duty upon a generall ground O give thanks unto the Lord for he is good because his mercy endureth for ever But because that which is every bodies work is usually no bodies work therefore in the next words he puts the duty into distinct hands Let Israel now say let the house of Aaron now say let them now that fear the Lord say that his mercy endureth for ever The Church of the Jews fals here under a three-fold distribution First Israel the body of the Common-wealth Secondly The house of Aaron the Ministers of the Temple Thirdly All that fear the Lord Converts and Proselites out of all Nations under heaven Having thus awaken'd and summon'd all to this duty he begins a narrative of the speciall grounds and reasons of it which appear in two branches First The readinesse of God to hear and help him from the 5. vers to the 10. I called upon the Lord in distresse the Lord answered me and set me in a large place The Lord is on my side c. Secondly The malice of his enemies in opposing him who are described 1. Their multitude All Nations ver 10. That is the Nations round about such as are named Psal 83. 7. Gebal and Ammon and Amaleck the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tire c. These have consulted together with one consent they are confederate against me 2. Their neernesse of prevailing They compassed me about David was never in such a straight or so near the borders of ruine as when Saul and his men compassed Him and his men round about to take them 1 Sam. 23. 26. when an enemy charges both in front and flank both van and reer they look like Masters of the field 3. Their frequency in renewing their assaults They compassed me about they compassed me about yea they compassed me about They compassed me about like Bees Four times they compassed him about and the fourth with an addition the last charge was hottest as setting their Rest upon it to shew how restlesse and uncessant they were in their opposition 4. He describes his enemies by the end which the Lord brought them unto They are quenched as the fire of thorns vers 12. Some read They are kindled as the fire of thorns both the Greek and the Chaldee translate so and it is usuall in the Hebrew for the same word to signifie contraries as to blesse and to curse so here to quench and to kindle The sense amounts to the same for that which is soon kindled is soon quenched Davids enemies were soon kindled as the fire of thorns a small matter set them on fire and they were quenched or consumed like thorns which in a moment are both flame and ashes 5. He describeth his enemies by the end which they intended him or by their design against him at the 13. verse Thou hast thrust sore at me that I might fall ruine was the project Malice knows not how to go lesse then destruction They thrust sore at him that he might fall The Psalmist having made this report of his dangers and deliverances of his enemies rising rage and fall gives glory to God vers 14. The Lord is my strength and song and he is become my salvation And all his people celebrate these mercies as well as share in them vers 15 16. The voice of rejoycing and salvation is in the tabernacles of the righteous He in whom they rejoyced and who was the subject of their song stands forth in the next words The right hand of the Lord doth valiantly The right hand of the Lord is exalted The right hand of the Lord doth valiantly Davids joy now grows up to confidence and from telling over the former mercies of God he goes on to fore-tell those which were future in the Text now read I shall not die but live and declare the works of the Lord. The words are a holy rapture or exultation of spirit his faith was too big for his heart he must vent it at his lips I shall not die but live c. There are two parts in this verse 1. Davids confidence of future mercy I shall not die but live 2. Davids conscience both of a present and future duty And declare the works of the Lord. There is a double reading of the words Some thus I am not dead but alive which translation is contended for as the best by a learned Interpreter and then the sense hath a mixture of joy and thankfulnes that he who could number so many enemies and so many dangers should yet passe the pikes untoucht and out-live them all I am not dead but alive O wonderfull Blessed be God for this We read I shall not die but live And so the words carry the sense of an high acting faith or of a faith raised up to a full-grown assurance Having told the story of his passed sufferings and salvations he believes above and beyond all possible sufferings I shall not die but live But was David immortall What man is he that liveth and shall not see death and shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave Psal 89. 49. Is it not appointed unto all men once to die And after David had served his generation did not he fall asleep Read we not often of Davids sepulchre How then is it that he promiseth thus much to himself I shall not die but live There is a two-fold death 1. A Naturall death 2. A Violent death David doth not promise himself priviledge from the former he waves not a submission to the law of nature But David did believe God would protect him from the later I shall not die that is a violent death I shall not die by the hand of these men I shall not die the death which they have voted me to in their counsels long ago Again Death may be taken under another distinction There is either A naturall or A civil death We may understand David of the later I shall not die a civil death as not a violent corporall death they shall not take away the life of my body so I shall not die a civil death they shall not take away the prosperity of my estate The two witnesses are said to be dead Revel 11. 8. and their dead bodies to lie in the streets when they were divested of all power and priviledge in holding forth the truth of the Gospel The state of the Jews in their Babylonian captivity is represented to Ezekiel by a valley full of dry bones Chap. 37. 1 2. A man may have breath in his body and yet the man scarce alive The Apostle speaks this sense 1 Thess 3. 8. Now I live that is now I live comfortably now I feel my self alive if ye stand fast in the faith So here I shall not die that is I shall not be miserable I shall not be trodden under foot or live at the curtesie and allowance of my enemies And when he saith I we are not to restrain it to Davids person
