became of it in the following part of the Chapter the Lord would have consumed the whole Congregation And Moses sayd to Aaron take a Censer and put fire therein from off the Altar and put on incense and go quickly unto the Congregation and make an atonement for them for there is wrath gone out from the Lord. vers 45.46 Oh my beloved I would to God we were not guilty here the Lord hath raised up a blessed and happy Parliament and hath made them instruments of much good unto this Kingdome some idolize and deisie them others again have accused them as traitors the great Senators and Judges of our Kingdome no lesse than traitors thus have the Instruments of the Lord been abused and how can this but make a stoppage in our mercy Object What is this to us we have not accused them that is done above Answ I pray do but consider the place diligently Numb 16. it is sayd Korah Dathan and Abiram and two hundred and fifty Princes men of renown rose up against Moses but wrath breaks out upon the whole Congregation and the Lord would have consumed them all why because they were not humbled And if upon all this evill that hath been done to the instruments of God we have not been humbled the wrath of God may breake out upon us all and justly it should be that a stop should be made in Englands mercy 4. Carrying on the worke of Reformation and the great affairs of the Church upon the shoulders of humane prudence will make a stoppage in the way of mercy You know that when David broughr back the Ark they were very cheerfull and went along withall nothing fearing at last Uzza layes his hand upon the Ark and is smitten a cloud ariseth David is dismayed a stop is made in the businesse what is the matter the Text tells us they carried the Arke upon the Cart and it should have been carried upon mens shoulders So when God is bringing back the Arke men set it upon a Cart and upon the shoulder of humane wisedome oh sayes one there is no government appointed in the Church it is a matter of humane prudence and so will you cart the Ark of God look that God will make a stoppage in mercy And this is another sin that provokes God to make a stoppage in our Englands mercy 5. In the fift place As prayer and humiliation does exceedingly further the worke of God in the hands of his people so the falling and slacking of the hands in those two works doth make a stop in mercy and hath done in our mercy In the 2 Kings 23. we read there that good King Josiah went a great way in the worke of Reformation the Law is brought out his heart trembles the images are pulled down he executes justice upon Baals Priests yet notwithstanding all he had done the Lord turned not from the fiercenesse of his wrath wherewith his unger was kindled against Judah vers 26. and vers 29.30 he went out to battell with Pharaoh Nechoh and Pharaoh Nechoh slew good King Iosiah oh what a stoppage was made in Iudas mercy what is the matter let us enquire into that here are two causes at the 26 vers you have mention made of Manassehs sin the Lord turned not from the fiercenesse of his great wrath wherewith his anger was kindled against Iudah because of all the provocations that Manasseh had provoked him withall the people were not thorowly humbled for their fathers sins and good King Iosiah goes up to war and did not seek the Lord before as he should have done So that want of humiliation and flacking in the worke of prayer made this stop On the contrary you shall read a notable place Ezra 8.21 22 23. when the Jews came out of Babilon to build the Temple they were way-layd by their enemies and in the midst of the field Ezra proclaims a Fast a strange kind of fasting and praying to be in the field so it was then in the field by the rivers side they go to fasting and prayer but Ezra might have had a guard from the King why had he not verse 22. For I was ashamed to aske of the King a band of Souldiers and horsemen to helpe us against the enemy in the way because we had spoken unto the King saying The hand of our God is upon all them for good that seeke him but his power and his wrath is against all them that forsake him so we fasted and besought our God for this and he was entreated of us Marke fasting and prayer was their convoy oh beloved what will not fasting and prayer do when we are beset with divers enemies there must be these two the slacking of these make a stop As for prayer first you know how it was with the Israelites when they fought against Amalek when Moses held up his hand Israel prevailed when he let fall his hand Amalek prevailed slacking in prayer made a stop And so likewise for humiliation there are two things that are opposite to that which makes a stop spirituall pride and also nice curiosity concerning the means of grace Spirituall pride makes a stop Paul was caught up into the third heaven and had great revelations but lest he should be proud and a stop should be made in that mercy a messenger of Sathan is sent to buffet him It is recorded of a Frenchman having read excellent Lectures of Divinity some of his auditors came to him and desired him that he would print them he was so puffed