Thankfulnesse for Gods Mercy PSAL. 136. Vers 26. O praise the God of Heaven for his Mercy endureth for ever THE Text cannot want a welcome when it is easie short and sweet easie to the Vnderstanding short to the Memory and sweet to the Affections This Text blessed be Gods holy Name for it is so and therefore does not so much desire as deserve your kind entertainment courteous embraces so easie that the thinnest capacity may understand it that the dullest understanding may conceive it for who understands not Mans duty O give thanks unto the God of Heaven and Gods pitty For his mercy endures for ever so short that it consists but of six words three in the former Celebrate Deum Coelorum and three in the latter part of the Verse In saeculae misericordia ejus And which of your memories is so brittle that it cannot remember sixe I never read but of one man that could not remember five not one of you is that one man you can remember sixe And to invite your Memory it is sweete to your Affections too as sweet as heart can desire What doth the guilty man desire but Mercy Mercy to remit his sinnes What doth the offending man desire but Mercy Mercy to dimit his faults What doth the leprous man desire but Mercy Mercy to cleanse him of his leprosie What doth the captived man desire but Mercy Mercy to redeeme him from his bondage and to set him at liberty What doth the sick man desire but Mercy Mercy to cure him of his sicknesse This this is the desire of all your hearts this relishes sweetly in your affections that God in mercy would remove the Plague from amongst us Why see to give the Text a welcome this is in the Text too it is the very ground of the Text For his mercy endureth for ever If this be not easie short and sweet enough why then divide the Text and the parts of it will bee more facile for the Vnderstanding more portable for the Memory and more toothsomme to the Affections so portable for the Memory that they are but two and those two so facile for the understanding that they are the plainest of all other First an Exhortation to the Dutie of Thankfulnesse O give thanks unto the God of Heaven And secondly a Perswasion to doe that Duty for if any one should aske why why give thanks unto the God of Heaven why why because his mercy endures for ever that is the maine part and what so delightsome to the affections of miserable man as the Mercy of a pittifull God Or if you will enlarge it to make it more delightsome to the affections and more plaine to the understanding though a little more combersome to the memory Then you have in the Exhortation these three particulars First the passion of the delivery Oh not simply doe it but Oh doe it Secondly the Ingemination of the Duty Oh give thanks in the beginning and Oh give thanks in the ending of the Psalme Thirdly the Excellency of the object not to the King of men not to the gods of the Heathen no but to the God of Heaven or the Heavenly God Then againe in the perswasion you have these foure particulars First What it is to endure for ever if you doe not aske that question you will hardly understand what it meanes how his mercy endures for ever Secondly How this is true His mercy endures for ever For if you doe not know that to be true or how that is true the Affections will by and by grow nauseous Thirdly why David chuses rather this than Judgement If you read the Psalme and read therein Hee overthrew Pharaoh in the Red Sea Verse 15. he slew famous Kings Verse 18. Or if you look upon the times and therein see the Plague why it may as well stand one would thinke His judgement endures for ever And then fourthly and lastly why the Prophet repeats this so often His mercy endures for ever Twenty sixe times in this one Psalme and when you understand this it will make the Duty goe downe a great deale better that is my first part and I begin with it I call'd it an Exhortation and so it is for herein David the King exhorts us that are subjects to give thankes to the God of Heaven Part 1. A duty this is and such a duty that it needes not my Rethoricke to fasten it upon you The Heaven and the Earth the Sea and the Rivers the Husbandman and his ground the Shepheard and his Sheepe the Carrier and his Asse doe all perswade it Heaven drops downe showres and the Earth in Thankfulnesse sprouts up Flowers the Sea fills the Rivers the Rivers in Thankfulnesse empty themselves into the Sea againe the Husbandman throwes his Corne into the ground the ground in Thankfulnesse returnes him ten for one the Shepheard feeds his sheepe the Sheepe in Thankfulnesse cloath the Shepheard the Carrier baites his Asse the Asse in Thankfulnesse carries him I pray God we prove not worse than the Asse in unthanâ—fulnesse to God for delivering us from the plague and pestilence Such a Duty it is that no duty hath stronger precepts for it no duty hath better patterns of it no Duty hath fairer promises to it The Old and the New Testament doe both command it Moses and the Prophets Christ and the Apostles did all practise it and the God of all will reward it above all other services First Ps 50.14 1 Thes 5. Offer unto God Thanksgiving saies the Prophet In all things give thankes saith the Apostle and as if Nature did concurre with Scripture Ingratum si dixeris omnia dixeris saies the meere naturall you cannot say worse of any man than to say He is unthankfull And well sayd that Royall King of blessed Memory who knew the depths of Nature and Texts of Scripture as well as any King before him Ingratus de praeteritis indignus de futuris He that is unthankfull for what he hath is unworthy to have what he wants And if wee are unthankefull for our preservation from this last Plague we shall be unworthy to bee preserved from the next Plague Christ therefore charged the Leper that was cleansed to offer for his Cleansing as Moses commanded and what was that but as at least a Lambe and a log of Oyle Lev. 5.14 and a tenth â—eale of fine floure for a meate offering Lev. 14.21 22. 〈◊〉 two Turtle Doves or two young Piâ—eons the one for a sinne-offering and the other for a burnt offering for an offering of Thanksgiving A Duty you see it is strongly commanded and so it is secondly as highly practised For Iacob the Paâ—iarke did it Gen. 32.10 I am not worthy of the â—east of all thy mercies with my staffe â—assed I over this Iordan and now â— am become two bands A thankefull acknowledgment this was and David the Prince did it and did it when â—he plague was stayed
