shake And so terrible is this voice to flesh and bloud that in the 20. of Exodus Verse 19 the children of Israel cry out vnto Moses Speake thou with vs and we will heare but let not God speake with vs lest we die Adam before his fall could well enough endure to heare the voice of God but no sooner had hee transgrest but as you reade Genesis 3. when hee heares the voice of God he is afraid Verse 10 I heard thy voice in the Garden and was afraid And this is the condition of vs all since the fall of our first Parents we are so afraid to heare the voice of God that we cry out with the Israelites Let man speake with vs and wee will heare but let not God speake with vs lest we die And therefore though in my Text mention be made of the Lords voice this voice it is not the Lords voice which ye are afraid to heare lest ye dye But the Lords Prophet is the Lords voice in this place which if ye heare not ye die this it is no new thing for the Lords Prophet to bee stiled the Lords voice For in the first Chapter of Saint Iohns Gospel there is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the voice Christ he is the Word Saint Iohn the Baptist Christs Herauld hee is the voice to publish and proclaime this word So that Saint Iohn he was the Lords voice to proclaime vnto the Iewes verbū Dominum the Word which is God And our Prophet Micah in this place he is the Lords voice to publish vnto the Iewes verbum Domini the Word of God the Word of the Lord. Now it is not said to be the Prophets voice which publishes the message but the Lords voice because the people should attend with reuerence to the Prophets Gods Ministers voice euen as they would to the Lords owne voice sith Gods Messenger he is no other but vox Iehouae the Lords voice Man indeed is the voice because wee are confounded when God himselfe doth speake but not mans but the Lords is the voice because though man vtter them yet wee should take the words as spoken from God who else would speake the words vnto vs himselfe but that our infirmitie cannot away with the Maiesty of the Speaker who therefore makes man the voice because man may well away to heare what man doth speake and therefore though he make man the voice yet will not haue the voice acknowledged to bee mans voice but the Lords voice because wee should attend to what is spoken as spoken from God and not from man who is onely the Lords voice And thus now you see who is the Lords voice in this place See we withall what instructions we haue by this why first we haue Gods mercy commended to vs who vouchsafes to send a voice before a rodde a voice to premonish before a rod to punish Secondly wee haue Gods Ministers dutie set before vs in that he is vox in that he must be a voice Thirdly and lastly we see Gods Ministers dignitie in that hee is vox Iehouae the Lords voice For the first Gods mercy in that he sends a voice to premonish before a rodde to punish And this mercy of God it is euery where commended vnto vs in holy Writ from the Alpha to the Omega from the beginning to the end The first man Adam no sooner had hee lost himselfe straying in forbidden pathes from his Gods command but the voice of mercy seekes him out in the third of Genesis Vbies Adam where art thou Wicked Cain he murthers a righteous Abel and the voice of mercy straight vpon the murther cals vpon him to strike him with remorse for his sinne Vbi est VVhere is thy Brother Abel Alas Gen. 4. what hast thou done that thy Brothers bloud cryes in mine eares for vengeance The old world 1. Pet. 3.19 20. though now euen drowned with the ouerflowings of vngodlinesse yet it perished not by the floud but it had first a voice to admonish it righteous Noah was sent vnto it a preacher of righteousnes Nineueh that great Citie God he had purposed
commendation of this famous Citie There is no Nation vnder heauen more respects these Voices if they be the Lords Voices indeed then the more graue and discreeter Citizens And as for the rest they loue them too but not with so good discretion for they loue them in a manner as the Ape doth her yong ones they loue them so importunately that they kill them And therefore it were to be wisht they would loue them a little more in louing them a little lesse while they giue the Voices a breathing time to follow the Apostles rule to his beloued Timothy 1. Tim 4.13 To giue attendance to reading and to exhortation and to doctrine that there may be a breathing while for the Voices to giue attendance to reading as well as all to exhortation and to doctrine For the Voices they will be so much the better able to teach others by their doctrine when they haue first taught themselues by their reading Now as wee are bound to loue the Lords Voices so can we not better expresse our loue vnto them then in cherishing them For farre bee it that the Lords Voices should be fedde like meere voyces indeed onely with ayre and that their maintenance