but melt into loving penitential tears Humble thus your selves under the mighty hand of God and he will be sure to exalt you in due time All of you as I suppose have learnt from Scripture that when Man was Created in the state of Innocency God placed him in a Paradise of delight void of misery or trouble Man never felt nor knew what misery was till he had sinned By Sin came death and all evil into the world But though all evil in general came by sin yet it doth not therefore follow that every particular evil happens unto men for some particular sin of theirs The Gospel tells us Joh. ix 2. of a man born blind yet not by reason of any sin of his or his Fathers but that the works of God might be made manifest as our Saviour there declares And many sore calamities fell on righteous Job for his trial And so the holy Apostles with divers other Saints and Martyrs suffered great afflictions not for their sins but for Gods glory and the promotion of the Gospel But I never yet could learn from any History sacred or human that any general Calamity ever fell on any Nation without National sins If you ask me why particular men suffer affliction without notorious sins more than whole Nations great reason may be given for it There is no Nation under Heaven so generally vertuous and endued with Grace as to make advantage by afflictions that is by patient suffering to acquire an ample reward but some for want of Christian courage will be cast down others by impatiency much exasperated others for want of Faith grow doubtful of God's providence and say They have cleansed their heart in vain and washed their hands in innocency But those particular favourites whom God hath fitted with special graces for the day of trial Calamities are as burnishers to such they fetch off all their rust and make their vertues shine more glorious in this world and will be more amply rewarded in the next This being so let us now consider the state of this Nation We have seen many great calamities befall us within fifteen years last past The first was a Plague so great as never was known in this land before The next a greater Fire than this Nation or I believe any Nation in the world ever saw and besides that dreadful Fire of London many other lamentable Fires since in several parts Not long after this a bloody War with the Dutch in in which this Nation received a more shameful dishonour than ever A few Dutch Ships with a handful of men in them to sail up the Royal Channel of Thames and so near to the Imperial Court and Metropolitan City burn or carry away many of our principal Ships And truly I conceive the honour of a Nation should be more considered than the Wealth of it Men of honour had rather lose both estate and life than their reputation And therefore I think that shameful affront ought to be numbred amongst our great calamities Now Beloved as our calamities have been more and greater than ever in so short a time so doubtless our sins are more and greater than ever according to what I said before That National calamities never come but for National sins And 't is too apparently true in this our sinful Land where Pride and Luxury with all the consequent vices are grown to a vast height of excess And which is worst of all we are come to that desperate condition which the Israelites were at just before the total devastation of their Country when Jerusalem was taken by Nebuchadnezzar the Jewish King Zedechiah having his eyes put out he and all his Nobles Priests and People were bound in fetters and carried away captives into Babylon and all the land laid wast And what was it that brought this universal desolation on the Israelites Jeremiah the Prophet tells us Chap. vi 15. and again repeats it Chap. vii 12. as a grief that lay very heavy on his heart Were they saith he ashamed when they committed abominations Nay they were not ashamed neither could they blush This is the most desperate condition of a sinful people when their heart and forehead both are hardned as brass not at all to blush and be ashamed when you tell them of their abominations nay they will tell you themselves as it is Isa. iii. 9. They declare their sin as Sodom they hide it not And this is our deplorable condition Men are not at all ashamed to profess their Atheism to declare their Fornication and Adultery and own their Queans as much as their Wives as it were in defiance of God's holy Commandment And shall I not visit for these things saith the Lord Jer. v. v. 9. A most dreadful threat coming from the mouth of Almighty God whose breath is a consuming fire But perchance some will ask why should we expect God's anger should break forth against us more than other Nations Are not their sins as great as ours I answer this with another Question Do not all Fathers all Masters resent more the offences of such a Son such a Servant to whom they have shewed far more kindness than to others No doubt of it I pray you then tell me what favour what blessing is it