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A13211 Sermons, meditations, and prayers, upon the plague. 1636. By T.S. Swadlin, Thomas, 1600-1670. 1637 (1637) STC 23509; ESTC S103474 86,706 284

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Thankfulnesse for Gods Mercy PSAL. 136. Vers 26. O praise the God of Heaven for his Mercy endureth for ever THE Text cannot want a welcome when it is easie short and sweet easie to the Vnderstanding short to the Memory and sweet to the Affections This Text blessed be Gods holy Name for it is so and therefore does not so much desire as deserve your kind entertainment courteous embraces so easie that the thinnest capacity may understand it that the dullest understanding may conceive it for who understands not Mans duty O give thanks unto the God of Heaven and Gods pitty For his mercy endures for ever so short that it consists but of six words three in the former Celebrate Deum Coelorum and three in the latter part of the Verse In saeculae misericordia ejus And which of your memories is so brittle that it cannot remember sixe I never read but of one man that could not remember five not one of you is that one man you can remember sixe And to invite your Memory it is sweete to your Affections too as sweet as heart can desire What doth the guilty man desire but Mercy Mercy to remit his sinnes What doth the offending man desire but Mercy Mercy to dimit his faults What doth the leprous man desire but Mercy Mercy to cleanse him of his leprosie What doth the captived man desire but Mercy Mercy to redeeme him from his bondage and to set him at liberty What doth the sick man desire but Mercy Mercy to cure him of his sicknesse This this is the desire of all your hearts this relishes sweetly in your affections that God in mercy would remove the Plague from amongst us Why see to give the Text a welcome this is in the Text too it is the very ground of the Text For his mercy endureth for ever If this be not easie short and sweet enough why then divide the Text and the parts of it will bee more facile for the Vnderstanding more portable for the Memory and more toothsomme to the Affections so portable for the Memory that they are but two and those two so facile for the understanding that they are the plainest of all other First an Exhortation to the Dutie of Thankfulnesse O give thanks unto the God of Heaven And secondly a Perswasion to doe that Duty for if any one should aske why why give thanks unto the God of Heaven why why because his mercy endures for ever that is the maine part and what so delightsome to the affections of miserable man as the Mercy of a pittifull God Or if you will enlarge it to make it more delightsome to the affections and more plaine to the understanding though a little more combersome to the memory Then you have in the Exhortation these three particulars First the passion of the delivery Oh not simply doe it but Oh doe it Secondly the Ingemination of the Duty Oh give thanks in the beginning and Oh give thanks in the ending of the Psalme Thirdly the Excellency of the object not to the King of men not to the gods of the Heathen no but to the God of Heaven or the Heavenly God Then againe in the perswasion you have these foure particulars First What it is to endure for ever if you doe not aske that question you will hardly understand what it meanes how his mercy endures for ever Secondly How this is true His mercy endures for ever For if you doe not know that to be true or how that is true the Affections will by and by grow nauseous Thirdly why David chuses rather this than Judgement If you read the Psalme and read therein Hee overthrew Pharaoh in the Red Sea Verse 15. he slew famous Kings Verse 18. Or if you look upon the times and therein see the Plague why it may as well stand one would thinke His judgement endures for ever And then fourthly and lastly why the Prophet repeats this so often His mercy endures for ever Twenty sixe times in this one Psalme and when you understand this it will make the Duty goe downe a great deale better that is my first part and I begin with it I call'd it an Exhortation and so it is for herein David the King exhorts us that are subjects to give thankes to the God of Heaven Part 1. A duty this is and such a duty that it needes not my Rethoricke to fasten it upon you The Heaven and the Earth the Sea and the Rivers the Husbandman and his ground the Shepheard and his Sheepe the Carrier and his Asse doe all perswade it Heaven drops downe showres and the Earth in Thankfulnesse sprouts up Flowers the Sea fills the Rivers the Rivers in Thankfulnesse empty themselves into the Sea againe the Husbandman throwes his Corne into the ground the ground in Thankfulnesse returnes him ten for one the Shepheard feeds his sheepe the Sheepe in Thankfulnesse cloath the Shepheard the Carrier baites his Asse the Asse in Thankfulnesse carries him I pray God we prove not worse than the Asse in unthan●fulnesse to God for delivering us from the plague and pestilence Such a Duty it is that no duty hath stronger precepts for it no duty hath better patterns of it no Duty hath fairer promises to it The Old and the New Testament doe both command it Moses and the Prophets Christ and the Apostles did all practise it and the God of all will reward it above all other