in and by how many Prophets yet euen at the last cast when the sword was whetting and readie to strike a Doore was opened to them Amend your wayes Ierem. 26. 13. and your doings and obey the voyce of the Lord your God and the Lord will repent him of the euill that hee hath pronounced against you What could bee more peremptorie than the prophesie of Ionah against the Niniuites A day was prefixed which stood before them and seemed to inclose them that they should neuer goe beyond it Yet their faith had espyed this doore of Mercy as it were by a little Crany Ionah 3. 9. Who can tell if God will turne and repent and turne away from his fierce anger that wee perish not Behold a strange Faith that so much beleeued in Gods mercy that it seemed to doubt of his truth Nay far bee that from so excellent a Faith They beleeued both the Truth and Mercy of God for they so much beleeued and hoped in his Mercy to penitent sinners that they beleeued that the same Mercy had left some secret way of Truth by which it might passe vnto them and they goe forth vnto it And in this point their faith seemed to exceed the faith of the Prophet For the Prophet thought his owne honour would bee lost if so peremptorie a sentence were not peremptorily performed But these men beleeued it stood well with the honour of God that a peremptory sentence vpon penitence might be dissolued And indeede theirs was true faith and his thought was but an errour For the word of God whose Truth is a true ground of Faith is the very foundation of that which they beleeued At what instant Ier. 18. 7. I shall speake of a Nation and concerning a Kingdome to plucke vp and to pull downe and to destroy it if that Nation against whom I haue pronounced turne from their Euill I will repent of the euill that I thought to doe vnto them Thus we see in the denunciation of Gods Iudgements there is an implied Reseruation and this Reseruation is the Doore at which the Nineuites and other beleeuing penitents may finde a way to escape Yea the peremptorinesse of the sentence which seemeth to hedge vs in may be the very meanes to bring vs to the way of escaping For the peremptorinesse of a sentence strikes the sentence strongly as it were a spurre into the sides of resty and dull flesh and bloud and stirs vp mankinde hardly to labour for that Issue which seemes so hard and almost impossible to be found And indeede this finding God vsually proposeth as the scope of his warning He tells vs of Iudgements comming that wee may finde the way to auoid them If he meant to destroy his readiest way were not to forewarne It was Sauls case when he was neere to the period of Ruine The Lord answered him not neither by dreames 1. Sam. 28 6. nor by vrim nor by Prophets Let vs therefore account premonitions to bee Summons vnto Iudgement but yet by a silent and implied Reseruation offering vs Mercie And betweene the time of denunciation and full performance let vs thinke that offer continued to vs. For the Time of warning is commonly a time of Truce betweene God and Man and a time of Respite between Wrath and Punishment Therefore is it called The day of a person or people euen a day of Grace Luke 19. 42 wherin iudgement is suspended and may bee preuented And if in this their day those things are not hid from their eies which may make their peace with God the peace of God will preserue them from the Iudgements of God Wherefore let vs not thinke that euery forewarning is a binding for a prediction ordinarily bindeth no farther than mens impeni tence bindeth it For in it selfe a premonition is an offer of loosing as well as a sentence of binding There is a gate of Mercy in it and man hath a Key wherewith to open it Yea the Iudge himselfe who seemes to inclose vs in prison calls vpon vs to make vse of it and by the hardnesse and difficultie of escaping stirs and spurs vs vp to an earnest seeking of the meanes of our Freedom 4. If any man aske what is the Key by which this gate is opened Spirituall helpes are the true helpes to set vs at liberty from Iudgements 1. Sam. 10. 27. he may plainly see it in the places alledged In euery one of them it is Repenting and Turning from euill waies But flesh and bloud replies in the language of Belial For as the men of Belial said of the King whom God had annointed Shall this man saue vs So flesh and bloud saith of the meanes which God hath sanctified Shal such an ayerie and inuisible thing saue vs Yet most true it is that inuisible things must saue vs or wee cannot bee saued Spirituall things are inuisible and spirituall things must saue vs. And no wonder for spirituall things worke our eternal saluation and if they can worke the greater why should they not be able to worke out the lesser saluation When a question is made concerning the great Saluation Act. 2. 37. 