in the eyes of many great and small as ever was Moses in the eye of Corah and his company for discharging his conscience This spirit became very spreading then and so strong that God was faine to make Israels misery long till he had cut off all that were unworthy of that which Moses and Aaron laboured to bring them to so may this spirit make our sufferings long so long till God hath cut off al these proud jostling spirits which are altogether unworthy of those great mercies which our honest-hearted Parliament painefully labours to bring us to A third thing that makes our troubles have a long visage in my eye is this That the one thing necessary to publique welfare is not preferred and prosecuted as such a thing that is according to its dignity and our duty The maine thing I conceive to our publique wel-fare is to perfect our reformation of Religion to raise up and finish that building the foundation whereof our Fathers bravely laid in their owne bloud Israel suffer'd much and suffer'd long a consumption followed them till it had brought them almost to nothing because they grew slack about the maine and preferr'd their owne houses the seiling and finishing of them before Gods House At first when they came togegether to Jerusalem they were hot upon Gods House but being diverted by troubles they grew cold and involved their spirits in their owne affaires which cost them deare and brought them into a deepe consumption I am affraid this is our case Our Parliament at first comming together seem'd very hot about Church affaires though not so hot then as I could have wish't God had his Committee amongst many other of our owne I meane a Committee about scandalous Ministers and matters wherein God is most immediately concerned this Committee was of life and heat a time and the dread and Majesty of that great Court hereby great many troubles came in and this Committee laid downe and other things relateing to this stay'd off by meanes of which the Majesty of that honourable House is much weakened because God much neglected I am affraide this will bring us into a deepe consumption and make Englands sufferings long because wee make God suffer so long all the Kingdome over by blinde worship and blind Ministers who are now the activest Engines against us A fourth thing which makes our troubles looke with a long visage in my eye is this God hath suffered our troubles to grow beyond our Tiller as the Archers terme is our bow is made too strong for us to bend this makes long worke to bee ready If an unruly child creep up under the lenity of Parents to become an unruly boy one in bodily strength suiteable to his spirit before taken downe this speakes long suffering to such parents this is Englands case Our wicked children are growne up under the wing and lenity of the Parliament to virility to mans estate to externall strength suiteable to their internall temper this I am affraid speakes long suffering to thee O poore England Justice doth not looke as if shee would lay down her rod presently when shee is gathering more and more twigs A few malignants are become many many without Armes many in Armes our locusts goe forth by troopes Justice doth not use to make a rod of so many and so great twigs for a little worke strong twigs and rods are gather'd to last for long work A fift thing that makes Englands troubles looke with a long visage in my eye is this A heavy spirit seemes to be fallen upon us Make their eares heavy saith God their Eares that is their hearts I am affraid that plague is heavily fallen upon us Heavy jades are shap'd to much beating a little will not make them goe Men come up to their light like a beare to the stake how heavy hath our motion beene to blast the Common Prayer Booke by publique vote how heavily brought on to judge it an agreement how heavily brought on to clip the power of Bishops how heavily brought on to vote them quite downe although such as had voted and almost acted downe God and all good in the Land how much farther hath many Parliament men gone in matters of Gods worship then droven I keepe honour in my breast towards them who have done throughout truely honorably For the execution of thorough Justice are they not now by the sword droven and will they goe now My heart bleeds to consider this what a heavy spirit is upon us in the prosecution of that worke which God hath thrust us upon Our eyes are halfe open as heavy-headed mens eyes are to see our advantages and our handes in our bosom like heavy sluggards when wee should take and prosecute advantages which God wonderfully gives us A heavy spirit speakes heavy misery suffering much and suffering long a heavy spirit makes heavy misery necessary such a temper otherwise will never go so far in good as it should The last thing which makes our sufferings looke with a long visage in my eye is this suffering doth not soften our fire doth not melt but harden and make brawny the heart of the most The weekly newes of our bleeding is become as the weekly bill of the plague read over and throwne a side Many bodies kill'd how many soules more alive then were What heart goes in secret and bleeds in his brethrens wounds Many kill'd many more worse then kil'd maim'd spoil'd turn'd out of all and likely to starue to death goe weeping wailing and wringing their hands up and down the Country yea up and downe here and doe fully looke some of you in the face and yet I see no signe of all this in your faces Their tone is dolefull doe wee eccho to them The spoiled mourne to the saved doe we weepe with them that weep doe we beare their burden as our own Let every mans conscience speake and acquit him if it can Doth not this saddly speak more suffering because no man will suffer till Justice bring suffering to his own doore No man will be afflicted till it come to his owne turne no man will afflict himselfe all is put upon God he must doe it man by man many will not be afflicted in few this will be long worke I can sadly tell you of hearts more brawny then these hearts that would not have spoiling cease because it inricheth them no not killing cease because 't is their gainfull trade that see bloud and desolation dayly and yet have no bowells but feare this wil end too soon that cut out their worke to last this is not the spirit of a Souldier but the spirit of a Butcher that lives by killing as his Trades and pockets up the prize of bloud and misery with joy This a Souldier a Judas a Wolfe that growes fat upon the carkasses of the slaine Men that strive after places to kill bodies for gaine Ah Lord who hath kill'd such soules This is the spirit of a Souldier
