their degree This is that matchlesse villany and that unconceiveable trechery which the Papists had contrived and had not God delivered us blessed be his name he did so but had he not delivered us we may easily conceive what the successe would have beene Oh the lamentable confusion that would have beene in every corner of the land when a mans goods should have beene taken from him and no law to helpe him nay his liberty should have beene deprived of and his bloud should have beene shed and no man to relieve him therefore since this might have beene and since the Lord hath preserved us that it is not so score up this goodnesse and thinke of this kindenesse of the Lord. This is the fruit of Popery and the practise of the Papists Oh that you would loath such savage crueltie worse than hell it selfe Adde hereunto the third thing we must take notice of if any thing more may be conceived to manifest the hainousnesse of the fact the actors of the worke tooke the Sacrament upon it that they might not goe backe from the performance hereof what cursed wretches were these not onely to commit sinne but to make the Lord the Author of it nay to make the Sacrament the scale of the desolation of the Church Could the devill doe more I thinke he could scarce endevour to doe worse this was their policie and it should have beene our misery if the Lord had not delivered us Thus we see the policy their malice and resolution that we are defended from this malice of theirs and succoured from this policie of theirs there is no other reason can be rendered but the Lord is the defender of his people it was by his power that wee were delivered and that we are a Nation this day it was the Lords worke and to him we ought to returne all the praise so much for the first Vse of the Point The second use is this If God Vse 2 be the deliverer of his people Then it is a great ground of confidence to beare up the hearts of poore soules in affliction if God will deliver who can destroy if God will keepe who can hurt thinke of this in the day of triall and in the time of extremitie thinke of this that God never leaves nor forsakes his servants he will say to the South give up and to the North bring backe my servants from farre and my daughters from the end of the earth We that are assembled here if it had taken place many of us had beene scattered and the children that have beene borne since had not now beene here Therefore if the Lord shall shall send desolation upon the Land and wee be scattered one from another yet uphold your hearts and sustaine your soules the Lord will say to the South give up and to the North keepe not backe but bring my servants from farre and my daughters from the end of the earth he will restore those little ones againe and they shall live to praise his Name and magnifie the greatnesse of his power he can deliver against all meanes against all hopes and expectations thinke this against the time of trouble the enemy is very strong and we are weake if you expect any strange extremity intended against us thinke of this against that time though the policie malice and power of the enemy be great and we are weake and feeble yet the Lord is still the deliverer of his servants and behold the salvation of the Lord the Lord hath power enough still and can over-power the power of the enemy the Lord hath wisedome still and can defeate the policy of thy enemy thinke of this and heare for after times The last Vse is an Vse of exhortation Vse 3 Hath the Lord done all for you then you will save me a labour what will you then doe for God againe me thinkes you that are here this day should all come and resolve to consecrate your selves your soules and bodies to give up all unto the Lord it is hee that hath delivered you let him have obedience from you it is he that hath maintained you therefore give up liberally all that he hath bestowed upon you Luke 1 74 75. see the Collection there made He hath delivered us from the feare of our enemies that we should serve him in righteousnesse and holinesse all the dayes of our lives God hath redeemed us from the jawes of hell and the bond of the devill to what purpose that being redeemed from the devill and from our temporall enemies we should live in basenesse and loosenesse and dishonour him as he hath delivered us No but to serve him in holinesse and righteousnesse not in Holinesse onely in regard of the first Table but in Righteousnesse also in regard of the second Table and before him that is in Sinceritie and all the dayes of our life that is in the dayes of grace and prosperitie as also in the dayes of affliction therefore say the Lord hath delivered us in Eightie eight and in the Gunpowder treason to what purpose therefore call upon one another and say our lives our substance and all we have is the Lords therefore let us serve him and glorifie him 1 Sam. 27.28 when Hannah asked a child and the Lord heard her when she had the child shee returnes and marke how she pleads I prayed for the child and the Lord heard me therefore I will give him againe unto the Lord. You Fathers of Israel and Daughters of Sarah men and brethren thinke of it Nay I goe further you little ones that are preserved this day that you live you may thanke the Lord if Eightie eight or the Gunpowder treason had taken place where had you and your fathers been but if children will not or can not yet you mothers teach them and fathers instruct them thinke of it and joyne all in the same resolution doe as Hanna did present all you have about you before the Lord and say these children are thine we begg'd them in Eightie eight and in the Gunpowder treason they are thine by creation they are thine by preservation it is the Lord that hath delivered us from the jawes of the Lyon from the power of malicious enemies therefore now joyne hands and hearts together and say Lord blesse goods and children all we have is thine we consecrate all to thy Majestie had the Papists prevailed had the Powder plot taken ground we had beene defeated but thy power resisted them and thy wisedome defeated them therefore all is thine and wee render all unto thee Thus I charge you give up all unto the Lord he gave all at first he hath preserved all hitherto therefore give up all to the Lord as you have received all from him The second part of the Exhortation is this as we must consecrate all to God that hath given all so secondly here is a point of wisedome Labour to be in league with this God Oh that I could perswade you to tender
here the practise of the wicked In the time of trouble A company of scorners and mockers in their distresse they will crie and call unto the Lord Secondly we have their successe God will not heare them In the former wee have severall particulars to be observed first they sought the Lord and called upon the Lord a company of scornefull wretches and wicked reprobates sought the Lord secondly observe the time when they sought him when their calamities did come like a whirlewinde In the day of trouble then they crie and call and cry unto the Lord the last thing is from the manner of it it was not slightly but they cried unto the Lord and withall the Text saith They sought him early that sheweth their earnestnes and their crying that sheweth their vehemency and yet the successe is this the Lord will not answer they shall not find him In the Verse wee have three points of great use the first is from the time Then shall call The Point is this That scornefull persons in the time of affliction are forced to seeke and to sue unto the Lord. Secondly that when they doe seeke they seeke somewhat vehemently and earnestly the third is this that howsoever they doe thus seeke yet the Lord will not answer The first point is this That scornefull wretches in the time of affliction are forced to seeke unto the Lord They that have neglected prayer formerly when trouble comes and desolation approacheth then they call and seeke for favour In the 78. Psalme Verse 4. This is plaine the children of Israel when the Lord slew them then they sought him so Isaiah 25. The Text saith that in the time of trouble they will visite the Lord In the time of prosperitie the Lord calls for holy duties but then he cannot heare of you you wil not visit him but in the time of trouble then the Lord shall be acquainted with you Experience teacheth this when a man is upon the wracke then hee confesseth his sinnes and then the Lord rends a yrayer from him and then hee confesseth like Pharaoh I have sinned and I and my people are wicked but God is just and righteous 1 Sam. 12.19 When the people of Israel were set a â—…adding after a King Samuel made a marvellous elegant gracious Sermon unto them exhorting them not to forsake the Lord but they say in the eight Chapter Nay but we will have a King as who shold say have you said what you will is your Sermon done why yet we will have a King but but when the Lord thundered from heaven then they cried wee have sinned he is a terrible God wee see now he is an angry God wee observe it now we have sinned pray for us and to the rest of our sinnes we have added this in asking us a King when the Lord sent his judgements upon them then they desired favour and pardon and desireth the Prophet to pray for them The reasons of the Point are two the first is this because nature it selfe is proffessely crosse unto trouble and vexation it is tired therewith and is desirous to be eased thereof and howsoeuer a man be never so unreasonable no counsell takes place in him yet the Word prevailes not with him and God cannot rule yet hee carrieth nature about with him hee is a man still he hath flesh and bloud still therefore when Gall comes to his heart and the Wormewood into his soule Nature it selfe will make him in regard of the horrour that lieth upon him to seeke unto God and endeavour after meanes to ease and refresh him yon know how it is with rebellious children a froward little one however he will heare no counsell not receive any direction from the Parents yet when the rod comes and falls heavily they will downe on their knees and aske forgivenesse and nature forceth this hee feeles the blow and so useth meanes to be eased even nature compells us to seeke for case and call for succour in the time of trouble Nay the beasts though never so sturdy yet the bit in their mouthes and the shackles on their heeles and the whippe on their backe will make them teachable and tractable nature teacheth us this therefore so long as nature is in a man afflictions force the soule being tired with misery for to seeke and call and use meanes to be succoured The second Reason is because all other meanes are helpes in the time of trouble and therefore they are forced to seeke to God because all other comforts faile in the 107 Psal ver 20. the Prophet speakes of those that travell by sea when they are tossed by the waves then they call upon God as who should say so long as any thing would doe it God shall never heare of them but when all helpes and meanes faile then God must helpe or no one can Take a man when outward afflictions ceaze upon him as in the time of death friends may talke to him and companions may mourne for him but all now leave him in the lurch unlesse the Lord helpe they cannot therefore they are forced to repaire to the Lord and to visit him with their prayers so then the argument is this if it be so that nature forceth a man in the time of trouble to seeke for ease and if it be so that all other meanes cannot helpe a man but onely the Lord then no marvell and that in the time of distresse the wicked seeke unto the Lord for comfort This is the first use of the point is it so that scoffers in the day of trouble are forced to seeke unto the Lord then this highly commends the price and worth of Gods ordinance heaing and praying and the like because in the heaviest times at a dead lift when all faile wicked men then selves are forced to take up these ordinances of God take a drunkard or an adulterer on his death-bed then let all the profits in the world bee offered him you see how unprofitable they are it is a vexation to the drunkard to see his campanion nay all the pleasures of the adulterer they are as so much gall to his conscience because he hath delighted in those dalliances Now when all the profits and pleasures in the world are not able to comfort them then send for a Minister that he may pray for me pray for you why I had thought you had not stood in neede of prayer is prayer come into any reckoning with you what is the reason of this why they that scorned prayer formerly now at the day of death and time of affliction then nothing but Ministers and Christians and prayer why the reason is nothing else will hold water and give a man comfort in the day of distresse therefore let us prize those meanes of salvation that will be so powerfull and comfortable when all other meanes faile it is true that wicked men in their mad moods and wicked fits scoffe and are despisers of the ordinances of God
