saying Behold wee come vnto thee to begge that which we know wee cannot merit Rom. 3. For all haue sinned and are depriued of the glory of God and haue no other hope to obtaine it Rom. 6. but by way of free gift through Iesus Christ our Lord. And yet let me tell you this that if we come vnto God for it as we should that is by faith and holinesse of life this verie comming is a most certain leading way thereunto though not a deseruing cause thereof It is a short but a sound determination of S. Bernard that good works or a godly life is Viaregni non causa regnandi The Apostle hath taught vs the same doctrine Rom. 2.2.7 that by continuance in well doing wee seeke glory and honour and immortalitie and eternall life But alas how manie be there in the world that dream they seek after eternall life and yet neuer take this direct course of comming vnto God for it Will your proud Papisticall merit mongers come to God for it and begge it at his hands No sure They will rather vrge God to bring it vnto them and paie it as a due debt which by their condigne merits they haue long ago deserued secundum aequiualentiam rei adrem as their Iesuiticall Doctors haue taught them to speake Doe prophane Epicures and vngodly worldlings seeke it by comming vnto God for it No questionlesse They rather seeke it from the diuell as if they beleeued not onely that boasting lye of his Luke 4. All the Kingdomes of the earth are mine and to whomsoeuer I will I giue them But as if they beleeued that which the Father of lyes durst not affirme that the kingdome of Heauen was at his dispose and that by his seruice it might be gained Last of all Doe hypocrites thinke you and dissemblers come to God for eternall life Nothing lesse They make a shew sometimes of comming towards God drawing very neere vnto him but in their hearts they are resolued neuer to come at him It should seeme they thinke to get into heauen not by comming vnto God in the plaine and direct way of a liuely Faith and a holy life but by deceiuing God and shipping in at some blinde back-dore of their owne making But to shut vp this point and withall the former part of my Text. Let euery man that desires either pardon of his sins or release from Gods iudgements that hopes either for infusion of sanctifying grace here or participation of eternall glorie hereafter come to God for all these and come to him in that direct way which he hath appointed And thus much for the Israelites protestation of obedience We are now come to the other branch of my Text which containes a Declaration of those Motiues which induced them to obey in these words For thou art the Lord our God Heere is a double chaine to binde men vnto obedience The strong iron chaine of Gods infinite Power and vniuersall dominion which ties all men alike For thou art the Lord The pleasant golden chaine of Gods speciall loue and mercy which in speciall manner tied these Israelites vnto him Our God He that acknowledgeth God to be the vniuersall and Omnipotent Lord ouer all the world feare should driue him to obey his commands He which beleeues him to be His God loue should draw him to obey his commands He whom this double chaine cannot binde vnto obedience is in a farre worse case then that Demoniack in the Gospell Marke 5.3 Whom no man could binde no not with chaines Let vs beginne with the former God is heere acknowledged The Lord. Not a Lord ouer this or that Nation within the precincts of this or that place but The Lord ouer all nations ouer all countries ouer all Lords ouer all Creatures I am The Lord this is my name and my glory I will not giue to another Esay 42.8 Now God is such an vniuersall Lord in three respects First he is the Lord Creator that makes all his subiects that makes the subiects of al other Lords yea that makes the Lords themselues and that out of Nothing Our bodies with all the members thereof our soules with all the faculties thereof are of his making Psal 100. It is hee that made vs not we our selues Not our earthly parents who were vnable to frame the least part of our bodies much more vnable to breath into vs liuing soules Qui silium generat Lactantius non habet potestatem vt concipiatur vt nascatur vt viuat He which begets a childe hath neither the conception the birth nor the life of his owne childe within the limits of his power If our Parents had beene our Makers wee had beene but like dead idols which haue eyes and see not eares and heare not hands and handle not feet and walke not This ground worke beeing now laid that God is the Lord of all men by creation let vs consider whatforce this