will be their greatest advantage They know our Throats will lye open to be cut by their cruel hands when once we have emptied our hearts of sollicitous thoughts of destruction Hence hence it is instruments are active to inform us deceitfully that we are sufficiently provided against them for this they instruct theirs and the Devils Martyrs to obtrude on the world the highest Protestations of Innocency For this they strain their throats to swallow renouncing Oaths which they will as certainly keep as ever they intended which I fear was not at all Hence they force themselves to a Parish-Church that we may certainly think they cannot belong to the Romish Mother and that we may fancy they cannot go thence to contrive our miserable ruine Oh then if this be their plot how have they got us by it How do we please our enemies and promote their designs by our sinful Security But shall we not fear the Hammer and Nail will cleave our Pates when Sisera-like we are droll'd into sleep with a Lordly Dish of Butter and Honey You may certainly believe this stupifying Opium will be like the poyson of Asps at last Is not this the Posture most have been in when Judgments came upon them What was there but careless and senseless doings when that dreadful Deluge surpriz'd the world of old Mat. 24.37 38. How unexpected was the ruine of Sodome and Gomorrha How incredulous were the Jews of their sad Captivities and of their utter Desolation at last Observe we but the frame of persons when Judgments have been rained from Heaven upon them and we shall finde they were fearless of any storms and conceitedly secure from any miseries When the Massacre broke forth in Paris the cruel butchering was acted in Ireland the ruining Persecutions and Distresses fell upon Germany they were all involv'd in Lethargical Distempers besotted with fatal Security This is the time the beasts of prey have ever gone out to glut themselves with fatning blood This hath been the season ever selected to manage the overthrow of Kingdoms Yet examples do not warn us but we foolishly seem resolv'd to gratifie our enemies with a suitable season to ruine us Is not this the posture that God hath severely threatned in his Word to which he will ever be faithful Isai. 22.13 14. In that day the Lord of Hosts called to mourning and weeping and behold joy and gladness and it was revealed in my ears Surely this Iniquity shall not be purged from you till you die Nothing urges Justice more to confound a people with floods of Vengeance than Epicurean stupidity under awakening Alarums Hath not the Lord threatned Prov. 29.1 He that being often reproved and still hardens his neck shall be destroyed suddenly and that without remedy Why then do we flatter our selves and cry Peace peace Shall we say as those Zeph. 1.12 The Lord will do neither good nor evil Will not God then say as v. 13 Therefore your goods shall become a booty and your houses a desolation Whatever may be the foundation our Security is builded upon so long as provoking Sins are heaping up Wrath Security doth but hasten our Misery 'T is possible we are incredulous that Judgments can ever destroy a People renowned in Profession as we but since our Profession is but as Samuel's mantle under which are shrouded most devilish sins or as a carpet cast over the mouth of Hell it can never be a shelter for us but stirs up the Lord to vengeance Outside-Holiness and mocking Formality renders our condition the worse Micah 3.11 12. They leaned upon God in ways of sin and said Is not the Lord among us do we not profess him and worship him Therefore shall Zion for your sakes be plowed as a field and Jerusalem shall become heaps and the mountains of the House of the Lord as the high places of the forrest The Ark of the Lord could not save the Israelites sinning Zion will be no shelter for Hypocrites 'T is in vain to flatter our selves with conceits of safety in an outward shew of Godliness that hay and straw can be no fence from the ruining flames of Divine Vengeance Awake then from brutish security and fall to work to prevent the threatned ruine by repentance and amendment Fancy not your selves beyond the reach of judgments but tremble in your selves that you may have rest in the day of trouble Make the Almighty your friend that he may not be a terrour in the day of Evil. Be afraid of all his judgments For if you will not learn to fear that great and dreadful Name the Lord thy God then will he make thy plagues wonderful Deut. 28.38 Is not destruction coming after deliverance Are not dreadful days approaching to us Consider these few particulars following and you will see what cause we have to shake off security and prepare our selves to meet the Lord in ways of judgments who have so long enjoy'd the shines of mercy 1. May we not justly fear our ungrateful carriage towards God will hasten his formidable departure from us Unkindness shown to friends coming to us will certainly discourage them from abiding with us The happiness of a Nation consists above all in the fruition of the favourable presence of God and if by a regardless carriage or displeasing behavior we provoke him to depart our sudden ruine will be the consequence of his deserting of us Hos. 9.12 Wo also to them when I depart from them There is that absolute necessity of the presence of the Lord with a people to conduct them by