we not delivered as a prey unto their teeth But by the honourable convoy of his mercy by the hand of his clemency are wee brought to the haven where we would be Oh that men would therefore c. Have you heard and read of Ionah embarked en wombed Ionah 1.17 and entombed in the entrals of that great Leviathan yet blessed with protection Even wee also have had the like menaces of windes and waves stormes and tempests to make us fit morsels for those living mountaines whose entrals and gorges would soone consume us to a gelly Ionah 2.10 But the mercies of the God of Ionah are not yet diminished for he hath brought us to the haven where we would be Oh c. Mat. 8. â—3 24 Lastly have you heard both of sinners and Saviour both in one ship covered with waves tossed with tempests he asleep they awake they fearefull he powerfull they as sufferers he as a commander both of them and what they feared The case was ours we have beene though not in eadem nave in the same ship yet in codem praedicamento Toto sonuerum aethere â—â—mbi Vir. in the same predicament And when we cride in our distresse he heard us when we went to awake him he arose and calm'd the waves stilled the windes stayed the spouts repelled the gusts rebuk't the stormes And by his mercy are we brought to the Haven where wee would be Oh that men would therefore c. He that neither slumbereth nor sleepeth was our aide and helper or if he have seem'd to sleepe t is as he expounds himselfe Cant. 5. Cant. 5.2 I sleepe but mine heart waketh He seemes to use sleepe but his heart waketh and himselfe is vigilant for our protection Once indeed aboue all other times he seem'd to us to sleep out a miserable and fearfull storme as if he had forsaken us as once his Father had forsaken him t is worthy the file and records of eternitie Mat. 27.46 In the mould of Genoa In Genoa the eight of Ianuarie last was such a storme and tempest as caused the Inhabitants to rake up the urnes and bring forth the ashes of the deceased Saint Iohn Baptist as a propitiatory sacrifice to calme the raging Sea I neither beleeve that they are or that they are of some vertue or that they have them if they were yet there all the he Saints and she Saints Angels Lords and Ladies of Heaven were sued unto for mercy and deliverance Mat. 8.27 In this never to bee forgotten misery we cryed unto the Lord our God who seemed to sleepe and be awakened and both the windes and sea they did obey him De profundis clamavi out of the depth did I cry unto the Lord. Abyssus abyssum invocat One depth calls on another a depth of our misery caused for a depth of his mercy he did neglect us but for a while for the greater manifestation of his mercie and increase of our services Oh that men would Psal 99 6. c. Moses Aaron and Samuel Noah Daniel and Iob those spirituall Courtiers and favourites of the King of heaven in their distresses cried unto the Lord and hee heard them and delivered them and his mercies are renewed to us everie morning and his compassions faile not Lam 3.22 Psal 86.1 He will have us know that when sinners bow their hearts he will bow and bend his eares to their prayers and supplications And that he desires not the death of a sinner but rather c. As I live saith God the Father as I dye saith God the Sonne I desire not nor delight not in the death of sinners no he is proner to mercy then to judgement He was longer in destroying one Citie I in threatning to destroy it than in building of the whole world Ionah 3.4 Exod. 20.11 Fortie dayes and Ninive shall be destroyed sixe dayes and the whole world was made the heaven earth the sea and all that therein is Well may he forget to be angry with us Psal 30.5 Psal 136.1 for the stormes of his anger endure but for a moment but he can never forget to be mercifull for the calmes of his mercy endures for ever So much for the two generals viz. the Dangers that provoke us to awfulnesse the Mercies that move us to thankfulnesse 3 General Duties to draw us to obedience the third follows which is duties to prouoke us to obedience And this obedience must reflect backe againe and be seene and shewed in the performance of a double dutie viz. The publication of his praises and proclamation of his wonders Text. Oh that men would therefore praise the Lord for his goodnesse and declare the wonders that he doth for the children of men This is all the Text will enjoyn or the Prophet looke for or the God of Text and Prophet require after the receit of his mercies to yeeld unto him his tribute of praises T is as much as he doth aske t is as little as we can give t is his due and our duty Of both which a word or two and there cannot much more remaine Hitherto we haue but numbred the turrets and bulwarks of this text as David wisht the spectators of Sion Psal 48.1 Psalme 48. and haue beene stayed in Atrio templi in the porch entrance and body of the Text. Now suffer me to leade you by the hand into the sanctuary of Sanctum sanctorum or holy of holyes He that will not lend an eare deserues not that euery Angell should moue a wing or descend the ladder or looke out of the windows of heaven to assist him either in his wants or wishes Gen. 