He did holy Iob. Hee may give thee over to a Feaver to a Sadnesse to a Sicknesse to a plague as he did Hezekiah thou maist be led into the tentation of an Adultery of a Drunkenesse of a Murther as was David to a denying of Iesus Christ as was Saint Peter yet none of these can make a finall separation if thou seriously repent The Madianite Merchants of sinne sadnesse sicknesse may buy the present possession of thy Soule yet if thou wilt grow due to God by a new and true Repentance thy dejected soule shall no sooner cry out Quis liberabit O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me but thy Faith shall make a sweet Reply from this Text The God of Heaven because his mercy endures for ever This is a good Reason why we should not despaire and a forcible perswasion it is to give thankes to the God of Heaven for his Mercy endures for ever It is my third Enquiry why David makes choyce of Mercy to perswade our Thankfulnesse Will it not stand as well Oh give thankes unto the God of Heaven because his Iudgement endures for ever It may seeme so if you read the Psalme Which overthrew Pharaoh in the Red Sea which slew mighty Kings Ogâ— the King of c. No rather Mercy for all that than Iudgement because his Mercy is more everlasting to us than his Iudgement For take the disproportion betwixt a Yeere and a Moneth and that is twelve for one betwixt a yeere and a weeke and that fifty two for one betwixt a yeere and a day and that is three hundred sixty five for one betwixt a yeere and an houre and that is eight thousand seven hundred sixty for one betwixt a yeere and a moment and that is many thousands for one and such a disproportion there is betwixt the Everlastingnesse of Gods Iudgement and Mercy to us In the Apocalyps it is sayd Cap. 9. ver 10. Their tower the evill Angels was to hurt Men five Moneths Then againe Apoc. 2.10 Ye shall have tribulation ten dayes And in Daniel Seventy Weekes are determined upon this people Dan. 9.24 and upon the holy City to finish the transgression and to make an end of sinnes and to make reconciliation for iniquity and to bring in everlasting Righteousnesse And so in the Prophet Isaiah For a small moment have I forsaken thee Isa 54.7 8 but with great mercies will I gather thee In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment but with everlasting kindnesse will I have mercy upon thee saith the Lord thy Redeemer Observe ye now there is a Moneth wee may be hurt five Moneths there is a weeke seven weekes for iniquity there is a day tribulation for ten daies and there is a moment wrath for a moment but Righteousnesse everlasting everlasting kindnesse everlasting mercies And therefore rather Mercy than Iudgment oh give thankâ— unto the God of Heaven for his mercy endures for ever For 1. his mercy hath a prerogative of Alliance his mercy is manifesteâ— in himselfe his iudgment never but for our sinnes Hee made us in mercy when we desired him not he redeemed us in mercy when wee deserv'd it not and without desert upon desire and endeavour he will save us in mercy Oh praise the God of Heaven therefore for his mercy endures for ever For 2. his mercy hath a prerogative of Antiquity his iudgment shewed not it selfe in the Creation his mercy did his judgment was in posse and by way of condition but his mercy was in esse and act and possession therefore rather Mercy than Iudgment For 3. his mercy hath a prerogative of Honour it honours God and God honours it it honours his power in overcomming the power of Satan it honours his Iustice in satisfying the Iustice of himselfe and it honours his Wisedome in finding out such a Sacrifice which was propitiatory for the sinnes of the whole World Iesus Christ And whence is all this honour to God but from the mercies of God Ioh. 3.16 For God so loved the World that He gave His onely begotten sonne c. And God honours it for He gives it the right hand at the last day The Mercifull are those Sheepe which hee will set at his right hand at Doomes-day Mat. 25.33 and the right hand is the hand of Honour Oh give thanks unto the God of Heaven therefore for his mercy endureth for ever His Mercy rather than his Judgement For fourthly his mercy hath a prerogative of Duration and continuance sometimes an interruption of mercy there may be by Judgment but evermore mercy recovers againe In the year 1602 to go no farther than the easie compute of our owne remembrances Judgment interrupted mercy and there dyed of the Plague 30578. but mercy saved many more thousands alive and tooke place againe for 22. yeares for till 1625. no Plague in this City and then there dyed of the Plague 34576. but many more thousands mercy saved alive and reigned sole liver againe for 5. yeares for till 1630. no Plague in this City and then there dyed of the Plague but 1317. but many many more thousands did mercy preserve and keepe alive and hath reigned 6. yeares againe and there are some thousands dead of the Plague this yeare but many more thousands by mercies favour reserved and amongst them our selves blessed be the God of Heaven And why are we preserved yet but to give thanks unto the God of Heaven because his mercy endureth for ever Would you be preserved still and would you have mercy sweepe away this Judgement would you have mercy continue for ever and give no more place to Judgement for another Plague why no way so good as for us to be like God and this is a sure way when our mercy like Gods endures for ever