rules 1. Take due and diligent notice of such matters as are worthy to be remembred even at the first while they are in working Great workes at their first doing most affect mens hearts and mollifie the same Thus will they be like new Wax which is soft and sit to receive a deep impression Now we know that the print of a Seale being at first deeply set in lasteth the longer To work such deep impressions in mens hearts holy men of God were wont to use patheticall insinuations before remarkeable matters as Moses Deut. 32.1 2 c. Give eare O ye heavens and I will speake And heare O earth the words of my mouth My doctrine shall drop as the raine my speech shall distill as the dew as the small raine upon the tender herbe and as the showres upon the grasse c. Christ himselfe before his excellent Parables premised this Preface Hearken Behold Mark 4.3 to worke upon both the learned senses and at the end thereof he addeth this Exhortation If any man have eares let him heare together with this Caveat Take heed what you heare Mark 4.23 24. or as it is expressed Luke 8.18 Take heed how you heare The Prophets were wont to call upon senselesse Creatures to heare what they said and that with much emphasis as Jer. 22.29 O earth earth earth heare the Word of the Lord the more to rouse up sensible and reasonable men seriously to consider what was spoken Pertinent to this purpose is this charge of the Apostle Heb. 2.1 We ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard lest at any time we should let them slip or let them runne out as leaking vessels 2. Often meditate on that which once you conceive to be an usefull truth Frequent meditation addes much to a fast retention of that which is judged to be usefull Meditation is that oyle which keepeth the lamp of memory from wasting and going out David who made the best use of the Law that ever any did meditated thereon day and night 3. Oft declare to others what thou desirest to retaine in thine owne memory They who use to instruct others in what they know themselves doe not easily forget it For thereby they make the deeper impressions thereof in their owne memory This is the reason that Schoole-masters so well retaine the Grammar rules and sentences of Orators and Poets because they oft inculcate them upon their Schollars The Psalmist therefore adviseth men to talke of Gods wondrous works Psal. 105.2 4. So oft as thou offerest up unto God a sacrifice of praise make mention of the foresaid remarkeable matters yea and in thy prayers plead them before God for strengthning thy faith in desiring the like Men use to be most sincere and serious in their holy devotions And those things which are most sincerely and seriously pondered will best be remembred 5. Make use of such Records and Chronicles as register Gods great workes Have recourse to these againe and againe Thus not only things knowne will be retained but also things forgotten will be againe called to minde Ahasuerus by reading the Records of his owne Kingdome was put in minde of Mordecai's fidelity and of the treason that was plotted against him which proved a meanes of preserving the Church at that time Among other records we ought most especially to make use of the sacred Scriptures for these as they containe most memorable and infallible truths so they doe most directly set out what is of God in the great workes that they relate 6. To all other meanes adde Prayer This sanctifieth all the rest By this Gods Spirit is obtained whereby the defects of memory are repaired and that faculty it selfe so renewed as to be made an happy Treasury in fast holding the best things By these and other like helpes the duty hinted in the first Instruction of remembring remarkeable matters may be the better observed Thus much for the Act here required Remember The Object here in generall expressed is This day Remember this day And the Instruction thence raised is this The very day wherein God doth memorable matters is duly to be noted This very point is with somewhat more emphasis thus set downe Ezek. 24.2 Sonne of man write thee the name of the day even of this same day On this ground the Jewes observed sundry fasts all the time of their Captivitie on set dayes as the fast of the fourth month the fast of the fift the fast of the seventh and the fast of the tenth Zech. 8.19 For on the ninth day of the fourth month was Jerusalem broken up and the Chaldeans entered thereinto Jer. 52.6 7. On the tenth day of the fifth month the House of the Lord the Kings house and all the houses of Jerusalem were burnt with fire Jer. 52.12 13. On the seventh month Gedaliah the Protectour of the remnant of the Jewes after their King was carried away captive was slaine Jer. 41.1 On the tenth day of the tenth month Nebuchadnezzar first laid siege to Jerusalem Ier. 52.4 This is that day which was commanded to be written downe Ezek. 24.2 These are remarkeable dayes for judgement Now if dayes of judgement were so precisely to be remembred how much