from Heaven or Earth which this Nation doth not by God's mercy enjoy As for Spirituals God's holy Word is daily read and preached unto us His service of Prayers several times a day celebrated his holy Sacraments duly and frequently administred his Ministers as often instructing and exhorting us And then for Temporals what fruitful seasons have we for many years enjoyed so that abundance is a burthen to many want not known to any that will use moderate labour to acquire necessaries Nor are we less abounding with forein than domestick Commodities and all this plenty hath been enjoyed with peace whilst all our Neighbours have many years been embroiled and confounded with bloudy Wars Again I pray you tell me what Vice abounds in any Nation that this Nation is not as desperately infected with Nay I can truly affirm that no Nation where the Gospel is publickly read and taught in sincerity doth so abound and declare their abominations as England doth I grant in Italy and France they do yet not among the Protestants there but in no other Nation in the World whether Protestant or Papist Lastly Then tell me Why should not we expect the same bloudy Rod should be laid on our loins which other Nations have already felt How visibly and near did God in his infinite mercy by way of warning hold it forth to us in his late discovering that hellish Plot of our bloud-thirsting Enemies the Popish Priests who had contrived to murther not only our Bodies but our Souls also by taking from us the light of the Gospel which is the life of our Souls and to cast us into the Dungeon of Popish darkness But that Plot say you being now discovered the King and
run on dancing and capring till they leap into Hell Others there are who clean contrary are so dejected with any Affliction as if they expected their Heaven in this life and constant felicity in this mutable world where nothing continues in the same condition not only every year we see so great a change as from beautiful and delightful Summer to dirty cold and pinching Winter but every month a various face of the Earth every day an ebbing and flowing of the Sea and in the Heaven a change from glorious Sun-shine to dismal darkness How then can any one be so sottish as to expect that Fortune must give him quite contrary to the whole course of Nature a continued day without night a constant Summer without Winter Nay he would not have one storm surprise him nor a cold blast touch his tender flesh Others there are who instead of mourning and lamenting are murmuring and repining vexing and fuming As cold water cast on hot iron in the Forge makes it bounce and sparkle about so Assliction falling on these hot impatient persons they clamour and flie about at all that come near them they increase much the evil by their Passion afflicting themselves and all they have to do with As for this impatient sort of Men if they be neither Atheists nor Quakers sure they will acknowledge themselves guilty of sin and that the wages of sin is death eternal death and are they not willing to exchange and suffer a momentary evil instead of an eternal evil Had they not rather have a hand scorched or cut off than have the whole body cast into Hell flames Let them consider with what fury they fall on those who offend them in matter of Estate or Reputation and then reflect with what mercy God deals with them for their sinning against his divine Majesty Will not one Worm endure a trivial injury from another and must the infinite Majesty of God endure injury upon injury from dirty Worms without any Correction Were they not mad with passion sure they would rather give humble and hearty thanks for his mercy than brutishly murmur at his justice which really is mercy and not justice to inflict Flea-bites for Scorpions I wish these grumblers would rake and shovel together the trash and dirt of their foul Conscience on a heap see what a vast bulk that will make then let them borrow from Isa. xl 12. the Scales wherein God weigheth the Hills and Mountains put this mountain of dirt in one scale the dram of Gods merciful Correction in the other they will find their punishment to be so exceeding light and so unproportionable to their excessive sins as that in justice they have reason to expect far greater torments yet to come then doubtless instead of murmuring at the present affliction they will so dread those torments to come as most fervently to pray unto God with St. Austin Hic ure hic seca ut in aeternum parcas A man that hath a grievous sore in his leg and very much fears a gangrene sends himself for the Chirurgion and willingly stretches forth his leg to be lanc'd and sear'd yea and to be cut off to save his life So St. Austine knowing the dangerous corruption of his heart and fearing eternal death prays earnestly to God to lance cut sear do any thing to his body here to save his soul from everlasting flames hereafter There is no man in the world so impatient but had he a right apprehension of the