have lift up their voyce in the sad menacings and report of warre but as yet we are not in the great water flouds the waters are not gone over us the bloud runs not downe the streets so that if yet we cry è profundis as Ionas did and learne of the Waves to lift up our voyce in hearty devotion the waters though they rise high shall be to us but as the waters of the floud to Nâ—ahs Arke onely to lift our soules neerer unto Heaven And thus you see I have discourst out the First part of the Text and have considered the Authour of this great matter in charge Dicit Dominus the Lord sayes it we have observed his loving kindnesse in that he invites our Conversion and so turnes to us fiâ—st and that for God to spare us upon our repentance after a resolution of destruction shewes his mercy to us and betrayes no inconstancy in himselfe and therefore we to be very ready to obey him in a matter that so neerely concernes our Soules The second point was the opportunity of time Now where we considered time in t he flitting and Vicissitudinarie Nature of it and that we must expect no stoppe of time to attend the leisure of our conversion since God never stopt the sonne but to declare some great misterie And therefore time being so transient we not prodigallyâ— to mispend but penitently to imploy it where we noted that the greatest pollicy the Devill hath to circumvent us is to perswade us to delay our repentance and in that discourse we saw how Saint Augustine discovered this Stratageme in his owne particuler and with what resolutions he avoyded it We have had reasons to against this delay and seene how unsutable it is to the Majesty of God to offer him a lame and a blinde and a decrepit sacrifice in a late conversion and heere I shew'd that to observe our time was the cheifest point in all Christianity and that the neglect of this made God complâ—ine and Iesus weepe Then we saw the disturbances that disaduantage late repentance and answered the obiection concerning the theiâ—e on the Crosse and lastly we saw the danger of late repentance in this that repentance at the best with all the aduantages of life is a worke of greatest difficulty thus much I haue done and yet we are but at the dore of the text Giue me leaue to enter it I 'le not dwell iâ— it only 〈…〉 suruey of every roome and briefely paraphrase on the particulars of my second pâ—rt which wil proue litle more then an application of my first part and then I haue done The second Generall Part. Saint Origen held an opinion upon what grounds I dispute not that as all thinges flow'd from God in the begining so all things should one day slide backe againe into the bosome of God the Deuills themselues not excepted that as at first there was no other being but God so at last all thinges should be God againe Of this error of his I might say enough in saying nothing yet this I will T' were not so great a happinesse for us to turne unto God if the Deuils could returne from damnation neither neede God nor we take so much care for our turning True it is that repentance is nothing else but redire ad principia a Circ'ling about to the point we begun at to come as neere to God as we can to returne to him by repentance from whom we turned away by impietie Now this terme of turning properly belongs to one that hath lost his way Pilgrims we are all and a fals light of sinn hath mislead us t' were madnesse to persist nowâ— we know our error it is high time to returne or we are lost for ever The Prophet that went the way he should not met a Lyon in the way which soone devoured him there is a Lion in the way indeed and to walke that way is but to dare our owne confusion Balaam was madd upon this way when he beate his Asse for being to slow in his Masters Destruction an Angell must come from heauen to beate him backe so resolute we are in a wronge way when as the very Asse as if it had more Grace then the Rider chose rather to falle downe an obiect of his masters furie then trayterously to Convey him to his danger The Asse preacht to Balaam and may to us and teach us an unwillingnesse to paths of danger and if by chance our fraylties lead us thither let us rather fall down in an humble acknowledgment then post on to meete our miserie Our life then in the Metaphor is a way and the end of our way is to bring us to our end that summum bonum which we call happinesse Adam went out of the way so sonne as he was in it and we are all to like our Father as soone as ever we are borne we goe astray saith the Prophet The best way then will be to have the end of our Iourney still in consideration with Enoch to walke with God in the Contemplation of the place we tend to And truely if we could doe so the Prophet might be stow his Counsell where he pleased we were well enough with out it But wretched men that we are are this is not our case we are in a way that