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
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
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
not the chiefe Butler remember Joseph but forgot him 2. Be ashamed to contenme and despise the mercies you have received from God There are many like the Israelites in Babylon that liked their habitations in Babylon so well that when Cyrus gave them leave to goe to Jerusalem they would not leave Babylon to goe to Jerusalem So there are many that like their former condition under the innovation so well that they had rather continue in Babylon still than accept of the reformation offered That begin to say of Mannah We have nothing but this Mannah and to wish for the Garlicke and Onions of Egypt againe This is a grievous abomination God was very angry with the Israelites for this sin he sent plagues upon plagues among them for it And when at last they brought an evill report upon the land of Canaan and as David saith Psal. 106 despised the holy land refusing to go into it God was so provoked with this sin that he would not pardon it but set them back again 40. yeares and destroyed their carkasses in the wildernesse Would to God I could not say that there are some among us that raise up an ill report upon the reformation intended as if the Parliament had a purpose to bring in an Anarchie to reduce every thing into its first Chaos to leave every man to do what is good in his owne eyes as when there was no King in Israel And upon this false rumour they despise the blessed Canaan that we are going into Oh let us be ashamed and confounded to commit this sinne This will make God carry us backe againe to the wildernesse 3. Be ashamed to distrust God and his power in time of great difficulty having received so many and so great deliverances We are for the most part like the children of Israel who although they were by a mighty hand brought out of Egypt and through the red Sea c. yet upon every strait they began presently to murmure and to thinke of making a Captaine to returne to Egypt never considering the iron bondage they endured in Egypt God hath brought us out of the Egyptian bondage and carried us through a red sea of dangers and yet when wee meete though but with the news of any Giants or Anakins we begin presently to distrust and to say Can God prepare a table in the wildernesse can God make a way through the hoasts of the Phiâ—…istines And some of us begin to wish that things had remained as at first This is a horrible sinne after so many mercies As Austin saith of Jesus Christ He that will not beleeve in Christ after so many miracles without a new miracle he himselfe is a great miracle So he that will distrust God after so many miraculous mercies is himselfe a miracle of unbeliefe How often hath God appeared in the mount these two last yeares as if he had resolved to take up his dwelling there How many mountaines of opposition have melted before you as mountaines of snow before the Sun Be ashamed be ashamed O house of England to distrust God after so many mercies 4. Be ashamed to be cowardly and faint hearted in the cause of God that hath so mightily appeared for us I remember the storie of Nehemiah Chap. 6. It is there said That when the enemies heard that the worke of the building of the Temple prospered beyond their expectations thâ—…y accused Nehemiah of treason against the King and when that plot did not succeed they bore him in hand as if some Assassinat had conspired his death And all this was done to make him afraid But he was above all feare shall such a man as I fly saith he shall such a man as I feare and finished the worke insomuch as that when the enemies heard thereof they were much cast downe for they perceived that this worke was wrought of God Remember that the fearfull are put not onely among unbeleevers murderers whoremongers sorcerers Idolaters c. but in the forefront of them all Be not afraid to incounter difficulties When Peter came up to the iron gate it opened to him of its owne accord 5. Be ashamed to abate and coole in the worke of the Lord God will spue out a lukewarme Christian When Moses let downe his hands Amaleck prevailed if you coole but a little the adversaries will waxe hot There are many that labour to cast water upon your zeale but remember the cause is Gods and say with David It is before the Lord I will be more vile still The people of God will honour you though Michol scoffe at you It is a great mercie that God hath kept us from blood God hath left our blood in our veines let it boyle up in the cause of God 6. Be ashamed to injure the instruments by which God conveyes these mercies unto us When Corah and his company rebelled against Moses and Aaron then came the plague As we must not idolize so we must not injure the golden pipes through which these mercies flow unto us 7. Take heed of being ashamed of the cause of Christ God hath not beene ashamed to appeare for us let us not be ashamed to appeare for him Remember that thundring speech Mark 8. 38. Whosoever shall be ashamed of mee and my words in this adulterous and sinfull generation of him also shall the Sonne of man be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy Angels It is not enough not to be ashamed of Christ in a good generation but we must not be ashamed of him in an adulterous and sinfull generation 8. Let us neither pride our selves in our mercies nor waxe wanton in our mercies It is recorded in the French History that when the Protestants of France began to grow wanton of their peace and prosperity and began to affect a vaine and frothy way of preaching theâ—… came the cruell massacre upon them 2. I will briefly name some speciall and heroicall Uses which we are to make of Gods mercies besides this use in the Text 1. Do something O house of England for the honour of the Lords day which hath beene much prophaned not onely in our practises but in our Doctrines Christ Jesus hath two dayes The day of the Lord which is the day of judgement And the Lords day If you looke to appeare with comfort at the day of the Lord honour the Lords day There is a day of the Lord for those that abuse the Lords day Do something to make this day more honourable by way of spirituall satisfaction 2. Do something to purge the Land more and more of the innocent blood of the Martyrs in Queene Maries dayes by the Lawes that were then established Oh that in our publike Fasts a clause might be interlaced To command the Land to be humbled for that bloody sinne that so the Nation might be freed from the guilt of that blood This will be an heroicall worke worthy