more ought distinct dayes of blessing to be observed The former were evidences of Gods displeasure and so meanes to keep down the soule and occasions of continuing to be humbled time after time The latter were evidences of Gods speciall favour and so meanes of upholding our spirits and occasions of continuing to quicken them up to thankfulnesse from time to time Therefore when God had removed away the cloud of his displeasure from his people after their seventy yeares captivity and caused the bright and comfortable sunne-beames of his favour to shine upon them he commanded that those set dayes of Fast should be turned into dayes of cheerefull Feast Zech. 8.19 The originall word signifieth set and standing times and so is proper to the point in hand To this end were most of the Feasts under the Law appointed on set dayes to be memorials of deliverances or other blessings on those very dayes as the Passeover Exod. 12.17 the Feast of Purim Esth. 9.21 and others yea the Sabbath being the seventh day of the weeke was a continuall weekly memoriall of that very day wherein God rested from all his works as the Christians Lords day is a weekly memoriall of Christs Resurrection from the dead Matth. 28.1 To this purpose not unfitly may be applyed this phrase of the Psalmist Psal. 118.24 This is the day which the Lord hath made we will rejoyce and be glad in it Among other grounds this in speciall sheweth the equity of this duty that God who hath put in his owne power the times and seasons Acts 1.7 doth most seasonably order his dealings with children of men He giveth raine in his due season Deut. 11.14 He giveth to all their
Mercies Memoriall Set out in A SERMON PREACHED In Paul's Church Novemb. 17. 1644. in memoriall of the great deliverance which England had from Antichistian bondage by Queen ELIZABETHS attaining the Crowne By William Gouge Judg. 5.7 The Inhabitants of the villages ceased they ceased in Israel untill that I Deborah arose that I arose a mother in Israel Isai 49.23 Kings shall be thy nurcing fathers and Queens thy nurcing mothers Historia vita memoriae magistra vitae Cic. de Orat. Imprimatur THO. GATAKER Novemb. 25. 1644. LONDON Printed by George Miller for Ioshua Kirton in Foster-lane next to Gold-smiths Hall 1645. TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE Thomas Atkin Lord Major of the Honourable City of LONDON Right Honourable BY a Note under your own hand I was appointed to preach at Paul's Church on the seventeenth of November The seventeenth of November is a day of so high account with me that I durst not make any excuse though otherwise in way of excuse I might have pleaded my age my weaknesse and multitude of other imployments but the seventeenth of November being such a day as is set out to be in the following Sermon ought to be had in perpetuall remembrance It may be that all have not that day in so high account as I have and that if another had performed that duty he would have over-slipt it without any mention made thereof Length of time makes memorable matters to be forgotten and it is now above fourscore and six yeares since that seventeenth of November Therein England first received such a blessing as never ought to slip out of the heart of an English man That seventeenth of November was the day when unparallel'd Queene Elizabeth first came to the Crowne Thorough Gods blessing I spent eight and twenty yeares of my dayes under her raigne and I have oft blessed God that I was borne and so long brought up in that blessed time I have been called in my younger yeares to performe publike Scholasticall duties on a seventeenth of November and me thought I never performed any more cheerfully The very subject matter put life and spirit into me Since I was called to the ministeriall Function I have many yeares on the seventeenth of November made the best remembrance that I could of that dayes blessing Being by you called to the most publike place of London I could not I durst not passe over the mention of that blessing I did the more willingly publish it to the view of all sorts that I may provoke others to be more mindfull of that day And to your Honour in speciall I dedicate these my poore labours because you were the first mover thereunto And now my good Lord having this occasion in publike to speake to you give me leave I beseech you to stirre up your honourable mind unto such faithfull courses as to the joy and benefit of many you tooke when you were Alderman of Farrington within I have been now thirty seven yeares to the praise of Gods good Providence and mercy I speake it a Minister of Gods Word in a Precinct within that Ward in which time there have been sundry severall Aldermen But to your praise but not to the dispraise of any of the rest I doe here publikely attest it I never observed any more carefull of the good of their charge more inquisitive after the same more industrious in searching out disorders to redresse them more pitifull over the poore more