I doe give Almes ' 2. Quam facis Eleemosynam else I should put lesse into the pot and more into my purse but what good will the saving of the one or the filling of the other doe me if I lose my owne soule My soule is lost if I doe it not though I doe not doe it thereby to save my soule My salvation is thy gift and I begge it but I shall not obtaine it though I begge it unlesse I worke it out to obtaine it The Almes of my meat Ver. 16. WheÌ„ thou dost fast Ver. 33. Seeke first the Kingdome c. of my mony of my cloathes cannot purchase it for Christ purchas'd it by his blood yet for mee that purchase is not effectuall without these workes These workes will move thee to such a mercy as to turne away this Plague or some such temporall judgement These workes will make mee like thee for thou art the Father of Mercy and these are workes of Mercy These workes shall follow me to the grave hereafter are to me now an evidence and sure foundation of eternall life And yet none of these ends doe I looke upon in mine Almes all that I aime at in them is to glorifie thee to glorifie thee in my obedience to glorifie thee in my example to glorifie thee in my Faith and if thou pleasest to accept this Charity so well â—s to make it a light to shine so far as that others may thereby be stirred up to doe likewise Ver. 2. WheÌ„ thou dost thine Almes Ver. 5. WheÌ„ thou dost pray as to take it done by me because thou hast charged it upon me as by it to make my calling and election sure I blesse thee with my soule and shall evermore acknowledge my selfe created to good workes in Christ Jesus and walke in them and so carefully that my left hand of vanity and vaine glory shall not know what my right hand of sincerity and obedience doth for I doe give this Almes because thou hast commanded me so to doe and beseech thee to accept them as that they may abound to my account through Iesus Christ Amen And as I give Almes so I pray I pray Deaetically 5. Quam or as and I pray proseucetically and I pray Eucharistically and all these Exteuxetically I Deprecate and pray against evill Leade us not into Tentation Ver. 16. WheÌ„ thou dost Fast Ver. 33. Seeke first the Kingdome c. but deliver us from evill I supplicate and pray for good Hallowed be thy Name Thy Kingdome come Thy Will be done in earth as it is in heaven give us this day our dayly bread and forgine us our trespasses as wee forgive them that trespasse against us And I gratulate and pray thee in praise and thank sgiving Thine is the Kingdome power and glory and in all these I intercede and pray for all men as for my selfe saying Our Father which art in Heaven In Faith I pray and dare say My Father as Thomas said and praid to Christ My God and my Lord but in Charity I dare not but pray and say as Christ taught St. Thomas to pray Our Father Father of us all all Creatures and things by Creation of all men by Redemption of all Christians by Regeneration of all Saints by Adoption and Obsignation still Verse 2. WheÌ„ thou dost thine Almes Verse 5. WheÌ„ thou dost pray Our Father and that so I may finde thee I pray that prayer in the same words Our Father which art in Heaven not that my thoughts limit thy Vbiquity in this place of residence or confine thee to Heaven but that this place may limit the Vbiquity of my thoughts and give them no other residence but in and confine them onely to Heaven to restraine my thoughts from roaving and ranging and to fixe them onely on heavenly things to levell them especially for heavenly blessings while I pray to a heavenly Father and principally for that which is the principallest of all things and all blessings the Hallowing of thy Name not onely for the knowing of thy Name to bee great not onely for the acknowledging of thy Name to be good not onely for the allowing thy Name to be good and great but for the hallowing of thy Name Ver. 16. WheÌ„ thou dost Fast Ver. 33. Seeke first the kingdome c. to thinke of it reverently to speake of it fearefully to sweare by it truely to call upon it confidently to use it in thought word and deed holily A good Name is preferred by men above all things and Thy Name is preferred by Christians above all Names and the Hallowing of thy Name is the chiefest of all Christian desires This I desire and desire that thy Name may be esteemed beleeved honoured obeyed and reverenced by all men as Holy And to effect this I desire againe Thy Kingdome come Thy Kingdome come into us powerfully to rule us justly to bridle us mercifully to pardon us graciously to sanctifie us and gloriously to change our vile bodies and make them like unto Thy glorious Body or rather like His glorious Body who hath taught us to pray Our Father which art in heaven Ver. 2. WheÌ„ thou dost thine Almes Ver. 5. WheÌ„ thou dost pray Hallowed be thy Name Thy Kingdome come and that we may obey thee in the kingdome of Thy Grace and reigne with thee in the kingdome of Thy Glory I desire Thy Will bee done in Earth in the kingdome of thy grace as it is in Heaven in the kingdome of thy glory Thy Will that was delivered by thy Mouth written by thy Finger preached by thy Sonne revealed by thy Spirit