for to be better and then the Saints of God will love and delight in your societie THE CHVRCHES Deliverances IVDGES 10.13 Wherefore I will deliver you no more THese words are the speech of the Lord to the people of Israel From the sixt Verse of the Chapter to the end of the seventh we have the condition of the people of Israel in great distresse discovered together with the dealing of God towards them and their behaviour towards him In the Chapter three things are especially considerable First wee have the children of Israel Apostatizing and declining from the Lord and the sinceritie of his worship In the first part of the Verse Yee have forsaken me and served other Gods Here was the declining of the people of Israel they forsooke the true God and served false gods and as their sinnes were so were their plagues the Lord pursued them with heavie judgements and fierce indignation hainous sinnes are commonly accompanied with great plagues and punishments and that appeareth in the ninth Verse Israel was sore distressed Secondly we have the people of Israel crying and complaining to the Lord in the time of their trouble they that forsake the Lord in the time of prosperity were faine to flie to him in time of adversitie for succour And therefore wee shall see how earnestly they cry unto the Lord in the tenth Verse heavie afflictions breed hearty prayers and earnest supplications their punishment was not so grievous but their prayers were as hot and vehement They cried to the Lord saith the Text. Then lastly wee have the Answer of God in the 12 13 and 14. Verses where the Lord doth relate his good dealings with them and their unkinde dealing towards him I have delivered you saith the Lord out of the hand of such and such enemies he reckons up his former mercies but now he doth deny to shew any more favour toward them because they had abused his former mercies and that is in the words of the Text Wherefore I will deliver you no more as who should say goe now to the gods of Zidon let those Idols save you now let those Images deliver you now but my kindnes was not regarded my mercy was not respected and for my part I will deliver you no more expect no succour from me at all In the generall before wee come to the maine see here the deniall of the Lord to the people of Israel though they sought him and cried unto him The Point is this Those that come unto God in prayer in their sins Doct. they shal be sure to have a deniall of their prayers Psal 66.8 If I regard iniquity in my heart God will not heare my prayer so it was here though they sought God marvellous earnestly and cried in the vehemencie of their spirits yet the Lord stopped his eares and listned not unto them he gives no answer unto their cry hee professeth plainely he will not deliver them he will not succour them The Vse of this Point in generall is this First Vse of Instruction wee may here see the reason why we call and God answers not why wee seeke the Lord and he is not found of us in mercy and compassion why we pray unto him and yet he rejects our persons and stings out our Petitions and is angry with the prayers of his servants The cause is wee bring our sâ—…es with us before God and therefore we cannot receive mercy from God The abomination of our hearts spoile the petitions we powre forth before the Lord that he neither accept them nor sheweth any favour unto 〈…〉 when welcome before the Lord and bring out sin herewith as our pride and our malice and our covetousnesse it is not praying but lying and dissembling and mocking and abusing the great God of heaven as though wee should come before the Lord to aske him leave to sinne and intreate favour of him that wee might commit our sinnes without any disquiet that he would give us a privie seale to sinne these drunken prayers these idle proud prophane prayers and lying prayers the God of heaven will not heare them when they come from a lying dissembling filthy drunken heart thou that bringest such prayers the Lord will not heare the Lord will not accept the Lord will not regard such prayers This is the thing I would have wicked men take notice of that thinke to heale all in the time of distresse with a few large desires and idle wishes they will be proud and loose and opposers of God and his Gospell and yet you thinke God cannot but grant you what you desire if you have but halfe an houres warning to aske pardon no you that live in your sinnes and pray to God in your sinnes you bring judgement upon your selves and plague upon your soules but mercy you shall have none answer you shall not receive in this kinde Prov. 28.9 The prayer of the wicked c. The second Vse is a ground Vse 2 of Exhortation Would you so come to God that you may finde acceptance with him Would you so call that the Lord may heare you when you call then wash your hands in innocencie and so compasse his Altar this is the counsell God gave Esay 1.17 Cease to doe evill learne to doe well and then whatsoever your abhominations be they shall be pardoned whatsoever your miseries be I will ease you Psalm 10.17 18. The Lord prepares the hearts of his people to call upon him a heart mourning for sinne and a heart loosned from sinne when you leave sinne behinde you and send up a prayer from an humble heart and a broken soule then God will heare you and you shall receive an answer from the God of heaven as he seeth you have most neede to carrie you on in a Christian course In the Verse there are three things observeable He saith I will not deliver you goe to your gods let them comfort you for my part I have no comfort no mercy for such as you are those gods you served in prosperity goe to them now for succour in the time of trouble In the Verse it selfe take notice of three things first that God doth deliver his Church for that is presumed I will deliver you no more as who should say I have preserved you and protected you and the like God takes this for granted and they found this by experience Secondly God sometimes denieth succour to his people I have done so but now I will deliver you no more I have no more mercy for you to succour you in the day of trouble Thirdly we have the cause of this Wherefore that is because you have served other gods and departed away from my worship because you will not reforme your wicked wayes I will deliver you no more First for the former God doth deliver his Church The Doctrine is this Doct. The Lord is the deliverer of his Church and people in the time of trouble the Church is in great misery it is confessed
and the Church hath beene delivered it cannot be denied now I must adde the third namely That God is the Author of the deliverance of his Servants Doct. The Scriptures are marvellous pregnant in the proofe of this two or three witnesses will cast the cause Psal 3 last The Prophet David attributeth this as a matter of proprietie to the Lord Salvation belongs unto the Lord it is not to be understood of spirituall redemption onely but also of temporall deliverance in the time of trouble It is that observeable Ier. 14.8 It is as I may so say one of Gods Names whereby hee is knowne to his Church and whereby he shewes himselfe Oh thou the hope of Israel and the Saviour thereof in the time of trouble It is not meant in regard of spirituall redemption still but in regard of temporall deliverance from those troubles that doe betide and those grievances that lie upon and those heavie burthens that presse downe the Church of God and therefore how ever it is true there are many meanes used and many helpes appointed by God for his peoples good yet it is not men it is not the policie of the wise it is not the power of the mightie it is not the fence of the Walls nor the strength of the Castles it is not the number of the Souldiers nor the skill of the army but it is the Lord that is the deliverer of his people as we may see Psal 44 4 Command thâ—n deliverance unto Iacob the Lord hath deliverance at command the Lord can bring keepe and succour as he seeth fit nay it is that which God takes and challengeth to himselfe as that hee will not have any other to share in hee will not have any other part stakes with him in the performance of goodnesse and mercy to his children Deut. 32.39 It is that the Lord takes unto himselfe salvation is mine preservation is mine the issues of life and death are onely in the hand of the Lord the point then is plaine enough we will open the ground of it the which the cause now requires being a remembrance of that miraculous deliverance from the Gunpowder Treason The grounds of the point are foure The first is this God is infinitely wise and onely knowes how to deliver his people men are driven to their wits end many times they see no meanes offered no meanes appointed they can sinde no cause how to succour themselves in the time of distresse but he is an experienced deliverer 2 Pet. 2.9 God knowes how to deliver his when enemies are practising beneath and digging deepe in their devices the Lord sits in heaven and seeth all and laughes at them all their practises he observes them nay the Lord knowes all the purposes policies and engines which the wicked purposes to contrive before they contrive them as when David was in Kâ—ylah hee asked the Lord will Saul come aye saith God and will they deliver mee into his hands they will deliver thee saith God the Lord knew what the men of Keylah intended before they shewed their malice therefore hee makes way for the escape of David Secondly as God onely knowes all the engines and policies and practises of the wicked when they are devised in the depth of the earth as the Psalmist speaketh Let them doe what they will and endeavour what they can never so cunningly and secretly the Lord knowes them But secondly the Lord is onely able and sufficient to deliver his in want of meanes above meanes nay against meanes 2 Chron. 14.11 When Asa was in great extremity when there was five hundred thousand came against him the greatest Army we read of in holy Scriptures and not many more in profane Stories the Text saith Hee cried unto the Lord and said thou canst deliver by many or by few God could save Asa and his Nobles though he had no Army at all for observe it this All-sufficiencie and abilitie of God in delivering his children in time of troubles will discover it selfe in three branches and they are the particulars of this second generall First the Lord provides meanes before any meanes can be Psal 47. the last Verse all the shields of the earth are the Lords all the shields in Spaine Germany and Denmarke and England they are all the Lords all meane before they are have their being from the Lord and Esay 54.16 the Text saith there was no Smith before God created him nor no coales before God made them so that there are no meanes but they came from God Secondly God workes with all meanes before they can worke as there is no meanes unlesse God provide them so the meanes that arâ— can doe nothing unlesse God worke with them Psal 18.34.39 we shall observe it God doth not onely give David armes but hee teacheth his armes to warre he doth not onely give Dâ—vid hands but he teaches his hands to fight he doth not onely give him strength but hee girdeth him with strength to the battell so that all meanes in the world further than God is pleased to goe out with them they are like the withered hand of Ieroboam when the Prophet cried against the Altar Ieroboam stretched out his hand and he would plague the Prophet and he would imprison him but alas his hand withered so all the armies all the plots and policies are like withered hands unlesse the Lord come with them Thirdly it is the Lord that gives successe to all the meanes when they are improved for the deliverance of his Church so that as there is no meanes unlesse the Lord provide them as those meanes can doe nothing unlesse the Lord worke with them so these meanes can obtaine no issue they can compasse no good unlesse the Lord be pleased graciously to breath upon them and give successe unto them therefore when the Midianites thought to have carried all before them and quite to overthrow the people of Israel because they had a mighty army yet the Lord defeated their purpose and turned their swords into their owne bowels Thus we see the ability and sufficiencie of the Lord in delivering his people it is he that gives all meanes it is he that workes with all meanes it is he that gives successe to all meanes In the third place the Lord is marvellous gracious and mercifull and tender over his people as he is every way sufficient for to doe them good so he is marvellous carefull of their good Esay 63.9 in all their afflictions he was afflicted many a man hath power and wisedome and all he knowes how to helpe another yet he wants a heart he wants pitty and compassion whereby hee may lend succour to those that stand in neede thereof but it is not so with God but in all the afflictions of his people he is afflicted with them in all troubles he is in trouble with them in all banishment he is in banishment with them Fourthly as the Lord is mercifull and loving and free and tender-hearted
toward his people as ready to helpe them as they are ready to call upon him so lastly the Lord is marvelous watchfull to doe that which he is able and willing to doe we know what the Text saith Psal 121.4 Hee that keepeth Israel neither slumbers nor sleepes Nay he is exceeding zealous for Israel That is the phrase of the Prophet Let us summe up the Point then and see the issue of all and the case will be marvelous cleare If it be so that God onely knowes how to deliver his people if he be able to doe what he knowes if he be mercifull to doe what hee is able and if he be watchfull to doe what he is willing then God must needs be the deliverer of his Church We come now to the use of the Point and so we will proceede to the next It is great pitty that we should so behave our selves that this God should not succour us but say He will deliver us no more but let us make use of the Point in hand And the Vse we are to make is this Is it so Vse that the Lord is the Author of all the deliverance and succour of his servants 1. Then it must teach us a point of wisedome namely to whom we must give the praise of all our marvelous deliverance and preservation wee have enjoyed to whom it is wee ought to render all the glory of our protection and safetie that hath beene continued for the space of above sixtie yeares to this Kinâ—dome Doe as the Prophet David doth The Lord is the Author of all let the Lord have the honour of all Give unto the Lord the honour due unto his Name The Prophet David doth distraine as it were he is violent with the hearts of men and he labours to wrest praise and honour from men Give unto the Lord the honour and the glory due unto his name the truth is we must not sacrifice to our owne nets that is we must not praise our owne power and say it is our power that hath accomplished it and our wisedome that hath effected it no it is not our shipping it is not our power or courage or meanes that have done it Therefore let us doe as the Prophet David doth in the 44. Psalme It was not my Bow that did succour me it was the Lord that hath delivered me and relieved me and his be the praise for ever and if all people should doe this and ought to doe this then I had almost said nay why may I not say so why should wee not doe it more than all the world besides for whence comes it whence is it that the Lord hath had an eye unto mee above all the rest when the fire of Gods fury hath flamed and consumed all the country round about us Bohemia and the Palatinate and Denmarke when the fire hath thus burnt up all yet this little Cottage this little England this Spanne of ground that this should not be searched nay when the sword hath ruinated and overcome all the other parts of Christendome where the name of the Lord Iesus is professed we sit under our Vines and Figtrees there is no complaining in our streets our wives are not husbandlesse our children are not fatherlesse marke the reason and ground of all is nothing else but Gods mercy towards us and above all here is seene the abundant goodnesse of the Lord notwithstanding our unthankefulnesse and carelesnesse we yet continue to be a nation there is no other reason to be given of this but Gods love will have it so when as in other Countries here one is banished from his house another from his country that we are here this day to call upon the Name of the Lord this is evidence enough that it is the Lord that delivers England and shall the Lord doe this and shall