Christ to send the Christian Religion among us Christ made haste to convert England Some say that James the brother of John some Sâ—…mon Zeâ—…tes some that Peter and Paul but all agree that Joseph of Aâ—…imathea preached the Gospell here and here he died And that which makes much for the mercy of God to this happy Island the first Christian King that ever was in the world was King Lucius a Britaine and the first Christian Emperour was borne in England even Constantine the Great And when wee came afterwards to be wofully drowned with Popish heresies and Idolatry the first King that ever shooke off subjection to Antichrist after he was discovered by Luther was King Henry the eighth and the first King that ever wrote in Print that the Pope was Antichrist was King James of famous memory God hath made us not only Protestants but reformed Protestants We have enjoyed the Gospell of peace and the peace of the Gospell for almost an hundred yeares In this Century God hath multiplied deliverances upon deliverances we have had our 88. and our Gunpowder deliverances but as Benjamins messe did exceed all his brethrens and as Josephs shease was lifted up above the sheaves of his brethren so the mercies of these two last yeares do farre exceed all the mercies that ever this Nation did receive since the first Reformation mercies that deserve to be ingraven in every one of our hearts And if Achilles was happy in Alexanders judgement because he had a Homer to record his fame It would no doubt be a great honour to this Kingdome if it had a better Homer to Chronicle the passages of these late yeares Give mee leave to name and but to name some few of them First The bappy Pacification betweenâ—… Scotland and England God hath freed us from Civill warres which of all warres are most uncivill from intestine warres warres that would have eaten out our owne bowels from warres of Protestant with Protestant which of all warres are most cruell Odia proximorum sunt acerrima Secondly The mighty turne that God hath made in this Kingdome for the better for wee were all upon the Tropicks turning to Popery as some that are most moderate do now confesse The ill affected party had got a mighty faction men in authority power pits were digged for the Righteous Gallowses provided for Mordecai because hee would not bow to Haman dens of Lions for Daniel because he would not leave praying fiery furnaces for the three children because they would not worship the golden Image dungeons for Jeremy because he would preach the truth with boldnesse We were like firebrands in the fire like birds in the snare but God Almighty hath made a blessed turne of things for the better the enemies are throwne into the dens dungeons they prepared for the godly the pits they digged for others they themselves are fallen into the enemies of the Church hang downe their heads and the godly begin to lift them up Our Isaacs are delivered and the Rammes are caught in the bush and as the Wiseman saith The Righteous is delivered out of trouble and the wicked commeth in his stead The wicked shall be a ransome for the righteous and the transgressours for the upright Thirdly The Protestation against all Popery and Popish Innovations next to that Protestation from which we beare the name of Protestants the greatest mercy God hath brought a great deale of good to this Kingdome by it Fourthly The great hope we have of a reformation of the Church and State We may now say in some good measure as it is Canticles 2. 11. The winter is past the raine is over and gone the flowers appeare on the earth the time of the singing of birds is come You know the birds sing early in the morning at the break of day and the flowers appeare at the beginning of the Spring Blessed be God here is a faire spring towards the day begins to dawne Reformation begins to blossome and we hope that the winter of adversitie is past and gone unlesse our new sinnes do provoke God to repent of the good he intends to do unto us as hee dealt with Saul for his new transgression after hee had thought to have established him King 1 Sam. 13. 13 14. Fifthly The many grievous yoakes that God hath freed us from so many as that the day would hardly suffice to repeat them God hath delivered us from Civill yoakes and from Spirituall from Monopolies from the late Canons mounted up against all good men but now turned against themselves from the Star-Chamber and from the terrible High Commission that wrack and torture of conscience and conscientious men which was appointed like the dogs in the Capitoâ—…l to scare away theeves but hath for the most part barked onely at honest men from those two terrible Oathes the Oath ex Officio and the Oath of the late Canons whereby the Prelaticall party thought for ever to rivet themselves into the Kingdone and to be above the hurt of the King and Parliament this Oath is now made