expounded by thy Prophets and applied by thy Pastors This thy wil I wil desire be done as knowingly without errour as faithfully without hazard as fearfully without pride in earth by earthly men as it is in heaven by heavenly Angels iâ— carth by sinners as in heaven by Saints in the earth of the common-wealth as in the heaven of the Church in the earth of the outward man as in the Heaven of the inward man Vers 16. WheÌ„ thou doest ast Vers 33. Seek first the kingdome c. in the earth of the flesh as in the heaven of the Spirit in the earth of passion as in the heaven of action that wee may not blaspheme thee in suffering by too much adversitie and not doe thy will passively nor forget thee in action by too much abundance and not doe thy will actively I desire and pray unto thee Give us this day our daily bread give freely for we deserve it not give liberally for we stand in need of it Give perpetually for else our sinnes will abridge it give Vs thy unworthy servants Vs thy adopted sonnes Vs thy divorced Spouse Vs thy defaced Image Vs thy wandring sheepe Give us this day of the Sunne and delay it not this day of our life else wee enjoy it not this day
Or if you you will take Iuslitia here in the fairest acception for Righteousnesse why even so wee are not able to make answer to one of a thousand Should God but examine our good deeds our Devotions and our Charities our Fastings and our Repentances by the exact rule of Righteousnesse O God how short should wee by them come of Heaven 3. Others therefore by the Face of God understand Facies Misericordiae The Face of Mercie And this is it wee must seeke The face of his Majestie strikes us dead the Face of his Wisedome wee admire the Face of his Iustice wee stand in awe of the Face of his Vengeance we fly from but the Face of his Mercie his Mercie This is that strong out of which came this Sweet and the full unfolding of Sampsons Riddle This is that Lion out of which came this Honie-combe I will not feare what man or Divell can doe unto mee so long as I can seeke the Face of Gods mercie This is it we are here bid to seek and seeke it till we finde it till we behold it till it doeth manifest it selfe unto us But how may we know when we finde it how may we know when the Face of Gods mercie doth manifest it selfe unto us Why that we may know if wee know how and when the Sunne doth manifest it selfe unto us And the Sunne you know doth manifest it selfe 1. Obscurely 2. Plainly and 3. Fully The Sunne is manifested 1. by Day light that is Obscurely and this manifestation is common to all in the same clymaâ— unto which the Sunne is risen 2. It manifests it selfe by Sun-shine that is Plainly and this is not in all places where the day light is It is 3. manifested in his full strength that is Perfectly and this is onely in the Heavens where the body is present no bodies enjoy it but the starres because no other bodies can endure it but the starres and there by they are glorious bodies So God doth manifest his Face of mercie 1. By the workes of his genetall providence to all the world Act. 1â— 28 In him we live we move and have our being This is an obscure manifestation of himselfe as it were by day light yet even this as obscure as it is is enough to make all men without excuse Rom. 1.20 because hereby wee may understand His eternall power and God-head He 2. manifests the Face of his mercie by the peculiar workes of Grace to his Church This is the Plaine Sunshine of his mercie And blessed are the people that bee in such a case Psal 144.15 for Hee hath not dealt so with every nation neither have the Heathen knowledge of his Lawes The â—est of the world in respect of the Church sits in darknesse and in the hadow of death May this face of is mercie the Sunne of his Gospell â—hine bright pure within the walles of this kingdome till wee and our posterities after us come to see and behold the third manifestation of his face in Heaven which is the fullest manifestation that any creature is capable of whether Saint or Angel and thereby they are glorious and sanctified bodies That that is here spoken of is the second and the meaning is this seeke my face viz. Seeke my mercy My mercy as it is revealed unto you in the Mercy seat and in the Sanctuarie where the Incense Altar and the Ark stood the Incense Altar in the middle of the Sanctuarie and the Ark in the Sanctum Sanctorum 1 Reg 8.9 that in the body of the Church this in the Quire or the Chancell Here stood the Arke with the Law of God in it and the Mercy-seate upon it which was called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Propitiatorie or a Propitiation because it covered the Law and hid it that it might not appeare before God to plead against man and there in the Sanctuarie stood the Incense Altar Exod. 30.10 which was sprinkled once every yeare with the blood of the Sacrifice or the Sinne offering once every yeare because an attonement was thereby made for the people This was a type of Prayer that of Iesus Christ with whose blood if our prayers bee sprinkled He is the propitiation for our sinnes 1 Ioh. 2.22 That you may bee sure this is the meaning you may looke upon the prayer to which this Text is the answer The prayer was this If there be a pestilence 2 Chron. 