worship and all reverence superstition Oh what an Optimus Maximus art thou what a Pâ—ssimus Minimus is God thou art a Potentate he is but an Infimate thou a Praegrand but he a Perpufill a Petite But what is this but to seaze upon Gods Crown-land and to deprive him of his Regalities and Numinalities Shall not the generall include particulars shall not the Landlord have all the rights of the Tenant Shalt thou which dost sit upon thy wooden chair and art not as big as an Elephant which hast upon thy back but a few garments of the Dâ—ers puke and the hairs of thy head not so comely as the alablaster which canst not make a leaf nor create a guat whose feet do daily touch the Earth and hast none but a company of Flesh-worms creeping about thee as Attendants vie priviledges with him which doth sit upon a Throne who is bigger then the whole Creation whose garments are as wite as swow the hairs of his head like the pure wooll which formeth the Mountains createth the wind buildeth his stories in the Heavens and hath thousand and ten thousand Angells ministring unto him No God is thy Superiour whatsoever is allowed thee must be granted him For Hadst thou and should not I Part 3. Now let us come to the stream which should flow from it and that is mercy sparing Should not I spare From hence observe that Gods naturall inclination is to compassion if he be offended doth the grievance alwaies stick at his heart no He retaineth not his anger for ever because he delighteth in mercy Micha 7.18 Mercy is his pleasure and his plea indeed ordinative justice is in God essentially but punitive justice is in God accidentally Justitia ordinans Justitia puniens because it is a strange worke strange from his sweet nature At what leisure doth he lift up the Rod he doth not punish till there be no remedy 2 Chron. 36.16 With what a difficulty doth he reject a people He cast them not from his presence as yet 2 King 13.23 for as Uladislaus King of Hungary did put up so many injuries Mutum Idolum Dubrav l. 32. that he was called the Mute Idol so God is deafe and dumb to infinite provocations Yea as Pericles when one had rayled upon him all day and followed him home at night with clamours he shewed himselfe not to be discontented at it but onely said to his servant mildly Ito hunc civem ad domum reducito Plut. in Pericle Beneficium se putabat accipere augustissimae memoriae Theodosius cum râ—garetur ignoscere Amb. de obit Theodos Go thou and lead home this Citizen to his owne house so God doth endure oftentimes our molestations patiently by day and causeth us at night to be lead home quietly Theodosius counted it for a favour when any one would intreat him to forgive and nothing is more acceptable to God than when any doth sue to him for compassion He doth wait that he may have mercy upon him Isai 30.18 Instead of bringing in an ext inguisher he doth light up a Candle Psal 18.28 instead of searing up the roots he is as the dew to the roots Hos 14.5 his cup is a cup of consolation Jer. 16.7 his bands are bands of love Hos 11.4 mercies are the sounding of his bowels Isai 63.15 the shining of his face Dan. 9.17 he doth take no delight in wounding but healing Hos 14.14 not in recording trespasses but blotting them out Nehe. 4.5 If people have any remorsefull preparations in them the comforter which should relieve their soules is not farre from them Lam. 1.16 if they can restore their obedience he will restore comforts to them Isai 57.18 if he would be accounted to abound in any thing it is to be rich in mercy Eph. 2.4 if he would be honoured in any thing it is in being magnified in mercy Gen. 19.19 The Saints which cannot rely upon him for every thing yet they can depend upon Him for this for Why dost thou not pardon my transgression and take away my iniquity Job 7.21 Spare thy people O God and give not over thy heritage as a reproach Joel 2.17 Spare me according to thy great mercy Nehe. 13.22 and I will spare them as a father spareth his own children Mal. 3.17 A Judge oftentimes cannot forgive because he is tied to the will of another Judex veniam peccatis dare non potest quiâ— voluntati servit alienae Deus autem potest quia suae legis est dispensator judex Tertul Deus tam liberaliter omnem condona vit injuriam ut jam nec damnet ulciscendo nec confundat improperando Bern. Quo non alter amabilior but God can because he is the dispenser and judge of his own law God so liberally doth pardon all sinne that he doth damne none by revenging nor confound them by hastning their destruction Therefore let none say that we have a rigid God no the Lord with whom we have to doe is very pittifull James 5.11 Know ye not his name it is the father of mercies 2 Cor. 1.3 Know ye not his Throne it is the Throne of Grace Heb. 4.16 If the whole world were destitute of mercy yet with thee is mercy Psal 130 4. Than Augustus there was none more courteous So than God there is none more compassionate The molten Sea the Shewbread the bright Lampes the sweet Incense the Smoak of the sacrifices Moses Chayr Aarons breast-plate the preaching of the Cross the keyes of the Kingdome of heaven doe not all these proclaim mercy who would ever enter into a sanctuary heare counsail search conscience look up to heaven pray or sancrifice name a God or think of the tree of life which is in the midst of the paradise of God if there were no mercy Doe not all visions revelations covenants promises messages mysteries legall purifications evangelicall pacifications confirm this Yes mercy is the ayr in which we breathe the dayly light which doth shine about us the gracious rain of Gods inheritance it is the publique spring for all the thirsty the common Hospitall for all the needy all the streets of the Church are paved with these stones yea the very presence-Chamber is hung with nothing but this curious Arras What should become of the children if there were not these brests of consolation how should the Bride the Lambs wife be trimmed if her Bridegroom should not deck her with these abiliments how should Eden appeare like the Garden of God if it were not watered with these Rivers It is mercy that doth take us out of the wombe feed us in the dayes of our pilgrimmage furnish us with a souls stock close up our eyes in peace and translate us to a secure resting-place It is the first Petitioners suit and the first Believers Article the contemplation of Enoch the confidence of Abraham the Syrophoenicians Physick Mary Magdalens laver St Peters teare-stancher St Pauls scale-dropper the expedient
appease thy rage give over thy dooming humour howsoever if thou beest inhumane wouldst raise up a bloody God If thou beest inflâ—â—ible should I be inexorable Should not I spare Application 1. This doth serve to shew that our first interest in God is by an application of mercy for hath nature with all her endowments any claim in this tenure No till God hath spared there is nothing but the sword of justice held to the throat Our first recovery is by the benefit of a pardon Ex venia convalesco Greg Justification is the foundation-stone of the spirituall building Can two walk together except they be agreed Amos 3.3 Can God and man consort together except they be reconciled no as Bassianus and Geta so long as they were in contention parted the Palace Cuspinian and would not sit at the same Table and as Agamemnon and Achilles so long as the difference lasted between them Sabellicus l. 3. would not come into one anothers Tents So an unregenerate state doth beget a perpetuall quarrell betwixt God and the sinner what freedom can he expect that is holden with the cords of his iniquity what pleasant fruit can there be tasted from that Plant whose root beareth gall and wormwood what delight can the Father have to cast his eye upon the brows of the children of wrath No an unpardoned soul is under the Executioners power an unjustified conscience is filled yet with an hellish Fiend Let not a guilty heart boast nor a man without the wedding garment think to sit down at Gods Feast as an acceptable guest Mercy is the first ingratiating act thou art fit for nothing but to be exposed to vengeance till God doth spare Should not I spare 2. This doth serve to shew the sweetnesse of mercy it is a sparing Oh that the Cities of refuge are vilified that Gods mercy seat hath lost its honour Vespasian was wont to drink out of his Grandmothers Tertulla's curious cup at all solemn Feasts but we have given over upon the most memorable occasions to drink out of the golden bowl of mercy Sueton. Agesilaus had a Friend which had pleasured him at many exigents yet this Friend falling sick and weak desiring him to stay by him and assist him Plut. in Agesil he turned him off and marched away parting from him with a jeer saying How hard a thing is it both to pitty and to be wise So this Heavenly Grace which hath been beneficiall to us upon all occasions we now can scarce endure the company of it but we reward it with a scoffe in stead of respect it may call to us for presence