the great Canon to shoot them downe Sixthly The discovery of the secret underminers that have for these many yeares laboured to blow up our Religion and under the name of Puritan to scare all men from being Protestants God hath done to us as he did to Ezekiel he hath opened a doore in the wall to behold all the trecheries that are plotted in secret there is nothing devised against Church or State but God raises up one Eâ—…isha or other to discover it in so much as we may say of England as Balaam of the Israelites Surely there is no â—…nchantment against England neither is there any divination against the Houses of Parliament Here are six mercies Now there are also divers circumstances with which these mercies are apparelled that are as remarkeable as the mercies themselves as we say of some things that the curious workmanship of them is more worth than the things themselves as in a Watch or Clocke so these circumstances are as glorious and as observable if not more than the mercies themselves and these are likewise six First for God to doe all this for England and to doe it in a legall way in a Parliamentary way This is the first Circumstance It was that which our enemies did much threaten that wee should never see Parliament more but blessed be God we doe see it to our great joy and comfort It was the happines of England that in her first reformation she was acted by authority Our reformation began from the head and not from the feet And it is now no little blessing That this second reformation beginnes from the heads of our Tribes in the old and good way of a Parliament and not by a popular tumult Secondly to doe it in a peaceable way It is with us as it was in the building of Solomons Temple Here is no noise of hammers or axes but all in a quiet
judgement am I reserved if I repent not And this makes way for the second use If Englands mercies come from free grace let not England presume upon Gods mercies as iâ—… intailed upon them and their posterity for it is as free for God to take away his mercies as it was free to give them And thus Christ tels the Jewes in the forementioned place I tell you nâ—…y but except ye repent ye shall likewise perish and so they did within forty yeares after with a severe destruction And so doe I say to England Except England repent England also shall perish let not England be high minded but feare God hath a devouring sword for England as well as Ireland And therefore let England this day humble it selfe in dust and ashes for though God deferre Englands judgement longer than Irelands or Germanies yet as sure as there is a God in Heaven unlesse wee repent we also shall perish Gods forbearance is no acquittance It is one thing to forbeare a debtor and another thing to acquit a debtor The longer God is fetching about his hand the heavier will the blow be when he strikes What so calme as the Sea but yet when a storme comes what so tempestuous What so blunt as iron but when it is shâ—…rpned what more sharpe None so patient and mercifull as God but yet when he begins to strike and his anger is kindled how unexpressible is his fury Consider this you that forget God lest he teare you in pieces and there be none to deliver you If free grace hath preserved England let England blesse God for free grace and say as it is Lament 3. 22. It is the Lords mercy that we are not consumed because his compassions faile not not because our sinnes faile not for our sins are as many as our mercies but because his compassions faile not It is the Lords mercie that we sinfull men and women are not consumed O give God the glory of free grace as it is expressed Malachi 3. 6. I am the Lord I change not therefore you sons of Jacob are not consumed Not because you have not changed your God not because you are good and righteous but because I am unchangeable therefore you sons of Jacob are not consumed Let us say as David We have not got our peace and plenty by our owne sword neither hath our owne arme saved us but thy right hand and thy arme and the light of thy countenanâ—…e because thou haddest a favour unto us If thou art converted blesse God for free grace For who made thee to differ from another and what hast thou which thou hast nâ—…t received and if thou didst receive it why dost thou glory as if thou hadst not received it Let us ascribe all our Deliverances and all our mercies the mercie of the Pacification the mercy of Reformation the mercy of the Union of both Houses of Parliament the discovery of all plots and treasons against this Church and State our freedome from all our yoaks and all the good things that God hath done for us unto free grace and say as God to Zerubbabel Not by might noâ—… by power but by my Spirit saith the Lord of hosts Who art thou O great mountaine before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plaine and he shall bring forth the head stone