services First Ps 50.14 1 Thes 5. Offer unto God Thanksgiving saies the Prophet In all things give thankes saith the Apostle and as if Nature did concurre with Scripture Ingratum si dixeris omnia dixeris saies the meere naturall you cannot say worse of any man than to say He is unthankfull And well sayd that Royall King of blessed Memory who knew the depths of Nature and Texts of Scripture as well as any King before him Ingratus de praeteritis indignus de futuris He that is unthankfull for what he hath is unworthy to have what he wants And if wee are unthankefull for our preservation from this last Plague we shall be unworthy to bee preserved from the next Plague Christ therefore charged the Leper that was cleansed to offer for his Cleansing as Moses commanded and what was that but as at least a Lambe and a log of Oyle Lev. 5.14 and a tenth ●eale of fine floure for a meate offering Lev. 14.21 22. 〈◊〉 two Turtle Doves or two young Pi●eons the one for a sinne-offering and the other for a burnt offering for an offering of Thanksgiving A Duty you see it is strongly commanded and so it is secondly as highly practised For Iacob the Pa●iarke did it Gen. 32.10 I am not worthy of the ●east of all thy mercies with my staffe ●assed I over this Iordan and now ● am become two bands A thankefull acknowledgment this was and David the Prince did it and did it when ●he plague was stayed
2 Sam. 2● 25 David bought the threshing floore of Araunah the Je●● site and built there an Altar unto the Lord and offered thereon burnt offerings and peace offerings Samuel the Priest did it Isaiah the Prophet did it and bids us doe it too 1 Sam. 9.13 Isa 12.4 Praise the Lord call upon his Name declare his doings amongst the people make mention that his Name is exalted And Iesus that is both Prince Priest and Prophet Ioh. 11.41 our Saviour did it Father I thanke thee that thou hast hear● me And shall not the children doe what the Father did the Prince did it and shall not the Subjects doe it● shall not the people doe what the Priest did Iesus Christ the Saviour did it and shall not we that hope to be saved by him doe it and give thankes unto the God of Heaven for shame else For it is thirdly so fairely rewarded that no Duty like unto it if we doe the duty of Devotion and pray we are preserved i● we doe the duty of Faith and beleeve we are justified if we doe the duty of Love and forgive wee are forgiven if we doe the duty of Charity and give it shall be given to us But if wee doe the duty of my Text and give thankes to the God of Heaven God will glorifie us with himselfe in Heaven 1 Sam. 3.30 They that honour me I will honour so sure is the thankfull man of glory And now I doubt not but you are all ready to say Give thankes who does not wee all give thankes unto the God of Heaven Nor doe I doubt but you all say so my doubt is whether you doe so For Thanksgiving I must tell you is no complement no verball thing but a Reality it hath three words to expresse it by and must be done in all three else it is not done at all The first is Gratias habere To have thanks and it is called Recognition his place of residence is the Heart when we thinke how gracious God hath beene to us this Visitation the Plague tooke some away before me some behinde me some on my right hand some on my left yet I am left God hath annointed the posts of my doore with the blood of the Lambe that the destroying Angell might passe over mee and my heart muses what to render to the Lord for this his goodnesse when wee doe so why then Gratiaes habemus we have thanks in our hearts for God or wee have Thankfull hearts to God 2. Is Gratias referre To returne thankes and it is called commemoration his Elocutour is the Tongue when wee declare the wonders God hath done for us the Plague knockt at my Neighbours doore but passed mine I was as fit an object for that destruction as any man but God in mercy spared me Blessed bee his name and my Tongue saies what shall I render unto the Lord for all the Benefits hee hath done unto mee when wee say so why then wee doe Gratias referre give Thankes with our Tongues to God The 3. is Gratias agere to doe Thankes and it is called Retribution the Actor of it is the Hand or Life when the hand gives the oblations of Thankes and the Life does the offerings of Thanks in sanctity to God and is acceptable to him in equity to man and is unreproveable with them in Charity to the poore and is profitable to them When we doe so why then Gratias agimus We doe and wee doe give thankes to the God of Heaven So wee doe to man if a man doth us but ordinary courtesies at an extraordinary pinch why then wee doe first studie to magnifie him in our hearts we were in Prison hee hath payed our Debts and set us at liberty we were in Captivity he hath redeemed us and made us free we were in danger hee hath rescued and made us safe ô what a friend was this think wee how good hath hee bin unto us and so Gratias habemus And then secondly we speake of him to others how good he hath beene to us this and this he hath done for me God reward him for it and so Gratias referimus And thirdly wee cast with our selves how to requite him hee shall no sooner command but we obey and so Gratias agimus and shall wee not doe so to God From him we have whatsoever wee have Redemption from the hands of