world haue not the loue of the Father Yea though the world shall passe away the lusts thereof and they onely that doe the will of the Father shall abide for euer For meates cannot make men Euerlasting but there must be an end and perchance the sooner for abusing them and then there must come an account euen for the abuse of them But as these offend in an excesse of quantity so others offend in an excesse of quality and put as much sinne into a little roome as others doe into a great A great summe of money is contracted into a single dish and there is an ambition to make vp a great excesse in as little a forme as they may Thus the shapes of vices are altered but vices are retained and there must bee new fashions in sinnes as in clothes Surely the Nature of these times doth not call for these studies and without study this Art of Excesse cannot mount to this Height When God calleth for pouerty wee should not meete him with prodigalitie when hee calls for humilitie wee should not meete him with pride and when he calls for fasting we should not meete him with excesse of Riot But let vs feare the Consequences of such incongruities and let this feare teach vs to auoide them Surely the Iudgement which God himself hath denounced against them is fearful there wants nothing but faith to beleeue it and then it will appeare as fearefull as it is In that day did the Lord of Hosts call to weeping and to mourning Esay 22. 12. and to baldnesse and to girding with sack-cloth And behold ioy and gladnesse slaying oxen and killing sheepe eating flesh and drinking wine Let vs eate and drinke for to morrow wee shall dye And it was reuealed in mine eares by the Lord of Hosts Surely this iniquitie shall not bee purged from you till yee dye But to those that tremble at the word of God and conforme themselues to his will as in all things so in the right vse of his Creatures the Scripture offereth more grace For the Grace of God which bringeth saluation Tit. 2. 11. hath appeared and teacheth vs That those who deny vngodliness and worldly lusts liuing godly righteously and soberly in this present world they may comfortably looke for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of the great God and our Sauiour Iesus Christ. For verily there is a reward for the righteous Psal. 58. 11 verily there is a God that iudgeth the earth 17 But to what purpose Not onely particular sins but a generall roote of wickednes is among vs. doe I seeke to cut off the branches of particular sinnes by the sword of the Spirit as long as there remaineth among vs a Roote of gall and wormewood that can bring forth all sinnes at once For if we cure sinnes one by one and while one is curing many spring forth the disease ouergroweth the cure Yea euen that very sinne which we seeke to cure after a little while will breake forth againe because the Roote of it is still aliue This Roote of Bitternesse is a naturall prophanenesse euen a contempt of God and the Truth of Religion I say the truth of Religion for there may bee an eye cast toward Religion out of custome or for company or for some remaining impressions of the first Creation that may make men to feare there is a God But to loue Religion in the true shape of it and because it is true this is it that I find farre banished by this Roote of Prophanenesse And though I much lament it yet I doe not greatly wonder at it for I see a Cause of it and therein I see that while men are nothing but men this will be their fashion For Religion in the Truth of it must needs be Spirituall Ioh. 4. for it is the worship of him who is a Spirit and therefore cannot bee pleased by any worship but of Spirit and Truth Now if Religion bee Spirituall how can it bee but it must needs be contemned yea hated by men that are carnall For the carnall minde is enmity against God Rom. 8. 7. and the flesh lusteth against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh and these are contrary the one to the other And from this Contrariety ariseth that Enmity and from that Enmity ariseth Persecution euen from the beginning vnto the end of the world For this two fold seed of the flesh and the spirit hauing the foundations of it laid in Paradise the Enmity then also was enacted between them And as then Cal. 4. 