sollicitous about such as were infected with the sicknesse and that which sets the crowne upon all more pious in preventing all manner of profanenesse on the Lords Dayes and procuring people so farre as in you lay to observe the holy Ordinances thereof Right honourable the Lord hath now advanced you to a higher place given you a larger jurisdiction and put more power into your hand You have now ten Talents in comparison of the five that you had before Know that God now expecteth of you an improvement of all those ten Talents Answerably more care more industry more diligence more prudence if more can be shewed is requisite Above all let your conscionable care be yet more manifested about the Lords Day and herein I beseech you give me leave to set before you the prudent and pious course which two Lord Majors of famous memory in the yeares 1613 and 1614 took thereabouts which was this They made choice of conscionable persons who with an holy zeale were set against all profanenesse of that Day and put on to redresse all manner abuses thereof such they chose and to such they gave power and authority to apprehend and bring before them all delinquents in that kind whom for the greater terrour unto others they severely punished Conscience will more put on pious persons to a thorough redressing of disorders then hire or reward It is the due execution of Law that puts life thereinto and makes it the more effectuall and inward Principles will work men unto a due execution more then outward motives Goe on in promoting Gods honour and he will promote yours For he that said will performe what he hath said Them that honour me I will honour That you may doe the one and God the other it is the hearty prayer of Your Honours daily Oratour W. GOUGE Mercies Memoriall EXOD. 13. â—3 Remember this day in which ye came out from Egypt THis Text hath reference to a memorable History History is an usefull and delightfull kind of instruction Among Histories none are comparable to the Histories of sacred Scripture and that in their antiquity rarity variety brevity perspicuity harmony and verity This last is the excellency of the other excellencies and it commends an History much more then all the rest For antiquity rarity variety brevity perspicuity harmony and other like excellencies without verity are but as so many pearles in a blind eye which make it the more deformed If comparison may be made betwixt Histories and Histories in sacred Scripture among Histories of the old Testament they which relate the Israelites departure out of Egypt thorow the red Sea and Wildernesse into Canaan are most remarkeable For besides the forementioned excellencies which they have in common with all Scripture Histories they are in an especiall manner typicall and set out the condition of the Church brought out of the bondage of sinne under Satan and travailing thorow the dangers and troubles of this world unto the celestiall Canaan In this respect the deliverance of the Israelites out of the land of Egypt is premised in the Preface before the Decalogue or ten Commandements of the moral Law which appertaineth to all Nations and that as a type of mans Deliverance from his spirituall servitude Israells passing thorough the red Sea and under the Cloud are allso made like figures to Baptisme and Manna and the water that came out of the Rock like to our sacramentall bread and wine Yea of many other things done in the Wildernesse it is said
meat in due season Psal. 145.15 His Saints reap that crop which he giveth in due season Gal. 6.9 To every thing there is a season Eccl. 3.1 Now Gods unsearchable wisdome is much manifested in a due ordering of the things which he doth as in wisedome he made all things Psal. 104.24 so most wisely doth he dispose the same By a due observing of the very day and point of time we may clearly discerne that wisdome of God yea the blessing it selfe will thereby appeare to be the greater in the kind thereof and more usefull unto us I. This gives information of a maine reason of mens slacknesse and backwardnesse in rendring due praises to God for the many and great workes which he doth They observe not the time of effecting the same We heard before how the spirit of a man was affected at the first working of a wonderfull worke This puts life and spirit into a man and makes him more fervent and zealous in praising God for it When the Israelites saw their enemies dead upon the sea-shore they feared the Lord and beleeved him Exod. 14.30 31. and as it is recorded in the next Chapter they sang praise to him But if that first season be let slip the heart is like to wax hard and the worke it selfe to slip out of memory We may find this by wofull experience too truly to be verified in our selves II. It will be our wisedome to take the first opportunitie that we can to quicken up our spirits to thankfulnesse unto God for his great workes Our Proverbe saith Strike the iron while it is hot Thus may it be fashioned and moulded