Repent and turn from our evil ways iniquity shall not be our ruine Ezek. 18.30 This we are assured of both from the Promises that God hath made to Returning sinners and from the Examples of his Mercy in pardoning penitent persons and Nations As for Promises 't is sufficient to instance in that of Jer. 18.7 8. At what instant I shall speak concerning a Nation and concerning a Kingdom to pluck up and to pull down and to destroy it If that Nation against whom I have pronounced turn from their evil I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them And as for Examples of Gods pity in forgiving such as have repented and his forbearing to inflict the vengeance he had denounced that in Jonah 3. will suffice God had there denounced a sentence of destruction against Nineveh and prefixt the time of its Execution Yet forty days and Nineveh shall be overthrown When the Inhabitants of that City upon this message fasted cried mightily unto God and decreed that every one should turn from his evil way and the violence of his hands We are told vers 10. that God saw their works that they turned from their evil way and God repented of the evil that he had said that he would do unto them and he did it not We know that Gods hand is not shortened that it cannot save nor his ear heavy that it cannot hear He is both able and willing to do us good did not our iniquities separate between us and our God and our sins cause him to hide his face from us that he will not hear when we pray for mercies But withal we are assured in such a case that if we humble our selves and pray and seek his face and together with that turn from our wicked ways that God will hear from Heaven and will forgive our sins and will heal our Land 2 Chron. 7.14 What therefore should each of us do in order to the securing of this Nation and the continuance of those blessings we enjoy but search our hearts and try our ways and turn unto the Lord our God If we would have God to preserve the life of our gracious Sovereign to give him a wise and understanding heart to direct and bless publick Councils and hereby secure our lives our liberties our peace our Religion and other blessings which God hath hitherto vouchsafed it is our interest to do what God requires Isaiah 1.16 Wash ye make ye clean put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes cease to do evil learn to 〈…〉 seek judgment relieve the oppressed It follows vers 18. Though your sins be as scarlet they shall be as white as snow though they be red like crimson they shall be as 〈…〉 ol If ye be willing and obedient ye shall eat the good of â—he land But if ye refuse and rebel ye shall be devoured with the sword for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it As this which I am perswading you to hath an immediate influâ—nce on the Nations welfare so it hath upon each particular persons eternal felicity Let every one therefore forsake his evil ways Let him that stole steal no more let him that hath wallowed in uncleanness learn how to possess the vessel of his body in sanctification and honour and not in the lust of concupiscence as the Gentiles that know not God Let him that hath followed strong drink and hath been mighty to drink wine take heed lest at any time his heart be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness Let such who have vented Oaths and curses for which the Land mourns and by which the name of God is so highly dishonoured beware lest any such corrupt communication proceed out of their mouths Let such who have scoffed at God and his providence who have derided the Holy Scriptures and whatever is Sacred now live as in the presence of his infinite Majesty and manifest for the future as great a Zeal in vindicating the glory of God as ever they expressed their folly and madness in opposing it I am sensible what entertainment such a discourse as this is will probably meet with among these last named that hate any thing that is serious and scorn the most Sacred truths though consonant to the best improved Reason and backed with the highest authority And seeing such men endeavour to baffle their own Reasons and consequently will not be restrained by principles of Conscience it is fit they should be restrained by Laws and those to be new made seeing former Ages never supposed such offences and thence never enacted any punishment to be inflicted on such offenders But I proceed to others who are more likely to attend Let me intreat you as you desire Englands prosperity and therein the welfare of your intimate acquaintance and friends the happiness of your children and posterity both now and when you are dead and gone nay as you desire your own felicity in this world as well as in another take care to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts and to live soberly righteously and godly in this present world discharge the Duties you owe to God and man Neglect not the publick worship of Almighty God but be constant in joyning with others in solemn Prayers and Praises and in attendance on the word of God as the means of salvation as also in celebrating the infinite love of Christ and partaking of the benefits of his passion in the Lords Supper Lest God in justice deny to us the priviledges we now enjoy and suffer such to prevail who use an unintelligible way of worship having their prayers in an unknown tongue