his Counsel to protect them by his Power to succeed them by his blessing in use of saving means to deliver them in unconquerable dangers that if he withdraws it from them none of these things can be done by another hand Hence the Lord unwilling to ruine Ierusalem with bowels of compassion cries out Ier. 6.8 Be instructed O Ierusalem lest my soul depart from thee and thy land becomes desolate and not inhabited The soul of a man is the vivisick principle on the separation of which from the body there ensues a death all strength counsel beauty leaves the body Thus when the Lord departs the soul of a Nation is gone and then the Nation is only a mouldring heap and as a liveless carcass We certainly loose all good when the presence of God is withdrawn from us If we by our sins make the Almighty go away he for our sins will take away all kinde of Mercies from us Deut. 3.1.17 I will forsake them The regardless Athâ—ists of our age will say Let him go and what then Oh says the Lord. Then shall ye be devoured and many evils and troubles shall come upon you so that they shall say in that day Are not these evils come upon us because the Lord is not amongst us Now may we not fear God will depart from a people that behave themselves so unkindly as we at this day We slight his presence abuse his
them by objecting to thy self the unreasonableness of sinning after such mercies confer'd upon thee Thus Ioseph did invalidate the eager assaults of his wicked Mistriss Gen. 39.9 How can I do this great wickedness and sin against God He did not rashly admit the temptation but consulted Conscience and repel'd it with this weighty Argument How can I sin against a God that hath of late been so favourable to me hath delivered me from death and advanced me to honour Oh I cannot slight so much kindness to please a sinful humour I will never do it When then thou meetest with allurements to sin take to thy self this corroborating disswasive from it and couragiously oppose all unworthy motions to Rebellion by pondering on it Inferences from the second Proposition concerning our proneness to sin after Deliverances 1. Hence we see the absolute Necessity that there is of Divine Power to render any means effectual to bring us from sin However probable means may be to effect this end they are not powerful enough without the cooperation of an Almighty arm superadded to them If rational Arguments were sufficient such as are drawn from infinite Mercy might be enough to charm our Wills to a loyal Obedience to our God but we see that outward Mercies not conferring inward Grace cannot accomplish such difficult work The chiefest engine that draws the heart of man from sin is Mercy but 't is the arm of God must fasten it to the heart of man and Divine Power that can only attract him by it Mercies are only cords which Divine Power uses to draw men from sin If Moral Perswasions were so wonderfully effectual in converting Sinners as some would have them it is strange men cannot overcome themselves to forsake their sins by the consideration of the merciful Preservations and gracious Deliverances the Almighty bestows upon them Strange it is men cannot be perswaded to cease provoking God to Judgements by the declaring his unwillingness to them by the experiences of deliverances from them But how do we experience the ineffectualness of outward Mercies whatever valid motives may be drawn from them What need then is there to apply our selves most frequently to the Throne of Grace for heavenly Influences on earthly Blessings How should we earnestly crave the concurrence of God's Omnipotency for the bettering of us by the confluence of Mercies bestowed upon us Isai. 48.17 The Lord teaches to profit In the greatest abundance of Means and Mercies we shall have no profit without the aids and assistance of God He must teach us to improve Deliverances to gain by his Goodness When cords of Mercy are put into our hands let us lift up out hearts to the Father of Mercies and cry Draw us and we will follow thee When Mercies are sown like precious seeds most plentifully amongst us let us implore the showers of Divine Blessing to make us fruitful by them When such invaluable Talents are put into our hands let us seek to the Almighty for strength to work with them Plead with the Lord to deliver thee from sin by his Deliverances to give thee the incomes of his Grace to improve thy Life miraculously continued to thee Leave not the Throne of Grace till Grace is given thee to leave thy sins Cease not to importune the Almighties help against thy sins till he hath delivered thee from them as he hath done from thine enemies Acknowledge thine own weakness and so thou wilt engage the strength of God Tell him with holy boldness that now he hath given thee his Mercies thou canst not be content without his Blessing with them Let temporal Deliverance edge thy appetite after spiritual and eternal Thou hast but half a Mercy till thy Soul is better'd by a Deliverance whether it be from Enemies or Sickness or any other distress or danger 2. Are we so prone to sin after Deliverance Then hence be warned to be very watchful upon the enjoyment of such a Mercy Oh that we who enjoy so eminent escapes from danger might use our greatest industry to prevent our proceeding in sin Let us fortifie our selves against such an evil practice Make conscience of