He was ready to die with joy to hear that his son was not only not dead but alive in such an estate of honour This day is witnesse This solemn meeting is a proof That the Kingdom the Parliament of England the City of London do not only live but prosper Ye are not escaped only as Job speaks Chap. 19. 20. with the skin of your teeth but with your Ornaments and Honours with your riches and priviledges Ye have not only breath and a being but strength and a wel-being ye are encompassed with blessings and the Candle of God shines upon your heads Though as the Psalmist speaks Psal 66. 12. Ye have gone thorow much fire and water yet God hath brought you to a wealthy place Ye are not enjoying a life only a life within one step or degree of death but ye live your lives ye have a life that hath abundance of life in it such livelines such vigour your affairs have not had since these troubles began What the Oratour spake with indignation of Catiline a conspiratour against the peace of his countrey Vivit etiam in Senatum venit the man hath honour whose life is more then his due The same may I say with much gratulation of you Noble Patriots Vivitis etiam in Senatum venitis Ye live and ye live still like Senatours Your Honour is great in the salvation which God hath wrought Your Sunne rises in the West Your victories abroad are stupendious Your union which this daies apparance is a great demonstration of I say your union at home is pleasant and harmonious the Two Houses with each other both with the City concentring in this solemn duty I would say this from the sense of this great mercy Right Honourable seeing the Lord hath given you your lives for a prey and added prosperity to your lives let the cause of God not only live but prosper in the land Improve your utmost that Jesus Christ may have not only a being or a breathing in the land and in your lives but that he may raign live gloriously both in the Land and in your lives The Apostle Iohn in his 3d Ep. to Gaius wishes that his body might prosper even as his soul prospered My wish is that all your souls and all the affairs of souls may live and prosper as God hath caused your bodies and outward estates to live and prosper My wish is that all the Churches of Christ may live and prosper even as the Common-wealth prospers The Church of Christ is the soul of that Common-wealth where it is Many Common-wealths have prospered where Christ hath had no Church at all but I think there was never any Common-wealth that prospered where Christ had a Church if that Church did not live up in the same degree of prosperity that the Common-wealth did I mean if the Church had not a flourishing life in it's capacity according to the flourishing of the State wherein it lived I speak not of the Church under the old notion of the Church-men but I speak of the Church as comprehending all the Saints and servants of Jesus Christ all the faithfull in the Land let them all have not only a life but a comfortable life This will answer the mercy of God in giving the State not only a being but such a comfortable being as it hath at this day I know Right Honourable it was farre from your thoughts ever to have spoken like that Roman Tyrant If I must die let fire and earth mingle let all go to confusion if I must die let all the world die too I doubt not but you would have rejoyced though your own lives had been the price to have known that England should live it would have been your comfort that the foundations of mercy to a future generation had been surely laid though in your own ruines Though as Iudah pleads with Ioseph for the return of Benjamin Gen. 44. 30. I verily believe that the life of the Kingdom of England is bound up in the Parliament of England and when this dies that must in the notion here intended But I am sure ye are further off from the speech of that other Roman Tyrant who said Let fire and earth mingle so I may live and prosper so I may have what pleaseth me no matter what becomes of the rest of the world I know ye abhorre to think much more to resolve Now we live and prosper let fire and earth mingle let justice and oppression mingle let Christ and Belial mingle let truth and errour mingle let light and darknesse mingle let good and evil mingle let confusion and disorder appear in the face and live in the body of the whole Nation if they will Therefore as the Lord hath given us in this mercy that you are not dead but alive so let it be I humbly beseech you your care in answer thereunto that the work of God that all who fear God that the cause and people of God that the flook of Jesus Christ may not only not die but live prosperously with and under your Government I now come to the second reading our reading of the Text I shall not die but live So it is a voice of holy confidence and it yeelds this plain Observation That The experience of former mercies and successes is a ground of hope for future and continued mercies and successes Faith turneth this experience I am not dead but alive into this confidence I shall not die but live Hope is the first-born of experience Rom. 5. 