and observance but if vanity or ambition hath an expedition to employ us in we have more mind of our march then of Mercy Oh was ever a Benefactour thus contemned Nay was ever a Preserver thus neglected doth it not rescue us doth it not spare us and was ever indulgence a pardoning vertue so ill intreated so disesteemed No. When Philip was conquered and the Grecians upon it expected nothing but slavery Titus Flaminius proclaiming life and liberty the despairing people were so transported w th it that they gave such a shout that the very birds in the ear fell down dead with the noise When the Crotoniats were besieged in a Castle Sabellic l. 7. c. 1. and they were ready to dye for thirst Dionysius sending them in water and freely pardoning them they were so overjoyed Diodoruâ— l. 14 that they sent him golden Crowns When Frederick had subdued Millain and by the perswasion of Uladislaus Dubraâ— l. 12. he had forgiven them an horrid outrage committed against him they took it so kindly that besides other rich gifts they honoured him with they sent him the Candlestick of Salomon But where are our Songs and Crowns and golden Candlesticks as thankfull Memorialls of Gods mercy No we are often spared but purse up all favours like legacies which are never thought on after the money is told out or wee turn them off like Physitians which are no longer minded then the cure is working if we have saluted freedom farvvell God and mercy Indeed a sparing God ought to be pretious to us Mercy should be the gaze of our eyes and the trance of our hearts for the light of Heaven should not be more pleasing to us than the light of Gods countenance not the sparkling Ruby then Gods white Stone not the Apple of the Eye then Gods pittifull eye not the nources brest then Gods bosom not the casting a judgement out of Court than Gods casting sins behind his back not the pardoning signet than Gods setting us as a seal upon his heart nor the forgiving of debts than the not imputing trespasses Oh how should we dance about this appeasing Altar bow towards this propitiatory smell with a fragancy the costly perfumes which come steaming out of this golden Censer But alas we spunge out the memory of benefits raze out the characters of preservation we eye not our rescues after they are reached forth unto us we look not upon our pardon after it be once granted Favour hath scarce a Panegyrick or Mercy an Anniversary we consider not what it is to be freed we know not what it is to be spared To be spared from an Amerciament a Tax a Sequestration a Messenger a troublesome Officer is very operative upon us such a thing doth lye near to our hearts there is cap knee the seet tripudiate the cheeks look blith the teeth chatter at such a respect but to be spared by God there is neither reverence nor worship eccho nor extasie we desire mercy but not delight in it pray for it but not prize it weep for it but live not worthy it Oh what despisers are we of favours what a lethargy is there of mercies how seldome do we kisse Gods sparing hand Is this sense is this discerning is this gratitude is this devotion Do ye thus requite the Lord oh foolish people Let me pull the vail from the face of this beautifull Rachel and shew you what an amiable Creature she is let me represent Mercy to you and cause you to look upon her as a Celestiall Deity I do not say it is that which gave you the first quickning inched you in the womb rocked you in the cradle set you upon your leggs gave you feature and stature rudiments and reason favour and fame which bought every cloth to your backs hath put the keyes of your houses into your hands furnished your Wardrobes burnished your Dining-chambers opened your shops steered home your ships stored your Warehouses guided Customers to your thresholds filled your Coffers whereby ye are able to trade with the greatest and purchase with the richest which hath brought you from the single to the second services from the Stall to the Summer-house from the coorse dresse to the Livery and the golden Chain that hath been your Agent your Solicitour your Spoaksman in the City Friend
at Court your Steward by day and your Chamberlain by night but I passe by variety of blessings though ye cannot say but all these clusters do hang upon Mercies boughs all these swelling Rivers do flow out of Mercies vast Ocean there being not a year wherein Mercy doth not bestow amongst you Donatives nor a day wherein Mercy doth not scatter amongst you her largesses But I tell you according to my Text that Mercy is your refuge and your Shield your Castle and your Sanctuary your Sentinell your Champion your Pleader and your Patron it doth keep your feet out of the snare your necks out of the yoak your brests from the arrow your heads from the Pole-axe it is your ye that watches over you in darknesse your arm every morning it doth preserve your bodies from judgements upon Earth and save your Souls from the torments of Hell when ye are ready to be punished it doth pardon when ye are ready to be spoiled it doth spare Oh that Mercy is such a bright Star and yet that we have neither observed the Asterism nor taken the Altitude of it that we are ready to commit Idolatry to a preserving Man and yet cannot worship at the footstool of a sparing God! that Heathens have been astonished Christians have wondred and Angells admired at the sight of those protections which we have enjoyed and yet that our rescues are gone out of our eys and our deliverances out of our lips that mercy hath no memory nor preservation any observation that the pardoning God is not a magnified God that he hath for all his favours nothing but ingratitudes Benefits have no Triumphs Mercy doth not wear her Crown the impressions of blessings are worn out the Records of safety are lost Oh that our praises were answerable to our protections But amongst multitudes which have been cleansed from the Leprosy there is but one which doth return to give thanks Oh beloved have ye tender skins can your shoulders endure no burthens do ye love to be kept from the hour of temptation do ye desire with the woman in the Revelation to have the two wings of an Eagle to fly from dangers Rev. 12.14 can ye not endure to be chastned with the rod of men broken with a tempest to be tossed like a ball in a large Country to be fanned in the gate of the land to be set as a mark for the arrow to have your teeth broken with gravell stones to drink the water of gall or to eat the bread of Mourners to be bound in fetters and holden in the cords of affliction to have your heads bowed down with sufferings or afflictions wreathed about your necks Doth the least distresse drive you into passions make your hearts melt within you discruciate you exanimate you cause you to tear your own flesh make a wayling like the Dragons and to belch out your sorrows with a rage that doth reach up to Heaven And is Mercy your Guardian and the Keeper of your heads to prevent all these miseries and to secure you from all these hazards and yet will ye not know her soft hand and cherishing brest not honour every joint of her preserving arme and magnifie every feather of her safegarding wings have ye honours Hymns Charmings and chauntings and none for Mercy what not a distich a semibrief for Mercy Doth Mercy bless all the Earth and is all the Earth dumb doth that spare and are we speechlesse Zeal then where are thy sparks Devotion where is thy fervent tongue what is all the worship of the times if there be no ardency to Mercy sing no more Psalms away with all your melodious tones if Mercy hath no quire and doth want her sweet singers that is a strange Chappell where Mercy hath not her Anthems Oh therefore look upon Mercy observe Mercy know her sweetnesse consider her benignity apprehend her favours take notice of her benefits and as ye love your lives tender your own blood let mercy have your life-song Oh how often hath she been unto you a refuge from the storme a cover from the face of spoils How often hath she fenced off dangers and hid you in the secret pavilion Oh therefore when this glorious Queen doth enter your streets let all the Bells in the steeple all the Tongues in the Professors heads ring a peal to the honour of mercy let there be praises parasangs Elogies and exultations songs and Selahs to exalt mercy Mercy must needs be a singular thing when God here doth plead so much to be esteemed a sparing God Should not I spare 3. This serves to shew that we have our lives upon mercy for he that doth spare Nihil admirari Plut. Tolle misericordiam Aug. Si quoties homines peccent sua fulmina inittat Jupiter might judge If with Pythagoras his Schollars corrupt nature had not taught us to wonder at nothing doubtlesse our preservations might be astonishments Take away mercy and what might we be but the spoils of divine justice If our punishments were equall to our provocations what should we be but the miserable of the world we have nothing but Compassion to be the Citadell of the Nation the Counterscarpe