God must prove successelesse in the event how wise how cunning how strong soever they are who manage an ill cause against the Lord and against his Church though for a time with that little horn in the 7. of Daniel they may be very stout and speak very great things and make warre with the Saints and prosper though they may carry the ball long at their foot they can never winne the goale God will come in an adversary against them he will awake as one out of sleep like a mighty man that shouts by reason of wine and put them to a perpetuall reproach Search all the Scriptures and you shall finde that this is the heritage of the servants of the Lord that no weapon that is formed against them shall prosper either their plot fails or the thing which they intended is turned another way Their plot failed not in the 6. of Daniel they aymed to get Daniel into the Lions den and in they got him but they little thought that the event should be Daniels preservation and exaltation and their own destruction So the devill and his Instruments failed not in their plot in getting Christ upon the Crosse but they little thought that this bruising of our Saviours heel should prove the breaking of the Serpents head The redemption of the Church and the leading of all the power of darknesse captivity captive Mark this all ye wisemen and great Polititians of the world that dare drive designes against the cause of God and his Church write it down and say your unworthy Minister taught you this day from God Though ye take counsell together it shall come to nought though ye speak the word it shal not stand for God is with us Hamans wife long ago could tell her husband if Mordecai was of the seed of the Jews he should never prevail against him but should surely fall before him Weigh therefore all your designes in the ballance of the Sanctuary lay aside all carnall and sinfull projects put your selves and all your reason under Christs footstool take Gamaliels counsell refrain from opposing those men who advance Gods work you cannot overthrow it lest haply ye be found even to fight against God Secondly this may be a mighty and wonderfull refreshing to all the servants of God in their deepest and heaviest pressures and afflictions though one deep call to another though thou seem to be cast beyond the Antarctick pole though all humane hope and help fail though thy heart fail and thy flesh fail thy God will never fail though thou art at thy wits end thou hast no cause to be at thy faiths end take Gods book in thy hand finde out the promises how God hath engaged himself to help at a pinch and when thou hast got a promise of deliverance then beleeve that heaven and earth shall be jumbled together rather then one jot or title of Gods promise shall not come to passe in due time Nay though he seeme to break his promise beleeve it not for so he seemed to do to Mary and Martha he sent them word Lazarus sicknesse was not to death and he seemed to fail for Lazarus died but they should have beleeved any thing rather then that that sicknesse should have been unto death Object But what if I can finde no promise that God will deliver me out of this strait I answer either thou art in covenant with God or not if thou be not in covenant if thou be an unbeleever an impenitent person I assure thee there is no promise in all this book of God that speaks one word of comfort to thee All Gods promises are yea and Amen to them who are in Christ Jesus I should wrong God and his truth and thy soul in speaking one word of comfort to thee But if in truth thou reliest upon Christ the bent of thy heart be turned to God and so thou be brought under the line of his covenant then I say to thee if there be no promise for thy strait thy strait is not greatly to be regarded God hath made promises to deliver thee from every evill work from what ever might hurt thee and thou needst not feare that which cannot hurt thee Thirdly and lastly Right Honorable and beloved how should this steel your spirits and raise up your hearts and make you with Jehoshaphat lifted up in the wayes of God you have great works to do the planting of a new heaven and a new earth amongst us and great works have great enemies they are attended with great dangers and oftentimes great fears ceize upon the spirits of Moses himself when he looks upon the work which he knows too great for him But could you remember that you walk not onely under Gods protection but under a promise that he will come in when ever you need him how boldly might you place your help in the Name of this God who hath made heaven and earth Set you your hearts to Gods work God hath set his heart upon you to deliver you and he can do it Darius set his heart on Daniel to deliver him and laboured it but could not do it But it is but for your God to command deliverance and it comes I may say the lesse because of all the experience you have had of Gods fulfilling this since your meeting together how often have you been at your wits end how often have you ebb'd and flowed and yet in all your extremities God hath come in beyond your expectation Trust still in this God seek him in his own way and say thus with your selves He is our rock our fortresse he will deliver us his