4. The Apostle argues so 2 Cor. 1. 10. He hath delivered us from so great a death A great death all death in it self is of one size but the waies of death and the dangers of death are of different sizes and dimensions He hath delivered us from so great a death deadly dangers and he doth deliver us what of that And we trust that he will also deliver us What God hath done and doth is easily believed he will doe The people of Israel being got thorow the red Sea kept a day of Thanksgiving and we finde that they grew confident of getting into Canaan presently Exod. 15. 13 14. Thou in thy mercy hast led forth the people which thou hast redeemed thou hast guided them in thy strength unto thy holy habitation the people shall hear and be afraid sorrow shall take hold of the inhabitants of Palestina the Dukes of Edom shall be amazed c. Israel had set but a foot as it were beyond the red Sea and yet now they tryumph as if they had a footing in Canaan Was not Moses too forward in this and were not the people over confident No they had a just ground of hope that God would carry them thorow that Wildernesse because he had brought them thorow that red Sea David saw Goliah vanquished in the victory he obtained over a Lion and a Bear this uncircumcised Philistime shall be as one of them I beseech you let your faith
ENGLANDS Plus ultra BOTH Of Hoped Mercies and of Required Duties SHEWED IN A SERMON PREACHED to the Honourable Houses of PARLIAMENT the Lord Major Court of Aldermen and Common-councell of London together with the Assembly of Divines at Christ-Church April 2. 1646. Being the day of their publike Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the great successe of the Parliaments Army in the West especially in Cornwall under the Conduct of his Excellency Sr THOMAS FAIRFAX By JOSEPH CARYL Minister of the Gospel at Magnus neer the Bridge London and a Member of the Assembly of DIVINES LONDON Printed by G. M. for John Rothwell at the sign of the Sun and fountain in Pauls Church-yard and Giles Calvert at the sign of the black-spread-Eagle at the west end of Pauls 1646. Die Veneris April 3. 1646. ORdered by the Commons assembled in Parliament That Thanks be given to M. Caryl and M. Peters for the great pains they took in the Sermons they preached yesterday before the Lords and Commons and City of London at Christ-Church in London at the entreaty of both Houses being a day set apart for a publike Thanksgiving to God for the great successes it pleased him to give the Army under the Command of Sr Thomas Fairfax Knight Generall and that they be desired to print their Sermons And it is ordered that none shall presume to print their Sermons without license under their hands writing And that Sr Arthur Hesilrig and M. Prideaux do give them thanks and desire them to print their Sermons accordingly H. Elsyng Cler. Parl. D. Com. I Appoint John Rothwel and Giles Calvert to print my Sermon Joseph Caryl TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE THE LORDS and COMMONS Assembled in PARLIAMENT WHen that holy Prophet fore-told the sorrows and ill usage which the Sonne of God should finde among sinfull men in the days of his flesh he cries out Who shall declare his Generation Isa 53. 8. which many understand of his eternal some of his Generation in the fulnes of time the mystery whereof was beyond words Others of his holy seed his crosse being fruitfull and his death giving life to an innumerable Generation But besides all these we may with good probability interpret the word Generation * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Est generatio seculum tempus vitae humanae per Synecdochen homines una aetate generatione viventes Buxt for the time or age in which Christ was born lived and died And then the meaning is whose tongue shall be able to speak or pen to write the History of His Age Where shall Rhetorique enough be found to draw out or delineate with lively colours the malice and enmity the plots and conspiracies the villanies and cruelties contrived and acted against that innocent Lamb Jesus Christ Together with his most glorious victories and triumphs over them all Who shall declare his Generation I believe there hath scarce been a Generation since that of Christs so journing upon the Earth more hard to declare then this We may well cry out Who shall declare this Generation What Age hath brought forth such monstrous births of man or such marvellous births of God When did man or God shew more of Himself Did men ever assay to destroy a Nation by pollicies and by power by threatning and by flattering by confederacies abroad and combinations at home as some have assaied to destroy this Nation Or hath God assaied to deliver a Nation by temptations by signs and by wonders and by warre and by a mighty hand and by a stretched-out arm and by great terrours according to all that the Lord our God hath done before our eyes Some have said of Zenophons Cyrus that surely it was written Non ad historiae fidem sed ad Principis effigiem not to shew what Cyrus personally was but what a Prince in exactest compleature may be fancied to be Such censures I am perswaded after Ages will give of the true Stories I hope some pens will write the truth of these times that surely they are poeticall raptures or feigned Romances to shew the height of imagination not the realitie of action For whether we consider the strange beginnings the difficult proceedings the variety of judgements the contrarietie of opinions the stands and motions the effects or issue of these warres and troubles together with the faithfulnesse or falsenesse of men the power and goodnesse of God discovered in them it will be found the most