should bee the peoples courtesie and beneuolence for this it were a dishonour vnto God and a great abasing to the Ministerie The very Heathens tell vs as much Ptut Mor. For Plutarch tels vs of a Laconian who seeing a Collector going about and gathering the peoples deuotions for the gods O saith he I will now make no more reckoning of the gods so long as I see them goe a begging and to bee poorer then my selfe And would not thinke you many a churlish Nabal and repining Laban of these dayes bee ready to fall into the same disdaine of God and of his Voices if the Offals onely of their reuenues and cruell mercies of their purse were the stay and maintenance of the Ministers life This it were great pitie it should be so and hope suggests the best that it wil neuer be For were it so as in the same Plutarch we reade Plut. Mor. of one Philippus a Priest amongst the Heathen so poore that hee beg'd for his liuing and yet hee would goe about and tell how happy he should be When quoth one will this be When I am dead saith he Why then poore fellow quoth the other thou art too blame thou diest not quickly that thou mayst be happy Euen thus should the Lords poore Voices bee flouted of the world The Lord is our portion say the Voices and wee shall bee happy but when saith the world shall you haue this portion that ye may be happy When we dye say the Voices Why then sayes the world yee are too blame ye dye not quickly to be happy in Heauen whom the world hath tooke an order with neuer to bee happy on earth But this it is the voice of the sonnes of Belial who haue euill will at Sion and had rather put a Church into their purse then empty their purse vpon the Church For you beloued the Lords Voices are perswaded better things of you how regardfull of them you haue alwayes beene and how carefull you be 2. Reg. 4. not onely with the good Shunamite to prouide them a Chāber a Table a Stoole when they turne in vnto you but to send them away as Ioseph did his Brethren Gen. 42. with their Sacks full of Corne and euery man his money in his Sacks mouth meat for the belly and money for the back For which care of yours in cherishing the Lords Voices the blessing of Heauen and the farnesse of the earth be your great reward And may they euer liue registred in the Kalendar of Saints who already haue or hereafter shall more like the Primitiues of old then the hold-fast Possessiues of these times thus bring in part of their Possessions and lay it downe at the Apostles feet bringing an offering to the worke of the Tabernacle to this so worthy a Worke. Now as wee are to loue and cherish so are wee also to obey the Lords Voices And this is it the Apostle exhorts you vnto Heb. 13. Verse 17 Obey them which haue the ouer sight of you and submit your selues for they watch for your soules as they that must giue account for them vnto God that they may doe it with ioy and not with griefe for that is vnprofitable for you You are then to obey Gods Minister because God hath set him as a watchmā ouer your soules he must giue an account to God for your soules Now if ye doe what hee commands you from God his shall be the ioy and yours the crowne But if yet will be stiffenecked and not obey though his bee the griefe to see his Ministerie take no better effect amongst you yours shall be the perill For if hee giue vp his account of your soules with griefe of heart for your disobedience to the Gospell of Christ this it is vnprofitable 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for you and not for him And therefore as you tender your soules obey the Lords Voices which watch ouer your soules Giue an obedient eare to the Lords Voices to heare them and an obedient heart to the Lord himselfe to feare him that yee may be blessed For in the 30. of Deuteronomie Verse 20 there be three wayes set downe the three rodes by which we come to blessednes the first is by louing the Lord thy God the second by obeying his Voice and the third by cleauing vnto him so that if thou loue the Lord because he is thy Father if thou cleaue vnto him because he is thy Saniour if thou obey his Voice because hee is thy Lord thou and thy Seed shall liue and bee blessed vpon earth For if thou obey diligently the Voice of the Lord the Lord in the 28. of Deut. pronourices thee Blessed in the Citie Verse 3 and blessed in the field Verse 4 blessed in the fruit of thy body and in the fruit of the ground Verse 6 blessed in thy comming in and in thy going out Verse 8 blessed in thy storehouses blessed in all thou set'st thine hand vnto Thus shall the man bee blessed that obeyes the Voice of the Lord. And therefore all ye who desire blessednes heare and obey that yee may eate the good things of the Land And thus now you see how for the Lords sake whose Spouse the Church is you are to loue to cherish and to obey the Lords Voices Now let euery faithfull Christian which is a member of the true Church the Spouse of Christ plight faith to Christ the Husband of this Spouse for the performance of this Christian dutie which God so requires at our hands And so from the Voice come we to see the nature of the Voice It is a crying Voice The Lords Voice Cryoth and neede had the Voice be a Crying Voice for it hath a Citie to Cry in and a whispering still Voice