thereof with shouting and crying Grace grace unto it Let grace grace be our constant acclamation If free grace hath preserved England not free will Let England maintaine free grace above free will I find in history that Pelagius the greatest enemie to free grace that ever the world had was borne in England and I am sure that England of late yeares hath been too great a friend to Pelagianisme under the name of Arminianisme Bradwardine an Englishman complains of his time as Hierome before had done of Arianisme That almost all the world was gone after the errour of Pelagius and he cries out Exurge Deus judica causam tuam I am confident that this complaint and this prayer might justly have been taken up in reference to England these few yeares past for there was A mighty faction risen up in the Church so I dare now call it blessed be God who advanced free will above free grace and subjected the power of grace to the power of free will which faction prevailed so farre as that whosoever was not an Arminian was eâ—…mine A doctrinall Puritan as hee was then termed The Universities were poysoned with this doctrine and all preferment streâ—…med this way We were come to that height that the doctrine of Arminianisme was accounted the doctrine of the Church of England And therefore I beseech you right Honourable to take this into your most serious consideration Place free grace in its throne advance free grace that hath so much advanced you roote out Arminianisme settle our doctrine not only our discipline that there may be no shadow of plea in it for an Arminian King James of famous memory in a Declaration written to the States of Holland cals Arminius the enemy of God and a booke of Bertius of the Apostasie of the Saints A blasphemous booke whose very Title makes it worthy the fire and he perswades the Low Countries betimes to roote out those heresies and schismes which if they suffered to have the reines would bring the curse of God upon them infamy through all the Reformed Churches and a perpetuall rent and distraction in the whole body of their State I speake to wise men consider what I say And certain it is if temporall deliverances be the fruits of Gods free grace much more are spirituall and eternall Therefore we are said to be justified freely by his grace and to be Elected according to the good pleasure of his will and whereas the Apostle saith that the wages of sinne is death he doth not adde the wages of grace is eternall life but the gift of God is eternall life through Jesus Christ our Lord It is not free will but free grace that puts the difference between Jacob and Esau It is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth but of God that sheweth mercy It is an excellent saying of Augustine Timeo ego animae meae salutem aliqua ex parte libero arbitrio committere Iam afraid to commit the least Iota of my salvation to free will and the same Father doth much and often commend a saying of Cyprian In nullo gloriandum quoniaem nostrum nihill est We must glory in nothing because nothing is ours Bernard most sweetly Horreo quicquid de meo est ut sim meus I abhorre whatsoever is mine that I may be mine Bucer likewise hath these words Si vâ—…l tantillum boni a Deo non est Deus non est if the least beame of holinesse be in us without the efficacious worke of Gods grace he is no longer a God Now surely the act of assenting to the offer of grace is
kindnes of David towards him So when we consider how neare we have beene to destruction and how often God hath spared us when he might have destroyed us let us lift up our voyces and weepe for our sins against such a God Observe how Mephibosheth was affected with Davids mercy in 2 Sam 9. David had cause to be revenged upon the house of Saul but he freely shewed kindnesse to Mephibosheth restoring him all his fathers lands and causing him to eate bread at his Table continually And this Mercy did so melt his heart that he cryes out What is thy servant that thou shouldest looke upon such a dead Dog as I am O let the contemplation of Gods love towards us make us to loath our selves for our abominations and say What am I a dead Dog an impure Swine an uncleane Leper that the Lord my God should doe so much for me Beloved in the Lord it is my comfort that I preach this day to those that are Noble and ingenuous My humble suite is That you would appeare to be such indeed and in truth An ingenuous spirit is more wrought upon by love than feare This Fast might have beene in blood the Land might have beene in confusion this day Let the goodnesse of God drive you to repentance Let the love of Jesus Christ constraine you to obediâ—…nce There is a constraining power in love Though a stubborne and slavish spirit is more wrought upon by judgements than mercies yet a gracious and godly heart is more wrought upon by mercies than judgements And indeed in its owne nature Merâ—…y workes more powerfully more kindly more inwardly and deepely than judgements 1. Mercy workes more powerfully than judgements And therefore the Apostle Paul beseecheth us by the mercies of God he doth not say I beseech you by the judgements of God And in 2 Cor. 7. 