28.12 The first piece of our obligation consists in the publication of his praises and to do this brings honour to God He that offereth me praise he honoureth me Psal 50.23 The second is the declaration of his wonders and he that doth not this draws a curse and propheticall anathema upon his owne head which waits for such as regard not the worke of the Lord nor the operation of his hands Psal 28.5.6 Oh that men would therefore praise the Lord for his goodnesse and declare c. Those that haue beene most deeply interest in humaine miseries and the receit of divine favours are called here to the performance of these holy seruices And they onely because there cannot be a greater argument of Gods praise and our duty then escape from danger and receit of mercy This truth is firmely built upon the pillars of the Text. The conquering Romans in all their honourable and glorious triumphs Hist Rom. suffered none to make any triumph to erect any Prophees or to enter into the Temple of honour where were Crowns Garlands Palms Lawrels Robes Aul. Gel. Rewards Emblemes but they must first passe the Temple of vertue where were Swords Iavelins Targets Lances Helmets and other instruments of warre by which they must purchase their
which I say to you as Moses concerning the building of the Tabernacle Exod. 25.9 Fac secundum hoc exemplar And as our Lord and Sauiour to the questioning Lawyer Go thou and do so likewise Whatsoeuer things haue vertues in others will be no lesse eminent in the imitatours Wherefore then whatsoeuer things are honest Phil 4 8. just good vertuous laudable that follow they will carry away a blessing Shall the Iewes offer their children in sacrifice in imitation of Abraham S. W. R. Hist Or Agessilaus King of Sparta offer sacrifice in imitation of Agamemnon which was throwne off the Altar by the Thâ—ban Lords in Aulis And shall not we be prouoked by better examples to imitation of better actions God requires neither trophies nor triumphs sacrifices nor burnt offerings of us though we receiue as great and greater mercies as our progenitors who so testified their thankfulnesse He askes no more of us but to be thankfull and to praise the Lord for his goodnesse c. Well said the seruants to the Prince and Peere of Syriah 2. King 5.13 to their Master Naaman when they would prouoke him to follow the Prophets order and advise If the Prophet had required some great thing of thee wouldest thou not have done it how much more when he bids thee but wash and be cleane So say I if the Lord of Prophets should require some great things of you would ye not do it How much rather when he bids you to wash your selues from the foule spots of unthankfulnesse and be cleane Should God raise a Subsidie and challenge but what is his owne and require of you that are Lords both of Sea and Land to resigne your Lordships in the one your interest in the other your title to both Of you Land Lords to give up your rents and revenues Of you rich men to give away your wealth of you poore men to give away your almes of you Officers to give away your fees of you Servants to give away your earnings of you Marriners to give away your dear bought wages I know that this would be Dui us Sermo Luk. 18.23 a harsh and unreasonable request But quis requisivit Mic 6.3 who hath required those things at your hands God hath not troubled you with sacrifices nor wearied you with offerings no the God of heaven hath another request unto you which you may not you must not deny him and Saint Paul in Gods name and I in Saint Pauls name Beseech you Brethren by the mercies of God Ro 11.1 that ye present your selves soules and bodies as a holy living and acceptable sacrifice unto God for although the other were an unreasonable yet this is but your reasonable service Rom. 12.1 Caius Cotta that thankefull Roman Plut. vit Ro. when hee would shew himselfe truely gratefull to the Senate hee gave them his soule and his reason was vita mors iura naturae sunt Life and death are the rites of nature We cannot better testifie our prayses and gratulations than by giving our soules unto our Maker whose they are by creation and redemption saying with the Psalmist Psal 41.5 Into thy hands O Lord I commend my spirit for thou hast redeemed mee O Lord thou God of truth Ioseph charged his brethren to bring with them their little Brother Benjamin else they might all have beene left behinde So Christ our elder brother Gen. 42.20 chargeth us to bring with us our little brother Beniamin of thankfulnesse else all other services are of no value Plut. in v. Thes Aegeus the Father of Theseus sent his sonne to graple with the Minotaure and gave him one sute of blacke sailes and another of white to be hoysed onely and worne in case he got the victory which though he had got yet he returnes home with the blacke sailes he went out with at sight of which his father threw himselfe from the Sigean Promontory where he expected his sonnes arrivall In which history is lively moralized the naturall dispositions of too many who like Theseus the sonne of Aethra Aegeus after a happy voyage and prosperous doe returne with the blacke sayles of ingratitude and