38. Men and Brethren what shall we doe to be saued The first word of the Answer is Repent And why should not the same answer serue for a lesser saluation Againe if wee looke vpon the way wherein wee came to be bound wee shall finde a spirituall way to bee our onely way to loosing If wee looke to heauen we shall finde it is God that bindes vs there and God is a spirit Now Ioh. 4. 24. according to the reason of CHRIST himselfe if God be a Spirit it is a spirituall meanes that can only bee powerfull with a spirit And if wee looke below we shall finde it is sin that prouoketh God to binde man and sinne is a spirituall disease euen a deprauation of the Image of God in the soule and spirit of Man or a fruit of it Now it is plaine that a spirituall remedy can only cure a spirituall disease The soule will not bee fed by the food of the body neither by bodily physicke will it bee cured Wherfore in regard of God who is offended and in regard of thy sinne that hath offended him behold the word of God turning thee from carnall and visible to spirituall and insuisible Remedies Micah 6. 7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of Rams or with ten thousands of Riuers of Oyle shall I giue my first-borne for my transgression the fruite of my body for the sinne of my soule Hee hath shewed thee O man what is good and what doth the Lord require of thee but to doe iustly and to loue mercy and to humble thy selfe in walking with thy God Neither hath God herein giuen meere words but his deeds haue beene as good as his words The Scripture is full of examples that this meanes which the world thinkes to be weaknesse hath beene strong vnto
the rootes of the Trees none but the tree that beares good fruite shall escape hewing downe and casting into the fire But the righteousnesse of outward workes is neither true nor lasting without a seed and nature of Righteousnesse Therefore to make the fruite truely and continually good the tree must be made good For the good tree only beareth good fruit and ceaseth not to beare it Wherefore as the roote of sinfulnesse must be pulled vp so a roote of Righteousnesse must bee planted As the old man must be put off the new man must be put on Eph. 4. 22. 23. This New man is borne of the spirit as the old man is borne of the flesh Joh. 3. 6. For that which is borne of the flesh is flesh and that which is borne of the spirit is spirit And if that which is borne of the spirit be in vs then haue wee in vs a roote of Righteousnesse For the fruite of the spirit is in all goodnesse Eph. 5. 6. and righteousnesse and truth This is the roote of the tree planted by the riuer side Psal. 1. 3. that bringeth forth his fruite in his season his leafe also shall not wither but whatsoeuer he doth shall prosper This is the seed that falls into good ground yea it makes the ground good into which it falls Heb. 6. 7. so that it bringeth forth hearbs meet for them by whom it is dressed and receiueth blessing from God And indeed no wonder if it receiue blessing from God and turn away the curses of God for when the hart of man is thus made good ground fruitfull earth and a good tree by the vertue of Gods spirit the heart of Man is according to the Heart of God And from this harmonie agreement issue all blessings and blessednesse There is friendship betweene God and man when face answereth to face the face of mans soule to the face of God to whose Image it was first created and after the fall it must bee renewed Prov. 27. 19. Then will God delight to dwell among vs hee will walke with vs hee will bee a Father to vs 2 Cor. 6. 17. and wee shall bee his sonnes and daughters saith the Lord Almighty Deut. 28. 12. 13. The Lord shall open to thee his good treasure the heauen to giue the raine vnto thy land in his season and to blesse all the worke of thine hand And thou shalt lend vnto many Nations and shalt not borrow And the Lord shall make thee the head and not the taile and thou shalt bee aboue only and not beneath if that thou hearken to the Commandements of the Lord thy God to obserue and doe them Infinite is the blessednesse and infinite are the blessings which follow this new creature and Image of God And places of Scripture are almost endlesse that expresse them Briefly and for a summe Godlinesse is profitable vnto all things 1 Tim. 4. 8. hauing promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come Now what shall I inferre hereupon yea let God himselfe make the inference by his blessed Apostle Hauing therefore these promises 2 Cor. 7. 1. dearely beloued let vs cleanse our selues from all filthinesse of the flesh and spirit perfecting holinesse in the feare of God Let vs put on the New Creature and walke by that rule for as many as walke by that Gal. 6. 