1. Having these promises let us cleanse our selves from all the defilements both of flesh and spirit He doth not say having these threatnings let us cleanse our selves c. Let a Cart loaded goe over a River frozen with Ice the Cart breakes the Ice but it remaines Ice still but let the sun shine upon the River and it will melt the Ice and dissolve it into water so as nothing of the Ice shal remaine The Judgements of God may break a hard heart but it will remain hard still as a Rocke broken in peeces remaines a Rocke But the Sun-shine of Gods mercy and the consideration of Gods love to us in Christ will breake the heart to powder and make it not onely a broken heart but a soft and contrite heart Have you not seene a Malefactor at his condemnation and place of execution when without hope of mercy carrying himselfe desperately and obdurately in sinne and afterwards when informed that there was a pardon provided for him hath beene exceedingly melted and broken in heart at the consideration of the graciousnesse of the King towards him 2. Mercy workes more kindly and sweetly than judgements As a thicke Clâ—…ud that is melted by the Suns shining upon it distills downe sweetly into a fruitfull showre but the cloud that is broken with a thunderbolt makes a mighty cracke and teares the cloud in peeces So the mercies of the Gospel doe kindly worke upon the heart opening it as it did the heart of Lydia and sweetly melting it into teares after a blessed and comfortable manner But the thunder-bolt of Gods judgements makes an earth-quake and a heart-quake as it did upon the Gaoler Act. 16. As the blustering winds teare up the Trees by the rootes So doe the judgements of God rend and teare the heart quite in peeces but mercies will kindly dissolve it 3. Mercies will worke inwardly Take a piece of gold beate it with a hammer never so much and yet you shall never separate the drosse from the gold by beating of it but put the gold into the furnace and the fire will separate the drosse from it The hammer of the Law will batter and bruise the soule but the drosse still remaines in it but the fire of the Gospell the furnace of Gods love will separate a man and his lusts and purge out the filth that is inwardly got into the soule The Sun by its hot beames made the Traveller as it is in the Fable put off his Cloke when the blustering winde made him gird his Cloke faster about him Thus you see how mercy workes more powerfully more kindly more inwardly Oh that it might appeare in our hearts this day that this doctrine that I preach is true I read that Caesar upon a certaine time with a booke in his hand was hearing of Cicero pleading and was so taken with his eloquence and listened so attentively that he let fall his booke Oh that the Lord would so affect you with the consideration of Englands mercies that your sins may fall away from you as Caesars book did from him That you that write may blot your bookes with your teares and you that look upon me may look with teares in your eyes Let us shed penitent teares this day for the sins of many yeares Let us study the duty of this Text let us be ashamed and ashamed for our sins There be many men saith Chrysostome that are ashamed of what they should not be ashamed and not ashamed of what they should be ashamed are ashamed to confesse their sins but not to act their sins not ashamed to be seene at a Play-house but ashamed to be seene at Gods House upon a weeke day ashamed of Christ and his cause ashamed to be accounted precise but not ashamed to be wicked and ungodly And as the same Author saith many men are not ashamed to sin but ashamed to be known to sin not ashamed to commit adultery but to be knowne to commit it not ashamed to be sinners but to be called sinners not ashamed to be covetous but ashamed to be called covetous This shame comes from the Devill and will bring us to the Devill Let us pitch the act upon the right object Let us be ashamed of our evill and not of our good doings Shame is the daughter of sin If there had not beene sin there never had beene any shame But God hath appointed the daughter to devoure the mother As the Worme eates up the tree that bred it so let shame devoure sinne There is no creature capable of shâ—…me but man Bruit beasts are capable of feare and sorrow but not of shame God forbid any here present should be so bruitish as to be past shame To sinne and not to be ashamed of it is Limen inferni the next doore to damnation The Heathen hath a saying Erubuit salva res est As long as there is shame there is hope O let us be confoundâ—…d and ashamed and let Mercy be the Midwife to bring forth this shame and sorrow The Apostle commands us That if our enemies hunger we should feed them if they thirst we