ought to haue in drawing vs to obedience First I am sure that God himselfe iudgeth it a most forcible motiue Why else should he set such a Memento vpon it Remember thy Creator in the daies of thy youth Eccles 12. Out of doubt God knew that it was impossible euen for a young man to grow rebellious whilst he remembers the Lord to be his Creator Why should God charge euery wicked and vngodly man Deut. 32.18 with an Oblitus es Domini Creator is tui Thou hast forgot the Lord thy Maker but that he knowes if this were not forgotten his commands would neuer be disobeyed Not onely God but all good men haue conceiued the force of this motiue to be so great that vpon the apprehension thereof they presently conclude in their owne soules Come let vs fall downe and kneele before the Lord our Maker If Grace were wanting yet Reason is able to make this inference If God be my souereigne Lord by right of Creation I cannot resist him but to mine owne destruction For woe will be vnto him that striues with his Maker Esay 4.9 This reason makes all creatures though deuoid of reason ready to obey at Gods beck God made the Sunne and therefore if hee bid it stand still in the firmament it dares not but stand if he bid it goe backe so many degrees it dares not but goe backe though in its owne nature it reioyceth like a Gyant to runne his perpetuall course God made the fire therfore if he forbid it dares not burne the three children no not singe so much as one haire of their heads The like obedience to their Creator hath shewen it selfe in the most fierce beasts in the most rauening birds in the most venemous Serpents What shall we say then is the cause that this most forcible reason hath so little force in moouing reasonable men vnto obedience That whereas euery childe if he bee asked who made him can presently answer God yet few men when GOD who made them
ONE OF THE SERMONS PREACHED At Westminster The fifth of APRILL being the day of the Publike Fast Before the Right Honourable Lords of the High Court of PARLIAMENT and set forth by their appointment By the Bishop of SARVM LONDON Printed for Richard Badger and are to be sold by Iohn Stempe at his shop at the East end of S. Dunstans Church-yard in Fleet-street 1628. IEREMIE 3.22 the latter part of the Verse Behold wee come vnto thee for thou art the Lord our God SOme wonderfull sight out of all question was heere to be seene or else men neuer durst haue beene so bold as to haue called to the great God of heauen to behold it Some pleasing spectacle out of all doubt was to be exhibited or else the great God of heauen would neuer haue vouchsafed the casting downe of his gratious eye vpon it It was so indeed A wonder aboue all other wonders the stony and rebellious hearts of men suddenly turned into soft and obedient hearts A ioyfull spectacle vnto God aboue all other spectacles runnagate seruants returning vnto the seruice of their Souereigne Lord rebellious children repenting and running as it were into the bosome of their gratious God and louing Father If wee will beleeue him who is Truth it selfe this is the principall if not the onely sight vpon earth which giues contentment and brings ioy vnto Heauen Luke 15.7 vnto the Saints vnto the Angels yea vnto the blessed Trinity it selfe I haue chosen this as a Text fitting the present occasion because we are now doing the very same thing which the Israelites then did For tell me I pray what doe we intend by this solemne generall Assembly or what doe we pretend by this publique Fasting Praying and humbling our selues vnder the hand of Almighty God but this serious protestation Behold we come vnto thee for thou art the Lord our God Bold prophane and wretched men we are if wee deride our Maker and call vnto him that he would out of heauen behold a Sight heere vpon earth when in truth there is no such Sight to bee seene Dutifull holy and happy men we are if God looking downe from heauen behold in vs that which we pretend and he expects Now that we may the better vnderstand what this is let vs come to a particular consideration of the Text which is nothing else but a short and direct answer of Gods people vnto a Proposition which God had made vnto them in the words immediately going before Gods proposition was this O returne yee back sliding children and I will heale your rebellions The Israelites answer hereunto is very punctuall and direct Behold we come vnto thee for thou art the Lord our God In which answer we may obserue these two generall parts 1. A protestation of their sincere obedience Behold wee come vnto thee 2. A declaration of the