A Call to Humiliation For the Grievous SIN OF Persecution In Two Sermons Preached at the Publick Fasts in Lemster in the County of Hereford Wednesday May 21. and June 18. 1690. By William Woodward Minister of the Gospel Gal. 4. 16. Am I therefore become your Enemy because I tell you the Truth LONDON Printed by T. S. for Tho. Parkhurst at the Bible and Three Crowns at the lower end of Cheapside near Mercers Chapel 1690. TO Edward Littleton Esq SIR WHEN we were called upon by Authority to National Fasting and Humiliation I thought it my Duty to look into the Prayers of the Church expecting to find a Full and Humble Confession of all the Piacula and Great Provocations of the Land and in that Black Catalogue the Grievous Sin of Persecution the rather because one of our Prelates who is thought to have Assisted in Composing those Forms had told us in a Preface Published some years since That it may be reasonably apprehended that it may have contributed not a little to fill up the Measures of the Sins of a Church and to bring down severe strokes again they who had let themselves loose to all the Rages of a Mad Prosecution of some Poor Vndiscreet and Deluded People ought seriously to Profess their Repentance of this Fury in Instances that may be as Visible and Edifying as their Rage has been Publick and Destructive But that Bloody Sin I perceived upon search had escaped the Notice of our Ecclesiastical Guides so that all our Fines Flights Imprisonments and Cruel Vsage from our Fathers and Brethren for almost Thirty Years was to go for nothing whereupon I Resolved to call over some of our Laws which had been Drawn up against the Nonconformists and Protestant Dissenters that I might be able to give better satisfaction to my self and to those also that sit under my Ministry that though the Lord be Just and Righteous in all the sorrow we have known yet Man was not so whilst we were Scourged with Scorpions That some who it may be are still too much in Love with Persecution have been Offended with what I have done and misrepresented it makes this publication the more Necessary for if we are called to Mourn for National Sins 't is fit we should know them that we may with all possible Fervor entreat the Lord of his Rich Grace and Mercy to Deliver us from those Judgments which are wont to pursue these Guilts SIR We have known days of great Tribulation upon the Account of Religion in the Heat of them the Moor the Place which your Lady Mother Adorns as well as Inhabits was Patmos to me there the Saints Assembled there we saw the Primitive Times there we had our Antelucanos Coventus the Doors being shut for fear of the Jews there we remembred our Friend in the Indies and in your Return we have seen the Return of our Prayers It calls for Songs and Davids Harp to see you come home Crown'd with that which is infinitely better than the Treasure of the East though with that too when many others in exchange of Religion left behind bring thence nothing but Apes and Peacocks Now the Lord who can do good against evil hath brought back our Captivity and enlarged the Curtains of his Tabernacle among us we can meet at Ornan's House and sit with safety as well as delight under the shadow of the Tree of Life you have not been afraid nor ashamed to appear in the place of our Solemnities and a grateful remembrance we retain of your endeared kindness At your feet Sir I set down these Papers which if they be agreeable as I think they are I am sure you have both Integrity and Courage to own them I know you to be one of those that wish for the Godly Discipline of the Primitive Church and would have it restored that the Lord Jesus may reign with more glory among us to whose Grace both you and all yours are recommended by June 26th 1690. SIR Your Humble Servant William Woodward Luke 23. ver 28. But Jesus turning unto them said Daughters of Jerusalem weep not for me but weep for your selves and for your Children AFter Pontius Pilate had pronounced Sentence of Death against our Lord he was led forth to Mount Calvary the place of his Crucifixion 't is said v. 27. there followed him a great company of people and of women which also bewailed and lamented him Our Saviour Jesus Christ as the Great High-Priest was now about to offer up upon the Cross that Great Sacrifice which was to take away the sin of the World and it was meet to be performed in the presence of all the people This was Dies Cippurim the great Day of Expiation and Atonement in which our Jubile began A great multitude of people followed him In which there might be some prefiguration too that notwithstanding all the malice and opposition of the World the Amazing Love of Christ in dying for sinners would in all Ages draw multitudes after him When I am lifted up from the Earth saith our Lord I will draw all men unto me signifying by what death he should die John 12. 