is the Parliamente that you are impatient against it are they not a called body by God are they not wise men holy men true hearted tender hearted and wish you as well as themselves as well as you can wish your selves Doe they not use the best ability they have to doe us service shall we requite them for all cost and paines with murmuring against them God will take this to heart and charge you with murmuring against him Finally God will so carry the great workes of these last times that all men shall acknowledge him and not any man which should make us patient that we can see man no more that we can see man no more in our great works a Finger of GOD is in it that he may be seene and admired as the Authour of all The Prophet speaking and certainly of this time how this Generation should come downe saith Hab. 2.13 Behold is it not of the Lord of Hostes that the People labour in the very Fire c. For the Earth saith hee shall bee filled with the Knowledge of the Glory of the Lord c. Not with the Knowledge of the Glory of any man Men can doe no more then they can men shall doe no more then they doe that you make not Gods of them That you have no advantage to make a man a GOD are you impatient that God will not use whom you will and how you will therefore are you impatient that God is not so wise as you that hee loves not himselfe so well as you love him therefore are you impatient To conclude all let mee aske you all one question more wherein hath GOD given you cause to bee impatient from the first of our troubles till now for which of his good deeds doe you stone him for truely impatience is no other but a stoning of Christ for his good deeds at Hull For his good deeds at Ports-mouth for his good deedes at Kenton What hath Christ done from the beginning of this Parliament to this day to cast discouragement upon any soule To cast any heart into a passion Let his dealings bespeake you patient I say no more FINIS USEFULL INSTRVCTIONS FOR THESE Evill Times COLOSS. 1.11 Vnto all patience c. COncerning Patience according to its formality you have heard concerning patience now according to its graduality I am to speake according as the terme here in my Text leades me all Patience c. Patience is a quality and qualities admit of intention and remission a man may have lesse or more much or all Patience as the expression here is As there is little faith and great faith so there is little Patience and great patience could yee not watch with me one houre that was little patience What if J will that he tarry till I come this is great patience all patience as the terme here is All Patience notes a totallity under a foure fold reference it notes a totality in reference to subject quality condition and time All patience notes totum subjecti the man all patient that is patient in tongue and in heart 'T is very usuall and very naturall to broken men to make false Coyne to put silver and gold without when the piece is brasse within and not a quarter so much worth as it goes for Many a piece is pure mettall to look upon and yet take away the guild and but base mettall within So many a man hath a painted patience an outside patience a Lip patience as there is a Lip-love very patient to talke with and to looke upon very coole in the lips but burning within There is a white powder a wild-fire so ordered as to make no great report so there is a pale impatience that lookes white in the face but red and bloudy within it makes little report in the tongue but yet is deadly wild-fire Man is a creature of art he can carry fire in his bosome and keepe it from flameing forth he can hide coales under embers and seeme as if there were no fire he can make words as smooth as Oyle when War and Hell are in the heart he can forgive and not forget Scorch and burn himselfe inwardly and say nothing hurt no body but kill himselfe this is fretting 't is not patience 't is impatience within doore or behinde doore 't is discontented thouhgts pent up heart passion stiffled which is deadly impatience which all patience and no lesse then this thoroughly takes away All Patience is man all in good temper Vital spirits pulse beating well as well as Lips and Countenance looking well All Patience 't is all powers and parts within and without moving divinely and sweetly when all in a distressed state 't is every faculty and organ in tune to move towards God when scarce any at ease to move towards man 't is a man begging forgivenesse in a storme of stones for thē that unjustly throw them As this expression notes totum subjecti so it notes totum ipsius qualitatis a totallity of the very quality of the very grace of patience All patience that is patiience that is al patience patience without mixture of passion pure patience patience that is throughout what 't is called as far from all mixture as 't is possible for flesh and bloud to be patience so farre from all impatience that man sees none God takes notice of none patience so farre from impatience as to grieve no humane spirit nor Divine Mans vertues are mixt yea his very graces are mixt in some more mixt then in others in some so much mixt that grace is in a manner buried and of no glosse to denominate the man nor of no strength to make the man usefull Mixture makes corruption the more mixture the more corruption 't is hard to call some men gratious or to say what they are fit for passion is so strong and patience so weake and low such a man is a torment to himselfe and all neere him A Christian hath his glosse and his use as eminent in patience this the Apostle eyed in this expression therefore I thinke this may be his meaning All patience is patience all pure the spirit of an Angel free from all perturbation above all scandall very amiable and very usefull fit for all service that God and his Gospel can call to All patience notes a totallity as in reference to quality so in reference to to condition totum periculi a heart so principled so compos sui master of himselfe that no evill can make evill not the greatest evill the least impression of evil Evil is nomen magnitudinis nomen midtitudinis it speakes one and it speaks many it speakes a great one and it speakes a great many now all patience is such a height as holds its owne fully under all tryalls under all the waves of God without sinking or shrinking under evils mustered by God weapon'd marshal'd brought on by God set on kept on by God made doe execution by