motiue inducing them thereunto For thou art the Lord our God This protestation consists not of many words and yet it containes many matters of great importance which I will speake of in order as the words shall offer them vnto me 1. The first is the Inward Obedience of their Hearts implied in the word Ecce Behold For howsoeuer the Heart bee not expressely named yet this Ecce calls as it were vpon God to take notice of the secret resolution of their hearts and to behold their obedience in bowing and bending of them vnto his most iust and holy commands In all acceptable obedience vnto God the Heart must be the ringleader if that be wanting the seeming good actions of a Heartlesse Christian are but like the walking or stirring of a liueles body Seneca which affrights many but pleaseth no beholder Omnia honesta opera voluntas inchoat It is the Heart or Will which giues the beginning vnto euery good action and this is it which in the first place the Israelites presented vnto God And surely there was good reason and a iust cause of their so dooing First because their vnfaithfull and stubborne heart was it that had lead them out into open rebellion against God and therefore it was necessarily required that a loyall and obedient heart should also be their Leader in this their Submission and comming in vnto Almighty God Againe whensoeuer God calls vnto a Sinner to returne his meaning is that his heart should first answer vnto the call My Sonne giue me thy heart and Hebrewes the 10.22 Let vs draw neere vnto God with a true heart As good stay behinde as come when God calls and leaue our hearts behinde Last of all it is the Heart vpon which Gods eyes are principally fixed whensoeuer we present our humble seruice vnto him and it is one of his Royall Prerogatiues to be the Discerner of Hearts Wee may therefore well suppose that these Israelites durst neuer haue called God to Behold their comming had not their hearts beene their leaders For they could not be ignorant of that peremptory conclusion If I regard wickednesse in my heart Psal 66.18 the Lord will not heare me Now if any man aske me whence came this admirable change that men of brasen foreheads and iron hearts are so suddenly become men of humble soft and religious hearts all that I can answer is this The same God that had long called vnto them for their hearts had now at length giuen them new hearts and a new spirit Chap. 36. Verse 26. Prosper and had taken the stony heart out of their body as the Prophet Ezekiel speakes Bona voluntas est hominis propria sed Deo inspirante concepta A good will or a good heart is a mans owne when he hath it but it is the diuine inspiration from whence hee hath it Let vs now for a while leaue the consideration of these Israelites and their new hearts and come to consider our owne We all make the same protestation this day of our obedient and penitent hearts which they did Wee all in effect intreate GOD to looke downe from heauen and to Behold this vnfeined and sincere resolution of our Hearts Take heede of drawing neere vnto GOD with your lippes and remoouing your hearts farre from him Be sure of that constant resolution which was in holy Dauid when he made this profession Psal 40. I desire to doe thy good will O my God yea thy law is within my heart Pars prima bonitatis est velle fieri bonum The first part of goodnesse is to haue the Will of beeing good I cannot pierce into your hearts and see your secret intentions and purposes God can and doth and your owne hearts also can and doe take notice of your inward resolutions Hath any man therefore had a filthy lustfull and adulterous heart aske it whether it bee now resolued to keepe it selfe a pure chaste and vndefiled heart Hath any man had a couetous or an ambitious proud heart let him search into it and see whether it now be resolued to renounce the world with
are wedded to our owne lusts wee cannot come But who hath made this marriage betwixt thine owne heart and thy sinfull lust Who is it that perswades thee to forsake the commands of God thy Father and of Holy Church thy Mother and to cleaue vnto this strumpet which thou callest thy wife Sure the Author of this is neither better nor worse but euen the diuell himselfe Now consider seriously is the infinite Maiesty of the great God of heauen a fit Subiect to haue such a scorne and contumely put vpon him What earthly King would not storme and rage at the Indignity if calling one of his seruants to come vnto him he should answer Sir I am sporting with some of mine idle companions and therfore your Highnes must bee content to