1â—â— rule peace shall be vpon them Peace betweene God and vs peace betweene vs and our owne soules and peace betweene vs and the Creatures 10. Hauing thus put on The Crown of repentance is a Couenant with God the glorious and blessed Image of God in our repentance from dead workes and the body of sinne let vs crown and consummate this happy worke with a Couenant For thus did the ancient Conuerts they bound vp their Repentance in a Couenant that entring into a Couenant with God God might enter into a Couenant with them and so the knot of Happinesse Loue might bee knit and made sure betweene God and Man The heart of man is very deceitfull and backsliding and it is not enough to put it into the way of agreement with God but being there it must be bound by strong resolutions yea those resolutions haue beene bound with an oath And thus our will binding it selfe to the will of God by a settled resolution and vow it continues the closer and more vnseparable since as soone as temptation commeth it dasheth it selfe in pieces against the Rocke of this Couenant The heart being as it were hardned and steeled with Resolution is in vaine assaulted and the Billow of temptation flying against it non frangit sed frangitur the Billow is broken but the house or the heart falls not because it is become rocky being firmely built on the Rocke Christ Iesus Yea Sathan seeing the soule settled and resolued to resist him flyes away and remoues his engines to places and persons of lesse resistance But on the other side God seeing the heart bent and resolued and bound to a constant seruice of God hee meetes it with a constant loue and the kisse of perfect peace is betweene them I might bring forth diuers examples of Couenants There was a Couenant vnder Moses Deut. 20. 12. vnder Ioshua vnder Iosiah Iosh. 24. vnder Ezra Ezra 10. but I especially propose the Couenant of 2 King 23. 3. Asa because it was the patterne of a perfect Couenant and a happy successe And because I wish the later I propose the former This Couenant is thus described There came a Prophet and spake vnto Asa 2 Chron. 15 and all Iudah and Beniamin Hee told them of the miseries of those which were without the true God a teaching Priest and without law That forsaking God they were forsaken of God And in those times there was no peace to him that went out nor to him that came in but great vexations were vpon all the Inhabitants of the Countries And Nation was destroyed of Nation and Citie of Citie for God did vexe them with all aduersitie On the other side The Lord is with them while they bee with him and if they seeke him hee will bee found of them Yea being vexed for their sinnes when in their trouble they did turne vnto the Lord God of Israel and sought him hee was found of them Thereupon the Prophet inferreth Bee yee strong therefore and let not your hands bee weake for your worke shall be rewarded And Asa indeed grew strong for the Scripture saith Hee tooke courage and put away the abhominable Idols out of Iudah and Beniamin he renewed the Altar of the Lord and offered a great sacrifice to God And to binde vp this new obedience and to make it sure by setting a seale to it They entred into a Couenant to seeke the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soule This Couenant they binde with a high
persecution were ended wee receiued the word with ioy in the holy Ghost wee did then runne well who doth let vs from running so still Yea then God mightily prospered vs and made his owne word good vnto vs 2. Chro. 15. 2. The Lord is with you while yee be with him Why then should wee not bee still with him as at first that hee as at first may stil be with vs Those that are of God the word and wisedome of God should moue them for that saith to them Ier. 6. 16. Inquire the old way and Remember from whence thou art fallen Reu. 2. 5. and repent And those that are of the world the wisedome of the world should moue for thus saith their Oracle It is more cleare than the day Disc. vpon Liuy lib. 3. cap. 1. that such bodies of Common-wealths c. doe not endure except they bee renewed and the manner whereby to renew them is to bring them backe to their beginnings And then comming to Religion wherof hee discourseth vnder the name of Sectes he saith It is manifest that such renewings are necessary euen by experiments in our Religion And indeede by his owne Rule if Religion decay a Kingdome and Common-wealth will decay therfore he aduiseth lib. 1. c. 12. He that wil maintain a Kingdome in his entirenesse must aboue all take care that Religion doe not decay and by little and little come to bee neglected Thus should Religion bee reuiued and mainetained in ancient vigour by all By those that know it truely because of the goodness which is in it By those that know it not in the inside but onely some outward goood effects of it because it is good for themselues if the good of the Kingdome wherein they liue be their good 21 The great remedy of Repentance and Conuersion being taken downe into the hearts and soules of vs Vpon the foundation of Repentance sure hope of mercie is builded I would not doubt Act. 27. 