and a corrupt superstitious way of Worship not to say any worse of it in robbing the people of one part of the Lords Supper and in robbing Christ of his mediatory office by substituting other Mediators in his room Could I hope that my words would have any influence on the people of this Land I would intreat all sorts of men to live worthy of the vocation wherewith they are called and to live answerable to the particular calling and station wherein God hath set them I would beg of the Magistrates that they would discountenance sin that they would incourage Virtue and Holiness Where sin is punished and offenders restrained the community ceases to be involved in guilt Phinehas executed Judgment and the Plague was stayed Where Laws are wanting or not strict enough as in the case of Fornication and Adultery let new ones be enacted I would intreat the Clergy that they would both by their lives and doctrine set forth Gods word and that they would beware lest by their loose lives they bring scorn on Gods worship they are Ministers of cause those great truths to be slighted which they preach when they oppose them by their practice and lastly cause that Church to be evil spoken of of which they are members and Pastors But I must not proceed any further in such requests when my discourse is
under more than ordinary shews of Godliness we should never be fixed on any sure foundation but must be always wavering always changing And indeed many instances might be given of persons who upon such slender Reasons have withdrawn themselves from their Parish-Churches and from thence have fallen from one Error to another till at length they have fallen into gross delusions and some into Atheism In this Trial make use of those helps which God in his providence affords you I mean the assistance of able peaceable Divines and of their Writings I know if I should direct you to the Friendly Debate or Dr. Combers explications of our publick Prayers or any other Treatises of this nature which are written by Conformists you will with disdain reject my advice I shall therefore only desire you to read the writings of some learned Non-conformists viz. those of Mr. John Ball against Separation and others written long since and especially Mr. Baxters Cure of Church-divisions and Mr. Tombes his Theodulia which have been published of late 2. If upon impartial trial you cannot satisfie your selves so far as to comply with every thing that the Magistrate enjoyns yet however seriously consider whether you have ground enough from thence to forsake the Communion of the Church of England and to withdraw your selves from our Assemblies To this end consider in what things we and you agree as well as in what things we disagree particularly whether there be not a full agreement in all the Essentials and Substantials of Christian Religion We both own the same Lord Jesus Christ we agree in the same Faith and that not only in the main fundamentals but also in lesser matters there being few if any Non-conformists who do not approve the doctrinal part of the Thirty Nine Articles of the Church of England We both hope to obtain the same Heaven and both to obtain it the same way viz. by Faith in Christ manifested in an holy conversation Nay further we both agree in the main parts of Gods Worship And that both in reference to the object of our Worship and manner of it We and you worship the same God and him alone We pray not to Saints or Angels We pay no adoration to the consecrated Bread in the Lords Supper We bow not down to Images We worship God in the inward acts of our Souls our Faith in God our reliance and dependence on him our Love to him our Sense of his infinite goodness and the like graces and affections and by expressing these in such outward acts which God hath ordained and you and we own them as his Institutions such as Prayer Thanksgiving hearing the Word and the two Sacraments Baptism and the Lords Supper Where is the difference in all this betwixt you and us It must be therefore in something that is circumstantial And is this a sufficient Reason to separate from us It is evident that God hath not obliged us to this or that Gesture in his Worship suppose it be but reverent that he hath not determined circumstances this way or that but hath left them to humane prudence I will clear this by one instance As we both acknowledge Prayer to be one especial part of Gods Worship so we hold that the chief things we are to request of God are Pardon Sanctification assistance against temptation and the like We both own that our petitions are to be put up in and through the same Mediator Jesus Christ We both hold that it is the fervent desire of our hearts and the representation thereof to God that makes our prayers to be indeed such And that the holy Spirit works in our Souls a sense of our wants and an earnest desire that they may be supplied This is all that concerns the essence of Prayer and herein we are agreed But in reference to the gesture supposing it be such as becomes dust and ashes when they address themselves before the great King of Kings God hath not determined whether it should be kneeling standing or lying prostrate on our faces and therefore any of these may be used In reference to Time whether it should be this or that hour for publick prayer and therefore that time should be imployed therein which