leades to destruction yet cofidently we travayle on till some twitch of conscience begin to startle us some close and thundring passage of a Sermon pull in the reynes and we stand to consider whether we are going some threatned woe in a Prophet shewes us the pit and we upon the brinke of it and then what have wee to doe but that which Lott's wife might not doe Looke backe first and then returne And indeed the very nature of Conversion will have it so for it implyes both a turning from and a turning to a turning from sinne and a turning unto God And truly if we would but seriously consider the ugly shape of sinne how horrid it is in the apparition of it with devout Saint Anselme wee should rather choose to runnâ— headlong into hell then make use of sinne to carrie us thither Nay that Devout soule goes further Malim enim a peccato purus infernum intrâ—re c. I had rather saith he make hell my habitation if there no sin might approach then enjoy Heavâ—n it selfe if sinne were there And now fancie with me a soule drencht in woe wallowing in the blood of his owne murthers with vollyes of oathes and blasphemies hanging at his lipps with unâ—avorie discourses liek jewells at his eares with atraducing tongue set on fire of hell With eyes full of vanity or worse with rapine at his hands with gluttony and disgorgings about his belly and his feete mired with all sensualityâ— to shew the path he treades in and then to make him looke worse all this veyl'd over with dissimulation Would not this bee a strange spectacle would it not affright us would we not turne
Now saith th the Lord In the Precept 2. things 1. Duty Activè Turne Objectivè adme to me 2. Direction with all your heart with fasting c. The Direction is double 1. Extrinsecall 2. Intrinsecall The Extrinsecall part is considered 1. Positively with fasting and with weeping 2. Privatively not with rending your garments Secondly Intrinsecall with the heart with all the heart with mourning and a rent heart Then for conclusion followes an Anacephalaiosis or summarie recapitulation of the whole Text by a patheticall ingemmination which makes the Text a turning Text for it goes round in a Circle and ends where it began And turne to the Lord your God Where we note the earnestnesse of the Prophet in that Itteration and have two arguments to perswade us to turne 1. Of Iustice and powre the Lord 2. Of mercy and love our God These are the parts and I shall prosecute them plainly speaking to the soule no lesse then to the eare And I beseech thee O God of power so to assist me with thy Spirit that thy words in my mouth may forcibly enter the stoniest heart heere and make it yeild and turne to thee And so I begin with the first part c. The Proclamations we receive from the King are usually prefaced thus a Proclamation by the King c. And why so but onely to beget in all a more awfull attention for the present and a strickt performance after But a greater then the king is heere T is nunc diciâ— Dominus now saith the Lord and give me leave to say what the Lord himselfe said elsewhere He that hath eares to heare let him heare what the Lord saith Heare with his heart as well as with his eares for the word in the Hebrew Haazjnu and the word in the Greek {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} both signifie percipite from per Capio to take it in thoroughly to our very hearts for with the heart we properly perceive And if wee but remember the Author and that 't is a message from the King of Kings I hope we will call up our hearts into our eares and heare just as we must turne with aâ—l our heart Ipse dixit among the Pythagoreans begot a Catholike observance to tell them that Pythagoras had said this or that made it no lesse then Oracle And certainely from such an auâ—hor as the Lord nothing can proceede but matter of extraordinary concernment The phrase promiseth no lesse now saith the Lord not now the Lord spake For the Critticks put a difference betweene loqui and dicere Speaking is generall and belongs to the whole community of men that have the Organs of speech rightly disposed but saying is more speciall and foretells some weightie matter to ensue Tully in his Rhetorickes gives the difference Solius est oratoris dicere loqui autem communis vulgi Nor hath this scap't the Graetians {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} And truly should we forget the Author of this message the very gravity of the phrase will draw our thoughts to the subject of it 'T is a Proclamation of peace and pardon to all that will performe it so that this Prophet prophesies good to us and not evill For now God having must'red up his judgements against Iudea to take veniance for their sinnes and the day of wrath neere at hand yet hee will not take them in their disadvantage but blowes his Trâ—mpet in Sion excitare dormientes to rouse up