not be a joy to a man to put forth an Arme to cast out Devils though he never pluck it in againe should not a Christian make it his honour his joy to make devils subject to him to make insolent wickednesse asham'd and returne or swell and breake and hang it selfe should it not joy a man to suffer any thing to kill a devill legions of devills principalities and powers Scarlet wickednesse wickednesse grown so high as scarce ever was in England 't was the joy of Sampson to suffer any thing that hee might make wicked Nobles suffer scarlet wickednesse a never dying Monument of shame mee thinkes it should make the most fleshly fearefull spirit in the World Joy to suffer any thing to help forward such noble acts as these To die in the prosecution of a just cause to the life such a death is it not life such heart bloud dropping forth does not every drop give back a cordiall to the heart from whence it comes Such misery does it not create it 's owne joy Can you not joy in such sufferings as bring cordialls with them Such sufferings as are rather joyes then sufferings they have so much honor and glory in them You shall be the death of the Kingdome of the devill throughout England throughout the Christian world Some thinke the Throne of the Beast is in England I believe the life of the Beast the life of al beastly wickednesse through out the Christian world depends much upon these wicked wretches which live in England is it not time then they were dead should it not joy any one to suffer any thing to send such to their place to damne up Springs of wickednesse to cut off the devils right hand to pull downe strong holdes of hell should it not joy a man to die dead the divelish world to die like Sampson and pull downe all the Philistims strength at once A blessing is pronounced twice in one Psalme to them that take Babylons little ones and dash them against the stones what blessednesse then to them which take Babylons great ones and dash them against the stones should it not joy one to goe about a bloudy worke to be so blessed so particularly so doubly blessed You shall be the life of Christs Kingdome the life of his children Ordinances spirit glory throughout the Christian world should it not be the joy of a man to die that God may live 't was the joy of God to die that man might live God shed his bloud saith the Scripture to save the bloud of man and he did this bloudy service with joy with delight saith the Psalmist which notes an intention of joy should not a man gloryingly breath forth his glory and die that Gods panting glory in England may recover breath and live who would not be ambitious to be his Saviours Saviour to beare up the pillars of the Christian World as the Psalmist speakes The integrity of your suffering depends much upon your ioy in suffering murmuring suffering is sinning you will suffer for this againe As God calles for the heart in doing so in suffering I cannot stand on this let mee conclude all thus GOD ownes the cause that you owne should it not joy a man to march after God you are willing to lose your bloud and God is willing to spare it The more backward you are to suffer the more you will suffer the more forward the lesse Joy to suffer long for Christ will shorten longsuffering FINIS USEFULL INSTRVCTIONS FOR THESE Evill Times COLOSS. 1.11 Strengthened with all might according to His glorious power unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulnesse EVery word in this Verse hath it not been a sweet flower to smell to the whole is a bundle of myrrhe 'T is a Verse filled with the pantings of a precious spirit which are to be filled with God to have all of that which is indeed all all soule strength all soule wealth all might all patience all joy all Christ in fellowship and fruition to doe him all cheerfull service as long as life lasts There is holy ambition in Christianity i to be greatest in the Kingdome of God * In the Kingdome of grace to sit on Christs right hand as he sits on his Fathers right hand to have all power given unto us to doe all workes well which are assigned to us as he did the whole soule to lie in the bosom of Christ and so to be all in all and answerably all unto all all in point of power patience joy ability and cheerfulnesse unto all duty O how good a good heart would be all good all good in the worst condition grace would be absolute grace would have all grace that all the world may see nothing in her but like her selfe in the lowest condition a man in Christ would be all in Christ all unto Christ outside inside whole man whole man Christs with joy Things have their instinct stones fall downward and they fall as low as ever they can to get to the very center if it possibly may be so sparkes fly upward and they ascend as high as ever they can to get into their own Heaven if it may be Eagles fly high and come as neare the Sun as they can Grace hath its instinct it ascends and ascends as high as ever it can would come as neare the Sun as 't is possible 't would be like him 't would shine in a darke World in a darke night in a desolate condition gloriously as he did A Christian would be all of that nature of which hee is so little hee would bee in all conditions himselfe above himselfe a Christian in state when a man in no estate Things have their sense Senses are greedy they are never satisfied they stil cry give give the eye is not satisfied with seeing nor the eare with hearing nor the mouth with tasting so grace 't 'as i'ts instinct yea 'tas more 't 'as sense grace can see grace grace can tast grace grace is sweet to grace the new man can savour the things of God A Christ can desire as hee tastes pantes and Prayes as he feeles hee pants for flagons he feeles drops so sweet for water brookes he sees little streames so pleasant Gods children are very craving the more receiving the more craving receptions are so sweet sense is still eged on divine sense divinely exorbitant never satisfied it cries give give all all strength all patience all joy The crying of a babe is after all that the breast will yield yea after all that both breasts will yield after all that a Saviour hath purchased and made giveable Things have their reason man moves ex judicio he discourseth worth and so makes out pearles are no lumber silver and gold no lumber but treasure pure treasure I would I had my house-full of these saith he Reason hath found out and pitcht upon worth and this makes desire mighty vast the man would have all 't is so good