no man can as to these be at any time unable if he be not unwilling here impotency is impiety God strictly observes all wilfull and presumptuous transgressions and will be the avenger of them not is he to be deceived or satisfied with any formal excuses and pretentions used by wily hypocrites who offer chaff instead of good weat no more than he can be escaped or reresisted by any tyrannique power and insolencies when he maketh inquisition for these notorious omissions of Iustice Mercy and Humility which are the summaries of all good Laws and the seminaries of all piety grace and vertue nor shall these words of God which drop like the rain and gentle dew from heaven return in vain but will be swift witnesses against any soul whose barrenness presages it is nigh to our sing and burning for these laws and lessons as from Mount Sinai are with thunder and lightning Gods demonstrations are not only true but terrible armed with omnipotency never to be bafled pregnantly shewed by their own perspicuity and powerfully exacted by the divine severity who will carry himself frowardly or contrarily and as I may say with an uncondescending height and divine stiffness against those that are not humble in his sight resisting the proud and withdrawing mercy from the merciless yea requiring the justice of punishment on us because the justice of obedience is not done by us Ideo enim patimur justitiam quia non agimus as St. Bernard speaks for this is by the eternal vengeance still inculcated in hell as Virgil expresseth Discite justitiam moniti ne temnite divos while the Furies with their flaming iron whips flagellis ferreis flagrantibus do compel wicked and unjust men to suffer that justice which they refused to do to God to Man to themselves and others But I have done with the first general in which I observed the occasion and authority of this Demonstration Secondly I now come to the {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} or {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} thing demonstrated the grand lesson which God teacheth so clearly and constantly to all men at all times these are denoted under these three grand heads Iustice Mercy and Humility These are considerable 1. Conjunctim joyntly 2. Divisim severally in their united and distinct aspects 1. Consider them together and they afford us six things considerable First The paucity of these magna mandata or summè requisita grand demands The Lord lays but a few things upon us Tria sunt omnia a sacred Trinity of Precepts from the sacred Trinity of Iustice Mercy and Humility from the divine Wisdom Power and Majesty These make up that monile sacrum holy pendent or jewel which is the greatest ornament of humane nature and blessing of all Societies consisting but of three gems but they are paragons of great price for what is brighter than the invincible Diamond of Justice which is scintilla Dei a spark of God as pearls are drops and Diamonds sparks of the Sun what more beautiful than the gentle Saphire of Mercy what more amiable than the modest Emrald of Humility The paternal indulgence of God is pleased to give us in his teaching us short lessons compendious Counsels and holy Epitomes of his will and our duty At first he propounded but decem verba ten commands in the Decalogue which is a summary of all Theological and Moral Institutions After he reduceth these to a narrower compass of loving the Lord thy God and thy neighbor as thy self So Solomon To fear God and keep his Commandments Christ makes up all in one grand sentence of doing as we would be done unto whence the Emperor Severus took his famous Motto the Apostle St. Paul brings all points and lines of the Laws and Gospels circumference to this one center Love as the fulfilling of all in one word Nor doth he permit Timothy to vary from that {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} wholesome form of words the faith once delivered to the Saints which he had taught him as a short creed or summary no doubt of Christian doctrine which otherwhere is expressed in beleiving with the heart and confessing the Lord Iesus with the mouth so in the end of the commandment which is Charity out of a pure heart and a good conscience and faith unfained So inexcusable are they who refuse to learn of God whose commandments are neither grievous nor numerous but condescending to the weakest capacities and frailest memories to which what ever is necessary in religion is easie to be learned and retained For secondly as the particular heads are few in number so very short in the discourse some points may by long Orations be like gold malleated and extended to such great latitudes of diffused expressions as make them very combersom as the volumes of our times both in Dogmatick Polemick and Practick Divinity do witness while the superfluity of mans wit and eloquence glories to find out many inventions definitions and distinctions even in plain things wire-drawing religion into fine threads and driving the solid mass of Divinity as to Faith and Repentance love of God and our neighbours to leaf gold chopping and hewing and paring the pillars of wisdom into small chips and thin shavings Doubtless as Erasmus writes to Archep Warrham the Church of Christ was never in a more happy estate than when it was uno brevissimo symbolo contenta both contented with and kept in the compass of that one short Creed which we call the Apostles and which was yet once shorter than now it is Thirdly But commonly brevity is attended with obscurity Brevis esse laboro obscurus fio short and concise expressions many times wrap things up as it were in clouds whereas Laws ought to be meridiana lumina tanquam solis radiis scriptae so clear as none need complain so