what you do in a delivered condition Let us no longer carelesly run on in our sins but seriously consider the inducements we have to a holy Life Now in order to prevent our proceeding in sin admit this serious counsel and observe these Directions 1. Make frequent Reflections on the great Deliverance in part bestowed upon us When the Creator of the ends of the Earth survey'd his glorious Works he saw they were good and delighted in them and he greatly delights that we should be frquent in Meditations of his glorious Works of Creation and Providence and live in perpetual admirings of them applauding the shines of his Power Wisdome and Mercy in them The least of Gods Works deserve the admiration of the greatest Angel in Heaven Inconsiderate Persons gain little advantage by the most considerable Mercies Were our hearts more thankful we should make a particular Computation and exact Chronology of dayly and yearly Mercies The forgetfulness of Mercy is the ground of our forsaking God after them 'T is mighty effectual to ballast our hearts against our impetuous inclinations to sin to be much in considering what God hath done for us Hence the people of Israel were admonished to be frequent in reviewing their sad condition in Egyptian bondage with the blessed escape given them from it Deut. 26.1 2.5 c. When thou art come into the land thou shalt speak and say A Syrian ready to pâ—rish was my father and he went down into Egypt and became there a great nation and the Egyptians intreated us ill and the Lord brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand and out-stretched arm and with great terribleness c. Thus they were to make a frequent commemoration of their miserable state and merciful escape In like manner it were necessary for us to look back on what we lately were and say A little while since I was at the gates of Death by the subtile contrivances of Popish Enemies a little time past I had near been devoured by the jaws of those preying Lions Some few months are past since the Nation was in danger of being involv'd in incomparable Miseries it hath almost been made a Stage for the acting a bloudy Tragedy an Altar on which had been sacrificed innumerable precious Lives a Prey to Roman Fury and now behold blessed be the Lord the Scene is changed the Curtains of Secrecy that covered the nasty vault of Popish Conspirators is happily drawn aside the God of our lives by his over-awing Majesty hath influenced the hearts of Enemies to detect the Snare they once did endeavour to lay Should we not then argue Should I that was so lately in such danger of losing my precious life now squander it away as a contemptible thing Should I thus lately experiencing mercy from God manifest my self by wicked courses
to be a rebellious Enemy to him Should not the thoughts of the death danger and miserable calamity God hath brought me from bring me unfeignedly to love him and constantly to yield obedience to him Let us therefore to prevent proceeding in sin reflect on the kindness of God Seriously think how miserable thou hadst been without the Deliverance Oh miserable state had it not come Enemies raging if not reigning Gospel corrupted if not removed Lives endanger'd if not destroyed How had we been fleeing on Mountains hiding in Dens or burning in Flames tortur'd with Racks How had we been without Bread to eat Houses to lodge in or else all robbed by those pilfâ—ring Papists if not burnt by their horrid malice which is enough to put the whole Universe into miserable Conflagrations How should we meditate how seasonably Deliverance came we helpless careless and ignorant then was it that his mighty arm brought a blessed Salvation to us Behold how unworthy we were of such a Mercy of such a Deliverance A sinful rebellious people for us to partake of so much favour is the greatest Mirrour in the world Now can we forget this goodness If we have no memories to retain Mercies we soon may have no Mercies to retain in memory Or can we sin in the sight of such kindness We shall never see such a glorious Deliverance if we sin in the face of this Oh let us often say as those Numb 23.22 What hath the Lord wrought among us Oh what a glorious Work was this embroider'd with Mercy set forth with the shines of Wisdome and illustrious by the impressions of infinite Power Oh forget not this Work If we forget Deliverances God may forget to deliver Isai. 17.10 11 They were made desolate for forgetting the God of their Salvation 'T is known that the breasts that afford the sweetest Milk will dry up if not drawn the breasts of Mercy will be certainly dryed up if no benefit be drawn from them by a serious remembrance and faithful improving of them Prayers and Tears are the best means to obtain Mercies and a thankful remembrance will be the best way to have them continued to us 2. To prevent thy proceeding in sin think with thy self what Promises and Obligations what Pleas and Arguments you would have made to the Lord and urged him with to have induced him to have given such a Deliverance as this Would you not have promised that if it should please him to exercise his Power in saving of you you would engage that to the utmost of your power you would serve him Oh what great obligations would you willingly have laid your selves under to be freed from so dreadful a Destruction as you were appointed to What