Behold O ye Lawyers you are made whole in your Laws that are maintained your Courts that are upheld your Societies that are countenanced Behold O ye Souldiers you are made more than whole in the estates you have got the priviledges you have granted the Arreares which have been paid you In a word all of us may behold our being made whole in our peace which was disturbed our Liberty which was violated our indemnity which is granted And being thus sensible of our being made whole forget not the other Part of the Text to sin no more least a worse thing c. 2. General Sin no more against the Lord to provoke him to do such terrible things as he hath been doing among us of that largely before here let me add one word more Sin no more against the Lords anointed When Robert King of Naples desired Giotto then famous in Italy to paint him out his Kingdome he drew an Asse with a Saddle on his Back smelling to another new Saddle with a Crown and Scepter upon it the King demanding what he meant by it he reply'd this is the lively protracture of your People and Subjects who are still desiring new Lords and Governours Indeed had the Picture of England been to be drawn some years agoe it would have puzled a good Artist to have done it better How did the new-fangled tumults cloyed with the lusciousnesse of their antient constitutions hancer after every wilde Chimaera and Eutopian forme of policy that was started to them rather than have no new Government in the State some would send to Rome for a perpetual Dictator some to Holland for acurst Common-wealth others I had almost said to Hell for hardnamed Juntos it would almost fright you to repeat to you Rather than have no new alteration in the Church some would send to Geneva for a Presbyterian Parity some to New-England for an Independent Anarchy some to Munster for an Anabaptisticall Frenzy Yea so hot and eager were we upon those frantick crotchers that have them we must whatever we pay for them Caligula-like an Army must be raised to spend blood and mony that they may gather these Cockleshells And now my beloved now you have eat of the fruit of those unreasonable as well as unchristian projects tell me what taste had it where was the goodly reformation that they promised you where was the amendment of abuses they would rectify for you where was the glorious days they would make for you I cannot but think you are sensible a plague and a cheat was never so dearly purchased O now the omnipotent God hath wound us out of those wofull Labyrinths we had brought our selves into Sin thus no more Sin no more by your unthankfull repinings sin no more by your tumultuary complainings Sin no more by your Factious sidings Parliaments Sin no more by Disloyall Votes and Ordinances Preachers sin no more by Seditious Doctrine and discourses Citizens Sin no more by Rebellious Armes and Contributions Grant you must you were sadly punished for these sins before and be assured you will not come off so easily if you should returne again to them A worse thing will come unto you Vossius telleth us that the Tapejones in the West-Indies owne two Gods one who is the Author of all good the other the inflicter of all crosses and afflictions The good one he saith because such is the goodnesse of his nature that he punisheth no body nullo prosequuntur honore they are wholy regardlesse off but the bad one they pray offer sacrifices to quia iracundus sit cultus sui negligentes male perdat because he is fierce and will destroy them else I hope every misled person among us is of a better temper and will now love love his sweetly engaging Soveraign much because much is forgiven him but if any should be of so devillish a disposition as with the Clay to be the more hardned by these sun-beams the more embolded to new disturbances and insurrections as you could not but expect that as you snarled at one another before it would be worse you would devoure one another then So on the other hand you could not expect another Act of Indemnity to secure you then but a worse thing would come unto you But I forget my self This day calleth for Musick to affect you and not for Thunder to affright you I remember what the Massorites tell us that in foure books of Holy Scriptures viz. Ecclesiastes Isaiah Lamentations and Malachy when they are read in the Synagogues the last verse save one is repeated after the last because the last verses themselves end with threatning The end of my text doth so it endeth with threatning of a worse thing but I was thinking upon this blessed occasion to follow that president and close with repeating the former part of my text as suitable to the Triumph of this day behold thou art made whole but all things considered that it may be the stronger motive to you to sin no more I shall choose rather to sweeten the