29. I meane as soon as men were borne he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was borne after the spirit so is it now Now doth the flesh despise and oppose spirituall worship and spirituall worshippers which opposition so farre as it doth preuaile so farre doth the generall roote of sinne preuaile and the sins springing from that roote And because the Diuell is the Prince of this Enmity hee fitteth weapons for this warre wherwith the sonnes of the flesh may fight his battells against the sons of the spirit And of all the weapons which he hath prouided in these last Ages I thinke he neuer inuented any Engine made of words more seruiceable to him than one which of late hee hath brought into fashion For it is a sharpe-pointed word directed to runne into the very eye of true Religion it is a Canon mounted to batter the very Kingedome of Christ to lay wast all holinesse of life the fruite and effect of that Kingedome and this word is then shot off when a Saint is called a Puritane K. Iames in his Preface to Baâ—â— Doron And though King IAMES a King higher than the Kings of the earth in Learning and Iudgement tied the propertie of this word to Anabaptists their Sectaries it is now diuerted to Saints euen to those that doe not walke in the broad way of common and sociable vices and especially if they goe somewhat higher than ciuil and naturall Righteousnesse If the spirit doe but shew it selfe in some expression of a clearer light or more heauenly vertue than the darkenesse of the flesh comprehendeth it is to bee beaten down and quenched with the Title of Puritaisme Yet Christ plainely calleth his Disciples to excellent things Mat. 5. 20. 〈◊〉 16 3. New Tran and Dauid calleth the Saints by the Title of Excellent yea and for this very Reason in them is all his delight because they are Excellent and for this very Reason doth the man of flesh hate and persecute them And indeed in this very Excellence wherin the spiritual man exceedes the carnall and naturall man stands the glory of Gods Kingdome of Grace For when men doe those workes which the carnall and naturall men doe not sauour and therfore doe them not then are mens eies turned away from the men that doe them to God the Author of them and so seeing their good workes to shine
the rootes of the Trees none but the tree that beares good fruite shall escape hewing downe and casting into the fire But the righteousnesse of outward workes is neither true nor lasting without a seed and nature of Righteousnesse Therefore to make the fruite truely and continually good the tree must be made good For the good tree only beareth good fruit and ceaseth not to beare it Wherefore as the roote of sinfulnesse must be pulled vp so a roote of Righteousnesse must bee planted As the old man must be put off the new man must be put on Eph. 4. 22. 23. This New man is borne of the spirit as the old man is borne of the flesh Joh. 3. 6. For that which is borne of the flesh is flesh and that which is borne of the spirit is spirit And if that which is borne of the spirit be in vs then haue wee in vs a roote of Righteousnesse For the fruite of the spirit is in all goodnesse Eph. 5. 6. and righteousnesse and truth This is the roote of the tree planted by the riuer side Psal. 1. 3. that bringeth forth his fruite in his season his leafe also shall not wither but whatsoeuer he doth shall prosper This is the seed that falls into good ground yea it makes the ground good into which it falls Heb. 6. 7. so that it bringeth forth hearbs meet for them by whom it is dressed and receiueth blessing from God And indeed no wonder if it receiue blessing from God and turn away the curses of God for when the hart of man is thus made good ground fruitfull earth and a good tree by the vertue of Gods spirit the heart of Man is according to the Heart of God And from this harmonie agreement issue all blessings and blessednesse There is friendship betweene God and man when face answereth to face the face of mans soule to the face of God to whose Image it was first created and after the fall it must bee renewed Prov. 27. 19. Then will God delight to dwell among vs hee will walke with vs hee will bee a Father to vs 2 Cor. 6. 17. and wee shall bee his sonnes and daughters saith the Lord Almighty Deut. 28. 12. 13. The Lord shall open to thee his good treasure the heauen to giue the raine vnto thy land in his season and to blesse all the worke of thine hand And thou shalt lend vnto many Nations and shalt not borrow And the Lord shall make thee the head and not the taile and thou shalt bee aboue only and not beneath if that thou hearken to the Commandements of the Lord thy God to obserue and doe them Infinite is the blessednesse and infinite are the blessings which follow this new creature and Image of God And places of Scripture are almost endlesse that expresse them Briefly and for a summe Godlinesse is profitable vnto all things 1 Tim. 4. 8. hauing promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come Now what shall I inferre hereupon yea let God himselfe make the inference by his blessed Apostle Hauing therefore these promises 2 Cor. 7. 1. dearely beloued let vs cleanse our selues from all filthinesse of the flesh and spirit perfecting holinesse in the feare of God Let vs put on the New Creature and walke by that rule for as many as walke by that Gal. 6. 