unthankfulnesse Eph. 4.30 and hereby grieue the spirit of their holy and heauenly Father by which they are sealed unto the day of redemption whereas if they did hoyse the candid and white sayles of gratulation and applause they should rejoyce both Angels and Cherubins that sit upon the scaffold of heauen expecting our victory and happy arriuall Luk. 15.10 Now that we may aright blesse God for his mercyes let us in praising of him offer this sourefold sacrifice First let us offer the sacrifice of charitable almes as occasion is offered to us To doe good and distribute forget not He 13.16 for with such a sacrifice God is well pleased I hereby wee shall make our selues Creditors to God and him a debtor to us Pro. 19.17 For hee that giueth unto the poore lendeth to the Lord he that putteth his money into the banke of heaven shall make plentifull returne in this world Luk. 18.10 an hundred fold and in the world to come life everlasting Secondly offer to God the sacrifice of an humble penitence and contrition Psal 51.17 The sacrifice of God is a troubled spirit Psal 51.17 a broken and a contrite heart O Lord thou wilt not thou canst not despise While your hearts are thinking of your sinnes let your eyes be like the Pooles of Heshbon by Bathrabim Cant. 7.4 which were euer full of standing water to wash away those soule spots that sullage of Adams clay that rests within us Thirdly le ts sacrifice our wils and make a perfect and absolute resignation of them to the will of God whether it be paetiendo or faciendo by doing or suffering by a patient sufferance of what he inflicts by an obedient yeeldance to what he commands In this we do no more then the Sonne of God and Saviour of the world who subscribed to the will of his Father Mat. 6.10 Not my will but thy will be done Fourthly and lastly wee must sacrifice our sinnes if ever wee meane to bring any honour to God by yeelding him his praise This sinne offering or offering of sinne is equally necessarie with them that went before Even those that are as neare to us as Isaac was to Abraham must be sacrificed those that are as neare as our right eye or hand must be cut off Mat. 5 29. puld out and offered Gen. 2â— 10 Sinne is an Hagar that must be thrust out of doores else Sarah our conscience shall never be at rest and quiet 1. Sam. 5.4 Sinne is a Dagon whose necke must be broke upon the threshold of repentance 1 King 5.10 Sinne is a Naaman that must be washt in Iordan seven times in the vermilion streames of our Saviours sufferings seventy times seven times Ionâ— 1.15 Sinne is a
Ionah that must bee throwne ouer boord if ever we meane that the tempests of vengeance shall cease or be bettered by calmes of mercy You that love your sinnes as Iudah loved Tamar Ge. 38.15 to enjoy your pleasures by them as Saul loved David to get honour by them Ge. 30.36 as Iacob loued Laban to get wealth and riches by them You must part with all in all or none at all One legge in the stocks will hold fast the whole body one sinne in the soule will hold fast both body and soule In vaine shall you praise God for his goodnesse if you displease him with the continuance and increase of sinne and wickednesse To what purpose will you offer to sing Psalmes of praise and thanksgiuing if the noyse of your sinnes drowne the noyse of your Psalmes as Drummes in the sacrifice of Molech did drowne the cry of the burning and tormented Infants or as the ringing of the Bels doth drowne the noyse of the clocke How dare ye professe a subjection and loyaltie to the King and Crowne of heauen if we nourish sinne in our bosomes and hearts a traytor both to him and us Eccles 5.1 Or offer the sacrifice of praise to please him when we offer the sacrifice of fooles to provoke him This is the high way to enrage him by whose power we are created by whose providence we are preserued to send worse judgements upon us then we have escaped Iud. 16.19 Such as with Sampson will sleepe in sinne as in the lappe of Dalilah let them beware their locks Iudg. 5.26 Such as with Siserah will short in this Iael's tent let them beware their liues If you will boyse sayle in all weathers who can deplore your shipwracke If you will runne from Niniveh to Tarshish Iona. 1.3 who will pitty you though you meet with a worse storme in your teeth than what you seeke to avoid Dâ—str Tr. So did Polydamas that sonne of Antenor to auoid a storme runne under a ruinous rocke that crusht him and killed him So did the wise of Lot escape the vengeance of Sodome Ge. 19.26 yet continuing in her sinne procured a worse and more peculiar to be turned into a pillar of salt And so shall all such as are not seasoned by her example but will wilfully split themselues upon the Rocke of their owne sinnes they are unworthy of my farther reproofe or your farther attention Such as will avoid both the sinne and danger must praise the Lord for his goodnesse And such as will give unto their heavenly Caesar his tributary due of praise must do it Mat. 22.21 by acknowledging him to bee a Lord So said Ieptha to the men of Gilead Iudg. 11.9 If I fight for you against the children of Ammon shall I not be your head As I say to all of you