between the in-side and the out-side in these two things First in their peculiarity and choicenesse The temporall profits by a victory are common to good and bad whereas spirituall ones are peculiar to the Saints the dogges as well as the children may partake of these scraps but these are only the portion of sons and daughters When the Israelites were preserved in Egypt and went out of that land thorow the red sea by a mighty hand Exod. 12.28 there was a mixed multitude that went with them which were not Israelites and that multitude shared as much in the temporall part of Israels salvation as Gods owne peculiar people for they passed thorow the sea as on drie land as well as the others they had their portion and their commons in the quailes and Manna as well as they as we read all along that storie to Numb 11.4 Nay in Egypt when God preserved his people amidst these plagues the cattell the bullocks of the Israelites did share in the outward part of that deliverance as well as the Israelites themselves for in the murraine they were all preserved alive Exod. 9.4 5 6 7. of the cattell of the children of Israel died not one But now there was a peculiar number of Israelites indeed that did get higher benefits by those deliverances for they sucked inward sweetnesse and spirituall good out of all that chaine of mercy and salvation which the common multitude did neither perceive nor regard For instance Moses got extraordinary familiarity with God by his long march in the wildernesse Ezod 33.14 17 18 19. he prevailed for Israels pardon gat the Lord himselfe to goe with them and obtained a sight of his glory Hee gat so farre into the bosome of God that hee might have asked even what hee would This was the spirituall good and benefit that Moses did get and laid up by those deliverances So Caleb and Joshua they gat other spirits Nom. 14.24 and a kind of fulnesse in following after the Lord. These spirituall gaines are the very exstractions and quintessence of a victorie This is the first difference Secondly they differ in their durablenesse 2. In duration or continuance All the temporall gaines of a victory they are but temporary that which is gotten by the sword may by the sword bee lost againe as wee see this ballance of warre and victory hath turned often in this land already and the Saw of warre hath beene drawen from side to side many times whilest the poor Kingdome is cut asunder under it But the spirituall divine inward gaines of a Christian are everlasting they are implunderable like Maries part that could never be taken from her Luke 10.42 See it exemplified in David the man after Gods owne heart This David in his warres with Saul and other enemies got by too too hard a shift Ziklag which he made his head quarter and place of retreat there he laid up all his purchase bag and baggage and all the wealth that hee had gotten in all his warres But now behold on a sudden this Ziklag is taken 1 Sam. 30. and sacked by the Amalekites and in it poor David looseth at once what he had been so long time a gathering Farewell now to all his temporall temporarie carnall military gaines and estate and now if hee had not gotten by his wars some more * Si arbitrium dandi pones nos est praecipue mansura quaeremus ut quam minimè mortale fit munus Sen. de Benefic lib. 1. enduring substance something of a more spirituall lasting nature he had been a man utterly undone for he had lost both his wives and the City was burnt with fire and the people spake of stoning him But David had gotten somewhat else and laid it up there where the Amalekites could not come at it he had gotten a vigorous faith by long experience and this did stand by him in this extremitie and by it he incouraged himselfe in the Lord his God He remembred that the Lord had been his God in former deliverances as from the * 1 Sam. 17.37 lion and the bear and Saul at * 1 Sam. 24. Keilah Kiph and Maon and thence concluded that he would yet deliver him This faith and experience which he had gotten in the time of his former wars travels and trials neither the Amalekites nor all the powers of hell were able to plunder away from him but it fetcht back his temporals to him again Therefore you see there is a double difference between the spirituals and the temporals between the in-side and the out-side of victories This also was preparatorie Now we goe to the principall branch of Application Vse 2 If wee ought especially to rejoyce and be glad in those salvations that have in them most of God Direction then be we effectually directed not to look so much with the eye of sense upon victories and mercies so doe beasts nor with the eye of reason altogether so doe meere men who are the children of this world onely but let us look upon them with spirituall eyes and taste them with a spirituall palat let us see and resent how much of God there is in them what divine