not wee acknowledge it shall not we observe it and remember it for ever shall not wee score up the kindnesse of the Lord and set up pillars of his preservation and records of his mercy to our soules for ever and above all other deliverances that in 88. was a great deliverance but we specially record that upon the fifth of November this wee record unto all posteritie and let us but cast our thoughts upon the malice of our enemies and then it cannot but be confessed that the Lord hath delivered us it is the Lords owne worke and this shall appeare if we compare the practise of the wicked and the deliverance of the Lord together agreeably three things in the former may be observed three things in the latter may be considered and doth shew that God onely delivered if we looke to the enemies of Gods grace and Gospell three things will make it appeare that none but the devill could devise that plot and if on the other side wee consider the succour and deliverance the Lord did lend it will appeare that none but the Lord could deliver us and succour and relieve us Let us consider three things in the Gunpowder plot First observe their policie secondly their malice thirdly their stoutnesse whereby it will appeare that they intended the whole ruine not onely of us but of the Gospell they thought to have carried the matter so cunningly that it should never have beene spied nay so fiercely that it should never have beene recovered first for the former behold in the forefront the depth of their policie the place that is marvellous fit the conveiance marvellous easie the pretence marvellous unsuspected for they have a seller it is in the earth and hard by the water that they may convey things thither and what can be alleadged better than barrells of beere for a seller and therefore no man questioned or imagined that there was any matter of treason intended against the State Secondly as their policie was great so the rage of these sinfull persons was beyond measure hellish for murther is so unnaturall that the earth groanes under it and the Sunne blushes to behold a murtherer but to stay a Magistrate the Law of Nations and Civilitie loathes it but to lay hands upon the anointed of the Lord Reason and Religion and the law of all Nations condemnes it to the pit of hell It was not the bloud of a subject they did intend to spill nor of a Magistrate that they did desire to take nor yet the bloud of the King they sought for but when the best of the Cominaltie and Gentrie of the Land were assembled the choisest of the Nobles and the Councell the King himself the highest of all degrees and the choisest of all estates when King Queene and Nobles were there assembled for the glory of God and to enact good lawes for this Common wealth now these in that place in one houre in one instant should all have beene miserably blowne up and torne in peeces so they should not have beene found or being found should not have beene knowne that they might be buried according to
your owne comfort If you heard the enemies were landed you would runne a hurry and say how shall we be saved and delivered what course shall we take and whether shall wee goe Now learne a point of wisedome and labour now to be in league with that God that is the deliverer in the time of trouble make God on your side and then all will goe well with you deliverance is not in men it is not in power it is not in policie it is not in shipping it is onely of the Lord in whom you may have it and froÌ„ whom you may receive it perswade your hearts therefore to be in league with this God and to joyne sides with the Lord that in the time of trouble he may plucke you out of the paw of the Lyon that he may turne the heart of the enemie towards you if he should come God grant he may never come but in the meane time we shall doe well to provide against the day of triall and misery which is like to approach unto us I say no more but conclude this Point with that Joshua 9. as the Gibeonites dealt with Ioshua so deale with God at the 11. and 12. Verses when the Gibeonites heard whaâ— Ioshua had done that he had subdued all enemies and slame all Kings that came against him and gotten a great victory what course tooke they they laboured to make peace with Ioshua they saw he was comming against them and that the Lord had given him exceeding strange victories Now the Gibeonites come to Ioshua in Gigall and tell him we are men of a farre country and wee have heard all that the Lord hath done for you in Egypt and what he hath done to Sihon King of Heshbon and Og King of Bashan wherefore our Elders said goe and meete them and say we are thy servants make a league with us They heard how God had destroyed Pharaoh and his hoast that came against his children and how hee delivered divers Kings into their hands therefore now they seeke to get favour with Ioshua We are thy servants now therefore make a league with us Let this be your course have you not heard of the greatnesse of God who succoured you in Eightie eight and who was it that made good his promises unto us in all extremities It was the God of Israel the Lord did all this doe as the Gibeonites did therefore humble your soules and seeke to him and say we are thy servants onely make a league with us make peace with us a league defensive and a league offensive that the Lord may deliver us and stand by us that the Lord may be at peace with us that in the day of trouble we may receive comfort and grace from him so much for that Point But this is that which cuts our hearts and damps a mans endeavours and makes his heart breake almost aye but what if God will not deliver and make a league with us a shame it is and a sorrow it should be that ever we should so behave our selves towards this God that he that hath delivered us should give us a flat den all and say goe to your Cups you that are drunkards and to your whores you that are adulterers those are you gods let them now deliver you I will deliver you and save you no more Remember the time was I have heard you and delivered you but you turned my grace into wantonnesse Therefore I will deliver you no more This will be a heavie doome if God thus answer us I come therefore to the second Point The estate of Gods Church may be Doct. 2 such that he may lend no further succour and deliverance unto it It is that which God doth here professe peremptorily I will deliver you no more you have not acknowledged what I have done heretofore nor walked worthy of it therefore I will now stay my hand and deliver you no more The Point is cleare The estate of Gods Church may be such that he will send them no further succour and reliefe Luke 21.22 It is observeable when the day of Ierusalem came on and when desolation should come upon it the Lord calls them the dayes of vengeance as who should say the Lord hath a fit season appointed wherein hee will punish his Church and people and when the time is come those are the set and determinate dayes of vengeance and the seasons of plagues and punishments which the Lord which is the God of all seasons will observe The Wiseman saith there is a season for every thing A time to plant and a time to lacke up a season to doe good to a Nation and a season to overthrow a Naâ—ion Râ—v 14 15. There is a harvest of vengance when a people is ripe to ruine put in thy sickle for the harvest is ripe the harvest is nothing else but the desolation of a people and the sickle is nothing else but the ruine of a people so that there is a kinde of ripenesse and fitnesse for desolation wherein the Lord will execute judgement upon his people hence it is that the Lord saith he is weary with bearing nay the patience of God is even put to a stand Ier. 5.7 How shall I spare thee for this as who should say God was put to a stay as I may speake with reverence he was put to plea with himselfe he knew not how to preserve his owne honour and save them as who should say my long suffering will indure it but my faithfulnesse will not indure it my anger burnes out against you I have spared you often I will spare you no more Esay 1.24 there the Ministers of his patience are at an end I will ease me of my adversaries and avenge me of mine enemie as if I had said I have borne with you so long that I have beene pressed as a Cart is pressed under sheaves at last I will turne you off I will ease me of my adversaries and avenge me of my enemies therefore Ezeck 14.14 there are three passages to be observed when the Lord seeth the time of destruction comming on and determined the Text saith If Daniel Noah and Iob were among them they should deliver none but their owne soules you know if any thing will prevaile with the Lord it is Prayer the prayer of the faithfull Noah Daniel and Iob were eminent in prayer yet the prayers of the best deliver not sometimes nay if they should joyne all together for that is observeable if they were in it as in a draught when a Cart is at a plunge one or two horses cannot pull it out but if there come two or three horses more stout and strong they will plucke it out or teare all in peeces but if these three should joyne all together their prayers and desires for a people the Lord saith As I live I will not save them the Lord takes an oath of it now whatsoever the Lord sweares to it is undoubtedly accomplished that
shewes immutabilitie of the decree other threatnings may be dispensed withall but as I live saith the Lord though they all pray and joyne together yet they shall not deliver this Nation from punishment so then the case is cleare you see there is a day of vengeance a ripenesse of a people unto ruine the Lord will beare no longer nay he will ease himselfe and all the meanes under heaven cannot prevaile with him they continuing in their estate but now the maine thing comes on when is this time what is this estate when the Lord wil not deliver any more how shall we know it when may we feare it how shall we judge of this condition of a people when it is thus with them Give me leave first to discover it in generall and then descend to particulars the case in the generall is marvellous the time when and what the condition is when the Lord will not deliver Gen. 15.16 this is evidently set forth The Text saith of Abraham that the fourth generation that should come of Abraham shold come into the land of Canaan but why should they not come now because saith the Text the sinnes of the Amorites are not yet full and perfectly ripe this is the reason why Abraham and his posterity shall not take possession of the land of Canaan for the present intimating that if the sinne of the Amorites had beene now full the Lord would have brought his people into Canaan and destroyed the Amorites they should not have continued but because they were not yet ripe therefore the Lord doth still beare with them so then when the sinne of a Nation comes to full ripenesse and perfection then the truth is the Lord will save and deliver no more now the ripenesse of an estate and condition will appeare in two things as it is in other things in fruit and in the body of a man wee say a child is come to full growth when two things befall him when he hath attained his full bignesse and when he is come to be full of strength we say then he is as good a man as ever hee will be so it is in the nature of sinne when sinne is come to the full bignesse and strength and power it is the deadly symptome of desolation and confusion of a Nation where such kinde of sinnes are therefore marke it this is the cause generally to be observed and concluded Now I come to the particulars and here I must stay a little because the point lieth here and I must shew two things first when sinne is come to the full bignesse and when it is come to the full strength and ripenesse and when these two are proved the Case will be cleare when a destruction of a people is determined of God and will be effected by God these things belong to every soule of you if you have not hearts of Christians about you but even of humanitie as you are men that belong to the same Country and live in the same Nation these things belong unto you therefore attend thereunto And first I will open the first thing and shew you when sinne is come to the full bignesse and that it may be discovered by two things The first is this when sinne is growne universall and common and generall so that corruption is as it were crept into every corner and coast of the Nation nay it accompanieth every sort and condition of men in every place in every village and towne I must confesse that amongst a world of people some there will be that will keepe their garments unspotted and themselves undefiled from the courses of the wicked but this is not the meaning of the point but sinne is said to be generall when the face of a Church and a Common-wealth is over-spread with base abominations though some particulars be preserved and some few keepe themselves unspotted there with what is that to the maine what is a handfull to the multitude what is one family to a towne or one in a family or one streete in a citie When sinne overwhelmes the whole face and course of the Church when for the generall almost all sorts and conditions of men depart from the Lord Gen. 6.23 this we shall observe is the very note that hastens desolation and discovers the bignesse of sinne All flesh had corrupted their wayes and God saw that the earth was full of violence behold here is universall injustice prophanenesse and contempt of God and his ordinances all flesh had corrupted their wayes all kindes of men great ones poore ones honourable ones base ones all in all places and conditions they all runne in the streame of ungodlinesse therefore marke in the 6. Verse the Text saith It grieved the Lord at the heart that he had made man God was inwardly vexed with his people and then hee begins to make an end a Deluge of sinne and a Deludge of destruction a sloud of wickednesse overflowed the old world therefore the waters drowned the old world Looke as it is with a Garden if all the good fruite and herbes be spoiled onely here and there a roote of an herbe but all the rest is like a wildernesse then it is time to digge up the ground so when wickednesse in a Land is growne like a wildernesse drunkennes and swearing like a wildernesse here and there is a Saint of God and a poore soule that walkes in sincerity but for the common the generall sort deny the power of godlinesse when it is come to this passe this is the time for desolation and ruine goe to and fro through the streetes of Ierusalem and see if there be any that doth righteousnesse it was a strange desolation of righteousnesse as if the Lord had said goe from towne to towne and see if there be any Magistrate abiding or any Churchwardens abiding and marke he goeth to the poore and they know not the judgements of the Lord then he goeth to the rich and they know it but they breake all bonds Now marke what the Lord answereth Therefore a Lyon out of the forrest shall slay them and a Wolfe of the evening shall devoure them because rich and poore and all were backesliders the Lord beset them with plagues with Lyons and Beares and Wolves that is ravenous enemies shall rend and teare them in peeces and none shall deliver As it is in a man if all the bloud spirits be infected if the substantial parts the head the heart the liver be consuming and rotting there must follow a totall ruine of the whole man because there is an universall kinde of corruption Looke as it is in the building of an house when the maine pillars begin to rot the supporters of the house moulder away there is no supporting of it but it must be made new or else it will fall down as it is in the body naturall so also in the body politique as in the house so in the estate when there is a kinde of