Gods free Mercy TO ENGLAND Presented as a Pretious and Powerfull motive to Humiliation IN A SERMON Preached before the Honourable House of Commons at their late solemne Fast Feb. 23. 1641. By EDMVND CALAMY B.D. and Preacher at Aldermanbury London JOEL 2. 12 13 14. Therefore also now saith the Lord Turne ye even to me with all your heart and with fasting and with weeping and with mourning and rent your heart and not your garments and turne unto the Lord your God for he is gracious and mercifull slow to anger and of great kindnesse and repenteth him of the evill Who knoweth if he will returne and repent and leave a blessing behind him even a meate-offering and a drink-offering unto the Lord your God Published by Order of the House of Commons LONDON Printed for CHRISTOPHER MEREDITH at the Crane in S. PAVLS Church-yard 1642. TO THE HONORABLE HOVSE OF COMMONS Assembled in Parliament AMong all the Mercies which God hath vouchsafed to bestow upō this Kingdome by your helpe the procuring of a Monethly Fast from his Royall Majesty during the warres of Ireland and the unsetled condition of England is not the least For by this meanes the Churches of England are set in a monethly posture of warre to fight with Prayers and Teares which are the Churches weapons against all the enemies of our peace and prosperity And may very fitly resemble the Tree of Life mentioned Revel. 22. 2. which yeelded her fruite every Moneth and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the Nations I doubt not but through Gods blessing this Monethly Fast will prove an England-and-Ireland-healing Fast if it be celebrated as it ought to be with weeping mourning and brokennesse of heart for sin and from sin Great is the efficacy and omnipotency of prayer and fasting So great as that it would require rather a large volume than a short Epistle to expresse it And therefore I purposely wave it as a theame in which a child cannot want eloquence in which I should sooner know where to begin than where to make an end As the Jewes had their Monethly Feast which they called their New Moones in which the Word was preached their shops shut up special sacrifices offered up to God And as they had their Feast of Trumpets in which they blowed their trumpets all day long especially in their first New Moone from Sun-rising till night So Blessed be God we now enjoy our Christian New Moones and Evangelical Feast of Trumpets We have not o◅ely our Monethly Sacrament Feast to refresh our soules withall in most of our congregations which would be as the hidden Manna Revel. 2. 17. an unspeakeable consolation to the Religious party if you would be pleased most noble Senators to appoint by your authority some spirituall railes as you have taken away other kind of railes to keepe away all dogs and swine from polluting that holy Ordinance but we have also our New Moone F◅st in which the Word is preached trading ceaseth and Sacrifices of prayer praises and almes are tendred up to God in the name of Jesus Christ We have our Feast of Trumpets in which our godly Ministers throughout the whole Kingdome lift up their voices as a Trumpet and all the whole day are either the mouth of the people to God or Gods mouth to the people shewing unto England their sinnes and to the people of this Land their transgressions and calling them to humiliation and reformation From hence it comes to passe That if Englands just feares and Irelands miseries should so long continue by reason of our sinnes we are likely to be blessed by the providence of God bringing good out of evill with twelve Nationall solemne publike Fasts every yeare which if rightly kept will be as the twelve Gates of the New Jerusalem spoken of Revel. 21. Every fast will be as a Gate to let us in into a part of the New Jerusalem of Mercy and happinesse promised to the people of God here upon earth And there is one thing more which addes much to this new monethly mercy and that is That notwithstanding your most weighty and important affaires you are pleased to keepe this Fast your selves in your own Persons after a most solemne and religious manner every Moneth Which pious example no doubt will be a notable incouragement to all the Kingdome to follow so good a President and a mighty provocation to the religious and solemne observance of it It is said expresly of the King of Niniveh though a Heathen that he came from his Throne laid his robes from him and that his Nobles and people from the greatest of them to the least put on sackcloth And as Chrysostome well observeth Their sackcloth prevailed more with God then all their purple robes Quod non poterat Diadema id saccus obtinuit Such a famous example doe you hold forth who are the chiefest of our Tribes to which I doubt