profits we doe get by them and accordingly more or lesse let us rejoyce and be glad in his salvation Every man we say yea a bird or beast can pick out the fish of the oyster but he is an Artist and a wise man indeed that can find and gather out the pearles that are therein These spirituall pearles are the things which I doe now presse you to seek after Quest. I but you will say Hic labor hoc opus est here is the task indeed how shall I come to know when there is more or lesse of God in a victorie or salvation For I grant that I should rejoyce most in such mercies but how may I know them Answ It is the maine worke that I have designed my selfe unto at this time The marks of Gods speciall presence in a victory viz. when Juâ—g 14.8 9. 1. There is much of his attributes As to help you as with a prospective glasse to see and discerne when there is most of God in a salvation or deliverance to teach you Samson-like to find out the hony combe in the slaughtered lion that so I may bottome your joy upon a sweet and solid foundation The first note or marke of the muchnesse of God in a mercy and victory may be this when there is much of Gods attributes appearing in such a mercy The Lords attributes are himselfe The Lord passed before him that is Moses and proclaimed The Lord the Lord God Exod. 33.6 7. mercifull and gracious long suffering and abundant in goodnesse and truth c. There his mercy justice faithfulnesse c. are called himselfe Now the more of Gods attributes do shine eminently in any deliverance the more of God we may conclude there is in it As the
Oriens ab Occidente OR A DAWNING IN THE VVEST As it was delivered in a Sermon before the Honourable House of COMMONS at Westminster upon their day of THANKSGIVING for severall Victories in the West c. By JOHN BOND Mr of the Savoy and one of the Assembly of Divines Ezra 9. v. 8. And now for a little space grace bath been shewed from the Lord our God to leave us a remnant to escape and to give us a naile in his Holy place that our God may lighten our eyes and give us a little reviving in our bondage Psal 2. v. 11. Rejoyce with trembling London Printed by J.D. for Fr. Eglesfield and are to be sold at his Shop at the sign of the Mary gold in Pauls Church-yard 1645. Die Sabbathi 23. Augusti 1645. ORdered by the Commons assembled in Parliament That Mr Gourdon and Mr Bond doe from this House give thanks to Mr Case and Mr Bond for their great paines they took in the Sermons they preached yesterday before the Commons at St Margarets Westminster it being a day set a part for publike Thanksgiving And it is Ordered that they be desired to Print their Sermons and that none shall presume to print them without License under their hands-writing Henry Elsynge Cler. Parl. Dom. Com. To the Honourable House of COMMONS assembled in Parliament Worthy Senators AS this Sermon was too much shortened in time at its conception and birth in the Study and in the Pulpit so hath it been too too long in the cradle comming forth to publike view One principall cause of this slow motion besides some avocations of mine owne hath been the great throng of your late Victories which crouded-in upon the Stationers so fast that this Sermon like that * 2 Kings 7.17 Courtier in the gate of Samaria hath stuck fast in the presse of good news and even now at last 't is no sooner gotten through the croud but behold another pair of Thanksgiving Sermons are ready to tread upon its heels Surely if the Lord of hosts did ever strive to overcome a Parliament of England with giving them Victories your selves are that Parliament For what Nation is there so great that hath God so nigh unto them as the Lord your God is in all things that we call upon him for Oh what a Master do you serve Deut. 4.7 Or what doth the Father of mercies meane to do with us As for mine own part I must confesse that the present unexpected heapes of salvations doe cast me into the same trance with that of * Gen. 42.28 Josephs brethren when opening their sacks for provender they found meate and money to boot t is said that then Their hearts failed them and they were afraid saying one to another What is this that God hath done unto us The men would have bin glad a little before with assurance of their lives much more glad with some corn for saving the lives of their families and now behold lives corne and money besides your selves can easily apply Onely give me leave in this Epistle to be your remembrancer in two particulars concerning these glorious successes and and this Sermon viz. That 1. Great victories are to meere nature great Temptations prosperitie is an heady wine a little of it will inflame especially if it meet with an emptie or distempered body and therefore mortified Agur prefers a coarse commons yea a piece of * Prov. 30.8 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Statuit statute-bread before such Cavëare You know what befell * 2 Sam. 11 2 c. David whilst his Army was successefull against Ammon and lay besieging Rabbath the Citie of waters * 2 Chron. 