the City to a great pot whereinto all the choice peeces were put to bee boiled the thigh and the shoulder and all the choice bones but they were all rotten flesh whose scumme would not boile out meaning that the Princes and Rulers Prophets and Priests and People were all overspread with abominable wickednesses So in the 22. of Ezekiel all states are brought in the Prophets devouring soules the Priests violating the Law prophaning holy things Princes and Rulers oppressing the people robbing c. then God powres out his indignation and consumes them with the fire of his wrath But this must be understood with this caution that when I say all it is not to be understood as if God would spare a people untill the whole multitude grew wicked and none remaining on his side God had seven thousand in Israel who were faithfull to him in the worst time of Ahabs apostacy but the meaning is when the number of such as abstain from these abominations is so small that they are not considerable to God they are alwaies considerable but not alwaies considerable as to the turning away of judgement or to the preventing of ruine Ten righteous men would have been considerable in Sodom for the sparing of it when five would not So the sum is that when these abominations are generally spread and very few in comparison abstaining from them a people growes ripe apace for destruction 3. The third thing considerable is the aggravation of these sinnes and therein I shall only give this one briefe rule that in all places and Countries houses families or persons the more mercy light and meanes these sinnes are committed against the sooner is the vessel of their iniquity come to the full Amos 3. 2. You onely have I knowne of all the Nations of the world and therefore I will visite you for all your iniquities Ezek. 9. God begins at his sanctuary and with the antient men who had stood longest before him And Daniel makes this the reason why God brought a greater evill upon them than upon any other Nation because no other Nation had enjoyed the like meanes to keep them from sinne or to bring them to repentance And in the 22. of Esay The valley of vision had the greatest burthen of wrath of all others that is the people of Israel to whom God had sent all his Prophets from time to time And there is great reason why sinnes against light and covenants mercies and Conscience should be most provoking It is thus even amongst all ingenuous men he that eateth my bread saith David hath lift up his heele against mee if it had been a stranger I could have borne it Is this thy kindnesse to thy friend could unnaturall Absolon say to Hushai This then is a plaine case that the more mercies a people sinne against the greater is their sin and the sooner comes their judgement 4. The last thing considerable to finde out the fulnesse of sinne is the Incorrigiblenesse of it and if the Lord grant that we can quit our selves of this we shall yet doe well by this Incorrigiblenesse I meane when the sinnes of a people are growne so great that they are too strong for the mounds and bankes which God hath set to keep them in compasse Now God hath set Foure Boundaries for sinne and when sin is growne too strong for all these you may conclude that reserving or excepting what God may doe in his absolute prerogative if he goe by his wonted rules that Nation is going to her long home First God hath set Conscience and shame to be boundaries among all people to keep sin in compasse Conscience to make them stand in awe of God shame to make them stand in feare of men These two God hath set up as his Officers and heraulds in all mens hearts and when once men can run into sin as the horse into the battell rejoycing to doe evill proclaiming their sins as Sodom not being ashamed and past all feeling there is one bank broken downe one Boundary plucked up Secondly another bank that God hath set is the example and conversation and prayers of his owne people whom he scatters here and there amongst men and great is the power and force of their presence to keep sinne in compasse partly by the Majestie of the Image of God shining in them partly by their holy examples partly by their wise and seasonable counsells admonitions reprehensions partly by their prayers whereby they bring downe restraining and constraining grace Now when these are either taken away from a place by death or driven away by persecution as Lot out of Sodom or living amongst them God takes off their edge to pray no longer as Abraham for Sodom or Ieremy