amended the Lord will knocke them to peeces and consume them And when we shall see the streets runne with the bloud of drunkards and loose persons then you will say had the hand of the Lord wrought upon us it would not now have beene thus with us Isai 9.13 the Lord smote the people and they returned not therefore what saith the Lord he will plague and make an utter ruine of them because they would not humble themselves before the Lord nor seeke to him nor make their peace with him the Lord hath seven plagues more and he will welter you in your bloud and plucke your cursed abhominations from your bosomes then you will say God is just and terrible and had wee beene reformed by former punishments wee had not hence under this fierce rodde which we now feele The second signe of the strength of sinne is this when the Lord sends peace and plentie and prosperitie and these blessings of God doe not perswade men to love him so much the more and use them so much the better but they fall in love with the gift and forâ—ake the giver you make your honour and ease and pleasure you make them gods and depart from the Lord which is the giver of all then it is just with the Lord to plucke away that ease and honour and preferment that you dote upon and are addicted to that in the want of these you may learne to prize the Gospel and learne to esteeme of the Lord Christ and his grace above all these contents the world can afford now unlesse the Lord should be accessary to the dishonour of his owne name what would you have the Lord to doe would you have him give you peace and prosperitie to neglect the peace of a good conscience by this meanes God should be as it were the author of his owne dishonour no no thinke of it I feare it will be true if the Lord should take away our ease and liberty that we have made Idols off then you shall say if you had prized God and Gospel more than ease and liberty you might have had these and God and Gospel too Deut. 28.48 this is that which will one day sticke heavie upon your hearts for your soules sake thinke of it and remember it if the Lord should send the enemy upon us and lay hardnesse over us and wee should be made vassals unto the tyranny of wicked men this will sticke to your hearts had I served the Lord in plenty and such a time when I enjoyed the meanes of salvation then it had beene well with me but I was loose and profared the Lords day and therefore it is just now I serve the enemie upon the Lords day I am made a drudge and a vassall and a slave to the malice of the wicked It is just with God and righteous with the Lord you would not serve God when time was you would not heare the Word when time was God will provide a course for you you shall have service enough and God will hold you to it you shall serve cruell and bloud-thirsty enemies to the shame of your faces here and to the ruine of you and yours hereafter for ever 2 Chron. 36.21 then shall the land rest one Sabbath saith the Text marke this among the Iewes the Lord appointed every seventh yeare to be a Sabbath that the Saints should rest there should be no plowing nor sowing and all creatures should rest now they were so covetous that they would plucke commonly out of the earth the seventh yeare well saith the Lord you will not let the land rest you shall be led captive and then the land shall rest on her Sabboth it is just that God should plucke away these benefits to the confusion of our face for ever when we abuse them Looke as it is with a wife if she should have a servant in the house which shee loves more than her husband what course must be taken hee must fling him out of the house and away with him so when wee should love God and prize his glory and truth I yet we will love the world and profit and ease and quiet and peace and liberty and we wil do nothing that may hazard these it is righteous with the Lord to cashere those commodities and plucke away the adulterous lover of wealth and honour and ease that he may make a way himselfe in your soules that he may rule in you and take possession of you The third meanes is this when corrections reforme not and the blessings of God perswade not men then the Lord vouchsafeth to send his Word among his people and that should supply the want of all other meanes and should be more powerfull than any other in the world besides so that howsoever the covetous Carle dotes upon his wealth the Word should loosen his mind from it and reveale the vanitie of it however corrections humble not yet the Word is able to breake the soule and worke the soule to an humble subjection the Word is the power of God to salvation which is able to crush all corruptions and subdue all sinnes but sinne is come to this height that the Word is unfruitfull and unprofitable then sinne is desperately strong and wee are then come to the last and worst estate that can be it is more than wee are aware of and more than commonly wee consider of we know not what we doe when our hearts continue in resisting the Word of the Lord 2 Chron. 36.16 It is a deadly signe of desolation of any people When the liberty of Ierusalem was at the last gaspe giving up the Ghost and there was but an inch between them and desolation marke what the Text saith they mocked his Prophets and despised his Messengers till the wrath of the Lord arose and there was no remedy here was the ground this was the maine thing that the sinne eates the estate in sunder and pulled downe the pillars of the common wealth of Iudea you would thinke was it so much to despise the Word of a Minister Ah saith the Text the wrath of the Lord arose and there was no remedy as if hee had said the Lord is able to beare much at the hands of ungodly men and me thinkes the Lord saith I could have endured your drunkennesse and endured your profanesse had you but submitted to my Word those corruptions might have beene subdued but not onely to practise ungodlinesse but to refuse the word that should subdue those corruptions when the Lord saw this his wrath arose and there was no remedy God can endure much though a man have many corruptions in him though many sinnes have beene committed by him if the soule be yet content to heare and tremble at Gods Ordinances but when a man is not content to commit sinne onely but he will oppose Gods Word then the Lord like the Lyon of the tribe of Iudah can hold no longer then the wrath of the Lord arose and there
was no remedy but he would lay waste the Land when wee spill the physicke that should cure us and cast away the salve that should heale us how can we be helped and cured this is the ground and reason of those many phrases we have in Scripture Why the Lord is said to extend his providence over a people in vouchsafing the Gospell Mat. 23. the later end it is a well knowne place wee will open it a little and apply it to our purpose because it is pregnant the Text saith O Ierusalem Ierusalem how often would I have gathered thee under my wings by the preaching of the Gospell and revealing of their sinnes he would have gathered their hearts unto him and would have cast the wing of his providence over a people as they are willing to submit to the Gospell but Ierusalem would not hee sent his Prophets to reveale his will they stoned them therefore saith the Text Your habitation is left unto you desolute that is the issue they would not have the Word reforme them therefore they shall have the Sword to plague them Luke 19.44 the case is evident the Lord discovers the besiedging and the sacking of Ierusalem there shall not a stone be left upon a stone because thou knowest not the time of thy visitation as who should say the Lord came to visite Ierusalem with mercy to comfort her with pardon to cheere her to shew her her sins humble her soule but she regarded not this kindnes of the Lord therefore there is a siege about her and that is very heavie and take notice of it The Lord is specially angry with a Nation for the breach of his Covenant and neglect of his worship the Lord doth hate it and is carried with great violence towards those people that worship God falsely 1 King 13. the two last Verses the Text saith He made of the lowest of the people Priests as who should say he made a company of drunkards and belly-Gods Ministers and is that such a great matter Yes that one sin turned to the utter ruine of the house of Ieroboam to roote him out Fourthly if this will not doe the deede but men will resist the meanes that God puts into their hands then fourthly this is an other evidence that sinne groweth strong when there wants a competent number of mourners in a land which might uphold it and joyne sides against sinne and Satan and maintaine the good of a kingdome in despight of the wicked in a kingdome this is one of the last succours of supplies a kingdome hath how ever wicked men will not be perswaded and humbled yet if there be a competent number if there be so many as will make an army of fasting and prayer to grapple with God they may prevaile with God for mercy for a kingdome there is hope though the most be naught yet the better side will prevaile but when the flouds of iniquitie slow in amaine so that the best of Gods people are taken aside with the streame of corruption and beginne to grow carelesse and not to oppose the sinnes of the times this is a sore argument that there is almost no remedie for such a Nation no meanes to beate backe the indignation of the Lord Gen. 19 when Sodom could not save it selfe ten righteous persons would have saved it though they wold have pulled Gods indignation upon them yet a competent number often men would have stayed the indignation and gone betweene the living and the dead so were there a proportionable number of mourners in a Land though there be a company of mocke-gods that would pull downe the indignation of God upon them yet a company of godly gracious men might strive with the Lord and uphold their libertie but when corruptions are growne so strong that good men are defiled and their hearts tainted and their mouthes stopped woe to that kingdome and people Looke as it is with the sea-coast when the bankes are such that they can beare out the waves be the sea never so boysterous there is hope of safetie but if the sea breake all before it there is no hope to stoppe it so it is in this case the bankes that beare out the indignation of the Lord are righteous holy men they stay the hand of God and stop the floud of Gods vengeance that they doe not breake in and overflow all but if the banke be gone if a convenient company of godly men be taken away then there is no hope of mercy but the sea of Gods indignation will flow in amaine upon that place The fifth and last meanes to uphold liberty and safetie of a Nation is this when men begin to be sensible of misery when they have eyes to see the plague and hearts affected with the sinnes committed and with the judgements deserved when they observe what will befall they will use some meanes that it may not befall but when a people grow senselesse and benummed and secure in a base practise and ungodly course that they observe not the evills committed nor take notice of the judgements of God deserved but lie in a carelesse secure condition there is no expectation in reason how such a Nation should prevent the wrath of the Almighty when they see not what shall befall have no care to prevent what may befall 1 Thess 5.3 There is a warning shot before the Cannon shot there is a watch word before destruction commeth when they crie peace then commeth destruction when they quiet themselves in their owne courses when they are not onely wicked but secure in their wickednesse then comes suddaine destruction I conclude with that Matth. 24.39 As it was in the dayes of Noah there the Lord as it were smites men with Plagues answerable to their sinnes they were carelesse and secure in the dayes of Noah and then came suddaine destruction so it will be now as in the dayes of Noah when Noah was knocking the Arke every naile hee drave was a Sermon Repent you carnall and unjust oppressors the flood is comming and desolation approaching but they knew nothing that is they feared no such matter Let Nâ—ah say what he will what a flood come and destroy all the world it will not be it cannot be they knew nothing before the slood came so then the issue is this when sinne is growne universall when men are shamelesse in the commission thereof and out-bid all meanes of reformation the corrections of the Lord humble not the mercies of the Lord perswade not the word reformes not nay when the righteous are perished from the earth and the bankes are broken downe when there is not a competent number of mourners to withstand the wrath of the Lord nay when men are sencelesse and secure all men commit sinne and feare not the wrath of God for sin then sinne comes to bee of a Giant-like strength and bignes Wee will now make use of the point the case is cleare when sinne outbids all meanes