up withall as he broke out into this blasphemy Lord Jesus how art thou beholden to me if I had turned my wits against thee how much hurt could I have done thee whereupon he was stricken with such blindnesse ignorance and dulnesse as he was two yeare after learning the Lords Prayer this I speake to shew what a stoppage spirituall pride will make And for curious nicenesse about the means of grace 1 Sam. 6. The Arke being in the hands and Countrey of the Philistims they sent it back and so the Arke returning God was returning but at the 19 verse the Lord smote of the people fifty thousand threescore and ten men why because they had looked into the Arke of the Lord their foolish nicenesse and curiosity about the Arke what a stoppage it made in the way of mercy It is recorded by Historians that before the great massacre in France the Protestants were grown so curious about preaching that no preaching would down with them but acute sententious preaching Beloved both these are opposite to humiliation and where these two humiliation falls and prayer slacks there is a stoppage made then will the Lord say to Mercy stand go no farther For the present God be thanked there is a day of humiliation and a spirit of prayer up in the field but when of late the enemies began to fall how did men leave off prayer and began to insult over the enemies the Lord saw this
the water your great Whale goes alone but your lesser Herring go by sholes On the earth the great Elephant goes alone your lesser sheep go by flocks and your Hogs by herds the lesser Sands infinite in number Rocks fewer And so with mens sins great sins they go alone but lesser sins go by companies and oftentimes the number of your lesser sins do make up what is wanting in the greatnesse of your sin A man may be drunk but once or twice in his life in the grosse act of it but he may be so often in drunken company and spend away so many hours which shall amount to drunkenness a man may commit adultery but once in his life but he may have as many unclean thoughts as shall amount to adultery So that what fals short in the greatnesse of sin is made up in the number and therefore say not why should God for a little sin turn out of the way of mercie it may be the number of your little sins amount to the greatest sin 3. Thirdly Beloved God will make good his Name to the utmost and his name is A Jealous God now a husbands jealousie arisech not when he sees his wife commit adultery but if he do but see her playing and sporting with a stranger so Gods jealousie ariseth not onely when we commit the grosse act of Idolatry when we bow before an Idoll but if we be sporting and playing with Superstition for God is a jealous God And though the husband do not see cause enough to turn away his wife because of her sporting and playing and dallying he may see cause enough to deny such a courtesie so God though he does not give a Bill of Divorce for such a sin which you count lesser yet he may see cause enough to make a stoppage in his proceedings of mercie Thus the Doctrine stands firm when God is in a way of mercie towards his people if they do sin against him their sins may make a stoppage in his proceedings By way of Application Vse Hence you may see what the reason is why there is a stop made now of late in our England mercies This last yeer God hath done great things for England as ever England saw and that man that sees it not I shall think that Scripture hath taken hold upon him which you have in Jer. 27.5 6. Cursed be the man that trusteth in man and maketh flesh his arm and whose heart departeth from the Lord for he shall be like the heath in the desart and shall not see when good cometh whether out of envie or malice but when good comes upon a people he shall not see it but who doth not see what a black cloud is drawn over us again When the waters swell and stand up you say surely there is a stop made the waters do not run down as before not long since Justice and Judgement did run down like a mighty stream but now how the waters swell gather and stand up again wicked men lye in prison and those not censured Priests and Jesuits lye condemned and chose not executed the Plague is begun and that is not quenched The Sword hath begun to drink deep in our Brethrens blood and that is not sheathed The wrath of our King is enkindled Divers of our Parliamentary Worthies accused of high Treason certainly there is a stoppage made in the proceedings of Englands mercies oh Beloved this our sin hath done Quest But you will say unto me Shall there be a stoppage made for ever in the mercies of England Answ You will finde for answer if you look into Scripture that there is a two-fold stoppage of mercie Finall and Present Finall as God was in a way of mercie towards Saul and was about to settle the kingdom upon him and his posterity for ever but he sinned and the Lord turned away from Saul and turned away from him for ever there was a finall stoppage of mercie made Now though there be a stop made in the way of Gods mercie towards England I conceive there is not a finall stoppage And my Reasons are these 1. Because that