32 33. and Chap. 3. 14. As Moses lifted up the Serpent in the Wilderness even so must the Son of Man be lifted up The Brazen Serpent was his Type which healed all bitten of Serpents that looked up unto it The means was not likely but weak and despicable for what could a Serpent of Brass do Why not rather a Serpent of Gold The Serpent of Brass was Gods Ordinance and by his Blessing healed whiles the Golden Calves of Mans Invention bring both a snare and a curse There were also sundry Women which bewailed and lamented him either as an innocent excellent person unjustly condemned to die or else from a Principle of Divine Faith and Love knowing that their sins made his Cross heavy for their sakes he was numbred with Transgressors and was now going to lay down his Life upon the Mountain of Myrrh and Hill of Frankincense Our Lord it seems heard the voice of their weeping O let him hear the voice of England's weeping this day and turning to them said Daughters of Jerusalem weep not for me but weep for your selves and for your Children 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which notes bitter weeping with all the outward Expressions of inward trouble of Heart Weep not for me O ye Daughters of Jerusalem who am now going to triumph upon the Cross as well as to die but weep for your selves and for your Children because of the infinite miseries which will suddenly break in both upon Jerusalem and the Land of Judea Those sore Judgments of Sword and Famine are coming to you upon the Wings of the Wind this Generation shall not pass away e're Jerusalem which was once the City of God the Excellency of Beauty the Crowned City and Joy of the whole Earth shall be made a hissing and an abomination to all the Countreys round about
to eat things Sacrificed unto Idols and I gave her space to Repent and she Repented not ver 22. Behold I will cast her into a Bed and them that commit adultery with her into Great Tribulation except they Repent of their deeds ver 23. and I will kill her children with Death and all the churches shall know that I am he that searcheth the reins and hearts and I will give unto every one of you according to your works It was a great blemish in the church of Thyatira to retain so much honour for this Jezebel by whom it's likely some Naboth's suffered though we might find the Prophets of the Lord in the name of Naboth yet we shall content our selves to observe that every man as well as Naboth hath a vineyard which is the Inheritance of his Fathers The possession of a good Conscience and they must not part with it to humor King Ahab but must rather run all hazards and fall a sacrifice to this wicked Jezebel who when she can with her Painted Beauty steal away the hearts of Princes will get the stamp of the Royal Authority upon her bloody Contrivances and destroy every Naboth as a blasphemer of God and the King because he will not alienate the Inheritance of his Fathers nor suffer his Vineyard to be Converted into a Garden of bitter Herbs 1 Kings 21. 2. Magistrates are said to be Shields rather than Swords Psal 47. 9. their office is the Defence of Vertue and Holiness 't is an accursed piece of Sacriledge to take down the Golden Shields of the Temple and beat them into Swords and then consign them to the Philistines or to take the sacred Horns of the Altar of the Lord and adorn the Head of the Beast with them that with a better Grace he may Gore the Saints to the Joy of the whole earth or to entertain the Levites who are Joyned to the Lord by a Covenant of Salt with poisoned wine in the Golden Bowls of the Sanctuary 4. Oppression and Persecution of the Truth though gilded with those great Names of Law Justice Publick Safety are always acompanyed with terrible Judgments The Sin is very dareing and provoking other Sins affront the Deity but Persecution brings to mind that of Caesar Miles faciem feri it smites God upon the face it wounds him in the Apple of his eye Zech. 2 8. When Paul was mad against the Church like the ravening Wolf of the Evenings for he was of the Tribe of Benjamin Gen. 49. 27. Phil. 3. 5. our Saviour call'd to him out of Heaven and bid him hold for he set all his wounds a bleeding afresh Acts 9. 4. There was a curse which fell upon the earth by the Sin of Adam Gen. 3. 