26.16 You know Uzziah's sacrificing and Amaziah's overthrow by conquering It is one principall end of this Sermon as to prevent all such surfets 2 King 14.7 c. s o to mortifie and spiritualize our mercies that we may freely and safely feast our selves upon them 2. Great victories are great engagements 'T is both a divine humane rule of proportion that * Luk. 12.48 to whom men have committed much of him they will aske the more The Parliament of England hath lately taken-up very great summes of mercy to the use of the Kingdomes upon trust and credit may it please you now to consider of discharging these greatest publike debts May it please you as Abraham to set up some * Gen. 22.14 Jehovah-jireh some proverbiall monument The Lord will provide Or as Moses some * Exod. 7 15. Jehovah-nissi some monumentall altar with the hand upon the throne of the Lord. Or as Samuel some Eben-ezer some pillar of praise with a ne plus ultra upon it as the stone of help Some such thing I beseech you let there be to carry the name of this our God to posteritie let the Lord of your hosts have some jewell from you for all these victories it is another end of this Sermon to help you in this duty also If your weighty occasions will not permit you to read over the whole as commonly we desire to hear good news once and again yet may it please you to cast an eye upon * 1 Sam. 7.12 some particular pages therof As page 36 c. As for my self it must be my prayer That this oyle of gladnesse may equally quicken both wheeles of your proceedings I meane in the affaires of Religion and Liberty 'T is not long since that these two like * Gen. 50. Joseph and Pharaohs butler were fellow-prisoners together but the latter of them state-libertie blessed be the Lord is lately delivered and advanced in great part though not without the help of the former and now Religion Joseph-like doth in his words supplicate to her quondam fellow-prisoner and saith Thinke on me or remember me with thee when it shall be well with thee Verse 14. and shew kindnesse I pray thee unto me Let the King of Saints and of Nations goe on to settle by your hands Truth and Peace in all the Churches and common-wealths of these three Kingdoms causing us more and more to feare the Lord and his goodnesse in the latter dayes Hos 3.5 So Prayeth continually your servant for Jesus sake JOHN BOND Savoy Octob. 8. 1645. ISAI 25.9 And it shall be said in that day Loe this is our God we have waited for him and he will save us This is the Lord wee have waited for him wee will be glad and rejoyce in his salvation Right Honourable and Beloved Preface I Have reaped some sheaves out of this field already and have threshed them out in part for the home-provision of mine own flock but there is some of the finest of the wheat-flower yet remaining which with a second bolting may make a fit meat-offering for this solemne day of Praise and Thanksgiving Coherence The whole Chapter is Eucharisticall rather a Psalme than a Chapter full loaden with mercies and praises from the beginning to the
all the mercy and of all the truth that thou hast shewed to thy servant Nay good old David 2 Sam. 7.18 19. when God had loaded him with benefits hee goes in and as if hee were not able to stand under the mercies promised hee sits before the Lord and there his heart runnes abroad as melting waxe in his bosome in a thankfull humble acknowledgement What am I and what is my fathers house that thou hast brought me hitherto Lastly let it improve us in holy activity for God Hee is my God and my fathers God And what of that Exod. 15.2 Therefore I will prepare him an habitation So in another place I am thy servant and the sonne of thine handmaid thou hast loosed my bonds I am thy born-servant Psal 116. and thy bought-servant and therefore am ready to serve thee in righteousnesse and holinesse all the daies of my life Thus you see I have hasted thorow foure severall marks and notes of Gods especiall presence in a deliverance There is but one remaining which I will dispatch with brevity Fifthly and finally to come nearest to the work of this day would you know when there is very much of God in a salvation or victory Circumstantiall impressions of God that accordingly you may be very much in praise and rejoycing It is when a victory carries with it some particular circumstantiall impressions of God We say * In Morelibus plus valet circumstantia quam substantia in Morals that the circumstance is more then the substance So many times in victories the adjuncts may be more then the matter The cutting of a stone may be more precious than the stone it selfe and the stamp and workmanship of more value then the metall These holy divine circumstances of mercies are the