humane prudence determines as most convenient And the same is true in reference to words in Prayer For God hath not determined whether our desires should be represented in words premeditated or in words immediately conceived Neither of these are of the essence of Prayer neither of them particularly commanded of God so as to exclude the other both have been used by Saints in the Holy Scriptures and both approved by God Therefore when any ask Where God hath required forms of Prayer in Scripture I would ask these persons Where God hath required extemporary Prayers And when they demand where our Common prayers are to be found in Gods Word I would enquire where they find therein those particular Prayers which they and their Ministers have poured out to God By a serious consideration of all this you may easily understand how great our agreement is and consequently that those things must needs be small wherein we disagree And will you on account of such things separate from us If any pretend there are corruptions in our Church I would desire such to consider the state of the Churches in the time of Christs Apostles and see if they do not find as great in the Churches of Corinth and Galatia of Ephesus Pergamus Thyatira Rev. 2. and of Sardis and Laodicea Rev. 3. as they do among us And withal consider whether it would not have been a sin to separate from those Churches See this handled by Mr. Baxter in his Cure of Church-divisions Chap. 5. I cannot think of any thing that may be a just plea for Separation but this That something that is sinful is required as a condition of our Communion The chief thing that is instanced in is this that they must worship God by a Form of Prayer To make this plea good they must shew that forms of Prayer are sinful and to prove that it is a transgression of a Law and instance in the particular Law that is hereby violated But the case is so far from this that we have Forms of Prayer mentioned in Holy Scripture used by good men and that as an expression of their Piety nay in several cases prescribed by God himself or his extraordinary Ministers as that Num. 10.35 36. David and other Psalmists penned Forms of Prayer and Praise to be used by the Church of God in his Service Neither was there any thing typical in this thing nor any thing that had respect to that legal Oeconomy And indeed if Forms of Prayer were unlawful then which it would be blasphemy to utter our Saviour sinned when he bid his disciples when they prayed to say Our Father c. Luke 11.2 And when he himself prayed using the same words Matth. 26.44 And now I need not add that
A PERSWASIVE TO REFORMATION AND UNION AS THE Best Security Against the Designs OF OUR POPISH ENEMIES LONDON Printed for Walter Kettilby at the Bishop's Head in St. Paul's Church-Yard 1680. A PERSWASIVE TO REFORMATION AND VNION THERE are none at this time except such as are wilfully ignorant but are convinced what danger our established Religion and Government have of late been and still are in from our Popish adversaries It is well known what these men have designed against us and how near some of their designs were brought toward execution viz. to assassinate our Sovereign to subvert our Religion to introduce the Popes monstrous tyranny and usurpation and probably to massacre all such as were likely to resist them or oppose their designs And though hitherto God hath graciously disappointed them yet in all likelihood their Hopes are still great and their designs proportionable It is true God hath hitherto defeated their conspiracies and caught them in the net which they have laid for others This as it should encourage our hope and dependance on the Almighty so should it excite our care to be ever under his protection and by this to endeavour the continuance of the peace and happiness of this Kingdom All that lies in the power of private persons to whom this discourse is addressed to effect this is to present their Prayers to God for his Blessing on this Nation and to be such as God may hear their Prayers Let us therefore earnestly petition him who is the giver of mercies and safeguard of Nations to continue his goodness to us in preserving our Sovereign influencing and directing publick Councils and infatuating the designs of such who seek our subversion But withal when we know that if we regard iniquity in our hearts the Lord will not hear our prayers that it is in vain for us to hope for blessings from God while we provoke this fountain of blessings by our sins and that we cannot with reason imagine that our Prayers should find access to Heaven while our iniquities that cry to Heaven for vengeance make a separation betwixt God and us Hence it clearly appears that 1. Reformation Repentance and turning from our evil ways conjoyned with our Supplications to God is the chief means of this Nations security and that whoever they are that break from their sins and much more those that convert others from the errors of their ways are highly instrumental to promote this Kingdoms happiness Prov. 14.34 Righteousness exalteth a Nation but Sin is a reproach to any people To make this evident consider 1. that Sin on two accounts tends to a Nations Ruine First by way of efficiency as it makes men brutish and foolish and unable to understand what is really for their good as it dispirits them and robs them of true courage