improbable relation that ever was put to paper The providence of God which acts in all Nations hath as it were striven to represent such scenes of action in England as are hardly parallel'd by any that are past His works among us have not only justice but beauty and wonder not only mercie but skill and art in them Though to do them be his propertie not his studie his nature not his labour Man cannot so much as be suspected to have done these things God hath done like God The Lord needs not subscribe his name to his work for that his Name is neer his wonderous works declare It must be said by way of assertion This God hath wrought as well as by way of admiration What hath God wrought God hath done so much for us that the most which remains for us to do is to Admire and be Thankfull If these Talents of mercy have not fair improvements we shall be cast for the most unprofitable servants and idle Stewards that were ever trusted by the great Master of heaven and earth Sad will their reckoning be who sleight these mercies but theirs saddest of all who put forth a hand to corrupt and spoil them The reason given by the holy Ghost why his blood must he shed who sheddeth mans blood is this because in the Image of God made he man God hath made our victories and deliverances in his own image There 's not one of them but looks like God What their doom shall be who by envie or self-ends who by sowing divisions or making sides who by somenting jealousies or nourishing discontents go about to murther them the perpetuall equity of that first statute-law puts into the mouth of every ludge Right honourable that these works of God may be aeclared by all manner of declarations perfected into all manner of perfections and that God who hath wrought them may be honoured with all manner of honours should now be Your special care and study the care also and study of all who tast the comforts and share in the blessings of them of which number I thankfully subscribe my self and Your Honours humbly devoted in the service of the Gospel Ioseph Caryl A THANKSGIVING SERMON Preached to the Honourable Houses of PARLIAMENT c. April 2. 1646. PSAL. 118. 17. I shall not die but live and declare the works of the Lord. THis is a Psalm of mercies and of praises A Psalm composed of victories and of thanksgivings The holy Pen-man at the first verse makes a generall invitation to the
Christ for favour If Christ would not have had errour to be opposed vvhy hath he left us means both for the opposition and suppression of errour As he hath given a compleat Armour to every Christian wherewith to fight against the vviles and temptations of the devil so he hath given a compleat Armour to his Church vvherewith to fight against all the errours and unsound doctrines of seducers Therefore search the Magazines of the Gospel bring out all the artillery ammunition and weapons stored up there look out all the chains and fetters the vvhips and rods vvhich either the letter of the Gospel or the everlasting equity of the Law hath provided to binde errour vvith or for the back of heresie let them all be imployed and spare not I hope we shall never use I am perswaded vve ought not Antichrists broom to sweep Christs house with or his weapons to fight against errours with Christ hath formed and sharpened weapons for this warre we need not goe to the Popes forge or file We saith the Apostle have weapons in a readinesse to revenge every disobedience They are ready made to our hands vve have them in a readinesse saith Paul let these be sheathed in the bowels of every errour and corrupt opinion and the event will shew a thought that it will not were an infinite disparagement to the wisdome of Christ who hath appointed them the event I say will shew that these weapons of our warfare are not carnall but mighty through God not a wooden dagger or spears of bulrushes no pot-guns or paper-shot as some at least in consequences blaspheme but mighty through God to the casting down of strong-holds and the bringing of every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ And when errours are more the erroneous tumultuous or blasphemous the generall rules of the word will shew us expedients fit to meet with such distempers If we thus prosecute and oppose the errours of these times which I conceive no man is hindered from doing in his sphear though all the sphears wherein this may be done are not in a desired motion If I say we thus prosecute errour and contend for truth we may keep our hopes alive that as vve are not dead but alive so we shall not die but live that yet Counsels at home and Armies abroad shall prosper that this shall not be the last Thanksgiving day which this great Assembly shall keep for received victories that God will yet go on to crown this Nation with so many mercies as shall fill both the present age and posterity with books and declarations of what God hath vvrought A service to which David engageth himself in the next vvords of the text I shall not die but live and declare the works of the Lord. And declare the works of the Lord. The generall issue of vvhich vvords as considered in conjunction with the former is That all received mercies should be designed to the glory of God This is the design of the Saints when they pray for mercies Joel 2. 