eternal torment his sins justly deserve he would both patiently and chearfully suffer any affliction in this world to avoid that eternal evil to come And in like manner the weeping Lamenter at his sad affliction would he but fathome the Ocean of his iniquity and by that measure his deserved punishment not one more salt tear would drop from his mournful eye but his heart would be filled with gladness and his mouth with thanks-giving that he is not swallowed up in an Ocean of Torment Lastly as for those mad-headed persons who fear neither God nor men who put far from them the evil day who chaunt to the Viol and drink Wine in bowls who hearken not to the voice of the Charmer charm he never so wisely it were but lost labour to talk to them there is nothing else to be done but to pitty their madness and pray for their soberness and so commit them to the infinite mercy of God But I trust in God there are none here but such as fear God and tremble at his judgments Wherefore leaving these desperate ones I shall now proceed to the third thing proposed the method of Humiliation taken from holy Writ where we are told That the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdome And there is no product in the World more natural than fear springing from guilt and humiliation from fear The guilty conscience still fears the severe Brow of an incensed Judge and a fearful heart will soon teach the trembling knees to bend and supplicate for pardon Wherefore there cannot be a better and speedier means of Humiliation than to look into the sacred Records of God and there see what fearful judgments by the Divine Decree have been executed on rebellious Sinners which are there written for our example As that upon Korah Dathan and Abiram they with their whole Families Wives Children Servants and Kindred all in an instant swallowed up quick by the gaping and devouring jaws of the earth Or look on those horrible showers of fire and brimstone poured forth upon Sodom and Gomorrah consuming every creature both man and beast houses and goods reducing all to Ashes Consider I beseech you what hideous howlings what confused roarings the numberless multitude sent forth in the midst of those raging flames renting the Heavens with their piercing cries Or look on that universal Deluge upon all mankind Noah and his Family only excepted when the windows of Heaven were opened pouring forth not showers but whole catarracts of Water to overwhelm them in the midst of their festival jollities and whilest they run from the Valleys to the Hills for rescue the speedier floods get to the Mountain tops hurrying them along faster than they intended and hoising them up from earth even unto the clouds from whence those waters fell And then think what sad farewels the fondling Parents and tender Children the new married Spouse and enamoured Bride gave each other floting on those dismal waters and by the boistrous billows often dash'd together to receive a bitter parting kiss And with what vexation of spirit did they behold Noah and his Family securely sailing in the Ark of Salvation which in their desperate folly they had contemn'd with scoffing derision So sottish and faithless is sinful man never to believe and fear the approaching misery till swallowed up by it And as these are dreadful patterns of God's fury against impenitent sinners in former Ages so we read in the Revelation of great calamities
A SECOND CALL TO A farther Humiliation BEING A SERMON PREACHED The 24 th of Novemb. last past BY The Right Reverend Father in God HERBERT Lord Bishop of Hereford in his Cathedral Church of Hereford LONDON Printed for Charles Harper at the Flower-de-luce over against St. Dunstans Church in Fleetstreet 1678. TO THE READER Good Reader IT may be you do not take your self to be one of those who need this Second Call to Humiliation you not being of the number of those exorbitant Sinners whose notorious Vices cry aloud for Judgment First then humble your self in thankfulness to God for his preventing Grace that you are not for assuredly by Nature you are the same Secondly Consider that though the main bulk of sin belong to others yet when the Vessel is near full a small addition will fill up the measure yea and may make it run over and on that account your guilt may be great and your Humiliation necessary Thirdly Though you contribute nothing to the measure a rare Blessing yet as a member of the body you are bound by Nature Religion both to do your utmost endeavour to keep off the evil from the whole this likewise requires your Humiliation as necessary Yet say you none of all that makes this my Sermon necessary there being other abler Sermons already abroad to this effect Pardon me this may be notwithstanding a necessary help When four strong men are labouring to raise a heavy Log and are near effecting it the addition of a fifth though weaker may be necessary to compleat the work at least may make it easier and surer And I shall count it no