phrase I will doe what I can Lord and doe thou what I cannot but however it is take it away from my soule The Point is this A good heart is in good earnest content to part with any corruption What David did a good man must doe the ground is the same and the worke of grace is the same a good heart is in good earnest content to part with any corruption he doth not put off God with good words and thinke to satisfie God with faire speeches but it is seriously and sadly and in good earnest content to part with any corruption Hee doth not say Lord take away some stile out of the way or take away some logge or impediment in the way of sinning I would not be disparaged and disgraced and troubled in sinning no Lord take away the way of sinning that I may never walke in that way more this was the guise of the soule of the holy man and it is so with every holy man and Hos 14.2 and it was so with the converted Church when their hearts were humbled and they came to seeke the Lord they say take away from us all our iniquitie and receive us graciously they doe not halfe it with God and patch it and peece-meale it but oh take away all iniquitie even the greatest and the least and the dearest take away all Lord not onely the open and the knowne but the secret and the hidden Lord take away all iniquitie and receive us graciously In the old Law the burnt offering was all to be burnt so is it with a sound heart when it offers a whole burnt offering to the Lord of sinne leave not a haire or a hoofe behind but let all be consumed and all over-mastered and subdued so Psal 119.133 Let not any iniquitie have dominion over thy servant markē the generalitie there is none exempted none reserved there is no reservation not one Lord Let no sinne have dominion over me A good heart will not deale with sinne as the people of Israel dealt with the Cananites the Lord commanded them to drive out the Cananites and leave none there but they for their owne profit would not destroy them utterly but made them tributaries but a sound haart will not thus deale with sinne he would have it utterly removed it is a base thing that a man should retribute from his sinnes he will not banish all malice but he will take tribute of malice that hee may vexe those he hath some secret spleene against but this is the course every man should take up we should banish all sinne every Cananite every corruption and not onely not suffer it to dwell with us but not to be among us therefore looke what Haman did against Mordecay hee was not content to kill Mordecay alone but hee hated the whole Nation of the Iewes therefore hee would be at the charge to dispatch the whole nation let but the King send out his decree and hee would be at the charge for the destroying of the Iewes this shewes the malice of the man so it might be with our malice against sinne a man must not onely hate a base beggerly corruption a poore Mordecay that will not profit but the whole nation of corruption abandon that God hath given out his warrant against every corruption therefore be thou at the charge to execute it and set thy selfe against the whole nation of rebellion of heart and distemper of spirit this ought to be the guise and frame of the soule I have done with the proofe of the Point we come now to open the Point when I say the good heart is content to part with any corruption this parting of sinne and the soule appeare in two particulars First hee labours and strives and endeavours to doe what he can himselfe secondly he goes to God to doe that he is not able first for the former the endeavour and strife of a sinner for the parting of his sinne and his soule it appeares in foure particulars in all which we may fully perceive that in the soule of a gracious man there is this resolution to make a breach betweene his soule and his distempers first a sound heart is ready to take the least notice of any thing that is unlawfull it hearkens to any information that may discover any thing to be sinnefull in any measure after any manner this is one argument that the soule is resolved to part with any sinne because it is marvellous ready to heare any thing against sinne that it might part there from a man that doth seriously desire to remove another out of his possession the course whereby hee doth expresse his affection is this he is ready to heare any report and hearken to any relation by any man after any manner that will beare an action against the party and hee will not onely heare it but record it and make his advantage of it that he may remove the man if it be possible out of his possession so it is with a gracious heart when the soule of a faithfull Saint of God is weary of his inmate of the sinfull body of death that hangs about him and would dispossesse it and reforme it were it in his power not onely the dominion of it but the presence of it in his heart any longer hee is ready to hearken to the least information from any occasion from any speech from any action of the meanest Saint of God that appeares in his course and conversation whereby he make it questionable such a course is sinnefull and such a practice unlawful he is very carefull to attend lay his heart levill thereunto nay if his enemy out of malice and spleene and envie shall cast any thing upon him as a matter unlawfull it mill make his heart shake within him and he beginnes to consider I never thought such a course unlawfull and such a practise unwarrantable I see such a man dares not doe it if it be a sinne why should not I reforme it as well as another and if it be not a sinne why should he abridge himselfe of that liberty which is lawfull and the soule will never be quieted till it get sound information what is lawfull and may be performed and what is unlawfull and ought to be avoided this is an argument that hee is willing to part with his corruptions because hee is willing to know what is evill that hee may avoid it Iob 6.24 Teach thou me and I will hold my tongue cause mee to understand wherein I have erred He doth not quarrell with the man that counsells him or wrangle with the man that adviseth him but teach thou me and I will hold my tongue I know not I perceive not but cause me to know informe soundly reprove mee throughly wherein I have done amisse Nay Iob 34.32 it is a sine passage What I know not teach thou me if I have done amisse I will doe so no more he is willing to heare any thing
base corruptions I meane the prophane carnall wicked of the world they are so farre from being content to have their sinnes taken away that they are not willing to heare of it they are not willing that the Minister should meddle with them or that any man should touch them or come neare them nay there is no power outwardly that can prevaile no abilitie in any meanes that is able to teare these distempers away from their soules and plucke the cup from the drunkard or the dalliance from the adulterer or a fashion from the fashion-monger they are up in armes presently nay observe it men must beware it they meddle with these things they will take away mens credit and liberty and life many times rather then they will suffer their corruptions to bee remooved and their soules humbled by the power of the Word Iohn must rather lose his head then Herod his incestuous adultery Nay the league of these men with their lusts it is everlasting Ier. 18.12 when the Prophet came early and late speaking to the people this is the good and ancient way walk in it mark how they answer we will walke in our owne wayes and as they resolved so they did Ier. 8.5 the Text saith when the Prophet came to speake to them and informe them of their wicked wayes and plucke away their corruptions they tooke hold upon their deceits the phrase is strange this is all the quarrell in the world betweene the Minister and the hearts of the people we come to plucke away your sinnes wee would pull downe your proud heart and subdue your cursed distempers and you take hold of your lusts you take hold of pride and will continue proud still you take hold of malice and you will be malicious still in despight of God and Ministers and counsels and directions and what ever comes to the contrary looke as the Philistims dealt with the Arke so these prophane carnall hearts deale with the Word of the Lord when it comes to take away their distempers 1 Sam 4.9 when the people of Israel brought the Arke into the Campe they began to be amazed and said there was never such a thing before therefore say they strengthen your hand O yee Philistims and quit your selves that yee be not servants to the Hebrewes The Arke was a type of Christ now if they would have beene ruled by Christ and have received him they might have beene blessed by Christ but all is gone when the arke comes to take away their sinnes therefore they joyne hand in hand and strengthen themselves against him so it is with a naughty and carnall heart when they see the word of God close that the ministery of the Gospel is keene and pierceth when a man shall not hover in the generall that a man may bee a Christian and prophane a swearing lying prophane Christian but the word will pluck away every corruption and master every lust when they finde the ministery thus strong and the Word thus keene and the worke of Gods Spirit thus mighty they arme themselves and say Play the men O yee Philâ—stines they bend head and hand and heart together looke either to master the power of the Word or to lay downe the power of your corruptions therefore take heede of the nice precise curious course that the word reveales and the ministers would presse upon you The resolution of these men is that of Ruth and Naomi they say to their sinnes as they did nothing but death shall part us the contentious man will part with his estate before hee will part with his brangling so the ambitious man will be content that God shall take away his Word and Spirit but shall not take away his vaine glory you will not part with your sinnes untill death why you shall live in your sinnes here and you shall bee damned for ever for your sinne wee have now done with the carnall Gospeller and prophane person Wee will now trade in the second place with the indulgent hypocrite I use this terme because it fits the passage of the point in hand and he is cashered and cast out as not sharing in as not partaking of the least dramme of uprightnesse of heart this indulgent hypocrite I compare to a fond cockering father that never loves to have his child out of his sight but if hee die hee will die with him almost So this hypocrite hee is not willing to see an everlasting divorce betweene sinne and his soule he hath some secret haunt of heart and distemper of spirit and hee will leave them now and then a little but hee will not part wholly with them the soule of the hypocrite is hankering after those secret distempers of spirit and though sometimes the Word doth overpower him and the worke of conscience doth make him not dare to live with his sinnes yea hee will meete with his sinnes as occasion serves and they will mainetaine their old league and friendship in this case as it is with a cockering father when sometimes the friends perswade him and necessitie forceth him and hee seeth hee must put out his child to schoole or else hee will be spoiled loath he is to have him goe out of sight but goe hee must therefore goe he shall but his conclusion is this hee will see him once a quarter or every good time or looke as it is with servants in a family that intend marriage before the master be acquainted with it though the master turne one of them out of the house that they doe not dwell together yet they will meete one another and conferre with one another as occasion serves So it is with this indulgent hypocrite he is very tender over his old ancient darling distempers privie pride and secret selfe-love and carnall confidence and earthly mindednesse he is not able to part wholy with these but if reason force him and conscience presse him and he must part with his profit if he be covetous then with a sad heart hee parts with his base profit away you must I must couzen no more and ease away you must I must suffer for the cause of Christ but though he puts them from under his wings thus for the present yet he will not have them goe farre but he must heare of them and see them at some seasons so the Tradesman he hath his fingers knockt off from base dealings and false weights and measures but when the faire comes and advantage comes hee will send for couzening againe so hee that prizeth his liberty more than the Gospell and truth and he that prizeth his honour more than Gods honor yet saith he must abandon all and forsake al if dangers approach and miseries are at hand then he can send for securirie and shift for himselfe and by base dealing maintaine his owne quiet this I take to be the indulgent hypocrite and mee thinkes it is like Pharaohs dealing when Pharaoh was battered with the hand of God and the
of all the Ordinances of God that they can never worke upon the heart wonder not then though they cause a man to breake all the commandements of God since the Word of God works not nor cannot for these three causes First either it keepes a man from comming under the meanes and therefore shall never receive good thereby loose company loade all holy courses with such scandalous reproaches that they scare poore sinfull creatures from undergoing of them 2 Nay further it is the policie of all loose persons they will appoint their meetings when they may hinder men most from the meanes that may doe them good and this is the reason that of all the dayes in the weeke they chuse the Lords day and of all the houres in the day the Sermon or Prayer time is theÌ„ houre wherein they meete And if he be resolved to attend upon the meanes they then fore-stall the market and make him have a slight account of preaching what neede wee all this preaching let him preach till his heart ake who is the better for his preaching so then if the poore soule doth come the soule heare and cares not if he cares he attends not if he attends hee regards not if any thing touch him he casts it off as if it did not concerne him Thirdly loose persons if it be so that any thing doe remaine upon the heart if the Lord comes home and affrights his soule and discover his sinne and writes bitter things against him and the soule promiseth resolves to turne unto the Lord and to leave all never to returne O then what a doe is there with this cursed rabble to pecke out the good seed of the Word which is sowne in the heart they will never leave plucking haling of the poore soule til they have made him cast away the blessed truth it is with cursed ones in this case as it is with the ravenous bird Math. 13. Hence it is that it they see one hang the wing a little and goe aside they thinke the Minister hath wounded him and they imagine hee will withdraw himselfe from their company therefore they make after the soule overcome and thus they set upon him why is it how comes it what is the reason what is the cause that thou art thus disquieted what art a mad man to be troubled thus at the words of a Minister I would never doe it while I lived what would I care what all the Ministers in the world should say they must say something now let not this trouble thee and thus they plucke the soule from under the power of the meanes and haply the seede of the Word that the Lord then sowed will never sow it againe may be it was the last time of asking had he then withdrawne himselfe from the societie that seede might have taken roote and he might have beene blessed for ever but the