all that hate us Preservation from the Plague and pestilence and therefore we must give thanks to the God of Heaven Surely the very Heathens intended no lesse in their Charites they were three The first was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and that signifies Letitia Ioy but Ioy is in the dilation of the heart The second was called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies to flourish and that is in the Tongue And the third 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies Splendor and who shines more than he whose life is a glorious Sunne And doe you ever thinke to shine as the Sunne in Heaven or to flourish like a greene Bay-tree in Paradise or to be filled with those joyes which never entred into the heart of man unlesse you thus with your hearts tongues and hands give thanks unto the God of Heaven King David surely thought so else hee would never have delivered it with so much passion as Oh give thanks unto the God of Heaven It is my second consideration and the first particular of the first part Oh And this particle is sometimes Vox exhortantis An exhorting word so the Psalmist Psa 30.4 Sing unto the Lord ô yee Saints of his and give thankes at the remembrance of his holinesse Sometimes it is Vox optantis A wishing word So the Psalmist againe Ps 107.21 Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodnesse Here it is both ô th● you would doe it saies David ● way of exhorting and ô that could wish you to doe it by way desire So passionate he for this duty th● sometimes hee exhorts himself● Praise the Lord ô my Soule Psa 103.1 and n● onely his soule but also his Tong●● and his hand and all that is with mee praise his holy name sometime his company Psa 95.1 O come let us sing un●● the Lord and Hymnus is a Psalm of Thanksgiving Psal 134. sometimes the Clergy Praise the Lord ô house ● Aaron praise the Lord ô house of Lev● sometimes whole Assemblies Pra●● yee the Lord Psa 13● 1 2 3. praise yee the name of the Lord Praise him ô yee servants of the Lord yee that stand in the house of t●● Lord in the courts of the house of o●● God Praise yee the Lord. Sometimes whole Countries let Isra●● now confesse that he is gracious and that his Mercy endureth for ever Psa 150.6 sometimes all creatures Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord and such he aimes at here a publicke Thanksgiving for a publick Blessing private thankes doe well but not well enough for they doe ●ut pierce Heaven whereas
Executor lookes upon his large revenues which hee hath cou●ened poore Orphans of and such like as these shall give thankes to the God of Heaven for such like blessings is these it is as acceptable as the sacrifice of a Dogge or Whore and that 's abhominable You should first have made Restitution of such ●● gotten goods and then come and offer the sacrifices of Thankfulnesse that the God of Heaven might and Salvation into your houses Thirdly the Hypocrite hee gives thankes to the God of Heaven but it is with lips his heart is farre off or if his heart and tongue bee sometimes friends yet his life is false and spurious because he is envious and malicious sometimes barking at the Churches Discipline sometimes detracting from his neighbors worth and so hee seemes to man to give thankes he cares not to abuse and mocke and dissemble with the God of Heaven But I might have spared these three last Notes for you are not superstitious Papists you give thankes to God onely you are not covetous Mammonists your blessings that you give thanks for came from Heaven● you are not dissembling Hypocrites give Heavenly praises for Heavenly blessings If I doe not now speak● truth you are too blame and if have done you any wrong in speaking too well of you I pray GOD make you such as you should bee and so direct you in giving thanks ●● the God of Heaven that his mercy may endure for ever As in it selfe so ●o you It is my second part of my Text the Reason and perswasion to enforce us to performe the Duty Oh ●ive thanks unto the God of Heaven Why so for his mercy endureth for ●ver Were there no more but the precept Celebrate Deum Caelo●um Oh give thanks unto the God of heaven I were bound to doe it ●or I am bound to obey God but then God is pleased to wooe our bedience and to backe his Precepts with perswasions we are then much ●o blame if we obey not Give ●●anks therefore to the God of Heaven ●●e must because his mercy endureth 〈◊〉 ever It is a faire Reason that of all Creatures God made onely one reasonable if you looke upon your selves you may soone know who it is it is Man onely Man a●● his fellow servants the Ange●● Stones have Being Plants life Beast have Sence onely Men and Angel have Reason Nor was man ma●● Reasonable onely to have Reason and to use it but to be improved b●● it and made better Scripture nee● no Reason to enforce it yet rath● than man should neglect Scripture and not obey it see the goodnesse● God Hee backes his Exhoration with such a Reason as is able 〈◊〉 turne the most rebellious heart i●● Duty and Obedience Oh give than unto the God of Heaven for his mer● endures for ever But I must not stand here for ever my time begins to fade and vanish before it quite ends I shall resole those foure Inquiries in this part● cluded I proposed but now the first whereof is What it is to endure for