though many difficulties and mountains do arise yet we see how one after another they do melt 2. And because God hath raised up instrements that are unwearyed in his service working night and day and are unwearyed in the work of the Lord. 3. As also because that the type of this work does speak as much The children of Israels coming out of Babylon and building the Temple is a type of our coming out of Antichristian bondage and the great Reformation that is now begun Now then though there were many lets and hindrances by Tobiah and Sanballat and others they could never hinder it fully but it recovered its self and was driven on so in this building and worke of reformation though the Tobiahs and Sanballats of the times may cause the work to cease for a time the building shall get up and shall not fully cease but the work of Reformation shall be driven on in the despight of all the enemies Therefore it is not a finall stop now made in Englands mercies But there is a present stop as when the plague broke out in Davids time and such a stoppage is made now Quest But what evill and hurt is in this if a finall stoppage be not made Ans Is it nothing in your ears and in your hearts that the Lord should turn out of a way of mercy you read in the 2 Judg. when the Angel came with a message unto the people and told them that the Canaanites should be as thorns in their sides and a snare unto them they lift up their voice and wept and they called the name of the place Bochim you shall be brought into Canaan the promised land but the natives shall be so mixt amongst you as they shall be thorns in your sides hereupon they lift up their voice and wept and so though the work of Reformation be carried on the Canaanites may be left to be as thorns in your sides until Christ come Oh that we could lift up our voice and weep that the place might be called Bochim 2. When God breaks off the way of his mercy then his wrath breaks out he does not turn out of the way of his mercy but he turns into the way of his judgement Why to a loving childe this is a very cutting word your father is angry with you I may speak this to you there is a stop made in Englands mercy and your father is angry this is much 3. If there be a stoppage made in Englands mercy though but present there is an obstruction in all your comforts you are sensible of the obstructions of your body will you not be sensible of State obstructions of Church obstructions Suppose you were in Ireland begirt with the enemy and were in danger to have your convoy cut off that should bring you victuall and supply would it not make you feare
and therefore a stoppage was made in Englands mercy 6. In the sixt place An unthankfull receiving of the mercies that God hath given us and a slight beholding of the great works he hath done before us now lately is another sin that hath made a stoppage in our mercy Psal 106.7 It is sayd concerning the Isralites Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt they remembred not the multitude of thy mercies but provoked him at the sea even the red sea there lyes the emphasis at the sea even the red sea that God carried them through So you have a notable place for this purpose Hosea 9.14 15. Give them a miscarrying wombe and dry breasts they shall conceive mercy shall be begun but it shall not bring forth why at the 15. ver All their wickednesse is in Gilgal why how was all their wickednesse in Gilgal they had much wickednesse in other places but the meaning is Gilgal was the first place they came into when they went into Canaan and there they were circumcised and there the Lord roaled away their reproach and therfore it was called Gilgal now to sin in Gilgal in that place where the Lord bad done so much for them though they sinned in other places yet the sin there was so great as if all the sin were there because that was a place of speciall mercy for there I hated them for the wickednesse of their doings I will drive them out of mine house I will love them no more there is a stoppage made in mercy when sin is in Gilgal in the place of such and such mercy So my beloved you all know what great things the Lord hath done for this place you were brought exceeding low into great straights oh poor afflicted distressed England but in the midst of all your troubles and fears the Lord created a Parliament for you and delivered you with great deliverances and if after all this you will go on in the way of sin and thanklesly regard all that God hath done this provokes God to make a stop Marke how Ezra reasons for this purpose Ezra 9. they had committed a great sin in taking of the daughters of the Countrey to themselves to wife ver 10. And now oh our God what shall we say after this for we have forsaken thy Commandements Ez. 13. and after all that is come upon us for our evill deeds and for our trespasse seeing that thou our God hast punished us lesse than our iniquities deserve and hast given us such deliverance as this see where the emphasis lyes not deliverance only but such deliverance should we again breake thy Commandements and joyn in affinity with the people of these