ravenous companions stole it away thus then we see wicked companions keepes a man from comming to the Word if he doth come they forestall the power of the Word if the Word doth prevaile they plucke the seede of the Word out of the soule that it can doe their soules no good that keepe company with the wicked 3 Parti Your cursed companions will never leave a poore sinner till they mould him even according to their owne mind untill they bring him to their owne bent and frame therefore note thou that keepest company with wicked ungodly persons they will leaven thee according to their owne frame and they will leave thee the very same lusts and corruptions this is the cause of a finall and totall destruction of a world of people There is this kind of priviledge in ungodly company keepers that there is a kinde of army of corruptions they are the devills army and they fight the devills battels therefore the soule is beset round with them Were a man to fight against another man there were some hope of resistance or if there were two against one there were some hope of esâ—ape if hee could not oppose them yet hee might slie from them but if hee be among an army there is no way to escape so it is with those that keepe wicked company thou art beset with an army perhaps profanenesse hit thee not their hypocrisie haply hypocrisie doth not their loosenesse haply loosnesse doth not then envy or some other distemper Imagine you see a man in the midst of an army of Archers happly though one hit him not yet one of twentie if one of twentie hit him not one of a hundred may if one of a hundred may not one of a thousand may one or other will hit him he cannot avoide it all ungodly courses all wicked speeches councells perswasions are but like so many arrowes and thou that art in the midst of wicked persons thou art in the midst of an army one or other will hit thee thy conscience will be wounded thy soule ruinated by this meanes This I observe by my experience wicked men will never leave till others be worse than themselves they are like the foggy aire in the Fenns if a man live in the place it will be sure to arrest him it is called the Fenne Bailiffe and will never leave till it hath turned the humour of his body into the same nature with it selfe and then hee may live there and have his health well enough so it is with a company of filthy foggy drunkards and adulterers company-keepers they will never leave thee till they arrest thee with base courses til they have moulded thee with their frame then thou maist enjoy their society here wiâ—h them and goe downe to hell hereafter Mat. 23 15. So it is generally in this case he that before company-keeping was somewhat tender and shamefast he would blush to be seene in an Alehouse in base courses but after he hath bin a while with them they make him twofold the child of the devill now hee hath a whores forehead and his brow is of brasse and his necke of iron sinewes and dares be drunke at noone daye c. the reason is hee is perfectly new moulded Instruction Vse 1 to the wicked themselves you must not be displeased with the Saints of God in that they judge meanely of you and estrange themselves from you But Object you will say what care I what the Saints of God say and doe doe you thinke I care for their company let them keep what company they will I can keepe as good as they O take heede of this if the Saints of God say depart from me yee wicked what will then the God of all Saints if the gracious Saints will not abide thee here will the God of all Grace abide thee in heaven hereafter no no the fearefull sentence will passe upon you at the great day of account Depart from me ye cursed therefore labour to be senceable of this and so be humbled and abased for this and labour
rottennesse in the body and estates when the head is sicke and the heart heavie When the children gather stickes and the father kindles a fire and the mother bakes cakes to the Queene of heaven this is when young and old and all conspire together in wickednesse the Lord sendeth fire from heaven none shall quench it Ier. 7.18 they all were busie to performe idolatrous worship father and mother children and all and saith the Lord Doe they provoke me to anger not themselves to the confusion of their owne faces so it is when the husband and the wife and children and all sweare when the father and mother hates holinesse the Lord will send fire from heaven and none shall quench it iniquitie swells and groweth bigge in such a case Secondly the bignesse of sin is discovered when with the commonnesse of sinne there is opennesse joyned when sinne growes open and shamelesse when the practisers thereof become bold and base in their abhominable practises Looke as it is with a graft when it is little it cannot be perceived the hedge or pale may hide it but when it is growne it overtops the pale and wall and every man may perceive it for when sinne is committed onely by a few when it is confined into a Cottage or into an House then it is not so open to the view but when all sorts are given to it the sinne comes to have a whores forhead and a brasen face sinners are more bold to oppose governors that are in place to punish it then they are to execute the law upon them drunkennesse was wont to be a rare thing as one spake drunkennesse was for Beggers but now it is for Gentlemen and Knights this shewes that now sinne is open and shamelesse and therefore that it is come to its full bignesse and therefore wee may justly expect desolation But in the next place you will say how shall wee know when sin is come to the full strength I answer looke as it is grace so it is in sinne when a man can undergoe all trials and beare up himselfe against all temptations and doubtings when hee can either recover himselfe being falne or else keepe himselfe this is an undoubted signe of a perfect and strong Christian so it is in the nature of sinne in the body of sinne in this old man of corruption when a sinner is come to this passe that he is able by the power of his corruptions to withstand all the meanes of reclaiming and reformation when hee is not bettered by them nor cannot be wrought upon by the power of them then hee is a strong wicked man hee is one of the else sonnes of Satan hee is one of the generalls of the field in the campe of the devill when all the helpes that God hath appointed and all the meanes that God hath ordained for the subduing of base corruptions yet if the sinnes that are in a family or towne or Nation if the streame and tide of them beare downe all before them the worke of the Magistracie and Ministery and meanes appointed then it is a signe that sinne is come to the full strength and that ruine and desolation shall befall that person or family or towne or nation when sinne is come to that perfection as it is in the body of a man when a Gangrene is spread so farre that nothing can stoppe it no physicke can remove it it presageth the certaine ruine of that man that member must be cut off or else the body will perish so when sinne is growne so remedilesse that all the meanes which God hath ordained for the purging out of the same will not prevaile then it is a signe that sinne is come to the full strength and that such a nation or person is fit for ruine But you will say wherein doth this strength of sin appeare in the opposing the means of reformation I answer it appeares in five particulars The first is this when a Nation or People doth not profit by all the corrections that God layes upon them when the rodde and blowes wherewith God hath exercised them have not proper and powerfull effects in the hearts of those that have beene beaten mightily by the hand of God when the corrections of the Lord humble not a People and reforme not a Nation purge not the corruptions and subdue not their distempers nor make them come home to him that smote them this argues the strength of corruption when the fiercest indignation of the Lord is not able to crush a proud drunkard howsoever the Lord hath sent many plagues into this country and into this towne here one is dying and there another is taken away by the destroying Angell of the Lord yet is not his drunkennesse any whit abated that man will be as drunke and proud and as scorning and as contemning of God his ordinances as ever Thinke of it the God of heaven will require it one day at your hands when men will not be bettered by Gods corrections hee will breake them in peeces this is the course that God takes with them Levit. 26.24 the Famine hath beene threatned the plague inflicted and the Sword is comming when your husbands went to racke then you were howling and crying if the Sword come to plucke away the child out of the mothers armes then there will be howling and taking notice of the abomination that harbours among you if all the former judgements doe it not hee will send the Sword and there are seven plagues in a Sword hee hath a quarrell against all profane persons that hate godlinesse God will be revenged upon the heads and hearts of them in that day when hee sendeth to visite them Looke as it is with a Goldsmith if he have a vessell or any peece in that nature that is all battered or broken together or if there be a cracke in it that all the scowring and hammering of it will not bring it out then hee will melt it so when the canker of a base heart this cankar of pride and covetousnesse when these eate into the hearts of a company of sinfull creatures hee hammers them hee sends plagues and sicknesses but if all this will not doe it then hee will melt them and destroy their cursed generation and raise a new building that will walke with more care and conscience and be subject with more uprightnesse to take his yoke upon them and if the Lord should not proceed after this manner God could not maintaine his owne glory and Iustice if a company of wretches might scoffe at the corrections of the Lord and count them as matters of nothing they will brave the Almighty let God doe what he can wee will be profane and carnall and unjust let God plague us wee will be more vicious than God can be angry with us and execute plagues upon us when it is thus with wicked men the Lord will make them feele his fingers and they that will not be
of reformation then men are ripe for desolation wee will first raise a ground of instruction and then make way for an use of examination and learne this point of instruction that this of all plagues under heaven is one of the heaviest of all judgements it is the sorest that a wicked man should prosper and thrive in his ungodly courses that hee should bee able to breake through the net and come off clearely whatsoever comes to the countrary he hath what hee will and doth what hee please and no word reformes him no meanes hinder him thinke of this when the Lord pulls up the stake and gives him the reine and lets him goe post-haste and hurry headlong downe to destruction that is the onely way to pull the soule of a sinner into the bottomlesse pit It is said Hosea 2. that when the Lord doth please to bring any of his people home this is Gods speciall care in the sixt Verse the Lord prickes his fingers and stops him and makes a hedge about a covetous deceitfull wretch that he cannot breake through but hee hath now a knocke of conscience now a judgement of God now a terrour of the Almighty This is the onely way to bring a soule home to God then shee will say I will returne unto my first husband but this is one of the heaviest judgements and sorest plagues that can befall a sinfull creature that the Lord should pull downe the hedge and breake open the wall and let them runne ryot take thy course and follow thy vanities I will hinder thee no more till I have thee in hell and then thou shalt be plagued for all together Ier. 12.3 it is a fine phrase when Jeremie was perplexed with the prosperity of the wicked he was marvelously troubled because of the excellency of ungodly men at last hee quits himselfe with this they were as Sheepe fatted for the slaughter What will become of you that have all meanes of reformation the Lords mercies and Ministers and judgements have striven with you what will become of you when such a creature comes to hell the divell will make bonefires of him but they shall make holy day in hell their plagues shall be nothing to theirs that have had all meanes and resisted all meanes of grace and salvation the divells will rejoyce to meete a drunkard in hell and say what art thou come to hell after all meanes vouchsafed and all helpes bestowed the divells will make bonefires and stand on tip-toes and crow over such persons What you that enjoyed the meanes of grace and salvation what you come to hell too all the whole route of them will outbrave such an opposer of God and his ordinances hee shall bee a head blocke in hell I will conclude the point and say no more if there be any such here present as there is too many that can bragge of their loose courses and glory of their villanie I drunke him under the table no counsell shall prevaile with him no meanes shall take place in him dost boast of thy villanie in this kinde dost glory because thou thrivest in thy wickednesse woe woe to thy soule thou art ready for the slaughter and the Lord shall bring thee downe into everlasting destruction know it God hath sayd when the harvest is ripe he will put in the Sickle and thou that art ripe shalt bee sure of desolation Looke as it is with a sicke man when meate cannot nourish him when phisicke workes not and Phisitians are at a stand and all leave him then wee say hee is but a dead man the Phisitians have left him thinke of it the Lord of heaven comes to visit thee thy sicke soule is like the sicke man many mercies he powreth into thy soule to humble thee many judgements to eate out thy proud flesh he comes to launce thee on one side and binde thee upon the other side but if all these will doe thee no good it is a fearefull symptome nay it is certaine there was never any man so sure to dye when all meanes left him as thy soule shall bee damned when all meanes prevaile not The second use is a use of examination Is this true then when sinne growes ripe then the Lord will not succour and relieve any more then wee may have a shrowd guesse and gather a soare argument of the ruine and desolation of any person towne or countrey when a Nation is as it were giving up the ghost and drawing on to everlasting destruction the former doctrine will be a mervelous helpe and great succour unto us for direction in this caâ—e The Phisitians one part of their skill is this they call it a foretelling signe whereby they have a soare guesse when the body is dying and nature growing on to dissolution when they see such and such signes in a man they say he is dying why the truth saith the Text saith and the Scriptures professe it where ever there is a full encrease a full strength of sinne an universall kind of incorrigiblenesse in a sinfull course it is a deadly signe that that state kingdome or person is breathing out his last and drawing to desolation as neare as may be THE DECEITFVLnesse of sinne PSAL. 119.29 Remove from me the way of lying and grant mee thy Law gratiously TO presse on to the words and not to make any long Preface either with the commendation of this booke of Psalmes in generall or this Psalme in particular onely thus much Interpreters observe this Psalme as a Diamond among Pearles or as the Gold among other mettalls or as Saul higher then his brethren there is a kinde of excellencie which Interpreters conceive to bee in this Psalme partly in regard of the largenesse of the matter partly in regard of the spirit and life and strength that appeareth in every line therein Not to trouble you with these tinglings which come onely to the care but are not sappy to nourish and affect the heart onely a little consider that the Lord by the Penman of this Psalme doth strive after a spirituall kinde of exquisitnesse dividing it into 22. Parts according to the Hebrew Alphabet and every part having two verses beginning with the same Letter Secondly it is observeable that among 176. verses there is not above one or two but mentioneth the Law of God either Law or Precepts or Commandements or Word or Statutes Testimonies or the like as if the Prophet David had bestowed himselfe wholly and had beene eaten up with the Law of God The ayme of the Text is to discover the great desire that the holy Psalmist hath and expresseth to God for the removall of the body of sinne that was upon him and for the supply of that grace he stood in neede of and craved at the hands of the Lord and the two parts of David prayer are the two parts of the Text the first is the evill that hee would have removed from him first take from mee the way of lying