waite my better leisure But if hereunto hee should adde heere is an old Rebell and Arch-traitor against your Maiesty who perswades me not to come at your call and I must be ruled by him this would aggrauate the matter and make it bee taken farre more hainously This in effect is all that the Fornicator the Drunkard the Couetous the Ambitious person hath to say for himselfe why vpon Gods call he comes not presently vnto him His sinfull lusts intreate him to imbrace them yet a little while longer and the diuell whispers vnto his heart Nazianzen Da mihi quod praesens est Deo quod futurum est mihi florem aetatis illi reliquias Giue me the present time allow God the Future giue mee the flower of thy youth let God haue the bran of thine old age Thus wretched men to the infinite dishonour of their Creator let the diuell take his choice and put God to waite for his leauings which in all likelihood will in the end proue either nothing or worse then nothing The second Mischiefe which followes vpon it when wee come not presently at Gods call is the manifold wrongs and Hurt which thereby wee doe vnto our owne soules Wicked men whilst they linger on the time of their returning vnto God thinke that they doe their Soules great pleasure at least that they doe them no great harme but they consider not that whilst the Soule takes her sinfull pleasure shee withall takes her deadly bane Shee falls into a Consumption of spirituall grace if euer shee were indued therewithall and is not a Consumption a dangerous disease Shee contracts a Schirrus or spirituall hardnesse which makes the Soule scarcely penetrable by the dew of grace whensoeuer it falls vpon it and is not this a grieuous malady Last of all if God be not wonderfully mercifull shee comes to haue a cauterized conscience and to be giuen ouer vnto a Reprobate sense which is vltimum Terribilium the last and most terrible euill that can befall a man who is not yet in hell These things considered should make a Christian who hath any care of his own soule to beware of the diuels Dilemms who alwaies aduiseth men in the point of Repentance as the Philosopher did in the case of marriage If a young man aske his counsell when shall I repent and returne vnto God his answer will be Nondum not yet it is a great deale too soone If an old man aske him the same question his answer will bee Nunquam not at all it is now much too late But we may build vpon it that whensoeuer God calls vnto vs as at this very present hee doth vnto vs all it is neither too soone nor too late and therefore let young and old presently come vnto him The third and last Mischiefe which attends vpon Delay is a Number of vnknowne dangers whereupon such men put themselues euery moment that they continue impenitent in their sins They trifle away their time and delay their comming vnto God but in the meane time who can assure them that Gods vengeance will delay the comming vnto them It is safe and wise counsell Make no tarrying to turne vnto the Lord Eccles 5.7 and put it not off from day to day for suddenly shall the wrath of the Lord breake forth and in thy security shalt thou be destroied The longer thou makest the patience of God expect thy returne the heauier will the load of Gods iudgments light vpon thee Gregory for not returning Quo diutius expectat durius damnat The longer he waites the harder he strikes Dost not thou tremble to thinke that whilst thou art sporting with thy sinfull lusts Heb. 3. Verse 11. God may be Swearing in his wrath that thou shalt neuer enter into his rest What was it but delaying to come when God called which drowned the old world which consumed Sodom with fire and brimstone and which at length carried away the Iewes into the Babylonian Captiuity And why may not England feare lest by the same fault wee suddenly draw vpon vs the like destruction O consider this Psal 50. Verse 22. yee that forget God least he teare you in peeces and there be none to deliuer you O consider this yee that feare God and that he may imbrace you within his armes of mercy say presently vnto him from an vnfeined resolution Behold wee come vnto thee Hauing spoken of the Generality of the Persons which must come and of the Present haste to bee made in comming the last Circumstance remaines which is the Direct Course heere vsed Wee come vnto That They come in a most Direct line vnto God himselfe And in this streight line they mooue not onely towards him or till they come some what neere him but they come vp close vnto him neuer resting vntill they come to rest as it were in his very bosome This alone is the Streight