against battering judgements they are neither our fenced Cities nor trains of Artillery our puissant Navies nor redoubted Captains that are our security It is the mercy of the Lord that we are not consumed Lam. 3.22 We have sins enough amongst us to bring all the plagues of Egypt upon us to levell our Walls like Jerichoes to consume us into the cinders of Sodome and Gomorrah Ah sinfull Nation ah people laden with iniquity a seed of evill doers Isa 1.4 in all our doings our sins doe appeare Ezek. 21.24 we have deeply corrupted our selves as in the dayes of Gibeah Hos 9.9 there are our manifold transgressions and mighty sins Amos 5.12 If there were an Ezechiel that could consider what the Ancients doe in the dark nay take notice of the abominations which are committed in the midst of Jerusalem a man would think that God were forsaking both Sanctuary and City for the riot and excesse pride and insolency spleen and malice fraud and falshood oppression and cruelty forgery and bribery perfidiousnesse and perjury hypocrisie and apostasie perverting of truth and persecuting of Religion in this Nation is such that we seem to be nothing but a hold of foul spirits and a cage of unclean birds oh what dismal vengeance and brayning judgements do these sins deserve we might think we heard the noise of a Nationall down-fall in these execrable courses Fragorem pereuntis Antiochiae jam tum in auribus ejus circumâ—onuisse Erag l. 4. c. 7. as Zozimas the Monk of Palestine heard the crack of perishing Antioch a long time before it came yea the walls and pillars of the Country might seem to melt before our destruction as the marble statues of Anthony at Alba did sweat Plutarch and could not be wiped dry before
or sinne in thinking of his former sinnes or sin in looking upon the sinnes of others these and many other intricacies have been propounded concerning sinne but repentance doth answer all these Problems and take away all these scruples for repentance is a reparation a purgation a remedy a redintegration I do not say but the Macula the spot of sin may remaine till the day of judgement there to the greater glory of the Redeemer to be covered with the righteousnesse of Christ but the reatus the guilt is wholly removed God doth not impute it nor look upon it as a greevance No God hath received his ransome Exod. 30.12 the emnity is slaine Ephe. 2.16 there is an healing Hos 14.5 as steyned as they were before they are made as wool and as white as snow Isai 1.18 their blood is washed away Ezek. 16.9 the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for and there shall be none and the sins of Judah but they shall not be found Jer. 50.20 The penitent doth become forthwith a favorite and is a darling in his Princes eye Doth the humbled sinner seek for acceptance Nescit tarda molimina spiritus sanctus Justificatio fit in inftanti and doth the soul long hang in suspence is the Petition laid aside is there no answer to be gotten from Court Yes the Holy Ghost knoweth no delayes justification is in an instant The sacrifice is no sooner offered but the attonement is gotten the keyes of the Kingdome do no sooner stir but the gates of Heaven do stand open Solution I am not well skilled in what vertue suffrages have for souls departed but I am sure Absolution hath a present effect and efficacy David doth get souls-ease with a breath I have sinned against the Lord saith the King The Lord hath put away thy sin saith the Prophet 2 Sam. 12.13 Mary Magdalen doth not depart out of Christ's presence without her pardon in her hand no she sought for it by teares And he said unto her thy sins are forgiven thee Luk 7.48 Zacheus is not put to expectation what the issue of his humble acknowledgement of Christ should be no he had called him Lord and he shall presently find him a Lord for This day salvation is come to this house Luk. 19.9 This Deiopeia can be the Mother of none but a faire Progeny none but amiable beauties come out of the wombe of repentance In Goshen is nothing but light upon mount Garisim are nothing but blessings out of repentance comes nothing but a state of approbation I will rather feare that the Rainbow is not an undoubted signe to prevent a deluge and the Urim and Thummim not to be a certain Oracle to resolve doubts then I will suspect repentance to be an infallible Charter for spirituall liberties Oh that thou wert penitent I would shew thee the Serpents sting falling out of thy sides the Angell of the bottomlesse pit dropping his keyes out of his hand the Accuser of the brethren standing speechlesse in Gods Court this Jordan washing thee cleane this Bethesda healing thee of thy mortall disease the Angels of heaven comming forth to salute thee and rejoyce over thee and the Father stretching out his hands to imbrace thee and putting shooes upon thy feet a ring upon thy finger and the best robe upon thy back Whatsoever Penitent doth stand here I pronounce that he hath broken the yoak of bondage he hath leaped out of Hell and though Pharaoh and all his Host do pursue after him to catch him and to new-fetter him the Devill and his trained bands of sins do march after him to captivate him and to bring him back to his old chains yet he is out of their reach he hath left all his Enemies behind him and none shall be able to lay hands on him if he hath but past this red Sea the Egyptians whom he hath seen to day he shall see no more hereafter they all lay pickling in that brine drinking their last in that deep and quesoming bowl either swimming dead above water or lying dead upon the Shore The penitent and his sins are parted as Moses left the Court when he took upon him to be a deliverer to Israel and Zacheus left his Publicans office when hee intended to devote himself to Christ he hath given them a discharge and quite abdicated them as Ephraim said to his Idols quid mihi ultra What have I to do any more with you Hos 14.8 Repentance is the Funerall of sin and the birth-day of grace a man then shifts himself out of the tatters of naturall corruptions doth array himself in the bright vestment of regeneration as Jehoshuah put off his filthy garments put on a change of rayment upon his back and a glorious Mitre upon his head He is so transformed that not onely all the Earth doth look upon him with delight but the eye of Heaven is taken with him he need not be troubled with any of his former guilts nor fear the charge that his sins have preferred against him for the Enditement is taken out of Court he dare present himselfe before the Judge for he is sure to be justified at the Throne of grace The Penitent man shall be pardoned Nineveh shall be spared Repentance is a Vertue now can there be a Vertue which should leave a man as a spotted creature in Gods eye No they are called Purgatory Vertues Quaedam sunt virtutes transeuntium in divinam fimilituâ—inem tendentium hae vocantur virtutes purgatoriae Tho. 12 ae q. 61. art 5. virtuâ— ex ipsa ratione nonunis importat perfectionem potentiae Tho. 12 ae q. 55. art 2 Virtus uniuscujusque rei est quae opus honum reddit Aristot 2 Ethic. c. 6. which belong to men in their passage and frame in them a Divine Similitude for as naturall vertues perfect the essence so do these the operations it being impossible that there should be a Vertue where there is not a regular action because Vertue doth inherently carry a rectitude with it so soon then as this vertue is entred it doth beget a streightnesse in the Soul and raiseth up in it such a sweet composure that it may be proportionate for Divine favour God cannot but approve that which he did detest and love that which he did loath therefore God instantly doth close with the Penitent and doth give him for laying open his plague-sore the application of a plaister and for his searching his waies the razing out of his foot prints and for his rent heart a reconciled brest and for his teares clean water to purge him and for lifting a brow to Heaven the light of his countenance The Penitent hath no sooner made his addresses but he hath a gratious reception for Let him return unto the Lord and he will have mercy upon him and to our God for he will abundantly pardon Esa 55.9 Return oh backsliding Israel saith the Lord and I will not cause mine anger