abominations wouldst thou not be angry with us till thou hadst confumed us so that there should be no remnant nor escaping Now my beloved you see where he sets the emphasis and truely have not we this word such written upon our deliverances you were oppressed in your estates and you are delivered from those manifold oppressions you were oppressed in your consciences by the inventions of men and you are delivered from those heavy oppressions in a great measure you were in great danger to have layn in bloud you and your children and you were delivered from that bloody War with Scotland and your Parliament worthies of late delivered from a hellish conspiracie I had almost said as bad as that of the Powder-plot and now I say after such deliverances if you will go on still in the way of sinning how just is it with God to say oh England I thought to have don thee good and to have built thee but because he that was a drunkard before is a drunkard still he that was a swearer before is a swearer still he that was a Sabbath breaker before a lyar and unclean person before is so still therefore I will now unkingdome thee and unchurch thee if after such mercies and such deliverances you shall go on in a way of sin I will make a stop in mercy and in all the good I thought to do this hath made a stop in our Englands mercies 7. The last sin that makes a stop in Englands mercy is a worldly disposition whereby a man hangs back unto the great work of God and the glorious reformation that is now a doing You know that when they came out of Babilon and were to build the temple the people were for their fieled houses and the temple went not on so long as they stack to their fieled houses but when once they were brought off from their fieled houses the temple was built and they setled So now the Lord is about to rebuild you and build a temple among you if our hearts be after our fieled houses how just is it with God to say I thought to do you good but you will not be at the cost I know you would have your brethren in Ireland delivered but you will not be at the cost you that are rich will not lend twenty or thirty or a hundred pounds towards it I thought to have gon on and purged the whole Kingdom but you will not be at the cost you would have the pictures out of your windowes but you are loth to be at the cost to buy new glasse you would have Preaching Ministers in every Congregation but you are loth to be at the charge this makes a stop in our Englands mercy Thus I have to my poore abilty shewed you the seven sins that make a stop in the Lords proceedings of mercy the Lord grant we may lay them to heart and be humbled for them Quest We grant these are the sins that do make a stop in Englands mercy and the Lord is gone out of the way of mercy and is angry how shall we open a way to Englands mercy how shall we bring God back againe and how may the Lords anger be appeased Ans In answer to this I shall shew you first it is a hard thing to appease Gods anger when it is gone out Secondly It must be done and that quickly Thirdly Shew you what you shall do that you may do it 1. For the first therefore It is an exceeding hard thing and very difficult to appease Gods anger 1. Gods anger is compared to a stream Tophet is prepared of old for the King saith the text and out of his mouth goes a stream of fire It is hard to turn a stream you may easily turn the water when it is in the gutter before it comes into the stream but when it is gotten into the river it is hard turning of it Gods wrath is a streame it is hard turning of it 2. When you do solicite God to turn out of the way of his wrath and turn into a way of mercy you solicite him to that which is not for his ease that is a burthen to him Though you think you have great interest in a man if you solicite him to that which is not for his ease you will
hardly obtain now God sayes in Scripture it is an ease to him to be avenged on his adversaries ah I will ease my selfe of my adversaries when you turn him from wrath you turn him from ease 3. Again there are but few to do it If the sea breaks over the bankes and there are but few to stop it it is hard to do If fire hath taken two or three houses in a street and but few to quench it it is hard to do the fire of Gods anger is broken out and there are but few to quench it it is a hard thing therefore 4. Again God seems to be engaged in the way of his wrath God walks according to his Word now sayes God you would have me returne again to the way of my mercy and leave off mine anger and for this purpose you tell me you do pray and humble your selves and reform but was it not so in Iosiahs time his heart melted and he prayed and broke down the images and pictures and the offenders Baals Priests were punished neverthelesse I turned not from the fiercenesse of my wrath why should I turn from mine anger now for your sakes more than in Iosiahs time oh it is a hard thing to turn God from his anger 2. But it must be done and done quickly if a fire be broken out and not quenched quickly it is more hard to quench if the sea breaks in at a place and be not stopt quickly it is