the people of Israel Did not I deliver you from the Egyptians and from the Amorites and from the câ—…ildren of Ammon and from the Philistines the Zidonians also and the Amalekites c. Yet you have forsaken me therefore I will deliver you no more When justice pleads against a Nation there is mercy to flye unto but if mercy because it is abused to sinne become our enemy there is no way but everlasting ruine To sinne with the rare and choyce mercies of God such as the mercies of England are is a sin of such transcendent unkindnesse as that God cannot but destroy suâ—…h a Person 〈◊〉 such a Nation that is guilty of it When David was used unkindly by Nabal upon whom he had bestowed many courtesies how did this unkindnesse provoke David to anger in somuch as he said Surely in vaine have I kept all that this fellow hath in the Wiâ—…dernesse so that nothing was missing of al that appertained unto him and he hath requited me evill for good so and more also doe God unto the enemies of Daâ—…id if I leavâ—… of all that pertaine to him by the morning light any that pisseth against the Wall Thus is the great Jehovah enraged when we sinne with his favours God will say In vaine have I adorned thee with all the Jewels of my mercy which thou as a swine hast trampled under thy feete In vaine have I given thee learning and riches and my Gospell c. for thou hast requited me evill for good therefore in destroying I will certainely destroy thee Thus also we reade in the 2 Sam. 10. When David sent a kind Embassage to King Hanun to comfort him after his fathers death and he despised and abused the messengers shaving off the one hâ—…lfe of their beards and cutting off their garments in the middle c. this did so far incense David as it made him destroy them al after a rigid manner Gods mercies are like Davids messengers messages of love God lookes we should improve these messages to his glory But if we despise them and abuse him with them he will utterly destroy us O consider this you that forget God You that undervalue his mercies You that contemne his mercies You that sin with his mercies How angry was Christ with Peter because he would not suffer him to wash his feete he seemes to be more angry with him than when he denyed him because he refused an act of Christs love Christ tooke it unkindly at Peters hands When God comes in love to us and offers to wash us and to reforme us if we refuse to be washed and choose rather to wallow in the mire of sin and superstition this will provoke God more than if we did flatly deny him We would have healed Babylon but she is not healed forsake her and let us goe every one into his owne Countrey for her judgement reacheth unto Heaven and is lifted up even to the skies Which words tell us That those that sin with mercies shall be lifted up as high in judgement as they are in mercy Thus it is likewise said Ezekiel 24. ver. 13. Because I have purged thee and thou wast not purged thou shalt not bee purged from thy filthinesse any more till I have caused my fury to rest upon thee Oh that the Lord would give us hearts to lay these things to heart Oh let us be ashamed and confounded ashamed and ashamed that ever we have sinned after mercies under mercies and with mercies And indeed when I consider seriously how the mercies of England are abused by England I am possessed with exceeding great feare lest all our mercies should be but forerunners of some greater miseries and all our preservations reservations to some greater destruction For though the times are changed yet our people are not changed though the times be better yet the men that live in these times are not better The Sodomites were delivered by Abraham but because they sinned after their deliverance their preservation was but a reservation for a greater destruction by fire and brimstone Lots wife was delivered out of Sodom but because she looked backe towards Sodom her preservation was but a reservation to be turned to a pillar of salt Pharaoh was often delivered by the prayer of Moses but because he hardned his heart after deliverance his preservation was but a reservation till he was drowned in the Red Sea The people of Israel had deliverance upon deliverance but because they continued to sin after deliverance God at last destroyed them with a wofull destruction The Lord open our eyes to consider these things and to be confounded and ashamed for our evill doings and to loath our selves for our former abominations and to be humbled exceedingly for our sins against mercy that God may continue his deliverances to us and our posterity after us as long as the Sun and Moone endureth Seeing God hath done such rare things freely for this Nation Let us be exhorted to subscribe to the obedience of this Text and not onely be huâ—…bled for what is past but ashamed and confounded for the time to come to sin willingly against so mercifull a God Let an argument from mercy prevaile with you It is a great objection against some kinde of Preachers that they preach nothing but hell and damnation This Objection cannot be brought against me this day Behold I come with an Olive branch of Peace in my mouth I come as a Barnabas not as a Boanerges as a Minister of the Gospell all apparelled with rich mercy It is a great mercy that we have mercies to breake our hearts withall What would Germany give if they had these mercies What would Ireland doe for God if they had these mercies O let mercy melt us This was Nathans argument to David Thus saith the Lord God of Israel I annointed thee King over Israel and delivered thee out of the hand of Saul and I gave thee thy Masters house and the house of Israel and of Judah and if that had beene too little I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things Wherefore hast thou despised the Commandement of the Lord to doe evill in his sight Thou for whom I have done so much Wherefore hast thou despised the Commandement of the Lord This made David cry out I have sinned against the Lord Me thinkes I heare God saying unto us here present I have delivered you from many dangers I have recovered you from many sicknesses I have heaped many favours upon you and if this had not beene enough I would have done such and such things wherefore have you rebelled against me O that this might affect our hearts Observe how Davids mercy wrought upon Saul 1 Sam. 24. 16 17 18. David had gotten Saul at an advantage and spared him when he might have destroyed him this did so work upon Saul that he lift up his voyce and wept c. Nothing ever moved Saul so much as the