his overthrow yea at the approach of these ruining judgements the whole Land might seem to be warned with a loud summons Bonsin l. 3. decad 7. as at the approach of Attila into the Roman Territories a voyce was heard often in the night Italy look to thy selfe What place may seem to be safe amongst us what priviledge secure our Castle-gates might seem to unbar of themselves our Fortresses to sink our Temple-doors to shut up our Ordinances to take shipping to sayl into some forraigne Country It is true God doth spare but he might open his armory and bring forth his weapons of destruction yea turne against Jacob with a flaming fire which might devour round about Oh therefore let us not pride our selves in our strength nor glory in our Hoasts and Heroes it is Gods mercy which is our tutelar Numen we are preserved only by the clemency of a sparing God Should not I spare 4. This shewes that we are never quite lost for a judgement may be reversed the punishing God may become a sparing God Let Marius if he will being overcome of Sylla fly to Praeneste and deliver up himselfe to Pontius Pelesinus to be slaine Livy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but let not us be thus diffident of a sparing God No Distrustfulnesse is a word fitter for the mouth of Dionysius the Tyrant then for the lips of a Christian for whatsoever sad presages there may be of ill fate and continuing misery yet as Aethra told Theseus God can turn all things backwards Deus omnia convertitretrorsum Eurip. 1. If a blind Rhodian when he had been kept long in a Cave by a Tyrant and fed like a beast was so dis-figured that his friends wished him to make away himself that he might end his miseries could repell the motion and say That all things were to be hoped for so long as life doth continue Eras l. 8. Apoph then let not us deny our selves remedy in extremity or lock the door in the midst of dysasters as if no comfort could enter for this were to loose the Shute-Anchor Sacram anchoram solvere Adag Oh therefore when we want bread let us knock up our friend at mid night to relieve us when our chaine is heavy let us file it off by devotion when men ride over our heads let us pray and hope under the horse-hoofs for may not God feed us under devouring judgements Yes Out of the eater there may come meat Afflictions have but their stints the punishing God may be a sparing God Should not I spare 5. This serves to exhort us to imitate God for doth he pardon and are we implacable doth he spare and will we revenge Oh that man doth desire a gracious God and yet that he himselfe is so irefull that he doth need so much mercy and yet will shew so little that there is no repealing of his decrees nor reversing of his sentence that no Wolfe is more unreconcilable nor no Leopard or Tiger more unappeaseable that the wildest beast that doth range upon earth is not more mercilesse than man Do not all Courts of justice feel this intractablenesse Do not all Prisons cry out of this inflexibleness Yes wo be to him that comes under the fury of an enraged neighbour there is no peace to be had unlesse with Nahash they can get the right eyes of their enemies or with Lewis the proud Earl of Fanders Amonius de gestis Franc. l. 4. c. 71.72 Bonsin l. 1. Dec. 1. they can see their Adversaries strip themselves and with bare legs and bare heads implore favour or with the Mysians they have liberty to sacrifice the bowels of the greater part of their Opposites as a pleasing oblation The wisdome which doth descend from above is easie to be entreated but the wisdome which doth descend from beneath is hard to be intreated they must unhouse unskin slash till they see the naked entrails and suck blood till the veynes be dry before their hearts will relent Ferdinand King of Naples A puero conceptum odium servavit usque ad senectutem Pont. de magnanimit c. 8. Susceptas cum aliquo quacunque de causa postea nullo tempore deponebat Pavi nius Hic me De us jubmergat si ullt inimicotunc parsurus sum Paul Diac. l. 29. Ret. Rom. Hoc inquit ut ad Idiotamver è dixisti Apud me vero non multum habet momenti neque magni pendo ex iâ—sdem genitum esse genitalibus Plut. de piet erga fratres Rex praeter dignitatem regiam calce repulit haud esse referens Majestatem Regis faemineis ululatibus polluendam Bonsin l. 5. c. 2. was so tenacious of his malicious intentions that he kept them from child-hood to old-age It is observed of Pope Paul the 4th that those grudges which he once conceived against men that they never after left festring in his breast Justinian the 2d who is usually called Rhinotinetus being in a great danger to be cast away in a Tempest was desired by Myaces that he would take a vow to pardon his enemies that the Tempests might cease but saith he Let God rather drown me here then I will spare one enemy Plutarch being chosen to be Arbitrator between two brethren the one a common man and the other a Philosopher he desired the learned man for the honour of his Philosophy that he would surcease all spight with his brother and the rather because he was inferiour to him in parts and equall to him in birth but he answered This may very well agree with my brother the Idiot that is a private man but it doth carry no weight with me neither doe I regard at all that we come from the same parentage Colomannus King of Hungary intended an expedition against the Russes Queen Laura prostrate at his feet desired pardon and peace but he most unprincely kicked her away and said that the Majestie of Princes was not 〈◊〉 be steyned with womanish howlings Thus ye have seen the exulcerated spirits of men and how this Devill of Malice above all the black infernal spirits if it once get possession will not be cast out without much difficulty and danger An Aduâ—terer a Drunkard an Infidell may sooner be reclaimed and converted than a man of an hatefull nature Such sharp teeth are there in mans mouth such griping claws there are upon his feet such a savage heart there is in his bosome Strike but at this hornets nest and see what hissing and stinging there will be stir but this Lion out of his Den and see what roaring and tearing there will be was ever Viper Dragon Basilisk more venomous than a spleenative person By the old Law the Dam must not be destroyed with the young ones but malice will ruine both old and young even seeth a Kid in the Mother's milk nay in the Mothers blood not leave the Parent with a Messuage nor the Infant with a moyety Oh that man should have so much
rough nature under a smooth skin and carry so much of the Fiend under a fair complexion that he should embrace so gently and gripe so dreadfully greet so courteously and grinde so cruelly tread so softly and trample so Tyrannically In a Blacksmiths shop there are nothing but Anviles and Hammers and Pinsers and Malls In a malicious mans house are nothing but Warrants and Writs and Attachments and Executions Vulcan himself was never such a forge-striker nor Cyclops such an Anvil beater Thou art afraid of kites for thy pullary of Wolves for thy sheep but take heed of this Caniball for thine own flesh this torrid Zone doth scorch all that come under it this Hericano doth shake all in pieces that is subject to the blast or dint of it Thou hadst better shoot the Gulfe live under the foot of Mount Aetna be seated in the Hircanian Forrest then to live nigh to such a rancorous creature Cankers do eat thy fruits but these thy stonewalls vermine devour thy corn but these thy coin swine root up thy grasse but these thy Inheritance Mastiffs snatch away thy staffe but these thy Evidence wild bulls cast thee into the mire but these into a Dungeon Feavers have but their fits malignant Planets but their Seasons deluges but their suddain inundations but there is neither term limit nor period to an hatefull mans rage and fury Absalon that stayed three years in Geshur Jacob that served Laban twenty years the infirm man at the Poole of Bethesda that was sick of his disease eight and thirty years had a shorter time for their miseries than they which fall under a spightfull mans displeasure this Ostrich is not to be tamed this flint is not to be softned this ulcus profundum is not to be healed But oh beloved why do ye plead the spirit if ye expresse corrupt nature or believe a God if ye will not imitate him How do his mercy and your malice his clemency and your cruelty agree together Oh draw your Physnomy from his face and fetch your affections from his bowells conform to him by whom ye would be justified resemble him by whom ye would be saved Be ye mercifull as your Heavenly Father is mercifull Forgive one another as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you Maintain Birthringhts defend just claims but make not every cavill a solemne quarrell No bear with mens infirmities passe by frailties cover a multitude of provocations for if God be so gentle why should ye be so extream if he be so yielding why should ye be so unappeaseable The Ornament of the age is the affectionate person the Mirrour of the times is the placable peaceable creature which doth feel least of the sting of injuries and doth not suffer an offence to come to her rankling coar which is seldom seen at a Bar and oftner consulting with a ghostly Father than a Paradoxing Politician Clear your grounds from noysome weeds build with planed Timber drink no dreggs eat no Bears flesh set no snares dig no pitfalls paint no Crocodiles upon your doreposts have no Panthers in your galleries purge out leaven expell poyson keep no goaring cattell in your pastures breed no fierce whelps to worry your neighbours Remember that the wrath of man doth not accomplish the righteousnesse of God that he that hateth his brother is a Man-slayer therefore As much as in you lies