1â—â— rule peace shall be vpon them Peace betweene God and vs peace betweene vs and our owne soules and peace betweene vs and the Creatures 10. Hauing thus put on The Crown of repentance is a Couenant with God the glorious and blessed Image of God in our repentance from dead workes and the body of sinne let vs crown and consummate this happy worke with a Couenant For thus did the ancient Conuerts they bound vp their Repentance in a Couenant that entring into a Couenant with God God might enter into a Couenant with them and so the knot of Happinesse Loue might bee knit and made sure betweene God and Man The heart of man is very deceitfull and backsliding and it is not enough to put it into the way of agreement with God but being there it must be bound by strong resolutions yea those resolutions haue beene bound with an oath And thus our will binding it selfe to the will of God by a settled resolution and vow it continues the closer and more vnseparable since as soone as temptation commeth it dasheth it selfe in pieces against the Rocke of this Couenant The heart being as it were hardned and steeled with Resolution is in vaine assaulted and the Billow of temptation flying against it non frangit sed frangitur the Billow is broken but the house or the heart falls not because it is become rocky being firmely built on the Rocke Christ Iesus Yea Sathan seeing the soule settled and resolued to resist him flyes away and remoues his engines to places and persons of lesse resistance But on the other side God seeing the heart bent and resolued and bound to a constant seruice of God hee meetes it with a constant loue and the kisse of perfect peace is betweene them I might bring forth diuers examples of Couenants There was a Couenant vnder Moses Deut. 20. 12. vnder Ioshua vnder Iosiah Iosh. 24. vnder Ezra Ezra 10. but I especially propose the Couenant of 2 King 23. 3. Asa because it was the patterne of a perfect Couenant and a happy successe And because I wish the later I propose the former This Couenant is thus described There came a Prophet and spake vnto Asa 2 Chron. 15 and all Iudah and Beniamin Hee told them of the miseries of those which were without the true God a teaching Priest and without law That forsaking God they were forsaken of God And in those times there was no peace to him that went out nor to him that came in but great vexations were vpon all the Inhabitants of the Countries And Nation was destroyed of Nation and Citie of Citie for God did vexe them with all aduersitie On the other side The Lord is with them while they bee with him and if they seeke him hee will bee found of them Yea being vexed for their sinnes when in their trouble they did turne vnto the Lord God of Israel and sought him hee was found of them Thereupon the Prophet inferreth Bee yee strong therefore and let not your hands bee weake for your worke shall be rewarded And Asa indeed grew strong for the Scripture saith Hee tooke courage and put away the abhominable Idols out of Iudah and Beniamin he renewed the Altar of the Lord and offered a great sacrifice to God And to binde vp this new obedience and to make it sure by setting a seale to it They entred into a Couenant to seeke the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soule This Couenant they binde with a high
in and by how many Prophets yet euen at the last cast when the sword was whetting and readie to strike a Doore was opened to them Amend your wayes Ierem. 26. 13. and your doings and obey the voyce of the Lord your God and the Lord will repent him of the euill that hee hath pronounced against you What could bee more peremptorie than the prophesie of Ionah against the Niniuites A day was prefixed which stood before them and seemed to inclose them that they should neuer goe beyond it Yet their faith had espyed this doore of Mercy as it were by a little Crany Ionah 3. 9. Who can tell if God will turne and repent and turne away from his fierce anger that wee perish not Behold a strange Faith that so much beleeued in Gods mercy that it seemed to doubt of his truth Nay far bee that from so excellent a Faith They beleeued both the Truth and Mercy of God for they so much beleeued and hoped in his Mercy to penitent sinners that they beleeued that the same Mercy had left some secret way of Truth by which it might passe vnto them and they goe forth vnto it And in this point their faith seemed to exceed the faith of the Prophet For the Prophet thought his owne honour would bee lost if so peremptorie a sentence were not peremptorily performed But these men beleeued it stood well with the honour of God that a peremptory sentence vpon penitence might be dissolued And indeede theirs was true faith and his thought was but an errour For the word of God whose Truth is a true ground of Faith is the very foundation of that which they beleeued At what instant Ier. 18. 