speake for mercy vnto God for man for in the second of Ioel the Priests these crying Voyces of the Lord Verse 17 they weepe betweene the porch and the Altar and cry to God Spare thy people O Lord and giue not thine heritage ouer to reproch and God in the 18. and 19. verses to shew how much hee accepts the cry of his Voyces the cryes and prayers of his Ministers which they powre before him for his people himselfe vouchsafes a gracious reply and makes the answer how that at the cry of his Ministers he cannot but be iealous ouer his Land and spare his people and giue them their hearts desire corne wine and oyle and freedome from their enemies such is the force of prayer for the people in the Lords Ministers mouth if it be feruent from the heart Now then ye people of the Lord if ye haue any care or regard at all of your soules learne to distinguish betweene the cry of voyces that knowing which cry against your soules good and which cry for the good of your soules you may be able to discerne which you are to heare and obey which to shut your eares against and to auoyd You see heere there bee three crying voyces abroad in the world The first is the crying nay the roaring voyce of the Deuill and this voyce cries vnto you to breathe defiance against Heauen and to write your names in the earth with the red inke of bloud or the blacke inke of hellish villany This voyce cries vnto you with wicked Kain to murther a righteous Abel it cries vnto you to play the traitor with Iudas it cries vnto you to take away another mans possession with Ahab it cries vnto you to steale a wedge of gold with Achan it cries vnto you to play the drunken Sot with Nabal it cries vnto you to play the vncharitable Miser with Diues it cries vnto you to dye your soules of the Deuils hue in the blacke deeds of darknesse and of wickednesse Now the second crying voyce which is abroad in the world is the crying voyce of sinne and this cries to heauen for a punishment for sinners it cries vnto the clowds to deny the sinner raine it cries vnto the sunne to deny the sinner light it cries vnto the earth to deny the sinner food it cries to Mercy not to regard the sinner it cries to Iustice to renounce the sinner it cries to hell to receiue the sinner and it cries for tortures to torment the sinner this is the crying voyce of sinne which is neuer with vs but is still against vs. Now the third and last crying voyce which is Gods crying Voyce of Mercy this cries vnto you not to play Kains part and to kill but to loue thy brother as thy selfe not to play Iudas part and betray but to obey from the heart those which are set ouer you not to play Ahabs part and oppresse but to giue to euery man his owne not to play Achans part and to steale but to worke euery man with his own hands to eat his bread in the sweat of his browes not to play Nabals part and be drunke but to be sober to watch and to play not to play Diues part and to be miserable but to doe good to distribute to bee to all men charitable and then againe it cries vnto you as you would haue the clowds drop raine so let your eyes drop teares for your sinnes as you would haue the earth be fruitful so to be fruitfull in good works as you would haue the sunne giue light so to walke as children of light as you would haue heauen escape hell so to haue your conuersation in heauen while ye liue on earth This is the Voyce of mercy which is euer with vs and neuer is against vs. Now chuse you which of these three voyces will you heare the Deuils voyce you see how it comes vnto you with a word cloathed with death and playes the Orator for hell to gaine right to your soule through vnrighteous practices and will you heare this voyce to obey and follow it Why follow it you may but know where it leades it leads to the paths of death high-way to damnation The crying voyce of sinne this you heare how it cries to heauen against you and still in the end proues a backward friend to those her vassals who obey sinne in the lust thereof though at first the better to serue her turn she fawne vpon them and will you now bee wonne by the entising voyce of sinne to follow and obey it in the lust thereof why follow it you may but it threatens your destructiō for sinne will one day pay her seruants their wages home and will requite their euill life which was spent in her seruice with euerlasting death which is their wages for their seruice Rom. 6. for the wages of sinne is death and therefore as you tender your soules redeemed by Christs precious bloud from the power of sinne and Satan captiuate not