for the Iewes There is a second Boundary pulled up The third is that of Magistrates and Ministers whom God hath invested with his owne authoritie and put upon them some beames of his owne Majestie and Image put his sword into their hands and armes them with power to keep sin in and beat it downe The Magistrate having the sword of Iustice and thereby being made custos utriusque tabulae and Ministers having the sword of the Spirit these two are strong Rampires and Banks they are the {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} to hinder sinnes course they are Physitians to the hurts of Gods people and when once the sins of a Land grow too strong for these farewell all you will soone heare the daies of their visitation are at hand And this is done in three Cases First when Magistrates and Ministers take sinnes part and in stead of joyning with God against sin they joyne with sin against God as if the dogges should joyne with the wolves against the sheep and the Shepheards Thus it was in Ieremies time he found the people harder than a rock to be wrought upon but he said Surely these are poore and foolish who know not the way of the Lord I will get me to the great men and I will speake to them for they have knowne the way of the Lord and the judgement of their God but were they such or did they so marke what follows these have altogether broken the yoke and burst the bands in stead of maintaining Gods yoke and strengthening Gods hands they broke them a pieces and what followes therefore a Lyon out of the forrest shall slay them an evening Wolfe shall spoile them a Leopard shall watch over the cities every one that goes out shall bee torne in pieces Thus it was likewise in Hoseaes time when the Prophet was a foole and the spirituall man was mad when the Princes would be drunke with bottles of wine c. Thus it was in Ezekiels time as was before touched immediately before their desolation Secondly when Magistrates or Ministers are dastardly when they are affraid of sin and sinners and dare not appeare for God
to wise men who can well judge what I say First I hope verily we are not yet come to that passe that God should say of us I will passe by England no more blessed bee God wee have a gracious King many Noble Peeres many excellent Commons who have already done great things for God I need not repeat them all the Kingdome knowes them to their comfort Yea and blessed be God the same gracious Soveraigne and Honourable Assembly of Parliament doe yet enquire what is further to be done what wrath is kindled and how it may bee quenched and have called the whole Kingdome to afflict themselves before God that his great wrath might bee turned away from us And as yet wee have a sprinkling of Phinehazzes worthy Magistrates who in their severall Countries and Counties dare appeare in Gods cause against sinne and the boldest sinners And wee have also a good sprinkling of faithfull Ministers who stand on the Watch towre and blow the Trumpet and give the people warning And for ever blessed be the Lord which is not the least pledge of our hopes for the lengthning out of our tranquility we have many ten thousand Saints in England who not onely abstaine from the abomination of the times but mourne for them and give God no rest night nor day untill hee bow the heavens and come downe and set up for himselfe a glorious Throne amongst us And unto these God hath made many promises of sparing the land for their sakes and that their posterities after them shall be blessed But as I hope this so the Lord will bee a witnesse with me that I feare whether all these persons and their graces doe beare a just proportion to the meanes and mercies which God hath given to England or to that huge Inundation of finne wherewith England is over-run at this day And here had I a tongue to speake and you and I hearts and eyes to powre out teares and sorrow wee might make this place a Bochim a place of weepers For what kinde of these sins doe not overflow us You will say at first not Idolatry but I tell you neither were the Germanes carried away with Idolatry when their desolations broke in upon them nor the Iewes before their last destruction The measure of our Iniquity may possibly be full though this sin come not in but God knowes and you know that we have not onely abundance of Idolatrous Papists who are proud insolent and daring but abundance of Popish Idolatrous spirits superstitiously addicted willing to embrace any thing that goes that way onely they will not