God hath respect to us for his owne mercies sake and God hath respect to us for our mercies sake too For his owne mercies sake and therefore it is that we are not consumed And for our mercies sake for God respected Cornelius for his workes of mercy so the Angel told him Thy Prayers and thine Almes-deeds are come up for a memoriall before God Act. 10.4 And doe not you thinke that God hath respect to this City for the mercifull workes of this City Your Hospitals wherein so many poore Widowes Orphans Men Women young and old are relieved so many sicke and lame cured Your Bridewels wherein so many idle loyterers are made to worke and so many wanton Harlots punished Your Bedlams wherein so many mad men are Dieted and some restored Your Pest-houses wherein so many infected persons are regarded and some recovered All these and many more cry to God that His mercy may endure for ever Shall I commend one worke of mercy more to you all to all you that are hard-hearted Creditors where you see your debtors so poore that they have nothing to pay that then you would be
Or if you you will take Iuslitia here in the fairest acception for Righteousnesse why even so wee are not able to make answer to one of a thousand Should God but examine our good deeds our Devotions and our Charities our Fastings and our Repentances by the exact rule of Righteousnesse O God how short should wee by them come of Heaven 3. Others therefore by the Face of God understand Facies Misericordiae The Face of Mercie And this is it wee must seeke The face of his Majestie strikes us dead the Face of his Wisedome wee admire the Face of his Iustice wee stand in awe of the Face of his Vengeance we fly from but the Face of his Mercie his Mercie This is that strong out of which came this Sweet and the full unfolding of Sampsons Riddle This is that Lion out of which came this Honie-combe I will not feare what man or Divell can doe unto mee so long as I can seeke the Face of Gods mercie This is it we are here bid to seek and seeke it till we finde it till we behold it till it doeth manifest it selfe unto us But how may we know when we finde it how may we know when the Face of Gods mercie doth manifest it selfe unto us Why that we may know if wee know how and when the Sunne doth manifest it selfe unto us And the Sunne you know doth manifest it selfe 1. Obscurely 2. Plainly and 3. Fully The Sunne is manifested 1. by Day light that is Obscurely and this manifestation is common to all in the same clymaâ— unto which the Sunne is risen 2. It manifests it selfe by Sun-shine that is Plainly and this is not in all places where the day light is It is 3. manifested in his full strength that is Perfectly and this is onely in the Heavens where the body is present no bodies enjoy it but the starres because no other bodies can endure it but the starres and there by they are glorious bodies So God doth manifest his Face of mercie 1. By the workes of his genetall providence to all the world Act. 1â— 28 In him we live we move and have our being This is an obscure manifestation of himselfe as it were by day light yet even this as obscure as it is is enough to make all men without excuse Rom. 1.20 because hereby wee may understand His eternall power and God-head He 2. manifests the Face of his mercie by the peculiar workes of Grace to his Church This is the Plaine Sunshine of his mercie And blessed are the people that bee in such a case Psal 144.15 for Hee hath not dealt so with every nation neither have the Heathen knowledge of his Lawes The â—est of the world in respect of the Church sits in darknesse and in the hadow of death May this face of is mercie the Sunne of his Gospell â—hine bright pure within the walles of this kingdome till wee and our posterities after us come to see and behold the third manifestation of his face in Heaven which is the fullest manifestation that any creature is capable of whether Saint or Angel and thereby they are glorious and sanctified bodies That that is here spoken of is the second and the meaning is this seeke my face viz. Seeke my mercy My mercy as it is revealed unto you in the Mercy seat and in the Sanctuarie where the Incense Altar and the Ark stood the Incense Altar in the middle of the Sanctuarie and the Ark in the Sanctum Sanctorum 1 Reg 8.9 that in the body of the Church this in the Quire or the Chancell Here stood the Arke with the Law of God in it and the Mercy-seate upon it which was called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Propitiatorie or a Propitiation because it covered the Law and hid it that it might not appeare before God to plead against man and there in the Sanctuarie stood the Incense Altar Exod. 30.10 which was sprinkled once every yeare with the blood of the Sacrifice or the Sinne offering once every yeare because an attonement was thereby made for the people This was a type of Prayer that of Iesus Christ with whose blood if our prayers bee sprinkled He is the propitiation for our sinnes 1 Ioh. 2.22 That you may bee sure this is the meaning you may looke upon the prayer to which this Text is the answer The prayer was this If there be a pestilence 2 Chron. 