ever To endure for Ever and Everlasting are in opinione vulgi conversible and a thing is said to be Everlasting either first because it lasts ●ong as it is said of the Idolatrous City in Deuteronomy Deu. 13.16 It shall bee an ●eape for ever and so of Ai Joshua ●urnt it and made it an heape for ever Josh 8.1 ● And yet that heape is mouldred ●ong since into nothing or into dust which is as little and next neighbor ●o nothing and here it is Aeternum ●uia Diuturnum Or secondly a ●hing is said to be Everlasting because it lasts for ever for the time to ●ome so the fire of Hell is said to ●e Everlasting Depart yee hence into Everlasting fire Mat. 25.41 is the laft and lasting ●oome of the wicked and here it is Aeternū quia sempiternum or thirdly a thing is said to beeverlasting because it is continually and perpetually so God who is Alpha and Omega the Beginning and the Ending and yet hath neither Beginning nor Ending is said to bee Everlasting and here it is Aeternum quis extra Terminos Betwixt these you may distinguish Eternall is that which hath an Everlasting Fore-noone and an Everlasting After-noone so God onely can be said to be Eternall Diuturnall is that which lasts long though it hath both a Morning and an Evening it knew a Sunne-rising and shall know a Sunne-setting so the World may be said to be Diuturnall it was made in the Beginning and it shall be destroyed in Ending Thirdly Everlasting or Sempiternall is that which hath an Everlasting after-noone it shall never have a setting though it had a rising no Evening though a morning So mans soule and Angels may be said to bee Everlasting In a word man cannot define what Eternall is St. Augustine describes what it is not Aeternum est in quo non est praeteritum aut futurum non fuit aut fuerit sed solum est Eternall is that in which there is no Time past no Time to come nor hath beene nor none shall bee but onely ●s And yet other Tenses sensu composito absque presentis temporis exclusione may truely though not properly bee given to Eternity which is God Rev. 1.8 I am Alpha and Omega the Beginning and the Ending saith the Lord which is which was and which is to come Whereupon St. Austine Fuit quia nunquam defuit Erit quia nunquam deerit Est quia semper est God was because never Time was wherein God was not God shall bee because never Time shall bee wherein God shall not be God is because hee is Everlasting Eternall And who can define what God is The Angels enjoy it but they cannot define it for then they must perfectly know what God is who onely is Eternall and therefore can onely tell what Eternall is And yet that you may know how Gods Eternity differs from other things that are sayd to bee Eternall you may please to understand that things are sayd to be Eternall or Everlasting more plainely thus First that have both beginning and ending or secondly which have beginning and no end or thirdly which have no beginning yet an end or fourthly which have neither beginning nor end First things having both beginning and end are sayd to be for ever and of these are two sorts First things that have no determinate Date Deu. 13 16 〈◊〉 ● 2● as the heaps before spoken of Secondly such as are immutable while their Date lasteth so those things which remaine inalterable for the time of a mans life are sayd to be for ever Exod. 21.6 Exod. 12.24 as the boaring of a mans eare made him a servant for ever so were the Passeover and Legall Rites called an Ordinance for ever Secondly things that have a beginning but no end as good and evill Angels mens soules Heaven and Hell all these had a beginning but none of all
these shall ever have an end Thirdly things that have no beginning but an end as Gods Decrees They never had beginning and therefore sayes St. Paul Grace was given us before the world began 2 Tim. 1.9 but his Decrees have 〈◊〉 end Fourthly things that have never beginning nor ending and so onely God God the Father God the Son God the Holy Ghost and his properties are everlasting or endure for ever and amongst them his Mercy It is my second Enquiry how this is true His Mercy endures for ever and I resolve it thus Whatsoever is in God is God and everlasting as God is and therefore his Mercy his Mercy endures for ever Et à parte ante in the everlasting Fore-noone or our Election Et à parte post in the everlasting Afternoone of our Glorification Yet heere you must consider for ever either absolute in God and so it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In saecula for ever and ever Or else Respective to us and so it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In saeculum for ever As I take it the Prophet here speakes in the last sense the Respective so in the three Age● of the world first Ante Before the Law there Gods Mercy endure● for ever Hee taught them by instinct Secondly Sub Vnder the Law there he writ them a Rule the Ten Commandements how they should live and live well Thirdly Post After the Law which lasts to the Worlds end in the Covenant of Grace the Gospell of Iesus Christ which will bring us if wee obey it from being beholding to his Mercy to the beholding of his Mercy for ever Or divide the world into sixe Ages First the Infancy of the world from Adam to Noah there Gods Mercy was everlasting and endured for ever Judgement seemed to prevaile twice first