not adultery a man may pot it a little though he be not drunke oh deale kindly with drunkennesse and deale kindly with wantonnes these are the guises of wretched hypocrites whereas I beseech you observe it a gracious heart is like that spoken of Deut. 13.8 the Lord gave this charge If thy brother the sonne of thy mother or thy sonne or the sonne of thy daughter or the wife of thy bosome or thy friend which is as thine owne soule shall entice thee secretly let us goe serve other gods thou shalt not spare him this is the frame of a gracious heart indeede and of a sound heart indeede that is content to have his corruptions though never so deare removed from him that will not pitty his sinne that will shew no mercie to pride no mercie to earthlimindednesse but will slay them this is sound dealing indeede Wee see then all this while that this man hides his sinne and will not be knowne of it and when he knowes it he will not kill it but put in bayle and when hee doth proceede against it hee will not slay it but onely snibbe it a little this is a rotten naughtie heart it is not content to part with his sinnes which is the frame of every good heart Now in the second place it is a word of exhortation you see the way walke in it you see what God requires doe what you know you see what a sincere heart will doe therefore call and knocke at one anothers doore is my heart good you beare in hand so this will trie it a good heart is content to part with any corruption art thou so say it is so aske thy heart am I content to part with the world and idlenesse and pride are you content to pray in your family and reforme your servants then you have sincere hearts goe your wayes and goe comfortably goe cheerefully and the God of heaven goe with you if there be a Saint in heaven thou art one heare upon earth if there be a sound heart in heaven thou hast a sound heart here though thou art weake and feeble but doe it to purpose now doe not pretend faire and fall short halfe in Egypt and halfe out of Egypt body out of Egypt and heart in Egypt but take away all and then the worke is sincere profit might perswade you to this doe not trouble your selves to thinke if I leave all my sinfull courses what will become of my comfort and honour and contentment Why you shall not lose these but onely alter these and change them for better what profit is it to be proud and dogged and waward and snarling at Gods truth What profit is got by covetousnesse and cheating all these profits and pleasures and contentments are but shadowes and lying vanitie there is woe in all thy wealth and poyson in all thy prosperity and the best are but temporary and mutable insufficient but part with these and have eternall joy and everlasting comfort and durable riches doe but change therefore it is not the leaving of these but the laying out of these a man will doe much for a good purchase he that hath a faire bargaine and a great penny worth though hee hath so me old gold hee is loath to part withall yet if for so many hundreds as hee layes downe shall have so many hundreds a yeare he will art with his old gold for such a purchase so you shall not lose your profit and pleasure and contentment but lay them out for a greater fold He that leaves father or mother or friends for my sake shall have a hundred fold heres and everlasting happinesse here after the purchase is propounded therefore bring out your old gold those old pleasures those old contentments and delights in the world bring all out and lay all downe before Christ and part with all for Christ and you shall receive comfort here and everlasting happinesse hereafter but if profit cannot prevaile with you yet let danger force you hereunto know therefore there is danger in the neglect thereof if you would not have God take away your sinnes the truth is God will take away his mercy from you and God will take away his grace and spirit from you you shall never have it upon these termes is there any man such a babe in nature that hee will not part with the wound that will kill him is there any man so foolish that hee will not take that physicke which should purge him when he knowes it will recover him Take notice of it one of these two things you must take either part with thy sinne or part with happinesse either suffer God to take away thy sinnes or else he will take away his mercy Psal 53. Thou art a God that lovest not wickednesse if you will have sinne dwell in your soules God will never dwell with you nor you shall never dwell with him if you will harbour and hold your sinnes you must hold your shame too you will not part with your sinnes you must part with heaven for there is no comming there for you with your sinnes Heavie afflictions breeds earnest prayers from the wicked PROV 1. 28 29. Then shall they call upon me but I will not answer they shall seeke me early but they shall not finde me FOr the coherence of these words know thus much from the 20. verse to the end wee shall take notice of two things mainely intended by the Spirit of God First the kind loving and passionate invitation of wisedome to simple sinfull scornefull wretches this we shall observe from the 20. verse to the 23. there wisedome cryeth earnestly and uttereth her voyce in the streets that is shee presseth in with a kind of violence to win and woe the soules of sinners that at last they may know the things belonging to their peace The second is the issue and successe that the voyce of wisedome found in the hearts of those to whom shee spake and the successe is double the first is the contempt of scorners against the call of wisedome they stop their eares and harden their hearts and will not submit to Christ and bee ruled by him and that in the 24. and 25. verses the second issue is in the words of the Text they rejected God God rejected thē they cast his call behind their backes and therefore hee casteth off them Then shall they call saith the Text but I will not heare they that rejected mercie offered shall not obtaine mercie sought and desired this is the scope of the words Then shall they call that is in the time of trouble and in the day of distresse then they will call for mercy and comfort No saith the Lord time was I offered mercie but then mercie was not worth the receiving I called and you would not obey therefore call you shall and seeke you shall but I will never answer you you shall never finde me In the words observe two passages First wee have
and what needs this praying and this Bible carrying and sanctification of Sabboths and seeking of God this is in a drunken moode but when they come to their wits againe in the day of death and time of trouble they admire then 〈◊〉 such holy courses and they will seeke such godly courses when trouble comes then nothing but prayer and good duties then hee sets a high price and commendation upon these courses see them therefore and love them because they will bee in account when the day of distresse comes Secondly doe afflictions many times force a scorner to seeke unto God then take notice of the fearefull stubbornenesse of such kinds of spirits that all afflictions and plagues doe not provoke their soules to be humbled and to seeke for that favour of God which they stand in neede of goe thou therefore that art such a one and reason thus with thy selfe good Lord what a wretched knotty sturdy heart have I how many judgements hath God sent upon the nation how many upon my particular how many upon my family and yet this soule is not humbled and inlarged to seeke unto the Lord and call upon his name as the divels almost would doe what a vile unreasonable distemper is this one judgement after another and one plague after another did cause Pharaoh to confesse his sinnes the Lord did wrest it out of him nay the divels beleeve and tremble Iam. 2.19 Good Lord I beseech you thinke of it what a hard hearted Pharaoh confesse his sinnes and what doe the devills beleeve and tremble at the wrath of God why then what a hard heart hast thou that the Lord flasheth hell fire in thy face and sendeth plague after plague and yet never touched and humbled all wrests not one prayer from thee In the third place it is a ground to teach us thus much never place much confidence in those prayers that are wrung out of a man by force of affliction the Lord plucks it out of thee whether thou wilt or no he will make the stoutest hearts to come in scorners reprobates they pray the Lord makes them cry and howle and call daily upon him and yet all this while nature forceth them therefore trust not thou to forced prayer in the day of distresse that which is commonly most forced is commonly most false and therefore shall finde little acceptance it was a speech of a good man that the repentance of a dying man it is commonly a great feare of a dying repentance so I say when a man lives wickedly all his life time and then thinkes that a few lazie wishes in the time of trouble will serve the turne take heed hypocrites doe thus and scorners doe thus and yet are never heard but rejected the Lord hee loves prayer and holy duties in the dayes of peace and when a prayer comes out of love to God and love to the duty there is some comfort in this but little comfort can I or any Minister give you in the time of sickenesse if you never used to seeke to God in the time of health for you seeke onely when you are forced thereunto The next point is this that the seeking of scorners is somewhat earnest and vehement but we will come to the third which is this scornefull men wicked men they may seeke God earnestly they may call upon him vehemently and yet never bee heard never receive any mercy or acceptance from him Luk. 13 24. Strive to enter in at the straight gate for many shall strive to enter but shall not be able it is not any mans power to be able to enter no no many shall seeke this but shall not be able Adde to this John 8.21 It is the heavie doome of Christ upon the Scribes and Pharisees yee shall seeke me saith he but shall die in your sinnes as who should say I offered you grace you refused it I come home to you you entertaine me not the time will come when I will lay anguish on your hearts and horrour on your soules and then you shall seeke me but shall not find me but shall die in your sinnes you will have your sinnes I cannot remove them you will not suffer me to take place with you the truth is you shall die in your sinnes take your proud hearts and goe downe to hell with them take them and perish with them I goe to my father to heaven but you shall never come there Our Saviour saith the time shall come that you shall seeke me and shall not finde me but die in your sinnes but you will say if they may seeke call and yet not finde how comes this to passe is not seeking the way to finding is not calling the way to receiving hath not God said if you aske any thing in my sonnes name you shall receive it I say as the Apostle Iames in another case You aske and have not saith he because you aske amisse so I say to you yee seeke and finde not because you seeke amisse Though they call with violence and seeke with vehemencie yet it is not suiteable to Gods rule and that is the reason they doe not prosper now the reasons why their seeking doe not speede are three first they seeke unseasonably when the Lord happily hath taken away the meanes of salvation when the time is past and the opportunitie is over when God hath taken away the meanes as also the blessings upon the meanes in the 25. of Matthew the five foolish Virgins went for oyle and when the time was past and the doore was shut then they knocke at heaven gates open to us but the doore was shut they that stood upon the watch and attended the Lords comming they entered into the bride Chamber Esay 55.6 Seeke the Lord while he may be found that is while the meanes of grace are continued while Wisedome is crying and the Lord Iesus is holding out his golden Scepter of mercie and salvation Now is the day of salvation now is the time accepted who knoweth whether the Lord will cover the heavens and take away the light of the Gospell and make us wander in darkenesse Rockes and Wildernesses if desolation should come wee must be driven from our houses and habitations here one man alone there one woman alone and there a child crying and the third dying then we shall observe what opportunities wee have had and neglected the Lord was neare to us in the use of the meanes but now the time is past the Gospell and opportunities are gone he that seekes unseasonably may sinke downe and never enjoy meanes and helpes and the blessing of God upon them Revel 2.21 God gave Iesabel a day of repentance but shee repented not therefore hee would cast her into a bed of sorrow she loved bedding and ease and pleasure and delight and shee had a time of repentance but shee would not take it therefore because shee loved bedding shee shall have enough shee shall have a bed of sorrow and