6.28.29 and the people shall pray with their hands spread towards this house viz. the Temple of Solomon that Temple was but a type that type is long since ruined but the truth thereof abides for ever and it is this If God sends a pestilence amongst us Christians then we must humble our selves and pray and turne from our wicked wayes and seek his face by bonding our eyes towards the mercy seate viz. his right hand where Jesus Christ sits making intercession for us that our prayers may bee accepted that our Land may be healed I conclude this with that of Saint Stephen when his enemies stoned him Act. 7.55 He looked up stedfastly into Heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing on the right hand of God Siâ— vos so doe you now the plague destroyes your neighbours about you looke you stedfastly up to Heaven and by the light and Eye of Faith see Iesus Christ at the right hand of God and with faithfull prayers never leave importuning God till hee have healed your Land or saved your soules And one of these you shall be sure of if not both for marke the Apostles inference Rom. 8.32 Hee hath given his Sonne for us and will not he with him give us all things It is as if he should have sayd hee hath delivered the better part your Soules from Hell and will not hee deliver your worse part your Body from the plague Hee did that by Iesus Christ when you desired him not and will not hee doe this for Iesus Christ his sake when you desire him there is no doubt to be made of it so that we seeke him as wee should It is my third thing I have to doe and here I am first to tell you when you must seeke him First there is a time we may find 1 a 1 ae 4 ae 2 ae Seeke God when if we seeke secondly there is a time we shall finde if wee seeke and thirdly there is a time though we seeke yet we shall not finde First we may chance to finde him if wee seeke him upon our Death-beds and never till then But it is a chance this and a meere chance if wee doe some one or two there are amongst 10000. that have so done but it is not safe to follow this example hee were but a mad man that having a long journey to goe would leave his money behinde him because hee hath heard of one or two that have found a purse of
Executor lookes upon his large revenues which hee hath couâ—ened poore Orphans of and such like as these shall give thankes to the God of Heaven for such like blessings is these it is as acceptable as the sacrifice of a Dogge or Whore and that 's abhominable You should first have made Restitution of such â—â— gotten goods and then come and offer the sacrifices of Thankfulnesse that the God of Heaven might and Salvation into your houses Thirdly the Hypocrite hee gives thankes to the God of Heaven but it is with lips his heart is farre off or if his heart and tongue bee sometimes friends yet his life is false and spurious because he is envious and malicious sometimes barking at the Churches Discipline sometimes detracting from his neighbors worth and so hee seemes to man to give thankes he cares not to abuse and mocke and dissemble with the God of Heaven But I might have spared these three last Notes for you are not superstitious Papists you give thankes to God onely you are not covetous Mammonists your blessings that you give thanks for came from Heavenâ— you are not dissembling Hypocrites give Heavenly praises for Heavenly blessings If I doe not now speakâ— truth you are too blame and if have done you any wrong in speaking too well of you I pray GOD make you such as you should bee and so direct you in giving thanks â—â— the God of Heaven that his mercy may endure for ever As in it selfe so â—o you It is my second part of my Text the Reason and perswasion to enforce us to performe the Duty Oh â—ive thanks unto the God of Heaven Why so for his mercy endureth for â—ver Were there no more but the precept Celebrate Deum Caeloâ—um Oh give thanks unto the God of heaven I were bound to doe it â—or I am bound to obey God but then God is pleased to wooe our bedience and to backe his Precepts with perswasions we are then much â—o blame if we obey not Give â—â—anks therefore to the God of Heaven â—â—e must because his mercy endureth 〈◊〉 ever It is a faire Reason that of all Creatures God made onely one reasonable if you looke upon your selves you may soone know who it is it is Man onely Man aâ—â— his fellow servants the Angeâ—â— Stones have Being Plants life Beast have Sence onely Men and Angel have Reason Nor was man maâ—â— Reasonable onely to have Reason and to use it but to be improved bâ—â— it and made better Scripture neeâ— no Reason to enforce it yet rathâ— than man should neglect Scripture and not obey it see the goodnesseâ— God Hee backes his Exhoration with such a Reason as is able 〈◊〉 turne the most rebellious heart iâ—â— Duty and Obedience Oh give than unto the God of Heaven for his merâ— endures for ever But I must not stand here for ever my time begins to fade and vanish before it quite ends I shall resole those foure Inquiries in this partâ— cluded I proposed but now the first whereof is What it is to endure for ever To endure for Ever and Everlasting are in opinione vulgi conversible and a thing is said to be Everlasting either first because it lasts â—ong as it is said of the Idolatrous City in Deuteronomy Deu. 13.16 It shall bee an â—eape for ever and so of Ai Joshua â—urnt it and made it an heape for ever Josh 8.1 â— And yet that heape is mouldred â—ong since into nothing or into dust which is as little and next neighbor â—o nothing and here it is Aeternum â—uia Diuturnum Or secondly a â—hing is said to be Everlasting because it lasts for ever for the time to â—ome so the fire of Hell is said to â—e Everlasting Depart yee hence into Everlasting fire Mat. 25.41 is the laft and lasting â—oome of the wicked and here it is AeternuÌ„ quia sempiternum or thirdly a thing is said to beeverlasting because it is continually and perpetually so God who is Alpha and Omega the Beginning and the Ending and yet hath neither Beginning nor Ending is said to bee Everlasting and here it is Aeternum quis extra Terminos Betwixt these you may distinguish Eternall is that which hath an Everlasting Fore-noone and an Everlasting After-noone so God onely can be said to be Eternall Diuturnall is that which lasts long though it hath both a Morning and an Evening it knew a Sunne-rising and shall know a Sunne-setting so the World may be said to be Diuturnall it was made in the Beginning and it shall be destroyed in Ending Thirdly Everlasting or Sempiternall is that which hath an Everlasting after-noone it shall never have a setting though it had a rising no Evening though a morning So mans soule and Angels may be said to bee Everlasting In a word man cannot define