truth shall be our shield and buckler Yet remember that I do not teach you that ye can never be left to suffer in a good cause that were to preach contrary to the Gospel all Christs disciples must take up their crosse and follow him you shall read in the 11. of Daniel ver. 33. That they that understand among the people and instruct many shall fall by the sword and by flame by captivitie and by spoil many dayes and when they fall they shall be holpen with little or no help but yet mark what follows their fall shall onely be as the silver fals into the furnace There are three ends why the Refiner of silver puts it into the fire First to try it whether it be pure or reprobate silver Secondly to better it to purge out the drosse Thirdly to burnish it to make it more beautifull So these shall fall to try them and to purge and make them white neither shall it be so long as their enemies please but even to the time of the end to the time appointed by God Resolve therefore upon it that if ye do suffer if evill do betide you in a good way and for a good cause your sufferings will be better for you then freedome from sufferings they shall be onely to try you
a self-abhorring spirit for our vilenesse against so gracious a God is infinitely pleasing to him Oh saith David when God had pardoned his great sin and healed his broken bones I would give thee sacrifice and burnt offerings if thou delightedst in them But these God cared not for but David lights upon that which he cared for The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit a broken and a contrite heart O God thou wilt not despise Secondly the giving up of our selves bodies and souls to have and to hold and to use them at the will of the Lord to consecrate them unto him to do him faithfull service This is notably expressed by David in the 40. Psalme when he studied what to render to God and found that sacrifice and offerings God did not desire but this pleased him My eare thou hast bored What is that boring his eare why he alludes to the practise in Israel that when a servant did chuse to dwell with his master for ever his master should bore his eare through with an awle So saith David I will be thy servant for ever I delight to do thy will O God thy law is written in my heart This is a little otherwise expressed Hebr. 10. 5. In stead of reading it my ear thou hast opened The Apostle following the Septuagint reads it a body hast thou prepared me but full to the same sence as if he should have said Lord thou hast fitted me moulded my body and soul to be thy servant This same thing the Apostle cals for I beseech you brethren by all the mercies of God that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice holy acceptable unto God which is your reasonable service this is a second peace-offering Thirdly when God had put an end to all Leviticall sacrifices both Propitiatory and Eucharisticall in stead of them he hath instituted the attending upon his holy ordinances praying preaching hearing Sacraments to be in the Christian Church acknowledgements of our homage spirituall sacrifices acceptable unto him through Jesus Christ This the Apostle expresseth in the 13. to the Hebrews vers. 15. Having before shewed that all other sacrifices were abolisht he tels them that the calves of our lips the sacrifice of praise were now to be offered up to God continually Fourthly and lastly the works of mercie the poore visiting the sick feeding the hungry clothing the naked ministring to the necessities of the Saints are an adour of a sweet smell a sacrifice acceptable well-pleasing unto God To do good and to communicate saith Paul forget not for with such sacrifices God is wel pleased Provided that because they are sacrifices they must not be offered to the Idol of our own credit or esteeme or private ends but unto God alone even in obedience unto him and for his glory Thus have I as briefly as I could possibly given you the true Institution of a thankfull man his person must be holy his sacrifice must be whole made up of heart and tongue and life an observing minde suitable and enlarged affections a readie memorie a tongue to tell Gods praises a life using Gods mercies aright abusing none of them abhorring himself before God devoting himself unto God humbly waiting upon his ordinances and according to his ability endeavouring to be an Instrument of help and comfort to him that needeth Now give me leave Right Honorable and beloved to endeavour to set all this home to your hearts in a double use First for Humiliation Secondly for Exhortation First for humiliation It may be some will think it unseasonable in a day of rejoycing to put you upon sorrow and mourning but certainly could I but help you to be rightly humbled for and to slay this beast of Ingratitude it would be the best peace-offering which ever God received from many of your hands neither will you ever be able to give him the sacrifice of an humble contrite heart till your spirits be laid low in the sence of this great sin Let me speak plain and in earnest I remember I speak to a great assembly to an assembly of Gods but I speak in the name of a great God before whom you are but as so many gras-hoppers his potsheards his poore sinfull