Religious Bishop of our own Men now adays are so desperately set upon their own sinful Ways that the Promises of Life and Salvation are but a mockery to them Let Mercy be shewed to the Wicked yet he will not learn Righteousness Es 26.10 Preach Honour and Glory and Peace a Garland of Righteousness an Incorruptible Crown Fruit of the Tree of Life Sight of the Face of God following the Lamb Fellowship with Angels and Saints and the Congregation of the Firstborn new Names and white Garments Pleasures at the right Hand of God and fulness of Joy in his Presence for evermore They are as obstinately bent and unmovably setled against these Blessings of God as Daniel against the Hire of Belshazzer Keep thy Rewards to thy selfe and give thy Gifts to another Dan. 5. Alass men are not won nor enamoured with the Expectation of good things and the Revelation of the Sons of God which the whole Creature longeth and groaneth for savoureth no more unto them than a Box of putrified Oyntment What 's to be done then Is there no way to save their Souls or to quicken and put Life into them yes if the Blessings of six Levites upon Mount Gerizim will not move them let them hear the Cursings of six other upon Mount Ebal If they take no Pleasure in the Beauty of Sion let the Thunder and Lightning of Sinai put them in Fear and make them believe there is a God of Judgment If the Spirit of Gentleness take no Place let them feel the Smart of the Rod the Rod of the Law which possibly through Gods Blessing may be a means to bring them to Repentance Upon the whole matter then Ministers of the Gospel are not upon the account of this preceding Discourse to forbear preaching the Law as it is established by Christ to be a Rule to us all for the ordering of our Conversation aright in any kind nor as it may be a means according to the Example of Christ to rouze and awaken the World out of the Lethargy of Sin wherein by the Delusion of the Devil it is miserably laid asleep especially in this Generation but as it was in the Hand of Moses that Quondam Mediatour which held it out as a Covenant of Works of the Law the Form and Tenour whereof was do this and Live otherwise cursed is every one that continueth not in all things that are Written in the Law to do them Implying that without Justification by the Works of the Law no Flesh should be saved it is not now to be Preached for such a legal Preaching must be acknowledged by us all to be Inconsistent with the Grace of the Gospel derogatory from the Honour of our Lord Jesus Christ and overthroweth all the Hope of our Salvation Deo Gloria mihi Venia Books Printed for and Sold by William Crook at the Green Dragon without Temple-Bar 1680. Divinity BRevis Demonstratio proving the truth and excellency of the Christian Religion by Reason An Answer to Mr. Ferguson's Doctrine about Christ's Justification and Sanctification with an Account of the ends and intents of Christs death and passion considered as a Reason by John Knowles Oct. The Primitive Institution or a seasonable discourse of Catechism wherein is shewed the Antiquity Necessity and Benefits thereof together with its sutableness to heal the distemper of the Church by L. Addison D. D. Twelves A Sermon Preached at the Funeral of a Man found drowned in a Pit inlarged by the Author upon the account of sudden death oct A Sermon Preached at a Visitation in Chichester by W. Howel Quarto The School of Righteousness A Sermon Preached before the King on a General Fast day by his Grace the present Arch-Bishop of Canterbury Qua. A Discourse of the Lawfulness of taking Use for Mony by Sir Robert Filmer with a large Preface to it by Sir Roger Twisden Tw A modest Plea for the Clergy wherein is briefly considered their Original Antiquity and Necessity together with the true and false grounds of their being so much slighted neglected and unjustly despised Hugo Grotius Catechism in Greek Latin and English with a Praxis Oct. The Spirit of Prophesie a Treatise to prove that Christ and his Apostles were Prophets Together with the Divine Authority of Christian Religion and the holy Scriptures the insufficiency of Humane Reason and the reasonableness of the Christian Faith Hope and Practise deduced therefrom and asserted against Mr. Hobbs and the Treatise of Humane Reason Recommended to the Press by Dr. Gunning Lord Bishop of Ely Oct. The King-killing Doctrine of the Jesuits delivered to the French King concerning the re-establishment of the Jesuits in his Dominion Written in French by a Learned Roman Catholick Justifying Faith or that Faith by which the Just do live to which is added an abstract of some Letters about the Common Prayer Oct. A Sermon Preached upon the fifth day of Nov. by G. Hascard D. D. Rector of St. Clements Danes and Chaplain in Ordinary to his Majesty Qua. A Sermon Preached before Sir J. Edwards Lord