7. I shall speake of a Nation and concerning a Kingdome to plucke vp and to pull downe and to destroy it if that Nation against whom I haue pronounced turne from their Euill I will repent of the euill that I thought to doe vnto them Thus we see in the denunciation of Gods Iudgements there is an implied Reseruation and this Reseruation is the Doore at which the Nineuites and other beleeuing penitents may finde a way to escape Yea the peremptorinesse of the sentence which seemeth to hedge vs in may be the very meanes to bring vs to the way of escaping For the peremptorinesse of a sentence strikes the sentence strongly as it were a spurre into the sides of resty and dull flesh and bloud and stirs vp mankinde hardly to labour for that Issue which seemes so hard and almost impossible to be found And indeede this finding God vsually proposeth as the scope of his warning He tells vs of Iudgements comming that wee may finde the way to auoid them If he meant to destroy his readiest way were not to forewarne It was Sauls case when he was neere to the period of Ruine The Lord answered him not neither by dreames 1. Sam. 28 6. nor by vrim nor by Prophets Let vs therefore account premonitions to bee Summons vnto Iudgement but yet by a silent and implied Reseruation offering vs Mercie And betweene the time of denunciation and full performance let vs thinke that offer continued to vs. For the Time of warning is commonly a time of Truce betweene God and Man and a time of Respite between Wrath and Punishment Therefore is it called The day of a person or people euen a day of Grace Luke 19. 42 wherin iudgement is suspended and may bee preuented And if in this their day those things are not hid from their eies which may make their peace with God the peace of God will preserue them from the Iudgements of God Wherefore let vs not thinke that euery forewarning is a binding for a prediction ordinarily bindeth no farther than mens impeni tence bindeth it For in it selfe a premonition is an offer of loosing as well as a sentence of binding There is a gate of Mercy in it and man hath a Key wherewith to open it Yea the Iudge himselfe who seemes to inclose vs in prison calls vpon vs to make vse of it and by the hardnesse and difficultie of escaping stirs and spurs vs vp to an earnest seeking of the meanes of our Freedom 4. If any man aske what is the Key by which this gate is opened Spirituall helpes are the true helpes to set vs at liberty from Iudgements 1. Sam. 10. 27. he may plainly see it in the places alledged In euery one of them it is Repenting and Turning from euill waies But flesh and bloud replies in the language of Belial For as the men of Belial said of the King whom God had annointed Shall this man saue vs So flesh and bloud saith of the meanes which God hath sanctified Shal such an ayerie and inuisible thing saue vs Yet most true it is that inuisible things must saue vs or wee cannot bee saued Spirituall things are inuisible and spirituall things must saue vs. And no wonder for spirituall things worke our eternal saluation and if they can worke the greater why should they not be able to worke out the lesser saluation When a question is made concerning the great Saluation Act. 2. 37. 38. Men and Brethren what shall we doe to be saued The first word of the Answer is Repent And why should not the same answer serue for a lesser saluation Againe if wee looke vpon the way wherein wee came to be bound wee shall finde a spirituall way to bee our onely way to loosing If wee looke to heauen we shall finde it is God that bindes vs there and God is a spirit Now Ioh. 4. 24. according to the reason of CHRIST himselfe if God be a Spirit it is a spirituall meanes that can only bee powerfull with a spirit And if wee looke below we shall finde it is sin that prouoketh God to binde man and sinne is a spirituall disease euen a deprauation of the Image of God in the soule and spirit of Man or a fruit of it Now it is plaine that a spirituall remedy can only cure a spirituall disease The soule will not bee fed by the food of the body neither by bodily physicke will it bee cured Wherfore in regard of God who is offended and in regard of thy sinne that hath offended him behold the word of God turning thee from carnall and visible to spirituall and insuisible Remedies Micah 6. 7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of Rams or with ten thousands of Riuers of Oyle shall I giue my first-borne for my transgression the fruite of my body for the sinne of my soule Hee hath shewed thee O man what is good and what doth the Lord require of thee but to doe iustly and to loue mercy and to humble thy selfe in walking with thy God Neither hath God herein giuen meere words but his deeds haue beene as good as his words The Scripture is full of examples that this meanes which the world thinkes to be weaknesse hath beene strong vnto