latter sin no more and a better thing shall come unto you What our God hath done for us as amazingly by great as it is shall be but the earnest of a larger bargain the first fruits of a fuller harvest the dawning of a brighter day this being made whole shall be but a Preface to our being made happy O sin no more this will keep all whole Sin no more this will keep the nation whole the nation that hath been an Aceldama a field of blood this will make it a Canaan a place of fruitfullnesse Sin no more this will keep the inhabitants whole the inhabitants that have been Benonâ—s's sons of sorrow this will make them Isaacks children of joy and laughter in a word sin no more this wil keep the church whole the Church that hath bin a Meribah a place of strife and contention this will make it a Hierusalem a City uniforme compacted and united within it self Thus we being better by sinning no more every day better and better things will be coming to us Which God who is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and as a Testimony that he had not cast us off for ever brought again our Gratious Lord and King to sit upon the Throne of His Fathers this day grant every day more and more and in an humble sense of what he hath done already Let us ascribe unto him The Kingdome the Power and the Glory now and for ever more Amen FINIS
Junii 27 mo 1662. PErlegi concionem hanc cui titulus The New Criple's Caveat c. quam dig nam judico quae typis mandetur Robertus Pory S. T. P. Reverendissimo in Christo Patri ac Domino Domino Guilielmo Archiepiscopo Cantuar. Sacel Domesticus Courteous Reader The frequent false pointings even to the disturbing of the sense can not here be enumerated the slips of the Presse in Letters mend thus Page 10. l. 19. dele that p. 11. l. 32. supple in p. 17. l. 22. lege impenitence p. 18. l. 7. lege pietatem p. 20. l. 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 20. l. 4. chastised p. 23. l. ult purifie p. 24. l. 18. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 26. l. 6. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 31. l. 5 dele s p. 32. l. 19. pourtraiture p. 33. l. 3. Eutopian p. 37. l. 5. dele but p. 37. l. 8. dele by p. 30. l. 14. nonis The New-Cured Criple's Caveat OR England's Duty for the Miraculous Mercy of the King 's and Kingdomes Restauration IN A Sermon Preached before the Honourable Society of Grays Inn upon the 29. of May our Anniversary Thanksgiving By Rich Meggott M. A. and Rector of St. Olaves South-warke Hos 3.4,5 For the Children of Israel shall abide many dayes without a King and without a Prince and without a sacrifice c. Afterward shall the children of Israel return and seek the Lord their God and David their King and shall fear the Lord and his goodness in the latter dayes Ingratitudo inimica est animae exinanitio meritorum virtutum dispeesio beneficiorum perditio St. Bernardus Serm. 51. in Cant. LONDON Printed by T. M. for Peter Dring at the signe of the Sun next doore to the Rose Tavern in the Poultrey 1662. To the Right Reverend Father in God George by Divine Providence Lord Bishop of WINCHESTER Right Reverend and Honourable YOu may easily excuse me for using your Name upon this when you think what stead it stood me in upon another occasion I were very stupid if I did not know the worth of it and then it is no wonder if I am loth to part with it This my Lord made me finde favour in the eyes of a King and then how can it but make me finde acceptance among unless it be because they be His less intelligent Subjects And if the Gospell it self that is above all humane Patronage be Dedicated to the most Excellent Theophilus then surely what is of so inferiour a nature as this discourse had need look out for one that is Venerable indeed to countenance it But this is not all the reason The truth is I was too big with a sense of your undeserved kindnesse to go long undelivered and still finding a word hindering surprise upon me when I was before you I pitched upon this way of thanking you for though such Epistles use to come out for the pieces sake that followeth I had almost said this piece that followeth had not come out but for the Epistles sake This I thought once to stuffe with the deep resentments I have of what you have done for me but that is so trivial and ordinary a returne I looked upon my self as bound to scorne it and endeavour something greater I well perceive by those truly Episcopal Memento's you gave me what will be more acceptable to you viz. to take heed to my self and to the Doctrine in the place with which my Soveraign upon your recommending hath entrusted me And therefore upon this occasion shall venture before the world to tell you I did not more willingly with my Pen subscribe the Churches Articles before than I shall endeavour with my paines to