14. Who knoweth if he will return and repent and leave a blessing behinde him For vvhom for you Nay Even a meat-offering and a drink-offering to the Lord your God The captive Jews vvere taxed because they fasted forthemselves and not unto God Zech. 7. It must be the project of prayer and fasting that we may receive mercies to honour God with and it should be our project in daies of praise and thanksgiving to honour God vvith the mercies vve have received So much of our lives is as lost and so many of our mercies are as buried with which the name of God is not lifted up and advanced To seek our own glory is not glory or to deal vvith God as the Story speaks of one who vvrote the founders name that had been at the cost and charge of a curious fabrick upon the plaister of the vvall but cut his own name in a marble stone underneath While vvorldly men bestow outward thanks on God Their inward thought is that their houses shall continue for ever and their dwelling place to all generations and they call their lands after their own names Psal 49. 11. To give God a day of vocall praises and to reserve the chief the fattest of the honour to our selves is to mock God in stead of praising him and to commit sacriledge while we are offering holy things But I cannot stay upon that generall Take this in speciall That to declare the works of the Lord is the debt of honour and duty which we ought to pay him for all the work he is pleased to do for us The works of God are his counsels acted Psal 31. 19. O how great is thy goodnesse which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee The goodnesse of God is laid up in what Storehouse doth God lay up this goodnesse Surely in his own brest there he laid up the creation of the world from all eternity and there he laid up the redemption of man and wrought it in the fulnesse of time There he laid up all the deliverances which at any time he hath wrought for his Church O how great is thy goodnesse which â—hou hast laid up then follows which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sonnes of men The works of God are the goodnesse of God made visible they are as so many beams or raies of the power wisdome faithfulnesse and justice of God God declares himself in his works The invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen being understood by the things which are made even his eternall power and God-head Rom. 1. 20. The vvork of Creation declares much of God but the works of Providence declare more And as God declares himself in his works so we must declare the works of God But how shall we make this declaration There is a five-fold declaration of the vvorkes of God The first is an Arithmeticall declaration the originall vvord in the text primarily signifies to make a catalogue or an enumeration of things and so of the works of God setting them down by number Thus God himself declares his works Judg. 10. 11 12. Did not I deliver you from the Egyptians and from the Amorites from the children of Ammon and from the Philistines The Zidonians also and the Amalekites and the Maonites did oppresse you and ye cried to me and I delivered you out of their hand Here is nothing but the bare names of deliverances set down seven in number So many you have received from me saith the Lord. As if we should write now The battell at Keinton one The battel at Newbery two The battel at Chereton-Down three At Marston-moor four At Nazeby five At Langport six At Torington seven the disbanding of the late Army in the West without battell which may go for many victories c. And this is a declaration which becometh us some pens have done this to my
hand already there is an Arithmeticall declaration of our mercies and victories in the Field and over Strong-holds this last year newly set out and printed and I think the number is ninety and one besides some remarkable ones given in since we may conclude this declaration with that of the Psalmist Many O Lord are the wonderfull works which thou hast done and thy thoughts which are to us ward They cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee if we would declare and speak of them they are more then can be numbred Psal 40. 5. Secondly There is a logicall declaration of the works of God when we shew the severall kindes of them as the work of Creation the work of Redemption the work of Providence and distribute these into works of mercy or works of justice into those works wherein God protecteth his people or wherein he destroyeth his enemies and those either in defeating their Counsels or in overthrowing their Forces Many such divisions and subdivisions differences and properties also of the works of God may be set forth in a logicall declaration Thirdly There is an historicall declaration when besides the severall kindes and differences of the works of God we declare the persons acting the places the times the counsels the managing of the severall actions the events and successes the issues and fruits the effects and consequences of every undertaking Such considerations as these make up the history of the works of God The fourth is a Rhetoricall declaration when besides a bare narrative of the facts c. which is proper to history we labour to finde out the severall circumstances and aggravations of every work which may raise up our spirits and warm our hearts in considering of and looking over them It is our duty to make more then bare narratives and histories we must clothe them with eloquence and make oratory doe homage to the honour of God The holy Pen-men have been admirable in this read the Song of Moses Exod. 15. The Song of Deborah Judg. 5. The Song of David in the day that the Lord bad delivered him out of the hands of all his enemies and out of the hand of Saul 2 Sam. 22. and you will finde them over-matching all Poets and Heathen Oratours in depth of conceit exactnesse of stile and flowers of Rhetorike as much as the Sunne doth a Candle or the spirits of wine the dregs of it Thus should we polish and garnish embroider and bedeck the works of God not with vain ostentation of wit not with affectation or pedantick pomp of words but with sobriety and holy gravity Not as Austin