have it goe under the name of Popery And for the other sinnes of contempt of Gods holy Ordinances his day his servants and all his wayes oppression cruelty defrauding of brethren the sensuall sinnes of uncleannesse especially that of drunkennesse Goe but to the places of greatest resorts Market-Townes populous Cities and Fayres c. and your hearts would tremble to thinke how our Land is overspread with these Oh Beloved the generality of the people of England is extreamly wicked and which argues our case to bee most miserable it seemes to beare downe and to break over all our Bankes multitudes sinning with a whores forehead proclaiming their sinnes as Sodom And the vox populi is that many of the Nobles Magistrates Knights and Gentlemen and persons of great Quality are arrand Traytors and Rebells against God taking part with wicked men and wicked causes against the Truth Patrons of Ale-houses and disorders checking inferiour Officers who discover any zeal for God against an ill cause That in many of their families not to mention Religion there is not so much as a face of Civility Many others of them who seem to wish well dare not draw out the sword which God hath given them and some few others borne downe in their places with the torrent of wickednesse And as for our Ministers how many sad complaints and petitions hath this Honourable Assembly received against many hundreds of them multitudes of them rotten and unsound in their doctrine and so vitious and corrupt in their lives that they fulfill that which Archbishop Abbot said in his Lectures upon Ionah professing that his heart bled within him to thinke of the miserable condition of the precious soules of many people who had such Ministers as Iohannes Aventinuus speakes of who if they were not in the Ministery would not bee thought fit hog-heards to keepe swine Besides thousands of others who God knowes want either will or skill to doe the Lords worke faithfully And the residue who have endeavoured to give the people warnning and to teach them the good way of the Lord have been a long time both downe and opposed as the troublers of our Israel Sure I am what ever our Ministers are or doe the sins of the land are too strong for them and our people remaine unsubdued to Jesus Christ Yea which is yet worse the very judgements of God have wrought little upon us all the long and heavy pressures of the Neighbour Churches his rods upon our selves terrible and wasting pestilences and famine his blasting all our enterprises his scaring us with rumors of warres and bloud prevaile nothing wee still grow worse and worse Indeed if any sin grow out of fashion as cloathes doe then wee leave it otherwise wee goe on boldly and impudently let God threaten or doe what he will And all these evils are aggravated by being committed against greater meanes and mercies than any nation under Heaven enjoyes this day besides our selves And which is yet sadder oh that I were mistakē upon condition I were tyed to a recantation our dealing this last year is more injurious against God than heretofore The Lord hath gathered such an Assembly of Noble Peeres and Commons who have done such great things that many of us began to hope our Pilgrimage through this wildernesse had beene almost ended and that England would now turne to the Lord and become a people zealous of good workes But verily so far as I can understand the body of the Nation makes little other use of all the mercies of this last yeare but to abuse all the liberties procured both for Church and Common wealth to greater and bolder sinning against God and now also which yet speakes more sadly the Lord God beginnes to appeare against us not onely in permitting many unexpected blocks and rubbs huge trees cast in the way of our Worthies that they cannot march on in their strength and so the much expected Reformation stickes long in the birth but God hath drawne out and fourbished the sword and made it begin to drinke blood in the Neighbour Nation which when it once begins to drinke seldome is put up againe till it bee drunke with blood this God hath suffered to bee drawne out upon our deare brethren in Ireland upon our owne flesh and blood and that by a