17. and man multiplyeth the curse upon himself by his Implacable Enmity against the seed of God whiles the Jews were the Segulla the peculiar Treasure of of the Lord all sorts of Plagues did light upon the Egyptians and the nations round about for oppressing them but when the Jews became Loammi and ceased to be the people of God all sorts of Plagues befel themselves because they persecuted their Little Sister the anointed of the Lord. Where Christ apears in any of his Poor Followers there is some Signature of his Kingly Spirit upon them which the envious Spirit of man not being able to endure seeks to extinguish that the Inheritance may be his The Antichristian State and Church of Rome which is set forth by Babylon for her Idolatry by Sodom for her filthiness and Immoralities by Egypt for her oppression and persecution is under this condemnation that the time shall come that there shall no more be heard in her the voice of the Bridegroom and the Bride Rev. 18. 23. 1. There shall be no more of that cruel and bloody race The Inquisition hath made Spain poor and the Dragoons have made France weak Oppression and Persecution have broken in pieces all the four Famous Empires of the World set forth in Daniel c. 2. v. 32 by the Head of fine Gold Arms and Breasts of Silver Belly and Thighs of Brass Legs of Iron and Feet part of Iron and part of Clay The Empires of the Assyrians Medes and Persiane Grecians and Romans 'T was no contemptible counsel which Tertullian gave Scapula a Bloody Persecutor Si nobis non parcis tibi parce si non tibi Carthagini if thou wilt not spare us yet spare thy self if not thy self yet spare thy City Carthage But it sutes best with our Text to look a little into that which befell the Jews after their Crucifixion of our Lord they had many Prodigies which did foreshew their desolation and the desolations did answer their Prodigies A Star is seen over the City like a Flaming Sword Armies of Soldiers seen in the Air a Cow at the Altar Calves a Lamb the Brazen gates of the Temple notwithstanding their Locks and and Bolts flew open in the night Voices heard from Heaven migremus hinc let us go hence one Jesus son of Ananias went about four years crying Woe Woe Woe to Jerusalem Now the Vengeance was every way correspondent to the Tokens of it one million of Jews slain by Sword Famine and Pestilence near one hundred thousand made Captives and Slaves the tender Mothers and delicate Women Eat their own Children of a Span long the Historian saith that there was one Woman that in the bitterness of her distress slew and boiled her Son and presently Eat a part of him we may suppose the Head or an Arm or a Leg and then laid up the Remainder not long after some of the seditious Bloody Villains of the City came to her threatning her with present Death unless she would bring forth what Provision she had who immediately brought forth that part of her Child which remained at the sad sight whereof even those merciless wretches were smitten with sudden horror and amazement insomuch that the Mother spake to them saying What! will you be more compassionate than a Mother Will not you Eat where I have Eaten But of this we need say no more because the History of the Destruction of Jerusalem is in many of your Hands Only observe that in the Prophet Amos ch 1. 9. Thus saith the Lord for three Transgressions of Tyrus and for four I will not turn away the Punishment thereof because they delivered up the whole Captivity to Edom and remembred not the Brotherly Covenant v. 10. but I will send a Fire on the Walls of Tyrus which shall devour the Pallaces thereof Here we may observe that though the Lord be Gracious and Mercifull and Long-suffering bearing with Three sins many sins yet when it comes to the Fourth sin which is Persecution he will not pardon Damascus fourth sin was Persecution v. 3. so Gaza v. 6. so Edom v. 11. so Ammon v. 13. so Tyrus v. 9 10. which delivered up the whole Captivity to Edom there had once been a Brotherly Covenant between Solomon
of Nineveh should rise up in Judgment against us of England Matth. 12. 41. 1. Let us cry to the Lord on the behalf of the Court that old Sins may not be found in our new Court that the blemishes of King Charles the Second and King James the Second may not be the stains of our King William the third and Queen Mary the second That the Scepter in the Hand of our King may be a Scepter of Rightousness that our Queen may be all Glorious within that our Princes may be Israel the Princes of God that the meat of their Tables the sitting of their Servants the attendance of their Ministers their Apparel and their Cup-bearers may for the Beauty of Holiness become the wonder of the world and the Joy of Angels 1. Kings 10. 