them that sleepe in their sinnes as saith the praefâ—ce to this Prophesie in Saint Ieroms Bible that so they sleepe not in death God indeed prepar'd the Instruments of Death but as yet he withheld the execution he had one thing more to doe when everie thing was ready and that was to send to them to sue to him that so he might do nothing Strange mercy in an offended God to threaten a people with destruction that so he may not distroy them T is reported of Tamberlayne that in all his enterprises of warr before the furie of the sword began that he hung out first a white flagg to intimate that if now they would sue for mercie with submission they might be secure from crueltie all the sad effects of Conquest but if upon this they yeilded not then he hung out a red flagg in token of displeasure and that he would now write the storie of their disobedience in their blood And if they yeeld not at that then he hung out a blacke flagg of defiance to show that now nothing was to be expected but utter ruine devastation which truely was a mercifull discretion well worth so brave a spirit But Iuda heere had the white flagg last and that displayd the greater mercy for first God displayed his blacke flagge by threatning a darke and gloomy day of desolation yet onely in terrorem to awe them to convertion Then a red flagge to shew the meanes of this destruction by fatall and bloody warre and when all things were thus ready to their confusion when hope languished and dispaire grew bold then he hung out a white flagg in the offer of his grace and mercy that if yet they would turne unto him and repent he would cease to be angry and that very wrath it selfe should consume that was kindled to consume them Thus God dealt with Hezekiah he sent him word that hee should die onely that he might live for Hezekiah repenting wept and prayd and then the message of his death was the very death of that message for Hezekia had not lived so long if he had not beene told he should die so soone Thus God dealt with Ninivie Ionah must prophesie that within fortie dayes Ninive shall be destroyed but upon their repentance the Prophesie was destroyed and not the City and 't is singularly observable that t' was the consideration and forecast of Gods mercy that begot Ionah's disobedience in flying to Tarshish as you may see Ionah 4. verse 2. For he knew that God being mercifull and slow to anger would soone repent him of the evill and then the message of truth from the God of truth should seeme a lye and put Ionah in hazard to the losse his of reputation if not his life And therefore wee reade that upon Gods sparing the City Ionah was very angry Gods mercy to them stir'd up his wrath to see how kindely God had deceived them and in that mercy he thought the credit of a Prophet lost Nor is God by this alteration inconstant to himselfe for his resolutions of punishment are ever ushered with condition if not expâ—est yet understood The rule of sinners is that they shall perish but this rule as generall as it is hath an exception for 't is except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish but if they repent they are as farre from perishing as God is from Injustice For aliud est mutare voluntatem aliud velle mutationem 't is one thing to alter the will
guilt and obligation to eternall punishment and lives with us in Hell to keepe us everlastingly living or dying for I cannot tell whether it be life or death to live in nothing but torment and dead to nothing else but happinesse I beseech you thinke Now what will be Then and let the thought of that Thâ—n teach you how to prize the Prophets Now for Ex hoc mâ—mento pendet aeternitas the eternall Condition of your soules depends upon it O now for the Tongue of Angells to perswade you but miserable man that I am I check that holy ambition knowing that to be so excellent that I cannot attaine unto it but such as I have I give unto you and beseech you as you vallue the joyes of Heaven as you dread the paines of Hell by those Soules of yours to redeeme which cost Christ himselfe his blood and by that precious blood the priâ—e of your soules redemption by the love of that God who was before all 〈◊〉 lasting beyond all time being the Eternity it self to make a true use of this time Now O let not this day passe with out some reformation let not this dayes Sun set and the wrath of God still upon us but draw neere unto him now so neere that you may kisse the sonn for if his wrath be kindled yea but a little Blessed are all they that put their trust in him Let me expostulate with the prophet doth not the Suâ—llow and the Crane know their time yet poore man for whom these were made knowes it not Happily sometimes we feele Agripâ—as ague some motions and groouings of repentance but we are still at a stand for a Conuenient season and so the fit goes off for the soules ague