Short and perfect way of comming vnto God other courses are but crooked by paths or circular compassings and will not answer the expectation of the Commers as shall be cleered vnto you in the particulars It is a rule in naturall Philosophie Omnis motils est propter indigentiam Euerie thing moues for supplying some want wherein it stands Now the sinner by this motion which we call Repenting Returning Conuerting or Comming for all is one seekes after three things whereof no one can be had but by comming directly vnto God himselfe for it And the least of these three things is of more worth then all the wealth all the honour yea all the world besides and therefore must be duly sought The first is Venia Pardon for all our sinnes passed for obtaining whereof who can imagine a more proper and direct course then to come immediately and directly vnto God the Father by the True Way God the Sonne taking for our guide God the Holy Ghost In this motion there is no crooked turning into by lanes no circular and friuolous running in a round but a most direct and streight comming vnto God And this is iust as God would haue it Ieremie 4. Esay 43. O Israel if thou returne returne vnto mee saith the Lord I euen I am hee
call mee saying My Father and shalt not turne from me He that will needs call God Father and yet will turne away from him in the course of his wicked life If God call him sonne it will be no more to his comfort then when Abraham said to the glutton in hell Sonne Luke 16. Remember that thou in thy life time tookest thy sinnefull pleasures and therefore now thou must be content to vndergoe eternall torments But yet God hath a farther quarrell against these Couenant breakers and that is not only for their hypocrisie but for their plaine treacherie For as if it were not bad enough to forget the Couenant established betwixt God and them they most traiterously account Heb. 10. Verse 29. the bloud of this Couenant as an vnholy thing and make a new confederacy with Gods knowne enemies the world the flesh and the diuell They shame not to boast and brag of this their new league Esay 28.15 We haue made a Couenant with death and with Hell we are at an agreement But let euery man that by vertue of the Couenant calls God his God detest all by pocrisie abhor all treachery and remember that his happinesse depends not vpon the entring into a Couenant with God but vpon the true keeping of the Couenant And for the more effectuall stirring vp of euery man here present to repentance and newnes of life according to the tenor of the Couenant I wil adde this one thing That whatsoeuer our carriage hitherto hath been this very Couenant may assure vs that Our God and Our Father neither will nor can refuse gratiously to accept vs into fauour vpon our submission and amendment He is ingaged by speciall promise 2 Chron. 7.14 If my people among whom my name is called vpon doe humble themselues and turne from their wicked waies then will I heare in heauen and be mercifull to their sinne August and heale their land Promissa haec tua sunt quis falli timeat cum promittu ipsa Veritas These are thy promises O Lord and who needs doubt the performance where Truth it selfe makes the Promise But if any man should doubt whether this Promise be strong enough to binde God to accept the submission of a rebellious seruant yet there is no doubt but his tender fatherly affection is strong enough to make him accept the submission of a Repenting Childe Ier. 3.14 Ephraim is my deare sonne therefore my bowels are troubled for him and I will surely haue compassion vpon him saith the Lord. Let vs therefore now at last come vnto our God with humble lowly and penitent hearts and then wee shall speede no worse then the Prodigall childe did That is our louing Father will haue compassion vpon vs hee will run and fall vpon our neckes Luk. 15.20 hee will kisse vs and put the best Robe euen the rich Robe of his wel-beloued Sonnes righteousnes vpon vs. There remaines the other title of Redemption to be briefly touched in regard whereof the Israelites terme God their God and on the other side God also termeth them his peculiar people And this Redemption was twofold God was called their Strong Redeemer and they were stiled the people whom God had Redeemed in regard of that famous and miraculous deliuerance out of the Egyptian thraldome God esteemed this Temporall and Corporall redemption so great a benefit and so forcible an inducement to Obedience that hee thought it fit to bee ingrauen in the forefront of his ten Commandements Yet this is not it which I purpose now to