what Eternall is St. Augustine describes what it is not Aeternum est in quo non est praeteritum aut futurum non fuit aut fuerit sed solum est Eternall is that in which there is no Time past no Time to come nor hath beene nor none shall bee but onely â—s And yet other Tenses sensu composito absque presentis temporis exclusione may truely though not properly bee given to Eternity which is God Rev. 1.8 I am Alpha and Omega the Beginning and the Ending saith the Lord which is which was and which is to come Whereupon St. Austine Fuit quia nunquam defuit Erit quia nunquam deerit Est quia semper est God was because never Time was wherein God was not God shall bee because never Time shall bee wherein God shall not be God is because hee is Everlasting Eternall And who can define what God is The Angels enjoy it but they cannot define it for then they must perfectly know what God is who onely is Eternall and therefore can onely tell what Eternall is And yet that you may know how Gods Eternity differs from other things that are sayd to bee Eternall you may please to understand that things are sayd to be Eternall or Everlasting more plainely thus First that have both beginning and ending or secondly which have beginning and no end or thirdly which have no beginning yet an end or fourthly which have neither beginning nor end First things having both beginning and end are sayd to be for ever and of these are two sorts First things that have no determinate Date Deu. 13 16 〈◊〉 â— 2â— as the heaps before spoken of Secondly such as are immutable while their Date lasteth so those things which remaine inalterable for the time of a mans life are sayd to be for ever Exod. 21.6 Exod. 12.24 as the boaring of a mans eare made him a servant for ever so were the Passeover and Legall Rites called an Ordinance for ever Secondly things that have a beginning but no end as good and evill Angels mens soules Heaven and Hell all these had a beginning but none of all
these shall ever have an end Thirdly things that have no beginning but an end as Gods Decrees They never had beginning and therefore sayes St. Paul Grace was given us before the world began 2 Tim. 1.9 but his Decrees have 〈◊〉 end Fourthly things that have never beginning nor ending and so onely God God the Father God the Son God the Holy Ghost and his properties are everlasting or endure for ever and amongst them his Mercy It is my second Enquiry how this is true His Mercy endures for ever and I resolve it thus Whatsoever is in God is God and everlasting as God is and therefore his Mercy his Mercy endures for ever Et à parte ante in the everlasting Fore-noone or our Election Et à parte post in the everlasting Afternoone of our Glorification Yet heere you must consider for ever either absolute in God and so it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In saecula for ever and ever Or else Respective to us and so it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In saeculum for ever As I take it the Prophet here speakes in the last sense the Respective so in the three Ageâ— of the world first Ante Before the Law there Gods Mercy endureâ— for ever Hee taught them by instinct Secondly Sub Vnder the Law there he writ them a Rule the Ten Commandements how they should live and live well Thirdly Post After the Law which lasts to the Worlds end in the Covenant of Grace the Gospell of Iesus Christ which will bring us if wee obey it from being beholding to his Mercy to the beholding of his Mercy for ever Or divide the world into sixe Ages First the Infancy of the world from Adam to Noah there Gods Mercy was everlasting and endured for ever Judgement seemed to prevaile twice first in Adams nakednesse and his exile from Paradise but Mercy presently got the upper hand Gen. 3.15 in the promise of the Womans seed to breake the Serpents head and covering our nakednesse with the Merits of Iesus Christ which shall bring us againe into Paradise Secondly Iudgement seemed to prevaile againe in the Deluge and drowning of the World Gen. 7.23 but Mercy got the upper hand instantly in saving Noah and his Family in the Arke figuring thereby our Regeneration by his holy Baptisme Secondly the Childhood of the World Gen. 19.16 from Noah to Abraham There His mercy endured for ever Judgement seemed to prevaile in the fire of Sodome but mercy tooke place againe in saving Lot Thirdly Exo. 2.23 the youth of the World from Abraham to David There His mercy endured for ever Judgement seemed to take place in the Egyptian bondage but mercy prevailed in their deliverance by Moses Fourthly the Manhood of thâ—â— World from David to the Captivity There His mercy endured for ever Judgement seemed to prevailâ— in the demolishing of Ierusalem by Nebuchadnezzar 1. Chron. 36.19 but mercy took place againe in the reedifying it by Nehemiah And now I am upon that hint I may say the same of this place Judgement seemed to prevaile upon this Temple of St. Paul St. Paul I say the onely Cathedrall Church in the Christian World dedicated to the service of God under the name of St. Paul when it lay like the Diacony the Deacons of the Church 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the very dust but mercy hath got the upper hand and wee may say as they said nay we are too blame if we doe not say it Blessed bee the Lord God of Israel which hath put such a thing as this into the Kings heart Ezr. 7.27 to beautifie the house of the Lord which is in Ierusalem Yea blessed be the Majesty of our King and blessed be all those who put a helping hand to this religious worke of Reedifying and Beautifying St. Paul and above all Blessed bee the God of Heaven because his mercy endureth for ever Fifthly the Age of the World from the Captivity to St. Iohn Baptist There His mercy endured for ever Judgement seemed to prevaile in the departing of the Scepter from Iudah but mercy tooke place in the comming of Shilo Sixtly and lastly the old and last age of the World from