more hard to stop Run in and make an atonement quickly sayes Moses to Aaron it must be done quickly 3. What then shall we do do as Ioshua did There are six things that Ioshua did here when they fled before the men of Ai. First he was very sensible of Gods stroke that was given to them for he sayes Lord would we had been contented in the wildernesse 2. He was humbled under Gods hand for it is said he rent his clothes and fell down upon the earth 3. And he prayed and cryed mightily unto God as you read in the chapter 4. And he put away the evill of their doings 5. And he punished Achan the offender 6. He made an holy resignation And there must be a concurrence of all these six things if we would bring God back into the way of his mercy towards England 1. We must be sensible of Gods stroke Though men be greatly afflicted yet if they be not sensible of their affliction and of the stroak that God gives them says God I have spent one rod upon them and they do not feel it I will lay on till bloud come God will make men sensible of their afflictions and of the afflictions of the Church else he layes on more 2. Againe though a man be very sensible of Gods stroak and hand yet notwithstanding if he be not humbled under the hand of the Lord God will not exalt him for sayes the Lord I have promised indeed that if men humble themselves under my mighty hand they shall be exalted and I have sayd if the people upon whom my name is called humble themselves I will hear He humbled himself much This will mortifie your sins as your sins mortified and took captive your duties and this must be don throughly and to move us to it 1. Take notice of the generall darknes that is in the land how sew know what they would have in a way of Reformation what is agreeable to Gods way Ezek. 43.10.11 The way to see stars in the day is to go to the bottome of a well But now here is a company are not humbled what fashion have they left since wherein does it appear that you are more humbled this must be that is the second 3. Though that a man be humbled yet notwithstanding if he does not pray and cry mightily to God he cannot fetch God back againe for sayes God I am engaged to my word and I walk by rule when I threatned Nineveh the King went from his throne and went in sackcloth and ashes and they cryed mightily unto me and doe you thinke if you doe not cry mightily that I will returne in mercy to you oh sayes God I have given you more then Nineveh you know more and you must doe more they cryed mightily and shall not you cry mightily we must pray more then ordinary so did Moses and for motives to it 1. It is all that some of you can doe you cannot help otherwayes by building God an house lending money c. but you may pray 2. If you be idle you will envy those that do pray for it is a sure rule those that stand by will envy the workmen and what that will do you may in Cain to Abel when his sacrifice was rejected 3. The scales may seem to hang even it may be your grain of prayer may turn them to mercy 4. The Lord seems to be going he is rising when the Judge sits still the malefactor does not lift up his voice and cry after him but when the malefactor is condemned and the Judge riseth and goes off the bench then the poore malefactor lifteth up his voice and cries good my Lord good my Lord. So when God is rising and going off the bench shall not men cry and cry mightily unto him pray and pray mightily unto him Beloved the Lord seems to be going off the bench oh you that never prayed now pray you that have despised prayer and praying meetings now pray you that have a heart to pray pray now cry mightily unto the Lord your God 4. Though a man does pray and cry mightily unto God yet notwithstanding if he does not turn from the evill of his doings all is nothing yet sayes the Lord I am constant to my rule and I have promised Isa 56.9 If thou take away from the middest of thee the yoak the putting forth of the singer speaking vanity if you put away the evill of your doings what then then shalt thou call and the Lord shall answer presently thou shalt cry and he answer sensibly and say there am I. And so Judg. 10.14 they having come and cried to the Lord the Lord gives them this answer Go and cry unto the gods which you have chosen let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation And the children of Israel sayd to the Lord we have sind do thou unto us whatsoever seemeth good unto thee deliver us only we pray thee this day and they put away the strange gods from among them and feared the Lord they cryed before but now they prayed and put away their strange Gods and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel So now will the Lord do when people are sensible of his hand and are humbled and cry and cry much unto him and put away the evill of their doings this will prevaile Wherefore beloved in the Lord let us now joyn together in this work and for the Lords sake put away the evill of your doings All you that heare