6.28.29 and the people shall pray with their hands spread towards this house viz. the Temple of Solomon that Temple was but a type that type is long since ruined but the truth thereof abides for ever and it is this If God sends a pestilence amongst us Christians then we must humble our selves and pray and turne from our wicked wayes and seek his face by bonding our eyes towards the mercy seate viz. his right hand where Jesus Christ sits making intercession for us that our prayers may bee accepted that our Land may be healed I conclude this with that of Saint Stephen when his enemies stoned him Act. 7.55 He looked up stedfastly into Heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing on the right hand of God Siâ— vos so doe you now the plague destroyes your neighbours about you looke you stedfastly up to Heaven and by the light and Eye of Faith see Iesus Christ at the right hand of God and with faithfull prayers never leave importuning God till hee have healed your Land or saved your soules And one of these you shall be sure of if not both for marke the Apostles inference Rom. 8.32 Hee hath given his Sonne for us and will not he with him give us all things It is as if he should have sayd hee hath delivered the better part your Soules from Hell and will not hee deliver your worse part your Body from the plague Hee did that by Iesus Christ when you desired him not and will not hee doe this for Iesus Christ his sake when you desire him there is no doubt to be made of it so that we seeke him as wee should It is my third thing I have to doe and here I am first to tell you when you must seeke him First there is a time we may find 1 a 1 ae 4 ae 2 ae Seeke God when if we seeke secondly there is a time we shall finde if wee seeke and thirdly there is a time though we seeke yet we shall not finde First we may chance to finde him if wee seeke him upon our Death-beds and never till then But it is a chance this and a meere chance if wee doe some one or two there are amongst 10000. that have so done but it is not safe to follow this example hee were but a mad man that having a long journey to goe would leave his money behinde him because hee hath heard of one or two that have found a purse of
well but not well enough for they doe â—ut pierce Heaven whereas publicke scales it And as hee so wee we should not thinke it enough to be â—ood our selves but strive to make others good too As GOD hath â—â—fused Grace into us so should we â—ndeavour to beget Grace in others When we see a cholerick hasty man we should strive to make him a Iob a â—nne of patience when wee see a dissolute swearing man wee should â—rive to make him a Peter a sonne â—f Repentance when we see a false â—issembling man we should strive 〈◊〉 make him a Nathaniel a true Isâ—aelite a sonne of Sincerity when we â—â—e a naturall and unthankfull man a man that ascribes the Plague to the malignity of the Ayre onely and the staying of the Plague to the serenity of the Ayre onely we should strive to make him a David a man of Thankfulnesse both wishing and exhorting with a great deale of earnestnesse Oh give thanks unto the God of Heaven This we should doe indeed but indeed this we doe nor wee rather seeke to make men worse and worse than better and better We alas if we see a Drunkard we call him to the Taverne if an Adulterer to the Stews if a Glutton to the Ordinary if a coverous man to the house of providence the Vsurer or the Broker So forward are wee for sin that wee infect one another and therefore no wonder that the Plague hath beene amongst us so backward are we for Grace that a wonder iâ— is the Plague is stayed since we exhort not since wee wish not one another to give thanks unto the God of Heaven Were David living now or we that live now of Davids minde the Duty would be doubled and the desire would be ingeminated Oh give thanks oh give thanks It is my third Consideration and the second particular of my first part the Ingemination But what needs this what needed the Prophet to double an Exhortation of such consequence had not one beene enough can wee forget this To give thanks Can wee remember this yeere 1636 that so many have beene swept away swept away by the Plague and wee left behinde Can wee remember this and not give thankes to the God of Heaven though it were but once spoke of Such a Schoole master as David would not but wee we such Schollers as wee are have memories so labile and so fragile so brittle and so short that as St. Paul sayes we need Repetition upon Repetition Exhortation upon Exhortation else we shall and will forget to give thankes unto the God of Heaven So brittle are our memories this way God blesse us that wee need an In emination but so fast and strong another way God bee mercifull unto us that we need not so much as a single remembrance An injury we can remember a long time an ill turne nay an ill word from our Neighbour from our enemy Manet alta mente repostum we cannot easily remove it such a thing as this is soundly settled but benefits