St. Iohn Baptist to the Worlds end There His mercy hath endured and doth and will endure for ever Judgement seemed to prevaile in Herod in Pilate in Iudas in the Iewes when they put Christ to death and buryed him but mercy got the upper hand and Christ came up againe and rose from the dead and ascended into Heaven and fits at the right hand of God to make Intercession for us Judgement seemed to prevaile when Arius denyed the Divinity of Christ When Apollinarius stumbled at the Humanity of Christ When Nestorius declined the Union of these two Natures in one person When Entyâ—hes forged a confusion of the two Natures but mercy got the start againe when the Councell of Nice defined Christ to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God of God very God of very God of the same substance with his Father When the Councell of Constantinople deâ—â—ned Christ to bee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not onely perfect God but also perfect Man of a reasonable soule and Humane flesh subsisting When the Councell of Ephesus defined God and Man to bee but one Christ When the Councell of Calcedon defined Christ to be one not by confusion of substance but by unity of person for which blessed union Oh give thanks unto the God of Heaven because by the Merit of that union his mercy endures for ever to us And so now to let other times passe Judgement seemed to prevaile in the Plague This Plague that scattered us asunder and consumed many of us but mercy you see hath got the upper hand againe this weeke there dyed of the Plague but 555. a faire and a large decrease for which Oh give thanks unto the God of Heaven And doe Thou who art the God of Heaven not onely diminish but extinguish the Plague command this destroying Angel to hold his hand because Thy mercy endures for ever Amen And if Gods mercy endures for ever Quare tumultuatur anima tua Why is thy soule disquieted within thee because of thy present estate thou art fallen into some deadly sinne and canst not tel whether thou shalt be forgiven or is it because of thy future state thou art holy now but fearst thou shalt not so continue and persevere in grace Why man thy present falls doe but shew thee thine owne weaknesse and for it thou must bee humbled and repent that thou mayst be forgiven and the feare for thy future condition does but shew thy changeablenesse and for it thou must be carefull and pray for a continuance in holinesse that thou mayst be sure God may for a while forsake thee and suffer thee to be an instrument of vexation to others as hee did Saint Paul hee may give thee over to the Plough to the Harrow to the Dung hill as
like God and forgive them all the debt Else if nothing will serve your turns but their bodies to make Dice of their bones then read that Parable in St. Mathew the 18. and you shall finde the mercilesse Creditor hath little hope of mercy with God Nor is this any way advantagious to you who are Debtors to find out shifts and breake and conveigh your wares into your neighbours Store-houses thereby to make your Creditor beleeve you have nothing to pay and therefore to forgive you no you that are debtors must pay all that you owe if you have wherewith if not all yet so farre as you have to pay withall This you must doe you must doe this as you hope to be saved and find the mercy of God Luk. 19.8.9 Zacheus never heard of salvation till he had first made restitution nor may you hope for it if you have wherewith to restore But if you have nothing to pay nothing indeed why then your Creditors must be like God and forgive you all the debt His mercy endures for ever and so must ours Yet one more for one more worke of mercy And this to you all all in generall and together rich and poore if you would have Gods mercy endure for ever to you your mercy must endure for ever to God But can a man be mercifull to God Yes he may and no Popery in it upon my life God complaines and complaines of you and complaines to you That you presse him with sins Am. 2.13 as a Cart 〈◊〉 pressed with sheaves And this pressing him is a meere oppressing of him and therefore you must bee more mercifull unto him and lay no more load upon him thou 〈…〉 the single eares 〈◊〉 Infirmities yet you must take head of the double sheaves of Impreâ—â—es 〈◊〉 presse 〈◊〉 and God forbid that man should presse his God These your Impieties have pressed and squeezed a Plague out of the Cup of his Wrath and it hath beene drunke amongst us If you would not drinke the dregges of it your selves bee more mercifull to God presse him no more with sinnes if you would have this Plague quite and cleane removed and then you shall live and live to give Thankes to the God of Heaven because his mercy endures for ever Else if you presse him still His Judgements will endure for ever And David you see makes choyse of mercy rather than Judgement to perswade our thankfulnesse Oh give thankes unto the God of Heaven because not his Iudgement but his mercy endureth for ever For ever and Everlasting are the mercies of God indeed Everlasting and for ever in number so many that no Arithmetician can number them Divide them if you will you may into Temporall Spirituall Eternall Temporall to our bodies Spirituall to our soules Eternall to both soules and bodies but number them you cannot for they are a multitude an infinite multitude Psa 51.1 Doe away mine offences according to the multitude of thy mercies saith David A multitude they are not onely in the Genus but the Species and in the particular of the Species too A multitude of Temporall Bread to feede us Cloth to cover us Fire to warme us Wine to refresh us Oyle to cheare us the whole World is not able to recount them all A multitude of Spirituall his word to teach us to beleeve to worke to pray his Spirit to helpe us to pray His sonne to pray for us His Sacraments to preserve our soules and bodies unto Everlasting life and who can name them all A multitude of Eternals Beauty to