I remember censureth a passage in one of his own Confessions it was saith he Declamatio levis alight declamation not Confessio gravis a sober confession Some bestow too much rhetorike upon confession of sinne There may be pride in our confessions of repentance and so there may be in our confessions of praise Our confessions therefore or our declarations of the works of God must not be tainted with wantonnesse and vanity lightnesse and curiosity we must not flourish and word it only with God but we ought to make as solidly rhetoricall declarations as any ability that God giveth us can reach unto For as it is not enough to make an Arithmeticall confession of sins to tell God how many they are how many in number as neer as we can or to make an historicall declaration of them to set down the time and place when and where we sinned but it is our duty to make rhetoricall confessions to aggravate our sins against our selves to shew the Lord not only our sinne but the iniquity of our sinne the filthinesse of our lewdnesse the abomination of our provocations That as the Apostle speaks Our sinnes may become exceeding sinfull Rom. 7. 13. So here the Lord must have more then a naked history of his works or a superficiall declaration that This and That was done our hearts and heads should be busied in searching things to the bottom and in giving an accent to every circumstance For as a small fact committed against God may be a very huge sin so a small work done by God may be a very huge mercy I shall give a few hints towards this Rhetorical declaration of the works of God First Consider them in reference to the way which God takes to bring them about He works sometimes immediately by his own hand and then his work is miraculous He works at other times by weak and improbable means and then his works are marvellous He often makes oppositions and crosse counsels serve his ends he makes a Table out of a snare and what was intended for our casting down the occasion of our standing wounds heal us losses enrich us divisions unite us our being overcome gives us the victory and then his works are glorious Secondly Consider the strength of opposers their helpers and abettours their heights and former successes their resolvednesse and rage their pride and confidences From all these learn how vast a mercy it is to be delivered from them Thirdly Consider the time when God works for us The season is as much as the mercy it self We have had remarkable heightnings of mercie from the dates of our mercies What a remarkable mercy for the season was the Expedition to Glocester when we were as it were dying and giving all up What a seasonable mercy was the victory at Nazeby in the beginning of the last year when we vvere despondent and sinking in our spirits You may finde the like seasonablenesse of many other mercies As words spoken so actions done in season are like Apples of gold in pictures of silver With divers such golden Apples and silver pictures God hath at once fed and delighted us Fourthly Consider for whom God works When for persons undeserving and disoblieging him continually This is a mercy-raising consideration indeed As Job Chap. 7. 17. speaks in generall What is man that thou shouldst magnifie him and that thou shouldst set thine heart upon him So we should say at this time What are we and what is the Nation that God should magnifie us a Nation against which there are so many objections upon which there are so many sinnes a Nation which hath so many waies disoblieged God what are we that God should work such wonders for us When David offered Mephibosheth great kindenesses restoring him all the lands of his father and enviting him to eat bread at his Table continually Mephibosheth who was but a lame man and one that had mean thoughts of himself stands amazed What is thy servant that thou shouldst look upon such a dead dog as I am 2 Sam. 9. 8. Though he was a man of honour by his birth Jonathans sonne yet he speaks thus low of himself who am I at the offer of so great a favour What then may we say of our selves that God should respect us vvho may be called dead dogs before him A people lame in his service
grow thus vigorous and turn experiences into confidences Because ye are not dead but alive believe that ye shall not die but live I would not invite you to build Castles in the air nor would I nurse up presumptuous thoughts in any I know that Babylon shall be as confident as confidence it self immediately before her destruction Revel 18. 7. I sit a Queen and am no widow and shall see no sorrow and yet all her sorrows shall then come upon her I know the people of God may over-act their faith and be confident without cause as the Prophet speaks Jer. 2. 37. The Lord hath rejected thy confidences and thou shalt not prosper in them But though I would not yea I dare not be over-bold or presuming yet I would not have any distrustfull or unbelieving God is a Rock and his work is perfect We are sure he hath begun a work why should we not believe he will bring it unto perfection It may be some abroad will object as Rabshakeh once did against Hezekiah and the Jews 2 King 18. 