and good turnes how quickly alas doe we forget them So forgetfull were the Israelites this way Hosea 4.6 Ps 106.21 that they forgat the Law of God nay they forgat God that gave them that Law Ps 78.42 They forgat God their Saviour and the day when he delivered them And doe not our Soules leake as much as theirs His Day notwithstanding his Memento we forget even that Day which hee commanded to be sanctified whether the Seventh or the Eigth day or one in the seven we prophane them all That day wherein he made us whole from the horrour of Hell by the Resurrection of our Saviour and that day wherein he made us whole from the terrour of the Plague by commanding that destroying Angell to hold his hand And therefore blessed be his Name for this Ingemination of his servant David Oh give thanks ô give thanks unto the God of Heaven Deum Coelerum The God of Heaven This is the marke whither wee must ayme in shooting our Thankes and my fourth Consideration the third particular of my first part And herein you have three Directions First a Direction for the Object to God Secondly a Direction for the matter for heavenly blessings and thirdly a Direction for the manner with heavenly praises The Direction for the Object is directly against Papists the Direction for the matter is point-blanke against Mammonists the Direction for the manner is absolutely against Hypocrites First the Papist hee prayes to Saints but never gives thankes to Saints and yet Thanksgiving is a chiefe part of Prayer the first part the last part indeed all in all He that prayes prayes for what hee wants and so looks upon his owne necessity but he that gives thankes gives thankes for what he hath and so lookes upon Gods bounty Now by the rule of Order he to whom one part of Prayer is due to him is every part of Prayer due But the Papists by their owne Act deny Thanksgiving to bee due to Saints For where is the Papist that did ever give thankes to Saint Roch or Saint Sebastian for staying of the Plague yet they are their Plague-saviours where is the Psalter that hath any Benedicamus to any but to the God of Heaven But this is a matter of Dispute and this is not a place for Dispute I therefore say no more of it but this to the God of Heaven God grant that in the time of the Plague or any other calamity we may never betake our selves to any other refuge than Vmbra Altissimi The right hand of God nor give our prayses when we are delivered from the Plague than Nomen Altissimi The mercy of God as wee doe this Day give thanks to the God of Heaven who hath delivered us from the plague Secondly the Mammonist the worldling the covetous man the Vsurer and his pew-fellow the Broker he prayes for earthly blessings and he gives thanks for earthly blessings earthly blessings must not be forgotten no therefore the Church hath appointed Perambulations to give thankes to the God of Heaven for his blessings upon the Earth but for all that Heavenly blessings must especially be remembred for sparing us so long and giving us so large a time of Repentance for his Word and Sacraments for a religious King for a holy Clergy for a conscionable Magistracy and such other meanes of Grace for the forgivenesse of our sinnes and such heavenly blessings Ob give thankes unto the God of Heaven Thankfulnesse I confesse is a common duty for all blessings and a necessary duty for all blessings and yet sometimes the very doing of this duty is worse than the neglect of it When the Taylor lookes upon his cloaths which hee stole from the Gentleman he made the last suit for when the Vsurer lookes upon his Thousands which he hath gotten by Eight in the Hundred when the Shop-keeper beholds his bagges which hee hath filled by selling his Wares at unconscionable rates when the
He did holy Iob. Hee may give thee over to a Feaver to a Sadnesse to a Sicknesse to a plague as he did Hezekiah thou maist be led into the tentation of an Adultery of a Drunkenesse of a Murther as was David to a denying of Iesus Christ as was Saint Peter yet none of these can make a finall separation if thou seriously repent The Madianite Merchants of sinne sadnesse sicknesse may buy the present possession of thy Soule yet if thou wilt grow due to God by a new and true Repentance thy dejected soule shall no sooner cry out Quis liberabit O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me but thy Faith shall make a sweet Reply from this Text The God of Heaven because his mercy endures for ever This is a good Reason why we should not despaire and a forcible perswasion it is to give thankes to the God of Heaven for his Mercy endures for ever It is my third Enquiry why David makes choyce of Mercy to perswade our Thankfulnesse Will it not stand as well Oh give thankes unto the God of Heaven because his Iudgement endures for ever It may seeme so if you read the Psalme Which overthrew Pharaoh in the Red Sea which slew mighty Kings Ogâ— the King of c. No rather Mercy for all that than Iudgement because his Mercy is more everlasting to us than his Iudgement For take the disproportion betwixt a Yeere and a Moneth and that is twelve for one betwixt a yeere and a