whose faces seeme to congratulate this day whose attentions seeme to entertaine this doctrine If he fight for us against our enemies and deliuer us shall not he be our Lord Yes Le ts first acknowledge him and secondly le ts apply him all the merits of his active and passiue obedience must be laid claime to by a peculiar and particular application so did Thomas who seemed to haue engrossed him to himselfe Ioh. 20.28 My Lord and my God Thirdly by obeying him as a Lord in mercy for feare we finde him to be a Lord in justice Those mine enemies that will not I shall rule over them Lu. 19.27 bring them hither that I may slay them Heb. 10 31. It s a fearfull thing to fall into the hands of the liuing Lord. Fourthly le ts praise him as the onely Lord of heaven and earth without a riuall For his glory hee will not giue unto another nor his praise to grauen Images God in the frontispiece of his royall Law provokes perswades his people Israel to haue or serue no other Gods but him because he and no other God but he Exod 20.1.2 had brought them out of the Land of Aegypt out of the house of bondage So let all such as the Lord hath redeemed out of the hands of the enemie praise him alone as their soveraigne Lord He that hath more than one God or one Lord hath neither God nor Lord. Alexander told Darius King of Persia Quin. Cur. offering to him halfe his kingdome that the Heaven had not two Sunnes neither should the Earth have two soveraignes One Alexander was enough for a world Val. Max. one Phoenix enough for an age Duos Alcibiades neque Attica neque Graecia tulit Nor Greece nor Athens brought forth two Alcibiades Sparta brought not forth two Lysanders nor the world two such Lords Let those fishermen that know no better sacrifice unto their nets or Neptune those husbandmen unto their dunghill or to Ceres for their corne others to Bacchus for their wines to Pallas for their oyles to Apollo for their wisedome to Minerva for their peace Let the Turks thank their Mahomet for protection the Persians go to their god Nergal for defence the Hamathensians to Asima for strength the Babylonians to Succobenoth for deliverance Ier. 1â— 13 For according to the number of their countries are the number of their gods Let them and all Atheists go to their false and foolish Dieties all Papists to their Saints but let us go unto the Lord our God Oh that men would therefore praise the Lord. Oh that they would either cease to bee men or being men would never cease to praise the Lord. Or yet if our tongues could be weary of the publication of his praises yet let them be employed in the proclamation of his wonders Text. And declare the wonders that he doth for c. We men are put upon the labour and taske of Angels To publish his praises and proclaime his wonders is the office and theame of the Hyerarchy of heaven who are ever singing their divine Carols of praise â—â—d rejoycing in the expression of his wonders Had I the tongue of men and Angels you the eares and wings of Cherubins wee could neither well enough nor soone enough extoll his praises or expresse his wonders Of both I may say as the Psalmist said before me Who can expresse the noble acts of the Lord Psal 106.2 or shew forth all his praise Yet since the royall hand of heaven vouchsafe not onely to require but requite our weake performances with acceptance As we have begun with his praises so let us go on a little also to declare the wonders that he doth for the children of men Duhartas 1. day The world 's a booke in Folio written all with Gods great works in letters capitall This world is a booke in Folio wherein are written the workes and wonders of Gods omnipotent hand the acts and monuments of our maker and preserver in his owne proper characters Not as Christ wrote when hee wrote in the dust that spirituall paradox Ioh. 8
for his goodnesse and declare the wonders that he doth for the children of men And now I have waded thorow the three generall parts of the Text thus much onely for the literall signification the tropologicall is briefly this The Church of God is this ship tossed upon the Ocean tumbled upon the unconstant billows of this troublesome world labouring with the boysterous windes of opposition opposed with the enemies of Gods grace and her peace packt and poasted from haven to haven from countrey to countrey Sometimes she is carried downe to the deepe and nethermost Hell as in the times of Nero Maximilian Domitian and other Romane Emperours as also in the dayes of Queene Mary in England Sometimes againe she is lifted up into the heaven by an happy and blessed tranquillity as in the daies and times wherein we live and the Gospell flourisheth The holy Bible is her armorie and place of defence and t is like the Tower of David Cant. 4.4 In which are weapons shields and targets for a thousand I for ten thousand thousand valiant men The Law as her fore-castle to them that went before wherein was placed the chase-pieces and thundering Cannons of legall austerities discharged by her cunning marks-men the Prophets and Patriarks against the bulwarks of heresie and Babels of sinne in all ages The Gospell is now our armory and