that the Lords wrath was kindled he presently sends to Hulda the Prophetesse to enquire what was to be done that they might quench it esteeming all other busines unseasonable and fruitless while that fire was burning And here I shall only in a few words commend to you the example and practice of this brave King whom this Text so magnifies 1. He mourns and cals all the people to mourn with him and that through Gods mercy you have done 2. He goes out in that way whereof you heard more in the forenoon breaking down all the Images and relicks of Idolatry the Lord set it close to your hearts that you may leave nothing which is contrary to Gods pure worship 3. He executed the justice and vengeance of God upon the Instruments of the kingdoms ruine the idolatrous Priests digging the very bones of some of them out of their graves the same Lord direct you that in your great wisedomes you may be as the Angels of God to discern what is to be done with them who have been the troublers of our peace the greatest kindlers of Gods wrath against us spare whom ye may spare with Gods good will but remember it is foolish pity that destroyes a City let not the men escape whom God appoints out to punishment 4. He resolves to reform Religion and the worship God and to set it up and maintain it according to the word and to that end he cals together the Priests and Prophets the Elders of Iudah and Ierusalem with them enters into a covenant before the Lord to walk after the Lord and to keep his commandments c. O that the Lord would put it into the heart of you all to do the same you know what you have bin often petitioned for the God of all wisdom direct you in due time to proceed in this cause and if in your wisdomes you shall find it fitting that a grave Synod of Divines should be called to inform your consciences what is to be done I beseech you follow the direction of Gods word in it Fifthly And then foâ— the manner Hee did all according to Gods law he consulted not with flesh and blood enquired not into terms oâ— policy how far the state would bear it or how far the people would concur without grumbling but did according to 〈◊〉 which God had appointed in his word And lastly he did it with zeal and fervency he laid not out his strength in his own cause then use diversions and diminutions in Gods cause but there was his strength laid out where he knew Gods iealousie lay The Lord make you such Iosiahs such zealous men what Anakims or Gyants would you prove you might with Briareus the Gyant with 100 hands of whom the Poets feign take thunder-bolts out of the hand of God and so save you selvs your families and the Nation Go on ye Worthies of t 〈…〉 Lord and thus deliver us If there be any healing any deliverance you shall be our Saviours if there be none you may with Iosiah get the iudgment respited for your life time le 〈…〉 the worst come the glory of the Lord shall not only be yo 〈…〉 reward but your rereward your safety you shall deliver yo 〈…〉 soules and your children after you shall be blessed Do th 〈…〉 and the Lord God be with you FINIS Introduction 1 King 1â— Introduction 2 Chr 33. 2 Chro. 34. 3. 2 Chr. 2 4 31. 32. 33 The scope of the Text and parts of it Observation from the connexion Deut. 29. 5. Josh. 23. 4. 5. King 53. 4 In two branches 1. Branch The endeavours of rare instruments may come to nothing 2. King 18 19. Jer. 15. 10. Jer. 20. 9. See to this purpose Matth. 23. 34. 37. Act. 7. 52. Heb 11. 37. 38. Second Branch Yet themselves highly magnified and rewarded by God Esay 49. 2. 3. 1. Thes. 2. 7 Application to the Parliament Doct. 1. Doct. 2. Doct. 3. First Doctrine from the Text that the wrath of God is exceeding fierce Psal. 2. Explain it Quest 1. What the wrath of God is Answ. The fiercenesse of Gods wrath Quest 2. Answ. Psal. 9â— 11 The fiercenesse of it illustrated from divers comparisons Amos 3. 4. Psal. 18. 7. 8. Psal. 〈◊〉 11. Gen. 1â— 24. 2 By the effects of it Zach. 13. 7. Luk 22. 41 3. From the cause of its Quest 3. Who are the objects of this wrath of God Answ. Deut. 4. 21. 2 Sam. 11. 27. Psa. 89 3â— Col. 3. 6. Applicâ—â— To praise God for deliverance from it 2 Not to covie the prosperity of such as are under it Psal. 73. 3. Ier 12. 1. 3 To help forward our repentance In humiliation for sin which hath kindled it Ier. 13 1â— How this may bee done Ezek. 12. 27. Neh. 5. 1â— Rarò antecedentem scelestum descruit pede poena claudo Horace 2 For Reformation Meditation of wrath how it may promote it Esay 33. 14. Iob 36. 18. 4. To the Parliament o make it their great care to pacific it Doct. 2 In reformation God may goe on to desolation God may go on to desolation Proved by Scripture 2 Chro. 34. Ionah 3. Act. 21 2â— Notwithstanding Reformation That this may be known And how far it may be known Psa. 106 23 Mat. 24. 