Contrarie to that of the body beginns with a hott fitt and ends in a Cold Truely though no time be amisse in respect of God for at what time soever a sinner doth repeâ—t that is the acceptable time that is the day of saluation yet Esaw's teares when the time was past the Virgâ—ns knocking when the dores were shut these shew what Solomon said that there is a time for every thing if we loose that time we shall weepe and knock as foolishly as they Opportunitie is it self a favour and t' is a second favour to discerne it but the greatest is to lay hold fit and from the want of these spring the causes of our Procrastination which is the common error of repentance I beseech you marke it eyther our Ignorance in not discerning the time or our Negligence that when wee doe discerne it do not yet embrace it This Christ laments with bitter teares and of that God himself complaines Ier 8. verse 7. Even the Storke in the ayre the Turtle the Crane the Sâ—allow observe the time of their comming but my people knoweth not the Iudgement of the Lord God useth not thus to complaine but in â—reat cases to slight his so graciously offered opportunity he accompts no triviall matter T' is a point of the greatest consideration in all Christianitie else God would not have complain'd nor Christ so passonatly have bemoaned Ierusalem for the losse of it O saith he If thou hadst knowne that this day had bin the day of thy visitation and what then there he breakes off the teares comming so fast that he was forc't to weepe out the rest of his meaning O those teares silently tell us what the losse of time is for therefore did he weepe then because they wept no sooner But mee thinkes I heare flesh and blood begin to pleado May I not lay by the consideration of my repentance a little I am yong and healthy and gladly would I befriend my youth with the pleasures of the world a little longer and then I will turne to God with all my hart O be not deceaved a suddaine death may snatch us hence and send the soule into the other world with all our sins upon it and what the condition of that soule is I dread to tell you But suppose the best that Death send his harbinger by some languishing sicknesse kindly gives us warning of our departure yet lett me tell you that infinite are the perplexities which disturbe the repentance of the death bed Our owne paines will disquiet us and make us roare for uery anguish and so to cry to God is rather passion then repentance Can we be fitt to turne unto God when we can scarce turne our selues in our bedds the thought of the poore widdow we shall leave behind us will make the soule forget her spowse and swetest bridgrome Christ the feare of death will horribly affright us and a trembling dread so over whelme us that fearing to die we think not how to dye and so loose the life of the blessed the enemie will then raise Deuils in our consciences and present our thoughts with a sad Idea of hell and shew us all the torments we have deserued torments so intollerable so immarcessible that the damned soule would be glad to be but a Deuill and thinke it a high preferment to be nothing And to shew fâ—ll malice in the conclusion at our very departure he will shew us all our sinns in such a shape that despairing we may grow mad and die Tell me then is this a fit time for repentance Is the death bed a conuenient Altar to offer up our bodyes a living saâ—rifice and then to when we lie a dying O God giâ—e us grace to thinke of this betimes and lett me add that the Conuersion of our last time is seldom free but inforc't by the feare of hell but in that feare there is no loue and with out loue there is no hope of heaven To feare him onely for his iudgements and not as sonns is to find him a Iudge and not a Father Besides the actions of vertue performed then are not of that vallue with God as those which come to him wing'd with cheerefullnesse in our health and prospeâ—ity What great mercy is it to pardon an enemy when we have no power to hurt him or what great charity to distribute ouâ— goods when we cannot keepe them Alas in this estate Peccatâ—te dimiserunt non tu illa thy sinnes forsake thee Thou dost not forsake thy sinnes And let me argue the unsoundnesse of late repentance by the usuall experience of sick men who make protâ—tations of great contrition but restored to health returne to sinne as the dogge tâ— his vomit and so as they mend grow worse But sinne I know is full of flattery and now I call to mind the Thâ—ife on the Crosse was not he saved the very last hower of his life though he scarcely ever thought on God before was not he prefer'd from the Crosse to Paradice without the trouble of more râ—pentance Vnhapily argued but shew me such another example and sinne on till you lye a dying and truely that soules hardly put to it that hath no better shift then to make that a ground