me this day are of three sorts either such as do live upon your Lands or such as live upon your trades or such as live by keeping Taverns and Ale-houses If you be such as live upon your Lands then thinke and say with your selves I see there is a stoppage made in Englands mercy come oh my soul it may be it is my sin hath done it may be I have lived so much upon my Lands as I have lived little or nothing upon Christ I will learn to live more upon Christ and lesse upon my Lands If you be such as live upon your Trades say husband wife children servants it may be it is our sin that hath made this stop our lying our false dealing our breaking of the Sabbath selling upon the Sabbath for gain it may be it is our poor family that hath made the stop let us put away the evill of our doings If you be such as keep Taverns and Alehouses say it may be it is the drunkennesse that I have suffered in my house the thousands of oaths that are sworn in my family for my part I will never have Irelands blood lye at my door therefore servants children friends I charge you no more lying no more swearing no more Sabbath breaking for the Lords sake and for our poor brethrens sake in Ireland let us put away the evill of our doings you that have been drunkards swearers or adulterers put away the evill of your doings it may be this will bring God back again 5. But though there be this yet unlesse the troubles of England the Achans be brought forth to punishment and throwne over-board the Sea cannot be appeased the storme will not down For sayes the Lord I am the same God that I was when wrath brake out upon Israel then stood up Phineas and flow Zimri and Cosbi and my wrath was stayed when wrath broke out in Joshuas time Achan was brought forth and punished and so my wrath was stayed do you think that I will take lesse at your hands Therefore let us pray that the Achans may be brought forth and when they are brought forth justifie the Worthies of the Lord own them guard them and stand by them And when the worke is done rejoice with fear and trembling wash your feet in the blood of the wicked and give glory to God and say blessed be the Lord who only doth great things marvelous are thy works Lord God Almighty who would not fear thee 6. He made an holy resignation of himselfe to be at Gods disposing so we may see Araunah did 1. Ch 21.23 Then Ornan said to David take it to thee c. He gave up his Threshing-floor and his Oxen and his Threshing instruments those things that were his livelyhood so should we offer up our shops our trades yea our selves and all we have to God Thus you have heard when God is in a way of mercy sin does make a stoppage in his proceedings you acknowledge there is a stoppage made in our mercy you have heard that those sinnes are as theeves in our candle that does smeare out our comforts you have heard what a hard thing it is to bring God back to mercy again you have heard the worke must be done and you have heard what to do Wherefore let every man as in the sight of God goe home and thinke and say and resolve with himselfe I have not beene much affected with Irelands condition I confesse it the Lord forgive me but I will look more into it then ever I have done I have not been much humbled for my own sin and the sins of the time but the Lord pardon it and I will be more humbled I have not cryed unto the Lord but from this day following I will cry mightily unto the Lord my God it may be he will returne and I will put away the evill of my doings I have been an unclean person I have been a Sabbath breaker and have been proud of this Coate and that gold lace I will be proud no more farwell all bad company and I will pray that justice may be done upon all Achans and Troublers of Israel and when it is done I will rejoice with trembling And thus I have done the first Doctrine when God is in a way of mercy towards his people there sin makes a stoppage in his proceedings FINIS
Beloved we have beene begirt with enemies a long time and God hath raised us up a convoy to bring us victuall we do not know whether our convoy shall be taken away though but for the present Certainly there is a theife in our candle that does make our comforts smeare out Quest But what is that theife in our candle it is apparent to us all there is a stop made in Englands mercy what are those sins for it is a day of humiliation that have made a stoppage in Englands mercy Answ This is that I specially aime at that you may see what you are to be humbled for this day and others Paralell our condition with others in Scripture and we shall finde six or seven things especially that do make a stoppage in mercy coming to a people and you shall find them in our land 1. An unwillingnesse and backwardnesse to the great work of Reformation to the great work that God is now about is one thing that doth make a stoppage in the proceedings of Englands mercy When the children of Israel were in Egypt they groaned unto the Lord God sent a deliverer to them Moses and they being vext by their taskmasters after he came they murmured and for anguishof soul hearkned not unto Moses God bare with that till he got them on the other side of the water carried them through the red sea when they came there tho they did sin and murmure God did not swear they