legible that he that runs may read them and so indeed are these divine demonstrations in the Text where the wisdom of God reconcileth brevity and perspicuity together as Pliny speaks of Trajans uniting Soveraignty and Liberty by an happy temper of Government or Empire which neither diminished his own just Prerogative as a Prince nor oppressed the peoples legal immunities as his Subjects so the Lord designing these Laws for all sorts of people fits them for all capacities in such a way that the very babes and simple ones may learn and understand and do them {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Laws saith Plato ought to be as common and catholick in their expressions as they are in their injunction or obligation that none may plead ignorance either by the prolixity or obscurity by the ennormious number or by the tedious length of them Fourthly We may observe the order and situation of the particulars First Justice Secondly Mercy Thirdly Humility there is as Calvin and others observe an {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} inverting of the Primacy and
of the Gospel unless there be some way found by the wisdom piety honor and bounty of the Nation of Prince Parliament and People for the competent maintenance of such Ministers as may do the work of God and take care of mens souls with what Justice or Mercy can you exact a full tale of bricks from poor Ministers when they have no straw Alas when shall the scandal of livings not worth fifty or thirty or twenty pounds a year be taken away by the generosity justice liberality and mercy of England How many years tax how much treasure hath been spent to maintain Soldiers and a war of which the publick hath no fruit but those of tears oppression and repentance me thinks it should not seem much to allow one years tax to be gathered in some convenient time by which to begin a banck or treasury an aerarium sacrum for the making some augmentations and purohases of Impropriations to poor livings One good foundation laid for so great and good a work many other superstructures would easily be added by the piety wisdom and charity either of the publick or of the private and well-disposed persons If this may not be put upon the account of Justice to be done to the Church and Clergy of England in compensation of the many diminutions depredations and indignities which they have of late or long since sustained by the policies powers or superstitions of later times yet I beseech you look upon it as a signal and eminent act of Mercy for which thousands of poor people in the Countries who perish for want of knowledge having no Prophet nor seer among them will bless God and you to many generations And since God hath by a most miraculous return of mercy brought you thus far to the morning of your redemption from civil slavery and oppression where we were under Chams curse to be servants of servants O bethink your selves whether it be not worthy of your munificent piety and gratitude to offer some oblation of thankfulness as a peace-offering and Eucharistical monument to God and his Church but I may not so far distrust your nobleness as to urge you too far in this thing which is so much its own Orator and wherein many thousands both Ministers and people are silently and humbly importune for your favour in so great a concern of Church and State yea of mens souls eternal welfare The Fourth and last General Head is {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} the manner of Gods shewing and requiring these duties of all sorts of men in all occasions times in all dealings and administrations in the whole tenure of their conversation to God and men civil and religious I formerly gave an account of this which will excuse me if I here briefly insist on some main heads only 1. God hath shewed it to mankind in principiis internis in those inward principles of right Reason and that standard of Justice which is set up in each mans own heart besides the Chancery of Mercy both which he cannot but desire in his own case yea he expects and exacts humility reverence and submiss respect from those that are his descendents and inferiors especially if many ways obliged to him by undeserved favours so as every mans case is toward God 2. Praeceptis scripturae by the Letters pattents of the holy Scriptures whereof no man in the light of Religion which shines in the Church can without sin be ignorant because no lessons are easier to be learned and set out in greater characters or text letters both of the ten Commandments and the Gospel than these three of Justice Mercy and Humility Nor is any man meet to learn or observe the more abstruse mysteries of Christianity who doth not first apply to these plain morals of humanity and native Divinity in which instructions who so profited most among the Jews or Gentiles and lived accordingly were most capable vessels of Gods Mercies although they had not such an explicite faith in the Messias as we Christians are now obliged to as a condition of the Evangelical Covenant 3. God hath shewed us these demonstrations magnis exemplaribus exemplis by the greatest exemplars of holy men in all degrees in the best of Kings and vvisest of Counsellors yea in his blessed self and his Son our Lord Jesus Christ in whom Justice was satisfied Mercy Magnified and Humility most exalted for mans imitation To these are added the great examples of his Judgements on those whose exorbitant lusts and passions forgetting God and themselves presumed to do beyond these bounds and prescriptions which the Divine Iustice and Mercy had set to mankind running out to violence and cruelty in order to gratifie their pride On the other side God hath by many blessings on Prince and People