in Adams nakednesse and his exile from Paradise but Mercy presently got the upper hand Gen. 3.15 in the promise of the Womans seed to breake the Serpents head and covering our nakednesse with the Merits of Iesus Christ which shall bring us againe into Paradise Secondly Iudgement seemed to prevaile againe in the Deluge and drowning of the World Gen. 7.23 but Mercy got the upper hand instantly in saving Noah and his Family in the Arke figuring thereby our Regeneration by his holy Baptisme Secondly the Childhood of the World Gen. 19.16 from Noah to Abraham There His mercy endured for ever Judgement seemed to prevaile in the fire of Sodome but mercy tooke place againe in saving Lot Thirdly Exo. 2.23 the youth of the World from Abraham to David There His mercy endured for ever Judgement seemed to take place in the Egyptian bondage but mercy prevailed in their deliverance by Moses Fourthly the Manhood of th●● World from David to the Captivity There His mercy endured for ever Judgement seemed to prevail● in the demolishing of Ierusalem by Nebuchadnezzar 1. Chron. 36.19 but mercy took place againe in the reedifying it by Nehemiah And now I am upon that hint I may say the same of this place Judgement seemed to prevaile upon this Temple of St. Paul St. Paul I say the onely Cathedrall Church in the Christian World dedicated to the service of God under the name of St. Paul when it lay like the Diacony the Deacons of the Church 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the very dust but mercy hath got the upper hand and wee may say as they said nay we are too blame if we doe not say it Blessed bee the Lord God of Israel which hath put such a thing as this into the Kings heart Ezr. 7.27 to beautifie the house of the Lord which is in Ierusalem Yea blessed be the Majesty of our King and blessed be all those who put a helping hand to this religious worke of Reedifying and Beautifying St. Paul and above all Blessed bee the God of Heaven because his mercy endureth for ever Fifthly the Age of the World from the Captivity to St. Iohn Baptist There His mercy endured for ever Judgement seemed to prevaile in the departing of the Scepter from Iudah but mercy tooke place in the comming of Shilo Sixtly and lastly the old and last age of the World from St. Iohn Baptist to the Worlds end There His mercy hath endured and doth and will endure for ever Judgement seemed to prevaile in Herod in Pilate in Iudas in the Iewes when they put Christ to death and buryed him but mercy got the upper hand and Christ came up againe and rose from the dead and ascended into Heaven and fits at the right hand of God to make Intercession for us Judgement seemed to prevaile when Arius denyed the Divinity of Christ When Apollinarius stumbled at the Humanity of Christ When Nestorius declined the Union of these two Natures in one person When Enty●hes forged a confusion of the two Natures but mercy got the start againe when the Councell of Nice defined Christ to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God of God very God of very God of the same substance with his Father When the Councell of Constantinople de●●ned Christ to bee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not onely perfect God but also perfect Man of a reasonable soule and Humane flesh subsisting When the Councell of Ephesus defined God and Man to bee but one Christ When the Councell of Calcedon defined Christ to be one not by confusion of substance but by unity of person for which blessed union Oh give thanks unto the God of Heaven because by the Merit of that union his mercy endures for ever to us And so now to let other times passe Judgement seemed to prevaile in the Plague This Plague that scattered us asunder and consumed many of us but mercy you see hath got the upper hand againe this weeke there dyed of the Plague but 555. a faire and a large decrease for which Oh give thanks unto the God of Heaven And doe Thou who art the God of Heaven not onely diminish but extinguish the Plague command this destroying Angel to hold his hand because Thy mercy endures for ever Amen And if Gods mercy endures for ever Quare tumultuatur anima tua Why is thy soule disquieted within thee because of thy present estate thou art fallen into some deadly sinne and canst not tel whether thou shalt be forgiven or is it because of thy future state thou art holy now but fearst thou shalt not so continue and persevere in grace Why man thy present falls doe but shew thee thine owne weaknesse and for it thou must bee humbled and repent that thou mayst be forgiven and the feare for thy future condition does but shew thy changeablenesse and for it thou must be carefull and pray for a continuance in holinesse that thou mayst be sure God may for a while forsake thee and suffer thee to be an instrument of vexation to others as hee did Saint Paul hee may give thee over to the Plough to the Harrow to the Dung hill as
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 Og● 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 thank● unto the God of Heaven for his mercy endures for ever For 1. his mercy hath a prerogative of Alliance his mercy is manifeste● 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