should not enter into Canaan but at the last they made them a captain and they would return back to Egypt sayes God seeing you are there I swear in my wrath you shall never enter into my rest but your carcases shall fall here you shall neither go backward nor forward We have a long time the Lord look upon us set under Egyptian darknesse and the Lord hath sent his Messengers to you to draw you out and you would not or for anguish of soul you hearkned not Well but now there is a tender of Reformation made and hath been lately if people shall say now What need this Reformation Were not things well before This provokes the Lord and causes him to say Your carcases shall fall And yet Oh how hath this been among us what ado is here sayes one What need this work Were not things well before 2 King 10.32 In those dayes the Lord began to cut Israel short What dayes were those They were in a way of Reformation and they cut short the Reformation and in those dayes the Lord began to cut them short of mercie At the 18. verse he got together the Worshippers of Baal by craft at the 25. verse he slayes them at the 29. they break down the Images in the house of Baal Howbeit at the 29. verse From the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat who made Israel to sin Jehu departed not c. Then at the 32. verse when they thus cut short Reformation the Lord began to cut them short You know what our Saviour Christ sayes Oh Ierusalem Ierusalem how often would I have gathered you and you would not behold your house is left unto you desolate Beloved when Christ comes to gather us as certainly there is a time when Christ comes a gathering and if people will not be gathered then behold thy house is left desolate God hath made a tender of Reformation lately among you this is one sin that hath made a stoppage in the proceedings of your mercy people have been backward and unwilling unto this great worke of Reformation 2. A tempting of God does also stop and hinder the proceeding of mercy They tempted the Lord and the Lords mercy was stopped You finde in Scripture people are said to tempt God 1. either when they doubt of Gods presence after God hath especially appeared to them they tempted God and sayd is God amongst us after God had appeared to them 2. Again when a man does not rely and live upon Gods All-sufficiency when God hath appeared in that way It is sayd of the Israelites they tempted God and sayd can God provide a table in the wildernesse As Musculus observes well the Israelites were not so silly as to think God was not able they knew God opened the rock and brought them through the red-sea but this was the language of their conversation can God provide a table in the Wildernesse 3. A man is said to tempt God when as he does tye and limit God unto ordinary means when God is in an extraordinory way And so it is said of Ahaêª that he tempted God and would not take a signe what is the meaning of that that is that he would go in an ordinary way why sayes he should I tempt God and require a signe and go in an extraordinary way I will go in an ordinary way when as God is in an extraordinary way of mercy towards his people to tye God to ordinary means is a tempting of God Now I appeal to you whether or no we have not tempted God God hath appeared gloriously oh yet we have sayd is God among us how few live upon Gods All-sufficiencie notwithstanding he hath appeared so gloriously and we see no way and means for such a Reformation as is spoken of tying and limiting of God unto an ordinary way when God is working extraordinarily This is a second sinne that hath made a stoppage in Englands mercy this tempting of God 3. Abusing of Gods instruments which he raiseth up for to do his worke by doth exceedingly provoke and makes a stoppage in the mercy of God There are two wayes whereby his instruments are abused either idolizing and deifying of them or wronging scorning and jearing of them falfly accusing and condemning of them The first way the Jews sinned when they cryed the temple of the Lord the temple of the Lord and deifyed that well sayes Christ there shall not be one stone left upon another God raised up the King of Sweden people idolized him he was taken away and a stoppage was made in that way of mercy on the other side scouning and evill speaking of the instruments of Reformation and falsly accusing them that God does set up this makes a stoppage in mercy Numb 12. Moses was appointed by God to bring them into Canaan marke how they speake against him vers 2. And they said hath the Lord indeed spoken only by Moses hath he not also spoken by us she what follows 9.10 ver And the anger of the Lord was kindled against them and he departed And the cloud drparted from off the Tabernacle and behold Miriam became leprous c. marke what a stop is made vers 15. Miriam was shut out of the Camp seven dayes and the people journied not only because they opened their mouthes against this instrument of Go that was employd in this worke So Numb 16.1 Kerah Dathan and Ahiram rise up against Mosex and Aaron instruments that God employed in his service you may see what