not but the lowest of our people unlesse they will bee worse than Heathens will cheerefully conforme This insuing Sermon was preached at your last Monthly Fast and it is now by your command exposed to publique view There is nothing in it that makes it worthy the Printing but onely your kinde acceptance of it which is as a Royall stampe upon some inferiour metall to make it currant It is the property as of God in Heaven so also of all earthly gods who are truly noble not onely to give great gifts worthy of the givers but also to accept of poore and small gifts though unworthy to be given when given with a thankfull heart as of a * handfull of water a cup of cold water a poore widowes mite a little goates haire and semblably of this following discourse which now becomes publike under your Patronage The Lord grant it may accomplish that for which it was Preached That Englands mercies may be a motive and a meanes of Englands humiliation and Reformation And that by confessing our sinnes with a happy confusion of face as the Text requires wee may prevent that unhappy confusion which is otherwise likely to come upon us The same Almighty God multiply all his gifts and graces upon you be a Sunne and a shield unto you appearing alwaies in the Mount of straits causing all Mountaines to become a Plaine before you inabling you to consummate all those good things which you have begun to doe for this Church and State So prayeth your much obliged spirituall Servant EDMVND CALAMY Die Veneris 25. Febr. 1641. IT is this day ordered by the House of Commons That no man shall Print the Sermons Preached at the last Fast day before the House of Commons by Mr. Calamy and Mr. Marshall besides themselves for the space of these two moneths without the particular licence and approbation of the said House of Commons H. ELSYING Cler. Parl. D. Com. These are to give notice that I appoint C. Meridith to Print my
of God but the hand even the right hand the aâ—…me even the strong arme of Jehovah the onely wonder-working God in Englands mercies and this will appeare If either you consider the mercies themselves Or the time when we received them Or the manner how we received them First If we consider the mercies themselves they are so super-superlative as that we may say of them as Protogâ—…es did of a curious line which he saw drawne in a Painters shop None but 〈◊〉 could draw this line so none but a God could doe such great things These mercies declare the glory of God and these deliverances sâ—…ew forth his handy workes workes worthy of a God Secondly If we consider the time when we received them for God suffered us to be at the very pits brinke and betweene the very teeth of the Lions as Daniel was and like Isaac ready to be slaine even Tantum nâ—…n and then he came from heaven to help us O beatos articulos temporis O happy articles of time When my enemies came up against me saith David then and not before God fought for me Thirdly The manner how God hath brought about these mercies is so rare as that we may not onely say as David to the Woman Is not the hand of Joab in all this but we may certainely conclude The hand of God is most conspicuous in all Englands mercies Never since the first day of the creation of the world when God brought light out of darknesse hath God more appeared in the workes of his providence in bringing good out of evill than in these last yeares wherein he hath suffered the enemies of the Church and State to dig pits and then he hath caught them in the pits that they themselves have digged In the net which they bid is their owne foot taken the wicked is snared in the workes of his owne hand Higgaion Selah As Christ whipped out the buyers and sellers by a whip made of their owne cords which they brought to tye their beasts withall so God hath whipped out the enemies of this Church and State by whips of their owne making He hath taken them by their owne iniquities and hath held them with the cords of their owne sinne Goliah is killed with his owne sword Hâ—…man hanged upon his owne Gâ—…llowes All that our enemies have done these many yeares hath beene but as the weaving of a spiders web and the hatching of Coâ—…atrice egges for they have consumed their bowels by what they have weaved and they are destroyed by the egges which they have hatched God hath delivered us not onely by little meanes by unlikely meanes but by contrary meanes he hath brought unity out of division The indeavours to divide the Nations of England and Scotland have beene the meanes of their farther union we have indeed a saying Omne malum ab Aquilone but we may well turne it and say Omne bonum ab Aquilone for Scotland hath beene the cause of a great deale of good to England God hath brought liberty out of oppression If things had not beene so bad they would not now have beene so good if mans wickednesse had not beene so evident