like God and forgive them all the debt Else if nothing will serve your turns but their bodies to make Dice of their bones then read that Parable in St. Mathew the 18. and you shall finde the mercilesse Creditor hath little hope of mercy with God Nor is this any way advantagious to you who are Debtors to find out shifts and breake and conveigh your wares into your neighbours Store-houses thereby to make your Creditor beleeve you have nothing to pay and therefore to forgive you no you that are debtors must pay all that you owe if you have wherewith if not all yet so farre as you have to pay withall This you must doe you must doe this as you hope to be saved and find the mercy of God Luk. 19.8.9 Zacheus never heard of salvation till he had first made restitution nor may you hope for it if you have wherewith to restore But if you have nothing to pay nothing indeed why then your Creditors must be like God and forgive you all the debt His mercy endures for ever and so must ours Yet one more for one more worke of mercy And this to you all all in generall and together rich and poore if you would have Gods mercy endure for ever to you your mercy must endure for ever to God But can a man be mercifull to God Yes he may and no Popery in it upon my life God complaines and complaines of you and complaines to you That you presse him with sins Am. 2.13 as a Cart 〈◊〉 pressed with sheaves And this pressing him is a meere oppressing of him and therefore you must bee more mercifull unto him and lay no more load upon him thou 〈…〉 the single eares 〈◊〉 Infirmities yet you must take head of the double sheaves of Impre●●es 〈◊〉 presse 〈◊〉 and God forbid that man should presse his God These your Impieties have pressed and squeezed a Plague out of the Cup of his Wrath and it hath beene drunke amongst us If you would not drinke the dregges of it your selves bee more mercifull to God presse him no more with sinnes if you would have this Plague quite and cleane removed and then you shall live and live to give Thankes to the God of Heaven because his mercy endures for ever Else if you presse him still His Judgements will endure for ever And David you see makes choyse of mercy rather than Judgement to perswade our thankfulnesse Oh give thankes unto the God of Heaven because not his Iudgement but his mercy endureth for ever For ever and Everlasting are the mercies of God indeed Everlasting and for ever in number so many that no Arithmetician can number them Divide them if you will you may into Temporall Spirituall Eternall Temporall to our bodies Spirituall to our soules Eternall to both soules and bodies but number them you cannot for they are a multitude an infinite multitude Psa 51.1 Doe away mine offences according to the multitude of thy mercies saith David A multitude they are not onely in the Genus but the Species and in the particular of the Species too A multitude of Temporall Bread to feede us Cloth to cover us Fire to warme us Wine to refresh us Oyle to cheare us the whole World is not able to recount them all A multitude of Spirituall his word to teach us to beleeve to worke to pray his Spirit to helpe us to pray His sonne to pray for us His Sacraments to preserve our soules and bodies unto Everlasting life and who can name them all A multitude of Eternals Beauty to the Body Joy to the Soule Glory to both Everlastingnesse in all Everlasting thus in the number and Everlasting in the extension too they compasse us round before us in his preventing mercy behind us in his forbearing mercy over us in his forgiving mercy under us in his supporting mercy on our right hand is his embracing mercy As the Hills stand round about Hierusalem Psa 125.2 even so stand the mercies of God round about them that feare him your selves I trust in God His everlasting mercies are about you Everlasting thus in the Number and extention and Everlasting thus in the Succession too His iealousie visites the Iniquities of the Fathers upon the Children Ex. 20.5.6 unto the third and fourth Generation of them that hate him but he shewes mercy unto thousands in them that love him and keepe his Commandoments To us ô God we beseech thee to our children and to our childrens children so long as the Sunne and Moone endures and for ever and for ever Everlasting thus in number in extension in succession and everlasting thus too in duration Si dixerit totâ die dixerit nihil sed in saecula saeculorum non dixisset amplius Had he sayd his Mercy endures for a Day hee had sayd as much as nothing but saying for ever his Mercy endures for ever what could hee say more And that is a sufficient Reason to resolve my fourth Enquiry why David repeats it so often Twenty sixe times in this Psalme his mercy endures for ever So sweet a Theame it was that the good man was ravished with it he thought hee could never speake enough of it And indeed who can There are onely two men that think they speake too much of it the Papist and the Schismaticke If the Papist did not thinke hee spake too much of it hee would never come in with his merit would Andradius the Jesuite stand up with his Debitum ut donum and tell us that eternall life is not so much of Gods mercy as of mans merit would Bellarmine lay downe his Paradisum ex merito and tell us We may purchase Paradise by merit would Vega more desperately say Gratis non accipiam I will none of Heaven unlesse I may merit some part of it if they did not thinke