and valour and withal as it renders them contemptible and hence first a scorn and then an easie prey to their Enemies Secondly meritoriously as it provokes God to inflict his Judgments to raise up and prosper Enemies and to defeat such counsels as have a tendency to the Nations happiness Thence was it that God so severely threatned the Israelites with calamities if they dared to provoke him by their sins Deut. 28. and so often executed those threats upon their provocations 2. There are some sins which in a special manner God hath threatned to punish a Nation for and that do in their own nature call for vengeance And they are such as immediately strike at the Majesty of God For such bold affronts challenge the Almighty and call for vengeance upon the offenders Hence we find Idolatry rejecting God and worshipping Idols chiefly mentioned as the Reasons of the Israelites desolation and captivity Both by way of threatning when their miseries are foretold by Moses and the Prophets as also the ground of particular calamities and captivities when they have befallen them Thus the Reason of the captivity of the ten Tribes is assigned 2 Kings 17. to be their making molten Images worshipping the Host of Heaven serving Baal making their children to pass through the fire c. And that for which God was chiefly angry with Judah was the sins of Manasseh 2 Kings 23.26 together with that mentioned 2 Chron. 36.16 But they mocked the messengers of God and despised his words and misused his Prophets until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people till there was no remedy When men come to such an height of impudence as immediately to strike at God and his perfections is it a wonder that this jealous God should awake in fury and express his severe displeasure against such offenders If men will disown God or deny his Existence or question either his Power or Truth and dare to scorn and vilifie his Word is there not Reason for the High and mighty One to vindicate his Honour and to manifest himself a God of infinite Power and Truth by sensible demonstrations of his Majesty that have a tendency to awaken secure sinners and for ever to silence those that dare impudently to contend with the Almighty Let us consider whether some of these sins are not committed ay and with an high hand and with monstrous impudence in this Nation Though God is not rejected by mens setting up of false Gods yet he is by their denying the Existence of him that is the true God Though he is not dishonoured by erection of Altars to other Deities yet is he abominably contemned by the profane neglect of his own Ordinances and the vile scorn that is cast upon them Alas what a profligate age do we live in wherein some dare not only say in their hearts but have the confidence to utter it with their mouths that there is no God and others to deny his Providence and Superintendency over the world Nay it presages ill that there are such multitudes whose Actions publickly proclaim that these are their Thoughts For who durst profane Gods name by vain Oaths and Curses and much more by Perjury who believes that there is a God who will not hold these Guiltless Who durst be Indifferent in Religion or think themselves unconcerned to depend on God for his blessing or to own his Goodness in solemn praises who believe that God governs the world and that in him we live move and have our beings And lastly who durst contemn and vilifie such whose office is to be Ministers of Gods worship and Pastors of Souls who believe that there is a God that is to be worshipped or that they have Souls that are immortal and capacitated for the enjoyment of endless felicity Now when it is too evident that Gods Being is questioned his Providence denied his name blasphemed his word scoffed at his worship neglected by so many and by others exposed to scorn as the product of folly and Melancholy and lastly his Ordinances and whatever is Sacred is contemned may not God say to us as he did to the Jews Shall I not visit for
chiefly addressed to private Christians Such would I intreat both in their own persons to walk circumspectly and in reference to others to endeavour to reduce such as walk in sin and to train up such as are committed to their care in the fear of God and in the paths of Righteousness that they would teach their children what Religion that is and what the principles and precepts thereof are to which they were devoted in Baptism and withal what obligations they have to walk therein that they would restrain what vices they see in their children and both direct and incourage them in the practice of Piety This would tend to make the present and future generations happy But I shall conclude this with the words of Samuel 1 Sam. 12.20 to the last Verse Fear not ye have done all this wickedness yet turn not aside from following the Lord but serve the Lord with all your heart And turn ye not aside for then should ye go after vain things which cannot profit nor deliver for they are vain For the Lord will not forsake his people for his great names sake Verse 24 25. Only fear the Lord and serve him in truth with all your heart for consider how great things he hath done for you But if ye shall still do wickedly ye shall be consumed both ye and your King As our Sins are just grounds of our Fears so likewise are our Divisions and breaches