way Whereas other Nations have travailed through blood to a reformation All things are managed among us without blood-shed blessed be God Thirdly to doe it in a praying way not by the weapons of war but by the weapons of the Church Prayers and Teares In stead of fighting we have Fasting and in stead of the enemies drummes we have Aarons bels sounding in our eares Our people have prayed up a reformation Fourthly to doe all this for us when we were in a most desperate condition when all our faithfull Ministers with one lippe preached desolation and destruction when thousands had left us as Rats Mice doe a house when it is ready to fall when we lay among the pots fullyed with superstition for God then to begin to make us as the wings of a Dove covered with silver and her feathers with yellow gold to make us a glorious Church to purge out our drosse and whatsoever gives just offence and to make us white as the snow in Salmon It is reported of Salmon That it is an high hill shadowed with trees darke and full of pits but when the snow is upon it it is white Our condition was like the hill of Salmon we were in darke and dismall condition full of pits and snares but God is making us white as the Snow in Salmon and all on the suddaine contrary to all expectation is opening a doore of hope for us when we were in the valley of Achor This is an admirable circumstance Fiftly to doe all this for such a sinfull Nation as England a Nation which hath ingrossed all those sins for which God hath destroyed other Nations as namely Contempt of the Gospell Countenancing of Idolatry loathing of Manna Crying downe Preaching 〈◊〉 the Idoll of England preaching against Preaching Teaching for good doctrine That Bishops and tithes are Jure Divino and yet the Lords day is but Jure humanâ—… crying up the holines of Churches and at the same time crying downe the frequency of Preaching in these Churches exalting the holines of places and at the same time depressing the holinesse of persons and the holines of the Christian Sabbath A nation guilty of Apostasie Opposition to Reformation Bitternesse against the people of God loaded with blood-guiltinesse blasphemies adulteries oppression drunkennes covetousnes and such like sinnes Sixthly And to doe all this for such a Nation and not for other Nations Not for Germany not for Ireland Although we drinke as deepe of the cup of sinne as they yet that God should give us no cup but a cup full of mercy to drinke off to make us like Goshen when all other Protestant Nations are plagued as Egypt O what a rare Circumstance is this These mercies and these circumstances are so great and so wonderfull as that if I had as many tongues as haires on my head they would not all suffice to set out the praises of God for them And indeed I can hardly forbeare from turning this day of humiliation into a day of thanksgiving Surely God requires a thousand thousand Hallelujahs And that we should blesse him upon a thousand stringed Instrument Here is fewell enough The Lord kindle a great fire in every one of our hearts to burne out all our lusts to infiame our cold hearts with the love of such a God and to make us ashamed and confounded that ever wee should sinne against him The second part of the Text is the Author of these mercies in these words I will doe this saith the Lord God Here I observe That the deliverances that come to a Nation come from Jehovah Adonai Nationall mercies come from the God of Nations And that all the world may take notice that mercies come from God he ordinarily doth two things First he delivers Nations at suâ—…h times and when they are in such straites as that none but a God can deliver them Thus he delivered his people out of Egypt when they were in their worst estate Cum duplicantâ—…r lateres tunc venit Deus thus he delivered his people out of Babylon when they were as dry bones in the grave past hope this is a time fit for a God to worke as it is Deut. 32. 36. The Lord shall judge his people and repent himselfe for his servants when he seeth that their power is gone and that there is none shut up or left Hee delivers Nations by such wayes and such meanes that none but a God can doe First By little meanes Thus he tels Gideon The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands lest Israel vaunt themselves against me saying Mine owne hand hath saved me and therefore he brings the Army from 32 thousand to ten thousand and from ten thousand to three hundred and afterwards delivers them without the helpe of these three hundred by Trumpets Pitchers and Lamps Thus he delivered Israel from a huge hoast of Philistims by the help of Jonathan and his Armor-bearer And in 2 Kings 3. 22 23. he makes a fancy to be the foundation of a great victory the Sun shines upon the water and the Moabiâ—…es conceive it to be the blood of the Israelites and by this fancy were vanquished Secondly By unlikely meanes Thus God preserved Noah by an Aâ—…ke wherein he was buryed as in a darke sepulcher dwelling among wilde beasts floating on the waters without a Pilot to guide him onely the Text saith God shut him in and by his power kept him from sinking Thus God made the Jaylor an unlikely Instrument to wash the stripes of Paul and Silas and Revel. 12. 16. he makes the earth to helpe the Woman that is the basest and the most unlikeliest of the people Thirdly By contrary meanes Thus Jonah was preserved from drowning by a Whale and was kept vivus in sepulchro thus Joseph was made Lord of Egypt by being cast into prison and the blinde man cured with clay and spittle a way more likely to put out his eyes than to cure him Fourthly Without any meanes at all And thus God delivered his people out of Babylon For when God turned againe the captivity of Sion saith David they were like unto them that dreame now men know not what they shal dreame of when they go to bed we dreame of strange things wee doe not study our dreames such was their deliverance out of Babylon a strange unsâ—…ught 〈◊〉 for deliverance just as a dreame now God doth all this that it might appeare that deliverances come not from secondary causes but from his owne arme and power Let this Doctrine be an other Looking-glasse for this Nation Englands mercies come from the God of England we may truely say with David If the Lord had not beene on our side if the Lord had not beene on our side when men rose up against us they had swallowed uâ—… up quicke and the streames had gone over our soules There is not onely the finger
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