the Body Joy to the Soule Glory to both Everlastingnesse in all Everlasting thus in the number and Everlasting in the extension too they compasse us round before us in his preventing mercy behind us in his forbearing mercy over us in his forgiving mercy under us in his supporting mercy on our right hand is his embracing mercy As the Hills stand round about Hierusalem Psa 125.2 even so stand the mercies of God round about them that feare him your selves I trust in God His everlasting mercies are about you Everlasting thus in the Number and extention and Everlasting thus in the Succession too His iealousie visites the Iniquities of the Fathers upon the Children Ex. 20.5.6 unto the third and fourth Generation of them that hate him but he shewes mercy unto thousands in them that love him and keepe his Commandoments To us ô God we beseech thee to our children and to our childrens children so long as the Sunne and Moone endures and for ever and for ever Everlasting thus in number in extension in succession and everlasting thus too in duration Si dixerit totâ die dixerit nihil sed in saecula saeculorum non dixisset amplius Had he sayd his Mercy endures for a Day hee had sayd as much as nothing but saying for ever his Mercy endures for ever what could hee say more And that is a sufficient Reason to resolve my fourth Enquiry why David repeats it so often Twenty sixe times in this Psalme his mercy endures for ever So sweet a Theame it was that the good man was ravished with it he thought hee could never speake enough of it And indeed who can There are onely two men that think they speake too much of it the Papist and the Schismaticke If the Papist did not thinke hee spake too much of it hee would never come in with his merit would Andradius the Jesuite stand up with his Debitum ut donum and tell us that eternall life is not so much of Gods mercy as of mans merit would Bellarmine lay downe his Paradisum ex merito and tell us We may purchase Paradise by merit would Vega more desperately say Gratis non accipiam I will none of Heaven unlesse I may merit some part of it if they did not thinke too much were spoke of mercy You shall amongst them finde Merit twenty sixe times in one Chapter and Mercy not above once whereas in one of Davids Psalmes you shall finde Mercy twenty sixe times together and Merit not so much as once David and the Iesuites surely were not of one opinion in this point And so the Schismaticke too if hee did not thinke hee spake too much of Mercy would hee ever come in with his absolute Reprobation that God made some men purposely to damne them A likely thing that God should be more cruel then man Did ever any of you nay did ever any man get or beget a child purposely to breake his necke when hee was borne Why if there could be a man so cruell to his Childe that came from his owne loynes why yet God would be more cruell if he should make any man on purpose for to damne him for Damnation is a thing farre and infinite worse than Death for by Death a Child is delivered from the miseries of this World but by Damnation a man is taken from the pleasures of this world and hurled into unspeakeable torments Good God that any man should thinke that God who exhorts all men to give him thankes because his mercy endures for ever should make any man amongst them all on purpose for to Damne him Reprobation is a word that came from Fury not from Mercy let him beleeve it that never meanes to give God thanks and despaire I will beleeve that I the greatest of all sinners that thou that any man may bee saved if thou or I or any man doe beleeve that Gods mercy does endure for ever so that thou and I and any man doe live answerable to that Mercy and repent and beleeve and pray and give thankes unto the God of Heaven because his mercy endures for ever His Mercy This this is the onely thing we live by this is the onely thing wee hope to be saved by such a thing This his Mercy so sweete as in the Contemplation thereof I could even Live and Die or rather could live and not Die for whosoever lives and beleives in Gods mercies and in Iesus Christ shall not die eternally The Mercy of God it is Davids Amabaeum and the burthen of this Song Praise the Lord for his Mercy endures for ever And so twenty sixe times in this Psalme Praise the Lord for his Mercy endures for ever His Majesty may astonish us his Glory may beate us downe his Greatnesse may strike us dead his Omnipotencie wee adore his Wisedome we admire his Iustice wee stand in awe of his Uengeance wee flie from but his Mercy his Mercy this is that strong out of which came this sweete and the full unfolding of Sampsons Riddle this is that Lyon out of which came this Hony-combe I will not feare what Man or Divell what Plague or Pestilence can doe unto me so long as I can give thankes unto the God of Heaven because His Mercy endures for ever Amen That was my beginning and it is my ending it was the beginning of us all for of his mercy wee all are and are what we are and I pray God it may be the ending of us all and all of us Die in the Mercy of God while we live God give us grace to make such use of his Mercy his Mercy temporall and his Mercy spiritual that then when we die we may enioy his Mercy which is Eternall Eternally through the merits of his eternall Sonne Iesus Christ To whom with the holy Ghost three persons and one God bee given everlasting thanksgiving for his mercy which endures for ever Amen FINIS