have peace with all men yea Above all things put on love which is the best bond of perfection Consider how your Saviour was like a Sheep upon Earth which did not open his mouth and that in Heaven be sitteth like a Lamb in the midst of the Throne As David did not regard Shimei's cursings so walk you like deaf men and blind men in the midst of this abusefull and provoking age Let Abraham say Let there be no strife betwixt me and thee for we are brethren and let Saint Paul say Ye have not hurt me in any thing feed not upon discontents here which are to eat Mannah in your Fathers Kingdom let not your instruments here jar which are elsewhere to stand amongst the harpers harping upon their harps Be readier to lend a courtesie than to repay an injury and to shed tears than to shed blood Leave vengeance to God and for the sake of Christs wounds feel not too much thine own bruises or cuts Prepare for the Sacrament by reconciling thy self to thy brother and pave the way to Heaven by a charitable demeanour Forbear desolations when thou art able to lay wast and let thy Enemy live when thou hast his life at thy mercy for this is not only the signe of a noble nature but it is to be a partaker of the Divine Nature for when God can ruin he doth preserve when he can extirpate he doth spare Should not I Spare 4. Part. Now let us come to the Channell Nineveh that great City wherein are more than sixscore thousand Persons that cannot discerne between their right hand and their left hand and also much Cattell In which words there are three things considerable 1. The name of a place Nineveh 2. The nature of the place that great City 3. The description of it wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that connot discern between their right hand and their left hand and also much Cattle First for the name of a place Nineveh What Nineveh the proud and prophane arrogant and peccant whose insolency and security was such that a Prophet was drawn from far to discover their iniquity and denounce judgments For Jonah is sent not only with a message but a menace hee must cry against it because their wickednesse was come up before God Chap. 1. v. 2. and he must cry confusion to it and that speedy too for Yet forty daies and Nineveh shall be overthrown Ch. 3. v. 4. No this is not the Nineveh which God is so tender of and he doth argue so with Jonah for the preservation of it no if Ninveveh had persisted in her impiety God would have been no Pleader for her neither would he have made the least motion for her sparing but it is Nineveh the changed and renewed for Nineveh had been wicked but she had seen her wickednesse searched it out and separated her self from it and here indeed is the incentive of Divine commiseration For so soon as God saw his message entertained he is no longer an Adversary but an Advocate he doth pitey Nineveh and would pardon it he doth speak for it and doth spare it Yea he doth reason with Jonah why Nineveh having confessed the fact and put her self upon the mercy of the Court God should not recall his sentence and spare the Execution of Judgment What saith God shall I trample upon the prostrate ruine the humbled then I shall seem to abhor that which I do affect and to punish that which I do take pleasure in Who will ever blush for sin if abasement be despised or shed tears if the weeping transgressour be
in his old puddle for this were but to hide sin a little out of sight and not to put away the evill of our workes from before his eyes to heat our cankred mettall but not purely to purge away our dross and our time It is to sorrow to shame and not to sorrow to repentance Any Euripus can have such a present flowing any Proteus can have such a momentary shape oh it is an heavy thing Nil citiùs lachryma arescit Adag Novit vias quibus effugiat Encrates when nothing doth dry sooner then a teare and that men do repent but not to stay with God that Eucrates doth know his creeping holes by which he may get out againe It is in vain ever to undertake the work of repentance if we doe not put away iniquity farre from our Tabernacle Job 22.23 and throughly amend our wayes and our doings Jer. 7.5 We must keep our selves as undefiled as morall diligence can preserve our purity we must abstain from all appearance of evill hate even the garment spotted by the flesh Puri simus prout moralis diligentia servet Toler Stow. Desti laborare oculis Philostrat in Sophistis our familiar sins we should cast off when we begin to repent as Henry the 5th cast off his old Comrades when he began to raigne if they present their selves with the greatest amiablenesse we should see no beauty in them as Isaeus when a rare Paragon was shewn him and was asked whether she was not faire and fit for his dalliance he answered I know not for I have given over to be guided by my eyes Isabella of Portugall Turquet Suidas Dominus meus Crucifixus felle aceto potatus est ego oleum edamâ— Murul l. 4. c. 2. after she was converted affected nothing which might please the senses Origen so abated the vigour of sensual desires that he seemed to carry but a withered body about him Palaemon was wont to tast nothing that was pleasant for my crucified Lord drank Gall and Vinegar and shall I eat oyl Oh that the Nazarites Rechabites and Essences could live with so much contempt towards worldly pleasures and that we cannot abdicate wonted jovisances Is this the dying wound of mortification is this the sacrificing knife of repentance What repent and keep the Concubine still in thy house bowse with Boon-fellows comply with Temporisers not loose one new fashion not abate one writ a prodigious hideous repentance Thy Covenant with the Devill remains uncancelled thy old elves suck thy paps and what art thou then but still possessed or haunted Wilt thou come leprous out of Jordan No repentance should heal up thy botches and bring a new skin upon thee reform thy manners transform thy affections make thee Saint all over Did the Ninivites repent only by sitting upon ash-heaps wearing of sackcloth or being pinched in their entralls were they as enormous flagitious detestable execrable sinners as ever No repentance had eaten out their corruptions cut out the coare of disobedience made them sound in their inwards Nineveh hath washed her face rinsed her conscience the filthy Channels are swept yea the whole City cleansed oh with delight and pleasure may a man look upon such a purified place it is able to ravish every eye There were sins but Repentance hath chased them out of the walls there were evill waies but what foot now doth follow the old tracks No let them turn every one from his evill way 18. A reformation of oppression For the Ninivites thought of the violence of their hands that whereas Nineveh had been a bloody City and the whip departed not from it they now begin to think of the cut veins and lashed sides they had caused in the City how many there were that were to accuse them for cruelty and to impeach them of tyranny And indeed that is a very formall superficiall repentance where men are not sensible of their damnifying injurious courses oppression is of a skarlet hew yea it is put amongst the number of crying sins Shall a man desire God to remove judgements when he doth remove Land-marks or to cast away his rod when he himself doth chastise with Scorpions or that he might have a tast of free mercy when he doth eat the fruits of others without mony shall a man repent with his Bears teeth in his head or his Lions skin upon his back No it is in vain for any man to sigh for compassion where the sighes of the poor do cry for vengeance Can a man think to pacifie God till he hath pacified the world Doth God look upon Oppressours with a pleasing eye no they are Monsters and Horrours to him How are they described in Scripture Oh that they had eyes clear enough to see their own Natures they are pricking briars Ezech. 28.24 threshing instruments Amos 1.3 mighty hunters Gen. 10.9 Wolves of the evening Zep. 3.3 which take up all with the Angle and gather all with the drag Hab. 1.15 which thrust with thigh and shoulder Ezech. 34.21 which smite with the fist of wickednesse Es 58.4 which swallow people alive as the grave Pro. 1.12 which groundsell their estates with damages roof them with detriments plaister them with the brains of widows and hang them with the skins of Orphans Ex rapto viâ—â—â— vunt Coel. Rodig l. 18. c. 1 Judaea latronibus repleta est Joseph Antiq l. 17. Praedatum expugnatum in nomine Dei tendite Azaur 34 Qui hoc potitur de finibus agri dicit legitimè Plut. in Lysandro which keep a shambles of butchers meat and have their Cauldrons boyling with the limbs and quarters of poor people chopt in pieces with their cleavers which like the Cardaces amongst the Persians live upon Pillage which fill a Nation full of nothing but thieves as Josephus said when the Prison dores were set open to condemned men which did mind nothing but free booty and plunder as if they lived under Mahomets Law which did determine all rights by power or as Lysander they settle all Titles by the sword Now can the just God endure such rapacious and savage creatures no he which is the Pleader for the poor will not be the Patron of Oppressours Till they have cured their blood-shotten eyes let them not look up to Heaven for pardon till they have quit their hands of violence let them not stretch out their hands for mercy Hath God given to every man his own Inclosure to own the Hedge-breaker or allowed every man the freedom of his own bark to justifie the Pirate No Wo be to him that buildeth a Town with blood and stablisheth a City by iniquity Is it not of the Lord of Hosts that the people shall labour in the Fire and weary themselves for very vanity Habbac 2.12 13. Hear this oh yee that swallow up the needy even to make the poor of the Land to faile saying when will the new Mooon be gone that wee may sell Corn and the