manifold saluations and deliuerances Yea the deliuerances haue in some sort borne the resemblance and proportion of the meanes A piece of a deliuerance hath followed a piece of repentance and such was that of Rehoboam 2 Chron. 12. 7. 12. 14. whose heart was not perfect with the Lord 1 King 21. 29. and a temporary deliuerance 2 Chron. 15. 8. 15. a temporary repentance and such was that of Ahab and a full deliuerance a sound and full repentance and such was that vnder Asa. 5. Wherefore I said to the foolish For spirituall helps are the true helps yea they are the helpes of the temporall Deale not foolishly and speake not with a stiffe necke Say not Ashur shall saue vs and wee will flie into Egypt Naturall helpes are like the Egyptians who are weake for that very reason for which thou thinkest them strong and the inuisible meanes are strong for that very reason for which thou thinkest them weake And herein let God himselfe bee iudge betweene vs Isa. 31. 3. The Egyptians are men and not God and their horses flesh and not spirit Wherefore behold the issue When the Lord shall stretch out his hand both hee that helpeth shall fall and hee that is holpen shall fall downe and they all shall faile together Men and horses are things visible God and spirits are things inuisible and therefore doe visible men faile to helpe because they are not equall in power to the inuisible God and therefore shall horses faile because they are not equall to spirituall and inuisible strength Wherefore henceforth doe thou especially choose those helps which are spirituall and inuisible because they are strongest and beleeue more strength to bee in the weaknesse of God which therefore only seemes weaknesse because the strength of it is not perceiued by the fleshly eye than in the strength of man 2 King 6. 16. 17. And if thou seest not the spirituall things to bee strongest doe not blame them for weaknesse but thy selfe for blindnesse and pray to God to open thy eyes for then shalt thou see a most mighty power in them and that when spirituall helpes are on our side There are more with vs than there are with them that haue earthly and visible helpes Wherfore henceforth farre be from vs the trust and rest in naturall things which is the common and first refuge of flesh and blood when it is pressed with troubles Ier. 17. 5. And let those thoughts words be loathsome to vs which ordinarily issue from this fleshly blindnesse and error One thinkes that Armies can subdue all enemies and another that Parliaments can cure all politicke diseases a third and I wish it had not beene spoken before the late pestilence in my hearing that the new Riuer had washed away the plague for euer from the City But I thinke I need not to tell them that they are deceaued And no wonder for all outward helpes are but the body of helpe but spirituall helpes are the soule of helpe and as the body without the soule is dead so all bodily helpes without spirituall helpe are without life and power Wherefore wee must striue by putting our selues into a right spirituall estate to get the fauour of the Highest spirit that he may breathe life into these dead helpes and then they shall haue life and strength as well as the dead bones when he said 〈◊〉 37. ◠Come from the foure windes O breath and breathe vpon these slaine that they may liue This is the true order to come by the spirituall helpes to the vse of the temporall to begin with God and to end with man In this case wee must proceed Descendendo not Ascendendo wee must get helpe first from the Creator and then wee may descend to the vse of the Creature but wee must not begin to seeke helpe of the Creature and then thinke wee may be either confident or carelesse of the helpe of the Creator It is the maine wisdome and successe of the Creature to goe with the Creator He that goes without him goes without strength and he that goes against him runnes against the rocke of Omnipotence and is sure to make most horrible shipwracke Wherefore Moses saith wisely Exo. 33. 15. If thy presence goe not with mee carry vs not vp hence There is no going nor stirring if God goe not with vs But if God bee with vs who shall bee against vs If God be with vs we may be saued without Meanes for God is able to saue being alone He can also raise vp meanes where are none and hee can blesse the Meanes where are some and he can make the Meanes of our destruction to become the meanes of our preseruation The last seemeth most difficult yet doth hee often doe it The Syrians had brought a most deadly famine vpon Samaria so that the same bowels were fed by that which receiued life from them And by the same Syrians Samaria was so deliuered from the famine and stored with plenty 2 King 6. 7. that a Measure of fine floure was sold for a shekell The same Egyptians which kept Israel in a most cruell bondage were made to bee the men that should bee vrgent vpon Israel to haste away out of bondage Exod. 12. 