Gods goodnesse had not been so transparent God hath made our enemies Preservatives to be their Destructives and hath ruinated them by what they thought to be established their very rising hath beene their ruine and by indeavouring to bring themselves too high they have overgrasped themselves and almost lost all In all those things wherein they dealt proudly God was above them God hath made all our Destructives to be our Preservatives and by those wayes by which they thought to destroy us they have preferred us and all this hath beene done not so much by the wisdome of the Parliment nor by the graces of his Children as by the very lusts and pride of the Adversaries This is the Lords doing and it is marvellous in our eyes and we may safely say with David Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee and the remainder of wrath shalt thou restraine Give mee now leave right Honourable to make two uses of these two Doctrines If these mercies come from God Let God have the glory of all his mercies And glory with all his mercies Let God have the glory of all his mercies let us say with David Not unto us O Lord not unto us but unto thy name wee give the praise Not unto us because not by us let us give the praise and the whole praise to God The nature of man is wonderfull prone to sacrifice to his owne net and to ascribe the glory of deliverances to himselfe Nebuchadnez zâ—…r spake and said Is not this great Babell that I have built by the might of my power and for the honour of my Majesâ—…y and Moses himselfe spake unadvisedly with his lips when he said Shall we bring water out of this Rocke c as if he had done it by his owne power and therefore let us take heed of this sin There are two things in every mercy First the comfort and benefit of the mercy Secondly the praise and glory of the mercy Now God giveth us the comfort and benefit but the praise and glory he reserveth to himselfe this is like Potiphars wife that Joseph must not meddle withall Zâ—…latur Deus propter gloriam This I speak the rather because I preach to them whom God hath made one of the Instruments of all our mercies You are the golden pipes through which these mercies come to us and you must be as golden pipes in suffering the praise to passe through you not reserving any to your selves you must sing the Angels song Glory be to God on high in earth peace and say with Bernard Mihi plaeet distributio Angelica Gratanter accipio quod reâ—…inquis relinquo quod retines abjuro gloriam ne amitterem pa em It was that which the King of Sweden did often complain of and much bemoan saying That God would surely take him out of the worâ—…d before his worke was done because people did idolize him and ascribe too much unto him May we not give praise and thankes to the Parliament that hath taken such indefatigable paines for our good Yes certainly but not as to the first Authors and Fountaines but onely as to the Messengers of the good things we eâ—…joy as when a great Lord sends a gift by his servant we may thanke the servant for his paines in bringing the gift and give him a reward for his paines but the whole praise for the gift is to the Lord that sent it so it is here the great God hath made you right Honorable his Servants and Embassadors to bring great blessings to us And we thanke you for your cost and care and paines and the Lord reward you a thousand fold But the mercies are not yours but Gods And therefore Not unto you not unto you but unto God be all the praise
You must be as carefull to appropriate all the glory to God as Joab was to preserve the glory of David when he sent for him to come to Rabbah and take it least if Joab had taken the City it should have beene called by his name Let not the wise man glory in his wisdome neither let the mighty man glory in his might nor let the rich man glory in his riches but let him that gloryeth glory in the Lord It was the last speech of dying Chrysostome Glory be to God from all creatures Let the Jesuites at the end of their Bookes subscribe Laus Deo beatae Virgini Praise be to God and the blessed Virgin Let this be the badge of the Beast But let every true Protestant subscribe Soli Deo gloria to God onely be praise for so Christ hath taught us Thine is the Kingdome the power and the glory And therefore to him onely be glory And as we must give God the glory of his mercies So we must give glory to God with all his Mercies We must improve Englands mercies to the glory of the God of England England is an Island incompassed about with foure Oceans An Ocean of water And of late yeares an Ocean of dangers And now I am sure with an Ocean of sinnes and an Ocean of mercies O let us adde one Ocean more an Ocean of service and obedience as God hath done singular and extraordinary things for us so let us do some singular and extraordinary service for God He hath made England a miracle of mercy