Sabboth that we may set forth Wheat making the Epha small and the Shekell great and falsifying the Balances of deceit that we may buy the poor for Silver and the needy for a pair of Shooes The Lord hath sworn by the excellency of Jacob surely I will never forget any of these works Shall not the Land tremble for this and every one mourn that dwelleth therein Amos 8.4 5 6 7 8. Oh therefore thou which hast been a Grinder and a Griper whose chief means do consist in spoils and whose principall gatherings are heaps of extortion which hast forborn nothing that policy fraud forgery bribery could put in practice with a burthened Conscience feel the weight of thy injuries as well as of thy impieties profanenesse should not only sting thee but oppression for remember the Ninivites repent of the violence of their hands as wel as of their evill waies Let them turn every one from their evill waies and from the violence of their hands Thus then have I shewn you Ninevehs repentance with all the essentiall and integrant parts of the same if ye would learn your lesson truly ye see how many partitions and divisions ye must be exact in if ye would be compleat ye must resemble this Penitent if ye would be spared ye must be such a Niniveh Should not I spare Nineveh Application 1. This doth shew that mercy is the priviledge of the Penitent It is Nineveh that is to be spared Wisdom is too high for a Fool and pardon for the refractary What hast thou to do with peace So what hast thou to do with Reconciliation Godlinesse hath the promises It is Goshen that is free from plagues Rahabs house hath the red thred hanging out at the window Are Gods dispensations common have the wicked any share in Soulsinterests No Balsamum purissimum vas requirit Bern. Ser. 54. in Cant Jupiter aquilam diligit Adag Privilegium est privata lex Aecursius Jus togae exteris non datur Plut. Ad ludos Olymbiacos nemo accedit nist qui stripem legitimam probet Rhod. l 29. c. 8. Plut. de impud verecundia the stranger shall not intermeddle with their joy The Israelites eat Mannah Mercy is the Childrens bread Balsome doth require the purest Vessell Jupiter doth only love the Eagle The blind and the lame have no Temple propriety Priviledge is a private exemption The right of the gown was not allowed to Forreigners None could come to the Olympian games but they which could prove an unspotted Stock It would defile Gods favours to make them indiscriminate and stein mercy to let it be free and publique Nicostratus would not give his beautifull Lacedemonian Lady to Archidamus because he did not derive a Pedigree from the Race of Hercules as Plutarch saith So God will not espowse mercy to every sordid low-bred Suitour Oh then that Esau doth come crying for a blessing that Adoniah would have Abishag that every vitious liver doth expect mercy No God will be jealous for his people Joel 2.18 He will be as the dew to Israel Hos 14.5 He doth bind up the broken-hearted Es 61.1 Gods Sun may shine upon the just and unjust but the Signet upon his right hand is onely for the particular Favourites They are the sure mercies of David Ps 55.3 Penitents are only the pardoned generation Nineveh is to be spared Should not I spare Nineveh 2. This doth shew that where there is the greatest provocation there may come a pacification God doth not only spare but he doth spare Niniveh Who more execrable then Nineveh yet Nineveh now is acceptable Therefore if ye have been not only the Sons of Adam but the Sons of Belial Deut. 13.13 not only guilty of inferiour sins but done abominable iniquity Ps 14.1 not only been tempted to evill but sold your selves to commit evill 1 Kings 21.20 not transgressed only occasionally or by accident Tu times defice reâ—ubi veritas reficere te promittit Beth ep 108. ad Henric. Mutdâ—ch Non remaneat dubitationis nubilum quod obstet lumini veritatis Aug. ep 3. ad volusian c. 2. Nulli deest unctio nulli salus Bern. in F. S. Mattini Oh paenitentia quid de te referam Ligata solvis clausa reseras desperata animas Cyp. de laude Poen Ex suto aurumfecit In profundo malignitatis jacuit usque ad vertitem virtutis ascendit Chrys Hom. 12. de muliere Chan. Quis in seculo peccavit enormiks Poulo quis in religione graviùs Petro Chrysolog in ser Rhegino l. 2. Ma trul l. 3. c. 4. but committed e vill with both hands earnestly Micah 7.3 not onely matched inconsiderate transgressors but overpassed the deeds of the wicked Jer. 5.28 Yet dost thou fear that he will refuse thee which hath promised to refresh thee No Let not the cloud of distrustfulnesse darken the light of truth and grace Thy saviours name is Christ Jesus to shew that oyntment and salvation is wanting to none Oh Repentance what shall I say of thee thou dost loosen the bound things unlock the shut things and dost quicken the desperate and decayed things He hath turned a poor Canaanitish woman from dirt into gold she lay in the bottom of disobedience and he hath raised her up to the top of virtue Who in the world sinned more enormously then Paul who in the Church more grievously then Peter yet both these obtained not only said Chrysologâ—s a Ministery but a Magistery of holinesse Therefore let us not turn off the most noisom diseases as desperate cures Judas by this shewed himself the son of Perdition as Chrysost because he held his sinne unpardonable yea it did set the mark the brand of a cast-away upon Cains forehead that he cryed out My sinne is greater then can be forgiven What trespasse hath not an hope of pardon What trespasser may not be a bosome darling as strongly as the Devill hath kept his Captives in wards yet the Gates of Brass may be broken in pieces St Augustine may renounce his Manicheism Justin Martyr his worshipping of Idols and St Cyprian as some say his Magick One bright star may give light to many men stumbling in darknesse One Boniface may reduce the Hassions from their strange Gods and Goddesses Bortreia Berter Camberth Uâ—rade to embrace the true Deity One Vincent may convert 5000 Jewes in Spain and 8000 Saracens in Mauritania One Dambrowca may change the heart of Mieceslaus Duke of Polonia from being a stisfe Infideli Cromer l. 2. to be a zealous Christian and draw him to propagate the faith throughout his whole Territory Marul l. 3. c. 4. One Patrick by making a Circle and opening the earth as farre as the circle went may convert the Irish One Poppo a Priest Crant l. 3. Metrop c. 34. by wearing a plate of red hot Iron upon his hand like a glove may convert a number of Swedes and Danes yea what dissolute liver may not be cleansed out of naturall
corruptions Mary the famous Egyptian Saint who had spent her younger time in most scandalous lusts may when she was going up to Jerusalem at the feast of the exaltation of the Cross to finger the gaines of a Prostitute be so renowned that she lived 45. Fulgos l. 6. c. 9. yeares as the mirrour of purity Thais the infamous strumpet of Alexandria may be so touched in conscience that she may bring all the goods which she had gotten by her lewd life and burn them in the open Market-stead and afterwards live such an austere life that when she dyed a fiery chariot appearing in the air and Paulus the Monk thinking it had been for his great Master Anthony Non Anthonio sed Thaidi meretrici Sabellic l. 5. c. 5. an answer might be given by an Angell That it was not for Anthony but Mary to carry her into heaven Swayne of Denmark who had been the bloody Tyrant of his Country upon sligâ—â— suspitions butchering many of his Nobles and subjects may prove so remorsefull that he may strip himselfe out of his Royal robes go barefoot fall down grovelong in the Church-porch Saxo Oram l. 11. bitterly lament his sin and give away half Stefnick Province to religious uses Denodate a great Courtier in Persia who along time had followed all the delights of the Court and conformed himselfe to his Princes pleasure Articulatim dllaniatus est Marul l. 3. c. 4. Fulgos l. 6. c. 9 Niceph. l. 18. c. 25 Marul l. 1. c. 2 afterwards may give over his office and prove not onely such an eminent Professour but such a constant Martyr that he