33. c. yea they suffered them not to goe empty but spoyled themselues to enrich those whom they had spoyled Euen Death it selfe which the Diuell intended to haue made a Gate to eternall destruction the out-stretched arme of God hath made a gate to eternall saluation Reu. 14. 19 So that a voyce is heard from heauen saying Write Blessed are they that dye in the Lord. Now if God be so absolute a Lord of all things that of contraries he can produce contraries we may see that hee hath taken all trust from the creature and reserued it to himselfe and that the power which is in the Creature being giuen it by him can at his pleasure bee taken away from it and a contrary power put into it Theeefore our eyes are to be fixed on God and to looke vp first to him to see whether he will suffer the Creature to retaine the power of Helpe which hee hath giuen it yea and when helpes faile to see whether hee will raise vp helpes yea farther whether he will helpe without helpes and yet farthest of all whether he will turne our hinderances and punishments into helpes And thus depending on God and laying the foundation of our hope help in the name of the Lord we may safely and comfortably vse the meanes which hee giueth vs. And if hee giue meanes with a blessing put vnto them they may be of absolute necessitie when they haue receiued such blessing and power from him Many points of this doctrine are to bee found in the voyage of Paul Act. 27. Naturall helpes can do nothing without God so the Mariners could not saue Pauls company for they are lost in regard of Naturall
and the root of Grace too much starued and pined But let vs feare this building of our owne houses with the contempt of God and his houses for hee hath blasted it with a Iudgement and his owne mouth hath told it vs. Haggai 1. Then came the word of the Lord by Haggai the Prophet saying Is it time for you O yee to dwell in your sieled houses and this house lye waste Now therefore saith the Lord of Hostes Consider your wayes And againe Consider your wayes You looked for much and loe it came to little and when you brought it home I did blow vpon it why saith the Lord of Hostes Because of mine house that is waste and yee runne euery man to his owne house Wherefore that the Church spiritual which is the house of God and the Church materiall which is the house of the hosue of God may bee edified and built vp yea that all good fruites euen all good works may prosper and increase let not the roote of prophanenesse starue and keepe downe the roote of holinesse for hee that thus wageth warre against good workes by killing the roote of them puts away from himselfe the name of a Christian and puts on the title of a Libertine Fourthly it is a thing most fearfull and followed with infinite misery For they that fight against the grace of the spirit fight against the spirit whose grace it is So when the Prophets were resisted by the Iews in whom Gods spirit instructed and spake S. Steuen saith Nehem. 9. 20. 30. Act. 7. Yee doe alwayes resist the holy Ghost And S. Peter most plainely The spirit of glory 1 Pet. 4. 14. and of God resteth vpon you which on their part is euill spoken of but on your part hee is glorified Behold a fearfull thing with which Gamaliel affrighted the hard-hearted and stiff-necked Iewes Act. 5. 39. Lest yee bee found to fight against God For when the pot will fight with the Potter wee know it can expect no end but breaking in pieces Psal. 2. 9. Thou shalt breake them with a rod of Iron thou shalt dash them in pieces like a Potters vessell Wherefore kisse the sonne lest he be angry and yee perish from the way Kisse the spirit of the Son by which spirit hee kisseth the soules of those that loue him and are loued of him This is the way to eternall happinesse and saluation But if in stead of kissing you kicke against his Spirit bee yee sure yee shall perish from the way of saluation For holinesse is the way to happinesse and if we resist the spirit by which men are sanctified yee put from you the Author of that holines by which we walke to happinesse It is a prayer of our Church That our life may be pure and holy so that at the last wee may come to Gods eternall ioy Wherefore if purenesse and holinesse bee the way to eternall ioy why dost thou hate stop vp the way that leades to eternall ioy Surely if thou stop vp this way to thy selfe and others there remaines no other way for thee but that broad way which leadeth to eternall destruction Behold the end of Gods enemies wherefore feare yee also Lest yee bee found fighters against God and remember that when you call Saints Puritanes you are Gods enemies and the titles which follow that are children of wrath and sons of perdition But though it be a righteous thing with God to recompence tribulation to them that trouble you 2 Thess. 1. 6. 