longest beautified who fasts oftenest Why doe I deny my selfe all manner of foode but to recover Paradise by fasting which Adam lost by eating Why doe I not touch so much as Bread or Water but that God may pardon my glutton and drunken sinnes why doe I abstaine from all meate but to prevent those sinnes which if my belly were full my flesh would lust after why doe I restraine my hungry stomacke from that Dish it would but that my Soule may obtaine that blessing it wants why doe I forbeare those dainties my throat desires but to avert those Judgements my Soule feares Ver. â— WheÌ„ thou dost thine Almes Ver. 5. WheÌ„ thou dost pray and in some measure feeles already And yet I doe not fast to merit any of these blessings at attâ—y hand oh God But I fast from worldly labour that my devotion may be quickned and without distraction and I fast from bodily foode because I am unworthy of the least of all thy mercies because I deserve the greatest of all thy judgments I have abused my selfe in the use of thy Creatures and I take this godly revenge upon my selfe for that abuse in the want of thy Creatures my soule knower not how to hunger for Heavenly Graces and to teach it my body shall hunger from earthly creatures my soule hath surfeted in times unlawfull and therefore my body fastâ— from meate that is lawfull My sences have beene gluttons in the dishes of pleasure and therefore my body shall bee her Physitian Ver. 16. WheÌ„ thou dost fast Ver. 33. Seeke first the Kingdome c. and prescribe her a more sparing dyet by example O God I fast because I have sinned and my sinnes are of those kindes of Divels that will not out but by fasting and prayer I have sinned against the mercy of a rather who hath provided for me I have sinned against the mightinesse of a Master who hath preserved mee from evill Nay I have sinned against the Majesty of God a God so righteous that he hath threatned my sinnes with curses upon curses and hath at last sent a Plague round about me and a God so gratious that though nothing else could keepe me from eternall damnation yet rather than I should be damned gave his sonne Iesus Christ to die â—or me a God that will upon these considerations and my rebellions are long send some grievous Affliction upon me Ver. 2. WheÌ„ thou dost thine Almes Ver. 5. WheÌ„ thou dost pray or deny me those blessings that I want unlesse I prevent the one and obtaine the other by repentance But can my heart bleede with sorrow can my heart melt with remorse can my heart dissolve it selfe into teares and repent without fasting Therefore I fast that I may remember my sins and confesse them therefore I fast that confessing my sins I may bewaile them therefore I Fast that bewailing my sins I may forsake them therefore I Fast that forsaking my sinnes thou maist forgive them forgiving them thou maist divert those judgments my sins cry for and send those blessings my sinnes kept from me Heare me oh my God I doe confesse I confesse all my sinnes my originall that I brought into the World and my actuall sinnes that I have brought up in the World but especially amongst them all that and that other and those which I committed yesterday Ver. 16. WheÌ„ thou doest fast Ver. 33. Seek first the Kingdome c. which I committed then then and there in thy presence with a great deale of delight I did commit them with pleasure and doe confesse them with sorrow For see oh my God I bewaile them I groane inwardly and cry outwardly and cry out upon my selfe What a foole was I What a Beast was Oh wretch that I am that I should ever be so unthankfull to God so unkinde to my selfe lesse I dare not doe than thus bewaile those sinnes in punishing my selfe I would I could doe more and I would more than Fast and bewaile them if forsaking bee more I vow never againe to meddle with them O God doe thou forgive them and 〈◊〉 possesse mee of these Divels by the vertue of thy promise made to my charitable Fasting Prayers that I may never againe bee troubled with them Ver. 2. WheÌ„ thou dost thine Almes Ver. 5. WheÌ„ thou dost pray and preserve me from the Plague I have â—eserved and thy other punishments which I feare blesse mee with obedience which I have robbed my selfe of and al other thy graces which I love No other end oh God have I in this Fast but to subdue my flesh and humble my selfe but to dechne thy punishments and enioy thy blessings unlesse happily it bee to seeke thy Kingdome Not that I thinke by the merit of this or any thing else that I have done or can doe to finde it but that by these meanes and in this way I shall the sooner and more easily finde it Indeed I finde it in these and so seeke it first because I doe these For though the kingdome of God consists not in meate and drinke in the belly full or emptie in fasting or not fasting yet it consists in righte ousnesse peace and joy in the holy Ghost Ver. 16. WheÌ„ thou doest fast Ver. 33. Seek first â—he â—ngdome c. And my charâ—â—e gets mee righteousnesse righteousnesse before man my prayers get mee peace peace with God my fasting gâ—â— me joy joy in the holy Ghost 〈◊〉 faith all and all these I have â—â—ne faithfully faithfully for the manner for I have done them secretly and sincerely no body knowes of them but my selfe and faithfully for the end for the glory of God for I care not to be seene of men I care not for the praise of men and faithfully in the foundation for I do believe these workes of mine are accepted and I know no workes are accepted but by Iesus Christ And faithfully I enjoy â—ll these Righteousnesse and Peace and Ioy for none of these are without Christ but in Christ all these are and in Christ I am righteous God hath justified me and being justified I have peace Ver. 2. WheÌ„ thou dost th nâ— Almes Ver. 5. WheÌ„ thou dost pray for being justified by faith we have peace with God through Iesus Christ our Lord. And the peace of God passeth all understanding and therefore must bring with it that joy which never entred into the heart of man to understand the joy of the holy Ghost Thus O God I have sought thy kingdome and thus I have found thy kingdome thus I desire to seek it continually and continually principally and these I desire to finde in it till I be taken from the seeking of thy kingdome in grace to the the seeing of thy kingdome in glory through Iesus Christ Amen Now followes the Sermon of Our thankfulnesse and Gods Mercy which was Preached in St. Pauls Church the three and twentieth of october 1636. Our