may be torn in pieces joynt by joynt What should I speak of Mutio the great Aegyptian Theife whom Fulgosus doth mention or of Golinduch the Persian Witch whom Nicephorus maketh relation of or of Peter of Constantinople the covetous Tole gatherer whom Marulus maketh a large description of all which were hainously wicked and yet came to be transcendently gracious What therefore is uncleanness without her bath bondage without a door of hope May not the greatest sinner in the world melt out his guilts at his eyes and feel the oyl of joy suppling his conscience Yes wert thou the flying Dragon of cruelty the fiend of envy the Lucifer of pride a Shimet the Standard-bearer of tumults a Doeg the Boutefeau of mischief an Achitophel that hath stirred every Gimmer of the Oracle to give pernitious counsail an Hazael that hath fired Cities slain Infants ripped up women big with childe a Gehezi that hath run after bribes an Achan that hath stollen the Babylonish Garment and the golden Wedge a Judas which hast sold thy best Master for a few mercenary pence which art such a transversed creature that thou hast turned thy tongue in thy mouth thy eyes in thy head thy conscience in thy bosome which hast falsified thy protestation denyed thy subscription violated thy Oath expressed thy self Apostate and art almost as ill as an Infidel yet if thou canst but have remorse and reformation are Christ's wounds dry that there is no cleansing-blood left for thee No let who will decree justice to thy body I despaire not of mercy to thy soul I can pray for thee and pledge for thee shew thee a Redeemer and drop some of his ransomepieces into thy hand for hath not repentance her golden Altar in heaven yes if I could see thee look back upon thy miscarriages turn back from thy exorbitancies eye scarlet sins with scarlet cheeks and touch the fore-skin of thy pullutions with a circumcising knife if that tongue of thine could speak but ten words of true English or that heart of thine could feel but five checks of a true Penitent if thou hadst but Manasses knees Mary Magdalens eyes and the Jaylours scruples I should call thee Convert and pronounce thee Saint if I need not feare the reality of thy repentance I doe not doubt the certainty of thy reception for see here the Broad-seal hanging up in Gods signet office Is Saul amongst the Prophets Is Nineveh amongst the favourites Yes she was one spightfull against heaven and near to divine vengance yet now having turned her contumacy into contrition she is declared by God to be one meet to be spared Should not I spare Nineveh 3. This doth shew that pacification is to be resolved on not according to profession but repentance for it is not Should not I spare Jerusalem but Should 〈◊〉 I spare Nineveh Jonah is called from Jerusalem because he had prophesied there and Jerusalem remained obstinate but being sent to Nineveh he doth no sooner cry there but the eare of the penitent Auditour is opened therefore he doth reject formallizing Jerusalem and spare heart-strook Nineveh Humble repentance is better then high-gifted profession and the sincerity of reformation then the imposture of information What do Jerusalems Visions and Prophecies Feasts Sacrifices distinction of meats purifyings do her good No one teare of Nineveh doth excell all this rituall piety Nineveh is preferred before Jerusalem Nulla res sic exterminat bonum ut simulatio Chrys in 7. Mat. Levius est apertè peccare quà m fingere sanctitatem Jeron l. 60. in Es Quod proprium est Dei sibi assumit Greg. l. 8. Moral Quis magis impius an profitens impietatem an mentiens sanctitatem Bern. in Apol. ad Guliel Abbatem Histrie pietatis Budaeus videtur potius ludere quà m sacrificare Chrys Orat. 11 Ad. Judâ—â—or because Nineveh had the vital part of Religion Jerusalem but onely the shadow and figure What taste then is there in the white of an Egge What rellish in crude ostentations no hypocrisie is the poyson of devotion or the dead flie in the box of pure oyntment Nothing doth so expell goodnesse as dissembling It is a lighter thing to sin openly than to feign impiety for the Hypocrite is such a Mimick that he would cheat his Maker of his Glory for that which is proper to God he doth assume to himselfe St Bernard doth put a question who is the more wicked man he which doth professe impiety or he that doth belie piety and he doth determine that the Hypocrite is worse then the Libertine because the one doth intend no holinesse and the other doth but seem to intend it for he hath but the shew of holinesse and not the power 2 Tim. 3.5 Now is there any thing worse than a counterfeit a man of shew and is it not thus with the Hypocrite Yes Heis but the Stageplayer of Religion He doth seem rather to play then to sacrifice He hath Ordinances onely to boast of or Altars onely to make a smoak in the Country Hypocrisie in the Hebrew doth lively decipher this for it doth come of a word that dothsignifie a clowded creature Keneph of Kanaph nebulosus aut velatus fuit Nebula à nebula Et inter nebulones hypocrita est maximè infignis Bud. Quasi tot stercoribus repletum in
thou hast neglected them he may have sent many motions to thy conscience and thou hast quenched them he may inflict many judgements upon thee and thou hast contemned them but hath God no more arguments yet to use Yes he hath pleasure in unrighteousnesse hardnesse of heart consusion everlasting damnation yet to urge thee with either on earth or in hell God will have the upper hand When thou thinkest God hath spoken all yet he hath more to say as here he had used many reasons to Jonas and he is able to make an addition an enlargement And also Thirdly This doth shew That God is most passionate for mercy ye never find that God doth argue for justice as here he doth plead for mercy no he will reason and enlarge for mercy Mercy pleaseth him Miseri cordia scepetrum tenet Fasciculus Temp. p. 2. Quid est misericordia mea Totum quicquid sum de misericordia tua sum Fecistâ— me ut sim sed non fecisti me uthonus sim Aug. Concion 2. in Ps 59. he doth bear the name of it and it is his delight God hath many attributes but mercy holdeth the Scepter God is the God of my mercy Psal 59.17 What is this God of my mercy Namely whatsoever I am I am of mercy for thou hast made me that I should be but thou hast not made me that I should be good no this doth come from mercy so that mercy is above all the Creation How is God desirous to shew mercy how is he angry when he cannot shew mercy He cometh leaping over the mountains Cant. 2.8 when he should shew mercy Currit dum succurrit He doth ran that he might relieve but he doth make no such hast when he should execute judgment no what a going down and examining parlying and expostulating is there Non dixit Ponam sagittam in nubibus sed arcum Amb. l. de Noah arca c. 17. Playfer Concion ad Cler. post pestem in verbum Sufficit before he will powre vengeance upon Sodom it self He hath set his how in the clouds It is not said he hath set his arrow in the clouds no his bow without an arrow as if God must be forced beyond his Covenant when he doth let fly an arrow to stick in the brest of a sinfull person or a sinfull Nation He cannot deny himself there is meant by himself his mercy yet as one well observeth it is not said he cannot deny his mercy but he cannot deny himselfe because his mercy is himselfe it is so himselfe that when justice is mentioned in scripture mercy is doubled The Lord is merciful and righteous yea our God is mercifull Ps 116.5 as if mercy were a Counter-guard on this side and on that before and behind to justice Oh then that mercy is thus dear unto God and not so precious unto us that we desire any thing in God rather then his mercy we would have his wisdom perhaps or his power and if we could his glory and eternity but we care not for his mercy What affections do there glow in us towards mercy what motions have we made for mercy what preparations are we qualified with for entertainment of mercy no this Mannah this Angels food is light bread in our esteems we will not step out of our Tents to gather a gomer full of it People refuse the waters of Shiloah which run softly Esa 8.6 But oh beloved let us desire to enjoy from God that which is most divine that which is the most principall efflux of his everlasting essence and is not mercy most eminent in God yes it is the bosom and bowels of God How excellent mercy is in Gods esteem ye may find here in my Text he hath never done reasoning and pleading to be a sparing God he hath argument and enlargement for it And also Fourthly this doth serve to shew that one of the most incorrigible sins is envy for Jonah is spightfull and with what a difficulty doth God reclaim him he is enforced to use argument upon argument and at last to put in an enlargement And also Anger is cruell and wrath is raging but who can stand before envy Prov. 27.4 the Devill is called The envious No marvail our Saviour gave his new commandement for love and his last legacy for peace for