7. yet to you that are troubled rest shall be with the rest of the Saints when the Lord Iesus shall bee reuealed from heauen And in the meane time follow the example of the same Lord Iesus pitty their ignorance and out of that pitty pray for them Luk. 23. 34. Father forgiue them for they know not what they doe If a man distracted doe raile on thee thou art more sorry for him than for thy selfe Doe the like in a case not vnlike Doe according to thy owne knowledge and not according to his ignorance Secondly know the Diuells aime in it and then thou art safe His aime is to take thy holinesse from thee and to quench the spirit or some fruites of the spirit Be thou most carefull to keepe what hee is most carefull to take away for be thou sure that is a most precious Iewell which thy greatest enemie seekes most to take from thee Thy enemie plainely tells thee the worth of it by his endeauours to steale it Wherefore let his malice be a very motiue to keepe that purenesse holinesse which his malice setteth at so high a price Thirdly vnderstand the diuells language thou maist be very well pleased for in the Diuels language a saint is a Puritane Wherfore know that when for so me good worke hee calls thee Puritane vnderstand that in his language he calleth thee Saint See More Medit. wherfore let this turn to thee for a testimoniall that euen thy enemies being Iudges thou art such a one as is truely honourable here in earth shall eternally be honoured hereafter in heauen Matt. 5. 1. For blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God As for other sins wherewith this Land is pressed downe I wish they were so inuisible that men should need to looke into bookes to finde them It may not be doubted but where such a bitter roote of prophanenesse and irreligion preuaileth so strongly the cursed fruites of it are too plentifull But men bend not their mindes to that counsell of God Hag. 1. Consider your wayes Yea the tree of knowledge of good and euill hath so infected mens iudgements with a carnall wisdome that they looke only for good and euill in outward and carnall things If those things goe well all is well And euen for this very cause doth God punish vs in outward things that by the euills which we regard wee may be brought to take notice of the euills which we regard not For though the carnall man doe not see sinne to bee euill but only thinkes that to bee euill which hee feeles yet that euill which he sees not is the cause of the euill which hee feels For there is an euill way of sinne which drawes on the euills of iudgement Ionah 3. 10 and as they come together so they goe together For when man turnes from the euill way by repentance God turnes from the euill which he said he would doe and doth it not But of these euills of sinne I haue often spoken and brought them before mens eyes but I pray God to annoint our eyes with that eye-salue of his spirit by which spirituall things are seene and discerned that rightly seeing our sinnes and rightly iudging them wee may escape the iudgements of God All should aduance this repentance And first be Magitrate 19. From the sinnes to be repented of we passe to the persons that ought to be principall Agents
or Aduancers of Repentance Oyle of Sc. Sect. 8. 9. It hath beene formerly noted that it belongeth to all and among al chiefly to the chiefest by whom this dutie may be best communicated to all And so notice was first taken of the Magistrate as being first in Eminence And indeede the supreme Magistrate ouerspreading all his people with a generall Authoritie most fitly enioyneth and spreadeth out a generall humiliation Therefore we read that Kings were the Ordainers of generall Fasts Fasts being by them made generall haue produced generall Blessings And therefore is the Fast it selfe a great benefite bestowed by the Prince on his Subiects it being a general Summons to Repentance and Humiliation whereby the Euills and Miseries which lye vpon the people may bee taken away and turned into Blessings Yea what greater benefite can there be than to bestow that greatest and highest Remedy which is able to cure a people though sicke at heart yea when the vsuall Remedies are sicke themselues it is able to cure them and from thenceforth themselues being cured they are able to cure vs. And here I cannot but extoll the fauour of God to this Nation and the goodnesse of our gracious King to his Subiects who in the straights and sufferings of this people gaue them this chiefe soueraign Remedie A gift how euer carnall men may esteeme it of principall value and highest Consequence to a Nation labouring in an Agony vnder the Iudgements of God For as the greatest Tyranny is expressed in that Character of Ieroboam Hee made Israel to sinne 1. King 15. 30. since he that made Israel to sinne 2. King 17. 22. 