manifested his approbation of their ways when conform to those grand Precepts which suppress first all private extravagancies by humility and all publick oppressions by justice mixed with mercy no man that is humble can be unhappy nor any people or Prince miserable who keep to Justice and mercy except in martyrly cases for trial of their faith patience and constancy which are found most in those if not onely who are most endued with principles and wonted as to Justice so to the practice of mercy and humility Lastly God hath shewed and required these things cum gravi interminatione poenae not lightly and arbitrarily but with great earnestness and frequent obtestation threatning punishment answerable to the neglect and executing vengeance on the presumptous nor are they Laws of {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} diurnal justice to day loyalty to morrow Treason this week lawful and just next week illegal and unjust like a Lesbian rule but they are standards fixed in Gods immutable Justice mercy and excellent Majesty which no men at any time may dispense withall nor can they be dispensed with as to Gods judgments if they break them But it is now time for me to releive your attention with the variety of my successors paines onely I crave your Christian patience so far as to give me leave to make some such improvement of this Text as the grand occasion and present sollemnity do require You are all this day as the Representatives of the Commons of this Nation met before the Lord to fast and pray to humble and afflict your souls to confess your sins and the sins of your people among which none are more crying to heaven for vengeance then the want of Justice mercy and humility for pride ambition covetousness cruelty and oppression the land hath mourned these many years and the more deploredly because it hath suffered by all these pests of Church and State under the name and pretensions of humility sanctity liberty and equity It was a small matter for us to be miserable by the insolency of some men but we were commanded by their hypocritical and cruel mocking to beleive our selves to be an
mercy and his blessing upon one great heroick and steady soul got the wind of the Jesuitick Anabaptistick and fanatick designs who have abused us with their long wiles O lose not the advantages which God hath given you to bring your Church and Country into a fair and happy haven after so many tempests and agitations of infinite loss and hazzard There are many holy Duties and Christian Rites which call for your Justice and Mercy the two blessed Sacraments which have a long time been either wholly despised or prophanely abused or very partially used The Lords Prayer also the Ten Commandments and the Creed all sacred and wholesom forms of excellent use to the people of Christs flock but despised and neglected by some of their supercilious Pastors to the great detriment of true Religion and abatement of piety these expect your exemplary Justice to restore them to their primitive and Catholick honor which will be a mercy to the whole Nation which by extemporary novelties and crude varieties in Religion hath been wholly deprived of all those pristine forms of liturgical devotions by which the generality of Christians were best informed and most affected as to the grand fundamentals of Religion Sure it is but the effect of crafty or crazy brains to deny us all use of Our Father in English because we gave over the Pater nosters the Ave Maries and other prayers which were in Latin and so of little use to the vulgar It was once thought a blessing to have prayers and holy duties in a language which people understood Now t is a seraphick stratagem of Satan to make people forget those things which they could easiest remember and best understand Lastly There are many prevalent and epidemical sins of Sacriledge Prophaness irreverence Perjury rash swearing Duelling Vncleanness and all manner of licentious discoveries of Atheism and irreligion which call for your Justice to suppress them for they are the cruellest enemies of Church and State If you will indeed do Justice love Mercy and walk humbly with your God if you will shew loving kindness and sense of honor to your Country resolve upon all those dispensations restitutions and exercitations of Justice and Mercy which are before you Which you will best do if you 1. Be pleased so to fix our Laws yea our legislative and Soveraign authority so that we may be no more tossed too and fro with every wind of mens ambitious fancies qui malunt leges quam mores mutare who had rather change our good laws than mend their own ill manners 2. To remove all obstructions which are inward in your own souls and outward in other mens passions or actions by which either Justice or Mercy are most hindred of their free course 3. If you listen not to that wicked maxim of the Devils politicks Fieri non debuit factum valet as if evil actions did call for perseverance not repentance Nullum tempus occurit Justitiae no time or fact must prescribe against justice truth God and the Church 4. When you have undone by justice what hath been done by injustice to the undoing of Church and State Prince and People Then will mercy be seasonable by acts of such amnesty pardon and oblivion as may rather compose than irritate the spirits of men praestat motos componere fluctus 5. If you needed which I hope you do not any motives to these great indeavours and discoveries of justice and mercy it is no small one which the Platonists observe as to the difference between just and unjust the good and evil men which is as great as between light and darkness order and confusion men and beasts good and bad Angels as between a King and a Tyrant God and the