let England be a miracle of obedience A Christian in England must not onely servire Deo sed adulari as Tertullian saith He must be rich in good works as God hath beene rich in mercy We must eight wayes improve Englands mercies First let us make these mercies Motives to obedience and service As God made the deliverance out of Egypt a motive to the keeping of the ten Commandements I am the Lord which brought thee out of the Land of Egypt out of the house of bondage therefore thou shalt have none other Gods but me Thou shalt not make to thy selfe any graven Image c. So let us make Englands mercies a Motive to the keeping of Gods Commandements I beseech you by the mercies of God offer up your bodies a living â—…rifice holy and acceptable unto God which is your reasonabâ—…â—…vice â—…et the great turne of times move us to turne to God Let us not take Gods name in vaine after so many mercies Let us not prophane Gods day commit whoredome make our lusts our lawes our money our God after so many mercies Secondly let us make these mercies as so many cords and bonds to tye us fast to God and his will Gods mercies saith Austine are like to a Needle that sowes two peeces together that are rent and torne asunder Man and God by nature are separated but his benefits and mercies must be used as Needles to sow them together and to knit them to God in obedience It is Gods promise I will draw thee unto me with the cords of love Now God hath reached out many cords of love to this Kingdome O let these golden cords draw us unto him Let us not be like Sampson that burst all his cords in sunder I read of a man in the Gospell whom no cords could binde but I read also he was possessed with a devill It is a signe that the spirit of the devill is in you and not the Spirit of God if these Cable robes of mercy will not draw you to the obedience of Gods will Thirdly let us make these mercies as so many Memorandums to put us in minde of our duty As Ahashuerus on a certaine night when he could not sleep called for the Chronicles and there was read to him a good deed that Mordecai had done and presently he asked what honour and dignity had beene done to Mordecai for this So must we make a Catalogue of Gods mercies and keepe them by us and be ever and anon reading of them and saying What honour hath God had for all my honour and riches and other mercies received from him And when we begin to forget a duty then run to our Catalogue As God commanded Moses to keepe the pot of Manna for a Memento to put the Israelites in minde of his great mercy in giving them Manna so must our hearts be as the Arke to keepe Gods mercies to put us in mind of God and our service to him when we are ready to forget him Fourthly let us make these mercies Looking-glasses to see God in and not wals to separate betweene us and God God never appeared more in his wisdome power goodnesse and mercy then in these dayes And not to see God in good workes of his providence is a curse and will bring a curse That it is a curse appeares Jeremy 17. 5 6. Cursed be the man that trusteth in man and maketh flesh his Arme and whose heart departeth from the Lord for he shall be like a heath in the desart and shall not see when good â—…mes And that it brings a curse appeares Psal. 28. 5. Because they regard not the workes of the Lord nor the operation of his hands he shall destroy them and not build them up Fiftly let us make these mercies as so many footstools to raise us up to higher mercies Let us use these mercies reflexively not terminatively And say as good Fulgentius did when he saw the glory of Rome Sitalis est Roma terrestris qualis est Roma caelestis If Gods mercies be so rare here in the valley of teares what are they in the mountaine of joy Sixtly let us make these mercies as so many bridges to lead us over to better mercies to such mercies which are at Gods right hand and in his right hand and which are the mercies of his right hand All temporall mercies are the mercies of Gods left hand which he gives to many whom he will put at his left hand at the day of Judgement Spirituall mercies are the mercies of his right hand and mercies in his right hand For his right hand is full of righteousnesse Let us be earnest Petitioners for those mercies which whosoever hath shall be placed at the right hand of Christ at the day of Judgement and shall be made partakers of those everlasting pleasures which are at Gods right hand Let us not be like that woman that when â—…er husband sent her a jewell as a token of his love to put her in minde of him fell in love with the jewell and forgot her husband Let us not make these mercies our God but bridges to lead us over unto God Seventhly let us make these mercies as so many Cordials to comfort us in all distresses and if God at any time should bring this Nation into new straites and dangers Let us say as Manoahs wife did unto