weeke and that fifty two for one betwixt a yeere and a day and that is three hundred sixty five for one betwixt a yeere and an houre and that is eight thousand seven hundred sixty for one betwixt a yeere and a moment and that is many thousands for one and such a disproportion there is betwixt the Everlastingnesse of Gods Iudgement and Mercy to us In the Apocalyps it is sayd Cap. 9. ver 10. Their tower the evill Angels was to hurt Men five Moneths Then againe Apoc. 2.10 Ye shall have tribulation ten dayes And in Daniel Seventy Weekes are determined upon this people Dan. 9.24 and upon the holy City to finish the transgression and to make an end of sinnes and to make reconciliation for iniquity and to bring in everlasting Righteousnesse And so in the Prophet Isaiah For a small moment have I forsaken thee Isa 54.7 8 but with great mercies will I gather thee In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment but with everlasting kindnesse will I have mercy upon thee saith the Lord thy Redeemer Observe ye now there is a Moneth wee may be hurt five Moneths there is a weeke seven weekes for iniquity there is a day tribulation for ten daies and there is a moment wrath for a moment but Righteousnesse everlasting everlasting kindnesse everlasting mercies And therefore rather Mercy than Iudgment oh give thankâ— unto the God of Heaven for his mercy endures for ever For 1. his mercy hath a prerogative of Alliance his mercy is manifesteâ— in himselfe his iudgment never but for our sinnes Hee made us in mercy when we desired him not he redeemed us in mercy when wee deserv'd it not and without desert upon desire and endeavour he will save us in mercy Oh praise the God of Heaven therefore for his mercy endures for ever For 2. his mercy hath a prerogative of Antiquity his iudgment shewed not it selfe in the Creation his mercy did his judgment was in posse and by way of condition but his mercy was in esse and act and possession therefore rather Mercy than Iudgment For 3. his mercy hath a prerogative of Honour it honours God and God honours it it honours his power in overcomming the power of Satan it honours his Iustice in satisfying the Iustice of himselfe and it honours his Wisedome in finding out such a Sacrifice which was propitiatory for the sinnes of the whole World Iesus Christ And whence is all this honour to God but from the mercies of God Ioh. 3.16 For God so loved the World that He gave His onely begotten sonne c. And God honours it for He gives it the right hand at the last day The Mercifull are those Sheepe which hee will set at his right hand at Doomes-day Mat. 25.33 and the right hand is the hand of Honour Oh give thanks unto the God of Heaven therefore for his mercy endureth for ever His Mercy rather than his Judgement For fourthly his mercy hath a prerogative of Duration and continuance sometimes an interruption of mercy there may be by Judgment but evermore mercy recovers againe In the year 1602 to go no farther than the easie compute of our owne remembrances Judgment interrupted mercy and there dyed of the Plague 30578. but mercy saved many more thousands alive and tooke place againe for 22. yeares for till 1625. no Plague in this City and then there dyed of the Plague 34576. but many more thousands mercy saved alive and reigned sole liver againe for 5. yeares for till 1630. no Plague in this City and then there dyed of the Plague but 1317. but many many more thousands did mercy preserve and keepe alive and hath reigned 6. yeares againe and there are some thousands dead of the Plague this yeare but many more thousands by mercies favour reserved and amongst them our selves blessed be the God of Heaven And why are we preserved yet but to give thanks unto the God of Heaven because his mercy endureth for ever Would you be preserved still and would you have mercy sweepe away this Judgement would you have mercy continue for ever and give no more place to Judgement for another Plague why no way so good as for us to be like God and this is a sure way when our mercy like Gods endures for ever God hath respect to us for his owne mercies sake and God hath respect to us for our mercies sake too For his owne mercies sake and therefore it is that we are not consumed And for our mercies sake for God respected Cornelius for his workes of mercy so the Angel told him Thy Prayers and thine Almes-deeds are come up for a memoriall before God Act. 10.4 And doe not you thinke that God hath respect to this City for the mercifull workes of this City Your Hospitals wherein so many poore Widowes Orphans Men Women young and old are relieved so many sicke and lame cured Your Bridewels wherein so many idle loyterers are made to worke and so many wanton Harlots punished Your Bedlams wherein so many mad men are Dieted and some restored Your Pest-houses wherein so many infected persons are regarded and some recovered All these and many more cry to God that His mercy may endure for ever Shall I commend one worke of mercy more to you all to all you that are hard-hearted Creditors where you see your debtors so poore that they have nothing to pay that then you would be