small happiness to have contributed something towards the true humiliation and reformation of this sinful Land God of his infinite mercy by his powerful Grace assist all our endeavours Amen I Pet. v. v. 6. Humble your selves therefore under the mighty Hand of God WE lately kept a day of Humiliation to prevent by Gods mercy the fearful Judgment which seemed to hang over our heads by a bloody Plot contrived by Popish Priests for the destruction both of King and Kingdom Church and State all at a blow and let me tell you still hangs over us You hear what desperate bloody things have been spoken and acted in London in the face of King and Parliament since the discovery which plainly declare these Men have still confidence to effect their design otherwise they could not be so mad as to give such evidence against themselves of their bloody intention and give also such provocation to the Supream Legislative power for their more severe chastisement unless they had hopes they should yet be able to give the Law to and chastise this Supream power which makes me fear we and other people of the Land are not yet humbled as we ought Some perchance thought the business of Humiliation was to end with the day and that they had fully performed their task in Fasting that day and coming to Church and then expected God must presently withdraw his chastising hand But have they withdrawn their sinning hand I desire them to examine that a little better Others it may be went farther and resolved yea and entred on the way of Reformation but are since fallen from their first love and that days fervour and are grown luke-warm How far each one is failing I leave every man to look well into their own heart but there is great cause of fear we have not done our part for we have a most gracious God who never fails those that seek him in true Humiliation and hearty Repentance It is the same God that spared wicked Niniveh upon Repentance and doubtless would do the same to us did we repent as Niniveh did but pardon me if I tell you I doubt it much whereof I shall say more in the close Certainly then we have no reason to hope God should do to us as to Niniveh if we do nothing like what Niniveh did Wherefore I thought it necessary to give you a Second Call to a further Humiliation and in Christs stead beseech you Humble your selves under the mighty hand of God But some perchance conceive this to be no proper day for a Humiliation Sermon and I beseech you why Is not this the Lords day and ought to be kept a Feast unto the Lord And with what Will you offer unto him a Sacrifice of an hundred Bulls and five hundred Rams But the Lord delighteth not in such Sacrifices The Sacrifice of God is a troubled spirit a broken and a contrite heart O God shalt thou not despise Certainly then we cannot better celebrate a Feast unto the Lord then by offering up our broken hearts and contrite spirits Or will you keep this a Feast unto the holy Angels in Heaven You know who tells us that they ' rejoyce more over one Sinner that repenteth than over ninety and nine just persons which need no Repentance What a mighty Feast then shall we make unto the holy Angels in Heaven by all our Humiliation and Repentance And do you desire after you have Feasted God and his holy Angels to feast your selves also this blessed day Why then you know a good Conscience is a continual feast and this you cannot have but by Humiliation and Repentance for I doubt not but you will approve of that Scripture which tells us If we say that we have no sin we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us But if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all Unrighteousness You see then there is no other way to have a good Conscience clean from sins but by humbly confessing them Humble then your selves under the mighty hand of God and you shall keep this day a most acceptable Feast unto the Lord a most joyful feast to all his holy Angels a most delightful and happy feast unto your selves this day and all the days of your life Which that we may effect I shall first shew you that a discourse of Humiliation is useful and necessary for all persons Secondly seasonable at all times in Prosperity or Adversity Thirdly I shall shew you the method of Humiliation out of Holy Writ Fourthly come to Application First A discourse of Humiliation is useful and necessary for all persons of either Sex of any Age for Pride the opposite Vice is a disease all Man-kind is infected with and shews it self even in our Childhood before any other and continues till our very death As for other Vices some we are not obnoxious to till we are grown up into the world and some are out-grown by long decaying Age but Pride comes with us into the world and never leaves us till we go out but rather increases along with our Age. And as the continuance of it is total during our whole life so the mischief of it is total and brings an universal ruin to the soul as Hugo de anima well observes Caetera