36 And how it may be known Prov. 28. Fulnesse of sin the evidence of it Gen. 15. 16. Why God defers till sin be full Esay 10. Rom. 2. 4 5. How the fulnesse of a Peoples sin may be known What sins are desolating sins Idolatry Levit. 18. 28 Deut. 9 5. Ezek 8. Ezek. 43. 8. Hos. 13. Esay 2. 9. Prophanesse and contempt of Gods Ordinances day 〈◊〉 Ezek. 22. 4. 8. Zeph. 28. 9. 10. Sins destructive to humane society Gen. 6. 11. Jon. 3. 8. Ezek. 22. 3. 4. 6. 9. 12. Hos 12 7. Hos. 4. 2. Sensuall lusts of drunkennesse and uncleannesse Hos. 6. 10. Hos. 4. 2. 11. Esay 28. 1. 3. ver. 7. 8. The generality of these sins Gen. 6. 12. Esay 1. 5 6. Vers. 1 2 3 4. Vers. 15. c. Yet to be understood with a caution The aggravation of these sins Dan. 9. 12. This is the very argument of the whole Chapter of the second of Ieremy See also Mic. 1. 5. Psal. 41 9. 2. Sam. 16. 17. Incorrigiblenesse of these sins when they are too strong for Conscience and shame Prov. 2. 14. Es. 3 9. For prayers examples counsells of the godly Iob 22. ult. Esay 57. 1. Gen. 19. 18. Gen. 33. Ier. 14 11. For Magistrates and Ministers which comes to passe either When they take part with it Ier. 4. 5. Hos. 9. 7 Ezek. 22. 15. c. Ordare not oppose it See also Ier. 5. 1. Or doing their duty cannot yet prevaile against it And for the judgements of God Zeph. 3. 6 7. Ames 4. V. 29 30. What kind of Reformation may meet with desolation Ier. 18. 7. 8. Ezek 4. Ier. 3. 20. Matt. 22. 43. 44 45. Whether this may be thought to bee our own case Dan. 4 19. It is hoped that we are not yet in that condition And why Yet feared that we are very neare it because all these sinnes are found amongst us And that in great measure which prevailes over Magistrates Ministers And the very judgements and mercies of God And God begins to appeare against us and wherein Application to our selves First to beleeve that we are in danger 1 King 22. Which we are loth to doe 1 Thes. 5. 3. Prov. 22. 3. Ion. 3. 5. But till we doe it our danger encreases And wee shal never use the rightmeans for saâ—â—â— 2 Kings 22. Vse To prevent it First by mourning for it Num. 12 14 Amos 3. v 9 c. By p 〈…〉 onall 〈…〉 formation 2. Sam 20. 20. What the Parliament should do for our safety Following Iosiahs example 1. In mourning because of Gods wrath 2 Kin. 2â— 11 c. 2 Rooting out idolatry c. 3 Inexecution of Gods vengeance upon his enemies 1 Kin. 20. 42 4. Insetting up and maintaining Gods true Religion and Worship 2 Kin 23. 1 2 c. Exactly according to the Word And that with all their strength Encouragement thereunto Obad. 21. Esay 58. 8.
birds and fowles who could observe what seasons were fit or unfit for their staying or removing in such or such a Countrey and Gods people remained ignorant of the seasons of Gods approaching judgements Another place you shall find Hos. 7. 9. where the Lord saith of Ephraim that is the ten Tribs gray haires are scattered here and there upon him yet hee knowes it not The meaning plainly is this That as gray hairs are remembrances and plain tokens of declining old age comming upon men so there were symptomes and tokens of Ephraims ruine comming upon him and yet he would take no notice of it Our blessed Saviour also in Mat. 16. v. 1 2 3. tells his hearers that they could make Almanacks for weather and discerne the face of the skie and yet could not discerne the signes of the times implying that Prognostications might also bee made if men would study the right way whereby they might know what God intends to doe with a people So then there is one step gained that something may be known of Gods approaching judgements But that I may not deliver any thing but what you shall have a sull suffrage for I adde in the next place and confesse that because all seasons are in Gods hands and all people under his absolute prerogative so that if hee pleaseth hee may destroy a Nation for one sinne and againe if hee pleaseth hee can exercise so much mercy that no sinnes of a people can set any bounds or limits thereunto nothing but his owne holy will setting limits to his patience long-suffering and mercy and because also God doth alwayes beare such a tender regard to his owne children that where-ever they live hee doth often for their sakes as it were reverse his sentence of desolation In regard of these things and some others which might bee suggested I thinke I may say no mortall man can possibly determine when the precise time of this or that Nations utter ruine is certainly come What Christ said of the day of Judgement may fitly bee applyed here the very day