5. 2. Let 's cry unto the Lord on the behalf of the Church the Church of England that the Godly worship and Discipline of the Primitive Church may be restored that she may be cleansed refined and Adorned with meekness that no Italian scent may be discerned in her worship That no Leprous spot be seen upon her Children Amos 5. 12. That all her Priests may be cloathed with Righteousness and all her Angels become Angels of Incense that she may at length burn all her bloody Rods and be deeply humbled for Josephs Bloody Coat Gen. 37. 32. That so the Blessings of those that have been ready to Perish may come upon her and she may look as though she came down for Heaven as a Bride adorned for her Husband Rev. 21. 2. 3. Let us cry unto the Lord on the behalf of our Cities that there may such a stream of Righteousness rund down their streets as may Carry away all false weights and measures Amos 5. 24. That there may be as much care to Spiritualize Trade as to Enlarge it that our Citizens may be wise Merchants selling all to buy the goodly Pearl of Greatest price Matth. 13. 45. 46. That our Cities might by their Virtue Justice and Holiness acquire to themselves the new name in the Prophet Jehovah Shammah the Lord is there Ezek. 48. 35. 4. Let 's cry to the Lord on the behalf of the Camp that our Officers and Soldiers may lay aside all Weapons of unrighteousness and do violence to no man that they may not fight under the Banner of the Prince of Darkness nor carry the mark of the Beast in their Foreheads nor in their Hands that they may put on the whole Armour of God and take to themselves the golden Shield of Faith with the Sword of the Spirit Ephes 6. 16 17. Triumphing victoriously over all the legions of Antichrist 5. Let 's cry to the Lord for the Country that he would awaken the secure and quicken every man to set his hand to the right plow without looking back Luke 9. 62. to dress his own Vine and Fig-tree that this whole Land may become the Garden of the Lord that there may be no more plowing with an Ox and an Ass or sowing our Fields with divers seeds or wearing Garments of woollen and Linnen or mingling a prophane life with profession of Godliness Deut. 22. 10 11. 6. Let 's cry to the Lord on the behalf of the Papists that he would please to call them out of Babylon Revel 18. 4. That they no longer worship the golden Calves of Dan and Bethel that they may Renounce all subjection to the Man of Sin and heartily submit to the holy Laws of the Son of God who is wont to receive into the vineyard of his favour all those whatever they have been that come to him at the eleventh hour of the day 7. Let 's cry unto the Lord on the behalf of the Protestant Dissenters that for one tear their Brethren drop for their own Sins or the Sins of Zion they may drop ten nay an hundred for one That they may be Exceeding humble under the Honour they have been called to in carrying the Cross of Christ and in giving Testimony to the oppressed Truth of the Gospel That they may be gentle and quiet under all the Scorn and Indignation of the Ishmaelites That they may constantly carry their enemies in the Arms of their Prayers before the Lord Desiring him to forgive and bless them that their profession may be Crown'd with perseverance that their Sackcloth may be kept clean and unsullied that they may at length arive safely in that holy Land where love hath the the Throne and reigns for ever there can be no greater happiness desired than to stand eternally before the Throne and before the Lamb with white robes and with palms in our Hands Rev. 7. 9. Thirdly having earnestly desired the Lord to give England Repentance Let us with an equal fervour Implore his pardoning Grace let us all say with the Psalmist God be merciful to our Sin for it is Great Psal 25. 11. The grace of God teaches those that are in Covenant with him to draw Arguments for mercy as well from the greatness of their Sin as from the greatness of their misery knowing that where Sin abounds Grace delights to abound much more Rom. 5. 