23. made Israel to perish so is it the greatest Mercy and Goodnes of a Prince to draw the people from sinne by calling them to Repentance For being turned from sinne the perishing which attendeth sinne is also turned away By this meanes did the King of Nineueh more good to his Subiects than all his Treasures all his policies and all the power of a Citie of three dayes iourney could haue done for them For when God who is a spirit comes to fight with a Nation those carnal weapons are too gross wherewith to fight against a spirit but spiritual weapons can onely serue the turne in a spirituall warfare But wee need not to trauell farre eyther to ancient times or forreine places to shew the benefits and blessings which a King procureth to his people by calling them vnto publicke Humiliation for euen these late acts of Humiliation which haue been performed by the Decree of our Soueraigne haue beene followed with immediate blessings euen blessings that follow them so close that they doe more than point at their Causes See more particular obseruation of these blessings Sect. 22. for they doe touch them and goe hand in hand with them Yea these blessings were affixed to them as the Seales of the most High wherby they were approued that are past and others are inuited for the time to come And as the publike Command of Humiliation sent forth by the Magistrate doth make way for a Blessing vpon his people so also doth his particular Repentance and Prayer For euen the particular vertues of a Prince are generall benefits For as when a Prince doth some great sinne God may breake in by that sinne vpon the sins of the people so the Repentance and Prayer of a Prince may stand in the breach and diuert the Iudgements either broken in or ready to breake in vpon the people There is a president of both in King Dauid for vpon the occasion of his sin in numbering the people the plague brake in vpon Israel And againe by his humiliation and praier God staied the plague from breaking in vpon Iudah and Ierusalem And indeed this Story teacheth Princes by the example of a King according to the heart of the King of kings 2. Sam. 24. 17. in publike Iudgements especially to looke to their owne sinnes and to say with Dauid It is I that haue sinned but these sheepe what haue they done As on the other side it teacheth the people especially to looke on their owne sinnes since wee see by this example that the sinnes of the people may be the occasions of the sinnes of the Prince and of those iudgements that follow them And thus the precious oyntment of sauing Health beginning to bee powred on the head may drop downe euen to the skirts of his garments and by the fauour of God it may be truly said of the Anointed of the Lord Lam. 4. 20. Vnder his shadow we shall liue 20 A second aduancer of humiliation and repentance A second aduancer of Repentance is the Minister is the Minister and he should aduance it both in publike and particular by his function and by his life And surely there are many that doe both and are like Iohn Baptist who was both a burning and a shining light Inwardly burning with that heauenly fire wherewith the spirit baptizeth from that fire shineth forth the light both of doctrine and life And for these wee owe great thankes to the Lord of the Haruest that hath sent forth such labourers into his haruest For these also with Moses Psal. 106. 23. stand in the breach and keepe out the Iudgements of God and that with violence For there is no small might in a true Prophet of God to defend a Nation from the Iudgements of God for if a Prophet and a King may bee beleeued when they speake of such Prophets 2. King 2. 12. Elisha saith it of Eliiah 2. King 13. 14. and Ioash saith the same of Elisha So that the encrease of these are both a signe and cause of safety to a Nation and the diminishing of these a signe and cause of ruine and desolation For what were those times when there was no peace to him that went out 2. Chro. 15. nor to him that came in but when Israel was without a teaching Priest Wherefore to those Elders that doubly build by life and doctrine there belongs iustly double honour and indeed by their two-fold building there ariseth a two-fold safetie both to Church and Common-wealth And as it is a pleasant iust thing that to the skilfull builders of this twofold worke there should be double honour so it is a pleasant good sight to see those that haue this double honour to doe this twofold worke And first for the publicke It was verie comely to see the formost is honour to march in the head of the troupe in the late humiliation which was a holy warre against the iudgements of God A right reuerend Father and a reuerend Deane diuiding the day and the works of the day both prayer and preaching giue encouragement to the exercises of the day And I hope that more places than one are not without patternes of spirituall Captaines that did leade forth their souldiers into this spirituall warfare For it is a hopefull