19. Thus saith the great King the King of Assyria What confidence is this wherein thou trustest Thou presumest thou shalt be deliver'd from the invasion of Senacherib What is this confidence saith Rabshakeh tell me thy strength Possibly thou wilt say but they are but vain words I have counsell and strength for the warre Or if thou hast not strength of thy own yet thou hast friends and confederates to assist thee I wonder where Tell me Now on whom dost thou trust that thou rebellest against me If thou wilt not discover the lock wherein thy strength lies then I will doe it for thee Now behold thou trustest upon the staff of this bruised reed even upon Egypt on which if a man lean it will go into a mans hand and pierce it So is Pharaoh King of Egypt unto all that trust on him Thus he sleights his confidences in men And because he knew Hezekiah and the Jews had a reserve when the arm of flesh was broken therefore hetakes them off from that too vers 22. But if ye say unto me We trust in the Lord our God Is not that he whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah hath taken away and hath said to Judah and Jerusalem ye shall worship before this Altar in Jerusalem As if he had said Doe ye build your confidence in God when ye have done God such a disservice as this the defacing and demolishing of his Altars Are ye so audacious as to believe that God will help you when you have thus dishonoured him Can you expect his aid should be the reward of your sacriledge Be ashamed of these hopes make not your God a protectour of your impieties Some I say from abroad may thinke to cut the sinews of our confidence by such an argument What is your confidence to prevail or that the Parliament should prosper Are not they the men who have pull'd down Altars and abolish'd Prelacy Have not they turned out the old Liturgy and dash'd the Ceremonies Have not they done these things by their authority and shall they live To such Objecters I say our confidence gathers life from this Objection These Right Honourable are splendida peccata shining sins indeed and holy impieties If these be your faults they are glorious ones and we may fatten our faith by such doubts cast in from these without We may rather build upon it that you shall prosper because God hath enobled your spirits to doe such things as these even as Hezekiah prospered in those works which yet the railing Rabshakeh supposed his certain ruine There are other Objections against this confidence which are more weighty and sad I will name but three First What so confident that we shall live and yet the Kingdome so abound with sinne When there is so much life in sinne shall such a people live Live and prosper I acknowledge that when we consider the sins and profanenesses the wickednesses and blasphemies which are in the Nation we have just cause in reference to them not only to rejoyce with trembling but to tremble without rejoycing These may give us cause to fear that all the troubles we have hitherto had are but the beginning of our sorrows And that the Lord in stead of turning back our captivity should turn us back into captivity We may have cause to fear that even the great and solemn meeting of this day upon as I may so call it this mountain of our present felicity should be but like Moses his going up to Mount Nebo or the top of Pisgah in the later end of the book of Deuteronomy from thence to view the Land of Canaan which himself should never enter into The Lord may make this happy spectacle but as a short view a transient glimpse of those glories and comforts of those blessings and mercies which peace and union in a setled estate bring forth to a Nation and the word might go out against us all even against Moses and Aaron Magistrates and Ministers even against those who have been most faithfull in the carrying on of this great service and most industrious even against those who have shed most tears and have laid up most prayers even against those who have sweat most or bled most Ye shall all die on this side Jordan Your sins shall consume your carcases in this wildernesse this is acknowledged and what ever the issue be let God be glorified But the Lord doth not account as man accounteth neither are his thoughts as mans thoughts Take but two instances The one Psal 106. 6 7. where the unbelief and provocations of the people of Israel are reported We have sinned with our fathers we have committed iniquity we have done wickedly Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt they remembred not the multitude of thy mercies but provoked him at the Sea even at the red Sea Yet he comes in with a non obstante at the 8. verse Neverthelesse he saved them for his Names sake that he might make his mighty power to be known If God will save for his names sake what people is there whom he may not save The other Scripture is Isa 57. 17. For the iniquity of his covetousnesse was I wroth and smote him I hid me and was wroth What did this smiting effect It follows He went on frowardly in the way of his heart he went on sinning while God was smiting what could any one expect now but that the Lord who smote him before should at the next blow destroy him Yet hear O miracle of mercy I have seen his waies vers 18. What waies repenting waies reforming waies holy waies No his waies the waies of his own froward heart And what will God doe Doth he say I will strike him down in his waies I will kill him in his waies No I have seen his waies and will heal him I will heal the former wounds instead of making new wounds There is more mercy