creatures Pardon me ye great Lords and Gentlemen if I passe over all your eminencie and discharge my dutie Are we not a most unthankfull people Do we render to God according to his infinite mercies vouchsafed to us I could easily set before you great lists and Catalogues of mercies which you have received Many in common with the rest of the world Many in common with this Nation to which God hath been mercifull above all Nations upon earth Many in common with the places where you live Many peculiar to your own persons to your own souls and bodies to your estates families relations privative mercies positive mercies ye eat mercies drink mercies weare mercies compassed about and covered with mercies as much as ever the earth was with water in the time of Noahs flood But beloved where is your thankfulnesse for all these mercies to be found I can tell you where the houses are that are full of mercies but who can tell me where true thankfulnesse may be found May not God say of you that for all his goodnesse and mercies which he hath multiplied and bestowed upon you the return is nothing but abominable Ingratitude let me help you in a few things 1. Are there not abundance to be found who take no notice of Gods gracious dealing to them either through the pride of their heart esteeming nothing worthy of their observation or having their souls so crooked to the earth that they cannot look up to heaven or through the peevishnesse of their spirit burying ten thousand mercies under one clod of discontent and so can finde nothing for which they should either rejoyce in God or love him or admire his goodnesse to them 2. Are there not abundance whose tongues in stead of being their glory to exalt God and his goodnesse are as it were set on fire of hell depressing his majestie reproaching and blaspheming his Name and works his ordinances and servants seldome naming him for his praise unlesse when with the Pharisee pretending to thank God they intend to commend themselves 3. Are there not abundance even great ones Lords Ladies Gentlemen whom God hath singularly and eminently loaden with his mercies who with all thâ—se do nothing but beare armes to fight against God as David against Goliah with his own sword Waters of a full cup are wrang out into them they prosper in the world encrease in riches they have all their hearts can desire therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain therefore they are corrupt and wicked therefore they may swear and drink dice and drab Oh beloved God hath a tallie of all the mercies which you enjoy a Catalogue of all the favours which he
thought not so And when he thought to do more against Gods people then God intended God told him the Ax did but boast it self against him that hewed with it and the sawe magnified it self against him that shaked it and the staffe lifted up it self as if it forgot it self to be a piece of wood And it must needs be so else God were not onely and wholly to be trusted in nor onely and wholly to be sought and prayed to and consequently not onely and wholly to be acknowledged as God Could any hurt his servants against his will his servants must fear some others besides him finde out any creature reasonable or unreasonable Angels or devils good or bad who do or can do any thing otherwise then as second causes which are wholly carried by the first cause and for my part I should acknowledge a Deitie in it the creature should passe for a God and Gods absolute soveraigntie would be denyed Whereas the Scripture teaches us that not onely the hearts and wayes of ordinary men but even the hearts of Kings which are most soveraigne and independant and lots which are most casuall are all disposed of by God who works all in all I note this for these two ends First to teach all that are in covenant with God in all the evils that betide them to look further then the rod that smites them Some cunning enemy undermines thy peace some foule mouth reproaches thy good name some powerfull and malicious enemies spoil thy cattell some fire burns up thy sheep and servants some winde from the wildernesse smites the foure corners of thy house and makes it fall upon thy children some devil afflicts thy body with sore boyles and thy soul with invenomed arrows What shouldest thou now do contend with the instrument bite the stone like a dog that strooke thee Oh no! Remember Shimei could never curse David till God bade him Asâ—ur could never smite Israel till God used him as a staffe in his own hand Satan could touch nothing that Job had till God delivered it into his hand No not enter into an herd of swine till Christ sent him Look not therefore to the creature but with Job acknowledge it is Gods hand onely The not having learned this lesson is the cause of most of that sinfulnesse that is found in our ill-bearing of crosses and makes us exceedingly wrong the creature our selves and our God most of all 1. We wrong the creature which is but Gods instrument in over-fearing it or over-grieving it as if our weale or wo did come from it and so make an Idoll of it attributing somewhat to the creature which is peculiar to God Secondly we wrong our selves for beside a great deale of lost care and griefe and pains which