Mayor of London at the Election of Sir R. Clayton by G. Haseard D. D. and Chaplain in Ordinary to his Majesty A Sermon Preached before Sir R. Clayton Lord Mayor of London by Tho. Mannyngham Fellow of New Colledg in Oxford Qua. These six last are new History A Voyage into the Levant by Sir H. Blount Caesar's Commentaries with Mr. Edmonds his Observations upon it in Folio English'd Heylin's Cosmography in four parts in Fol. Sir Tho. Herberts Travels with additions Fol. A description of Candia with an account of the Siege and the surrender of it into the hands of the Turks Oct. Calliope's Cabinet wherein all Gentelemen may know all degrees of Honour and how to take place with a Dictionary of Herald Terms Tw A Discourse of the Dukedom of Modena containing the Original Antiquity Government Manners and Qualities of the People The present State of the Jews wherein is contained an exact account of their present Customs Secular and Religious To which is added a discourse of the Misna Talmud and Gemara by L. Addison D. D. The Travels of Ulysses Translated by Tho. Hobbs of Malmsbury Tw Camera Regis or the present State of London containing the Antiquity Fame Walls River Bridg Gates Tower Officers Courts Customs Franchises c. of that City by J. B. Esq Oct. The Circumcision of the Great Turk's Son and the Ceremony of the Marriage of his Daughter sent from the English Embassador Fol. FINIS
we reconcile them for my part I cannot better unriddle this Doubt than in the Words of a most learned and right reverend Author Dr. Edward Reynolds Bishop of Norwich who in his Explication of the one hundred and tenth Psalm thus writeth there are two events of Christ's coming the one Principal and by him intended the other Accidental and Occasional growing out of the Indisposition of the Subject unto whom he was sent The Main and Essential Business of the Gospel of Christ is to declare Salvation and to set open unto men a Door of escape from the Wrath to come but when men wilfully stand out and neglect so great Salvation then Secondarily doth Christ prove unto those men a Stone of Offence and the Gospel a Savour of Death unto Death As that Potion which was intended for a Cure by the Physitian may upon occasion of the indisposedness of the Body and stubborn Radication of the Disease hasten a mans end sooner than the Disease it self would have done so that to the wicked the Word of God is a two-edged Sword indeed an Edge in the Law and an Edge in the Gospel they are on every side beset with Condemnation if they go to the Law that cannot save them because they have broken it if they go to the Gospel that will not save them because they have contemned it In short this we see was our Saviours Work after he had entred upon his Office viz to preach Salvation to all those that would believe in him and to preach Damnation to the Unbelievers and Impenitent And this if we will make full Proof of our Ministry must be ours who are his Ministers A necessity is laid upon us and woe will be to us if we preach not the Gospel yea and woe will be to us if we preach not the Law knowing the goodness of the Lord we are to perswade men to Repentance and when we know also the Terrour of the Lord must we be silent no in no wise we are saith St. Paul 2. Cor. 5.11 upon that account to perswade likewise but if Perswasions will do no good we are to terrify them with the threatnings of the Law Examples we have also of the Servants of God upon Scripture-record Prophets and Apostles who were wont not only to bind up the broken-hearted but to batter the Hard-hearted with the Hammer of the Law that they might be broken they did Preach Liberty to the Captives and Captivity likewise to the Libertines Of what Spirit think ye was the Apostle Paul when he made Eoelix to tremble preaching to him of Righteousness Temperance and Judgment to come or when he rebuked Elymas the Sorcerer with indignation as hot as Fire O full of all subtilty and mischief thou Child of the Devil thou Enemy of all Righteousness c. or St. Peter when he had to do with Simon Magus telling him to his Face though he was in his time accounted 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 some great one that he was in the Gall of Bitterness and in the Bond of Iniquity or John Baptist when he told Herod that he should not marry Herodias his Brother Philips Wife or James and John whom Christ himself Sirnamed Boanerges Sons of Thunder their Doctrine being such as shak'd the World with Terrour for James was killed by Herod Agrippa to please the Jews who it seems probably were madded with his Preaching and John was as Thunder and Lightning to the Hereticks that rose up after the Death of the other Apostles as Ecclesiastical History makes manifest As the Apostles were in this Sense legal Preachers so were the Prophets before them they did not run