yet I will lead him also and restore comforts unto him and to his mourners God doth not usually heal the wounds of judgement till the wounds of sin are healed yet sometimes he doth And what know we but the Lord may once again make a parallel mercy to that promised his ancient people and restore comfort to those hearts Who goe on as this Objection charges frowardly in the way of their hearts Secondly Others may object what so much confidence of a succession of mercies Look to the Church and to the matter of the worship Superstition is gone but prophanenesse stands at the door Prelacy is gone but Anarchy is feared and can we yet be confident Sure to invite to a day of rejoycing when we are in such a condition is but like bidding the sons of Zion to sing one of their songs at the waters of Babylon I acknowledge there is little reason to rejoyce in the light of this world whilest the Gospel is under a cloud that there is very little reason to take warmth at the heat of any Sunne while Christ the Sunne of righteousnesse is eclipsed by the interposition of any sublunary interest whatsoever But must we despond and give all for lost because light hath not supposing that it hath not that free and kinde entertainment which we desire Must we resolve that Christ shall lose his right suppose it so because he hath it not or because he hath it not by the day set in our Kalendar Possibly the Kalendar of Heaven hath a post-date to ours A woe belongs to those who neglect to finish the work of the Lord like them in the Prophet upon this surmise The time is not come the time that the Lords house should be built Yet a woe lies not against those who conscientiously endeavouring to build cannot finish it Christ accounts those his enemies and cals them out to destruction who say We will not have this man to raign over us But they may be in the roll of Christs friends and he may be preparing salvations for them who being seriously upon that design yet fail in advancing his raign If that be not our case I grant there is no reason any mans faith should have life that we shall live But if it be as I believe it is our faith hath reason to hold up in life and strength too that we shall live For we know Christ works by degrees in the hearts of his people Light comes not in all at once In the prophecy of Ezekiel The waters of the Temple were first but to the ancles and then to the knees and then to the loins and then it was a river of waters to swimme in a river that could not be passed over We must give providence leave to go it 's own pace Things are still under consideration The plummet is still in the hand of Zerobbabel and who knows to what perfection the work may be brought in a short time It is not the doing of what comes short of the minde of Christ but a resolving not to do the minde of Christ which makes a people hopelesse When Christ was in the world he was not received presently Did he therefore fire the world presently about their ears and destroy those places which received him not When some perswaded him to doe so he tels them Ye know not of what spirit ye are There 's many a good man who if he knew his own spirit would be asham'd of it Christ is not so fierce as many Christians are It 's true his anger when it burns is infinitely fierce and who can abide it But we know he is patient and he is patient very long even unto those who knowingly abuse him much more toward those who are sincerely seeking after him He is patient to those who abuse him and patient so long that they take occasion cause they have none to scorn and mock him Where is the promise of his comming And Let the Lord hasten his work that we may see it Much more will he be patient towards those who are praying consulting and enquiring though as yet they should not come up to give him the honour due unto his name When the Jewish worship was cast out and the Ceremoniall Law abolished the Apostles themselves being alive and preaching it Christian worship was not received in a day or in a year the Apostles were long working it into the hearts of believers And we may read in the 14 tâ— Chapter of the Epistle to the Romans how much bearing there was exercised and how much forbearing towards those who were not yet come up to Gospel heights either of their dutie or of their priviledge Therefore I say though this Objection should stand a while in the letter of it yet we need not fall in our hopes though we are not where we should be either in worship or in Government yet Christ will bear while we are seeking and enquiring with sincerity that we may Christ will at last break those who wilfully break his bands and cast away his coards from them And all they who in uprightnesse pray and endeavour that his Government may be set up shall be heard and blessed though perhaps not in their own way A third Objection lies thus But there are many errours and strange opinions amongst us Tares grow up and are like to overgrow the wheat sores and sicknesses over-run many mindes Can a people thrive who have such diseases upon them Can the Physitians who behold these distempers offer us any hope that the patient shall live I think no fore-head can deny that there are errours amongst us and some very dangerous destructive and damnable perverting souls and wasting the vitals of religion Errours are not to be sported with Who can love Christ and errour too much lesse plead for and give it patronage Christ is truth And though persons erring may have our charity yet no errour ought to have our love though many who erre may have much of our patience yet there is no errour how small soever should any of our have countenance But to this sad Objection I answer First Possibly there are more errours named then are All is not errour which every one thinks to be errour We know who spake it After the way which they call heresie so worship I the God of my fathers Act. 24. 14. and they were no mean no unlearned men who called that way heresie And I shall never believe all Heresiographers for his sake who put Aerius into his Catalogue for opposing Prelacy There may be an errour in taxing somewith errours But secondly Whatsoever is an errour or an heresie whatsoever is contrary to wholesome Doctrine such opinions are knowable else all rules about dealing with them were vain Whatsoever I say is an errour or heresie let all the penalties which Christ hath charged upon it be executed to the utmost If we favour errour I know not how we can with confidence lift up our eyes to