your soules againe by listning to the entisements of sin and prouocations of the Deuill but lend your eares onely to the Lords crying Voyce of mercy attend only this blessed Voyce which cryes abroad in the world to bring sinners home againe to God by repentance and if you shut your eares the dores of your soule against all other entising voyces of sinne and Satan and open them onely to the Lords crying Voyce to prepare a way for the King of glory to enter in assure your selues such shall be the peace and ioy of your soules that you shall haue heauen in your soules in this life and your soules shall haue heauen in another life And so much for the first reason why the Voyce it is a crying Voyce Now secondly the Voyce it is a crying Voyce to rouze and awake the dead secure City dead asleepe in sin which no voyce but a crying Voyce could rouze and this collection fitly arises from some variety of interpretation of the word in the Originall which is here rendred a City for as Cal uin hath obserued it some read it Vox Iebouae ad ciuit atem some againe Ad exper gefaciendum clamat Some read it The Voyce of the Lord crieth to the City Some againe read it The Voyce of the Lord crieth to rouze to awake which implies the great deadness security of the Citie which could not be awaked without a crying Voyce for as our blessed Sauior being to raise dead Lazarus from death to life is said to cry with a loud voyce Clamauit voce magna saith the text he cryed with a loud voyce Iohn 11. Lazarus come forth so our blessed Sauior being to raise the dead sinner dead in sins trespasses as it is Ephes 2. he makes his Voyces crying Voyces vers 1 to cry vnto the sinner to come forth of the graue of sin Surge qui dormis Awake thou that sleepest Ephes 5.14 and stand vp
from the dead and Christ shall giue thee light Now as the City Hierusalem had need of this crying Voyce euen so hath our Hierusalem this City of ours Our Citizens complaine It is now a dead world a dead time and there is little stirring in the world little trading but they may more iustly complaine in another sense that it is a dead world indeed men carrying about with them liuing bodies but dead soules and There is little stirring in the world for iniquity hath got the vpper hand and iets aboue honesty euery where so that honesty stirres little abroad for she hath little trading in the world while wicked men who make a trade of sinning by their euill customes make the greater part of the world their customers and therefore if euer the Lords crying Voyces cryed to dead mens eares to heare the word of the Lord now is the time for the greater part of men like the widow which liueth in pleasure 1. Tim. 5.6 are dead while they liue And could you but euery weeke haue bils brought you in to signifie within the City liberties and without how many soules dye in a weeke some of a surfet of drunkennesse some of a swelling tympany of pride some of the burning feauer of malice some of the dropsie of couetousnesse some of one or other disease of the soule you would blesse your selues to see most mens bodies to be but liuing Sepulchers for dead soules and you would pity the great taske which is imposed vpon the Lords crying Voyces to heare them cry to dead mens eares which hearing will not heare and to dead mens harts which will not vnderstand and therefore blame we not the Lords Voyces for their importunate crying in our eares crying vnto vs in season and out of season crying at all seasons for they cry most vnto dead men And well saith Saint Augustine Quam difficile sargit quem moles male consuetudinis premit sed tamen surgit post vocem magnam August in Joan. tract 49. Hard it is to awake a sinner whom custome hardens in his sinne and yet such a sinner hee may bee wakened if you often call vpon him for repentance At much and often crying then euen the dead shall heare the Voyce of the Sonne of God and they that heare it shall liue Cry then still yee Voyces of the Lord whom God hath made the Cities Criers to cry lost children home againe to him their heauenly Father by repentance and spare not to cry whilest voyce and breath doe serue to cry and though ye cry to dead mens eares yet is not your labour in vaine in the Lord for Truth it selfe hath said it in the fift of Iohn for the comfort of your labours Verily verily I say vnto you Vers 25 the dead shall heare the voyce of the Sonne of God and they that heare it shal liue And this is also comfort for the sinner that though he be dead in sinnes nay with Lazarus dead foure daies Dead the first day by delight in sin dead the second day by consent to sinne dead the third day by the act of sinne dead the fourth day by a customary sinning so that it may bee said of him as of Lazarus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he now stinkes in the nostrils of the Lord yet if this dead sinner will but heare the Voyces of the Lord crying and