too much were spoke of mercy You shall amongst them finde Merit twenty sixe times in one Chapter and Mercy not above once whereas in one of Davids Psalmes you shall finde Mercy twenty sixe times together and Merit not so much as once David and the Iesuites surely were not of one opinion in this point And so the Schismaticke too if hee did not thinke hee spake too much of Mercy would hee ever come in with his absolute Reprobation that God made some men purposely to damne them A likely thing that God should be more cruel then man Did ever any of you nay did ever any man get or beget a child purposely to breake his necke when hee was borne Why if there could be a man so cruell to his Childe that came from his owne loynes why yet God would be more cruell if he should make any man on purpose for to damne him for Damnation is a thing farre and infinite worse than Death for by Death a Child is delivered from the miseries of this World but by Damnation a man is taken from the pleasures of this world and hurled into unspeakeable torments Good God that any man should thinke that God who exhorts all men to give him thankes because his mercy endures for ever should make any man amongst them all on purpose for to Damne him Reprobation is a word that came from Fury not from Mercy let him beleeve it that never meanes to give God thanks and despaire I will beleeve that I the greatest of all sinners that thou that any man may bee saved if thou or I or any man doe beleeve that Gods mercy does endure for ever so that thou and I and any man doe live answerable to that Mercy and repent and beleeve and pray and give thankes unto the God of Heaven because his mercy endures for ever His Mercy This this is the onely thing we live by this is the onely thing wee hope to be saved by such a thing This his Mercy so sweete as in the Contemplation thereof I could even Live and Die or rather could live and not Die for whosoever lives and beleives in Gods mercies and in Iesus Christ shall not die eternally The Mercy of God it is Davids Amabaeum and the burthen of this Song Praise the Lord for his Mercy endures for ever And so twenty sixe times in this Psalme Praise the Lord for his Mercy endures for ever His Majesty may astonish us his Glory may beate us downe his Greatnesse may strike us dead his Omnipotencie wee adore his Wisedome we admire his Iustice wee stand in awe of his Uengeance wee flie from but his Mercy his Mercy this is that strong out of which came this sweete and the full unfolding of Sampsons Riddle this is that Lyon out of which came this Hony-combe I will not feare what Man or Divell what Plague or Pestilence can doe unto me so long as I can give thankes unto the God of Heaven because His Mercy endures for ever Amen That was my beginning and it is my ending it was the beginning of us all for of his mercy wee all are and are what we are and I pray God it may be the ending of us all and all of us Die in the Mercy of God while we live God give us grace to make such use of his Mercy his Mercy temporall and his Mercy spiritual that then when we die we may enioy his Mercy which is Eternall Eternally through the merits of his eternall Sonne Iesus Christ To whom with the holy Ghost three persons and one God bee given everlasting thanksgiving for his mercy which endures for ever Amen FINIS
learned Galen you must impute part of that to my ignorance and God mend it part you must impute to my negligence and God forgive it what I faile you in your meeknesse pardon God in his goodnesse perfect I begin with the first The Disease If I send a pestilence c. The first word is a tottering word Pars 1. Si If. If it runnes upon wheeles so hath set my braines backeward and forward if I goe forward with it I enter into an house of diligence and Devotion a Haven of Happinesse and Deliverance into a●● House of Humility and Prayer o● Seeking and Turning into an Haven of Hearing and Healing o● Mercy and Forgiving and this may be seasonable for some If 〈◊〉 look backward with it I enter into a ship fraught full of iniquitie into a sea casting up waves of iudgements a ship full of sinne that is the lading into a sea full of pestilence that is the exchange If so loath is God to send some judgements amongst us If If he doth it it is a chance and a great mischance must force him to it Some punishments come hardly from heaven but if they come they come as hardly upon man No punishment at any time but for sinne but such punishment as the pestilence surely it is for great sinnes and that resolves my first Quaere the propter quod Why is the pestilence amongst us 1ª 1 ae Propter quod Why the plague Why so great a punishment as the plague Because wee are sinners because we are great sinners Ingentia peccata ingentia supplicia God visites often because we sinne often but never sends his great visitation of the plague but when sinnes are very great ordinary sins beget ordinary diseases but the desolation of the pestilence never followed unlesse some great abhomination preceded Never was destruction threatned untill transgression was conceived Never such a destruction as the plague executed untill some great transgression was committed The word of God the historie of man this very time they all make this true Not a misery since the beginning of the world was not a● miserie