which I handle distinctly not as if they were not sins but because on many reasons they have a particular unhappy aspect on these Kingdoms And consequently II. Union Peace and Love are a chief means of averting the miseries we fear and securing the blessings which we now enjoy I shall endeavour to make this appear by considering what influence our Divisions and Animosities have upon our miseries and what reasons we have from hence to fear lest our Jesuitical Enemies should prevail against us And that 1. as they provoke Gods displeasure against us 2. and as they afford our Enemies so great advantages to hurt and destroy us 1. Our Divisions may justly provoke the God of love and the Prince of peace to be displeased at us in that we find him so frequently and earnestly pressing us to seek peace and ensue it and as much as in us lieth to live peaceably with all men Rom. 12.18 In that he represents that wisdom that is from above as first pure then peaceable gentle and easie to be intreated without partiality Jam. 3.17 When likewise we find in his word that love joy or rejoycing in others good peace long-suffering gentleness goodness are fruits of the Spirit Gal. 5.22 Whereas on the other side Hatred variance emulations wrath strife seditions heresies envyings are called the works of the flesh Verse 20 21. When withal we find Loving one another made a Character of Christs disciples John 13.35 and those that separate themselves are joyned with such as are sensual and that have not the Spirit Jude 19. Now can we imagine that God should act with that kindness which he shews to his obedient Servants towards those who disobey his strict command of keeping the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace Or vouchsafe those favours which belong to his people to such as walk contrary to the Spirit of Christianity Strife Contention and Divisions proceed from the Devil who hath his names in the sacred languages of Satan and Diabolus from his Enmity to mankind and his false accusing of Gods people And if it be too severe to make Hell the rise of these things yet to be sure they proceed from the worst thing on Earth viz. mens Lusts Jam. 4.1 Now can we suppose that God will own those for his people or have regard unto their prayers who do the works of the Devil and indulge themselves in the works of the flesh Have we ground to hope that God will hear us when we present our supplications for our King and those that are in authority under him that we may lead quiet and peaceable lives in all godliness and honesty when we do not lift up pure hands to God without wrath and debates 1 Tim. 2.8 No we are so far from having reason to expect Gods favour that we have just ground to fear that God will deliver us up to suffer in the same cause under the same Enemies that then at least we may learn to lay aside our animosities As it happened in the differences betwixt those two eminent Bishops and fellow-sufferers in Queen Maries days Ridley and Hooper 2. Our Divisions afford our Enemies great advantages against us It is an ordinary but yet withal a true observation that civil discords have done more to ruine Nations than foreign invasions However that from hence Enemies have been incouraged to invade such as are before weakned and prepared for slavery such who are so heated against each other that they will not unite though for their common safety This is particularly observed by Tacitus a grave Historian in vitâ J. Agric. how the ancient inhabitants of this Nation became subjected to the Romans Non aliud adversus validissimas gentes pro nobis utilius quam quod in commune non consulunt Nothing more helped the Romans to overthrow the valiant Britains than their not agreeing among themselves for the common interest I wish some of our Brethren who pretend to be the greatest Enemies of the Roman Religion and decry all they dislike in the Polity of our Church as Popish would seriously consider what the consequence of their Zeal is like to be while carried forth in opposing them who are equally concerned with themselves to oppose that common Enemy Nay I wish all sorts of men among us who hate the corruptions and usurpations of Rome would consider this so as to abate their heats towards each other to study those things which make for peace and union and heartily endeavour so far as lies in their power the healing of our breaches lest we become surprized amidst our divisions and Britany which God prevent be once again brought under the Romish yoke It hath been long thought and is now more manifest that the hand of the Jesuite is in all our divisions They send their Emissaries to personate sometimes one party sometimes another hereby to increase our flames to heighten our distractions and to weaken the Protestant interest that hence they may the more easily prevail against us The discovery of the late horrid Plot hath brought to light their devices of this kind how the Jesuits have interested themselves in our feuds and as Preachers among dissenters have animated them against the established government and they knew if they could effect this we should with greater ease become a Prey to their teeth Further it is well known how they make use of our Divisions to perswade persons to their communion where if they may be believed is nothing but union and concord and not only so but the readiest