obedience service love and respects do sinners vow to God on a Bed of sickness languishing to death What would we have promis'd then when no less than a whole Nation was languishing and every Enjoyment ready to give up the Ghost Oh what solemn engagements to all possible obedience would then have been made Would you have promised these things and will you not perform them Let the readiness of God to do it without these engagements make you more ready to do those things than if you had engaged to do them Consider also what pleas thou wouldst have used with God to spare thee think what arguments might have prevailed with him to deliver thee and let them prevail with thee to forsake sin Thou wouldst not have said Lord spare me to go on a while longer in rebellion against thee cut me not off till I have dishonoured thy glorious Name a little more give me my life to be a Drunkard Swearer Lyar Sabbath-breaker yet a while longer Thou couldst never have the impudence to plead thus thou couldst never imagine these Arguments could prevail therefore use the considerations of Arguments which thou thinkest would prevail to curb thy heart from sin as thou thinkest would have been proper to prevail with God to deliver thee And what are those Oh spare me that I may prepare for death Oh give me space that I may repent of my sins and reform And let thy carriage be such now in part delivered as may answer such motives as these which would have been used with God to deliver thee 3. Consider how thou wouldst carry to man if receiving a thousand times smaller kindnesses from him Oh the thanks that shall be return'd to man for a small favour What readiness to do for man when doing for us Should a man but save us from perishing how grateful how serviceable should we become unto him And shall kindness from sinful creatures make such impressions on our hearts and the abounding goodness of the glorious God be disregarded We love man loving of us and shall we not love a loving God We devote our selves to the service of our earthly Benefactors and shall we be so devilish as to deny obedience to the great God under all his benignity to us Shall God have worse dealings from us than men Wouldst thou not offend an earthly Friend and wilt thou offend a heavenly Friend Wilt make nothing of displeasing God when he gives thee such Mercies as all the men on Earth cannot bestow upon thee Oh let but this be considered and surely thou canst not persist in sin Vse 5. See here the unconquerable stubbornness of mans heart Oh how do our hearts stand out against God under all his dealings with us We are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an unperswadable generation Oh wonderful obstinacy that the sweetest Melody of mercy cannot charm us Oh what hardned souls are in us when the pleasant distillations of showers of mercy upon us cannot soften us Oh what 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 strong holds have sin that the cords of mercy can't draw us from them Oh how hard is it to gain a Victory over corrupted nature and accustomed sins Oh strange affections that we have to sin that the strongest engagements can't bring us from it Such is the stubbornness of unchanged souls that whether God walks in ways of Mercy or paths of Judgment they will go contrary to him Oh the hardness to be lamented that appears among us Though the Almighty hath done thus much for us we have not to this day been duly affected with what he hath done We have gone on frowardly when God hath dealt most kindly by us we go on to provoke the eyes of his glory when he hath made so much of his glorious goodness pass before us Oh stubborn souls that will not regard the melting kindness of God! but do as it were resolve whatever God doth they will sin against him Though he seek reconciliation they will follow rebellion though he strives to out-do their Rebellion with mercy they will not lay down their Arms but be avenged on his many mercies Inferences from the third Proposition concerning the hainousness of sin after deliverance 1. Is sinning after deliverance such hainous sinning Behold then
what crying sins are to be seen amongst us Have we not sins of the greatest magnitude who have mercies of the highest nature Are not our sins worse than Sodoms when our mercies are abundantly more than that enjoyed Sins in England are greater than sins in other Nations that have not partaken of such signal favours as we We wonder God bears with Antichristian Rome with forreign Idolaters Alas their sins are not of that nature that ours are Our sins it may be are minoris infamiae of lesser infamy but majoris reatus of greater guilt than theirs Our sins are double and the more our mercies increase the more abundant aggravations belong to our sins Are we not sinners above all that have favours beyond any Our sins that are small in abstracto considered abstractly are great in concreto considering the circumstances of them If small sins will not startle us here are great sins then to amaze us Oh let our sins that we have committed be more before us that so the sense of their greatness may prevent our proceeding in them 2. Hence see what need we have of great Repentance an ordinary sorrow will not answer our extraordinary sins Gravissima peccata gravissimis lamentis indigent Greatest provocations call for greatest lamentations Oh what