into Corners to smother the Will of him that sent them but with much Considence cryed aloud and spared not to tell the Greatest they were sent unto their Transgressions and the Wrath that hung over them for their Sins Did not Nathan say unto David thou art the man pronouncing withal a terrible Judgment that should fall upon him and his House and what a dreadful Message was that which Elijah sent to Jeroboam the King of Israel and that which Elijah pronounced upon Ahab and his Posterity durst Michaiah tell him the said Ahab he should not go up to Ramoth Gilead to Eattel when notwithstanding he knew the Kings Wrath would be enkindled against him for it and was not the Spirit of Elisha notably quickned by the Spirit of God when he said to Jehoram a wicked and Idolatrous King what have I to doe with thee get thee to the Prophets of thy Father and the Prophets of thy Mother though he knew that the King had so much to doe with him that if he had but said the Word to the meanest Servant that ate the Salt of his Court go and take his Head from him he would have done it These Examples may suffice to shew unto us the Faithfulness and Zeal of the Servants of God Apostles and Prophets how with particular Application to the Stoutest that bare an Head have freely made known Gods Displeasure for Sin by Smart Reprehensions as well as by Gentle Perswasions Ob. But these were men of an extraordinary Spirit Sol. What then are not Ministers now to deliver the whole Counsel of God as well as other before them or are we fallen into such times wherein men live more Righteously more Soberly more Holy than heretofore and so we may be saved the Labour of Reprehending and making our Philipicks and Declamations against the World for Sin I wish it were so but alass alass how can we forbear this part of our Office in pronouncing Indignation and Wrath Tribulation and Anguish upon every Soul of man that doth Evil when so little of the Power of Godliness appears amongst us when Zeal is accounted madness and to be pious in any kind is to be exposed to Contempt when Atheism gives Check to Christianity it self and all manner of Debauchery groweth up to a prodigious height especially when Lasciviousness is become Magnatum Ludus as Erasmus called it and that unmanly Vice of Drunkenness is so common among all sorts So King Charles the first called it there being now adays Gallanto Flanto Ranto Drunkards as frequently to be seen in our Streets as drunken Beggars Is then the Spirit of Eli sufficient for these times is it a time now to be mealy-mouthed to sooth up Sins with Plausible Euphemismes and good or rather bad Constructions away with such Lukewarmness never was there more need of a Rowsing Soul-searching Ministry let men judge of us what they please casting upon us Imputations of railing yet must we not spare to Rebuke them sharply lest the great Shepherd and Bishop of Souls rebuke us for our Negligence and unfaithfulness at the last day Q. But would not gentle perswading and exhorting do better and the Promises of Heaven and Happiness prevail more than the Terrors of Hell A. Give me leave to answer this Question in the Words of another Reverend and
to put the Fatherless to Death It is an Example which God himself hath given of his Pitie towards a multitude of his poor Creatures in sparing them when the slaming Sword of his Justice was ready to consume them such a wicked Crew they were whose wickedness was so great that as it is written of them it came up before the Lord I mean the City of Niniveh of which we read in the Book of Jonas wherein were many hundred thousand Persons My Argument intended from thence being this which is as we say Aminori ad majus hath God shewed Mercy to a People because they were many so as to save them from a Temporal Destruction Certo certius he will then upon the same account much more manifest his goodness to a greater number in delivering them from everlasting Condemnation This Mercy will the more appear by a due Reflexion upon the Place and People to whom it came a People as much separated from Gods Church as any Jewes Turkes or Pagans are now it was Niniveh which was as it is dissected to my hand Niniveh of the Gentiles Uncircumcised Niniveh Niniveh of the Assyrians Imperious Insolent Intolerable Niniveh Niniveh setled upon her Lees not less than thirteen hundred years Niniveh Infamous for Idolatry with Nisroch her Abomination Niniveh with Idleness so esseminated and her Joynts dissolved under Sardamapalus as some conceive their thirty eighth Monarch who sate and span amongst Women that as it was the wonder and by-word of the Earth so the Heavens above could not but abhor it Yet is this Niniveh become the famous Subject of Gods Mercy though the Prophet Jonas being it seems possessed with the same blustring Spirit which now haunteth us against those that