and houre of the last Judgement no man knowes but only the Father and the Sonne to whom it is revealed from the Father and that also since his Resurrection but yet there bee signes whereby wee may know the approaching of that day So wee may say of this though wee cannot know the very time of a Nations desolation yet wee may know when the ruine of it comes neere at hand And what learned men say of them who have studied for the Philosophers stone though they could never finde out the Elixar yet in their search after it they have found out many excellent things admirably usefull for mankinde so in this search if wee cannot determine that such a Nation will infallibly bee ruined yet wee may certainly finde such things as thereby to learne what to feare what to expect what to pray against what to strive after c. And so consequently the handling of this question may bee exceedingly usefull to such an Assembly as I am now called to speak to in the name of God This then is a second step that wee may know such things as may make us feare desolation and consequently labour to prevent it or prepare for it Thirdly the maine question is to enquire what are the Tokens the gray haires the flourishing of the Almond tree whereby wee may guesse at mans going to his long home I answer Politicians and some Divines will tell you of the fatall period of Kingdoms that they have their youth their strength and after a time their declination and shew by abundance of experience that States seldome continue above five or six hundred years without some fatall change But we must goe by a surer rule than this It is not length of time which makes God weary of shewing mercy but what Solomon saith of Kings for the transgressions of a land many are the Princes thereof so for the transgressions of a land and the transgressions only many are the ruines thereof Now there is one rule which God hath alwayes proceeded by in the dissolution of Churches and Kingdoms ever since the beginning of the world and that is this That whensoever the sins of any Church Nation City Family or Person you may take it as large or as narrow as you will are come to a full measure then God infallibly brings ruine upon them This is the rule which I shall make plaine to you God hath set severall vessels to limit the sinnes of all Nations beyond which they shall not goe as once God said to the waves of the Sea hitherto thou shalt goe but here thy proud waves shall be staied so God hath said of the sinnes of Nations Families Persons thus farre I will forbeare thee but farther thy wickednesse shall not exceed then comes thy end Take foure or five cleare evidences for it in the Scripture First that speech of God to Abraham I will give thy posterity all this land but not yet because the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full though they were Amorites God would beare with them till their iniquities were come to the full and then he would spare them no longer Another is Zachary 5. verse 6. The prophet in a vision saw an Ephah a thing like a bushell and moreover the Lord told him this is the resemblance of the Ephah throughout all the earth as if God should have said this is not only proper to this people but this rule I go by throughout the whole world and what was that the Ephah is brought out and into the Ephah is cast a Woman this woman sate and filled the Ephah then one brings a talent of lead for a cover to it and that stops the mouth of it and shuts the woman in then come two women with the wind in their wings and they take up the Ephah and carry it between heaven and earth and place it in the land of Shinar or Babylon there to build it an house and to set it upon its own base Now what is the meaning of all this there is one word in the vision which is a key to open this lock viz. this is wickednesse the meaning whereof is That the Lord had brought the Jewes from the captivity of Babylon where they had beene seventy yeeres as soone as they came home though they turned not to idolatry yet they proved stark naught God sets them their Ephah puts their iniquity into a vessell and doth as it were say Goe on till yee have filled the Ephah but as soone as that is full I will clap a talent of lead in the mouth of it I will take a course yee shall sinne no longer in this land but will scatter you into Mesopotamia into the land of Shinar and there be as wicked as yee will So you see when the measure is full then vengeance comes Take another instance in the first of Iames verse 15. When