crying againe in precept vpon precept exhortation vpon exhortation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 come forth thou sinner how come forth why S. Angustine tels thee how quando consiteris procedis August in John ibid. when thou dost confesse thy sinne to God thou commest forth of the graue of sinne And if the sinner thus come forth vomiting vp as it were his sinnes which are a burthen to his conscience the stomach of his soule by an humble confession vnto God Truth it selfe hath said it this dead sinner he shall liue And though hee come forth of the graue of sinne bound like Lazarus hand and foot bound with the chaines of his sinnes yet Christ shall giue his Ministers charge ouer him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 loose him from his sinnes absolue him and let him goe in peace And therefore to draw vp all vnto an end Let not Gods Voyces despaire of doing good though they cry most vnto dead men because Truth hath said it for the comfort of their labour The dead shall heare the Voyce of the Sonne of GOD and let not dead men men dead in sinnes and trespasses if they heare the voyce of the Sonne of God despaire of mercy for Truth hath also said it to their comfort They that heare the Voyce of the Sonne of God shall liue they that heare Christs Surgite mortui Arise ye dead in this life and liue the life of Grace in this world shall heare Christs Surgite mortui Arise ye dead after this life and liue the life of glory in the world to come And so come we to the third and last Reason why the Voyce it is a crying Voyce and that is to take away al excuse from the City of Nunquā audiuimus We neuer heard the voyce For man such is his folly when once sin layes open his nakednesse he flatters himselfe all is well if hee haue but a cloake to cast vpon his sinne for so our first Parents no sooner had they sinned but they seeke for a cloake to palliate their sinne Gen 3. and Eue shee must be the cloake for Adams sinne and the Serpent the cloake for Eues sinne And all we Adams sinfull posterity haue worne this cloake of excuse euen almost thred-bare by long vsage of it in palliating of our sinnes And we cloake Drunkenness with good fellowship wee cloake Couetousnesse with good thriftinesse wee cloake Pride with decency and comelinesse there is no sinne but wee haue a cloake for it or else if wee want a cloake for our sinne we are ready to fetch a cloake from heauen and euen to accuse God himselfe to excuse our sinne As Sr Thomas Moore tels vs of a prisoner at the Barre who being conuict of felony pleads his pardon vpon this how that God had so ordained him to be a Thiefe and therefore he could no other doe but steale For who euer resisted the will of God But the Iudge answered him very well If God hath ordained thee to bee a Thiefe and to steale God hath also ordained mee to bee a Iudge and to hang thee for thy theeuerie Now as we spare not thus to accuse God to excuse our sinne So are we most ready to excuse our selues by accusing of Gods Word and the whole world is set on this And some Nations in the world thinke it excuse sufficient for their sin that they neuer had these crying Voices of the Lord to sound his Word and precepts in their eares but Saint Paul tels them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 2.1 Thou art inexcusable O man who makest this thy Plea For thou
Clergie to guide and gouerne vs euer since we set foote out of this blinde Egypt in the way of peace and truth Nor onely this did God for the people of the Iewes but in the fift Verse hee bids them remember how Balak King of Moab consulted their destruction and how Balaams Curse God he turned it into a blessing vnto them And hath not God done this much more for our Citie For let vs but remember what in Eightie eight was consulted against vs when Pope Balaam was sent for to blesse the Nauie and to curse Gods people How the Lord turned Pope Balaams Curse into a Blessing vnto vs let vs remember these old louing kindnesses of the Lord and so acknowledge the righteousnesse of the Lord his faithfulnesse and his mercy to vs these be the benefits which God hee would not haue his Citie Ierusalem to forget paralell to the benefits bestowed on vs which farre bee it this our Ierusalem this famous Citie of ours should once forget And thus we see God he is as kinde to vs as euer hee was to his Hierusalem but let vs see in the second place whether we be not as vnthankfull vnto God for these his benefits as euer Hierusalem was Hierusalem betrayed her vnthankfull heart to God two maner of wayes openly by her manie rebellions and secretly by her hypocrisie for her open rebellions they are set downe in the three next verses following my Text where you shal find treasures of wickednes in the house of the wicked scant measure wicked balances and a bag of deceitful weights violence oppression in the rich men a deceitfull tongue in the mouth