increaseth our sinne and sorrow in fretting at the Instrument and gnawing the chain which tyes us in knocking at a wrong doore seeking help where it cannot be had we lose the good which God intends God never sends a crosse but it is upon some arrand for our good Gods rod alwayes hath a voice Hear the Rod and who hath appointed it Now would we hear God speaking by his rod lie down at his foot and say with Job Shew me why thou contendest with me we should then finde that Gods correction would seal our instruction to try us to withdraw us from some sinfull way and to keep back our soul from the pit which by not looking at Gods hand we deprive our selves of Thirdly we wrong God most of all when with our sinfull communicating to the creature a great part of that griefe care feare desire c. which should be onely bestowed upon him we do also hereby deny his providence as if there could be any evill in the City which the Lord hath not done Secondly since we never can be a prey till God will give us to be a prey Keep in with God and you are safe enough none shall arrest you till Gods hand be to the warrant We observe since the beginning of the Parliament many walk confidently abroad in the very face of Creditours Bayliffes and Sergeants when they have got a lawfull Parliament-Protection who before durst not shew their heads they know they cannot be arrested till their master puts them out of his protection O how much more boldly may they walk who abide under the protection of the Almightie who being called to great services for God and endeavouring to walke faithfully in their work may conclude that no Writ can be served on them on earth till their masters hand have signed it in heaven See how our blessed Saviour encouraged himself and his disciples by this argument in the 11. Joh. ver. 7. Christ told his disciples they must go again into Judea why Master say his disciples the Jews of late sought to stone thee there and goest thou thither again Now mark Christs answer v. 9. Are there not twelve houres in the day if a man walk in the day he stumbles not because he sees the light of this world The meaning is this That as they who travell by day travell in safetie so they that walk in the light of Gods call in any businesse walk safe from danger go about a businesse without a call and we walk as at midnight Men that have letters of publike faith letters of safe conduct dare go anywhere through troops of enemies from one end of an enemies countrey to another Go on therefore boldly ye Worthies of the Lord do his work faithfully there shall no evill befall you nor any plague come nigh your dwelling a thousand shall fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand but till God put your Name in till God say to plague or pox or feaver or Traitors or death ceize upon such a Nobleman take such a Parliament-man they never can touch you And I should expect Gods delivering you in displeasure to any evill anywhere sooner then when your hearts and hands are employed in his service The second observation is from the manner and time of their deliverance God let them alone untill they were almost in the teeth of the wilde beast untill the bird was even caught in the Fowlers snare and then he comes and snatches them as a prey from their teeth then he breaks the Fowlers snare and the bird escapes And that affords us this lesson When Gods people are come to the greatest extremitie of danger that is the time which God chuses for their deliverance There are 2. branches in this lesson First God uses to let evils go on against the Church till they come to extremities Secondly when the extremitie is come then Gods help comes in First God lets evils run on till they come to extremity I do not say God lets them alwayes come to extremitie for then the Church should ever be in extremitie her enemies are alwayes devising mischiefe
and easie rent of Thanksgiving to men who are but Instruments of mercie how much more to God the welspring and fountain of them all Secondly consider the excellency of the duty what a high and honourable service it is so high that though God be most worthy to be praised yet no creature is found worthy to praise him In our praises we are said to blesse honour exalt magnifie and glorifie God can any creature be thought worthy or able to do this to lift up God to make him a great God to put glory upon God yet God so interprets it he that praiseth me honoureth me Yea so excellent is this duty that it is the onely imployment of all the glorious host of heaven It is said in the Psalme that man did eat Angels food sure I am this is to do Angels work heavens work to bring heaven down to earth and to raise up poore dust to heaven to be enabled to praise the Lord what should I say more this praising of God is by Interpretation the doing of all that God requires Tully said that Gratitude to man is Maxima mater omnium reliquarum virtutum But what ever Gratitude to man be the Scriptures teach us that gratitude to God is the comprehension of all our obedience 3. Thirdly it is the comfortablest duty that ever we can perform partly because it is the sweetest evidence of our sincere love and faithfull dependance upon God we may pray for base self-love when we