mans heart is inclined to any thing rather then to love and peace malice and pertinacy envy and obstinacy usually go together the envious heart of Esau against Jacob of Saul against David of the Jews against the Gentiles do hardly come down yea next to originall sin this sin is propagated it doth run in a blood it is crimen semen partûs the sinne as well as the seed of the birth Invidia genus est inimicitiae intractabile quidem atque admodum insuperabile Bas Serm. in Invidiam Non sic abibunt odia vivaces aget violentus iras animus saevus dolor aeterna bella pace sublata geret Sen. in Here. Fur Canes educatione mansuâ—scunt Leonâ—s obsequio tractabiles fiunt Invidi tantum officiis agrâ—stiores evadunt Bas ser de Invidia the child doth partake of the Parents envy as well as his name or nature it is ex traduce it is hereditatory howsoever a pernicious sin it is and very permanent fires may be quenched and diseases may be cured but many engines must work to put out this flames and the skilfullest Physitians administer to purpose to remove this malady Envy is a kind of displeasure intractable and almost insuperable As Juno said against Hercules so do too many pronounce against their enemies Hatreds shall not thus depart an enraged spirit shall drive on living distasts and cruell spight all peace laid aside shall wage everlasting wars Dogs with usage will grow gentle and â—ions with observance wax tractable but the envious with courtesies remain savage Take heed therefore how thou dost strike fire into his tinder how this leaven doth spread in the lump how this root of bitternesse doth come to spread in thy affections for if thou beest envious thou art even inexorable how must thou be waited upon and worshipped how many motions must be made how many meetings must be set how many meek men must be troubled about one stubborn man how many wise men about one mad man before a disterence can be compromised or a displeasure forsooth perhaps not worth a flies spleen or a dogs anger can be taken out of thy festered heart Thou maist see it here in my Text how is God molested here with froward Jonah his splenative Prophet he had conceived a spight against Nineveh and what a pleading must there be to bring him into his right temper again there must be an amplifying of reasons terque quaterque three and four times to be perswaded will not serve the turn no God must presse many particulars and after a multitude of arguments he must bring in an enlargement And also Should not I spare
hath been unto us Let us bless the bosome out of which we have received such infinite bounty yea kiss the brest from which we have sucked so much sweet milk It becommeth well the just to be thankful And let us magnifie God according to the accent of his own high-speeched liberality let there be much praise for there is amongst us much merchandize much treasure much cattel And also much cattle Secondly this doth serve to shew unto you that Gods bounty in small things is conspicuous for God here is affectionate and compassionate to Much Catâ—le There is the least of Gods mercies Gen. 32.10 and the very least of these are comfortable and considerable Ioseph l. 18. Ant. c. ult for as it is said of Asineus that famous Captain of the Jews that he was small of stature but great in spirit so the smallest blessing is efficacious to our benefit Augustus Caesar made much of one Lucius not two foot high Ravis Plinius l. 7. c. 16. and shewed him for a spectacle at an high solemnity Mamus Maximus and one â—ullius not two Cubiâ—s high were preserved by the Romanes in little boxes to be seen so the least grown mercies of God are worthy both of our preservation and observation oh then that we can look upon none but the choise Pictures in the Gallery or smell none but the fragrant flowers in the Garden that none but high mercies have any high respect from us We can talk a little perhaps of Merchandise Laws Priviledges and Ordinances that these might have their liberty and freedom these same Superiour mercies may have some discourse from us but wee have neither hâ—â—râ—s nor tongues concerning those things which we count inferiour mercies as wholsom air seasonable weather our daily bread the fruitfulnesse of our grounds or the increate of our Cattle no these things are too mean for our conference or contemplation Nunquam parvum quod satis est Seneca ep 102. Flumina magna vides parvis de fontibus orta Ovid. 1. de remed but haâ— is never smal which is enough those mercies are never little which carry sufficient comfort great Râ—â—ers may flow from a smal spring so rich benefits may come from contemned mercieâ— Little David took away the dread of a whole host a little City preserved Loth so undervalued favours may have infinite succour and support in them those things are all of high price which continue our being and save our lives that though we do not sing at the presence of them yet we would weep at the want of them Oh therfore as our Saviour would not have the fragments to be lost so let not us lose the broken pieces as we may count them of the rich banquet of divine favours there is not a spangle of Gods Gown but it is pretious not a pin in his building but it is usefull not a little Starre which doth shine in the firmament of his providence but hath in it vertue and influence Oh therefore speak not only of high blessings as much alliance much honour much gold but passe not over the least blessing in silence if it doth go no further then the stable or the stall that thou canst say much Cattle And also much Cattle Thirdly this doth shew that where there are much Cattle there should be much commiseration For what will ye keep your Cattle onely to your selves have ye never a Calf to kill for travellers that come to your Tent-dores as Abraham did Gen. 18.7 have ye not a few sheep to carry to David and his hungerstarved Army as Abigail did 1 Sam. 25 18. have ye not a horse to set a wounded man upon as the Samaritane did Luke 10.34 Doth God spare your Cattle and do ye use them only for your own pomp and voluptuousnesse then it is pitty that God should spare any thing for you which will spare nothing for others If God give you the fat and the sweet ye should send part to them for whom nothing is provided so God gives you Gattle to relieve the necessities of them which have no Cattle not much Cattle for much covetousnesse or much state or much luxurity but much Cattle for much charity and much compassion or else ye are but Drovers and Horse-riders or Kitchin-men and not true House keepers Job did not eat his morsels alone Nehemiah spread a Table for an hundred and fifty Jews and slew his Oxen and Sheep to feast them liberally Neh. 17.18 and it was Dives only which kept the private house and reserved his delicious fare for his own lips Luke 16.19 Bounty should be the fruit of abundance and sympathy the stream which should flow from the spring of prosperity If thou hast this worlds goods and shuttest up thy bowels of compassion how dwelleth â—he love of God in thee If the Clouds be full they will powre out rain upon the Earth Fulnesse should abound to rich liberality yea abundance is appointed to supply want 2 Cor. 8.14 God hath not given thee a hand onely to lift it up to thine own mouth to feed thy self but thou must stretch out thy hands to the poor Prov. 31.20 thine own sides must not only praise thee for a liberall person but the loines of the miserable ought to blesse thee Trees can sweat out their gums for others to catch and rich men should their Almsdeeds for the poor to participate of people should smâ—ll works of charity afar off from the houses of the wealthy as they may at a great distance smell fragrant scents from a Garden of spices the Sun doth warm all the world with beams Frumenta domi conclusa vermium esca Chrysost S. 7. de P. Cùm aurum das ut equum coâ—â—pares animo non angerâ—s cum autem corruptibilia exponis ut regnum câ—â—â—orum accipias lachry mandum tibi putas Basil Ser. 1. in divit â—avar so should these greater lights all about them with bounty The Corn that thou keepest in thy Chambers the Vermine may eat it but that which thou throwest into these furrows will fructify to thy profit thou wilt bring forth thy money readily to buy an horse and why not thy bags to purchase Heaven Heathens guild their dead Images and we should these living Images of God Almighty As they which are warned out of a Country make up all their estare in ready money so we which are summoned out of this world by death should make up our estates in Almsdeeds Oh it is an excellent thing Viv ntia Dei simulachra excolere Lactant. l. 6. c. 13. de vero cultu Omnâ—m substantiam suam in p â—uniam commutant Ita faciunt ad coelum vocati for dying men to carry with them the blessing of Orphanes which have been brought up with them as with their Father Job 31.19 and at their departure to present to God Almighty a Certificate subscribed with the hands of the poor that Abrahams true Children may enter into Abrahams