transcribe my Diocesans charge after my institution that the soules of the people may not be starved on deceived my Mother the Church despised or scandalized your Lordships condescending assistance censured or repented of I shall onely add my hearty and constant prayers that your light may be long burning and shining in this crooked and perverse Generation and cease though not to thank to trouble you Your Lordships bounden in the strictest tyes of Duty and Gratitude RICHARD MEGGOTT THE NEW-CVRED CRIPLE'S Caveat John the fifth latter part of the 14th verse Behold thou art made whole sin no more least a worse thing come unto thee PHysitians meet not with more diseases in the body than Divines do in the soul of man Are their Patients troubled with burning feavours ours are with boyling lusts too have their 's the torturing stone ours have hardnesse of heart are their 's incident to the Falling sicknesse Alas so are ours to fowle apostacy In a word have theirs Consumptions ours have envy have their 's the Tympany ours have Pride are their 's subject to death ours are to damning Hence it is that as our blessed Saviour is styled by St. Peter the Bishop of our souls 1 Pet. 2. and the last so he calleth himself the Physitian Mat. 9.12 A Physitian indeed he was according to Socrates's raised wish Plato Hippias 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that cured both flesh and Spirit I shall not lead you out of the way for an instance you have a lively one in the Text before you In the ninth verse of this Chapter he had healed a Criple of his lamenesse Beda immediately the man was made whole and took up his bed and walked qui foris ab infirmitate ipse etiam intus salvavit à scelere saith venerable Bede upon the place as he had delivered him from his infirmity he goeth to purge him from his iniquity you have the ingredients he useth in it in the words I have now read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Behold thou art made whole sin no more least a worse thing come unto thee The words were calculated you see for another but may very well serve for our Meridian they were spoken many hundred years a goe yet are very pertinent to the businesse of this day They were delivered at first to a man newly recovered and what fitter to be repeated to a people lately delivered He Christ pronounced them to was one that had been decripit for eight and thirty years and you I am now rehearsing them to have you not for eighteen years been more than almost in as lame a posture Our Saviour that by his power had restored this man from his impotence before endeavoureth by his councell to draw him to penitence here and you that have had such unexpected mercies of late conferred on you what fitter addresse can I now make to you than with the same Memento to presse you to your duties behold you are made whole sin no more c. Divis In which words you may be pleased plainly to take notice 1. Of an intimation of a sin that might be committed 2. The commemoration of a mercy that had been received 3. The Admonition of a duty that was to be performed 4. A Commination of fury that otherwise would be
to part with The Latines happily phrase this duty gratias agere to do thanks here we must act and act fervently and vigorously Solomon as a high upbrading sendeth the sluggard to the Ant to learn diligence whether shall I send you Truly I may to the Caterpillar Lice and Locust the Pestilent Vermine that of late was crept into every place like the Plagues of Aegypt not sparing the Kings Bed-chamber and over-run the Kingdomes look upon them in the day of their usurpation 't is easy to remember how they defiled the Holy places with their assemblings commanded unwelcome dayes to be Celebrated drawled out audacious Hallelujahs to heaven for every prosperous villany Did they dare to doe this for ruining three Kingdomes and shall we dare to do otherwise for the preserving them Did they in their way seem to give God thanks I annually for overthrowing a King and shall not we for the restoring him Did they proclaim thanksgiving for wasting a Church and shall not we for settling it pudet haec opprobia nobis Vel dici potuisse c. 3. Let it be suitable thanks thanks fit for us to give and God to receive serious sincere and spirituall It is the Greek Fathers note upon him in the Text Jesus findeth him in the Temple 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. He was in a proper place for a thankful man to be in not in the Market not in the Court not in the Field but in the Temple O how many are there among us that are glad who doe not give thanks glad of this dayes work the redemption that God hath wrought for our Israel in turning again our captivity who except the miserably infatuated or interested are not But O! how sadly do we expresse it