insist vpon There is therefore another Redemption wrought by the bloudy Passion of the Messias obscurely represented in the Leuiticall Sacrifices more plainly described by the Prophets but most euidently painted out vnto vs by the holy Apostles This is our Spirituall and eternall Redemption whereby we are redeemed out of the lawes of the diuell from eternall Death and Damnation of body and soule which otherwise we must haue vndergone indured world without end Now albeit the Generall Power of this redemption extend it selfe vnto the whole world yet the Declaration Application thereof belongs in speciall manner vnto the Church therefore it is the Church which out of this respect calls God her God and it is likewise the Church which for this cause God owns as his peculiar people This is the Redemption whereof euery member of the church ought with holy Iob to take speciall notice Scio quod Redemptor meus viuit Iob 19. I know that my Redeemer liueth And not onely so but I know that this my Redeemer hath ransomed both my body and soule not with gold or siluer but with his owne precious bloud 1 Cor. 6.20 to the end that being thus Bought with a price I may glorifie him both in body and soule If all which hath beene formerly vrged cannot perswade men to returne to the obedience and seruice of God yet this Motiue that he is Our God and that by Right of Redemption should inforce vs thereunto Our Creation out of nothing was an infinite benefit and ties vs straitly to God our Creator But this our Redemption at such an inestimable price when we were worse then nothing is infinitely greater then that other infinite benefit and ties vs in a more strait band vnto God our Redeemer Our Creation cost God no more but the word speaking Dixit factum est hee said it and hee did it but our redemption was not so easily wrought Multa tulit fecitque Deus sudauit alsit What man so thanklesse that would not for euer acknowledge him for his good Lord and Patron and striue to doe him all acceptable seruice who had but redeemed him from the Turkish slauery and rowing chained in their gallyes How much more then stand we obliged in all duty and seruice vnto our God who hath redeemed vs from beeing the slaues of Sathan from the chaines of darkenesse and euerlasting damnation They haue no sense of this Redemption nor no part as yet in it who are not inflamed thereby to serue God in holinesse and righteousnesse Tit. 2.14 and to become a peculiar people vnto him zealous of good workes But alas where shall God our Redeemer finde such zealous seruants amongst millions of men that confesse and professe themselues to be redeemed with his blood The World and the Flesh haue a world of Seruants at command nay the diuell himselfe is so well attended that Saint Cyprian brings him in thus bragging against our Sauiour Christ and insulting ouer vs silly and sinfull wretches Serm. de Eleemosyna Ego pro istis necsanguinem fudi c. I haue spilt no one drop of bloud for any of these I haue taken no paines to doe them any good nay all my study and paines euer was and euer shall be to bring them to death and eternall damnation Notwithstanding all this Ibid. Tuos tales demonstra mihi Christe O Christ if thou canst shew me so many so busy so painefull so dutifull seruants of thine as I am able to shew vnto thee euery where of mine O what a shame is it vnto vs all that beare the name of Christians Hec dici potuisse non potuisse refelli That such things may truely bee obiected against vs by the diuell and cannot truely be denied or confuted by vs. O what a griefe is it vnto our Lord Christ that a cursed Murtherer should be able to entise away so many seruants from a blessed Redeemer This point should rather be prosecuted with teares then words nothing now remaines but that euery man heere present search into his owne heart and life inquire and finde out his owne proper sinnes turne speedily from his wicked waies and that all of vs say with a ioynt and constant resolution as these Israelites did Behold wee come vnto thee for thou art the Lord our God THat Almighty God who hath this day called vs vnto him by his word draw vs vnto him by the effectuall operation of his holy Spirit that so renouncing the seruice of the World the Flesh and the Diuell and returning vnto the Seruice of our true Lord wee may recouer his fauour here and enioy his euerlasting fauour hereafter Grant this most mercifull Father for the infinite merits of thy wel-beloued Sonne to whom with thee and the Holy Ghost be ascribed all Praise Power Maiesty and Dominion this day and for euer Amen FINIS