love not God but his gifts but a cordiall praising of him is a reall expression of our love to him and partly because God graciously accepts what ever comes under the notion of praise a female or turtle a handfull of wheat floure a pepper corn a cup of cold water a sigh or teare is most kindly accepted when presented as a peace-offering I will praise God with a song this shall please the Lord better then an ox or a bullock that hath horns and hoofs Who that loves God would stick at any thing in this duty so acceptable unto him It is pitifull to observe what pains and cost many poore seduced Papists are at out of a false conceit of meriting for themselves and theirs should not love and Gratitude to God and our Lord Jesus who hath merited all for us be more prevalent with us then self-love and blinde superstition in them 4 Fourthly I have one Motive more especially to presse upon you according to the duty of the day the consideration of the wonders I had almost said the miracles of this last yeer Could I lively draw them before your eyes that you might see what this yeer God hath done for you and wrought by you such whose affections are lame among you would leap as an Hart and the tongue of the dumbe would sing This yeer we have seen the three Nations of England Scotland and Ireland in a posture of warre without blood shed Oh wonderfull This yeer we have seen our neighbour Nation come into England in a hostile shew with peaceable hearts oh wonderfull This yeer we have seen the same Nation after all mistakes cleared received into the bosome of their Soveraignes favour their loyalty and faithfulnesse acknowledged and with a friendly aid honorably and peaceably sent to their own homes and the two Nations faster cemented together in a league of love then ever heretofore oh wonderfull Nay yet more this yeer have we seen broken the yokes which lay upon our estates Liberties Religion and Conscience the intolerable yokes of Star-Chamber and terrible High-commission and their Appendances unsufferable pressures to many thousands all eased removed broken and swept away This yeer have we seen the two houses of Parliament and many ten thousands in the kingdome following their example enter into a Protestation promise and vow for defence of Gods true Religion against all Popery and Popish Innovations and superstition This yeer the Complaints of the Imprisoned outcast persecuted and afflicted we have seen and heard tenderly received into the high and honorable Court of Parliament and the faces of many proud enemies covered with shame This yeer for preventing future grievances the Lord hath put it into the heart of our gracious Soveraigne the Lords and Commons all to agree upon a Trienniall Parliament and this present Parliament to continue till all things be rightly established both in Church and Common-wealth that the foundations of the Land may be no more out of joynt that Liberty and Religion henceforth receive no dammage unlesse the State like the foolish woman in the proverbe plucks it down with their own hands Quadragesimus primus mirabilis annus Oh wonderfull yeer and so much the more wonderfull that all these things are done for us when our neighbour Nations round about us see no such dayes when Germany remains a field of blood when their Cities and Towns are desolate their wives ravished their children kill'd when many of them eat their dead carcasses and die for want of food yea when Gods sword rides in circuit round about us these great things are done for us and hopes of greater And which is most wonderfull all this done for the most unworthy and unthankfull Nation in all the world our God hath thus broke in over all the walls of separation which our sins have built up against us and called for vengeance upon us Me thinks Right Honourable and beloved every one of your hearts should say to God as the Prophet to the 〈◊〉 thou hast been carefull for us with all this care what is to be done for thee Lord what wouldst thou have us do to testifie that we are sensible of thy goodnesse Oh praise the Lord 5. And the rather because else God knows whether all these mercies may not be removed and destruction and miserie yet break in upon us When Tamar was to be delivered and twins in her wombe Zarah first put forth his hand and they tyed a scarlet threed about it and said this came out first but his hand was plucked in again and his brother broke out before him So mercie and judgement deliverance and ruine have seem'd to be long strugling in the wombe which should first break out upon us Deliverance hath now put forth the hand and we have tyed our scarlet threed about it and say this came out first Oh that Ingratitude cause not this hand to be plucked back again and destruction yet to break in upon us Ingratitude that Obex Infernalis as Divines call it that hellish stop may interrupt the course of all Gods mercies According to what God hath threatned that though he speak concerning a Nation to build and plant it if that Nation do evill in his sight he will repent of the good wherewith he said he would benefit them Quest What then is to be done or wherewith shall we be thankfull Answ Chrysostome once desired that he had a voice to speak to all the world