anguish that is the first ground that seeke unseasonably secondly they seek upon a false ground it is not out of hatred of sin that they seeke for mercy but out of horror of conscience it is not out of loathsomnesse of corruption but by reason of the burthensomnesse that lieth upon their hearts it is not for holinesse they labour but for quiet ease and contentednesse that they might not be troubled and vexed Psal 78.36 The Text saith those that did seeke the Lord when hee plagued them dissembled in their hearts they pretended to seeke the Lord and worship the Lord but they did not seeke the Lord but their owne ease and dissembled fearefully and abused the Lords mercy and patience that he had vouchsafed unto them looke as it is with the dogge hee doth not cast up his vomit because he loathes it but hee is weary of it hee loves it still therefore lickes it up again presently he did not cast it up out of loathsomnesse of it but because it did trouble his stomacke so it is with a carnall hypocrite in the horrour of heart and anguish of spirit it is not for love of holinesse but of quiet that he renteth himselfe and saith I have hated Gods people profaned the Sabboth and committed adultery secretly he would vomit and confesse his sinnes and crave mercie not because hee loaths his sinne but he loathes anguish and horrour of heart and when that is taken away he falls to his vomit and base practice Thirdly they seeke to a false end hee doth not seeke grace for a Christs sake and Christ for the love of a Christ to have union with him but hee seekes grace not to have have sinne removed but to have a kind of safenesse in his sinne a wretch in the desperate anguish of spirit seekes unto a Saviour as to a Surgeon not that hee may remove sinne but that he may be the more quiet in sinne hee would have Christ pardon sinne that hee may commit sinne with quietnesse not to have him take away his corruptions and convert his soule but to heale the wound and to take away the bitternesse of sorrow Esay 58 34. A company of wicked wretches seemed to seeke the Lord by fasting but they did not seeke the Lord but their owne lusts they fasted that they might continue in their base courses with more quietnesse without destraction or suspition as a malefactor after hee is attached and condemned hee will seeke a pardon and sue for it not that hee might become better afterwards but for quiet and libertie that hee may not be hanged so a cunning chapman is content to attend and pray that he may couzen and cheate by fasting and praying so much the more so then gather up the Point if they seeke out of season out of false grounds and to a wrong end no marvell then though they call earnestly and seeke vehemently and yet God answers not nor is found of them according to their desires The first Vse is for terrour Is it so that a man may seeke earnestly and yet never obtaine mercy then this is able to shake and sinke a company of soules of carnall wretches Oh the lamentable condition of a company of poore creatures that live in the bosome of the Church and therefore it falls sore upon those creatures that make a scoffe at praying and hearing all ignorant and deluded persons that know not how to pray and seeke to the Lord for grace and mercie me thinkes the former truth were sufficient to dash all the carnall hope that can creepe into the minde of such creatures therefore take notice of the desperate condition wherein they lie Reason thus Is it so that those that seeke the Lord shall never finde him then what shall become of me that never cried at all nay that loath prayer and reject the use of Gods ordinances and dispise the meanes of grace and salvation whereby I must seeke and obtaine mercy if ever I have it if they that doe seeke attaine not then I that never seeke my condition is desperately lamentable fearefully irrecoverable why Why my heart riseth at such persons I have tanted this praying and mocked this fasting good Lord what shall become of my soule desperate is my condition and fearefull is my estate the Lord be mercifull unto me I am gone for ever I grace will the Lord vouchsafe grace to me doe I count of mercy and pardon for my sinnes no let me set my heart at ease those dayes are gone I mercie no I have loathed and scorned mercie the day will come when the Lord will say you have hated mercy therefore you shall be condemned and never partake thereof nay what will become of a companie of carnall wretches that set themselves with desperate indignation to hinder and crush and oppose the improvement of all holy meanes if there be any servant in their family that riseth early to pray to the Lord if there be any child that is godly and a wife that lookes towards Sion there is an uproare in the family the master he flieth about and saith I cannot maintaine my family by poaring on a booke how then dost thou get thy living if not by praying and reading thou gottest thy living but a curse with it if thou get without these meanes thou mayst get wealth but God will curse thee with it and thou shalt goe downe to hell and thy wealth with thee why reason thus with your selves I cannot so much as buy cattle but I must seeke in the Fayres I cannot provide foode for my family but I must goe to the market and what a wretched heart have I that thinke to get mercy and grace and salvation and yet he in my base lusts and never stirre a foote to seeke the Lord and call upon his name how is my judgement blinded and my soule couzened â—hinke of it if those that offered faire for mercy and grace by many prayers and desires and endeavours if they in the meane time fell short and never came to heaven what will become of mee that never looke after the things of grace and salvation surely if the Lord be in heaven I shall never come there The last use is this you will say what shall we doe if seeking will not get it at the hands of the Lord then wee had as good cast away all and doe nothing as get nothing by what wee doe therefore the last use is a word of exhortation wee are to be intreated in the name of the Lord Iesus to doe not onely what these seekers doe but goe further and doe more This is no argument because they obtaine not mercy by seeking therefore wee should not seeke therefore seeke after another manner so seeke and pray that you may finde benefit thereby and comfort therein unto your soules in the 13. of Luke 24. this is the use Christ makes many shall seeke to enter in and shall not be able what shall wee therefore cast care
away no therefore strive you to enter seeke after another manner then they doe that so thou mayst obtaine that which they shall never obtaine many deale in this case as Gentlewomen at a Sermon if they may have a seat at their ease they will sit downe and heare but if they must crowd for it then they returne and get no good so many seeke but they strive not with their seeking they are not able to crowd thorough all occasions and take up armes against the distempers of their soules that so they may obtaine that mercy they stand in neede of But you will say if earnestnesse and vehemency will not doe the deede what then will doe the deede the rules therefore for our direction in seeking are three first labour to seeke seasonably while the day of grace lasts and the Sunne shines take the season and goe on cheerefully and arrive at the end of your hopes call upon the Lord while hee may bee found it was the direction God gave to Ierusalem and the mone he makes for her neglect therefore Luk 19.41 O that thou hadst knowne in this thy day c. hee ceaseth praying and falls to weeping he had preached often and prayed often but nothing would prevaile hee falls a weeping over it O that thou hadst knowne at least in this thy day the things that belong to thy peace as who should say now this is thy day now the word is brought home unto thee now my Disciples are preaching and the Sonne of man himselfe is come to wooe you Oh that thou hadst knowne in this thy day the things that c. but they are hidden from thine eyes take notice every man hath a day and a season which is the harvest of salvation doe you not take notice of this that at some Sermon God opens the eye and prickes the conscience and sometimes lovingly perswades a man and the soule is yeelding and walking after the Lord the soule melts lovingly under the hand of God this is thy day take heede how thou neglectest it and as thou goest home intreat the Lord to make profitable that which thou hast heard and say this is my day I am now in the fire Lord melt me I am now under the power of thy ordinance make it effectuall to my soule and take notice of it if the spirit of God call and you regard it not and let all goe and all commodities are plucked up and gone you may come and call and cry but it is too late that Spirit which thou hast resisted shall never worke more thanke thy selfe the day is gone now they are hidden from thine eyes the day is over and therefore thou maiest crie Oh for a Minister oh for a Sabboth no no if all the Angells in heaven should speake and all the Ministers on earth should preach themselves hoarse thou wouldest not be affected therewith therefore take the season and the golden opportunitie of grace and when Christ comes to your soules entertaine him if Christ knocks open the doore if hee awaken thy conscience doe not snubbe it labour now to see thy sinne that thou mayest finde mercy at the hand of the Lord. Secondly as wee must seeke seasonably so wee must seeke with our whole heart now the whole heart makes knowne it selfe in two particulars the first is this when all the good things of this world be they what they will be cannot withdraw us from Christ this is one part of the whole heart when profits and pleasures of this world stand in competition and opposition betweene God and our duty to cast off all and say whether I have honour and libertie or no I care not so I have God my God I will have this is a happy seeking away therefore with that lazie heart I thinke it should be so and ought to be so and it is good sanctifying the Sabbath and praying it is mervellous reasonable I ought to doe it but if I doe it ease and honour will be gone and disgrace will be cast upon mee thou now seekest thy ease and honour and the Lord of heaven will curse thee and thy seeking but if thou diddest seeke with thy whole heart thou wouldest goe thorough the worke and say what regard friends and honours let ease and friends looke to themselves let friends bee displeased I had rather friends should be displeased then God it is not necessary to be rich or honorable but it is necessary to finde mercy and to have sinnes pardoned Secondly as no good thing must withdraw us from God so no misery must be a stoppe to let us from comming to the Lord but we must breake through all miseries that lie betweene God and us this is that Saint Paul resolved Acts 20.24 as who should say come what can come though heaven and earth meete together I am resolved to doe what God requires hee that seekes God with his whole heart if hee were to runne thorough hell he would runne thorough it to goe to God now away with that dawbing and hagling with the Lord O saith the poore soule I confesse the course is honorable God requires it and I should doe it but if I doe it trouble and persecution will befall me what shall become of me and mine will you have my wife and children undone if thou thus seeke the Lord thy seeking is accursed thou dost not seeke with thy whole heart they that seeke with their whole heart are like a mayd that sets her affections strong upon a man happily her friends will be reasoning about the portion and there is a cavill on the one side and an objection on the other povertie on one side and maintenance on the other side but if the woman love the man for the mans sake shee will say let me have him though I beg and die with him so it is with the soule of a poore Christian that seeke Christ with his whole heart when Christ and grace and duty bee propounded and the match offered and Christ tendered to the soule and the Lord saith I will bee thy Saviour and Redeemer but thou must looke for disgrace and misery and persecution but there is a better life a comming now if you stand for a portion with Christ that you must have ease and quiet and will not have misery and prison with Christ then you are never like to make a match but he that loves Christ for Christs sake the soule saith let the Lord Iesus be a Saviour to mee though I beg and die and never enjoy good day it is enough my soule shall bee saved if I should rot in prison and bee banished into the utmost coasts of the earth yet let mee have my Saviour let him take possession of me let his Spirit rule me whatsoever come of it this is to seeke God with our whole heart and now you are like to finde him Thirdly you must seeke the Lord constantly you must persevere in the use of all meanes looke as it is with a man that is resolved to finde another and not to leave seeking till hee hath found him he goeth first to his house he is not there he was gone to such a place an houre before well hee pursues him thither hee is not there but is gone to the Market hee followes him thither when hee comes thither hee is gone home againe well then backe againe hee goes to his house and never leaves hunting and pursuing of him till he findes him so it is with a soule that truly and constantly seekes after the Lord hee is to be found in his ordinances haply thou commest to the Word and findest him not here the Word saith hee went from hence to fasting and prayer then thou findest him not there neither then thou goest from fasting and prayer to holy conference then hee is not to be found there but is gone to the publike ordinance in the Congregation then thither thou goest and wilt not be content till thou findest him but goest backward and forward from the Word to prayer and fasting from them to conference from thence to the Word againe this to seeke the Lord constantly and hee that thus seekes is like to obtaine Psalme 122.1 The Prophet David saith Hee will waite untill the Lord sheweth mercy let this be thy resolution seeke unto God till he doe worke effectually upon thy heart thou hast fasted and prayed yet God hath not heard why fast and pray still untill hee supply what is wanting and pardon what is amisse thus never leave endeavouring and doing untill the Lord sheweth mercie unto thy soule and give the assurance of the pardon of thy sinnes thus seeke the Lord seasonably thus seeke thee Lord with all thy heart thus seeke him constantly thus seeke him with your whole heart and hee will be found of you in mercie and compassion FINIS