things that doe set them higher or lower in the eye and heart of every prudent spirituall discerner especially when they appeare to be the particular impressions of God I would bring this home to the mercies for which wee blesse the Lord this day And here to shew you the circumstantiall impressions The occasions of this Thanksgiving considered in their and foot-steps of the Lord I desire you First to look upon them in their bulk and quantity Secondly in their parcels and qualities First look on the salvations of this day in their bulk and quantity Quantity as they doe lie together And here I desire you to remember that this day of Thanksgiving is not like other dayes of this kind for it is not for one single salvation deliverance or victory that you doe blesse the Lord this day nor for one paire of mercies in the duall no nor for a paire of paires but for an heap a multitude of victories I am perswaded confidently that since our unnaturall divisions began you have not had so many eminent causes of thanksgiving upon any one day of praise and rejoycing nor upon any Thanksgiving day might you so properly have taken up those words of the Psalmist as now Psal 68.19 Blessed be the Lord who daily loads us with his benefits even the God of our salvation Selah And therefore the work of this day would require the skill of the Master of the musick as in the Title of that Psalme The Papists talk carnally and superstitiously very much about the five wounds of Christ and you know what * King of Portugali King it is that accounts it a great deale of honour to carry those five wounds in his Armes Sure I am you are to blesse the Lord for no lesse then five severall healings and deliverances this day yea for five compleat Victories and every victory is doubly as much again as a deliverance Therefore you have now five dayes works to doe in one Shall I count the number of them You heard something this way to day already But I shall speak onely of this dayes mercies Remember Scarborough remember that of Wales remember Bridgewater remember Bath remember Sherborne Lo a whole handfull of mercies indeed for every finger a severall mercie The Lord hath deserved our hearts-full of thankfulnesse this day Certainly the first-fruits of the West doe come-in me thinks as the first-fruits of Canaan did Num. 13.23 24. not singly and by units but as the grapes of Eshcol by loading clusters It is a series a chaine a streame of victories that the Lord hath given us of late hee seems to fasten victories to our Armies I remember it is said of the Athenians Pausanias that in a politique kind of fancy they made the Image of their Goddesse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Victory without wings whereas other people did paint her winged Their reason was that shee might stay with their Armies and not fly over to the enemies side Certainly God hath given you such an unwinged Victoria as flyes not off from your Armies Shee seems to have arms indeed for shee fights for you and to have legges for shee followes your Camps but is without wings being fixed and dwelling amongst us ever since this new despised Modell went forth to battell And so fast doth one victory tread upon the heeles of another that as one said wittily O let us speak it humbly The noble Generall seemes to have taken the worke of this warre to doe not by the day but at a task Now they say of Physick Honourable and Beloved that though it be weak in quality yet if it be much in quantity it will work even upon a flat and dull constitution Doe but consider this great quantity of these your mercies But the qualities of them should be yet more effectuall Quality at as they have the impressions of God upon them Next therefore let us consider them in their parcels and qualities Shall I take them abroad First of all 1. Scarborough there is that Northerne Castle that so long and often hath been attempted and tampered withall but all in vaine A Castle that was a kind of Amphibion a Monster that offended us as well by sea as by land and like a Crocadile preyed upon us in both elements This consideration should make the mercy double in our esteeme and as I may say a two-handed-mercy behold this is now given up into your hands and with it that great Apostate of the North who is paid home Ahab-like in that place where hee sinned Secondly 2. Haverford-West there is a field victory given you too that the Lord might appeare to be the God of the mountaines as well as of the valleys in the field as well as in the City a field-victory at Haverford-West in Wales But when and how was that bestowed Marke the time and manner in which that blow was given the Lord did cut them in a dangerous unseasonable season There is great difference between the cuts that hee gives to his enemies and to his people The one is when the sap is downe and so is rather a pruning then a felling and