are Strangers unto us was Offended Vexed Angry to the Death that it was so But God rich in Mercy continues to be the same still his Compassions fail not his Mercy appears in her full Lustre and due Magnitude when this merciless and angry Man was about to Eclipse the Glory of it for even then which is a thing to be admired and adored by all the World did God plead for it and by Irrefragable demonstration justify it against the perverse disputings of that Techy Opponent for the saving of a numerous multitude old and young who must otherwise have been utterly destroyed It will be said what 's all this to the purpose what much every very way whether we consider God himself or those sinful People whom he spared First we see here how God delighteth in Mercy Anger pleaseth him not and as he hath elsewhere not only said it but sworn it that he will not the Death of a Sinner much less it may well be thought of a numberless Multitude to throw them Headlong out of his Sight promiscuously into the Pit of Perdition Now evident it is there were in that great City because God hath been pleased to give the number of them more than sixscore thousand Persons that were young and harmeless young in respect of their Age innocent in respect of their Lives who knew not their right Hand from their left not able to distinguish between good and Evil and it may easily be guessed how great the number of other Ages was when there were so many Infants These things considered we may here argue as is before said from the less to the greater if God will have Compassion upon such a multitude of wretched Sinners whom he at first created after his own Image and likeness partly because of their great number to save them from a bodily Destruction yea and to plead so earnestly against their Adversary who would gladly have seen the City flaming about their Ears can we think but that he will much more shew Mercy to the Souls of a much greater Multitude viz. of the greatest part of the Children of men to save them from the Vengeance of eternal Fire Unless we will say which God forbid any should say that after this Life is ended his Mercy is quite spent clean gone from an innumerable company of precious Souls for ever and that he will contrary to his former wont take delight in executing his Wrath upon them to the uttermost Oh! far be it from us to judge so hardly of the God and Father of Mercies or to think that he is like unto us mutable and inconstant one while kind and pitiful another while cruel and unmerciful The good Prophet will tell us in the Psalm †136 not once but many times for our greater Assurance that his Mercy endureth for ever and again and again that his Mercy endureth for ever meaning that his Mercy in the full Latitude of it which non Obstante is without any Limits according to his own nature endureth for ever It will I know be objected wheresoever there is a true Repentance there shall most certainly be a Remission of all manner of Sin But who can say that the Idolatrous Heathen c. wholly Ignorant of the way of Salvation could or can possibly repent them of their Idolatries and other their Abominations the answer hereto is ready who among us can say the contrary true it is if we look no further than our own common Experience will lead us who must be limited to sense in this case as we are in all things that come within the Ken of our observation we shall then be apt to make such Conclusions But as the Apostle argues 1. Cor. 2.11 What man knoweth the things of a man save the Spirit of man which is in him even so the things of God knoweth no man bi tt the Spirit of God Now the true and real Conversions of men are things beyond our reach they are known only to him who searcheth the Heart and the Reines and it is not for us to take our Measure of the great God according to the scantling of our narrow Nature in this or any other of the Works of his Grace God doth not I say again deal with men in their Conversion all after one sort look but upon these Ninivites which is the thing we are here secondly to take into our Consideration We see their Repentance was very sudden for as soon as Jonas had begun the first day to enter into the City and had made his Proclamation which God appointed him publickly in the Streets of it the People will not put him to the Toile of the other two days Journey but generally believed in God and repented of their Wickedness whereupon even assoon did God repent of the Evil that he said he would do unto them and he did it not So for ought we know may there be between God and the Souls of men who for the present are without God in the World when they are to depart out of the World such an Intercourse of Grace on Gods part and of Repentance on theirs which may open Heaven unto them as much as our daily Conversation with God may entitle us to a Participation