20. But then because God is merciful to us who are Sinful we must not continue to be Sinful because he is merciful Englands Sin is great God be merciful and forgive it when we deal with men we urge the smalness of an offence as a motive to Forgiveness but when we have to do with God 't is otherwise God be merciful to our Sin for it is great Englands Sin is great it is exceeding Sinful Light hath shined among us but we love Darkness Christ doth not Reign his Government is refused 'T is often said in the Pulpits and in the Prints that the Church of England is the best Church in the world O what a horrid thing is it then if the People of England be the worst Livers and the greatest Persecutors of their Brethren in the world Whither must we go to find out greater Swearing Drinking Whoreing under a brow of Brass than in these Kingdoms Where such prodigious Pride strange Apparel general Prophaneness Unthankfulness for the Gospel unfruitfulness under it and which is to be Lamented with Tears of Blood an unaccountable scoffing at all serious Holiness as is to be found among our selves O let 's joyn most heartily in our humble Supplications now and at all times that these Kingdoms may be washed all over in the Blood of the Covenant that the destroying Angel may not break in upon us which is the next thing to be spoken unto Fourthly We should wrestle with the Lord that he would please to Remove our Judgments and prevent our Desolations Jer. 17. 16. I desire not the woful day the Lord God knows but if we turn not from our Idols the woful day will come I beseech you let 's arise and stand in the Gap by Faith and Prayer and Holiness had not Moses the Servant of the Lord stood in the Breach
the fury of the Lord had broke in like a flood upon the Tribes of Israel Psal 106. 23. with Exod. 32. 10. The Goodness of God had set up a Fence round about the Church in the Wilderness but the golden Calf which Aaron made made a breach in that Fence at which divine vengeance was rushing in but Moses hastned and stood in the breach and saved Israel We have some Arguments humbly to plead before our God 1. These Kingdoms are Espoused to the Lord and their Name was once Hephziba and Beula Isa 62. 4. The Lords delight O Lord leave us not we are called by thy Name 2. The Lord as we have heard loves not putting away Mal. 2. 16. but always Betrothes to himself a people in great faithfulness he is always first in making Covenants of Love but never first in departing from them if he should give to our Mother libellum repudii a Bill of Divorce Isa 5. 1. we should find it written there that our Mother had first play'd the Harlot with many Lovers 3. We have a gracious Promise That if a wicked Backsliding people repent and return they shall be received to favour Jer. 3. 1. They say if a Man put away his Wife and she go from him and become another Mans shall he return to her again shall not that Land be greatly polluted But thou hast play'd the Harlot with many Lovers yet return again to me saith the Lord. O let us tell the Lord upon our Knees this day that now even now we will return to him and to give an assurance of it England hath put on her Garments of Mourning 4. The Name of the Lord is concerned in England's Mercy Deliverance and Establishment the Eye of all Europe is fixt upon us and waits to see the Issue of our Affairs whether Christ shall Triumph or Antichrist Michael or the Dragon whether the Rod of Aaron will swallow up the Rod of the Magicians or the Magicians Rod devour the Rod of Aaron and let us say as Joshuah did Lord what wilt thou do unto thy great Name Josh 7. 9. 5. We have had experience of the kindness of God to a worthless people he hath delivered and doth deliver in Scotland Glory to his Grace for our good News out of the North and we humbly hope he will deliver in Ireland and England too 2 Cor. 1. 10. He who saved us from Paganism of old from Antichristianism of late is able to save us from our selves to Heal our Divisions to Remove our Offences to Unite our Hearts and to set up the Government and Kingdom of Christ in Glory among us I shall now conclude with this only Motive to excite us to this Duty of Prayer upon which we have been discoursing They who pray for the peace of Jerusalem shall prosper Psal 122. 6. Tranquilli felices sine cruce as he that can forgive a Brother will find God forgiving him so he that can pray for the Prosperity of Church and State will find peace spiringing up in his Soul they shall prosper that love thee they shall have marks of Mercy put upon them when the destroying Angels walk about the Streets with slaughter Weapons in their Hands Ezek. 9. 2 4. in comparing this with that Exod. 12. 7. I have only this to observe that mark of mercy in Exodus was put upon the Door-posts to shew that God would then save by Families but in Ezekiel 't is put on the Forehead that we may learn from thence that the Lord now in an evil day undertakes only for the safety of single Persons My Brethren let me prevail with you in this thing go home sowin tears you shall reap in joy Be found among the Mourners and not among the Sinners in Zion so shall we be Prosperous here and Glorious hereafter Amen Amen FINIS