according to our minde The first opportunity is the very day whereon the worke is wrought so was this day that is here mentioned in my Text Remember this day And that this quickning of the spirit may not only be for once the memoriall thereof is some way or other to be celebrated so oft as that day returnes yeare after yeare For this end the Diaries which many use to have wherein they register speciall mercies and blessings on the day wherein they were wrought are commendable III. This doth justifie that prudent care which many States have of preserving the Anniversary memory of extraordinary deliverances on the very day yeare after yeare whereon they were obtained The warrant which Gods Word giveth of celebrating one speciall day in the yeare for the continuing of a memoriall of a great blessing without question moved the great Councell of this Land by Statute to enact and set apart the fifth of November for a publike thanksgiving to Almighty God for the happy deliverance of the King and Parliament from the most traiterous and bloudy Massacre by Gun-powder There was not many yeares since a commendable custome begun by a merchant in this Citie of celebrating the foure birth dayes of our foure Reformers and Preservers of the true Protestant Religion here in England The solemnization of those dayes was performed in duties of Piety as Prayer Praises and Preaching Gods Words Celebration of set dayes wherein men of note and name were borne or advanced to high place have been very ancient I passe by that which the Scripture noteth of celebrating Pharaohs birth-day Gen. 40.20 and Herods birth-day Matth. 14.6 That which the Prophet Hos. 7.5 upbraideth to the Israelites may be more pertinent to our purpose It is this In the day of our King the Princes have made him sick with bottles of wine By mentioning the Kings day he aggravates their sinne as if he had thus said In that day wherein God bestowed a King upon you for which your hearts should have been enlarged and your mouthes opened to blesse God you gave your selves to all manner of excessive riot Whether this were the Kings birth-day or Coronation-day it makes no great matter to the point in hand It is sufficient that there was a set day solemnized for a speciall blessing This may suffice to have spoken of that point The exemplification of the day intended in my Text the day wherein they came out from Egypt leads me to the third Instruction which is this The distresse from which we are delivered is to be considered even after the deliverance For they were come out of Egypt before this charge was given My Text expressely affirmeth as much in this phrase wherein ye came out from Egypt This was the end why they were enjoyned to eate bitter herbes at the Passeover to put them in mind of their bitter bondage in Egypt after they were delivered from it That confession which the Israelites were injoyned to mâ—ke when they should come into their lâ—nd of rest tended to this purpose it was this A Syrian ready to perish was my father and he went downe into Egypt and sojourned there with a few c. Deut. 26.5 so that which the Apostle thus presseth upon the converted Gentiles Remember that ye were in time passed Gentiles c. Eph. 2.11 12. 1. Remembrance of former miseries specially when we are delivered out of the same brings to our mind the presence of God then with us the eye of his divine Providence on us in that our misery together with that respect which he had to our cryes and prayers according to that which he himselfe saith Exod. 3.7 I have seen I have seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt and have heard their cry c. 2. The greater the distresse was the greater will the power of God appeare to be in delivering us by calling to mind that distresse as is acknowledged Deut. 6.21 by them who said We were Pharaohs bond-men in Egypt but the Lord brought us out with a mighty hand 3. This doth much amplifie the pity and compassion of God towards us Ezekiel doth for this end lay forth the misery wherein the Jewes at first were by an elegant Parable taken from a child Ezek 16.2 c. In the day that thou wast borne thy navell was not cut neither wast thou washed in water to supple thee thou wast not salted at all nor swaedled at all None eye pitied thee to doe any of these unto thee c. Then the Lord to amplifie his compassion thus proceedeth When I passed by thee and saw thee polluted in thine own bloud I said unto thee Live c. 4. It uniteth our heart the closer and faster unto God and stirs us up to love him the more as the Psalmist who said I will love thee O Lord my strength c. The sorrowes of hell compassed me about the snares of death prevented me In my distresse I called upon the Lord and cryed unto my God he heard my voyce c. Psal. 18.1 8. Nothing unites the heart of one to another more then the remembrance of kindnesse in distresse 5. This inlargeth a mans spirit to more and greater thankfulnesse Where David cals upon his soule again and