to the end of the world will be not a miserie at this present is but they are all the Brats of sinne but the Plague the Plague Oh that was evermore the spawne of some Whale-like sinne Sinne and Happinesse could not stand together in Paradise as soon as sinne entred in man was thrust out Mala gens bonam terram malam efficit an ill people makes a good land bad Psal 107.33.34 Hee turneth the flood into a wildernesse and drieth up the water springs a fruitfull land maketh he barren for the wickednesse of them that dwell therein For the wickednesse of them that dwell therein mark you that Never was an ounce of judgement without a pound of sinne Zephan 1.1.2 I will surely destroy from the land saith the Lord I will destroy man and beast I will destroy the fowles of the heaven and the fishes of the sea and ruines shall bee to the wicked and I will cut off man from the land saith the Lord. And why will the Lord bring such a destruction upon the land Why why verse 4 because there were a remnant of Baal and Chemarims verse 5 because there were some that sware by the Lord and by Malcham verse 6 because there were some that turned backe from the Lord and enquired not after God verse 8 Because there were some cloathed with strange apparrell verse 9 Because there were some daunced proudly vpon the thresholds Runne to and fro through the street of that chapter from the head to the foot from the beginning to the ending and see and heare and feare and tremble Sinnes were the cause of that threatned destruction Sinnes were the Engines Whirle-windes Thunder-bolts Earth-quakes and devastation of that state And what is the cause of this plague I doe but aske the question and I would to God that you could returne a Negamus to my questiō an Ignoramus to my interogatorie Have not wee Schismatiques and Heretiques amongst vs Papists and Anabaptists Papists for their Baalites and Anabaptists for their Chemarims Have not we hollow-hearted Hypocrites men of two religions that say with their tongues Vivat Rex and wish in their hearts Praevaleat Papa Have not wee Apostataes and Atheists people that turne backe from God people that forget God that forget even God that made them Have not we Gulles and Gallants and painted Iezabels Have not wee Crane-paced levaltoes that walke with stretched-out neckes Have not wee covetous deceitfull greedy sinfull oppressing Vsurers Brokers Tradesmen and Gentlemen and is it any wonder then if God send a plague Very loath hee is to send it and therefore hee sayes If If I doe it but such sinnes as these wil enforce him to it Why 14700. of the plague at one time besides them that died in the conspiracie of Corah Because they murmured And have not wee them amongst us that spurne at authoritie and murmure against God himselfe That chide with God himself if he send not a showre of raine when they would have him And is it any wonder if the plague bee amongst us God is loath to shoote these arrowes very loath and therefore hee sayes If but such sinnes as these murmure and distrust will bend his bow and make ready his quiver Why 70000. in the time of King David 2 Sam. ●4 But because King David would number his people and trust in his owne strength And have not wee them that Sacrifice to their owne nets that trust in the multitude of their riches and think they shall never be removed No wonder then if the plague bee amongst t is Very hardly is God provoked to drawe this Sword but selfe-confidence will whet it And the historie of man the very Heathens tell you as much Why was the plague so grievous upon the Scythians It was inflicted sayes Herodotus Lib. 1. pag. 57. for their sacriledge in sacking the Temple of Venus And have not we Church-robbers Doe not many of you pay the parson by an under-verted lease and yet you will not give the over-plus to your painfull priest And is it then any wonder that the plague is amongst us God is loath to lift up his hand against you but these sinnes will prevaile Why was the pestilence sent a-amongst the Iewes It was In Achaic pag. 279. sayes Pausanias for the prophane lust of Menalippus and Camaetho And have not wee as barbarous lusts amongst us Some Poligamists that have many wives some Incestists that uncover the mothers and the daughters nakednes some the sisters and many their neighbours Is it then any wonder that the plague is amongst us God i● loath to consume us this way but such sinnes as these must provoke him Why was there such a devouring plague in the time of Romulus I was inflicted In vita Romuli pag. 67. sayes Plutarch for the treacherie that was practised in the
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. Whē 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 ●s to make it a light to shine so far as that others may thereby be stirred up to doe likewise Ver. 2. Whē thou dost thine Almes Ver. 5. Whē 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. Whē 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. Whē thou dost thine Almes Verse 5. Whē 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. Whē 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. Whē thou dost thine Almes Ver. 5. Whē 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 i● 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. Whē 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