place of defence and herein also are variety of weapons which are not carnall but spirituall and mighty through God to throw downe strong holds 2 Cor. 10.4.5 Here is the Helmet of salvation the shield of faith and Breast plate of righteousnesse the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God Eph. 6.13 which will quench the fiery darts of the devill that like a roaring Lyon goes about seeking whom he may devoure In this shippe of our English Church sits the soveraigne Majestie of our Lord and King as supreame head and governour his Nobles Lords Iudges Councellors as representative pieces of his owne Majestie sit in the steerage of estate and to them is committed the helme of government His reverend Clergie of all degrees are each of them another Palenurus or all Pilots guiding you in the right and perfect way informing your judgements reforming your lives according to the card and compasse of Gods holy Word The many promises of mercy patternes of mercy precepts of mercy presidents of mercy are as so many favourable gales and windes to further us till we come to the end of our faith the salvation of our soules All men are embarked in this ship of the Church whose pretended voyage is to the Land of Canaan but not all alike Some as passengers receive neither wages nor content in this tedious and troublesome voyage who desire a quicke and speedy passage thorow this Baca of feares this Bochim of teares and with Saint Paul to be dissolved and to be with Christ which is best of all Others as Marriners in their owne proper element know of no other happinesse ayme at no other felicity than what the sea of this world affordeth them The longer they stay the greater their pay they have their portion here in this life and in the other they receive onely the wages which is due unto them it were better they were without it for the wages of sinne due to the servants of sinne is death both of body and soule when the former receive onely the gift of God which is eternall life I had rather stand to his courtesie than engage him to payment Before we can arrive at our Canaan of felicity our Port and haven of heaven wee must all passe through the straits of the last judgement For wee must all appeare before his iudgment sent 2. Cor. 5.10 to stand to our triall at the universall inquisition and then arrive at our desired haven where for ever we shall spend our dayes in praysing the Lord for his goodnesse and in declaring his wonders to us the children of men Angels shall meet us with our Palmes our Robes our Crownes Arch-angels with triumphs and Carols of Coelestiall blisse and while we are thus singing of our praises to the King of glory the whole host and Quire of heaven shall say Amen But so much for the literall and historicall meaning of the words Pardon my willing errour of tediousnesse Polulogie is the common fault of travellers my desire was this day to pay my vows where I am most obliged and to whom and before whom and to erect this Sermon as a Pillar of thankfulnesse and an Altar of praise that like the Prayers and Almes of Cornelius might reach up to heaven I should be sorry it should proove a Babel to breede confusion eyther in your patience or your memory About this pillar are written these three things Dangers to draw us to awfulnes Mercies to draw us to thanfulnesse Duties to draw us to obedience And but three as being most portable for your memory easie for your judgement ready for your use Neyther is this Pillar of Prayse dedicated as was that Athenian Altar Acts 17.23 with this inscription Ignoto Deo to an unknowne God or Lord but to a Lord of mercy wisedome and power who knowes best when where and how to succour and relieve us Let this serve both for present use and future memory Thus if wee blesse God hee will blesse us Blessed therefore be the Lord God of Israel for hee hath visited and redeemed us his people Let them whom the Lord hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy praise the Lord Let them that are daily spectators of his wonders in the deepe praise the Lord when they are brought to the haven where they would be Let the house of Israel and the house of Aaron accord in these holy and religious services to publish his prayses And what ever others doe or doe not My soule praise thou the Lord and forget not all his benefits which saveth thy life from destruction and crowneth thee with mercy and loving kindnesse The Lords holy name be blessed and praised from the rising of the Sunne to the going downe of the same and let all the people present say Amen So be it FINIS Errata Pag. 4. lin 24. reade lest 5. 16. Countries 7 20. praise and thankfulnesse 8. 21. my first 9. 2. what 11. 4. and. ibid. 6. aires 12. 3. if 13. 10. after danger reade Scilla and Charibdis little injured by the Poets in expression of it's danger 14. 17. spouts 16. 15. so should they 35. 10. the seas ibid. 24. this 41. 10. us to 42. 3. such ibid. 5. their ibid. 18. called 45. 17. the. 47. 19. the. ibid. 11. walking 48. 12. Those that ibid. 18. Caleb ibid. 23. best relish the. 50. 5. both 53. 15. that 55. 7. at 56. 15. beene vertuous LONDON Printed by Thomas Harper 1634.