Devil God is the first fountain and grand example of justice and mercy as the Devil is of injuriousness and cruelty 6. If you inquire Cui bono what their reward shall be First the conscience of well doing and this to your Country and in its greatest distresses Next you shall have that reward of lasting honour and renown by which your names as repairers of our breaches shall be embalmed in the love of their Country and transmitted with a sweet resentment to all posterity where as the names of proud and cruel oppressors shall rot and perish like their own dung the blood thirsty and deceitful men shall not live out half their dayes not only as to those dies naturales but as to those dies civiles which preserve the living fame of worthy men to many generations as blessed he is but short-lived whose infamy only survives as the damned in hell are counted dead because they only live to shame and torment As for your direction what and how to do excellent things you need not search Achitophels braines or rake the skull of Matchiavel you need not call up the Ghost of Richelieu or conjure up those subtil spirits of Government which may tell you the Adyta imperii arcana principum the depths mysteries intrigoes and riddles of States you need not listen any longer to those Seraphick Syrens and Phanatick Counsellors who under the title of Gods cause and the Saints interest which I know not what blessed projects or gainful godliness had made a shift to undo all but themselves yea and themselves too as to all sence of justice or mercy or honor or conscience of modesty or humility You need not advise with flesh and blood with humane passions and lusts facilis parata est ad virtutem via the counsel of God is at hand {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} you cannot easily miscarry by following his wisdome in justice mercy and humility however you had better perish in Gods way as to temporal effects then prosper for a season in the Devils which must end in endlesse infelicities There can no better course be followed in civil justice than that which was given by the Oracle to the Sicilian Pyrates when afflicted by the plague after they had gotten much booty they enquired What they should do to be releived Answer was given in these letters R. A. S. P. P. which some cunning man interpreted to import by the Acrostick letters thus much Reddite Aliena S'ultis Possidere Propria Restore to others what is theirs if you hope to preserve to your selves your own else your common weal will be but a common wo There is neither darkness in your way of justice and mercy nor will there be much difficulty God hath and will remove mountains of malice hypocrisie and injustice before you yea he hath prepared the vvay for you by levelling the levelers and confounding the confounders of all things civil and sacred His vvord and the lavvs of the Land vvill tell you vvhat is to be done State super vias autiquas bonas stand and enquire for the good old ways and walk therein that you and we may find that rest vvhich hath been a long time and ever vvill be denyed us in any of those fantastick and novel models vvhich make religion a nurse of rebellion pretend that the Kingdome of Jesus Christ vvill indure no temporal Christian Kingdome except such as they may rule and raign in But you have not so learned Christ neither his law nor his Gospel suggest any such unjust and cruel counsels nor do they favour any violent and rebellious designes Do as I believe you will what becomes your duty to God and man your love to your Country your respect to true Religion and your care of your posterity and no doubt God will be with you both to strengthen your hands and to make your faces to shine with that glory in this life which is the first but least recompense of just and honorable actions and also with that eternal glory which is the purchase of Christs blood and the honorary recompense of God to all that in the way of well doing seek for honor and immortality to which the Lord bring you and all his Church for Jesus Christ his sake to whom with the Father and the blessed Spirit be all glory and honour now and ever Amen FINIS May 20. Anno 630. Preface The great and publique importance of this Parliament Prov. 23. â— 2 Chron. 15.2 The way of our happiness Iudg. 9.7 Prov. 28.9 2 Kings 7.8 Ier. 5.25 Partition Matth. 5.7 Psal. 13. Phil. 2.8 The demonstrator 1 The occasion 1 Sam. 15.13 Isa. 58.3 Ezek. 18 15. 〈◊〉 7.4 Ioh. 1â— 1â— Psal. 50.8 â—sa â—6 3 Psal. 51.17 1 Sam. 1â— 22 Hos. 6.6 2 The credit and authority of the Demonstrator Psal. 94.10 Iob 28. 2 Gen. the thing demonstrated Matth. 22.40 Ieâ— 7.9 1 Ioh. 4.20 Luk. 10.25 Tit. 2.11 1 Iâ—stice Ioâ—. 18.38 Quest Ans. What Iustice iâ— Iustice in the fountain Rom. 2. Iustice in the câ—stern Iustice in the conduits Iustice to God Mal. 5.6 Selves Others Gen. 4â— â—1 3 Demand Mercy Exod. 34. â— Psal. 103.8 Psal. 1 6 Mercy in God In Man Prov. 20. â—8 Lam. 3.22 Matth. 18.27 â— Sam. 15.11 Matâ—h 9.36 and 14.14 Deut. 29.11 13 Psal. 130.3 Iames 2.13 3. Humility Luke 17.10 1 Cor. 4.7 1 Per. 1.4 These three considered in their practicks The acts or exercises of three Vertues 1. To do Iustice Rom. 13.4 Luk. 12.14 Deut. 1.17 Exod. 11.25 and 23.3 Psal. 106. Hoseaâ— 11.8 To love Mercy Isa. 28.21 Mercy must be loved Col. 11. 2 Kings 20.31 3. To walk humbly with thy God Psal. 19.4 5. and 61.9 2 Cor. 11.12 Lev 16.41 so whom this Demonstration and demand is made Of Kings and Sâ—â—â—â—aign Magistrates Ier. 22.15 16. Of Counsellors c. Of Magistrates Of Soldiers and men of might Luk. 3 14. Of the most prosperous O Ministersf of the Church Of the glosing Hypocrites Of the whole Nation 4. The manner of Gods Demonstrating Application or Vses Iosh. 7.13 Conclusion