of all Now God wondring at this to see for all the mercies which he shewed to them for all the crying preaching of his Voyces such grosse sinnes and enormities should raigne in such a City a City so beloued a City where his Word was so often preached his Voyces still crying to the City hee breakes forth in admiration of the thing Adhuc an sunt What for all my mercies to you What for all the crying of my Voices to you Adhuc an sunt Is it possible Are there yet the treasures of wickednes in the house of the wicked scant measure wicked balances a deceitfull weight And are yet the rich men full of violence and euery mans tongue deceitfull in his mouth why if it be so high time it is to punish and sith mercy will not winne you iudgement shall compell you Wherupon in the very next verses God he proceeds to iudgement Therefore I will make thee sicke in smiting thee c. Now look we to it whether this Cities rebellion be not the rebellion of our City whether Hierusalems transgression be not the sin of our Hierusalem for first are there not with vs the treasures of wickednesse in the house of the wicked Why search the coffers of Extortioners and griping oppressours there shall you finde the treasures of iniquity search the coffers of corrupt Patrons there also shall you finde the treasures of iniquity search most mens coffers more or lesse you shall bee sure to find the treasures of iniquity so that we cannot deny it but with vs the treasures of wickednes do yet lodge in the house of the wicked Now in the second place to make a full purse do not some amongst vs make a scant measure is there not with vs a scant measure which is abominable wicked balances and a bag of deceitfull weights this must we needs confesse that it is so but it is the care of this Honorable City as much as may be to redresse it that it be not so might the delinquents in this kind smart for it who bring Gods curse vpō the City while they striue to get a pony by abomination by a scant measure which in the tenth verse God hath pronounc'd abominable The meaner sort of offendors in this kinde they are often met with Iustice ouertakes them but as Demetrius told Alexander when Alexander cald him in question for his pyracy I indeed saith he play the Pyrate in two small Erigots am cald in question for it but great Alexander he roames about with two great armies robs the whole world and no man dares to controll him for it So many a petty Demetrius who playes the false Marchant to get a penny or two by false balances and weights is often most deseruedly punished for it But there is a great Alexander a great man in the world who dealing in whole sale gets the gaine of whole pounds by false balances and weights and as a sip vnder his full saile cuts it away a maine so these in their whole sale carry smoothly away the gain of whole hundreths by false balances and weights and no man regards it but the God of heauen who heere inueighs against it by his Prophet and threatens a punishment to the City for it Now in the third place Hierusalems sinne was violence and oppression in her rich men her rich men were full of violence what is our Hierusalem free from this if the cry of the poore and the oppressed will free the City so much the happier is the City but it may be feared that as our Prophet complained of the rich inhabitants of Hierusalem in the seuenth Chapter of this his Prophesie Vers 4 how that the best of them was a brier and the most vpright sharper then a thorne-hedge So it may be feared there be with vs many such briers and thorne-hedges who if a poore sheep chance to fall into their hands wil like briers and thornes make him leaue some of his fleece behinde him and well it is many times if they leaue him a whole skinne to sleepe in but let these rich oppressours if any such harbour within the City of God hencesorward take notice of it that they are neither good friends to the City nor to their owne soules for these their vnlawfull practices bring a curse vpon the one and vpon the other Now in the fourth and last place Hierusalems sinne was a lying and deceitfull tongue for their tongue was deceitfull in their mouth In their mouth may some man say what needs this addition for how can the tongue be deceitfull but in the mouth but this it is most Emphaticall their tongue is deceitfull in their mouth that is they no sooner open their mouth but their tongue is ready to speake deceit so that deceit it not onely lurks in the closet of the heart for some assaies but it lies lurking vnder the tongue and is ready still in the porch of the mouth to vent it selfe vpon all assaies And this is it which the Prophet Ieremy speakes Ierem. 9.5 They haue taught their tongues to speak lies they need not study long for a deceitful answer as occasiō serues for they haue so well inured their tongues to a lye that they haue it still ready at their tongues end This lying and deceitfull