You may finde them in the Taverne drinking in the Parlour feasting in the Theatre gazing but how few how few comparatively in the Closet or with him in the Text in the Temple praising and glorifying the great and Gracious Author of it God hath given us my beloved that which we would have O let us now give him that which he would have The greatnesse of the mercy every way deserveth it come let us not give thanks to the halves we are made whole which bringeth me to 2. Par. The second Particular of the Text from the intimation of the sin we are apt to run into ingratitude and unthankfulnesse to the Commemoration of the benefit which hath been received Thou art made whole Thou Who Thou who wert eight and thirty years decrepit Thou who hast layn so long at the Poole Thou who wert so unlikely ever to recover Thou art made whole Augetur admiratio ex pertinaciâ morbi saith Judicious Grotius Grotious in ver 5. the inveterateness of the distemper showeth the miraculousnesse of the cure Righteous art thou dearest Jesus when we plead with thee yet let us talke with thee of thy judgments Seeing thou didst intend to heale this poor man at last why didst not do it before Thou hast told us Thou dost not willingly grieve this would make as if thou didst not willingly ease the Children of men we often read in thy word that thou art slow to anger and shall we finde thee in the same word slow to mercy Sic visum est superis He could as easily have healed him at the first but his will was otherwise That of the Tragaedian is true of all his proceedings towards men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Euripides As he many times keepeth silence at the wickeds sins and doth not punish them so doth he at his peoples sorrows and doth not redresse them He is many times long in bestowing that mercy which he doth intend to bestow at last He intended to deliver his people out of the a Exod. 12.40 Bondage of Aegypt yet you know he stayed foure hundred and thirty years First he did determine to give them a b 1 Sam. 16.13 King after his own heart but they stay five hundred and odd years first He resolved to bring them out of c Jer. 25.12 Babylon but they stay there threescore and ten year first It appeareth he intended to deliver England from the violence and oppression of them that Raged rather than Reigned over Us but you know he stayed some tedious years first But all this amounteth to no more than that he doth so still we may wonder Blessed Lord Thou hast told us we d Pro. 3.28 must not say to our neighbour Go and come again and to morrow I will give when we have it by us and what wilt thou say so to thy Children e Judg. 5.28 Why is thy charriot so long in comming why tarry the wheeles of thy purposed mercy If he that giveth quickly giveth doubly then he that giveth slowly will be scarce accounted to give at all But his wayes are not as our wayes his wisdome and goodnesse are both seen in these delayings First to make us the more earnest for the blessing and set the higher rate upon it It was once I read a custome among the Persians when their Emperour dyed to continue three dayes without any Governour at all that there being no 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 no heire of restraint as the f Judges 18.7 Holy Ghost hath stiled the Magistrate but every man doing what was good in his own eyes the tyred people might with one consent and lip the more passionately welcome the Prince that did succeed him Such a method the Almighty maketh use of to make us fast for some time from a mercy that we may have the better stomach to it next time it is set before us The wise man telleth us Pro. 27.7 The full soule loatheth the Honey comb we have sadly seen the truth of it when a sweet natured Prince and sweet tempered laws could not they had so much of them be brooked any longer or got down with men but when the devouring voider had took away these from the table though the Butchers Cooks and Scullions of the new or rather no model'd State were still serving up one Hot-potch or another to stop the mouths of the people how quickly did they spit out that trash and trumpery it serving only for sowre sauce to procure them a fresh appetite to their wholesome old provisions and that is one end of God in not present healing of our distempers and sending us our blessings as soon as we misse them that we may have the more mind to them 2ly Another reason may be to manifest his power the more Chronick diseases are hard to cure when as they that are taken at first are soon helped t is easie to pluck up a new set slip but how fast doth the grown Tree stand Tunc poterat manibus summâ tellure revelli Nunc stat in immensum viribus aucta suis Ovid de rem Am. Now God delighteth to act so as himself may have most glory then to do things when they