22. but wee should see Paul standing forth againe and heare him saying I exhort you to bee of good cheere for there shall bee no losse of any mans life among you And I speake it not without ground for God himselfe hath giuen vs some earnests of this safety For as the same Paul gaue this for the reason of his Encouragement There stood by me this night the Angel of God so may I say for a ground of our Comfort Not onely the Angel of God but the Lord of the Angels hath stood by vs in the night of our sufferings and chastisements and by a manifest grant of our petitions vpon humiliation hath giuen vs good proofe that more humiliation may obtaine more safetie and deliuerance Vpon a little humiliation for a little space grace hath bin shewed from the Lord our God Ezra 9. 8. to leaue vs a remnant to escape and to giue vs a nayle in his holy place that our God may lighten our eyes and giue vs a little reuiuing The first Fast was followed with miraculous successe Neuer a greater pestilence in our greatest Citie recorded in these later ages and I thinke neuer so great a pestilence so soone so cleane swept away Yea though the Citie were not long after thronged with a double meeting so that it should be thought that the chambers of death were filled with the liuing yet death being cōmanded to sheath his sword could not touch life though fallen into the armes of it So death by Gods mercy was turned to vs Gen. 31. 29. as Laban toward Iacob though it had a hurtfull power it had no power to hurt vs. But when the greatest Pestilence hath thus the speediest end it is a very wonder and plainely shewes a hand aboue Nature And what hand doe we finde to be the cause of extraordinary changes but Dextera excelsi the right hand of the Highest And if wee looke below by what lower meanes the right hand of the most High hath beene moued to make these changes euen to repent of the euill Ionah 3. which hee said hee would doe Ioel. 2. and did it not wee finde that Humiliation with Fasting is a principall meanes Wherefore this way being taken by vs and this effect following it what can wee thinke but that by this way Gods mercy came vnto vs A second blessing following a second Fast was the stay and turning away of a Famine And this also was strange and extraordinarie euen by a strange and extraordinary change For the Famine was posting apace towards vs yea it flew on the wings of the cloudes which dropped downe death and destruction by destroying the fruites of the earth Yet in the very speed of this blacke Horse the Fast gaue it a stop and the word of God set that day for a bound to it And concerning that day a command came to the cloudes Thus farre shall yee goe and here shall yee stay your destroying waters For wee know that this very day was the end of that iudgement Now when wee see a Iudgement stop in such a day what shall we thinke but that the worke of that day was the stop of the iudgement For otherwise that day wherein wee were relieued had no more vertue than the dayes wherein wee were punished Besides by both rule patterne in the Scriptures wee finde that this effect by such causes may bee produced The Scripture saith 1 Cor. 11. 31. If wee iudge our selues wee shall not bee iudged God was readie to iudge vs with a Famine which is a Fast of necessitie We vnderwent a voluntary Famine by a voluntary Fast So the Famine meeting with a Famine went no farther but dyed in it The businesse which it should haue done was done and the end being attained that which moued to the end rested And it is not without patterne that spirituall workes haue bounded the iudgements of God with a day Yea God himselfe doth call vs to set a Marke on that day and by that on others that are like it When the Iewes for the neglect of a worke that tended to Gods glory were punished with pouerty and scarsitie yet in that very day wherein they began that worke which God required there was a change of curses into blessings whereupon God calls vpon them Consider from this day Hag. 2. 18. and vpward from this day will I blesse you Thus by the good hand of God vpon vs there hath beene a change and deliuerance from two of the great scourges wherewith God professeth that hee scourgeth the sinfull Nations of the earth Ezek. 14. And if in two euills hee haue deliuered vs why may we not hope that hee will deliuer vs in the third If he haue deliuered vs from the Beare and the Lyon why may wee not hope that hee will deliuer vs from a third though it be as bigge as Goliah It is a sure signe that Gods eare is yet open to vs and while his eares are open