tears and lamentations can be great enough for our horrid sins What sighs can be deep enough for a Nation so deeply involved in sin Should not our mourning be as in the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the Valley of Megiddon every family apart every person apart Should not Ninive be our president Should not our England become a Bokim and our Island be overflown with tears Oh what floods of tears is there need of to wash away our abominable pollutions Oh what wailing and weeping should be in a Nation living and wallowing in such iniquities Aut poenitendum vel pereundum Repentance onely can prevent our ruine Repentance onely can make justice to retreat Repentance onely can deliver us now delivered But where shall we finde it Where are the weeping eyes the mourning hearts Oh that repentance might appear among us lest judgments appear against us Oh that we could lay our selves down at the feet of mercy by humiliation that we may not be laid down in a dreadful desolation by the hands of justice Oh that a hearty repentance might prevent our hastening ruine Oh that we might lie in breathing sweats of Godly sorrow that we may not lie sweltring in our blood Our sins reach up to Heaven let our sorrow reach to heart Oh that each part of unfeigned repentance might be really acted by us Let us make a strict inquiry into our fins commune with our hearts let us go the Circuit of our hearts and lives and see the abominable sins to be condemned there Let us read the Book of Conscience and see what sins we there stand indicted for As Letters wrote with the juice of Oranges are not to be read but by the fire Thus some have their sins written and will not read them now but shall at last read them by the fire of Hell Lam. 3.40 Let us search and try our ways Oh we are senseless of our sins but aeger non sentiens periculosius laborat a senseless sick man is most in danger Oh open your eyes then and see what disorders in heart what wickedness in life refuse not a sight of thy sins now one day God will set them before thy eyes Disown not the Charges that are against thee without reason Let us no longer sew Fig-leaves on our sins The impartial Judge of Heaven and Earth knows our crimes Let us therefore return and say Father I have sinned Thus did those Lam. 5.16 Wo be to us we have sinned David yeilded the case to Nathan I am the man maist thou not justly say I am the man that have been nothing the better for deliverance I am the man or woman have gone on in Pride Sensuality without repentance reformation Defend not thy sins by excuses but own them be convinced without further demur and condemn thy self as a guilty malefactor Then let us pour out our tears and open the Flood-gates of Godly sorrow and if we would escape let us be like those Ezek. 7.16 Who were like Doves in the Valleys mourning every one for their own iniquity Oh that our proud hearts might yeild to this work Our dry eyes be filled with tears Let us fill Gods bottle with our tears What is weeping good for but to testifie our sorrow for sin it cannot recover a dying friend it may a dying Nation it cannot stop the course of death it may the coming of judgments Open then the windows of Heaven and break up the deeps and let us make us a hearty weeping as may prevent the heavy judgments our great sins are calling for Then let us make a holy resolution in the strength of the Almighty to cease from our sins Say as holy Iob Job 34.32 If I have done evil I will do it no more With holy indignation reject thy former villanies Oh let our souls be raised to a deserved hatred of these great iniquities and let nothing content us but the utter ruine of our ruining sins Let us not be dismai'd at the difficulty attending that blessed work 'T is hard to destroy sin but will it not be harder to be damned for it If it be hard to bear the launching of those ranker'd wounds what will it be to bear the smart of the envenomed arrows of divine justice for ever Know also thou may'st do all things through Christ that strengthens thee then carry thy sins with the solemnity of penitential tears to their eternal funeral And unless this reformaon shall attend thy repentance thou repentest with an absurd contradiction Optima poenitentia est nova vita The best repentance is a new life This is the repentance our hainous sins require and all this is to be done in a more than ordinary way because of the greatness of our sins 3. If sins after deliverance are so great hence see how near judgments may be unto us because the measure of our iniquities will be so suddenly â—illed The patience of Hâ—aven will soon be worn out with these daring provocations As we are heaping up Sin the Almighty is heaping up Wrath and the greater sins the sooner the treasures of wrath will be full The more fuel we bring the sooner the fire will be kindled to consume us The Lord in his mercy is waiting to be gracious backward to judgment but such iniquities will soon waste his patience and provoke his wrath We read Gen. 15.16 that the Lord delayed punishment because the iniquity of the Amorites was not yet full The measure of sin and wrath are often filling many years and according as sins are aggravated judgments approach faster or slower Thus Ioel 3.13 God calls for Sickles to be put in because the harvest was ripe the pressës were full and the fats did overflow